Press Release: Modesto Symphony Orchestra Opens 96th Season with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 & Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2
MODESTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Contact:
Caroline Nickel
(209) 523-4156
cnickel@modestosymphony.org
For Immediate Release: October 8, 2026
(Pictured from left to right: Nicholas Hersh, conductor; Janice Carissa, piano)
Modesto Symphony Orchestra Opens 96th Season with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 &
Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2
MODESTO, CA – The Modesto Symphony Orchestra Association (MSOA) celebrates the opening of its 96th season on November 13 & 14, 2026 with Beethoven & Rachmaninoff led by Music Director Nicholas Hersh at the Gallo Center for the Arts. The program opens with Valerie Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout which is a tribute to the frontline workers during the Covid-19 pandemic and how people came together amidst isolation. The MSO will then feature pianist Janice Carissa performing Rachmaninoff’s masterpiece, his Piano Concerto No. 2, and conclude the program with one of the most iconic symphonic pieces of all time, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
“When we were creating our season opening concert, I wanted begin the year with a program that would give our audiences a jolt of energy and excitement,” says Music Director Nicholas Hersh. “We'll begin the program with a new classic by American composer Valerie Coleman, who wrote her Seven O'Clock Shout as a tribute to frontline workers during the COVID pandemic. Then we will feature two of the most thrilling works ever composed for the orchestral stage: Rachmaninoff's stormy, soulful, sonorous Piano Concerto No. 2 with guest soloist Janice Carissa and Beethoven's genre-defying, trend-setting, jaw-dropping Fifth Symphony, whose famous first four notes set off a twisting journey from torment to triumph! Coleman, Rachmaninoff and Beethoven all chart a similar course in this concert from brooding anxiety to victorious elation!”
Modesto Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven & Rachmaninoff – Resilience & Triumph
Friday, November 13, 2026, at 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 2:00 pm*
*Note 2:00 pm start time for Saturday performances
Nicholas Hersh, conductor
Janice Carissa, piano
Program:
Valerie Coleman: Seven O’Clock Shout
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
Gallo Center for the Arts, Mary Stuart Rogers Theater
1000 I Street, Modesto
Click for more information about this concert.
Tickets:
Pricing: Tickets start at $25
$20 student tickets are available in-person at the Gallo Center Ticket Office with a valid Student ID.
Ticketing Information:
Tickets are available online through ModestoSymphony.org or through the Gallo Center for the Arts Ticket Office at (209) 338-2100.
Gallo Center Ticket Office Hours: Monday through Friday 10:00am-6:00pm / Saturday 12:00pm-6:00pm
Group Prices available: Groups of 10+ receive a 15% discount on tickets. Call (209) 338-5064 for more information.
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The Modesto Symphony Orchestra is a Resident Company of The Gallo Center for the Arts.
The DoubleTree Hotel is the official hotel of the MSO.