Music, whether intimate or epic, has a unique ability to honor heroism. Our season finale concert will pay tribute to heroes in an evening of impassioned stories and compositions. Opening the concert will be Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, one of the most powerful and reflective pieces ever written. Host of NPR’s popular From the Top program, pianist Christopher O’Riley, will join CCO principal trumpeter Ashley Hall on Shostakovich’s first piano concerto. In a groundbreaking collaboration, the CCO is proud to be partnering with both the Armed Forces Tickets Association and with four talented young composers from the Music Resource Center on a world premiere work featuring stories of struggle, strength and hope. Closing the season will be Beethoven’s favorite work – his “Eroica” or “hero” symphony – titled to celebrate the memory of a great man as he struggled with hearing loss, but overcame to create a symphony that marked a turning point in the history of classical music.