Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra
Friday April 24th 7:30pm, Orchard Park High School Auditorium
S. Shade Zajac, Music Director
Program:
Symphony no. 6 in A Minor, Mahler
Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor and Music Director
New Piece World Premier, Nancy Pettersen Strelau
Quiet City, Aaron Copland
Y.A.C Winner Tbd
Symphony no. 3, Florence Beatrice Price
The Genesee Symphony Orchestra will close out their 2025-2026 Season with a thrilling and unique program filled with exciting and varied music. The concert will feature much loved pieces such as transcription of the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, by J.S. Bach, the wild Short Ride in a Fast Machine by John Adams, and Ravel’s Bolero; a personal favorite of Mr. Zajac. The program will also showcase more unfamiliar works such the master of tango Astor Piazzolla’s Sinfonia Buenos Aires and Mason Bates’ Mothership for Orchestra Electronics and improvisers. International Harpist Rosanna Moore will return to the GSO to give a world premier of a new harp concerto she commissioned by GSO Conductor S. Shade Zajac. Inspired by poetry from the legendary Doors front man Jim Morrison (Aka the Lizard King), I Am the Lizard King for Harp and Chamber Orchestra will be an exciting high point to this kaleidoscope program!
Genesee Symphony Orchestra
Sunday May 31, 2026 4:00pm Stewart Steiner Theater GCC
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor and Music Director
Rosanna Moore, Harp
Program:
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, J.S Bach Orc. Stokowski
Short Ride in a Fast Machine, John Adams
I Am the Lizard King for Harp and Chamber (World Premier), S. Shade Zajac
Mothership, Mason Bates
Sinfonia Buenos Aires, Op. 15, Astor Piazzolla
Bolero, Ravel
Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor and Music Director
Sunday March 1, 2025 3:0pm United Church of Canandaigua
Program
Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Brahms
Soloist TBA
Symphony no. 4 in D Minor, Schumann
Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra
Friday February 13th 7:30pm Orchard Park High School Auditorium
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor
South Towns Youth Orchestra Students
Program to include music from films such as Sunset Boulevard, Casablanca, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and more!
The Genesee Symphony continues with their celebration of Conductor and Music Director S. Shade Zajac’s 10th Season with a very special performance. The first half will see Mr. Zajac as soloist for the mighty Cello Concerto by Dvorak. His long time mentor and friend Nancy Pettersen Strelau will make her GSO debut as guest conductor. After the interval, Mr. Zajac will return to the podium to lead Tchaikovsky’s emotionally charged and passionate final Symphony, the Pathetique.
Genesee Symphony Orchestra
Saturday February 7, 2026 7:00pm Stewart Steiner Theater GCC
S. Shade Zajac Conductor and Music Director
Nancy Pettersen Strelau, Guest Conductor
S. Shade Zajac, Cello
Program:
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B Minor, Dvorak
Symphony no. 6 in B Minor “Pathetique”, Tchaikovsky
Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra
Friday December 12th 7:30pm Orchard Park High School Auditorium
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor and Music Director
Laurence Tallman, Narrator
The Genesee Symphony perform their annual Holiday Concert filled with many of your favorite holiday tunes! This special performance will also feature GSO 2025 Young Artist Winner Gillian Vit perform the first movement of Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto.
Genesee Symphony Orchestra
Sunday December 7, 2025 2:00pm Stewart Steiner Theater GCC
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor and Music Director
Gillian Vit, Violin
Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor and Music Director
Saturday December 6th, 2025 4:00pm United Church of Canandaigua
Holiday Favorites Program
Selections from the Nutcracker
Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra
Friday October 24, 2026 7:30pm Orchard Park High School Auditorium
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor and Music Director
Rosanna Moore, Harp
Siegfried: Waldweben, Wagner
Concerto for Harp and Orchestra in E E Flat Major, Gliere
Symphony no. 7 in C Major, Sibelius
Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra
S. Shade Zajac Conductor and Music Director
Sunday October 19th, 2025 3:00pm United Church of Canandaigua
Program:
Four Dances from Gyermektáncok, Kodály
Romanian Folk Dances, Bartok
Norwegian Dances, Grieg
Dances of Galánta, Kodály
Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2, Liszt orch Muller-Berghaus
Join the Genesee Symphony Orchestra as they kick off their 2025-2026 Concert Season in which they celebrate Conductor and Music Director S. Shade Zajac’s 10th season of concerts. The season opens with a vibrant program featuring pianist Sarah Rhee performing the beloved Piano Concerto in A Minor Grieg. Music by Bernstein, Liszt, Whitacre, and Rimsky will also be showcased.
