Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with Stravinsky and Steve Hackman

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: Maryland cultural icon for 100+ years; led by Marin Alsop, known for innovative classical performances/recordings, OrchKids, and collaborations with Jean‑Yves Thibaudet.

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.

Conservatory-trained composer/conductor/pianist Steve Hackman fuses symphony with pop/hip-hop; known for Brahms v Radiohead & Stravinsky v Kendrick Lamar.