Festival City Symphony Event
October 24 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Free – $12
Festival City Symphony is back with a new free concert series event: Saturday Classics Concert Series
Festival City Symphony is thrilled to announce a new season of concerts for 2026-2027! Their Music Director and dedicated staff have spent the summer curating a lineup that blends timeless classics with exciting new pieces.
The Saturday Classics concert series welcomes newcomers and established symphony enthusiasts alike. Held at the magnificent Bradley Symphony Center (212 W Wisconsin Ave in Milwaukee), this concert series makes exceptional classical music accessible to all.
Gain a better understanding of each concert’s theme and learn the secrets of the composers by attending Festival City Symphony’s pre-concert presentation, “Unlocking the Score.” Music educator Lynn Roginske will help audience members of all ages listen for harmonies, watch for crescendos, and feel the music more deeply. All are invited to this free talk from stage, which begins thirty minutes prior to the concert start time.
Admission to Saturday Classics concerts is FREE, and donations are gratefully accepted. Suggested donation amounts are $15 for adults and $5 for children, students, and seniors for each concert. Tickets for the Saturday Classics series will be available later in August.
Festival City Symphony Event Series
- Join Festival City Symphony for a musical journey filled with sweeping grandeur and dramatic beauty!
- Festival City Symphony invites you to experience the magic of musical storytelling through three vibrant orchestral masterpieces!
- The concert begins with Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra—a dazzling exploration of each section of the orchestra. Next, selections from Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suites bring to life scenes of mystery and adventure, from the serene beauty of “Morning Mood” to the thrilling energy of “In the Hall of the Mountain King.” The program concludes with Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, a vivid musical tour through an art gallery, where each movement transforms a painting into a dynamic, emotionally rich soundscape. Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of music that paints, tells, and inspires. Reserve your tickets today!
“River, Sea, and Symphony”
The Moldau, Four Sea Interludes, and Sibelius’s First Symphony
Saturday, October 24, 2026, 2:00pm
Festival City Symphony opens its 2026-2027 season with “River, Sea, and Symphony,” an inspiring afternoon of music celebrating the beauty and power of the natural world. The program begins with Bedřich Smetana’s beloved The Moldau, a vivid musical portrait tracing the famous Czech river from mountain springs to its majestic arrival in Prague. Completing the first half of the concert is Benjamin Britten’s dramatic Four Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes, which captures the ever-changing moods of the North Sea. The concert concludes with Jean Sibelius’s powerful Symphony No. 1, a work filled with sweeping melodies, bold orchestral colors, and the unmistakable spirit of Finland’s forests and lakes. Filled with breathtaking imagery and emotional depth, this program celebrates the beauty, power, and majesty of nature through three unforgettable orchestral masterpieces.
“Grace and Grandeur”
Mozart’s Turkish Violin Concerto and Jupiter Symphony
Saturday, January 30, 2027, 2:00pm
Join Festival City Symphony for an afternoon of Classical elegance, brilliance, and timeless masterpieces. The concert opens with Joseph Haydn’s dramatic Symphony No. 26, “La Lamentatione,” a powerful work filled with emotional intensity and expressive depth. Violinist Clark Snavely returns to Milwaukee for Mozart’s sparkling “Turkish” Violin Concerto, showcasing the grace, charm, and virtuosity that make Mozart’s music legendary. The program concludes with Mozart’s magnificent Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter,” a crowning achievement of the Classical era featuring soaring melodies, extraordinary craftsmanship, and one of the most celebrated finales in all of symphonic music. Experience the wit, warmth, and brilliance of Haydn and Mozart in a concert filled with elegance and joy.
“American Mosaic”
Music of Beach, Higdon, Tower, and Price
Saturday, March 6, 2027, 2:00pm
Festival City Symphony presents “American Mosaic,” showcasing four extraordinary composers whose music reflects the energy, diversity, and imagination of the American experience. Amy Beach’s dazzling Bal Masqué opens with elegance and charm, followed by Jennifer Higdon’s vibrant Peachtree Street and Joan Tower’s rhythmic Tambor, two dynamic works that capture the excitement and movement of contemporary American life. The program’s centerpiece is Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3, a powerful and expressive masterpiece that blends Romantic lyricism with African-American spiritual traditions and the infectious rhythms of the Juba dance. Together, these works reveal and showcase the rich diversity of orchestral music while celebrating the creativity, resilience, and vision of four brilliant American women.
“Heroic Visions”
Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 and Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony
Saturday, April 17, 2027, 2:00pm
Experience an unforgettable season finale as Festival City Symphony presents “Heroic Visions,” a program of hope, triumph, and breathtaking symphonic power. Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 captures the emotional journey of his opera Fidelio in a single sweeping work, moving from darkness and struggle to courage, rescue, and triumph. The program continues with Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6, a monumental masterpiece filled with bold harmonies, profound expression, and extraordinary orchestral architecture. From Beethoven’s dramatic call for freedom to Bruckner’s deeply personal vision of beauty and strength, this powerful pairing celebrates resilience, imagination, and the limitless possibilities of sharing music. This program will be performed without an intermission.
Parking Options
The Avenue Parking Garage is the Bradley Symphony Center’s preferred parking partner and is located at 615 N 2nd St, on the west side of 2nd Street, between Michigan Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue. With multiple entrance and exit points and 1,700 parking spaces, the parking structure at The Avenue is a safe, convenient, and affordable choice for patrons.
The 2nd and Plankinton Garage is located at 724 N Plankinton Ave, on the west side of Plankinton Avenue, north of Wisconsin Avenue.
More parking options are available at http://www.parkmilwaukee.
You can click here to view a wayfinding map to find the best route from your parking location to the Bradley Symphony Center.
For more information on getting to the Bradley Symphony Center, visit https://www.mso.org/
About Festival City Symphony:
Festival City Symphony has been a significant member of the Milwaukee-area arts community for nearly 100 years. Formerly known as the Milwaukee Civic Symphony Orchestra, Festival City Symphony is Milwaukee’s oldest performing symphony orchestra. Its mission is to extend the reach of classical music in the Milwaukee-area community by presenting free and affordable concerts in formats that embrace people of all ages.
Striving to attract new audiences to live classical music performances, the orchestra’s collaborative programs often incorporate local arts or educational organizations, Milwaukee-based performers and artists, and children’s performing groups. Composed of professional musicians from around the Milwaukee area, FCS member musicians serve as instructors in many of Milwaukee’s universities, public and private schools, and private lesson studios.
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