Lang Lang, Harry Potter, and more as Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announces 2024-25 season

Maestro Otto Tausk leads the company through another season of Canadian premieres, musical tributes, live-scored films, and symphonic classics

THERE’S STELLAR VARIETY in store at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s just-announced 2024-25 season, which spans international piano superstar Lang Lang, a live-scored Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone movie night, and a high-energy Beatles tribute.

Utrecht, Netherlands-born maestro Otto Tausk returns for his seventh full season conducting the symphony orchestra, and season ticket packages are on sale starting today via the VSO’s website.

“The world needs music now more than ever, and I invite Vancouver to experience the monumental beauty and emotional power of the orchestra,” said Tausk in a release. “This season, I am excited to share some of the greatest masterworks of the past alongside groundbreaking premieres and works by today’s most innovative composers.”

The season kicks off on June 1 with the free VSO Day of Music celebration, which sees concerts hosted at the Orpheum, the Annex, the VSO School of Music, and even online.

On October 4, celebrated Chinese pianist Lang Lang reunites with Tausk for a special concert at the Orpheum. The pair performed at the L.A. Philharmonic together in February 2023, and now bring their unparalleled artistry to the VSO accompanied by Lang Lang’s wife, pianist Gina Alice Redlinger. Catch renditions of Camille Saint-Saëns’s whimsical The Carnival of the Animals and romantic Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, among other works.

In another special concert at the Orpheum on November 8 and 9, Tan Dun conducts the UBC University Singers & Choral Union in the Canadian premiere of his epic Chinese and Sanskrit text-inspired choral piece Buddha Passion. Other special concerts in store include two video-game inspired series, Game ON! and Final Symphony.

The London Drugs VSO Pops series features musical tributes to the likes of Paul Simon, The Beatles, Cole Porter, and Gene Kelly. Elsewhere, Movie Nights with the VSO screens such beloved films as Skyfall (from the James Bond franchise) and Coco (Disney and Pixar’s heartwarming animated story of family and music) while the symphony orchestra live-scores each soundtrack.

There’s plenty more in store, too, from a traditional holiday performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons to a unique film accompaniment for Stravinsky’s The Firebird by Symphonic Cinema.

Be sure to check out the VSO’s newly released season brochure to explore the full lineup of offerings.

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Emily Lyth

Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.

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