FVSO's Sensory-Inclusive Concerts for Fall & Spring

Music in Motion, a collaboration event between the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, Expressive Therapies, and your Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, is returning for a second season, now with two dates for community members to join in the sensory-inclusive experience. 

Designed with guests of all abilities in mind, Music in Motion blends live symphonic music with a welcoming environment that encourages movement, participation and fun. Attendees are invited to join in the music-making using handheld instruments and colorful scarves (provided at the event), while enjoying flexible seating, consistent lighting, and open areas for those who prefer to move during the performance. 

Musicians from the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra will perform a mix of modern and classic selections and participate in a Q&A session during the event. “It was a wonderful event. It was so nice to have the orchestra, the players involved, and it was really fun. I think everybody had a good time.”said Maresa, inaugural Music in Motion attendee 

Join your community this season for two themed concerts: 

“Soundtracks” on November 8 at 3 p.m. Featuring music from beloved films and musicals: 1. A New Hope or Cantina Song (from the Star Wars) OR Star Wars Medley 2. Under the Sea (from The Little Mermaid) 3. Let It Go (from the Frozen) 4. Defying Gravity (from the Wicked) 5. Pirates of the Caribbean Medley (from the Pirates of the Caribbean) 6. The Cup Song (from the Pitch Perfect) 
Get tickets for November here!

“Sun, Star, Moon” on March 14 at 3 p.m. A celestial celebration of day and night: 1. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 2. Moonlight Bay (Wenrich) 3. Counting Stars (One Republic) 4. Rewrite The Stars (from the The Greatest Showman) 5. House of the Rising Sun (Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, The Animals) 6. Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles) 
Get tickets for March here!

Symphony Under the Stars Returns!

GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra present Symphony Under the Stars 2025 at Neuroscience Group Field on Saturday, July 26. This is a free event with no charge for parking or admission presented by Network Health, Miron Construction, Community First Credit Union, and Wisconsin Public Radio. The show starts at 7:30pm.

“This concert is truly our love letter to the community,” said Jamie LaFreniere, Executive Director of the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra. “We want everyone to feel welcome. Bring the whole family, enjoy incredible music, delicious food, and a fireworks finale that lights up the night. It’s all about joy, connection, and celebration.”

This free event is designed to bring generations together – from toddlers to grandparents – with no tickets and no barriers to participation.

“This night is about FUN,” LaFreniere added. “Whether it’s your first symphony concert or your fiftieth, you belong here.”

Thanks to generous sponsors, the evening remains free and accessible. But as the event grows, so does the need for support. “We’re looking for new sponsors to help us keep this tradition going strong,” said LaFreniere. “It’s a big production—and our sponsors are the reason we can share it with everyone, year after year.”

The stadium parking lot opens at 5:00pm with the gates to get into the stadium open at 6:00pm. All free seating for the event is based on first-come, first-serve availability. There will be food and beverages available for purchase from the concessions stands with fireworks scheduled at the end of the show.

FVSO’s music director Kevin Sütterlin has been part of the production since 2019 and loves bringing a unique experience to the Fox Cities. “Imagine your orchestra performing Prince and Ozzy Osbourne. We can’t wait to share this amazing night of music with both our musicians and our audience,” says Sutterlin.

Russ and the Renegades, the house band of FVSO, Fox Valleyaires Men’s Barbershop Chorus, and MacDowell Male Chorus will also be part of the show again this year.

For the first time at this event, there are special sections available for those who would like to reserve their seats. The Diamond Seats behind home plate includes a buffet of Neuroscience Group Field favorites with a reserved seat and food for a $40 ticket. Patio tables, which seat four, are available for $80 per table and include waitstaff service. Both options are available at this link.

“We are also happy to bring back the open rehearsal during the daytime hours, 3-5pm, for a more sensory-friendly experience,” said LaFreniere. “For those with special needs who have a hard time with large crowds and don’t want the noise of fireworks, we love having them join us earlier so they can enjoy their own private free concert.”

Please contact FVSO at info@foxvalleysymphony.com to make special accommodations for the daytime rehearsal.

