Flint Symphony Orchestra

Enrique Diemecke, music director & conductor
Kristhyan Benitez, piano

George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 5

Pianist Kristhyan Benitez will bring his unique brand of virtuosity, charisma and poetry to this 100th-anniversary celebration of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. From the unmistakable opening clarinet wail to the final dramatic crescendo, “Rhapsody” captures a distinct moment in our history—the Jazz Age of the 1920s—that made it controversial at its conception and now quintessential to the American canon. In striking similarity, Mahler’s 5th Symphony was not met with great acclaim when it premiered at the turn of the 20th century but has now reemerged in a pop-culture moment that celebrates it as a haunting and triumphant masterpiece.

Where have I heard this before?  
Gershwin’s jazz-age classic was apropos in the 2013 film The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, who raises a glass while the piece blares over the boom of fireworks.

Mahler’s 5th Symphony was the enigmatic soundtrack to the recent film, Tár (2022), starring Cate Blanchett and focusing on the complex relationship between power, fame and corruption.

Inside the Music • 6:30pm
Title: The Magnificence of Mahler
Guest Speaker: Gregg Powell, principal bassist (Flint Symphony Orchestra and Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra), Flint Symphony Orchestra Personnel Administrator

Kristhyan Benitez, Piano

Grammy®-award winning pianist Kristhyan Benitez is exciting audiences worldwide with his vivid and passionate concerts, presenting both classical and Latin American repertoire with depth, passion and charisma. He is part of the new generation of Venezuelan musicians, earning international attention for their colorful, high-energy, rhythmically charged performances. Jose Antonio Abreu, founder and director of “El Sistema,” described Kristhyan as “one of the most important and brilliant leaders of the musical movement in Venezuela and the whole continent.”

Benitez is the recipient of the respected “International Master for Piano Artist” at the École Normale de Musique “Alfred Cortot” (Paris, France) and the prestigious Artist Diploma from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. He received the highest civilian honor given by the President of Venezuela, the “Jose Felix Ribas Award,” given for his cultural contributions and the enhancement of his country abroad.

Kristhyan Benitez is a Steinway Artist. For more information about him, visit kbenitez.com.

Title Sponsors
Dr. Cathy Blight & Edward Davison

Principal Sponsors
Jay & Marilyn Nelson

Preferred Steinway Performance Sponsors
Dr. Brenda Fortunate in Memory of C. Edward White

ASL Sponsor  

Age recommendation: No one under 5 admitted (including babies in arms)

Runtime: Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes
Including intermission

Sensory warning: Full band and loud volume.

Genesee County residents receive 30% off – discount applied at checkout. 

Tickets start at $18 (plus fees)