Music & Meaning
Music & Meaning brings you closer to the music by detailing the people and pieces featured in our concerts. We believe that the more you know about the selections we play, the more memorable your experience will be at Carmel Symphony Orchestra performances.

Nordic Nights
Saturday, March 21, 2026 – 7 p.m.
Welcome in the spring with the CSO’s fresh program of classical masterworks by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 is ethereal and organic, growing and evolving just as nature reawakens after the harsh winter months. His Karelia Suite opens the program and personifies the beauty of Finnish folk themes. Rounding out this program is Thomas Adès’ Air – Homage to Sibelius. This is another work with organic and expanding themes, played on the solo violin by none other than CSO’s concertmaster, Davis Brooks.
Featuring Conductor Kelly Kuo

Symphonic Odyssey
Saturday, April 18, 2026 – 7 p.m.
Join us as the Carmel Symphony Orchestra wraps up its 2025-2026 season with a journey through four exciting and meaningful works for a full symphony orchestra.
Dvorak’s Carnival Overture celebrates the bountiful joy we find in life, while Cristina Spinei’s work …throes of increasing wonder (originally composed for ballet performance) is shimmery, light, and lavish in its own way. Mahler’s Adagietto for strings and harp remind us of our own stories of boundless love for those closest to us, while Mendelssohn’s Fifth Symphony, “Reformation,” is its own wonder of composition, contemplating the great themes of faith and life. Juxtaposing “old style” polyphony and his own ubiquitous style, Mendelssohn’s masterwork will surely leave you in awe.

