Season announcement

Concerts in the Garden 2022 sprouts up on Fort Worth Symphony's new season

The Music of the Eagles has landed. After two years without Fort Worth's favorite outdoor music series, Concerts in the Garden is coming back this year. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra unveiled the hot summer lineup, along with the entire 2022-23 season, on Wednesday, January 12.

The new FWSO season will be maestro Robert Spano’s inaugural one as music director and will include world-renowned guest artists and conductors, new and expanded series, a slate of diverse visiting composers, and important collaborations with other local arts groups.

“As we welcome Robert Spano to Fort Worth in his official capacity as music director, I am thrilled that this new era for the orchestra is coming to fruition,” said FWSO president and CEO Keith Cerny in a statement. “Working with Maestro Spano on the development and planning of the artistic vision for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra has been an exceptionally positive collaboration, and I am delighted to present the 2022-2023 season with his clear programmatic influence.”

Working chronologically through 2022-23, here's what FWSO has in store.

Concerts in the Garden
It all starts with Concerts in the Garden, which hasn't happened since the long-ago, pre-covid summer of 2019. The 30th anniversary CITG festival, happening at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, will be slightly abbreviated from years past, presenting just three weekends' worth of concerts rather than five. It begins Thursday, June 16, 2022 with Texas legends Asleep at the Wheel, and ends Monday, July 4 with a patriotic July 4th Celebration. Acts also include Jackopierce and Sarah Jaffe, Classical Mystery Tour (Beatles tribute), and music of The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Queen, Star Wars, and yes, that old perennial favorite, "The Music of the Eagles."

Tickets will go on sale April 11. Table seats are $38-$78 (20 percent discount for children 10 and under at certain price levels); all lawn seating is $25 (kids 10 and under are free). Note that parking is $35 for valet, $18 in advance/$20 at the gate, or available at Dickies Yellow Lot for variable rates.

Schedule at a glance:

Asleep at the Wheel — Thursday, June 16, 2022, at 8:15 PM
Jackopierce — Friday, June 17, 2022, at 8:15 PM
The Music of The Eagles — Saturday, June 18, 2022, at 8:15 PM
Sarah Jaffe — Sunday, June 19, 2022, at 8:15 PM
Classical Mystery Tour — Thursday, June 23, 2022, at 8:15 PM
The Music of Pink Floyd — Friday, June 24, 2022, at 8:15 PM
Star Wars and Beyond — Saturday, June 25, 2022, at 8:15 PM
Star Wars and Beyond — Sunday, June 26, 2022, at 8:15 PM
The Music of The Rolling Stones — Friday, July 1, 2022, at 8:15 PM
The Music of Queen — Saturday, July 2, 2022, at 8:15 PM
July 4th Celebration — Sunday, July 3, 2022, at 8:15 PM
July 4th Celebration — Monday, July 4, 2022, at 8:15 PM

Pops series
The pops season consists of eight weekends of concerts including popular genres, film scores, and perennial family favorites such as “Home for the Holidays.”

It starts even before the symphonic concerts, with "National Geographic Symphony for Our World" bringing nature to life on the stage and screen August 26-28; conducted by Scott Terrell.

Beloved, longtime FWSO music director Miguel Harth-Bedoya (now with the title music director laureate) returns to conduct two pops concerts: "Star Wars: A New Hope," December 16-18 (a rare performance at Will Rogers Auditorium instead of Bass Hall) and Pink Martini, April 28-30.

Schedule at a glance:

National Geographic Symphony for Our World — August 26–28, 2022: Scott Terrell, conductor
Queens of Soul — September 2-4, 2022: Byron Stripling, conductor; Shayna Steele, vocalist
Rodgers and Hammerstein Celebration — October 21-23, 2022: Carl Topilow, conductor; Scarlett Strallen, vocalist; Hugh Panaro, vocalist; William Michaels, vocalist
Home for the Holidays — November 25-27, 2022: Stuart Chafetz, conductor; N’Kenge, vocalist; Lone Star Youth Chorus
Star Wars: A New Hope — December 16-18, 2022: Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Twist & Shout: The Music of the Beatles — February 3-5, 2023: Byron Stripling, conductor
Dancing in the Street: The Music of Motown — March 3-5, 2023: William Waldrop, conductor
Pink Martini — April 28-30, 2023: Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor

Symphonic series
The big, new 11-concert symphonic season gears up September 9 with Spano on the podium in the appropriately titled "A New Musical Era Begins: Brahms, Beethoven, and Schubert," September 9-11, featuring pianist Jorge Federico Osario on Beethoven's triumphant “Emperor” piano concerto.

Other featured soloists throughout the season include a mix of special guests and FWSO musicians: Joe Lovano, saxophone; Joyce Yang, Cliburn-winning pianist; Michael Shih, violin and FWSO concertmaster; Christine Brewer, soprano; Benjamin Baker, violin; Gil Shaham, violin; Jake Fridkis, FWSO principal flute; Sterling Elliot, cello; Jessica Rivera, soprano; Thomas Cooley, tenor; Nmon Ford, baritone; Seraphic Fire, chorus.

