Events

SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR (1875-1912)
Ballade in A Minor (1898)

Born in London to an English mother and a father from Sierra Leone, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor studied violin and composition at the Royal College of Music, where Charles Villiers Stanford was an important mentor. Coleridge-Taylor achieved early success, particularly with his choral trilogy The Song of Hiawatha, and was admired for his craftsmanship and melodic fluency. Despite professional recognition, he faced persistent financial and institutional barriers, and his career was cut short by his early death at age 37.

Ballade in A Minor opens with a dark, searching idea that sets a serious tone, followed by more expansive and lyrical passages. Coleridge-Taylor balances dramatic tension with moments of repose, using clear orchestration and well-defined melodic lines. Rhythmic drive and harmonic contrast provide momentum as themes are transformed and restated.

This late-Romantic opener is just the second Billings Symphony performance of a Coleridge-Taylor work. His Christmas Overture opened December 2021’s Home for the Holidays program under the baton of guest conductor Kalena Bovell.

FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809–1847)
Violin Concerto (1844)

Mendelssohn’s E minor Concerto is the record of his friendship and consultation with violinist Ferdinand David. In July, 1838—about the time the great Elijah Oratorio was beginning to take shape in his mind—Mendelssohn wrote to David, “I should like to write a violin concerto for you next winter. One in E minor runs in my head, the beginning of which gives me no peace.”

The three movements are played without pause. Rather than the usual extensive introduction, the orchestra plays but a single introductory measure before the solo violin enters with the principal melody, one of Mendelssohn’s happiest and most-recognizable lyrical ideas. The lyrical impulse continues in the second movement, while the finale returns to the scintillating style of Mendelssohn’s youthful masterpiece, his Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With almost two centuries of active life, Mendelssohn’s iconic concerto still bears what one biographer calls, “the charm of eternal youth.”

The Billings Symphony previously performed the complete concerto with soloists James Oliver Buswell (1964), Jaime Laredo (1972), Yossi Zivoni (1986), Mira Wang (1998) and Simone Porter (2017).

JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833–1897)
Symphony No. 2 (1877)

Brahms spent fifteen years composing his First Symphony, hearing "the tread of a giant," Beethoven, behind him. Having thus exorcised the ghosts of symphonic tradition, Brahms was able to produce his Second Symphony in less than five months, June to October 1877. Its first performance came on December 30 of that year. Most of it was composed during a summer holiday in the Austrian Alps, and its general mood reflects those bucolic surroundings.

Brahms liked to misdirect his friends about the nature of his new works, and this one is no exception. He wrote to his publisher that it was so gloomy that it would need to be printed on paper with a black border. To another friend he described it as a "new charming monster." Still another was assured that it would be "a quite innocent, cheerful little thing." None of these is an exact description, although none entirely misses the mark, either. Although it is hardly gloomy, it does have its solemn moments, particularly in the second movement. Conversely, its undeniable cheerfulness is tempered by that very solemnity. Nonetheless, it has rightly become known as Brahms's "Pastoral" Symphony.

The opening bass notes are the seed from which the entire symphony grows. They are present with varying degrees of obviousness in almost every theme of the four movements. At the outset they are followed by an Alpine phrase beginning in the horns and continued by the woodwinds. A wide-ranging transitional theme from the violins leads to the waltz-like second theme introduced by the cellos and violas. This leads to the leaping closing theme. The second movement begins with a solemn descending phrase in the cellos accompanied by a rising phrase in the bassoons. Additional material is sometimes gentle and sometimes stormy. The third movement is an intermezzo, a graceful dance whose three statements are separated by swifter passages based on themes derived from the dance theme. The vigorous finale is the most nearly heroic movement in the work, but even here the overall mood of peace and contentment is maintained.

The concert will showcase 80 minutes of music and will include a 20-minute intermission.

Whenever you want! Seriously, the tradition of clapping only at the end of pieces was only for a short time in the history of music. Typically, people like to clap after a great solo in a jazz tune, an impressive dance move, or after a great movement (section) in a symphony. If you really like a piece, clap at the end of the movement and yell "encore" if you want to hear more. (We love playing encores!)

Reserved Seating:

Tier 1 ticket - $80
Tier 2 ticket - $73
Tier 3 ticket - $64
Tier 4 ticket $48

Under 30/Student:

Tier 2 ticket - $42
Tier 3 ticket - $37
Tier 4 ticket - $27

*all ticket prices do not include box office fees

Tickets start at $48 for adults and go up to $80 based on the seat location. The least expensive seats are in the back of the balcony and the front row closest to the stage.

Here are some other helpful tips you should keep in mind:

• New this year, we've introduced the Young Friends Program to eliminate barriers for younger audience members.
• Interested in additional savings? Buy a subscription! Contact us at 406-252-3610 or visit our offices at 2820 2nd Avenue North and we'd be more than happy to find the best deal for you. Subscriptions for our 2026–2027 season are available!
• If you’re a student, veteran, or active duty military, be sure to bring your student/VA/Military ID for great discounts!

Third-party tickets are not accepted. All tickets must be purchased through the Alberta Bair Theater Box Office.

More than anything, we want you to have fun and express your own style when you come to the Billings Symphony, so dress in a way that works for you. Some people love dressing up and going out—if that’s you, do it and you won’t be the only one, we promise. If you prefer to be more casual, then you probably won’t be the only one dressed casually, either. In short, you do you, and we’re just glad you’re joining us.

On-Street Parking

On City streets, there is both metered parking and posted parking. Metered parking times range from 2 hours to 10 hours and is free after 5 pm and on weekends.

There are two free handicap parking spots on the corner of North Broadway in front of U.S. Bank.

Garages

Park 1
Credit/Debit Cards Only. Located at 2912 Third Avenue North and is open to the public 24-hours per day – the office is open Monday through Friday, from 10:30am-6:30pm. There is free parking on Sundays.

Park 2
Credit/Debit Cards Only. Located at 2651 First Avenue North, Park 2 is open to patrons 24-hours per day – the office is open from 7:15am – 11:00pm, Monday through Saturday.

Park 3
Accepts Cash. Located adjacent to City Hall at 210 North 27th Street and is open 7am-11pm – the office is open Monday through Friday from 10:30am – 6:30pm. There is free parking on Sundays.

Park 4
Located at 515 North 31st Street. The garage and office are open only Monday through Friday from 5:30am – 9:30pm. After 9:30pm, parkers are unable to remove their vehicles from the garage.