FVSO Extends Music Director Kevin Sütterlin’s Contract for Another Three Years

Appleton, WI — The Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra (FVSO) is thrilled to announce Music Director Dr. Kevin Sütterlin has renewed his contract for another three years, continuing his dynamic leadership through the 2027-28 season.

Known for his international accolades and deep commitment to community engagement, Dr. Sütterlin has quickly become a beloved figure in the Fox Valley music scene. From Emmy-winning ensembles to his boundary-breaking co-directorship at Sinfonietta Memphis, Kevin brings a global flair and a heartfelt local touch to everything he conducts.

"Kevin's vision for the orchestra and our community truly inspires me, and I'm so glad we get to keep him with us,” said Jamie LaFreniere, FVSO Executive Director. “I'm excited to continue this adventure and see what comes next.”

Cathy Mutschler, FVSO’s incoming Board President, echoed that enthusiasm: "We're delighted that Kevin has renewed his contract with the FVSO for another term. His technical skill and passion have challenged and elevated our orchestra, and his heart and humor have endeared him to our community."

Sütterlin joined FVSO in 2019 and this will be his second renewal. “I am excited for the next few years with the amazing musicians, staff, board members, and our beloved audience of the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra,” said Sütterlin. “I look back with pride as we have established the FVSO as one of Wisconsin’s finest professional orchestras, having been nationally recognized and awarded in recent years—and I look forward to continuing on our path of artistic growth through programming that is relevant, challenging, and inspiring. I am particularly excited about the new music we are commissioning and performing—orchestral music does not have to be dusty or old-fashioned—it can (and should!) be relevant to people’s everyday lives; it should be exciting, meaningful, and creative.”

Within the orchestra, Sütterlin’s leadership is equally celebrated. Concertmaster Yuliya Smead shared, "Kevin’s artistic vision for the orchestra is simply inspiring. His programming is broad enough to reach everyone in the audience and on stage. His exceptional musicality breathes new life into pieces, new and old alike."

Under Sütterlin’s leadership, FVSO won two American Prize awards: first place for Orchestral Performance – professional division, and second place for Conducting – professional division.  

And Principal Horn Bruce Atwell said, "After an amazing performance of Mahler's Second Symphony last weekend, I was reflecting on the incredible musical and artistic growth the orchestra has experienced under Kevin's leadership. It was at this moment Jamie let me know Kevin had signed a new 3-year contract! I could not be more thrilled!"

With this new chapter, the FVSO continues its mission of making orchestral music accessible, vibrant, and deeply rooted in community. Whether you're a seasoned subscriber or just dipping your toes into symphonic waters—there’s never been a better time to experience the energy and excellence of the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra.

About Dr. Kevin Sütterlin:
An internationally sought-after conductor and pedagogue, Dr. Sütterlin is the Director of Orchestral Activities and Opera at Concordia College and co-directs Sinfonietta Memphis, where friendship through music is more than a motto—it’s a mission. A champion of living and underrepresented composers, Sütterlin commissions multiple new works each year, passionately expanding the orchestral repertoire. He brings that same innovation and inclusion to the FVSO stage, ensuring every concert is as fresh and forward-looking as it is rooted in excellence. Sütterlin is one of the country’s leading conducting pedagogues, being praised for his keen analytical eye and deep understanding of conducting technique and physique, paired with a kind and caring approach that has empowered conductors and conducting students across the globe. He leads one of the country’s only undergraduate programs in orchestral conducting that attracts highly talented students from across the world.

About the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra:

The Symphony's mission is to build bridges of accessibility to orchestra music and to make a positive impact on the lives of everyone in our community. Founded in 1966, the non-profit provides the community with concerts, community outreach programming, and three Youth Orchestra programs. Music Director Dr. Kevin Sütterlin leads the FVS orchestra, with Dr. Luis Fernandez conducting Youth Orchestra, which just had its 50^th Anniversary in the 24-25 season. Greg Austin conducts Concert Orchestra, and Adam Brown conducts Philharmonia. The Youth Orchestras serve students from middle school through high school and there are full scholarships available for all three youth groups.

