You may know him as Dr. House on FOX Network’s hit series, House. But the world now knows him as one heck of a blues singer with his recent CD release, Let Them Talk!

A powerful evening with an Englishman who simply fell head over heels in love with American Blues. Performing with the Copper Bottom Band.

Please note: The Oregon Symphony does not perform.

Artist bio …

Special Concert

Colin Currie returns for one high-energy evening to open our season with percussion front and center! This festive concert concludes on a glorious note with Respighi's majestic Pines of Rome.

A multi-media orchestral concert, hosted from the piano by Kevin Cole, uses song, dance and home movies to celebrate George and Ira and their fabulous music. An unforgettable Gershwin experience!

An eclectic concert ranging from the crystalline delicacy of Mozart to the full-blooded Symphonic Dances of Rachmaninoff – along with Alfvén's best-known music and Andrew Norman's delightful 4-minute mixed salad of musical color.

120 members strong, the Portland Symphonic Choir joins forces with the orchestra for the towering choral masterpiece of Brahms.

Internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant joins the Oregon Symphony for a single performance on Thursday, October 4. Over the past 30 years, her distinctive voice, gift for storytelling through music and unique stage presence have earned her a place among America's most respected artists. "Merchant has found her medium," says The Boston Globe of this exhilarating symphonic program; "She has never sounded quite so right." The evening will include selections from her latest album, Leave Your Sleep, alongside new and previously recorded songs.

Make way for great music celebrating Portland's fascination with transport. Selections include the Ride of the Valkyries, "Bicycle Built for Two," music from ET, and the Polar Express. All Aboard!

Twenty-four year old Aziz Shokhakimov conducts masterworks by Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky, and equally young violinist Yossif Ivanov tackles the intricacies and exquisite textures of Dutilleux's Tree of Dreams.

Handpicked by Billy Joel as the Piano Man in the long-running Broadway musical "Movin' Out," Michael Cavanaugh is the charismatic new voice of the American Rock & Roll songbook.

Debbie's back! The scintillating Tony Award-winning singer teams up with the Symphony to bring the Broadway stage to the Schnitz! Your favorite Broadway tunes and plenty more.

Contemporary composer Thomas Adès introduces us to "Asyla" (the plural of "Asylum"), artist-in-residence Alban Gerhardt presents the warm and elegant Variations on a Rococo Theme, and Prokofiev's ballet score tells the story of Romeo and Juliet in sumptuously cinematic music.

Well-loved excerpts from Schubert's Rosamunde set the stage for Mahler's infrequently heard Sixth Symphony, the "Tragic." Carlos Kalmar has conducted nearly all of Mahler's symphonies in Portland, but this is the first time for the 6th.

The Grammy-award winning folk rock duo shoots straight from the heart in an emotional one night only performance with the orchestra.

One of Haydn's sparkling symphonies sets the stage for Dvořák's only piano concerto, followed by the rich sonorities of one of the most popular symphonies of Sibelius. Hugh Wolff is an American who has lived in London and spent a decade conducting in Germany.

Favorite Disney memories jump to life with singers, film clips, animation and original storyboard art. A Thanksgiving weekend treat for the whole family!

American Eugene Tzigane, Principal Conductor of the Northwest German Philharmonic, collaborates with Russian Mikhail Simonyan on the Violin Concerto No. 2 (1967), the last concerto written by Shostakovich. The program concludes with César Franck's most famous work for orchestra.

Now in its fourteenth season, our holiday tradition continues to delight and inspire. Charles Floyd and the Northwest Community Gospel Choir join the Symphony for three high-energy performances.

No one makes Christmas more magical than Nati Cano and his exceptional mariachi group Los Camperos. Much more than a holiday sing-a-long, Fiesta Navidad is a feast for the eyes and ears, featuring impeccable interpretations of traditional Mexican and American holiday songs and a lavish stage show with dancers in full regalia. Celebrate the season and the 50th anniversary tour of Nati’s acclaimed mariachi band on this very special evening.

Chances are … this concert will add the perfect bow to your holiday gift! The sweetest crooner of all time puts his magic touch on Christmas.

The Oregon Symphony and the Pacific Youth Choir join forces for a sparkling matinee of classical Christmas favorites and musical treats – with family pricing so even the youngest can dress up and celebrate the season!

Inspector Crescendo returns to solve the "Riddle of the Music Case." Musical suspects include the entire Orchestra, who perform Britten's "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra," and much more, as well as young soloists who must remain incognito for their own musical safety, and a multitude of singers.

Hindemith's virtuoso music for the full orchestra contrasts with Schumann's first orchestral writing, the "Spring" Symphony. The evening concludes with the legendary André Watts performing the Emperor of piano concertos.

