Seattle Symphony Brings 2019–2020 Season To A Close With July Concert Broadcasts

Since Benaroya Hall closed its doors in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Seattle Symphony has remained committed to sharing music every week with audiences at home in Seattle and around the world through free online broadcasts and livestreams. This week, the Symphony brings its 2019-2020 season to a close with the concert rebroadcast Selections from Sibelius Kullervo led by Music Director Thomas Dausgaard; new installments of education program Meet the Instrument: Piano with Seattle Symphony Piano Jessica Choe and Meet the Instrument: Viola with Seattle Symphony Assistant Principal Viola Mara Gearman; and a special Family Concert: The Adventures of Peer Gynt with Dausgaard as conductor and narrator. These broadcasts mark the end of Dausgaard's first season as Music Director with the Seattle Symphony.

The Seattle Symphony has built a range of regular broadcasts since the inaugural concert stream in March with viewership reaching over 635,000 for the Symphony's expanded online offerings. In addition to concert rebroadcasts of past performances, the Symphony's video lineup also includes weekly installments of education programs Meet the Instrument and Tiny Clips for Tiny Tots. Additionally, daily Morning Notes feature short performances from musicians of the orchestra.

The schedule for the final broadcasts and livestreams of the season is as follows:

Meet the Instrument: Piano
Wednesday, July 8, at 11 a.m. PDT

Selections from Sibelius Kullervo
Thursday, July 9, at 7:30 p.m. PDT | Saturday, July 11, at 8 p.m. PDT | Sunday, July 12, at 2 p.m. PDT

Meet the Instrument: Viola
Friday, July 10, at 11 a.m. PDT

Family Concert: The Adventures of Peer Gynt
Saturday, July 11, at 11 a.m. PDT

Morning Notes
Every weekday morning

Selections from Sibelius Kullervo features Music Director Thomas Dausgaard leading the orchestra in this work inspired by the character Kullervo from Finnish epic poem Kalevala. The concert, which was originally performed on May 31, 2018, was "remarkably colorful, full of vitality and also a deep melancholy" (The Seattle Times). Audiences can tune in for the rebroadcast on Thursday (July 9) at 7:30 p.m. PDT, Saturday (July 11) at 8 p.m PDT, and Sunday (July 12) at 2 p.m. PDT.

Viewers of all ages can also join in Family Concert: The Adventures of Peer Gynt on Saturday, July 11 at 11 a.m. PDT. The broadcast features selections from Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite conducted by Dausgaard and pairs the orchestra's performance with Dausgaard's narration of the story of Peer Gynt and a guided Google Earth activity that allows children and their families to virtually visit the places that inspired the tale.

Meet the Instrument: Piano and Meet the Instrument: Viola are set to air on Wednesday, July 8 and Friday, July 10 at 11 a.m. PDT.

Though the orchestra has not been able to gather in person, the Seattle Symphony is honored to have brought strength, comfort and joy to audiences through sharing music online. The weekly schedule will be available at seattlesymphony.org/live. Viewers can join on the Seattle Symphony's YouTube and Facebook channels. The orchestra looks forward to returning to the Benaroya Hall stage; until then, the Seattle Symphony will continue to find new ways to bring music to the community as it reimagines the 2020-2021 season.

Inspired by the orchestra's dedication to serving the community, more than 6,000 people have stepped forward with a donation since the closure of Benaroya Hall. These funds support the Seattle Symphony Future Fund, providing critical resources to ensure a bright future for symphonic music in our community. To learn more about how to support the Seattle Symphony or to make a donation, visit seattlesymphony.org/give. The Seattle Symphony looks forward to welcoming audiences back to Benaroya Hall again soon and wishes everyone health and comfort in the coming weeks.

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