 

Meet our soloist: Eduard Teregulov

We are delighted to have Eduard Teregulov join us on stage this weekend! Let's find out a little more about the Feb. 8 performance:

Why did you pick this piece to perform? Is there specific significance or do you love the piece? Why?

I am always on the lookout for lesser-known works. How many times have the audience heard cello concertos by Dvořák, Elgar, or Schumann? Those are incredible works, but there is so much more amazing music written out there. Music that deserves to be performed and brought to the audience. I am a strong believer in diversity in classical music, and I am doing my best to contribute to it with my performances. In my opinion, both works by Sam Wu and Matilde Capuis are going to make a great contrasting program that will be engaging to the audience. They pair wonderfully with Debussy’s La Mer and Oceana by Stella Sung.

Have you played this piece before?

No, I haven’t. This will be my first public performance. When FVSO reached out to me about this concert, I was thrilled that maestro Sütterlin agreed to program these works.

Tell us about some of your other favorites.

I am a huge enthusiast for contemporary music and music of the 20th century. Some of my favorite composers are Sofia Gubaidulina, Alfred Schnittke, and Witold Lutosławski. I also love working with living composers. In the past few years, I have commissioned and premiered over 20 works for cello, including compositions for cello and electronics, cello and piano, and solo cello. Some of my late favorites are ROAR by Hannah Rice, Swansongs by Mara Gibson, Tesla Fantasy by Alina Akhmetova, and if/then Kari Watson.

What are you looking forward to about the performance?

I’m very excited to create some amazing music with FVSO and maestro Kevin Sütterlin, and I can’t wait to share it with you all on Saturday, February 8th at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. It’s going to be a blast!

Join Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra with Eduard Teregulov on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. Pre-concert talk begins at 6:40pm. Concert starts at 7:30pm.

Purchase tickets here!

More about Eduard Teregulov:

Eduard Teregulov is a winner of international competitions in both Europe and the United States. He started his musical journey at the age of five and now maintains an active career around the country. His recent performances include playing in Carnegie Hall and DiMenna Center in New York City.

Eduard Teregulov is an avid advocate of the music of living and underrepresented composers. Amplifying and creating platforms for artists of today and underrepresented composers is central to his music career. Within the framework of his project on expanding the cello repertoire of the 21st century, Teregulov commissioned and premiered over twenty works for cello, including a cello concerto, works for solo cello, various chamber ensembles, and electro-acoustic compositions. He was invited to perform at festivals, conferences, and concert series including SEAMUS, ChimeFEST at UChicago, Electric LaTex at Rice University, New Music on the Bayou, Music by Women, Branceleoni International Festival, and many others.

Dr. Teregulov holds the position of Assistant Professor of Cello and Double Bass at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. He is also a founding member of Homegrown New Music Ensemble and the Music Director of the concert series in Fargo, ND - Fugitive Sound Experience.

Meet our Composer: Sam Wu

One of the pieces FVSO will perform at the February 8 Oceana concert is cetacean songs by Sam Wu. This fascinating piece is designed to inspire and inform and we can't wait to share this with you. We had a chance to talk with composer Sam Wu, who will also join us at the concert, and asked a few questions about the piece. 

What was your inspiration for the piece? What brought you to this idea?

"cetacean songs is inspired by the complexity of whalesong. While we don't understand what whales are singing and saying, we know that they communicate with specific syntax, repetition, and even regional dialects. To me, the sound of the cello shares a kindred spirit with whalesong; before I wrote the work, I also read a wonderful book by Tom Mustill, How to Speak Whale, which greatly inspired (and informed) me."

What do you want people to take away from the performance?

"I hope people walk away from the performance with an awareness of how little we know about the ocean and its inhabitants, as well as how fragile aquatic ecosystems are. Musically, I also hope people enjoy the vast colors and effects the solo cello explores throughout the concerto––I am so thrilled and grateful to work with the incredible Eduard Teregulov for this performance!"

Tell us a little about your other works.

