Boston University Symphony Orchestra

Boston University School of Music presents the Boston University Symphony Orchestra in a concert at BU's Tsai Performance Center on February 13, 2026. This event is free and open to the public.

BUSO begins the second semester with Jessie Montgomery’s Caught By the Wind, a vibrant and lyrical piece that captures the restless energy of nature and the momentum of movement itself. With its layered rhythms, vivid string writing, and sense of forward drive, the work reflects Montgomery’s signature fusion of classical traditions with folk, jazz, and improvisational influences. A BU Concerto Competition winner will be featured.

Next, Johannes Brahms’s Variations on a Theme by Haydn follows, offering a masterclass in orchestral variation form. Each of the eight variations transforms the original chorale theme with inventive harmonic shifts, rhythmic vitality, and orchestral color, culminating in a majestic finale that reveals Brahms’s deep reverence for musical tradition paired with his own Romantic voice.

The program concludes with Wagner’s Overture to Tannhäuser, a dramatic and emotionally charged prelude that encapsulates the central conflict of the opera—between sacred and profane love. With its iconic “Pilgrim’s Chorus,” sweeping string lines, and thunderous climaxes, the overture offers a powerful and immersive close to the evening’s journey.