Flautist Keith Bonner: The flute figures prominently with solos by GBS’ own Grammy® nominated Principal Flautist, Keith Bonner. Debussy’s ethereal Afternoon of a Faun, Paul Schoenfeld’s Klezmer Rondos, and African-American composer Jessie Montgomery’s Coincident Dances surround Schubert’s Symphony No. 5. Not “The Magic Flute,” but a whole night of the magic of the flute! […]
Cellist Dr. Nicholas Hardie: We close our 78th season with Beethoven’s joyful Symphony No. 8, and two great 20th-century Russian composers who revered Beethoven. Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony and Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, featuring Dr. Nicholas Hardie soloist, GBS’ own Principal Cellist – pay homage to Beethoven, a century and a half later and a thousand miles east. […]
Note: Eduardo's audition concert took place on April 13, 2024 Eduardo Leandro is also a candidate under consideration as GBS' new Music Director. Not a stranger to the GBS stage, he was principal guest conductor leading the orchestra through our 78th season in programs that range from Mozart and Beethoven through Prokofiev, Debussy and Ginastera, […]
GBS begins its 79th Season continuing the search for a new Music Director with the second of four candidates*: Joshua Gersen. Mr. Gersen is definitely the most local of candidates, having grown up in Monroe, performing with GCTYO (formerly the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras) and conducting for them at age 11. This is not his […]
Our search for a new Music Director continues, with our third of four candidates*: Leslie B. Dunner. Hailed as “dazzling, elegant, polished, and riveting” by critics for his electrifying concert performances, guest conductor Leslie B. Dunner comes to perform a program that is sure to stir concertgoers. Lauded for his world premiere performances of Anthony […]
At this festive concert, you will hear the last of the four candidates* being considered as GBS' new Music Director: Guest Conductor Rachel Waddell. Themed "Story-Telling Time," this concert is thrilling, enlightening and family-friendly all at once. Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf featuring special guest narrator Jamie Bernstein along with Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade to anchor the […]
Sponsored by the Ernest and Joan Trefz Foundation This is it! Maestro Eduardo Leandro’s grand inaugural concert as GBS' new Music Director and Principal Conductor! We've promised an amazing night of music and the concert on May 10 will live up to the show’s name, Something Big! Pianist Andrew Armstrong, a perennial favorite of GBS who […]
GBS begins its 80th season exploring New Horizons, with Horizons of the Air, conducted by our sensational new Music Director, Eduardo Leandro. Shostakovich's 5th Symphony will dominate this program, which will also feature Ralph Vaughan Williams' Lark Ascending featuring violin virtuoso Brunilda Myftaraj along with a moving modern piece by Connecticut composer Caroline Shaw, Entr'Acte. We'll be opening our season […]
Mertens Theatre - University of Bridgeport 11.15.2025 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Join us for a thrilling concert featuring Eduardo Leandro conducting a select group of GBS musicians in Bartok’s fiery Divertimento for Strings and Villa-Lobos' vibrant Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4. Experience the music like never before at our new venue - the Mertens Theatre […]
The five Classical Elements are Air, Fire, Earth, Water, and the fifth element - Quintessence, that indefinable something that completes all the others. Isn't that just what the holidays are - a time for families, celebrations of love, and the laugher of children? Bring the family to Holiday Quintessence at The Klein, where GBS will present The Young Person's […]
We're back at Mertens for another experiential night of music, celebrating the horizons of our planet with Copland's Appalachian Spring. Then, Ravel's Mother Goose Suite explores exotic places and romanticized history. A special treat: a new composition, written expressly for GBS by Travis LaPlante! Enjoy the world premiere of Concerto for Saxophone, Percussion and Harp in the embrace of […]
Our season closer will put you in a springtime mood. Tchaikovsky's grand Symphony No. 4 is a tempest, accompanied by a gentle cruise down the Moldau (Smetana) and the dreamlike Water Concerto by Tan Dun. It's a musical journey you won't soon forget! Join Maestro Leandro and our exquisitely talented family of musicians as we […]
