Audience favorite Jon Nakamatsu returns to Reno to perform the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 – surging with youthful fire, tender passion, and thunderous power. Written when Brahms was only 25 years old, the piano concerto is one of music history’s most monumental and stunning creative achievements. The program opens with a composition from Nigerian composer Nkeiru Okoye, a response to the 9/11 tragedy. In her words, “It was a march to acknowledge those fighting on our behalf of our safety, and yet a sparkling celebration of life for those who continue living.” Sibelius No. 6 speaks to the soul while evoking the change in seasons due to its interplay with the listener’s senses.