It could easily be Ray Charles up there on stage! Blind – and incredibly talented – like his mentor Ray Charles, Ellis Hall literally channels the great man himself.

Pops Master Jeff Tyzik brings out the best! The music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Les Brown, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and more!

The seven movements of Mozart's serenade balance the imposing Richard Strauss tone poem, written at age 26, depicting the death of an artist. Then soprano Amber Wagner joins the orchestra for the final completed works of Strauss, the evocative Four Last Songs, written when he was 84.

Back by popular demand – and for one night only! Last season they thrilled audiences with their soaring and emotional performances at a sold-out holiday concert. A triumphant return if there ever was one!

Benjamin Britten's War Requiem was commissioned for the 1962 reconsecration of Coventry Cathedral, which was destroyed in a bombing raid during World War II. Britten, a pacifist, responded to the commission with a monumental work for full orchestra, chamber orchestra, full choir, boys' choir, and vocal soloists.

One of the greatest songstresses of our time shares a Valentine's gift with us all! Imagine your sweetheart's head on your shoulder as she sings "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." A special Valentine's Day indeed!

Created by four-time "Dancing with the Stars" pro Louis van Amstel, this one'll have you dancin' in the aisles as a bevy of talented dancers show us what Ballroom's all about. And the twist? We're gonna keep that a surprise!

Portland favorite Stephen Hough performs Liszt's second piano concerto, a thematically-unified single movement similar to his symphonic poems. The evening's finale is Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, a 20th-Century orchestral showpiece.

Dr. Seuss' classic "The Sneetches" takes the stage in a new musical setting by Lorenzo Palomo, narrated by Pam Mahon, and with choreography provided by Dance West. Other tales include Borodin's Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor and Mozart's Overture to The Marriage of Figaro.

Hannu Lintu conducts the Portland premiere of Shostakovich's final symphony, which was written in 1971. The Night on Bald Mountain is performed in Mussorgky's original orchestration, and Benjamin Schmid returns to Portland for the last violin concerto of Saint-Saëns, written in 1880.

Featuring dynamic and compelling video accompanied by the Oregon Symphony, "The Legend of Zelda^TM: Symphony of the Goddesses” brings the world's most popular video game series to life! Enjoy original music spanning 25 years of adventure from the celebrated Zelda franchise, uniting music and visuals in a way never before realized.

“The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses” is the first ever video game themed concert to feature a complete 4 movement symphony, showcasing the work of Nintendo composer and sound director Koji Kondo.

Witness 25 years of video game history unfolding complete with gorgeous and cinematic video presentation, synced to picture with the game’s sensational, thematic and action-packed music played by the Oregon Symphony.

Get out the green tunics and swords!

Liszt's romantic Prometheus sets the tone for Jun Märkl's Portland debut concert, with Rachmaninoff's lush Piano Concerto No. 1 as its centerpiece. The sumptuous evening closes with Dvořák's sunny Eighth Symphony.

Two of Portland's jazz greats return to the Symphony! Songwriter/pianist Dave Frishberg and saxophonist Patrick Lamb light it up with a night of great jazz.

A carnival of color, ranging from Stravinsky's Polka "Composed for a Young Elephant" to his masterful ballet score Petroushka, set at a fair – as is Piston's Incredible Flutist. Rodrigo's Andalusian Concerto introduces a unique color to the orchestra – the sound of four guitarists in the role of "soloist."

If you like Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, you'll love his quintessentially American Symphony No. 3, which incorporates the original brass and percussion Fanfare and develops it symphonically. Antheil's Symphony is a very early example of including jazz elements in a full orchestral setting, and Bernstein's five-movement Serenade accompanies the violin solo with just strings, harp and percussion.

A Portland-based band, Blind Pilot released their second album We Are The Tide in September, 2011.  NPR called the songs "remarkably sturdy, gorgeous."  The band, which tours internationally, has appeared at many major festivals and recently performed on the Late Show with David Letterman.  Now they join with the Oregon Symphony for their first orchestral collaboration.

The Oregon Symphony returns to Carnegie Hall – but not before we share our program with you! Carlos has put together another eclectic program to take New York by storm – literally, this time. Storm Large joins the "virtuoso Oregonians" in a spell-binding work from the classical repertoire.

The Oregon Symphony, Carlos Kalmar, Storm Large and Premonitions can also be heard in Seattle at Benaroya Hall on May 3. Tickets are available through the Seattle Symphony.

Tickets for the May 9 Carnegie Hall performance go on sale at a later date through our ticket office. Go to OrSymphony.org/carnegie for up to date information.

The final concert of our Classical series opens with a light Suppé overture and closes with the profound First Symphony of Brahms, which he composed over the course of 21 years. Jennifer Koh solos in the 2nd Violin Concerto of Bartók, an example of his "verbunkos style" which evokes features of Hungarian folk music.