Alhambra Orchestra

10/07/2026

🎃 Why Does Spooky Music Give You Chills?

There is something strange about spooky music. It turns out your body is not actually sure it is safe.

You know the feeling: the tension builds. You know something is coming. Your attention sharpens. Your body reacts. And then, suddenly… release.

Research in affective neuroscience suggests that eerie and suspenseful music can trigger measurable physiological responses, including changes in heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. In other words, your brain can recognize that the danger isn't real, while your body still responds to the tension as though something might be about to happen. (Source: Music Tectonics, featuring Caitlyn Trevor, Ph.D.)

And composers know exactly how to use that.
• A low rumble.
• A dissonant chord.
• A sudden change in dynamics.
• A melody you recognize, transformed into something unsettling.

These musical tricks keep us listening because our brains are waiting for the next thing to happen.

That's part of the magic of hearing spooky music live. A television speaker can play the notes, but it can't quite reproduce the physical presence of dozens of musicians creating suspense, surprise, and release together in the room.

And at Spooky Symphony, you'll hear plenty of it.

The Alhambra Orchestra joins the Greater Miami Youth Symphony for a 45-minute Halloween concert featuring music from Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings, Ghostbusters, and more, accompanied by spectacular visuals.

And yes, the musicians will be in costume.

📅 Friday, October 23, 2026
🕖 7:00 & 8:30 p.m.
📍 Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center
10950 SW 211 St., Cutler Bay
🎟️ FREE admission Tickets available beginning October 9 at MossCenter.org General admission, first come, first served.
Presented by The Children’s Trust.

Come for the costumes. Stay for the music. And see what happens when an orchestra makes your spine tingle. 👻

10/05/2026

Celebrating Our Founder and the Next Generation of Musicians!

This Friday, we’re cheering on our founder, Dr. Leo Walz, as he takes the podium at Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus for a concert featuring his talented students.

Dr. Leo Walz founded the Alhambra Orchestra and has played an important role in shaping its history. Today, he continues that commitment to music by teaching and mentoring the next generation of musicians.

We’re proud to see his work continue both on the podium and in the classroom. Congratulations, Dr. Walz, and best wishes to you and your students for a wonderful concert! 👏

📅 Friday, October 9, 2026
🕢 7:30 PM
📍 McCarthy Auditorium, Miami Dade College Kendall Campus
🎟️ Free admission | Open to the public

Featuring music by Schubert, Bizet, and Howard Hanson.

09/28/2026

What a night. What a start to our 37th season! 🎼 🇻🇪 ❤️

Both Latin Beats performances were everything we hoped they would be and then some.

To Miami, thank you for showing up in force for Latin Beats, our humble salute to Hispanic Heritage Month and to the extraordinary people of Venezuela. The energy in that room was something none of us will forget quickly. What a memorable night.

To our Venezuelan artists, Ina Peralta, Jonathan Acosta, Ensamble 7/4, Músicos por Venezuela, and guest conductor Maestro Tarcisio Barreto Ceballos, thank you for bringing your talent, your stories, and your hearts to our stage. You did not simply elevate this concert. You made it unforgettable.

To the musicians of the Alhambra Orchestra, who poured everything they had into this program from the first note of Carmen to the last chord of Aires de Venezuela, we are proud of you. Every single time, you choose to give this community the best you have. Two performances. One extraordinary Saturday. It reminded us exactly why that matters.

To our volunteers, our partners, and everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this evening possible, none of this happens without you. We see your work even when the audience does not, and we are deeply grateful for it.

And to you, our audience. The ones who came to represent, to applaud, to sing, to dance, and to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Venezuela. You are the reason we do this. Your presence turned a concert into a community. Your support turned a night of music into something meaningful.

What a way to begin Season 37. We are deeply grateful to have shared this special evening with you, and we cannot wait to see where the music takes us next.

Thank you, Miami. ❤️
Thank you, Venezuela. 🇻🇪
And thank you for helping us continue BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF MUSIC.

09/26/2026

09/25/2026

Tomorrow, we come together through music.

Join us for Latin Beats, a vibrant celebration of the music, rhythms, and cultural traditions of Latin America and Venezuela.

From the unforgettable melodies of Carmen to the fiery Ritual Fire Dance, the irresistible rhythms of Danzón No. 2, and the sounds of Venezuela, this is a concert you won't want to miss.

Two performances. One unforgettable celebration.

📅 Tomorrow, Saturday, September 26
🌞 3:00 p.m. | $10 Adults | $5 Seniors & Students
🌙 7:30 p.m. | In Support of Venezuela | Tickets from $50
📍 FIU Wertheim Performing Arts Center

🎟️ Get your tickets now: AlhambraOrchestra.org/tickets

09/22/2026

AIRES DE VENEZUELA: What Does Venezuela Sound Like? 🇻🇪

Maybe it sounds like a contradanza. Or a vals. Perhaps a merengue. Or a joropo, with its quick rhythms and unmistakable sense of movement.

Start with three instruments: a small four-string guitar called the cuatro, a llanera harp that carries melody with unmistakable warmth, and maracas that are not an accent but a full rhythmic force.

In 2025, UNESCO recognized the joropo as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Venezuela's music is not background. It is a living tradition.

