South Florida Symphony Orchestra Opens 28th Season With Brahms, Saint-Saëns, Beethoven & Massenet

South Florida Symphony Orchestra (SFSO), led by Maestra Sebrina María Alfonso, will launch its 28th season, Juxtapositions, with a program of powerful and contrasting masterworks on Wednesday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale (707 NE 8th St.).

The evening includes Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1, Massenet’s Méditation from Thaïs, and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1. The concert will feature a special return appearance by GRAMMY Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey. A pre-concert talk with Dr. Alan Mason will take place 30 minutes prior to the performance.

“Each of the works we are presenting beautifully expresses challenges we can all relate to – when struggle becomes triumph, and the perseverance it takes to get there,” said Maestra Alfonso. “It is with pure joy that we share these profound, defiant, and utterly sublime works – music that acknowledges hardship and suffering, yet at its core fills you with hope, love, and optimism.”

The program includes:

• Beethoven – Egmont Overture: A dramatic work portraying the heroism of resistance in the face of tyranny.

• Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto No. 1: A virtuosic tour de force performed by Zuill Bailey.

• Massenet – Méditation from Thaïs: A serene and lyrical interlude reimagined for cello.

• Brahms – Symphony No. 1: A monumental journey from darkness to light, hailed as the composer’s triumph over self-doubt.

Bailey, who has performed with SFSO since its inaugural concert, won the 2017 GRAMMY Award for Best Solo Performance for his recording of Michael Daugherty’s Tales of Hemingway, a work co-commissioned by the orchestra. He is widely recognized as one of the world’s premier cellists, combining celebrated artistry with technical mastery.

This performance opens a season that will also feature works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, Rimsky-Korsakov, Dvořák, and contemporary composers including Nathalie Joachim and Carlos Simon.

TICKETS

Tickets begin at $35 (plus fees) and are available at southfloridasymphony.org, ParkerPlayhouse.com, by phone at (954) 462-0222 (press 1), or in person at the Broward Center AutoNation Box Office.

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