The Firebird

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Masterworks

The Firebird

Mar 15

Sunday

3 PM

Century II Concert Hall

featuring Holly Mulcahy, Violin

From Wagner’s ghostly ship to the fiery brilliance of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, this concert soars through myth, magic, and the natural world. Wagner’s electrifying Overture to The Flying Dutchman tells the storm-tossed tale of a ghostly ship cursed to sail the seas for eternity. We then embark in flight with the World Premiere of Daniel Perttu’s violin concerto Stealing From Birds. Inspired by the beauty of bird songs, WSO Concertmaster Holly Mulcahy brings this concerto to life for the very first time!

Finally, Stravinsky’s beloved Firebird Suite [1945] brings the night to a dazzling close, weaving Russian folklore and brilliant orchestration into a triumphant blaze of sound. From windswept legends to fiery rebirth, this concert ignites the imagination.

RICHARD WAGNER The Flying Dutchman Overture
DANIEL PERTTU Stealing From Birds (World Premiere)
featuring Holly Mulcahy, violin
IGOR STRAVINSKY The Firebird Suite [1945]

CELEBRATE THE WORLD PREMIERE OF STEALING FROM BIRDS
- Join the book club. Read Mozart's Starling by Lynda Lynn Haupt then join Concertmaster Holly Mulcahy for the book club discussion on Tuesday, March 10 at 5:00 PM at Watermark Books and Cafe. Register for the book club here.
- Join the party. Flock to Odd Fellow Hall in Delano on Saturday, March 14 for The Art of the Steal, a celebratory artist salon and inside look at the concerto with composer Daniel Perttu, soloist Holly Mulcahy, and naturalist Kenn Kaufman. Learn more and sign up here.
- Get a taste. Visit Red Bird Sandwich Co. to have a weekly limited-edition sandwich inspired by the chapters of Stealing from Birds.
- Learn, experience and engage. Visit our friends at the Sedgwick County Zoo to hear the songs that inspired the concerto and discover how you can help conserve our feathered friends. Hear directly from soloist Holly Mulcahy as part of Senior Wednesdays at the zoo on March 11.

Sponsored in part by

FRIENDS OF THE WICHITA SYMPHONY IN MEMORY OF KURT D. FRIESEN, MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS (2017-2023)
DRS. DANIEL AND MARTHA HOUSHOLDER
LISA AND JIM VAYDA

2025-2026 Season Sponsors
THE SAM & RIE BLOOMFIELD FOUNDATION
CITY OF WICHITA ARTS & CULTURAL SERVICES
THE STATE OF KANSAS THROUGH THE KANSAS ARTS COMMISSION AND THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

About Holly Mulcahy

As an in-demand performer, Holly balances her orchestral duties with numerous concerto performances around the country. Passionate about performing living American composers’ works, Holly has been featured as soloist for concertos by Jennifer Higdon, Jim Stephenson and Philip Glass in addition to The Rose of Sonora by film composer George S. Clinton. Learn more about Holly at hollymulcahy.com.

Arrive Early for Concert Talks

If you’d like to learn more about the music in our concert programs, Concert Talks are just what you need! Before every Masterworks Concert, the Wichita Symphony Orchestra will present pre-concert talks which help prepare you and deepen your understanding of the music to be performed in the program. Sometimes our guest soloists even join Maestro Hege for a discussion of their concerto collaboration! Free to all ticket holders, Concert Talks take place in the Concert Hall one hour prior to each Masterworks performance.