This Saturday, Músicos por Venezuela join the Alhambra Orchestra to perform Aires de Venezuela, an orchestral arrangement by José Terenzio that brings these folk traditions to the symphony stage. Gustavo Dudamel and young Venezuelan musicians have performed it on international stages, including as an encore during a performance in New York. (Source: Venezuela Sinfónica)

Come hear what Venezuela sounds like.
📅 Saturday, September 26, 2026
🌞 3:00 p.m. | $10 Adults | $5 Seniors and Students
🌙 7:30 p.m. | In Support of Venezuela | From $50
📍 FIU Wertheim Performing Arts Center
🎟 AlhambraOrchestra.org/tickets

09/20/2026

Why Does Danzón No. 2 Make You Want to Move? 💃

Because it was born from a dance.

Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to sit still when it begins?
The danzón is a Cuban dance form shaped by syncopation, elegance, and deliberate pauses where the dancers hold perfectly still, suspended, before the music pulls them back in. It became deeply rooted in the musical life of Veracruz and Mexico City. (Source: Musicology for Everyone)

In 1993, Mexican composer Arturo Márquez took a trip to Malinalco. He later traveled to Veracruz and visited Mexico City's Salón Colonia, listening to old recordings and studying the rhythms, melodies, and form of the dance. A year later, he wrote Danzón No. 2. (Source: Classical Exburns)

It might have stayed a beloved regional piece, had a young Venezuelan conductor named Gustavo Dudamel not taken it on tour with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra in 2007. Audiences were immediately captivated. It has since become practically a second national anthem in Mexico. (Source: Musicology for Everyone)

There is something fitting about a Venezuelan conductor helping bring this Mexican dance-inspired work to audiences around the world.

This Saturday, we perform it in support of Venezuela.
Come hear the rhythm. Feel the energy. And see if you can stay completely still.

📅 Saturday, September 26, 2026 🌞 3:00 p.m. | $10 Adults | $5 Seniors and Students 🌙 7:30 p.m. | In Support of Venezuela | From $50 📍 FIU Wertheim Performing Arts Center
🎟️ AlhambraOrchestra.org/tickets

🇻🇪

09/18/2026

Save the Date: Something spooky is returning to the Moss Center... 👻

The Alhambra Orchestra and Greater Miami Youth Symphony are bringing back one of our favorite Halloween traditions: Spooky Symphony!

On Friday, October 23, movie themes and eerie classics, including Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, and Ghostbusters will come to life at The Moss Center in a family-friendly celebration filled with music, imagination, and plenty of Halloween fun.

📅 Friday, October 23, 2026
📍 Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center, Miami

With two performances at 7:00 and 8:30 in the evening, there will be plenty of opportunities for ghosts, superheroes, witches, princesses, and even the smallest night owls to join the fun.
And here's the best part: ADMISSION IS FREE!

Tickets will be available beginning October 9 at MossCenter.org. Admission is general seating and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Save the date. Start planning your costume. And get ready for a Spooky Symphony!

Presented by The Children's Trust in partnership with the Greater Miami Youth Symphony.

09/17/2026

Have you met Carmen? 🌹

Georges Bizet's Carmen is one of the world's most frequently performed operas, filled with some of the most recognizable music ever written for the stage.

And the story? It's every bit as dramatic.

A fiercely independent woman named Carmen captures the attention of a soldier, Don José, who abandons his military career to follow her. When she falls for the charismatic bullfighter Escamillo, Don José's jealousy turns their turbulent relationship into tragedy. Outside the bullring, he kills Carmen. (Source: Classic FM)

But who is Carmen?

She is a woman who refuses to be controlled by anyone, especially when it comes to love. When she first appears, she makes her philosophy clear: love is free and obeys no rules.

Bizet's music brings that story to life with unforgettable melodies, seductive rhythms, dramatic contrasts, and an energy that can feel almost cinematic.

And here's the remarkable part: Bizet died just three months after Carmen premiered, at only 36 years old. He would never know just how enduring his creation would become.

📅 Saturday, September 26, 2026
🌞 3:00 p.m. | $10 Adults | $5 Seniors & Students
🌙 7:30 p.m. | An Evening for Venezuela | Tickets from $65
📍 FIU Wertheim Performing Arts Center
🎟️ AlhambraOrchestra.org/tickets

Come meet Carmen at our Latin Beats concert. You may discover that you've known her music all along, from the sultry Habanera to the swaggering Toreador Song.

09/15/2026

Today, Hispanic Heritage Month begins.

For the next month, we celebrate the rich cultures, histories, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities.

Here in South Florida, that celebration feels especially close to home. And what better way to celebrate than through music?

On Saturday, September 26, the Alhambra Orchestra opens its 37th season with Latin Beats, featuring two special performances that celebrate the extraordinary musical traditions of Spain, Latin America, and Venezuela.

🔥 3:00 p.m. | A Hispanic Heritage Celebration
A vibrant afternoon of music featuring Carmen, Ritual Fire Dance, Danzón No. 2, Aires de Venezuela, and more.

❤️ 7:30 p.m. | An Evening in support of Venezuela
A special concert where music and solidarity come together. Every admission includes a donation supporting Venezuelan earthquake relief through All For Venezuela.

Come celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with us on September 26 at the FIU Wertheim Performing Arts Center.

🎟️ Tickets: AlhambraOrchestra.org/tickets