The spring concert is one in which we will Discover New Worlds. It is a voyage packed with adventure. First we discover an exceptionally gifted composer, Sean Shepherd, who grew up right here in our midst. This brilliant, young talent from a fourth-generation Nevada family is taking the world by storm and quickly developing an international reputation as a composer. For this concert, Sean is writing a new piece specifically for the Reno Phil. Having grown up in the music programs of the Washoe County public schools, Sean played bassoon in the Phil’s youth orchestra and sees this commission as a chance to celebrate his heritage. The program’s second piece furthers our exploration into new musical universes with the world-class marimba and percussion duo “PercaDu.” The Israeli pair, Adi Morag and Tomer Yariv, seem almost to fly from instrument to instrument as they perform Avner Dorman’s Spices, Perfumes, Toxins! — a concerto for percussion duo and orchestra written specifically for them. PercaDu has generated worldwide interest and enthusiasm through their energetic and intense approach to music making. The concert blasts off to a dramatic close with Gustav Holst’s interstellar masterpiece The Planets, featuring the women of the RPO chorus. A massive orchestra transports the audience with majestic, colorful harmonies as Holst paints sound pictures of the astrological characters of each extraterrestrial body (hence there is no earth). Completed in 1916, The Planets lacks a movement about Pluto (which was not discovered until 1930), so the demotion of this former planet to dwarf status has restored Holst’s masterpiece to completeness.

Ticket prices start at $28 with discounts available to seniors.  Students with valid student ID can come early for "rush" seating one hour before performance for $8.00. Join the Music Director Laura Jackson one hour prior to each performance for "Inside the Music."