The Austin Civic Orchestra opens its 2026–27 season on Sunday, September 27, at 4 p.m. with a concert called Flights of Fantasy, and the afternoon's centerpiece is a tuba player who beat out seven other orchestra members to earn the solo spot. Ethyn Evans will step forward to perform Ralph Vaughan Williams' Concerto in F Minor, a piece widely regarded as a cornerstone of the tuba repertoire, at the Austin Central Library.
According to CultureMap Austin, the program is billed as the launch of the orchestra's Journeys of Wonder and Beauty season. Tickets range from free to $20, though the outlet notes that attendees should check with the venue or organization to ensure the event is taking place as scheduled, since events are subject to change due to weather or other concerns. The venue sits at 710 W Cesar Chavez St. in downtown Austin.
Evans earned his place on the program by winning the Austin Civic Orchestra's Member Concerto Competition in November, when a panel of judges evaluated eight member performances and selected him alongside cello soloist Brigid Dever. Off the concert stage, Evans serves as principal tuba for both the Austin Civic Orchestra and the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, and he teaches low brass at Austin Community College and Blinn College, according to the Austin Community College faculty profile. The Butler School of Music at UT Austin notes he is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in tuba performance at the University of Texas at Austin.
A Concerto Born for a Golden Jubilee
The piece Evans will perform carries its own historical weight. Vaughan Williams' Concerto in F Minor for Bass Tuba and Orchestra is a work for solo tuba and orchestra.
The rest of the program spans a wide range of orchestral color. It includes Judith Lang Zaimont's Chroma: Northern Lights, Samuel Barber's Night Flight, and Pinar Toprak's theme from Captain Marvel, alongside Bruce Adolphe's Carnival of the Creatures. Barber's tone poem, which premiered in 1964, was revised from the slow movement of his Second Symphony — a work originally commissioned by the Air Force while Barber was serving as an Army corporal and inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's 1931 aviation novel, according to the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Barber withdrew the symphony from the public in 1964 and converted its slow movement into Night Flight.
A Superhero Score With a Historic First
Toprak composed the score for Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel, per the Berklee College of Music. The film's score is another part of Toprak's work as a composer.
For younger audiences, the draw may be Carnival of the Creatures, Bruce Adolphe's orchestral suite. Carnival of the Creatures is also included on the Austin Civic Orchestra program. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Hickman will narrate the piece.
Free Youth Admission at a Community Institution
The Austin Civic Orchestra's own event page emphasizes community audiences of all ages and free youth admission.
Leading the ensemble is Interim Music Director Dr. W.P. Sterneman III.