Guest conductors include Edo de Waart, Delyana Lazarova, Dame Jane Glover, and Roberto Abbado. Of special interest, "A Night at the Ballet," April 21-23, will feature dancers of the Texas Ballet Theater. Harth-Bedoya returns to conduct Elgar's "Enigma" Variations and more, May 5-7.

Schedule at a glance:

A New Musical Era Begins: Brahms, Beethoven, and Schubert — September 9-11, 2022: Robert Spano, conductor; Jorge Federico Osario, piano
Rachmaninoff's Thirds — October 14–16, 2022: Edo de Waart, conductor; Joyce Yang, piano
A Trip to Harlem: Bernstein, Ellington, Gershwin, and Douglas J. Cuomo — October 28-30, 2022: Robert Spano, conductor; Joe Lovano, saxophone; Douglas J. Cuomo, visiting composer
A Trip to St. Petersburg: Glinka, Glazunov, and Tchaikovsky — November 18-20, 2022: Delyana Lazarova, conductor; Michael Shih, violin
Wagner Highlights — November 18-20, 2022: Robert Spano, conductor; Christine Brewer, soprano
Gil Shaham Plays Tchaikovsky: Mahler and Tchaikovsky — March 10-12, 2023: Robert Spano, conductor; Gil Shaham, violin
Jake Fridkis in Concert: Schumann, Reinecke, and Liszt — March 24-26, 2023: Roberto Abbado, conductor; Jake Fridkis, flute
A Night at the Ballet: Brian Raphael Nabors, Humperdinck, Griffes, Ravel, and Stravinsky — April 21-23, 2023: Robert Spano, conductor; Texas Ballet Theater; Ben Stevenson O.B.E., choreographer; Brian Raphael Nabors, visiting composer
Elgar's Enigma Variations: Strauss, Saint-Säens, and Elgar — May 5-7, 2023: Miguel Harth- Bedoya, conductor; Sterling Elliot, cello
Haydn: The Creation — May 19-21, 2023: Robert Spano, conductor; Jessica Rivera, soprano; Thomas Cooley, tenor; Nmon Ford, baritone; Serpahic Fire, chorus; Elaine J. McCarthy, visual design

Chamber music series
The multitalented Spano will wear many hats as coordinator and pianist for this three-performance series; he'll even be the composer and headliner for the first concert. It's called "Robert Spano Performs Chamber Music," November 13, and will feature Spano on, piano; Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano; and unnamed FWSO musicians. They'll perform song cycle of Spano's own composition and more.

Schedule at a glance:

Robert Spano Performs Chamber Music — November 13, 2022, at 2:00 PM: Robert Spano, piano; Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano; FWSO musicians
From Despair to Hope: Messiaen and Mozart — March 19, 2023, at 2:00 PM: Robert Spano, piano; FWSO musicians
Three Chamber Music Masters: Mozart, Poulenc, and Lutosławski — May 14, 2023, at 2:00 PM: Robert Spano, piano; FWSO musicians and guests

Family series
Three concerts of age-appropriate programming, performance times, and concert lengths that creates a symphonic experience for wiggly kids and newcomers of all ages — all at Bass Hall.

Schedule at a glance:

Dancing with the FWSO Stars! — September 17, 2022, at 11:00 AM at Bass Performance Hall
Heroes at the Symphony — February 4, 2023, at 11:00 AM at Bass Performance Hall
Wild Symphony — March 4, 2023, at 11:00 AM at Bass Performance Hall

Special concerts and gala
There'll be six one-night-only concerts, beginning with Handel’s Messiah. After bowing out of his 2021 FWSO Gala appearance as a pandemic precaution, superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma comes to Fort Worth for the glitzy Gala Concert and Dinner. Plus, two performances led by new FWSO principal guest conductor designate Kevin John Edusei; the Three American Tenors; and the annual New Year’s Eve concert.

Schedule at a glance:

Handel’s Messiah — December 10, 2022, at 7:30 PM at Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium: Julian Wachner, conductor; Molly Netter, soprano; Steven Soph, tenor; Jonathan Woody, bass; University of North Texas Vox Aquilae
New Year’s Eve: ABBA The Concert — December 31, 2022, at 7:30 PM, Bass Performance Hall: Robert Franz, conductor; ABBA The Concert
Edusei Conducts: An Evening of Brahms, Schumann, and Howard — February 11, 2023, at Van Cliburn Concert Hall, Texas Christian University: Kevin John Edusei, conductor; Michael Shih, violin; Allan Steele, cello
Annual Gala Concert and Dinner with Yo-Yo Ma — February 25, 2023, at 7:00 PM at Bass Performance Hall: Robert Spano, conductor; Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Three American Tenors — May 13, 2023, at 7:30 PM: Robert Spano, conductor; Michael Fabiano, vocalist; Bryan Hymel, vocalist; Matthew Polenzani, vocalist
Edusei Conducts: An Evening of Kodály, Mozart, and Brahms — June 2, 2023, at 7:30 PM at Bass Performance Hall: Kevin John Edusei, conductor; Joshua Elmore, bassoon

Meet the Composer series
New to the FWSO in the 2022–2023 season, the Meet the Composer Series at the Renzo Piano Pavilion at the Kimbell Art Museum provides an opportunity for listeners to learn more about composers and their works either from the composer themselves or a musicologist who specializes in the featured composer.

