Pasadena Symphony announces 2011-12 season

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The Pasadena Symphony Orchestra announced that its 2011-12 season will feature five unique concert programs, with 10 concerts that will take place at the Ambassador Auditorium. Concerts will take place at 2 and 8 p.m. on the dates indicated.

Among the season’s highlights will be appearances by soprano Christine Brewer, violinist James Ehnes and conductor Nicholas McGegan.

The season’s first pair of concerts (Oct. 29) will feature performances of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, Korngold’s Violin Concerto and An-Lun Huang’s ‘Saibei Dance.’ Mei-Ann Chen will conduct the performances, with Ehnes performing solo violin.

Elgar’s Cello Concerto will be the centerpiece for the second set of concerts (Jan. 14), which will also feature Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 and Philip Sawyers’ ‘The Gale of Life.’ David Lockington will conduct, with Pasadena Symphony principal cellist Andrew Shulman as soloist.

The third pair of concerts (Feb. 18, 2012) will feature performances of Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Scheherazade,’ Saint Saëns’ Piano Concert No. 5 and Borodin’s Polovstian Dances. Rossen Milanov will conduct, with Esther Keel as solo pianist.

McGegan will conduct a pair of concerts (March 31, 2012) that will feature Mendelssohn’s ‘The Fair Melusina’ overture, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 and Beethoven Symphony No. 3, ‘Eroica.’ Nareh Arghamanyan will perform solo piano.

Brewer will perform in a set of concerts (April 28, 2012) that will include selections from Wagner’s ‘Götterdämmerung’ and Strauss’ ‘Four Last Songs.’ The concerts, conducted by James DePreist, will also include Schubert’s Symphony No. 9.

In addition to the classical concerts, the Pasadena Symphony will perform its Holiday Candlelight Concert on Dec. 3 at All Saints Church. The Pasadena Symphony is still without a regular music director since the abrupt departure of Jorge Mester in 2010. DePreist serves as the orchestra’s artistic advisor, a responsibility that he juggles with his role as director of conducting and orchestral studies at the Juilliard School in New York.

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— David Ng