MODESTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Contact:
Caroline Nickel
cnickel@modestosymphony.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / April 9, 2025
Click to download high-resolution photos. (Pictured from left to right: top row: Nicholas Hersh, music director; Timothy Loo, cello; Amaryn Olmeda, violin; Anne Akiko Meyers, violin; MSO Chorus; bottom row: Picnic at the Pops, Jurassic Park in Concert)
Modesto Symphony Orchestra Announces 2025-26 Season of Discovery
The MSO’s 95th season features outstanding programming, world-renowned guest artists, and the MSO Chorus.
The Classics Series will feature the works of Mozart, Márquez, Orff, John Williams, and Rimksy-Korsakov.
The Pops Series will feature Holiday Pops!, Pixar in Concert, and Jurassic Park in Concert.
Picnic at the Pops! will feature Windborne’s Music of Queen.
MODESTO, CA – The Modesto Symphony Orchestra (MSO) presents their 95th season led by Music Director Nicholas Hersh. The MSOA’s season will kick off in September with Picnic at the Pops! Windborne’s Music of Queen.
The Classics Series will have four concerts with performances on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM at the Gallo Center for the Arts. The MSO will perform works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Margaret Bonds, Dmitri Klebanov, Arturo Márquez, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Carl Orff, and more.
“Our 95th season offers a thrilling yet thoughtfully curated collection of audience favorites and new discoveries,” says Nicholas Hersh, Music Direct of the MSOA. “In addition to beloved showcases for the orchestra, like Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, we’ll feature new concertos by John Williams and Arturo Márquez, as well as the American premiere of an unabashedly passionate, yet sadly forgotten, symphony. We can’t wait to share all this phenomenal and important music with Modesto!”
Additionally, the MSO also offers a three-concert Pops Series led by Principal Pops Conductor Ryan Murray, which will include Holiday Pops featuring Tony DeSare, Pixar in Concert, and Jurassic Park in Concert.
“We are beyond thrilled to share our upcoming season with the community as we celebrate 95 years of music,” says Caroline Nickel, President & CEO of the MSOA. “This season will feature a range of performances from Picnic at the Pops and the Music of Queen, to Márquez’s Fandango with Anne Akiko Meyers, to Carmina Burana with the MSO Chorus! Plus our two film concerts Pixar in Concert and Jurassic Park in Concert! We’re deeply grateful for the support of our community over the years and we look forward to sharing our music for many years to come!”
MODESTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2025-26 SEASON OVERVIEW
Classics Series
Four concerts performed on both Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM in the Mary Stuart Rogers Theater at Gallo Center for the Arts conducted by Music Director Nicholas Hersh.
The MSO begins the Classics Series on October 10 & 11, 2025 with Williams & Rachmaninoff. Celebrate the cinematic sounds of Hollywood with John Williams’ Cello Concerto, a bold and expressive work that will feature Turlock native, Timothy Loo. The evening will conclude with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 taking you on a rapturous journey through lyrical swells of color and harmony.
November 14 & 15, 2025, the MSO presents a beautifully introspective evening that unites diverse voices through sound with Mozart & Klebanov: Resilience & Remembrance. Margaret Bonds’ Montgomery Variations reflects on the Civil Rights movement, while Mozart’s lively Violin Concert No. 5 features the voice of the next generation, rising violinist Amaryn Olmeda. In a remarkable American premiere, Dmitri Klebanov’s Symphony No. 1 “In Memoriam Babi Yar” gives voice to remembrance and resilience. The evening concludes with John Williams’ A Prayer for Peace, a heartfelt call for unity and hope.
February 13 & 14, 2026, let the Modesto Symphony Orchestra whisk you away for an enchanting evening of dance, romance, and fantasy with Scheherazade & Márquez’s Fandango: Passionate Dances & Spellbinding Stories! Two-time Latin GRAMMY winner and violinist Anne Akiko Meyers will ignite the stage with her passionate performance of Márquez’s Fandango. Then, be swept away into the fantastic world of Arabian Nights as the MSO performs Rimsky-Korsakov’s mesmerizing Scheherazade!
The MSO’s Classics Series will conclude on May 8 & 9, 2026 with Carmina Burana: A Powerful Tribute to 95 Years of Music! This program will celebrate the MSO’s 95th season, the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra’s 45th season, and the Modesto Symphony Orchestra Chorus’s 25th season. This finale showcases one of the most well-known pieces of the 20th century, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. This bombastic epic combines powerful brass, rich harmonies, and the full force of the MSO Chorus.
Pops Series
Three concerts with performances on Friday evenings at 7:30 pm and Saturday matinee performances at 2 pm, performed in the Mary Stuart Rogers Theater at the Gallo Center for the Arts conducted by Principal Pops Conductor Ryan Murray.
The Pops Series begins with a celebration of the Holiday Season with the ever-popular Holiday Pops! concert. The MSO will be joined by the MSO Chorus and Tony DeSare on December 5 & 6, 2025.
