Seattle Symphony Opening Weekend celebrates the start of the 2021-2022 Season, returning to in-person concerts at Benaroya Hall
 
Opening Weekend kicks off with the Opening Night Gala on Saturday, September 18

Free concert and celebratory activities at Benaroya Hall on Sunday, September 19

For immediate release – Seattle, WA – The Seattle Symphony announces its Opening Weekend programming for the 2021–2022 season, marking a highly anticipated return to in-person performances and expanding the organization’s previously planned Opening Night to an entire weekend of music and celebration. 

The Opening Weekend kicks off on September 18 with an Opening Night Gala fundraising event featuring Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, who leads the Seattle Symphony in the world premiere of Composer in Residence Reena Esmail’s RE|Member, a Seattle Symphony co-commission, alongside Richard Strauss’s Don Juan and Stravinsky’s iconic Firebird Suite. The Opening Night Gala honors Charles and Lisa Simonyi for their philanthropic support of the Symphony and recognizes the inaugural President’s Council — a group of principal supporters instrumental to the Symphony’s resilience and innovation during the pandemic. The evening’s concert will also be livestreamed for free on Seattle Symphony Live, in addition to being broadcast on Classical KING FM 98.1.

A concert and celebratory activities for the community will then take place on Sunday, September 19 at Benaroya Hall, free to the public. This will include an “Ask the Artist” event with Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, ensemble performances from Seattle Symphony musicians throughout the afternoon, a full concert at 2 p.m. PDT, and the unveiling of an Indigenous art installation honoring the Symphony’s use of the Coast Salish peoples’ land. Music Director Thomas Dausgaard will conduct both Opening Weekend concerts on September 18 and 19. 

The free concert on Sunday, September 19 will feature an encore performance of Seattle Symphony Composer in Residence Reena Esmail’s RE|Member (following its world premiere the prior evening), along with Strauss’s Don Juan, Walker’s Lyric for Strings, and Amy Beach’s Alla siciliana: Allegro vivace from the Symphony in E minor, “Gaelic.”

The unveiling of an Indigenous art installation on Sunday will recognize that Benaroya Hall is on the Indigenous land of the Coast Salish people, specifically the Duwamish Tribe, who are not currently federally recognized. The Seattle Symphony recently commissioned a traditional woven cedar mat from local artist DeAnn Jacobson as part of the organization’s growing partnership with the Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest. The work will be installed permanently at Benaroya Hall, with remarks from representatives from the Seattle Symphony and the Coast Salish peoples and a statement of land acknowledgement to commemorate the occasion. 

The Seattle Symphony recently joined area arts organizations in announcing more comprehensive health and safety policies to ensure the safest return possible for in-person audiences, including requiring proof of vaccination (or proof of a negative COVID-19 test) for all event attendees. Further information about the Seattle Symphony’s protective protocols can be found at https://seattlesymphony.org/planyourvisit/safety.

To learn more about the Opening Night Gala, please visit the event page here. To reserve a free ticket to other Opening Weekend activities and performances, please visit the Opening Weekend event page.