Salem Philharmonia Orchestra

Symphonic music that inspires, performed by outstanding
musicians from your community.

Upcoming Concerts

Buy Tickets for Concert #4
150 Years of Ravel

Featuring Thomas Otten, voice & piano

Thomas Otten, Emeritus Professor of Piano, retired in 2018 as Piano Area Chair at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and previously served as Chair of Piano at Kent State University. Now based in Portland, OR, he is a sought-after master teacher and concert artist, touring the Pacific Northwest through the OMTA Tholen Enrichment Project and WSMTA Visiting Artist Program. A California native of German-American heritage, he made his debut at seventeen with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and has since performed internationally, including at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Severance Hall. He has given masterclasses at esteemed institutions such as The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, and the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory.

A recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Otten studied with John Perry and Nelita True and worked extensively with biomechanics expert Barbara Lister-Sink. He has served on festival faculties in the U.S. and Europe, juried international competitions, and founded the Kent Piano Seminar and various festivals at UNC. His discography includes Liszt transcriptions and the premiere recording of etudes by African American composer Leslie Adams. Also a classically trained baritone, he has sung with ensembles such as the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus and will appear as both vocalist and pianist with the Salem Philharmonia in honor of the Ravel Sesquicentennial. His former students include prize-winning concert artist Andrew Tyson. More information can be found at www.otten.studio.

Concerts in the 2024/2025 Season

Concert #1 – Nov 2 & Nov 3 – German Romantics
Featuring Maria Garcia, piano

  • Wagner – Tannhäuser  Overture
  • Schumann – Piano Concerto in A minor
  • Brahms – Symphony No. 3 
Concert #2 – Dec 14 & December 15 – Family Concert
Concert Times – 2:00 pm Saturday and Sunday
 
  • Leonard Bernstein – Overture to Candide
  • Edvard Grieg – Holberg Suite, Op. 40 – Praeludium
  • Gabriel Fauré – Pavane, Op. 50
  • Johannes Brahms – Hungarian Dance No. 5 
  • Pyotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a – “Scène”
  • Aaron Copland – Fanfare for the Common Man
  • Randall DeBruyn – Concertino for Chamber Orchestra and Percussion – Interlude
  • Reinhold Glière – The Red Poppy – Russian Sailors’ Dance
Concert #3 – Feb 15 & Feb 16 – Rediscovering (Marie) Jaëll
Featuring Diane Chaplin, cello
 
  • Bizet – Jeux d’enfants – Petite Suite
  • Jaëll – Cello Concerto in F major
  • Rimsky-Korsakov – Capriccio Espagnol
  • Mozart – Symphony No. 38 (“Prague”)

Concert #4 – Apr 5 & Apr 6 -150 Years of Ravel
Featuring Thomas Otten, voice & piano

  • Dvořák – The Noon Witch
  • Ravel – Don Quichotte à Dulcinée song cycle
  • Ravel – Concerto for Piano Left Hand in D major
  • Schumann – Symphony No. 4

Concert #5 – May 31 & June 1 – Fate and the Apocalypse

  • Verdi – La Forza del Destino  Overture
  • DeBruyn – Apocalyptic Maiden (world premiere)
  • Tchaikovsky – Symphony no. 4 

Salem Phil News

Join the SPO Board

Join the SPO Board! The Salem Philharmonia Orchestra is seeking passionate individuals to join our Board of Directors!As a volunteer orchestra, we rely on dedicated

Marie Jaëll (1846–1925)

Marie Jaëll (1846-1925) We are less than a week away from our third concert set of the season: Rediscovering Marie Jaëll, featuring cellist Diane Chaplin!

Concert Times

Join us for a Pre-Concert Presentation given by our artistic director.

Saturdays
Pre-Concert Talk at 6:15 PM
Concert starts at 7:00 PM
*Dec Concert starts at 2:00 PM

Sundays
Pre-Concert Talk at 1:15 PM
Concert starts at 2:00 PM

*Please Note: the December Family Concerts will start at 2:00 PM on both Saturday and Sunday to accommodate family bedtimes. Pre-Concert talk is replaced with an instrument petting zoo.

Concert Venue

All concerts will be held at:

East Salem Community Center
1850 45th Ave. NE,
Salem, OR 97305

Mailing Address
Salem Philharmonia Orchestra
PO Box 13804
Salem, OR 97309

About The Salem Philharmonia Orchestra

The Salem Philharmonia Orchestra provides an opportunity for musicians and audiences in Salem, Oregon and the surrounding communities to participate in affordable performances of high quality symphonic literature. The objectives of the Salem Philharmonia Orchestra are simple: to make live symphonic music easily accessible to the community at a low cost and to give community members an opportunity to play in a symphony orchestra.