The Phoenix Symphony announces its 2019/20 Season with breathtaking music for everyone, guaranteed to stimulate the senses, expand the mind and nourish the soul.

“Beethoven changed the course of music and has had huge impact on everything you hear today,” says Virginia G. Piper Music Director Tito Muñoz, “In honor of his 250th birthday we’re kicking off a two-season celebration of all of Beethoven’s great orchestral works.”

The Phoenix Symphony performs the transformative power of great music all Season long with beloved masterworks from Beethoven, as well as from Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saëns alongside fresh compositions from young American composers. The larger-than-life Pops performances offer fun and unique shows like Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert, Home Alone in Concert, A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Disney’s Magical Music from the Movies and more. Our thrilling Special Performances include the next two installments of the popular Harry PotterTM Film Concert Series and the return of Tim Burton’s delightfully spooky The Nightmare Before Christmas™ on Halloween weekend, a 2018 sold-out run.

“We’re excited to put the power of live music on display,” says Jim Ward, President & CEO of The Phoenix Symphony. “With our diverse programming, the Symphony can bring music into everyone’s lives, from Beethoven to live feature films to holiday favorites.”

Highlights from the 2019/20 Season include:

• Opening Night! Tito Muñoz opens our Season in monumental fashion with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony as we embark on a two-season long celebration of Beethoven to commemorate his 250th birthday

• A stunning multimedia presentation of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back brought to life by the orchestra while the full film is projected onto a huge screen

• The orchestra, chorus members and soloists fill every inch of the stage at Symphony Hall for a performance of the profound masterwork Verdi’s Requiem

• The next two installments of The Harry Potter™ Film Concert Series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in Concert, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in Concert

• Beethoven’s only Violin Concerto, a piece revived years after his death that has remained a staple in the repertoire ever since

• Hits from Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Beatles, The Who, Elton John and Billy Joel performed live by The Phoenix Symphony as vocalist Michael Cavanaugh returns for the Music of Billy Joel & More

• The Phoenix Symphony returns to Scottsdale Center for the Arts for a three concert series with a focus on the similarities and contrasts of the works of Mendelssohn and Schumann.

• An explosion of sound, light, dance and sheer grooviness at the Music of ABBA concert featuring The Phoenix Symphony and Finnish pop sensation Rajaton in their Phoenix Symphony debut.