Adolphe with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, and more

Founded in Boston (1881), top U.S. orchestra famed for Germanic sound and landmark RCA/Deutsche Grammophon recordings; premiered Stravinsky/Bartók; Tanglewood; with John Williams on Spielberg films.

Born in Riga, Andris Nelsons is the Grammy-winning conductor leading Boston Symphony and Leipzig Gewandhaus; famed for Shostakovich, Bruckner & Beethoven cycles with DG.

Paris-born virtuoso cellist famed for Bach suites and genre-crossing style; Silk Road Ensemble founder; collab’d with McFerrin, Ax, Thile, Meyer; 18 Grammys.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), a Russian composer from St. Petersburg, is celebrated for his 15 symphonies and chamber music. His classical style features sharp contrasts, grotesque elements, and deep emotional intensity. Renowned works include Symphony No. 5 and the "Leningrad" Symphony. He navigated a complex relationship with the Soviet regime, establishing a powerful legacy as a 20th-century master.

Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer and conductor who became a naturalized French and American citizen. Widely considered one of the most influential and revolutionary composers of the 20th century, his career is traditionally divided into three stylistic periods: Russian, Neoclassical, and Serial. He achieved international fame through a series of groundbreaking ballets commissioned by impresario Sergei Diaghilev for the Ballets Russes, most notably The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911), and The Rite of Spring (1913), the latter of which caused a famous near-riot at its Paris premiere due to its avant-garde rhythms and dissonant harmonies. He later lived in Switzerland and France before moving to the United States in 1939, where he settled in Los Angeles and eventually New York City.