Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is pressing pause on Concerts in the Garden for 2024, but the music is not coming to a full stop. In its place will be The Mercedes T. Bass Sounds of the Summer Series, "featuring intimate live performances, new partnerships, and community engagements," says a release.

The series (named for longtime chairman of the board and FWSO's most ardent patron, Mercedes T. Bass) will offer a few indoor concerts at Fort Worth Botanic Garden's lecture hall, as well as a performance at the CR Smith Museum, and a free family-friendly concert on the lawn of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. In addition, FWSO is partnering with other local arts organizations to present special events, such as the well-established summer piano festival at TCU, PianoTexas.

The programming leans toward more traditional "classical" chamber music and children's fare; no rock 'n' roll tribute artists or local bands joining the orchestra this summer.

Concerts in the Garden, a beloved summer tradition in Fort Worth, is taking a one-year hiatus while a permanent stage is erected as part of Fort Worth Botanic Garden's master plan. It will be back, all parties promise.

“We value our longstanding partnership with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and eagerly await the opportunity to showcase Fort Worth’s cherished summer tradition, Concerts in the Garden, on our brand-new stage,” says Patrick Newman, CEO and president of the FWBG, in the release.

The schedule of concerts and ticket information is as follows (with descriptions as stated in the release):

After Hours in the Garden presents the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
"The Sounds of the Summer Series launches at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s familiar Friday event, 'After Hours in the Garden.' An all-string program takes you through a sampling of some FWSO favorites. The strings’ use of playful pizzicato means they literally Plink Plank Plunk! in Leroy Anderson’s work. William Grant Still captures Panama’s vibrant cultural heritage and folk music in Danzas de Panama. Finally, we collage some of the best-loved string serenades from Dvořák, Tchaikovsky, and Elgar."

• 6:30 pm Friday, May 17 at Fort Worth Botanic Garden Lecture Hall
• Tickets: $18 for FWBG members and $25 for non-members, at www.fwbg.org

Night of Strings at the Garden
"FWSO invites you to an intimate chamber experience featuring classics from Mozart, Grieg, Dvořák, and Tchaikovsky, alongside Coleridge-Taylor’s Novelette No. 1. As a violinist himself, Coleridge-Taylor’s vibrant work shows a deep appreciation for the instrument. Also, kick up some dust as we briefly journey to the western frontier with Grofe’s “On the Trail” from Grand Canyon Suite and an exciting strings-only version of “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo!"

• 7:30 pm Friday, June 7 at Fort Worth Botanic Garden Lecture Hall
  
• Tickets: $25, at www.fwsymphony.org

Concert on the Lawn @ Amon Carter Museum of American Art
"A patriotic lawn party at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art! We’ll celebrate with the official National March of the United States - John Philip Sousa’s iconic Stars and Stripes Forever. Schulman’s Ben Franklin Suite and John Williams’ “With Malice Toward None” from Lincoln will lead us to reflect on historical American figures. Additionally, we’ll revisit classic American Westerns with “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo, music from The Magnificent Seven, and “Galop” from William Tell Overture, famously used in The Lone Ranger."

• 8:30 pm Sunday, June 9 at Amon Carter Museum of American Art
  
• Tickets: Free Admission, visit www.fwsymphony.org

FWSO presents Peter and the Wolf at CR Smith Museum
"FWSO’s very own Buddy Bray narrates Peter and the Wolf, the perfect symphonic tale to introduce children to the different instruments of the orchestra. This family-oriented concert also includes other narrative-driven works, exploring the different moods classical music can portray. Mozart’s A Little Night Music is spirited and bright, Valse triste by Sibelius literally translates to “Sad Waltz,” and Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, based on local folk music, capture many emotional expressions."

• 11 am Saturday, June 15 at CR Smith Museum
  
• Tickets: Free with Museum Admission, at https://crsmithmuseum.org/

Night of Strings at the Garden
"Bassoon, oboe, and harpsichord join the strings for a Baroque chamber orchestra! This concert features two concerto grossi, where the melody passes between a small group of FWSO soloists as they play in an intricate dialogue with the larger group. Karl Jenkin’s Palladio calls back to this style despite being composed between 1993 and 1995, and you may recognize it from a 1993 De Beers diamond commercial. Also included in the program are Bach’s Suite No. 1 and “Air” from Suite No. 3."

• 7:30 pm Friday, June 21 at Fort Worth Botanic Garden Lecture Hall
  
• Tickets: $25, at www.fwsymphony.org

Night of Strings at the Garden
"Join FWSO for 'a little night music,' including Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Haydn’s Symphony No. 44, “Mourning,” epitomizes his sturm und drang (storm and stress) period. Despite the overall dramatic expression, the third movement is gentle and graceful music that reflects Haydn’s deeply Catholic views about death. In fact, he requested that it play at his funeral. Benjamin Franklin, a man of many talents, had a few musical endeavors, including improving the glass harmonica (later used by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Saint-Saëns) and composing a string quartet. Alan Schulman arranges these themes into the Ben Franklin Suite."

• 7:30 pm Friday, June 28 at Fort Worth Botanic Garden Lecture Hall
  
• Tickets: $25, at www.fwsymphony.org

2024 PianoTexas International Festival at Texas Christian University
"PianoTexas International Festival & Academy presents a full calendar of piano events during the month of June that places Fort Worth on the cultural map of the world. Events include piano recitals, masterclasses, and concerto performances with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra."

• 5 pm June 16, 23 & 30 at Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU
  
• For more information visit https://pianotexas.tcu.edu/

S.E.E.D. Camp in the Garden
"In partnership with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the FWSO will be featured in select camps presenting a Sounds of Nature concert for campers."

• June 3-7 and June 10-14
• Bugs Among Us (ages 4-5 years); Texas Native Treasures (ages 6-7 years); Nature Innovators (ages 8-11 years)
  
• Visit: https://fwbg.org/education/children-families/camp/summer-camp/

For more information on The Mercedes T. Bass Sounds of the Summer Series, visit the FWSO website.