Past Concerts
2025-26 Season
RE(NEW)AL
October 26, 2025
JS Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BMV 565 (orch. Stokowski)
Viet Cuong Re(new)al
feat. Michael Gallant, Branden Kelly, Ryan Drew, and Shawn Dorion, percussion
Jocelyn Morlock Oiseaux Bleus et Sauvages
Ottorino Respighi Pines of Rome
Opening the 58th season of the PEISO is a program that brings new meaning and depth to the idea of renewal, pairing works with over 300 years between them. Anchored by Viet Cuong’s Re(new)al for percussion quartet and orchestra—featuring PEISO percussionists Michael Gallant, Branden Kelly, Ryan Drew and Shawn Doiron as soloists—the concert explores elemental energy through sound, from vibrating crystal glasses to bowing vibraphones. Bach’s legendary Toccata and Fugue in D minor appears in a vivid orchestration by Stokowski, while Jocelyn Morlock’s bird-inspired Oiseaux bleus et sauvages and Respighi’s cinematic Pines of Rome round out this dynamic, nature-infused program.
2024-25 Season
people, places & things
A celebration of a new chapter beginning and the foundation for years to come. From coast to coast, Jared Miller and Helena Munktell reflect on water as a bridge between communities. Erik Satie’s ‘Gymnopédies’ invites us to immerse in the sanctuary of live music, while Rachmaninoff’s ‘Symphonic Dances’ showcases the real stars of the PEISO – the musicians onstage.
Jared Miller Surge and Swell
Erik Satie orch. Debussy Gymnopédies 1 & 3
Helena Munktell Bränningar
Sergei Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances
October 20, 2024
influencers
Leonard Bernstein Overture to Candide
Clémence de Grandval Oboe Concerto in D minor | Soloist: Ari Cohen Mann, oboe
Florence Price Symphony No. 1 in E minor
November 24, 2024
Influencers have shaped history long before social media. The concert opens with Bernstein’s vibrant ‘Overture to Candide’. Ari Cohen Mann brings to life Grandval’s oboe concerto, followed by Florence Price’s groundbreaking first symphony—a monumental work by a female-identifying person of color in major American orchestras.
ex-romantico
This program revisits the essence of the Romantic period—music designed to amplify human emotions, delivered with grandeur. Fauré’s ‘Pavane’ tugs at the heartstrings, while Mendelssohn’s third symphony offers a fiery journey. James Sommerville performs the island premiere of Kati Agócs’ expansive horn concerto, a piece co-commissioned by the PEISO.
Gabriel Fauré Pavane
Kati Agócs Horn Concerto | Soloist: James Sommerville, horn
Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 in A minor
March 3, 2025
encounters
Caroline Shaw The Observatory
Mason Bates – Mothership
Modest Mussorgsky orch. Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition
April 6, 2025
The season closes with a bold finale that explores interactions across cultures and geographies. Caroline Shaw’s ‘The Observatory’ sets the stage, inspired by the stars and cityscape of Los Angeles. Mason Bates’ ‘Mothership’ transforms the orchestra into a cosmic voyage. The season culminates with ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’, a profound nod to the power of art to transport us through various worlds, solidifying its place as one of the most cherished works in music history.
MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU: THE MUSIC OF STAR WARS
Under the baton of PEISO Music Director Jaelem Bhate, audiences will be transported to a galaxy far, far away, as the orchestra brings to life the beloved themes of Imperial March, Across the Stars, Battle of the Heroes, Duel of the Fates, Princess Leia’s Theme, and much more! Unique to May the Fourth Be With You is the exploration of music from across the franchise, as well as the classical repertoire that inspired them. To that end, in recognition of the role that classical music had to play as inspiration to John Williams in his composition of his iconic soundtracks, the PEISO will perform excerpts of parallel classical works including pieces by Tchaikovsky, Strauss, and Stravinsky. Please note this concert is not paired with any official movie clips.
John Williams
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Richard Strauss
Igor Stravinsky