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The Cascade Symphony will open its 2025-26 season at the Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA) in late October, and orchestra Music Director Michael Miropolsky is promising “exciting discoveries” for the patrons.

“We will be performing many pieces for the first time,” said Miropolsky, who will be beginning his 24th season as Cascade Symphony’s maestro. “Our repertoire includes beloved classics like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Respighi’s Roman Festivals, alongside less frequently heard masterpieces such as Kabalevsky’s Symphony No. 2 and the Langsam movement from Mahler’s Symphony No. 3.”

Edmonds Center for the Arts will once again be the Cascade Symphony’s home for its concerts, with the orchestra’s “Opening Night and Piano Celebration” concert kicking off its 64th season on Monday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Young pianists Aaron Jin and Jeffrey Zhao, winners of the prestigious Eastside Piano Competition and Willard Schultz Scholarship, will perform two exciting works for piano and orchestra with the CSO.

Cascade Symphony’s tradition for the Christmas season will feature two identical “Holiday Pops” concerts on Sunday, Dec. 14 and Monday, Dec. 15. This event is performed twice to accommodate the overwhelming community demand. Soprano Kristin Vogel, acclaimed for her powerful lyric voice and onstage intensity, will return to celebrate the season with inspiring songs and famous operatic arias. A regular performer in Europe and the United States, Ms. Vogel divides her time between Vienna and the Pacific Northwest.

Shortly after 2026 rolls in, the orchestra’s “Beethoven’s Fifth” concert on Monday, Jan. 12, will feature works by Beethoven, Wagner and Janacek. The soloist will be Sunnat Ibragimov, a cellist from Uzbekistan and current member of the Seattle Symphony. He previously served as principal cellist of the prestigious Tanglewood Festival Orchestra.  Ibragimov will perform Edouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D Minor.

On Monday, March 9, sisters Jacqueline and Katherine Audas will perform Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with the Cascade Symphony. Jacqueline (violin) Katherine (cello) are members of the Seattle Symphony. The “Brahms Double Concerto” concert will also feature Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 3, Herold’s Overture to the opera Zampa, and the half-hour long Langsam movement from Mahler’s Third Symphony.

The final concert of the season, “From Mozart to Bernstein,” will be Monday, May 4, and will feature the Northwestern Winds performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for solo Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon and orchestra. The other works on this program are Dvořák’s Overture to the opera Vanda, Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story, Ward’s America the Beautiful, and Respighi’s Roman Festivals.

Each of these concerts will commence at 7:30 p.m.

A significant change in ticket pricing will take place for 2025-26 concerts at Edmonds Center for the Arts with the establishment of an “Under 50” age discount ticket plan for younger classical music lovers.

“The idea behind the CSO Board of Directors’ approval of this measure is to incentivize a younger audience to attend our concerts,” said Edward Benyas, Cascade Symphony’s executive director. “We look forward to cultivating future audiences for years to come, and we’re excited to offer discounts to patrons under age 50 for the first time.”

Season ticket renewals for 2025-26 are $115 for persons under 50 or $105 for early bird pricing (made by May 31). Individual concert tickets, starting Aug. 1, are $30, but $25 for adults under age 50. Student tickets are $10.

Current season ticket holders can renew their tickets in person or by mail at the ECA (410 4^th Avenue N, Edmonds, WA 98020); or by telephone (425-275-9595). New season ticket orders may be purchased beginning July 1, and online ordering will be available at that time. Individual concert tickets will go on sale starting Aug. 1.

Members of the Cascade Symphony will also present four other concerts, not a part of the season ticket package: a Family concert (previously known as the Children’s concert) in February and three Chamber Music concerts in November and April in Edmonds and Lynnwood. Tickets for those events can be purchased individually through the Edmonds Center for the Arts box office at any time or at the door.

Additional information about the Cascade Symphony Orchestra, including individual ’25-26 season concert programs and featured soloists, will be available online at www.cascadesymphony.org.

Source: Cascade Symphony Orchestra

Author: Lynnwood Times Staff