Bienen Ensembles

Symphonic Band

Friday, February 13, 2026 at 7:30pm CST

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Shawn D. Vondran, conductor; Oliver Stark, euphonium (Northwestern Concerto Competition winner)

The Symphonic Band’s first program of the winter quarter opens with Leonard Bernstein’s raucous tribute to his friend Mstislav “Slava” Rostropovich. Zhou Tian’s Nocturne uses musical material from his first string quartet, the last piece he wrote before leaving his native China. The first half of the concert concludes with James Curnow’s Symphonic Variants, featuring Concerto Competition winner Oliver Stark, and the second half is devoted to David Del Tredici’s monumental symphony for band, In Wartime.

Leonard Bernstein, Slava!
Zhou Tian (arr. David Thornton and Zhou Tian), Nocturne
James Curnow, Symphonic Variants
David Del Tredici, In Wartime

View Live Stream

Tickets are $6 for the general public and $4 for students with valid ID.

Buy Tickets

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Address

50 Arts Cir Dr
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

View address on Google Maps

About

Pick-Staiger is a 972-seat hall located in the Arts Circle on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University. The main lobby entrance for concerts is on the west side of the building (revolving and regular doors). Since its inception in 1975, the hall has functioned as both a classroom and performance facility for Bienen School of Music performing ensembles, faculty recitals, festivals, and professional guest artists.