February brings a program designed by John Lenti exploring the Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire. This theatrical evening brings together words, music, and song with Boston’s ‘go-to’ early music tenor, Grammy award-winning Aaron Shehan, my favorite soprano Arwen Meyers, and viol virtuoso Josh Lee. I can’t wait to dive in deep with Voltaire and hope you’re curious about this great thinker, too.

In March (what a thrill!) the pandemic postponed collaboration with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks finally fills the stage in a production of Amadeus! We’ll gather a great local band to illuminate this narrative. Between BaMM’s previous season opener of Amadeus: The Concert, the opera’s Marriage of Figaro, our Symphony’s Mozart Jupiter of last season and the great Violin Concerto No 5 for this season, Bozeman is a hotbed of Mozart’s drama, wit, invention, and jubilance.

On our Beyond Baroque series, Julie Gosswiller and I explore awareness of our changing climate and the urgent need for its care through pieces inspired by nature, on themes of natural elements, our planet’s colors, and Earth as mother and her comfort deserving of reciprocity. We’ll open with the warm, spring-like envelope of Brahms’ Sonata No 1 in G major, and feature concerned composers of today from MSU to the Wyoming Ucross artist retreat to my hometown of Fairbanks, to Native American, to nature-inspired Stravinsky, Boulanger, and Cage.

April airs our biannual Youthful Splendor program, featuring young talent accompanied by Bozeman pro’s. It’s a big deal to play as soloist with orchestra, and an even more excellent, rarified opportunity for students to have work-shopping and dialogue time with orchestra members in preparing their solos. No composer wrote more pieces and more masterfully for teenagers than Vivaldi, and fireworks and personality abound in this version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Bach at Trails in June is a collaboration between our Symphony, GVLT, and BaMM placing musicians along Gallatin Valley Trails. Musicians of all ages, abilities, and instruments play music of any kind in a ‘pop-up’ format for hikers-past, celebrating our love of the outdoors, culture, and community.

Corelli changed the world with his strategically released January 1, 1700 publication of the great Opus 5 Violin Sonatas. We explore this canon which had such influence throughout the continent to gain insight into all music that followed. Besides known for his warm geniality, exquisite dress, and whenever possible foregoing of all horse-drawn carriages in favor of his own feet, Corelli amassed a prestigious art collection. We share his reverence for art in bringing audiences into local artist spaces in rural areas for this series of shows in July.

Bassoonist Nate Helgeson has designed our August program of fiddle, dance, and courtly tunes from the British Isles, featuring folk violinist extraordinaire David Greenberg. There’s wonderful, bizarre music from this isolated region thanks to a music-loving monarchy. Our annual Workshop for students, amateurs, and professionals from a growing number of states explores repertoire through technique, chamber, orchestra, and topics classes as well as goofy fun. The public is welcome to join for a series of free concerts and lectures.

This season emphasizes outreach. Thanks to the generosity of you, donors and supporters, we’re in good standing to give back to our beloved community and region. We’ll be visiting schools and libraries on the road with our Voltaire & Corelli programs, stage a workshop with Rachel Podger in Missoula, hold a Masterclass series for musicians in rural areas as part of the “Earth” program, and in Bozeman produce the Youthful Splendor program, annual Workshop, and Bach at Trails.

We hope you’ll join us, and thank you for your support.

—Carrie Krause