The second concert in the Pops Series will be on March 13 & 14, 2026 with Pixar in Concert. Pixar revolutionized animated films and created some of the most heartfelt and memorable moments in movie history. Step into the enchanting world of Pixar magic as the Modesto Symphony Orchestra performs the iconic film scores from “Finding Nemo”, “Coco”, “Monsters Inc.”, and many more, blending the live performance with the cinematic visuals in a celebration fit for the entire family. Presentation licensed by Disney Concert ©Disney/Pixar
Join the MSO on May 29 & 30, 2026 for Jurassic Park in Concert! Featuring visually stunning imagery and groundbreaking special effects, the action-packed adventure of Jurassic Park pits man against prehistoric predators in the ultimate battle for survival. Experience it now, projected in HD with a full symphony orchestra performing John Williams’ iconic score live to picture. © Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Special Community concerts
Picnic at the Pops on September 6, 2025 and the Holiday Candlelight Concert on December 16, 2025.
The Modesto Symphony Orchestra will present their 29th Annual Picnic at the Pops! on September 6, 2025 with Windborne’s Music of Queen! Grounds open at 5 pm and the concert begins at 7:30 pm at the GALLO Winery.
MSO Chorus Director Dr. Daniel R. Afonso Jr. once again leads the Modesto Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, plus the Opus Handbell Ensemble in a special concert that has become a treasured community tradition, the Holiday Candlelight Concert on December 16, 2025 at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church.
Tickets
Subscription packages and single tickets for the MSO’s 2025-26 season will be on sale starting June 2, 2025 online, by phone, and at the Gallo Center Ticket Office. Visit ModestoSymphony.org for full details.
Gallo Center Ticket Office
1000 I Street, Modesto CA 95354
Hours: Monday through Friday 10:00am to 6:00pm and Saturdays 12:00pm to 6:00pm.
Phone: 209.338.2100
MSO 2025-26 SEASON LISTING
Nicholas Hersh, Music Director
CLASSICS SERIES
Williams & Rachmaninoff
Celebrating the Cinematic Sounds of Hollywood
Friday, October 10, 2025, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 7:30 pm
Nicholas Hersh, conductor
Timothy Loo, cello
Program:
JOHN WILLIAMS: Cello Concerto
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF: Symphony No. 2
Mozart & Klebanov
Resilience & Remembrance
Friday, November 14, 2025, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 7:30 pm
Nicholas Hersh, conductor
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Program:
MARGARET BONDS: Selections from Montgomery Variations (I, II, III, VII)
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 5 “Turkish”
DMITRI KLEBANOV: Symphony No. 1 “In Memoriam Babi Yar” (American Premiere)
JOHN WILLIAMS: A Prayer for Peace
Scheherazade & Márquez’s Fandango
Passionate Dances & Spellbinding Stories
Friday, February 13, 2026, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, February 14, 2026, at 7:30 pm
Nicholas Hersh, conductor
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Program:
GRAŻYNA BACEWICZ: Overture
ARTURO MÁRQUEZ: Fandango for Violin & Orchestra
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade
Carmina Burana
A Powerful Tribute to 95 Years of Music
Friday, May 8, 2026, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 9, 2026, at 7:30 pm
Nicholas Hersh, conductor
MSO Chorus, Daniel R. Afonso Jr., chorus director
Members of the MSYO, side-by-side
Program:
MIKHAIL GLINKA: Ruslan & Ludmilla Overture
CARL ORFF: Carmina Burana
POPS SERIES
Ryan Murray, Principal Pops Conductor
Holiday Pops!
Friday, December 5, 2025, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 2:00 pm
Ryan Murray, conductor
MSO Chorus, Daniel R. Afonso Jr., chorus director
Tony DeSare, guest artist
Pixar in Concert
Live to Film
Friday, March 13, 2026, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 14, 2026, at 2:00 pm
Ryan Murray, conductor
Presentation licensed by Disney Concert ©Disney/Pixar
Jurassic Park in Concert
Live Orchestra with Full Length Film
Friday, May 29, 2026, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 2:00 pm
Ryan Murray, conductor
© Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Special Community Concerts
Picnic at the Pops! Windborne’s Music of Queen
Saturday, September 6, 2025
GALLO Winery Grounds
Grounds open at 5:00 pm
Concert starts at 7:30 pm
Ryan Murray, conductor
Brody Dolyniuk, guest artist
Holiday Candlelight Concert
Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 8:00 pm
St. Stanislaus Catholic Church
Daniel R. Afonso Jr., conductor
MSO Chorus, Daniel R. Afonso Jr., chorus director
Opus Handbell Ensemble, Lisa Traughber, Opus Handbell Ensemble director
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The Modesto Symphony Orchestra is a Resident Company of The Gallo Center for the Arts. The DoubleTree Hotel is the official hotel of the MSO.
