Stravinsky's Petrushka

The Oregon Symphony is playing Petrushka at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Saturday, June 5, 2027, with two performances that day: a matinee at 2 PM and an evening show at 7:30 PM. It's a program that pulls from three different composers, and the headliner is Stravinsky's Petrushka in its 1947 version. The story it tells is a sad one: a little puppet in unrequited love, told through folk tunes and a big, colorful orchestration. Alongside it, the symphony will play the suite from Poulenc's Les Biches, and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet will take the lead on Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F.

Thibaudet is a Grammy nominee and Artist-in-Residence at the Colburn School, known for his poetic interpretations and technical brilliance. He's spent much of his career championing French repertoire, jazz, and opera transcriptions, so he's a natural fit for a program that jumps from Stravinsky's folk-inflected puppet story to Poulenc's French wit and Gershwin's jazz-tinged concerto. Conducting the whole thing is German conductor Jun Märkl, recognized for his refined readings of core Germanic and French Impressionist repertoire. He holds leadership roles at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, and the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague.

And then there's the orchestra itself. Founded in 1896, the Oregon Symphony is the oldest orchestra on the West Coast and is recognized as an Oregon 'History Maker'. They've built a reputation for adventurous programming that blends classical music with jazz, indie, and hip hop, and they've collaborated with artists as varied as The Decemberists, esperanza spalding, and Rick Ross. This particular program—Stravinsky, Poulenc, and Gershwin—sits right in that wheelhouse, mixing high-classical tradition with the jazz and folk influences that have always been part of their approach. Both the 2 PM and 7:30 PM shows are at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205.