MusicaNova Orchestra

08/26/2026

EXCLUSIVE opportunity. Hear the original version of Mahler's 1st Symphony, performed for only the fifth time ever, on Oct. 10 at the Tempe Center for the Arts. Tickets went on sale TODAY at tempecenterforthearts.com.

The story: Gustav Mahler wanted desperately to be loved, and he was sure his first big orchestral work was going to make him famous. It was a dud. So, like someone who talks louder and more aggressively when they feel they are not being heard, he took out the quiet parts and added more and more bombast. And still, it was a dud. It never achieved acclaim during Mahler's lifetime. It took Bernstein's magic to make it a hit.

The original 1889 version has recently been reconstructed, and MusicaNova is only the fourth orchestra to program it. It is a more transparent piece of music that will sound familiar and new all at the same time. With all the bombast removed, you can hear Mahler's gorgeous music more clearly. Get your tickets today!

Funded in part by , Arizona Commission on the Arts, and Hannah's Oboes.

08/17/2026

Maestro Warren Cohen introduces his series of brief talks peeling back the cover to get the inside story of classical music: Episode One: How Mahler's neuroticism changed his first symphony.

06/08/2026

A nice mention. Thanks Classic Ross Amico!

Wow. My post about Klaus Tennstedt Saturday for his centenary put me up over 800 followers. I can’t even keep up with responses to the comments. Thanks, everybody! I always try to post good or interesting material, but you know, if a tree falls in the woods, etc.

To keep it musical, as today’s 800-pound gorilla, I’d like to share the Symphony No. 5 by Richard Arnell, which the composer subtitled the “Gorilla” – a humorous analogy between the work and a gorilla he visited at the London Zoo. It has a great tune in the last movement, derived from the music hall, that Arnell’s father used to sing and whistle.

It’s a live performance by the Arizona-based MusicaNova Orchestra, which has done so much to champion Arnell’s music over the years (and neglected repertoire in general).

You can learn more about them here:

https://www.musicanovaaz.org/

Then join me in celebrating 800 followers with Arnell’s “Gorilla” Symphony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1clPi0ZdXQ

On to 900!

05/11/2026

From the collection of Cheng Jin Koh, MNO composition fellow!

05/10/2026

05/07/2026

Saturday's concert is titled Calming Waters, and this excerpt from Victoria Polevá's "Turn the River" shows why. Add the pure spring water of Sibelius' Sixth Symphony, the yearning in Pulitzer finalist Carter Pann's "My Cross for Soprano Saxophone and Orchestra," the call of Peruvian folk song in Pultizer winner Gabriela Lena Frank's "Concerto Consequeño," and the Buddhist ideas of enlightenment of Cheng Jin Koh's "Water Moon," and you are guaranteed to leave feeling refreshed. 7 p.m. Saturday at the Tempe Center for the Arts. Tickets via musicanovaaz.org.

05/07/2026

SNEAK PEAK! Saxophonist Christopher Creviston and MusicaNova Orchestra will present the world premiere of Pulitzer finalist Carter Pann's "My Cross for Soprano Saxophone and Orchestra." Here are 22 seconds from the first time it was played anywhere. To hear the entire thing -- and lots of other great music -- be at the Tempe Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. Saturday. Get your tickets at https://purchase.tempecenterforthearts.com/ChooseSeats/66601

05/06/2026

Gabriela Lena Frank won the Pulitzer Prize for Music this week, the 11th woman to do so. You can hear her earlier Concerto Cosqueño this Saturday. Like the work that won the Pulitzer, it leans heavily on Peruvian folk music. Also on the program: works by two other women, as well as Sibelius. 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets at https://purchase.tempecenterforthearts.com/ChooseSeats/66601

05/06/2026

Join us for the world premiere of Water Moon, a mesmerizing new work by Singaporean composer and yangqin artist Cheng Jin Koh, whose music has graced the stages of Lincoln Center and the Sydney Opera House. Rooted in Buddhist philosophy, Water Moon explores beauty that can be felt but never held. Led by the brilliant Tengku Irfan, praised by The New York Times for his "incisiveness and power," and with a Carnegie Hall debut to his name. We will premiere this piece on Saturday, May 9th at the Tempe Center for the Arts.

Tickets: musicanovaaz.org

05/05/2026

New podcast alert! KBACH's Greg Kostraba sat down with saxophonist Christopher Creviston and Maestro Warren Cohen to talk about MusicaNova Orchestra's upcoming performance: Calming Waters: Sibelius & Frank. This performance will bring together music from Finland, Ukraine, Peru, and Singapore, along with the World Premiere of Carter Pann's My Cross for saxophone and orchestra, performed by saxophonist Christopher Creviston.

Tickets: musicanovaaz.org or tempecenterforthearts.com

The MusicaNova Orchestra presents its “Calming Waters” concert Saturday, May 9th at 7pm at the Tempe Center for the Arts. The program features music from Finland and Ukraine to Peru and Singapore, including the World Premiere of the version for saxophone and orchestra of My Cross by Carter Pann....