INDIANAPOLIS—This Valentine’s Day season, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra invites audiences to make music part of their celebration with a three-week span of immersive, emotionally powerful performances led by Music Director Jun Märkl at the historic Hilbert Circle Theatre.
Beginning on Valentine’s Day weekend and continuing through the end of February, the ISO presents a curated journey through some of the most expressive and transformative works in the orchestral repertoire. The three-week span offers couples, friends, and music lovers a meaningful way to celebrate love, connection, and shared experience through live music.
Performances start February 13 and 14 with Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” an especially powerful way to mark Valentine’s Day weekend. Performed Thursday, February 13 at 7:30 PM and Friday, February 14 at 5:30 PM, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 is one of the most profound works ever written for orchestra and chorus. Märkl leads the ISO alongside the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, soprano Lauren Snouffer, and mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor in a sweeping journey from darkness to light, grief to hope, and renewal. Featuring nearly 200 musicians on stage and performed without intermission, the Resurrection Symphony culminates in a transcendent choral finale that offers a deeply moving shared experience and a memorable Valentine’s celebration.
The following week continues February 19 through 21 with Beethoven’s revolutionary Symphony No. 3, a bold and heroic work that forever changed the course of symphonic music. Performances take place Friday, February 20 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, February 21 at 5:30 PM, with a relaxed Coffee Classical performance on Thursday, February 19. The program also features Ebbs and Flows by Ke-Chia Chen, celebrating resilience and beauty, and selections from Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn, performed by acclaimed mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music faculty.
The three-week journey concludes February 27 and 28 with Scottish Impressions, a vivid and atmospheric program celebrating Scotland’s landscapes, folklore, and musical spirit. Märkl is joined by renowned violinist James Ehnes for a program featuring Debussy’s Scottish March on a Popular Theme, Bruch’s evocative Scottish Fantasy, and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3. Performances take place Friday, February 27 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, February 28 at 5:30 PM, offering a lyrical and transportive close to a month defined by emotional depth and musical storytelling.
Ahead of the Friday evening performance, audiences are invited to deepen the experience with Circle Theatre Tastings: A Taste of Scotland, part of the ISO’s new Circle Theatre Tastings series. This pre-concert Scotch tasting will take place Friday, February 27 from 6:45 to 7:15 PM and offers a guided sampling inspired by the evening’s program. With the purchase of a concert ticket, patrons may reserve a tasting experience for $30. Featured tastings include Balvenie 12 Year Double Wood, Balvenie 14 Year Caribbean Cask, Glenfiddich 12 Year, and Glenfiddich 15 Year.
Together, these three weeks showcase Märkl’s artistic leadership and the ISO’s expressive range, from Mahler’s spiritual grandeur to Beethoven’s heroic innovation and Mendelssohn’s sweeping Highland vistas. Audiences are invited to make February a season of unforgettable musical experiences, beginning with Valentine’s Day weekend.
For more information or to inquire about availability, contact the ISO Box Office at 317.639.4300 or iso@indianapolissymphony.org. Tickets are available now.