Much of my music is programmatic––I enjoy creating musical metaphors with extra-musical concepts. Besides whalesong, I have also written music inspired by weather data visualization (Wind Map), the elaborate Shanghai metro system (Mass Transit), and moons in our Solar System that plausibly host liquid oceans (Ocean Moons). I grew up playing the violin, and first fell in love with music playing in youth orchestras; as a composer, I feel most at home writing for the orchestra, and am excited to work with Maestro Sütterlin and the FVSO for the first time!

Sam will join Dr. Sütterlin at the pre-concert talk at 6:40pm on February 8 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. Get your tickets online now!

More about Sam Wu:

Sam Wu's music "abounds in delicate colours, wisps of sound and sylvan textures" (Gramophone). Many of his works center around extra-musical themes: architecture and urban planning, climate science, and the search for exoplanets that harbor life.

Selected for the American Composers Orchestra's EarShot readings and the Tasmanian Symphony’s Australian Composers’ School, winner of an ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award and First Prize at the Washington International Competition, Sam Wu also received Harvard's Robert Levin Prize and Juilliard's Palmer Dixon Prize.

Sam’s collaborations span five continents, notably with the orchestras of Philadelphia, New Jersey, Minnesota, Sarasota, Melbourne, Tasmania, Macao, and Shanghai, the New York City Ballet, National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Sydney International Piano Competition, the Lontano, Parker, Argus, ETHEL, and icarus Quartets, conductors Osmo Vänskä, Marin Alsop, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Dina Gilbert, and Benjamin Northey, violinist Johan Dalene, and sheng virtuoso Wu Wei.

From Melbourne, Australia, Sam holds degrees from Harvard, Juilliard, and Rice. He is currently on faculty at Whitman College, as their Visiting Assistant Professor of Music in Theory and Composition.

World Premiere in November from Lawren Brianna Ware

 

The only thing we love more than our local soloists is working with composers on new works to premiere on our stage. We are once again blessed to do so in November! 

Lawren Brianna Ware will be in Appleton for the performance of "The Moirai," a commission from April Ann and Kevin Sütterlin as a gift to the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, in honor of their dear friend and mother figure Danna Sue Browder Brown, who passed away on August 3, 2024.

She will join us for the concert as well as the pre-concert talk, but let's learn a bit more about the piece so you can come to the talk ready with questions!

Purchase your tickets now for our November 16, 2024 concert!

What was your inspiration for the piece? What brought you to this idea?

The piece was inspired by the concert's overall theme of fate. After speaking with Kevin and learning that the closing piece would be Beethoven's 5th Symphony, I had the idea to tie in the idea of "fate knocking" into my piece. Since my composition would open the concert and Beethoven's 5th would close the. concert, I felt that it would be really cool to create a piece that helped to "bookend" the program with the theme of "fate." I chose a more literal route and composed the piece based on the Fates or "Moirai" from Greek Mythology.

What do you want people to take away from the performance?

My goal in writing is to "create music that makes one feel." Regardless of the feeling (although of course I hope that it is a GOOD feeling), I want the listener/audience to be intellectually stimulated while also experiencing a visceral reaction. Also, I just want the audience to have fun and enjoy the piece. I want them to be transported musically so that they can see the story that I am attempting to tell unfold. 

We are delighted you will be joining us for the concert. Is this the first time you will be joining an orchestra for a world premiere? 

I am SO excited and honored to be joining you! Thank you for the opportunity! And yes, this is my first time joining an orchestra for a world premiere and I am SO PUMPED!!! I have had the opportunity to have pieces read by my school's orchestra, but this is the first time I've had a premiere by a professional orchestra. It's really a dream come true!

Tell us a little about your other works.

I have a wide range of other works with some being very traditional acoustic "contemporary classical" to electronic works. I've had the opportunity to write for many different ensemble types and instrument combinations from orchestra, to wind ensemble, chamber works to electronic music for a comic book. The vast majority of my compositions are programmatic in nature. I focus on telling the stories that I feel need to be told. Those stories, for me, are based on experiences ranging from simply seeing beautiful art or travelling all the way to focusing on topics of mental health, African-American and World history, mythology, literature, and deep emotions. 