Genesee Symphony Orchestra
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor and Music Director
Sarah Rhee, Piano
Saturday October 4, 2025 7:00pm Stewart Steiner Theater GCC
Program:
Overture to Candide, Bernstien
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in A Minor, Grieg
Les Preludes, Liszt
Sleep, Eric Whitacre
Capriccio Español, Rimsky Korsakoff
Young Artist Winner TBA
Symphony no. 5 in C Minor, Beethoven
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor
Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra
Saturday May 10th, 7:00pm, United Church of Canandaigua
New England Tryptic, Schuman
Dances in the Canebrakes, Florence Beatrice Price (Orch. Still)
Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Barber
Saturday Night Waltz and Hoedown from Rodeo, Copland
Summerland, William Grant Still
Appalachian Spring, Copland
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor
Brittney Burgess, Soprano
Genesee Symphony Orchestra
Sunday April 27th, 4:00pm, Genesee Community College
As we end our spectacular 76th season, come experience an exciting concert with Pacific 231 by Honegger, Mahler’s Rückert eider with mezzo soprano Gabrielle LaBare, and closing with Shostakovich’s epic Symphony no. 5 in D Minor!
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor
Gabrielle LaBare, Mezzo Soprano
Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra
Friday April 4th, 7:30 pm, Orchard Park High School
Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Ibert
Symphony no. 1 in G Minor “Winter Daydreams”, Tchaikovsky
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor
Alex Hine, Flute
Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra
Sunday March 2nd, 3:00pm, Untied Church of Canandaigua
Spend a memorable evening with the OPSO along with members of the Southtowns Youth Orchestra as David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, trances us into a world of romance with Prealudium and Allegro in the Style of Paganini by Kreisler, Massenet’s Meditation from Thais and Carmen Fantasy by Sarasota. Even more romantic music from West Side Story by Bernstein, Polovtsian Dances vey Borodin an Daphnis et Chloé suite no. 2 by Ravel.
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor
David Kim, Violin
Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra
Friday February 14th, 7:30pm, Orchard Park High School
Symphony no. 9 in E flat major, Shostakovich
Overture to William Tell, Rossini
El sombrero de tres picos Suite no. 2, de Falla
Russian Sailors Dance from the Red Poppy, Gliere
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor
Genesee Symphony Orchestra
Sunday February 2nd, 4:00pm, Genesee Community College
The FLSO presents your annual holiday program featuring selections from the Nutcracker and other holiday classics.
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor
Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra
Sunday December 15th, 3:00pm United Church of Canandaigua
Amahl and the Night Visitors, Menotti
Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Rutter
Mary’s Lullaby, Rutter
Christmas Festival, Anderson
Sleigh Ride, Anderson
Other Holiday Favorites
S. Shade Zajac Conductor
Genesee Symphony Orchestra
Sunday December 8th, 4:00pm, Genesee Community College
Get in the holiday spirit with a concert full of seasonal music and surprises, plus classical favorites by Humperdinck Delius, Herbert, Anderson and more! The concert will conclude with our traditional holiday sing-a-long!
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor
Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra
Friday December 6th, 7:30pm, Orchard Park High School
From the Diary of Anne Frank, Michael Tilson Thomas
Symphony no. 6 in F Major “Pastorale”, Beethoven
S. Shade Zajac, Conductor
Gemini Zajac, Narrator
Genesee Symphony Orchestra
Saturday November 16th, 2024 Genesee Community College 7:30pm
