“This was truly accomplished music-making. There are chamber groups of longtime standing that fail to come close to this ad-hoc group’s sense of shared purpose. Which suggests somebody in Marlboro is doing something right.” —The New York Times 

In 2023, Marlboro Music welcomed Helmut Lachenmann as its Composer in Residence, a rare U.S. visit for this German composer who has shaped contemporary music worldwide. During his time in Vermont, Lachenmann worked closely with the musicians on Got Lost, a uniquely adventurous work for soprano and piano that challenges the physical and mental expectations of the performers. The program also features works by Haydn and Mozart, performed by Elias Quartet cellist Marie Bitlloch and three magnificent emerging string players.

The Musicians from Marlboro touring program was created as an extension of Vermont’s Marlboro Music Festival, founded in 1951. Musicians from Marlboro tours are noted not only for their joyous performances but also for offering valuable touring experience to artists at the beginning of their careers and touring with unusual chamber repertoire. Since their inception, the Musicians from Marlboro tours have introduced such great talents as Richard Goode, Yefim Bronfman, Jaime Laredo, Murray Perahia, Paula Robison, Sir András Schiff, Peter Serkin, Richard Stoltzman, and Benita Valente. They have also featured other exceptional artists now heard in the Emerson, Juilliard, Takács, and Dover Quartets and Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio. In the words of the Washington Post, “Musicians from Marlboro is a virtual guarantee of musical excellence!”

From the moment the lights fade to darkness, you are transported into another world…another dimension, where the music moves you and the visuals are unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Welcome to the world of iLuminate, named “Best New Act in America” by America’s Got Talent in 2011.  A fantastic fusion of cutting edge technology and dance that has been wowing the world ever since appearing on AGT over a decade ago…to performing one of Las Vegas’ top shows to this day. iLuminate features a brilliant cast of the country’s top dancers performing to energetic music – including top Pop and Rock hits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, a little jazz, a little Latin, a little hip hop and more.  The dancers are outfitted with customized LED suits synced to iLuminate’s proprietary software to create extraordinary lighting effects with each of the phenomenally choreographed dance moves.

iLuminate has been featured on shows like Dancing with the Stars, The X-Factor, Good Morning America, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The American Music Awards, MTV’s Video Music Awards, BET Awards, The Nickelodeon Awards, Billboard, and Latin Billboard Awards. The dancers (and Miral’s technology) have also shared the stage with stars like Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Black Eyed Peas, and Death Cab For Cutie.

Cadman, Charles Wakefield – Selections from Daoma
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 10

Guest vocalists: TBA

Our season finale is deeply meaningful to all of us in the Vista Philharmonic. This is a performance about change, about respect, and about standing up for the things we believe in. 

Charles Cadman set out to incorporate diverse influences and build a new American sound for his 1909 opera, Daoma. He used the stylistic language of his romantic classical training alongside elements of Omaha traditional music to compose something simultaneously fresh and reflective. This piece represents a moment in American history where cultural exchange, creation, and recording were all swirling together, and that excitement carries forward to our orchestra today.

Maestro Bruce Hangen was raised in Montana, a state steeped in Native American culture, and has made it part of his lifelong artistic mission to pay homage to people and practices that shaped him as a young man. Hangen last conducted this unique piece with the Omaha Symphony in 1992 after thoroughly researching its fascinating history, performing it just down the road from the Omaha Nation with representatives in the audience. 

We end our evening, and our 50th season, with a big work from a major symphonic composer. Dmitri Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony is all about Stalin’s criticism of his work – and the enduring lesson that artistry prevails. “For the listener of today,” wrote conductor Kurt Sanderling, who was there in 1953 when Shostakovich was composing the symphony, “it is perhaps more like a portrait of a dictatorship… of a system of oppression.” Music encourages us to think and to feel, and whether we’re performing on stage, listening in the audience, or composing deep into the night, it is that transformative power that truly carries us all forward.

The music and energy of two legendary stadium rock bands comes together in one electrifying show! Their repertoire of classics hits by Foreigner and Journey provide a crowd-pleasing night of unforgettable music. Get your wine coolers, mullets and stone washed jean vests ready for a night of sing along debauchery and dance grooves that will pop you from your seats. From heartwarming power ballads like “Faithfully,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” to anthems like “Feels Like The First Time,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Cold As Ice” and “Any Way You Want It,” Foreigners Journey are more than a tribute band. They’re a time machine, and their energy is infectious!

May 40th Anniversary Concert

Aaron Copland: Outdoor Overture

Gala program with operetta music and singers!

The Scottish-born singer-songwriter, Al Stewart, has released nearly 20 introspective and lyrically powerful records featuring brilliant backing musicians (Jimmy Page, Phil Collins, Richard Thompson, Peter White, etc.). His biggest platinum successes, “Year Of The Cat” and “Time Passages”, were released in 1976 & 1978 respectively. He’s had several top 20 singles, including the above-mentioned titles, as well as “On the Border” and “Song On The Radio”.

Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of 13, which began a 50-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting, and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate, and Hugh. Livingston recorded his first record at the age of 18 and has continued to create well crafted, introspective, and original songs that have earned him listeners worldwide. From top-40 hits “I Will Be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running,” to “I Can Dream of You” and “Boatman,” the last two recorded by his brother James, Livingston’s creative output has continued unabated. His musical knowledge has inspired a varied repertoire, and he is equally at home with a range of musical genres—folk, pop, gospel, jazz—and from upbeat storytelling and touching ballads to full orchestra performances.