Schedule at a glance:

Composer Douglas J. Cuomo — October 13, 2022, at 6:00 PM at Kimbell Art Museum
Composer Stacy Garrop — January 5, 2023, at 6:00 PM at Kimbell Art Museum
Musicologist Robert Greenberg — February 2, 2023, at 6:00 PM at Kimbell Art Museum
Composer Brian Raphael Nabors — April 20, 2023, at 6:00 PM at Kimbell Art Museum

Tickets and subscriptions
Subscriptions for the 2022-2023 season go on sale April 4; Symphonic 11-concert subscription packages are $220-$869. Pops eight-concert subscription packages are $236-$668.

Single tickets will go on sale July 18 for regular season concerts. Concerts in the Garden single tickets will go on sale April 11.

For more information and tickets visit www.fwsymphony.org.

Concerts in the Garden returns in summer 2022.

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Concerts in the Garden

Photo by Julien Lambert

Concerts in the Garden returns in summer 2022.

symphony

Ancient Sculpture News

Fort Worth museum one of only 3 in U.S. to get rare sculpture exhibit

Lorenzo di Masi/Torlonia Collection

The Torlonia Nile

A major exhibition of ancient Roman masterworks is coming to the U.S. for the first time to be viewed at only three museums — including the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

Called Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection, it's an assemblage of works stewarded by the Torlonia Family beginning in the early-19th century, and will be installed at the Kimbell from September 14, 2025 – January 25, 2026.

As part of the Foundation’s mission to showcase these historical works to the public, the exhibition will premiere at the Art Institute of Chicago on March 15 through June 29, before traveling to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Its third stop will be at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, from March 14 - July 19, 2026.

The Torlonia Collection was established during the course of the 19th century by the Franco-Italian banker Prince Giovanni Torlonia and his son Alessandro, then handed down over generations, eventually growing into the largest private collection of ancient Roman sculptures.

Today, the Torlonia Foundation represents the culmination of the Family’s continued passion for art. Created at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1925–2017), the Foundation’s mission is to preserve and promote the Torlonia Collection and Villa Albani Torlonia.

In 1876, Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1800-1886) created a museum to house and exhibit the Family’s holdings, which was open to small groups until its closure at the onset of World War II. The sculptures remained unseen by the public from that time until the Foundation’s first exhibition at the Musei Capitolini in Rome in 2020. That was followed by a stint at the Louvre, the first presentation of the collection outside of Rome, where it has drawn more than 600,000 visitors to date, an unprecedented feat.

The exhibit
The curators of Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection are Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff of the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and The Museum Box. All of the sculptures in the exhibition have been restored by the Foundation with the support of Bvlgari.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue co-published by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, edited by Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff, with essays by Silvia Beltrametti and Salvatore Settis.

The North American presentation will feature 58 highlights from the Torlonia Collection, including 24 newly restored works that have not been on view in nearly a century. The sculptures date from approximately the 5th century BCE to the early 4th century CE, with the majority of the works dating to the High Imperial period (1st–2nd centuries CE). Highlights include examples of the most emblematic genres of ancient marble sculpture, acquired by the Torlonia Family from the most prominent collections of Rome’s patrician families, as well as from excavations made on the Family’s own estates throughout Italy.

“The Foundation is excited to be sharing the Torlonia Collection with audiences in North America for the first time. This exceptional group of ancient sculptures is a testament to the enduring cultural legacy of ancient Rome, as well as the vision and passion of multiple generations of the Torlonia Family,” said Alessandro Poma Murialdo, President of the Torlonia Foundation.

The presentation is organized thematically in six sections, featuring sculptures found on the Torlonia Family’s properties in Rome and the surrounding suburbs and their estate in Porto, Portugal, as well as a number of exceptional sarcophagi (stone coffins), among the largest sculpted works in marble to survive from ancient Rome.

The tour reinforces the work of the Foundation to advance the appreciation and understanding of this unparalleled collection and the rich cultural heritage it represents. The Foundation’s mission is carried out through a continuous joint effort between the public and private sectors, including with the cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Culture. The Foundation is supported by a longstanding collaboration with Bvlgari as the principal sponsor of the restoration project since its inception in Rome and throughout the global tour, and Chiomenti, who has lent invaluable support to the Foundation’s core activities.

galleries

Season announcement

Concerts in the Garden 2022 sprouts up on Fort Worth Symphony's new season

Concerts in the Garden returns in summer 2022.

Ancient Sculpture News

Fort Worth museum one of only 3 in U.S. to get rare sculpture exhibit

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