Finlandia Side-by-Side
Price
Adult: $26 to $90
Side-by-Side Celebration | Tickets Priced 25% Less Than Standard Classics
This concert is offered at a reduced ticket price to reflect its special Side-by-Side format, which includes student participation during select works.
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the Chattanooga Youth Symphony joins the CSO onstage for a special Side-by-Side collaboration during select works, highlighting the mentorship and artistic legacy that connect today’s professional musicians with tomorrow’s.
Together, CSO musicians and CYS students set the stage with Smetana’s The Moldau, evoking the glistening river that flows through Bohemia into Prague. The CSO then takes center stage for Tim Hinck’s Prairie Nightscape, a quietly radiant snapshot of dawn breaking across wide open land. From there, Milhaud’s Le Bœuf sur le toit brings a whirlwind of Brazilian melodies and French playfulness—quirky, jazzy, and irresistibly fun—followed by Schumann’s expansive and joyful “Rhenish” Symphony, inspired by the majesty of the Rhine.
The evening culminates with a powerful return to the Side-by-Side format as CYS students rejoin the CSO for Sibelius’ Finlandia, a proud and urgent call for resilience. With both CSO Ilya Ram and Ismael Sandoval sharing the podium and generations of musicians sharing the stage, this performance is a celebration of artistic excellence, education, and the future of orchestral music in our community.
Join us before the concert at 6:45 PM for an informative talk about the night's program with conductors Ilya Ram and Ismael Sandoval, joined by composer Tim Hinck!
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What to expect:
- Two conductors, one stage, and a full evening of color and character
- From prairie light to symphonic thunder
- A collaboration across generations, on one stage, spotlighting the CYS
- A night of pride, passion, and partnership
This performance is part of the CSO’s 25-26 Season: Reflection. This season is the first chapter of Unspoken: Our Story Through Sound, a journey that spans three seasons. Learn more here >
*Bedrich Smetana | Vltava "The Moldau," from Ma vlast
Tim Hinck | Symphony No. 1, “Prairie Nightscape,” IV. Morning
Darius Milhaud | Le Bœuf sur le toit, Op. 97
Robert Schumann | Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97, “The Rhenish”
*Jean Sibelius | Finlandia, Op. 26
* = pieces performed side-by-side with members of the Chattanooga Youth Symphony
Approximate program length: 1 hour 30 minutes
Includes 20 minute intermission.
Ilya Ram | conductor
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Ismael Sandoval | conductor
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Chattanooga Youth Symphony
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Sponsors
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This concert is made possible by The McMahan Law Firm.
You can listen to an encore broadcast of this concert at 4 PM on Sunday, March 22, 2026 on Classical 90.5 WSMC. 
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