Best Classical Music Performance
Tucson Symphony Orchestra (various shows)
Think of it as a string of sequels: TSO I, TSO II, Bride of TSO, Son of TSO, TSO Meets Abbott and Costello (or at least Bob Bernhardt) ... our readers couldn't agree on the single most outstanding Tucson Symphony concert this year, so the whole season gets plaudits for best classical performance. It was a special season, indeed, not so much because it included such big-name guest artists as Emanuel Ax, James Galway and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, but because it marked 75 years of continuous concertizing. And to celebrate, the orchestra commissioned nine short new pieces from leading composers like Stephen Paulus and Roberto Sierra through mid-career craftsmen right down to emerging tunesmith Sarah Maggie Polk. Too bad none of it'll ever be out on DVD.
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