The South Bend Symphony announces its 2023-24 Season, the eighth under the baton of Grammy-nominated Music Director Alastair Wills. Between the Jack M. Champaigne Masterworks, the June H. Edwards Mosaic, the Indiana Trust Pops Series, the Shein Trust Community Series, and special concerts, the 91st season manages a major world-premiere, incredible community collaborations and fan-favorite pops shows, all played by the powerhouse players of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra.  

  • For the first time in three years, the Season opens in the beautiful Morris Performing Arts Center with the Jack M. Champaigne Masterworks Series concert Silk Road + Strauss, featuring Silkroad Ensemble alum Joseph Gramley in a stage-spanning percussion concerto. 
  • A collaboration with the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association and the Euclid Quartet begins the June H. Edwards Mosaic Series and brings the world premiere of Anna Clyne’s concerto for string quartet and orchestra Quarter Days to the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. Bachtrack named Anna Clyne as one of the top ten most performed living composers of 2022. This major commission and world premiere precedes her Metropolitan Opera debut in New York. 
  • The Shein Trust Community Series features the Annual Family concert, designed for children and families, and the second celebration of Día de los Muertos.

The South Bend Symphony Orchestra is grateful to the Season long sponsors: Jack M. Champaigne and his support of the Masterworks Series and the June H. Edwards Mosaic Series; Indiana Trust Wealth Management for their support of the Indiana Trust Pops Series; the Shein Trust for the support of the Shein Trust Community Series; and Jordan Lexus of Mishawaka for the support of guest artists throughout the 91st Season. In addition, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra acknowledges additional operating support from the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Season subscriptions for the 2023-24 are on sale now. For more information, visit the South Bend Symphony’s website at www.southbendsymphony.org or call the office at 574-232-6343. 

 

The Jack M. Champaigne Masterworks Series consists of five magnificent programs:  

SILK ROAD + STRAUSS – September 30, 2023
The 91st Season opens with Chen Yi’s “Percussion Concerto” performed by Joseph Gramley. Richard Strauss’ Rosenkavalier, based on his popular opera Der Rosenkavalier, includes a selection of the most well-known and beloved melodies from the opera, which Strauss arranged for a smaller ensemble to perform. 

SHAKESPEARE’S DREAMS – November 11, 2023
Featuring Shakespeare at Notre Dame, this concert features Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture and excerpts from Sibelius, Paul Chihara, and Anna Clyne.  

DISCOVER MAHLER – February 10, 2024
The winner of the Crossroads of America: Composer Competition from the 2022-23 Season, Michael Schelle, opens the evening, which culminates in Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. Praised for its emotional depth, complexity, and structural coherence, Symphony No. 5 deeply reflects Mahler’s struggles with mortality, love, and loss. Music Director Alastair Willis provides additional context in this Discover concert.   

A NIGHT AT THE OPERA – April 6, 2024
The passionate melodies and lyrics of arias, duets, trios, and choruses by Mozart, Bizet, Puccini, Verdi, Mascagni, and Wagner come to life when the South Bend Lyric Opera joins the Symphony for this dynamic performance.  

Dvořák’s PROPHECY – May 4, 2024
“Dvořák’s Prophecy” unpacks Antonín Dvořák’s prediction that the future of classical music would be found in the United States rather than Europe. The concert features Florence Prices’ Ethiopia’s Shadow in America and concludes with the Dvořák’s New World Symphony. 

The Indiana Trust Pops Series consists of three energetic programs:  

SPECIAL PROGRAM – October 7, 2023
More information is coming soon.

UNDER THE BIG TOP – March 9, 2024
This fun program blends the circus’s energy, excitement, and theatricality with the grandeur and elegance of classical music. 

BACK TO THE 1980’S – April 20, 2024
Back to the 1980s is a power-packed evening of the decade’s #1 hit songs, including The Power of Love, Time After Time, Material Girl, Another One Bites The Dust, Footloose, Addicted to Love, and many others. Featuring the music of such 1980s iconic stars as Madonna, Debbie Gibson, Huey Lewis & The News, Phil Collins, Queen, Joe Cocker, and others, Back to the 1980s contains all new arrangements by Grammy-winner Jeff Tyzik and features three incredible vocalists. 

