The Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605 · 7:30 PM

Join the Greater Bridgeport Symphony on October 3 at The Klein for the opening night of its 81st Season — 20th Century American Masters — kicking off a year-long celebration of America's 250th anniversary with music by the country's own giants. The program opens with Bernstein's Candide Overture, followed by Barber's Violin Concerto featuring Grammy Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh, Gershwin's iconic An American in Paris, and William Grant Still's Afro-American Symphony. A landmark start to a season Maestro Eduardo Leandro calls a once-in-fifty-years celebration.

Mertens Theater, 84 Iranistan Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604 · 7:30 PM

Experience I Hear America Singing on November 7 at Mertens Theater, where GBS partners with the Wilton Singers for an evening of American choral music. The program features Henry Mollicone's Beatitudes Mass, the folk classic Shenandoah, and Irving Berlin's Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor — an intimate concert in Mertens' immersive, audience-surrounded setting.

The Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605 · 7:30 PM

Celebrate the season at The Klein on December 19 with American Holiday, GBS's gift to Bridgeport for America's 250th: the Connecticut premiere of Rhapsody in Red White and Blue, composed for the 100th anniversary of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, performed by pianist Jeffrey Biegel. Biegel returns for A Charlie Brown Christmas, and the full 55-piece orchestra rounds out the evening with excerpts from The Nutcracker Suite and holiday favorites for the whole family.

Mertens Theater, 84 Iranistan Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06604 · 7:30 PM

GBS goes bold and brassy on March 6 at Mertens Theater with Bridgeport Brass, a 25-member chamber ensemble performing landmark works for brass, including Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and a symphony by American composer John Adams (not the president). An electrifying, up-close evening in Mertens' intimate hall.

The Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605 · 7:30 PM

The Greater Bridgeport Symphony closes its America@250 season on April 17 at The Klein with Postcards from Abroad — music by European composers inspired by the American spirit. The program features Shostakovich's Jazz Suite, Korngold's suite from the 1937 Hollywood classic The Adventures of Robin Hood, and Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World." A fitting farewell to a season GBS says won't come around again until the Tricentennial.