More about Lawren Brianna Ware:

Dr. Lawren Brianna Ware, a Gadsden, Alabama native, is a graduate of The University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned her DMA in Music Composition with a minor in musicology. Compositionally, Dr. Ware’s goal is to “write music that makes one feel.” Although she is an “up and coming” composer, she has begun to secure her place in the world of contemporary classical composition. Dr. Ware’s compositions have  been featured on several professionally recorded albums including Marcus Eley’s Grammy nominee contender (2023) “Perseverance,” Jessica Johnson’s “Sojourn”(2023), the Amernet Quartet’s “Alabama String Quartets (Birmingham Arts Music Alliance)”(2020) and Dr. Cole Bartels’ “On the Brink”(2022). She will be included on upcoming albums by Cobus du Toit (flute) and Lara Downes (piano). Her most recent projects include working as a Lullaby Teaching Artist for the Overture Center’s Lullaby Project, being the inaugural composer and co-founder of the Black Composer Revival Consortium, composing for the Minnesota Consortium for Black American Composers (2020), and composing and releasing an electronic music album in conjunction with comic book writer Jaromir François on the comic My Brother Teddy (2021). 

FVSO Principal Susan Sullivan Takes to the Stage as Soloist

We're looking forward to our upcoming fall concert, Fateful Fifth, on Saturday, November 16 at 7:30pm at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. What makes this concert even more special is the soloist is our own Pricipal Bass Susan Sullivan. 

She took time out of practice and teaching to answer a few questions for us about her upcoming performance. 

Why did you pick this piece to perform? 

Solos for bassist are not as plentiful as for violinists or pianists, so there are only a couple of concertos in the repertoire that come to mind when playing with an orchestra. One is the Bottesini, and the other is the Koussevitsky. I am more familiar with the Koussevitsky so I chose it for this concert. And it is so much fun to play the double stops in the first movement!

Have you played this piece before?

I have worked on the first movement as the solo piece required for orchestral auditions but have never performed the concerto for an audience. I am looking forward to playing the entire piece and not just the first movement.

Tell us about some of your other favorites.

I’ll tell you a little secret: at heart, I am an orchestral bass player so most of my musical favorites are in the orchestral realm. I really, really enjoy the sound and texture of an orchestra. The melodies, harmonies, and endless combinations of the instruments melding together is music for my soul. However, playing the Bach Cello Suites is another kind of music for my soul. They are so simple yet complicated. The playing has to be so clean and precise, yet musical. I do prefer the suites played on the bass (but don’t tell the cellists that or I will be ostracized by them!).

What are you looking forward to about the performance?

It is relatively rare for a bassist to be a soloist so I am honored to be playing a concerto with the Fox Valley Symphony. This will be a new experience for me. And it is a new experience for our audience, who, I hope, will enjoy the sound of the solo bass. 

The conert is on November 16, so order your tickets online now!

More about Susan Sullivan:

Susan grew up in Stevens Point, WI and has played the bass since 9^th grade.  She attended Northwestern University to study with Warren Benfield and Joe Guastafeste, both of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra bass section.  After obtaining a Bachelor of Music degree, she free-lanced in the Chicago area for many years before moving back to Wisconsin.  She is the Principal Bass of the Fox Valley Symphony, and also plays in the Weidner Philharmonic and the Elgin (IL) Symphony Orchestras.  She has been a substitute player in many orchestras in the area, including Madison, Sheboygan, and Manitowoc.

Susan is currently in her 19^th year of teaching private bass lessons at the Lawrence Community Music School where she enjoys the chance to work with both children and adults on a one-to-one basis.  For many years, Susan has been leading Fox Valley Youth Orchestra bass sectionals and appreciates the opportunity to pass on her orchestral skills to the next generation of musicians.

Helping the FVSO raise funds for the Youth Orchestras, Susan has been the long-time  bass coach for the Sinfoniac participants.  Once they’ve gotten over the shock of the size of the instrument and have figured out how to get the bass in the car, her section players perform like they were meant to be musicians!

When not playing the bass, Susan enjoys reading, gardening, and testing out new recipes on her FVSO colleagues.