Season tickets for the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra (DSO)’s 2025–26 concert season, “Soundscapes,” which opens the weekend of October 4th, are now available to the public. This year’s theme invites audiences to experience the orchestra’s power to paint vivid musical landscapes - resonating with the heart, mind and soul.
“All season long we will explore different styles and soundscapes, providing you with so many thrilling moments,” shares Music Director and Conductor William Intriligator. “There’s something magical about hearing the DSO live, sharing the experience with hundreds of other people, all being moved in the moment by music. What a refreshing alternative to the screens that are so pervasive in our lives these days!”
Highlights of the season include orchestral masterpieces such as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, Sibelius’ Finlandia and Symphony No. 1, Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, Barber’s Violin Concerto, and the monumental Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, featuring a massive choir and vocal soloists in an unforgettable season finale.
The upcoming season also features an impressive lineup of world-class soloists, including the return of acclaimed cellist Zuill Bailey as Artist-in-Residence. Bailey will perform a new cello concerto by Dubuque native Michael Gilbertson, and take part in a variety of community outreach events. Also joining the DSO on stage throughout the season are Grammy award-winning pianist Michelle Cann, violinist and former DSO Concertmaster Eleanor Bartsch, and vocalists Megan Gloss, Amanda Hauta, Iris Allen, and Álvaro Ramírez.
In addition to the Classics Series and season finale, audiences can look forward to annual Holiday Concerts, DSO Rocks! and Summer Melodies. Newly-added this season are innovative chamber music concerts held at unique venues throughout Dubuque, including an October 16 performance at Convivium Urban Farmstead. These intimate performances will showcase soloists from within the DSO.
Season tickets are now available and offer the best seats at the best prices, with added benefits including flexible ticket exchanges and early access to DSO Rocks!, Chamber, Holiday and Beethoven 9 performances. Packages of 3 or all 4 Classics concerts are available. To purchase season tickets or for more information, call 563-557-1677, stop in the DSO office 2728 Asbury Rd. (lower level of the Atrium building in Fountain Park). Open Mondays-Thursdays from 10am-4pm or visit dubuquesymphony.org/season-tickets
2025-2026 Classics Series
Classics 1 - SEASON OPENER: An American Playlist
Five Flags Theater
Saturday, October 4 at 7:30pm | Sunday, October 5 at 2:00pm
Leonard Bernstein Overture to Candide
Ellington/Peress Harlem
Florence Price Piano Concerto in One Movement - Michelle Cann, piano
George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue - Michelle Cann, piano
Join the DSO in a joyful, heartfelt tribute to American musical genius! The program opens with Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to Candide—a whirlwind of wit, sparkle and orchestral color. Duke Ellington’s Harlem follows, painting a vibrant sonic portrait of one of New York City’s most iconic neighborhoods.
Grammy Award-winning pianist Michelle Cann makes her DSO debut in Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement—a bold, expressive work by the first African American woman to gain recognition as a symphonic composer.
The concert concludes with George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, featuring Cann as soloist. From its unforgettable clarinet glissando to its exhilarating fusion of classical form and jazz, this masterpiece captures the vibrant spirit of early 20th-century America.
Classics 2 – DSO Center Stage
Five Flags Theater
Saturday, November 1 at 7:30pm | Sunday, November 2 at 2:00pm
Paul Dukas Fanfare from La Peri - DSO Brass feature
Michael Abels Urban Legends - Nash Ryder, Katie Klocke, Christina Mixemong, Philip Bergman - solo string quartet
Richard Strauss Duet Concertino - Emily Hancock, clarinet | William George, bassoon
Sergei Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances
From an exhilarating brass fanfare to the lush, emotionally charged Symphonic Dances by Sergei Rachmaninoff, the remarkable talent of Dubuque Symphony Orchestra musicians takes center stage.
String principals Nash Ryder, Katie Klocke, Christina Mixemong and Philip Bergman are featured in a captivating contemporary work by innovative film score composer Michael Abels. Wind principals Emily Hancock and William George are featured in a charming double concerto for clarinet and bassoon.
Altogether, this concert is a celebration of the DSO’s own, from brilliant ensemble work to virtuosic solo moments -- experience the depth, versatility, and excellence of your Dubuque Symphony Orchestra!
Classics 3 – Symphonic Landscapes
Five Flags Theater
Saturday, February 28 at 7:30pm | Sunday, March 1 at 2:00pm
Jean Sibelius Finlandia - DSYO Side By Side
Samuel Barber Violin Concerto - Eleanor Bartsch, violin
Jean Sibelius Symphony No. 1 in E minor
Former DSO Concertmaster and current Chicago Lyric Opera violinist Eleanor Bartsch makes a highly anticipated return to perform one of the most beloved works in the American violin repertoire: Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto. The concerto unfolds like a panoramic landscape—in a vivid musical journey through the heart of American expression: expansive, bold, and profoundly moving.
Members of the Dubuque Symphony Youth Orchestra join the DSO in a special side-by-side performance of Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia.
From its brooding, windswept opening, to its soaring climaxes and moments of hushed introspection, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1. paints an evocative soundscape— both intimate and epic—a perfect finish for a concert rooted in musical connection and powerful storytelling.
Classics 4 – The Spirit of Innovation
Five Flags Theater
Saturday, March 28 at 7:30pm | Sunday, March 29 at 2:00pm
Wolfgang Mozart Symphony No. 40
Johannes Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Michael Gilbertson Cello Concerto WORLD PREMIERE - Zuill Bailey, cello
Following the extraordinary success of last season’s world premiere of Michael Gilbertson’s Symphony, the DSO has commissioned the composer, once again, to create a brand-new cello concerto written especially for the orchestra and world-renowned cellist Zuill Bailey. An audience favorite, Bailey returns to Dubuque after his unforgettable performance of the Dvořák Cello Concerto, bringing his signature passion and virtuosity to this exciting new work.
The program also features two beloved masterworks from the orchestral repertoire: a dramatic and emotionally-charged Mozart symphony, and Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn: a work brimming with charm, invention, and orchestral color.
In addition to the Classics Series, the symphony also announces the dates of its Casual Concerts: An Evening of Chamber Music at Convivium (October 16, 2025), Holiday Family (December 6, 2025), traditional Holiday Concerts (December 6-7, 2025), Ultimate Rock Hits (January 15, 16, 17, 2026) and Beethoven 9 Season Finale (April 18-19, 2026)
Single Tickets
Tickets to An Evening of Chamber Music go on sale to non-subscribers August 25 at the DSO office, based on availability. Single tickets to concerts at Five Flags Theater go on sale August 25 at Five Flags Box Office or through Ticketmaster. Single tickets to Beethoven 9 go on sale August 25 at Farber Box Office. Single tickets to DSO Rocks! at the Mississippi Moon Bar will be available through the Diamond Jo box office in October.
