May 16, 2026
Andrew Constantine, conductor
Jon Kimura Parker, piano
Fort Wayne Philharmonic Chorus, Benjamin Rivera, Director
Martha Guth, soprano
Anna Kelly, mezzo-soprano
Charles Reid, tenor
Richard Ollarsaba, bass-baritone
Beethoven composed his fifth and final piano concerto, “The Emperor”, while feeling the effects of Napoleon’s war in Vienna. He wrote to his publisher that in order to save what little hearing he had left, he would go to his brother’s cellar and cover his ears with pillows. The heroic style and military symbolism which inspired “The Emperor” will be ably displayed by virtuoso piano soloist Jon Kimura Parker. Regarded by many critics and musicologists as one of the supreme masterpieces of all music, Beethoven’s final complete symphony, “The Ninth”, was the first such work to include a chorus and vocal soloists. By then, his deafness was so complete that after conducting the symphony’s premiere he couldn’t even hear the audience go wild, and had to be turned around to witness their standing ovation. This season’s grand finale also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Chorus.
This concert is not one to be missed!
