Saturday, November 7th, 2026 | 7:30pm
Umstattd Hall | Zimmermann Symphony Center
2331 17th St. NW
Canton, OH 44708
DESCRIPTION
Music director finalist Mélisse Brunet describes this program as so exciting that “it will be very hard to stay seated.” Colorful, virtuosic solos and driving rhythms define this theatrical program, spanning diverse backgrounds in a high energy performance.
Horacio Fernández’s “Salsa” from Tumbao opens the concert with music rooted in dance. Originally written for solo piano to accompany dancers, the work has been expanded into a full orchestral setting, drawing on salsa, bachata, merengue, and reggaetón to create a sound that is immediate, physical, and driven by groove.
Written just one year after the famous Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F broadens the composer’s voice, further incorporating jazz into a large-scale symphonic form. The result is a work that is both technically demanding and unmistakably American in character. Piano soloist Spencer Myer returns to the Canton Symphony for this performance.
Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1 closes the program, marking the 100th anniversary of its premiere in 1926. Written as a graduation work, the symphony foreshadows the composer’s distinct voice, blending sharp wit, satire, and intensity.
PROGRAM
Salso from “Tambao”……………………………………………….Horacio Fernández
Piano Concerto in F……………………………………………………..George Gershwin
Intermission
Symphony No. 1………………………………………………………Dmitri Shostakovich
TICKETS
$20 / $35 / $45 / $60 / $70
Includes fees. Additional $2 to mail tickets.
College Students (18+): FREE
Children 17 and under: FREE
Veterans, First Responders, Healthcare Workers, & Educators: 20% off
SNAP & Medicaid Recipients: 20% off
Groups of 10 or more: 20% off
Subscribers: additional tickets 20% off
*Must call to redeem discounted tickets
*Discounts do not apply to Economy section
Box Office: 330-452-2094
boxoffice@cantonsymphony.org
Hotel Accomodations
The Canton Symphony Orchestra is a proud partner of Embassy Suites by Hilton at the Akron-Canton Airport, who have offered CSO patrons an exclusive rate to book rooms attending our concerts from out of town. To take advantage of this special offer, please click the link below or the image above. The rate is $135/night!
7883 Freedom Ave NW, North Canton, OH 44720 | (330) 305-0500
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Spencer Myer, piano
Lauded for “superb playing” and “poised, alert musicianship” by the Boston Globe, and labeled “definitely a man to watch” by London’s The Independent, American pianist Spencer Myer is one of the most respected and sought-after artists on today’s concert stage.
Spencer Myer’s orchestral, recital and chamber music performances have been heard throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa and Asia. He has been soloist with, among many others, The Cleveland Orchestra, Boise, Dayton, Louisiana and Rhode Island philharmonic orchestras, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, the Baton Rouge, Bozeman, Canton, Chattanooga, Flagstaff, Indianapolis, Juneau, Knoxville, New Haven, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Springfield (MA, MO, OH), Traverse, Tucson and Wyoming symphony orchestras, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Ohio’s ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, New York City’s The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, Mexico’s Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco, South Africa’s Cape Town and Johannesburg philharmonic orchestras and Beijing’s China National Symphony Orchestra, collaborating with, among others, conductors David Bernard, Mélisse Brunet, Nicholas Cleobury, David Danzmayr, Robert Franz, Neal Gittleman, Bernhard Gueller, Jacques Lacombe, Jahja Ling, Dirk Meyer, Elliot Moore, Timothy Muffitt, Maurice Peress, Kyle Wiley Pickett, Kevin Rhodes, Lucas Richman, Matthew Savery, Alfred Savia, Klauspeter Seibel, Steven Smith, Gerald Steichen, Arjan Tien, Peter Stafford Wilson and Victor Yampolsky. His 2005 recital/orchestral tour of South Africa included a performance of the five piano concerti of Beethoven with the Chamber Orchestra of South Africa, followed by six return orchestra and recital tours. | LEARN MORE
Mélisse Brunet, Conductor & Music Director Finalist
Renowned as a conductor of “uncommon emotional intensity” (Marie-Celine) and a “force at the podium” (Eugene Scene), American conductor Mélisse Brunet is a native of Paris, France with Spanish and Italian roots. She is quickly gaining attention on both sides of the Atlantic as “a skilled and polished conductor with an excellent pedigree…Brunet led the orchestra with panache and clarity, giving inspiring and assured renditions of each work.” (Cleveland Classical). In July 2022, she became the fifth Music Director of the Lexington Philharmonic, and the first woman to hold the position. She is also in her fifth season as the Music Director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic.
Brunet is one of the five conductors featured in the documentary “Maestra” by the Director Maggie Contreras and produced by David Letterman and Melanie Miller (“Navalny”). “Maestra” garnered 2nd place in the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary. The film’s exploration of Brunet’s daring journey at the international La Maestra competition and has received rave reviews in the press, including two articles in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Hollywood Reporter. | LEARN MORE
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