“Black Panther,” Beethoven and a world premiere are just the tip of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s newly announced, eclectic 2024-2025 season.
In music director Robert Spano’s third year at the helm, the orchestra strives to serve up traditional classic numbers, chamber music and contemporary compositions while also expanding its audience.
Sci-fi fans can look forward to music from “Alien,” “Star Trek,” and “The X-Files” in an upcoming pops concert, and families are sure to flock to the orchestra’’s live performance of “Frozen” in accompaniment to a screening of the movie.
“I’m excited about every single one of them,” Spano said from the stage during the symphony’s season announcement.
San Francisco-based composer Jake Heggie flew in for the season announcement to talk about his original work “Earth 2.0,” commissioned by the symphony through President and CEO Keith Cerny.
“I spend so much of my life in the opera house that to be invited into the symphonic world is a real treat,” he said.“I’ve known Keith for many years, and he called and asked me if I would want to do something with the amazing Fort Worth Symphony and Robert Spano. He had my attention immediately.”
Inspired by the vocal range of countertenor Key’mon Murrah and the story of David and Goliath, “Earth 2.0” is a twist on the tale of the giant slayer that instead centers the struggle between the earth and humankind. As the music provides a sonic dialogue for the story, dancers from the group Urban Bush Women, choreographed by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, will paint a visual picture.
A pairing of dance and music continues with the third installment of the Stravinsky series, as Atlanta dance group gloATL takes the stage during a production of “The Rite of Spring,” and FLY Dance Company returns for a family-friendly show called “Breakin’ Classical.”
The family-friendly series provides a more laid-back atmosphere for young children who are having their first experience sitting in an audience.
“We want you to laugh when you want to. We want you to clap when you want to. And most of all, enjoy your time with the four symphony musicians,” viola player Joni Baczewski said.
She said that there might even be one or two skateboards that end up on stage at one of the performances for children.
For Cerny, embracing the “theater of a concert” strategy, which combines visuals, projections and lighting, has been an effective tool for single-ticket sales and drawing new audiences.
The orchestra will perform “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” on the heels of its success performing alongside other movies about a galaxy far, far away and explore “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
The musicians will get into the holiday spirit with the help of Santa Claus himself at two “Home for the Holidays” programs and a performance timed to follow Tim Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas” film.
In another family-friendly performance, storybook pages from “Little Red Riding Hood” will be projected in conjunction with performances from the orchestra and dancers.
And in keeping with the something-for-everybody programming, later in the season the orchestra will pay homage to Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Otis Redding and others in two separate performances titled “Kings of Soul.” Two other performances will pay tribute to the late Tony Bennett.
The list of offerings is long, and Cerny encourages patrons to buy their tickets early.
“You won’t want to miss a single concert.”
Marcheta Fornoff covers the arts for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.