What would be a good theme for an orchestra concert?
A “Theme” isn’t a necessity for an orchestral concert, but the folks who market the orchestra and sell the tickets to generate income for the group really like “theme” concerts. Some “themes” for concerts can be pretty obvious. A Fourth of July Concert full of patriotic music can be called “Wave the Flag” or “Stars and Stripes” or something of the sort. A December concert can be called “Christmas Presents” or “Winter Wonderland.” If all of the pieces in a concert are related to opera (arias with a guest soloists, ballet from operas, opera overtures, etc), you might bill this as “A Night At The Opera.” I just read today about a community band in the Washington DC area whose next concert will feature small ensembles from within the band — a flute quintet, a bassoon quartet, a brass quintet, and the like. They’re calling this concert “Intimate Winds.” Similarly, an orchestra might do half a concert with pieces for winds and percussion only (Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man; Gounod’s
