Join us on Friday, September 19, departing from the front commons at 6:30pm for Beethoven & Tchaikovsky:

CSO musicians Benjamin Mekinulov, who became Principal Cellist in 2023, and Concertmaster Yuriy Bekker, will perform the world premiere of a new double concerto by Charleston composer Yiorgos Vassilandonakis.

Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony has been an audience favorite since its 1813 premiere. The symphony at times is playful, delightful, and rhythmic, but it’s never simple. Its famous second movement, the Allegretto, has been made memorable for modern fans in scenes from more than 20 films and is often performed as a standalone piece. Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra is a fitting companion for Vassilandonakis’s new double concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

Katharina Wincor, our guest conductor for these performances, is the past Assistant Conductor for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and is making quite a name for herself as an internationally recognized orchestral leader.