The June H. Edwards Mosaic Series is a unique three-concert series that features diverse works in a more intimate setting at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Highlights of the 2023-24 Season include:  

ANNA CLYNE’S QUARTER DAYS: THE WORLD PREMIERE – October 22, 2023
Divided into four movements, “Quarter Days” is a highly evocative work that showcases Clyne’s skill in creating intricate and complex music. The Euclid Quartet and Fischoff Chamber Music Association join the Symphony for this world premiere.   

ALASTAIR PRESENTS: NEIGHBORING BACH – January 14, 2024
Entertainment abounds as Music Director Alastair Willis takes you to eighteenth-century Germany and Johann Sebastian Bach’s home. In the spirit of “Tchaikovsky’s Circles “, “Vienna Riches,” and “Paris Impressions,” Alastair threads a story through music that makes the stage come to life. 

MOZART’S REQUIEM – March 17, 2024
Mozart’s Requiem, his best-known choral work, is a cornerstone of the classical choral repertoire. South Bend Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Nancy Menk, join the Symphony on stage. 

SHEIN TRUST COMMUNITY SERIES
Special programs have become a tradition for audiences of all ages across the region!  

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS – October 29, 2023
The Symphony once again leads a city-wide celebration of this vibrant, celebratory holiday. 

YOUNG PEOPLES DISCOVERY CONCERTS – An excellent way to introduce children and young people to the world of classical music and to help foster a lifelong love of the arts. The Shein Family Trust Community Series proudly supports the Young People’s Discovery Concerts – Dates to be announced. 

SHEIN TRUST FAMILY CONCERT: PETER & THE WOLF – November 26, 2023
Conclude the Thanksgiving weekend with the entire family with a concert designed for families of all ages and sizes. Theater group Shades of Orange joins the Symphony at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center to make Peter and the animals come alive.  

 

 SPECIALS  

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS – December 16 & 17, 2023
Don’t miss one of South Bend’s favorite holiday traditions when the Symphony and exceptional guest artists bring you “Home for the Holidays!” A spectacular program of cherished Christmas carols and memorable seasonal tunes that brings joy to all. The perfect gift for the whole family.  

RAFFAELLA BALLET – June 29, 2024, in collaboration with the Southold Dance Theater
This original ballet is based on the life of Raffaella Maria Stroik’s life. Inspired by the masterpieces of Tchaikovsky and others, this ballet seeks to embody Raffaella’s motto, “Beauty will save the world”.  

CELEBRATION FOR A KING – The Symphony continues to partner with area churches and venues to bring music to the community. The programs will commemorate and celebrate the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dates to be announced.   

 

SUBSCRIPTIONS / TICKETS  

Subscriptions   

Discounts, priority seating, and other exclusive benefits are available to season subscribers. Subscribe at www.southbendsymphony.org or by phone at (574) 232-6343.    

Single Tickets – Please note single tickets are ONLY available directly from the venue.  

Single tickets are on sale to the public on August 1, 2023.   

Single ticket prices start at $19. 

Single tickets are available through the Morris Box Office, open Tuesday – Thursday, 10 to 2 p.m., by phone at 574-235-9190, or online at morriscenter.org.    

DeBartolo Performing Arts Center Ticket Office, open Monday – Friday, Noon to 6 p.m., by phone 574-631-2800 or online at www.performingarts.nd.edu.  

Dates, programs, and venues are subject to change.     

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About the South Bend Symphony Orchestra   

The South Bend Symphony Orchestra lives its mission by engaging the community in exploring orchestral music in all its forms, producing more than 20 mainstage programs serving more than 17,000 attendees annually. As the region’s only professional orchestra, the Symphony is committed to a diversity of sound and a robust arts community in Michiana.