Mozart & Mahler

Opening the evening is Aaron Copland’s iconic Fanfare for the Common Man (1943), paired with Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman (1986). Tower dedicated her fanfare to conductor Marin Alsop, calling it a tribute to “women who take risks and are adventurous,” a perfect introduction to an evening of bold musical statements.

• Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 (SPAC debut), featuring pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason in her SPAC and Orchestra debut.
• Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, closing the program.

One of the foremost conductors of our time, Marin Alsop is the first woman to serve as the head of major orchestras in the United States, South America, Austria, and Great Britain. She is internationally recognized for her innovative approach to programming and is the first and only conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.

Alsop serves as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony; Principal Guest Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra; Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra; and Chief Conductor of the Ravinia Festival. She made history as the first female conductor of the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms. Her long-awaited Berlin Philharmonic debut was in 2025.

To nurture the careers of women conductors, Alsop founded the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship. In 2021 she became Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and she is the winner of the 2025 Golden Baton Award from the League of American Orchestras.

Jeneba Kanneh-Mason has been praised for her “maturity in performance and interpretation” (Fraser). She made her international debut at the BBC Proms performing the Florence Price Concerto; the performance was recorded with Chineke! and Leslie Suganandarajah and released on Decca Classics in Summer 2023. The Guardian wrote that “Price could have no more persuasive an advocate.”

Now an exclusive Sony Classical artist, Jeneba’s debut solo album Fantasie was released in March 2025. It was named Classic FM’s Album of the Week, earned praise from Gramophone, and was nominated for an Edison Award.

Her recent and forthcoming engagements include work with several orchestras in North America and Europe and a solo recital tour. Jeneba was a Keyboard Category Finalist in BBC Young Musician 2018 and has won several prizes, including the Murs du Son Prize (Lagny-Sur-Marne) and The Nottingham Young Musician. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Academy and has appeared on radio and television programs including Radio 3, In Tune, The BAFTAs, The Royal Variety Performance, and BBC documentaries.