The Longmont Symphony Orchestra played a world premiere on Saturday, November 14, at Vance Brand Civic Auditorium, and taped it at the same time: the program, called Fire, Water & Transfiguration, included the first performance of Italian composer Massimiliano Messieri's Saxophone Concerto, which the orchestra says was also the first live commercial recording in its history.

Messieri's concerto, a piece inspired by the elemental forces of nature, sat between two works about rivers and endings: Smetana's The Moldau, which follows a river from its source, and Richard Strauss's tone poem Death and Transfiguration. The concert was the second of the orchestra's Masterworks programs in its 60th anniversary season, which opened October 17 with Debussy, a Philip Glass double piano concerto and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.

A $2,500 prize for a high school soloist, November 21

The next date on the calendar is for students. The 2026 Mary Alice Tonkinson Concerto Competition is Saturday, November 21, starting at 10 a.m. at the Boulder Piano Gallery, 3111 Walnut St. in Boulder. It is open to musicians in grades 9 through 12 from the Front Range and Northern Colorado, each playing one movement of a standard concerto. The winner receives $2,500 and the chance to perform with the orchestra at its Family Concert on January 16, 2027, and there are prizes for second and third place.

To enter, students email the orchestra at office@longmontsymphony.org with their full name, instrument, high school, the piece they will play and whether they will have an accompanist. The orchestra confirms each entry by reply.

The Nutcracker, December 5 and 6

The orchestra plays Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker with Boulder Ballet and the Boulder Children's Chorale on Saturday, December 5, at 4 p.m. and again on Sunday, December 6, at Vance Brand Civic Auditorium. A separate performance, The Gentle Nutcracker, is also on the schedule for December 5.

Candlelight: Magnificat!, December 12

The orchestra's holiday season closes Saturday, December 12, at 4 p.m. with a candlelight concert of Mozart's Vesperae solennes de confessore and Bach's Magnificat, sung with the Saint Vrain Chorus, a new choir in Longmont.

Getting there and tickets

Vance Brand Civic Auditorium is at 600 E. Mountain View Ave. in Longmont. Tickets for each concert are sold through the orchestra's Season Concerts & Events page, and the box office questions go to (303) 772-5796, Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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