21st century gems sparkle in this cozy and cutting-edge concert
Jackson, Mississippi — Mississippi Symphony Orchestra once again dives into the exciting, boundary-pushing frontier of contemporary classical music with a special concert at Duling Hall that proves just how captivating this music–of–the–moment can be.
“Fearless Fusion,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 24, showcases the excellence of MSO musicians in anexperience that melds a casual and convivial, out-on-the-town vibe with night-at-the-symphony impact.
The night club setting, with table service and in-house bar, adds a cool, social component to the scene, and the program of recent works by hot, young composers moves the needle on meaningful entertainment.
MSO successfully debuted this type of special concert in 2025.
“We hit it perfectly,” MSO Maestro Crafton Beck said. “We really worked hard to find just the right touch, just the right mix, just the right venue. And, it was a home run!
“Now, the challenge is doing it again,” he laughed.
The evening opens with Entr’acte (2011) by Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning composer Caroline Shaw who, inspired by a string quartet playing Haydn, riffed on the classical form and took it further. The exceptional result refreshes and intrigues.
Trevor Weston’s funk-influenced Dig It (2019) follows with a smart and lively groove. Then, trumpeter Caleb Hudson’s Nothing Less (2024) reaches deep and resonates with themes of humility and selflessness from the Biblical story of Elijah, in a mosaic of beautifully blended instrumental voices.
In the second half, Gabriella Smith’s fascinating Brandenberg Insterstices (2012) pays homage to Bach while pulling in other influences (folk, minimalism and more), and Erberk Eryilmaz’s Thracian Airs of Besim Sultan (2015) knits the world closer together with irresistible and intoxicating calls from a distant land.
Edgy and innovative, this concert promises musical surprises and the chance to hear MSO as never before.
General admission tickets are $56.75 and available in advance online at msorchestra.com, or in-person at Ardenland in Duling Hall. The box office will open at 6:30 p.m. on the evening of the concert.
MSO partners with Ardenland for the concert at Duling Hall and Keesler Federal Credit Union is the concert sponsor. MSO is supported in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
What: Fearless Fusion, MSO Special Concert
Who: Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026
Where: Duling Hall, 622 Duling Avenue, Jackson, MS
Website: msorchestra.com
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