Billings Symphony Orchestra & Chorale media release

Billings Symphony Orchestra & Chorale's 72nd season is a beautiful juxtaposition of the past and future of classical music. Exceptional guest artists, living composers, and masterworks known around the world ensure that the 2022-'23 season has something for everyone. 

Indeed, this season the Billings Symphony is bringing an incredible 30 performances and special events to 13 venues across Billings, in addition to the more than 100 community engagement and educational outreach events planned by the organization. 

“We live our mission by bringing people together around music, but also around our community’s priorities,” says Executive Director Ignacio Barrón Viela. “The role of music is beyond generating sales and entertaining. We are here to help make our community a better place, and this season goes beyond the theater. It is relevant to the people who live here. Our role is to keep inspiring, sharing and healing through music experiences.”

The 2022-'23 season, under the direction of Maestra Anne Harrigan, brings musicians from around the world to Billings, offering vibrant music that sparks connections and conversations. New compositions are brought to the stage by living composers who are reshaping and reimagining the world of symphonic orchestras.

Harrigan, who celebrates her 18th year with the Billings Symphony, describes this upcoming season as a prolific and dynamic collection of music, showcasing not only the skill of the orchestra players, but the robust offerings of the growing organization.

“We have an exciting and mixed program of classical favorites and new works. Music lovers will appreciate the diversity, but you don’t need to know this music to be energized by the programs and the collaborative work that is going on behind the scenes.”  

The Classic Series, sponsored by The Oakland Companies, brings a collection of masterworks, ballet, and even a concert musical to the stage. The Classic Full Season includes eight concerts and is complemented by the Sukin Series. Sponsored by Sibanye-Stillwater, the seven concerts of the Sukin Series focus on international artists, chamber groups, and small ensembles. The series is named after the Sukin family, who generously donated the building where the Billings Symphony is headquartered on the corner of 2nd Avenue North and North 29th.

With family-oriented programming that is accessible to all, the Billings Symphony is also bringing a new generation of music lovers to the symphony. This season, the Billings Symphony presents a free family series, sponsored by Kampgrounds of America. Free family concerts and the annual Symphony in the Park help ensure that all community members can enjoy symphonic music regardless of ability to pay.

The organization also partners with the Billings Youth Orchestra to offer two donation-based concerts and expand its educational and family offerings to several free events, including Adventures in Music! at Billings Public Library and M is for Music, hosted at Lincoln Center Auditorium.

BSOC's 2022-'23 Season Schedule:

August

• Friday, August 5 | Downtown ArtWalk, 5–8pm at Billings Symphony office
• Saturday, August 13 | Welcome to Indian Country, 7pm at Red Oxx Events Lawn

September

• Saturday, September 10 | Rocky Mountain Jazz Collective: The Music of Henri Mancini, 7pm at Babcock Theatre
• Thursday, September 15 | Whiskey and Wine, 6pm at Henry’s Garage
• Saturday, September 17 | Adventures in Music! featuring The Science of Sound, 9:30am–12:30pm at the Billings Public Library
• Saturday, September 24 |  American Kaleidoscope featuring Kevin Cole, piano, 7:30pm at Alberta Bair Theater

October

• Friday, October 7 | Downtown ArtWalk, 5–8pm at Billings Symphony office
• Saturday, October 15 | Fire & Ice featuring Chee-Yun, violin, 7:30pm at Alberta Bair Theater

November

• Saturday, November 12 | American Veteran: A Story Without Words featuring Tage Larsen, trumpet and Katharina Wincor, guest conductor, 7:30pm at Alberta Bair Theater
• Saturday, November 26-Sunday, November 27 | The Nutcracker Ballet, 2pm & 7pm Saturday and 2pm matinee Sunday at Alberta Bair Theater

December

• Thursday, December 1 | Mackenzie Melemed: Rachmaninoff at Carnegie, 7pm, The Billings Depot
• Friday, December 2 | Downtown ArtWalk, 5–8pm at Billings Symphony office
• Sunday, December 4 | Billings Youth Orchestra Fall Concert, 4pm at Lockwood Performing Arts Center
• Saturday, December 17 | Handel’s Messiah featuring Billings Symphony Chorale, 7:30pm at Alberta Bair Theater

January (2023)

• Saturday, January 14 | M is for Music, featuring guest conductor Andrew Crust, 12pm at Lincoln Center Auditorium
• Friday, January 20 | Wine Down with the Symphony, 6pm Virtual event + VIP limited seating at Billings Symphony offices

February

• Friday, February 3 | Downtown ArtWalk, 5–8pm at Billings Symphony office
• Saturday, February 11 | The Spirit Awakens featuring Wei Luo, piano, 7:30pm at Alberta Bair Theater
• Thursday, February 23 | Henry Mancini Institute String Quartet, 7pm at The Billings Depot

MARCH

• Saturday, March 4 & Sunday, March 5, 2023 | The Test of Time: A Chorale Concert, 7:30pm Saturday & 3pm Sunday matinee at St. Patrick Co-Cathedral
• Friday, March 10 | South Pacific in Concert, 7:30pm at Faith Chapel
• Thursday, March 30 | Wyoming Baroque: Heroes and Heroines, 7pm at Babcock Theatre

APRIL

• Saturday, April 1 | Billings Symphony Bash, 5pm at Northern Hotel
• Friday, April 7 | Downtown ArtWalk, 5–8pm at Billings Symphony office
• Saturday, April 22 | Celestial Grandeur, 7:30pm at Alberta Bair Theater
• Thursday, April 27 |  Imani Winds: A Woman’s Perspective, 7pm at The Billings Depot
• Sunday, April 30 | Billings Youth Orchestra Spring Concert, 4pm at the Lockwood Performing Arts Center

MAY

• Saturday, May 20 | Rocky Mountain Jazz Collective: Sinatra at the Sands, 7pm at Babcock Theatre

JUNE

• Friday, June 2 | Downtown ArtWalk, 5–8pm at Billings Symphony office
• Sunday, June 25 | Symphony in the Park, 4–9pm (concert at 7pm) at Pioneer Park

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