Festival City Symphony is thrilled to announce a new season of concerts for 2024-2025! Their Music Director and dedicated staff have spent the summer curating a lineup that blends timeless classics with exciting new pieces.

Admission is FREE for both of our concert series, the Saturday Classics series at the Bradley Symphony Center and the Pajama Jamboree series at the Marcus Performing Arts Center.

The Saturday Classics concert series welcomes newcomers and established symphony enthusiasts alike. Held at the elegant yet inviting Bradley Symphony Center at 212 W Wisconsin Ave in Milwaukee, this concert series makes classical music accessible to all. Admission to Saturday Classics concerts is FREE with suggested donation.

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 with suggested donation! Suggested donation amounts are $14 for adults and $8 for children, students, and seniors for each concert.

• Magical, Mischievous, & Majestic Music – Saturday, October 26, 2024, 2:00pm
  • Festival City Symphony’s 2024-2025 season begins on Saturday, October 26, with a captivating concert featuring three of the finest orchestral works ever composed. The concert features Johannes Brahms’s Third Symphony, often hailed as his most beautiful, capturing the whimsey of cherished friendships. The afternoon will open with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute, praised for its enchanting energy. Finally, the audience will enjoy the fairy-tale melodies of Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This performance promises to ignite the imaginations of both seasoned concert-goers and those new to these timeless masterpieces.

• Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s Eighth – Saturday, January 25, 2025, 2:00pm

  • Join Milwaukee’s Festival City Symphony on Saturday afternoon, January 25, for a delightful concert featuring Milwaukee violinist Jonah Kartman. Mr. Kartman’s electric musicianship will captivate as he performs Felix Mendelssohn’s beloved E Minor Violin Concerto, celebrated for its virtuosic demands. The program opens with the lively sounds of Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, known for its elegant tribute to the French baroque tradition. The concert will conclude with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony, an exuberant masterwork admired for its zeal and cheerfulness. This heartwarming performance will thrill longtime classical music enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

• Harmonies of the Heartland – Saturday, March 8, 2025, 2:00pm

  • Experience the heartfelt sounds of romantic music with Milwaukee’s Festival City Symphony as the orchestra performs iconic works by Samuel Barber, George Walker, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Howard Hanson. Walker’s Lyric for Strings, recognized for its vibrant richness, will flow into Coleridge-Taylor’s beloved Ballade, before an emotional journey with Barber’s intensely masterful Second Essay. The afternoon will close with Hanson’s Romantic Symphony, renowned for its lush melodies. Join us for this captivating performance that promises to engage your senses and resonate deeply with its expressive power.

• Spanish Dreams and Dances – Saturday, April 12, 2025, 2:00pm

  • Festival City Symphony ends its Saturday Classics season with a performance to delight the senses, featuring the vibrant flavors, colors, and dances of Spain. Emmanuel Chabrier’s España Rhapsody will open the concert, capturing the essence of Spanish vitality. Maurice Ravel’s Alborada del Gracioso will follow with its playful melodies, and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol will dazzle the audience with its vivid portrayal of Spanish folk themes. Manuel de Falla’s Three-Cornered Hat Suite No. 2 will immerse listeners in the rhythmic dances and lyrical melodies of traditional Spanish storytelling. The concert culminates with Ravel’s iconic Boléro, captivating audiences with its growing intensity and memorable phrases.