Past Concerts and Events
2024-25 Concert Season Recap
CONCERT 1
WHEN: Sunday, October 6 @ 2:30 PM
WHERE: East Grand Forks
Sr. High Performing Arts Center
1420 4th Ave NW, East Grand Forks, MN 56721
WHAT: Grand Passions | The Soul of Romanticism
Guest Artist: Scott Sandberg, Saxophone
Featuring: Romeo & Juliet Overture
This festive season opener for the GGFSO is filled with all the lush textures, dazzling displays, dramatic contrasts, and emotional climaxes of the Romantic era! From the instantly recognizable love theme of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet Overture to the masterpiece of Brahms’ final symphony, this program is sure to delight!
CONCERT 2
WHEN: Sunday, December 15 @ 2:30 PM
WHERE: East Grand Forks
Sr. High Performing Arts Center
1420 4th Ave NW, East Grand Forks, MN 56721
WHAT: Curtain Up! The GGFSO Goes to Broadway
Soloist: Winner of the Young Artist Concerto Competition
Walk down Broadway with the GGFSO in this tour of Broadway hits! Enjoy fun selections from Wicked, Annie, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and more! Featuring the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber, Richard Rodgers, Frederick Loewe, and others, this is certain to be an entertaining evening of thematic music from some of the most beloved musicals Broadway has to offer.
CONCERT 3
WHEN: Sunday, Marcy 2, 2025 @ 2:30 PM
WHERE: Historic Grand Forks Masonic Center
423 Bruce Ave, Grand Forks, ND 58201
WHAT: The Heart of Europe | A Symphony of National Identities
Guest Conductor: German Gutierrez, Soloist: Alejandro Drago, Violin
Guest conductor German Gutierrez, along with Maestro Alejandro Drago, will lead the GGFSO for this exciting and tantalizing set of pieces from composers who weren’t afraid to be different. Heart-wrenching pieces from Jean Sibelius, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Manuel de Falla will take attendees on a journey through history with passionate fervor and zeal. These three composers were deeply involved in the process of forging European national identities through times of revolutionary uprising and war. Don’t miss your chance to hear these emotional works!
CONCERT 4
WHEN: Sunday, May 11 @ 2:30 PM
WHERE: Historic Grand Forks Masonic Center
423 Bruce Ave, Grand Forks, ND 58201
WHAT: The Romantic Hero | A Symphonic Journey
Guest Artist: Basil Vendryes, Viola
This action-packed season finale includes all the explosive spectacle associated with two of the Romantic era’s most dramatic composers. From Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll and “Prelude and Love-Death” from Tristan und Isolde to Berlioz’s programmatic Harold en Italie featuring guest violist Basil Vendryes, this program follows musical “heroes” at various stages of life. Join us for these thrilling examples of storytelling brought to life through the power of music!
Saturday,
Nov. 5, 2022
5-8pm
Food. Beer. Music.
Tubas!
All ages welcome!
East Grand Forks Eagles Club
227 10th St. NW
Free Admission!
Free Will donation to benefit the GGFSO
Join Maestro Drago, guest artist Roman Fedchuk, and other international friends as they come together to celebrate music.
Event Timeline:
5:00pm: Wine and hors d’oeuvres
5:30pm: Concert
A meet and greet with the musicians will follow the concert.
Popplers Music
1726 S Washington St., Grand Forks
* Ticket sales to benefit the GGFSO
* Free will donation to benefit Ukrainian relief efforts
114th Concert Season: 2021-2022
Artistic Director – Dr. Alejandro Drago
October 10, 2021
● Edward Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance
● Gustav Holst - Brook Green Suite
● Philip Wilby - Concerto for Euphonium
Soloist: Dr. Joel Pugh, euphonium
● Felix Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 "Scottish"
December 12, 2021
● Johann Baptist Vanhal - Concerto for Double Bass in D major
Soloist: Michael Farrick (Winner of the 2021 GGFSO Youth Concerto Competition)
● P. I. Tchaikovsky - “Nutcracker” Suite No. 1 Op. 71a
● A Selection of British Carols (arranged for orchestra by Tom Kennedy, John Cacavas, and John Finnegan)
March 6, 2022
● Walton, William - Viola Concerto
Soloist: David Pedraza, viola
● Gustav Holst - The Planets
Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
May 8, 2022
● Edward Elgar - Chanson de Matin (Morning Song)
● Edward Elgar - Enigma Variations, Op. 36
● Edward Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor Op. 85
Soloist: Dennis Parker, cello.
2022 Young Audience Concert
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Chester Fritz Auditorium, UND @ 10:30 a.m.
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Benjamin Britten - Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Op. 34 (Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell)
Special Event: Tango
Here is a sneak peek of our talented Music Director, Dr. Alejandro Drago. This recording is from Međunarodni Muzički Festival Constantinus ("Constantinus" International Music Festival) in Niš, Serbia:
Concert and Fundraising Event
Saturday, April 2, 2022
Concert featuring The Griffon String Quartet
Social, Dinner, and Silent Auction to follow concert
The music and dance known as Tango exudes not only excitement, passion, and rhythm, but also melancholy, longing, and contemplation. This beautiful fusion of Afro-Spanish rhythms and European styles originated in Buenos Aires in the late 1800’s and quickly gained popularity as it spread from the suburbs of Buenos Aires to European high society in the early 1900’s.
Our Music Director, Alejandro Drago, who grew up in the Tango culture of Buenos Aires, will introduce the audience to its mysterious and fascinating world through a selection of arrangements and compositions, sure to transport you to the city that was once dubbed "The Paris of South America".