Orchestra Kentucky takes a trip through the best of Southern and classic rock, from The Allman Brothers to Led Zeppelin and much more. The Rewinders and Retro Singers will be on hand to make this concert the rip-roarin’-est, honky-tonkiest, down-home musical crossover ever!

On February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and “The Big Bopper” were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. John Mueller, Ray Anthony and Linwood Sasser bring their music to life in the only show endorsed by the Holly, Valens, and Richardson estates.

The ‘70s rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer put their unique spin on classical music. Orchestra Kentucky presents the original classical versions of the pieces recorded by the group, including the finale to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Pianist Jeffrey Biegel returns to the SKyPAC stage for the Kentucky premiere of Keith Emerson’s piano concerto. The orchestra will also present the world premiere of Emerson’s Glorietta, with the composer conducting.

‘60 and ‘70s pop icon Neil Sedaka joins Orchestra Kentucky in an evening that features highlights from his October 17, 2012 appearance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The concert includes all of his greatest hits, like Oh, Carol, Calendar Girl, Breaking Up is Hard to Do, Love Will Keep Us Together, Laughter in the Rain and Solitaire.

Opera giants Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi changed music history. Orchestra Kentucky celebrates the 200th anniversary of their births with a concert of their greatest hits. Tenor Dan Snyder and soprano Kirsten Chambers do the honors.

Grammy award-winning songwriters Hillary Lindsey, Brett James and Gordie Sampson join Orchestra Kentucky in a concert that pairs Nashville’s most revered songwriters with the artistry of the symphony orchestra—the curtain gets pulled back on Music City to reveal the stories behind the songs written for today’s biggest stars. Featured are twenty Billboard Country #1 singles that they have collectively written, recorded by artists such as Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride and Rodney Atkins. Two of their songs, Telescope and Change Your Mind, have been performed this season on ABC’s hit show, Nashville.

Orchestra Kentucky and the Orchestra Kentucky Chorale present Gospel Hall of Famer Larnelle Harris in a holiday concert, featuring music from his Grammy-winning Christmas CD.

A reprise of a Bowling Green favorite, featuring the greatest pop music of the season!

Run for the border! Orchestra Kentucky celebrates the infectious rhythms of Latin America with Copland’s El Salon Mexico and Moncayo’s Huapango. Guitarist Stephen Mattingly performs Spanish composer Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. The second half of the concert features the three-time Grammy-nominated group Tiempo Libre, one of the hottest young bands today, who recently appeared on the TV show, Dancing with the Stars. Equally at home in concert halls, jazz clubs and dance venues, Tiempo Libre’s Miami-based members are true modern heirs to the rich tradition of the music of their native Cuba.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a concert, featuring great love songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s, performed by Orchestra Kentucky, The Rewinders, and Retro Singers. For an extra fee, ticket buyers will have the opportunity to dedicate a song to their loved one.

Pianist Michael Chertock plays some of the cinema’s greatest hits, including The Way We Were, Somewhere in Time, The Summer of ’42, On Golden Pond and the Theme from Exodus. Also on the program are film scores written by classical composers, including Prokofiev’s Lt. Kije Suite, the eighteenth variation from Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Addinsell’s Warsaw Concerto.

The late ‘60s and ‘70s brought the Philadelphia Sound, a style of soul music characterized by lush orchestra arrangements, featuring sweeping strings and piercing brass. The Rewinders and Retro Singers present the music of groups, like the O’Jays, the Delfonics, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, The Stylistics, The Spinners, Hall and Oates, and more!

One of the most beloved films of all time, The Wizard of Oz, was a technical marvel for the MGM studio in the late 1930s. MGM’s stunningly re-mastered and restored images will be accompanied by Orchestra Kentucky, playing entirely new transcriptions of Harold Arlen’s brilliant scores. Hearing Judy Garland’s original 1939 studio recordings, backed by lush, live orchestration, will transport children and adults alike. With this version of The Wizard of Oz on the big screen, concertgoers will be treated to the Oscar-winning film as it has never been seen before!