The Valley Symphony Orchestra (VSO) begins its 75th Anniversary Season with Music of the Greats on Friday, October 30, at 8 p.m. at the McAllen Performing Arts Center. The concert marks the opening of the orchestra's 2026/27 Masterworks Season, celebrating 75 years of orchestral music in the Rio Grande Valley.
Under the direction of Maestro Peter Dabrowski, the VSO will present a program featuring works by three prominent composers whose music has helped shape the orchestral repertoire: Aaron Copland, Camille Saint-Saëns, and George Gershwin. The evening will also feature guest pianist Asiya Korepanova as soloist.
The concert opens with Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, a powerful brass and percussion work originally composed in 1942. Known for its bold, ceremonial character, the piece offers a fitting opening to the orchestra's anniversary season.
Guest pianist Asiya Korepanova will then join the VSO for Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22. The concerto is celebrated for its technical demands and contrasting musical styles, moving from a dramatic opening to an energetic finale.
The evening concludes with Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: Symphonic Picture, an orchestral arrangement of music from the composer's landmark opera. Blending classical traditions with elements of jazz, blues, and American popular music, the work brings the concert to a colorful close.
Music of the Greats is the first of five Masterworks concerts planned for the VSO's 75th Anniversary Season. The season continues with A Touch of Frost on December 4; ¡Cumbanchera Sinfónica! on February 5, 2027; Voices of Courage on March 12, 2027; and Spartacus Adventurous on April 16, 2027.
As the VSO marks this historic milestone, the orchestra invites audiences across the Rio Grande Valley to celebrate its musical legacy and the beginning of a new chapter.
Tickets are available only through Ticketmaster. For more information about this concert, their season, and how to purchase tickets, visit their website at www.valleysymphony.org/.
