Handel’s Messiah is a perpetual audience favorite. No holiday season is complete without the unforgettable melodies, dramatic text and impassioned vocal writing — including the Hallelujah Chorus. Handel’s librettist, Charles Jennens, chose sections of both the Old and New Testament for the lyrics of this work. George Frederic Handel, though not a native English speaker, makes the words of the King James Bible come alive with his brilliant musical settings. Amazingly, the Mes

The period after Hector Berlioz was known as the driest, most barren epoch in France. All the great symphonic composers, it seemed, were German or from German-speaking lands. Think of Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, and Brahms. At the same time, the French had Beriot, Servais, Franchomme, and Thomas. When was the last time you heard a concert featuring any of these composers? And then, a miracle. Contemporary critics assure us that Camille Saint-Saëns was a greater child prodigy tha

In 1853, Brahms, then 20 years old, was introduced to Robert Schumann, the famous pianist, composer, and music critic. Brahms immediately perceived all the attributes of the elder Robert Schumann and wanted the same for himself. Schumann was an excellent pianist. Brahms worked to acquire great piano technique and soon surpassed Schumann to become the greater pianist. Brahms saw that Schumann was a great symphonist, so he diligently studied the orchestra, acquired tremendous s

Our finale, and the biggest orchestral work of the season, will be Ottorino Respighi’s colossal tone poem, The Pines of Rome...

Planning for this concert began well over a year ago. Morten Lauridsen’s beautifully rich and compelling Lux Aeterna has always been a favorite of mine...

Our Blooming Brilliance performance on May 10th has turned into a wonderful concert with something for everyone.

One of the great highlights of every season is meeting and hearing the winners and runners-up from our annual Young Artists Competition in two Spring concerts. These are the finest and most talented young musicians from Kitsap county.

A simple arpeggio and a scale is all Mozart used as the building blocks for his first great symphony. Mozart was 17 years old when he...

Handel’s Messiah  is a perpetual audience favorite. No holiday season is complete without the unforgettable melodies, dramatic text and...

On November 17th we present Women of Note , a concert of works by four female composers. In historical terms, this is too little, too...

Welcome to the 2024-2025 Orchestral Season! We start in grand style with Franz von Suppé’s rousing horserace, the Light Cavalry Overture....

Welcome to the 2024-2025 Season “Spirit of the Sound” and a huge welcome to our new Executive Director Juan Gallastegui!  We start in...

Ever wonder what Hello Girls, Canaries, and the “Rose of No Man’s Land” had to do with World War One? To find out, join Tames Alan, known...

Some concert programs are meticulously planned for perfect, thematic continuity. Consider “On the High Seas” with Debussy’s La mer,...

The Rising Stars concert on April 21st will feature phenomenal performances from some of the top musical talent in Kitsap County. These...

You are going to love this year’s OrKIDstra production of Little Red Riding Hood, from the Bremerton WestSound Symphony and Kitsap Opera....

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is quite simply the most famous piece of classical music ever written. The opening four notes, commonly...

Handel’s Messiah is a perpetual audience favorite. No holiday season is complete without the unforgettable melodies, dramatic text and...

For November, we visit the British Isles and completely dispel the myth that music from the U.K. is staid, stuffy, and soporific. Tam o’...

There is much excitement in the air as we begin our 81st season! Each of our concerts will feature something new for our audience. Look...