MSO Principal Trombonist Jude Morris featured in George Walker concerto

Jackson, Mississippi — The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra goes big, bold and deep in the second Masterworks concert of its 82nd season, for a knockout punch of symphonic splendor. Experience the excellence in “Monumental Elegance,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday, November 7 at Thalia Mara Hall.

Works by 19th century German composers Carl Maria von Weber and Johannes Brahms plus 20th century composer George Walker (the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music), create a compelling program of classical music.

Weber’s famous and vibrant Oberon Overture opens the concert. “Oberon is the last of Weber’s three great operas, which together redefined everything opera was to be throughout Europe for the remainder of the nineteenth century,” said MSO Conductor Crafton Beck. “These were formative works for Berlioz and Wagner and, without Weber, theatre at that time would not have been the same.

George Walker’s Concerto for Trombone is luminous, intensely rhythmical and full of color, presenting so many opportunities for a soloist to express artistry and demonstrate both the lyrical and brilliant sides of the trombone as a solo instrument,” continued Beck.

“This piece is a showcase for MSO Principal Trombonist Jude Morris – an enormous talent who is deeply engaged with music – and we are fortunate to have him with us,” praised Beck. “From the beginning of our discussions on which concerto he wanted to play, the Walker concerto was always Jude’s first choice. He championed it from the beginning. It’s a thrilling selection.”

The concert’s second half brings Brahms’ much-requested Symphony No. 4, the late Romantic era masterpiece acclaimed and beloved for its profound depth, high expression and brilliance. It is a work requested by members of the orchestra as often as it is by the public and is the perfect conclusion to the monumental character, dramatic spirit and elegance that are implicit in the program’s design.

The onsite box office will open at 6:30 p.m. on the evening of the concert. Join Millsaps College Emeritus Professor of Music Tim Coker for Tim Talks, a free pre-concert lecture sponsored by Four Seasons of the Arts, at 6:45 p.m on the mezzanine at Thalia Mara Hall.

Individual reserved seat tickets for this concert are $45 and up for adults, and $15 each for students; visit msorchestra.com or ticketmaster.com to select seats and purchase.

The Masterworks Series is presented by the Selby and Richard McRae Foundation. Concert cosponsors are Jimmy and Meredith Creekmore, Tam and Nora Etheridge, John and Ann Millner, and Susan Shands Jones.

The MSO season is supported in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Who: Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
What: Monumental Elegance, Masterworks Series concert
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026
Where: Thalia Mara Hall, 255 E. Pascagoula St., Jackson, MS
Website: msorchestra.com