The concert opens with fanfare, Handel’s “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba,” followed by his famed three-suite composition Water Music. Water Music was commissioned by King George I, and premiered on the Thames River in London with the King’s party on one barge and a 50-piece orchestra on the other. The piece was so well received upon its premiere that it was played three times that night. While we will only be performing the piece once, it will be clear why this landmark composition inspired such enthusiasm.

To perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2, pianist Steven Lin returns to join the WSO. Lin, who made his first performance with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 12, has been hailed by the New York Times for playing that is “...immaculately voiced and enhanced by admirable subtleties of shading and dynamics.” Steven has been an audience favorite since his debut with us in 2019, and we are looking forward to this encore performance.