2023-2024 Masterworks Series

Music, no matter the form, moves us in ways that make us think, dream, grow, cry, and soar. The 2023-2024 Masterworks Series, filled with magnetic and moving moments, is one you don’t want to miss!

The Masterworks Series begins with a Season Opening Celebration: Prince Orlofsky’s Grand Masquerade in collaboration with Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet to bring Act 2 of Johann Strauss, II’s Die Fledermaus (The Revenge of the Bat) to life.

The season features orchestral masterpieces such as Gustav Holst’s cosmic tour de force The Planets, Mussorgsky’s picturesque Pictures at an Exhibition, Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony, Brahms’ A German Requiem, Florence Price’s Dances in the Canebrakes, Dvořák’s New World Symphony, and many other great works! In addition to these great works, dazzling guest artists feature pianist Aleksandra Kasman, DPO Principal Horn Aaron Brant, Acting Concertmaster Aurelian Oprea, guest conductor Kensho Watanabe and more!

Season Opening Celebration: Prince Orlofsky’s Grand Masquerade

Schuster Center

7:30 pm Saturday, September 16, 2023

2:30 pm Sunday, September 17, 2023


The 2023–24 season opens with a bang: a grand masquerade! All three art forms—DPAA’s Opera, Philharmonic, and Ballet—take the stage in an evening of extravagant celebration. At the heart of the performance is Act II from Strauss’s comic opera, Fledermaus (Revenge of the Bat). The scene is Prince Orlofsky’s party, where disguises and deception abound, and the champagne never stops. Join the party—you never know who is going to show up!

 

 

Pictures at an Exhibition

Schuster Center

7:30 pm Friday, September 29, 2023

7:30 pm Saturday, September 30, 2023


Jessie Montgomery Banner
Sergei Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Modest Mussorgsky (orch. Maurice Ravel) Pictures at an Exhibition

Aleksandra Kasman, piano
Neal Gittleman, conductor

 

 

Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony

Schuster Center

7:30 pm Friday, November 10, 2023

7:30 pm Saturday, November 11, 2023


Ludwig van Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3
Richard Strauss Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major
Franz Schubert Entr’acte No. 3 from Rosamunde 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 41 in C major, K.551 “Jupiter”

Aaron Brant, horn
Neal Gittleman, conductor

 

 

Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony

Schuster Center

7:30 pm Friday, January 12, 2024

7:30 pm Saturday, January 13, 2024


Richard Wagner Act 1 Prelude from Lohengrin
Claude Debussy Ibéria
Sergei Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27

Kensho Watanabe, conductor

 

 

Swan Lake

Schuster Center

7:30 pm Friday, February 16, 2024

7:30 pm Saturday, February 17, 2024

2:30 pm Sunday, February 18, 2024


Set to Tchaikovsky’s romantic score (performed live by the Philharmonic), Septime Webre’s Swan Lake is a perennial favorite, featuring gorgeous sets, beautiful costumes, and dramatic choreography that includes ballerinas moving in unison—one of the most iconic scenes in ballet.

Ballet Series Subscribers can have any performance of Swan Lake in their subscription package.

Masterworks 8 Series Subscribers can have any performance of Swan Lake in their subscription package.

 

 

Brahms: A German Requiem

Schuster Center

7:30 pm Friday, March 8, 2024

7:30 pm Saturday, March 9, 2024


Amy Scurria Beyond All Walking  
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K.216
Johannes Brahms A German Requiem

Aurelian Oprea, violin
Neal Gittleman, conductor
Dayton Philharmonic Chorus

 

 

Total Eclipse: The Sun and The Planets

Schuster Center

7:30 pm Friday, April 5, 2024

7:30 pm Saturday, April 6, 2024


Carl Nielsen Helios Overture, Op. 17
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 16 in D major, K. 451
Gustav Holst The Planets, Op. 32

Richard Dowling, piano
Neal Gittleman, conductor
Women of the Dayton Philharmonic Chorus

 

 

New World Symphony

Schuster Center

7:30 pm Friday, June 7, 2024

7:30 pm Saturday, June 8, 2024


Florence Price (orch. William Grant Still) Dances in the Canebrakes
Antonín Dvořák Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 “From the New World”
Various Composers Spirituals and Gospel Anthems

Neal Gittleman, conductor
Community Choir