Professor and Musician Dr. Eric McIntyre dives deep into the historical and cultural context behind the music you'll hear at Discover Groundbreaking Innovation, presented by the Des Moines Symphony.

This very special episode also includes an interview with composer Wang Lu. Her innovative piece, Surge, was commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. The Des Moines Symphony will perform the Midwest Premiere of Surge in collaboration with the New York Philharmonic’s World Premiere.

In addition, renowned conductor Keith Lockhart, known for his tenure with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops, will lead the Orchestra in Bartok’s groundbreaking Concerto for Orchestra and Barber’s gorgeous Violin Concerto, performed by fifteen-year-old prodigy Amaryn Olmeda.

Intro/outro music:

Moonrise by Steve Heitzeg

Performed by The Des Moines Symphony

Professor and Musician Dr. Eric McIntyre dives deep into the historical and cultural context behind the music you'll hear at Discover Freedom, presented by the Des Moines Symphony. Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang returns to Des Moines in a brilliant showcase of Grieg’s famous and distinctly Norwegian Piano Concerto.

The program begins with Glinka’s heroic and exuberant Ruslan & Lyudmila Overture, followed by Florence Price’s heartfelt Andante moderato. Shostakovich’s tragicomic Symphony No. 9, a cynical critique of the political and artistic oppression he experienced in Stalinist Soviet Russia, closes the concert.

Intro/outro music:

Moonrise by Steve Heitzeg

Performed by The Des Moines Symphony

Professor and Musician Dr. Eric McIntyre dives deep into the historical and cultural context behind the music you'll hear at the Des Moines Symphony's 2023-24 Season Debut: Discover Fandango. The concert will feature world-renowned violinist Anne Akiko Meyers performing Fandango, written specifically for her by Arturo Márquez.

Intro/outro music:

Moonrise by Steve Heitzeg

Performed by The Des Moines Symphony