all events
Concert

Fate’s Power — Carmina Burana

featuring
Katie Van Kooten, soprano
Martin Bakari, counter tenor
José Rubio, baritone
BSO Chorus
May 23, 2027
3:00 pm
Mount Baker Theatre

Program*

Austin Wintory | Journey “Nascence” (2’)
Nobuo Uematsu | Final Fantasy VII “One-Winged Angel” (5’)
Carl Orff | Carmina Burana (55’)

Running time with intermission is 62 minutes

Journey through the twistful, hopeful, and mysterious atmospheres of Final Fantasy and BAFTA-winning Austin Wintory’s “Nascence.” These video game genre behemoths are paired with the heavy ambience of Carmina Burana featuring the might of the BSO Chorus and three very special guest singers: soprano Katie Van Kooten, tenor Martin Bakari, and baritone José Rubio.

Threaded together with ritualistic themes of romance, destiny, and power—be swept away by Fate’s Power.

Tickets start at just $15. Check out our ticket discounts page for information on FREE Orchestra for All tickets.

Of Note

Austin Wintory is a Grammy-nominated, BAFTA-winning composer best known for revolutionizing video game soundtracks. He was the first composer to earn a Grammy nomination for a video game score (Journey) and is acclaimed for blending intimate, unconventional instrumentation with major orchestral works across games, film, and concert halls.

“Nascence” is the opener to the first-ever video game soundtrack to be nominated for a Grammy award.

“One-Winged Angel” composer Uematsu was inspired by Carmina Burana when creating the game music. The lyrics and music for the piece are very similar to Orff’s work.

Carmina Burana, composed by Carl Orff in 1936, is a dramatic, rhythmic cantata based on 13th-century medieval poems discovered in a Bavarian monastery. Its famous opening movement, “O Fortuna,” has become a pop-culture staple for dramatic tension, despite the original lyrics celebrating lust, drinking, gambling, and satire, rather than just cosmic doom.

“O Fortuna” has become the go-to music for “epicness” in Hollywood and advertising. It was famously used in the 1981 film Excalibur during King Arthur's ride into battle. It has been used to sell everything from Old Spice deodorant to Carlton Draught beer.

Director Stanley Kubrick reportedly asked Orff to score 2001: A Space Odyssey, but the composer, then 71, turned him down.

Discover More

WATCH Austin Wintory's Themes are Simple, but Sophisticated

WATCH André Rieu performing 'O Fortuna' live in Maastricht 2012

ART HISTORY Medieval Manuscripts: Discover the art of Illumination
Carmina Burana + Fragmenta Burana, Walther von der Vogelweide (1170–1230), Otto von Botenlauben or Botenlouben (1177–1245), Manuscript on parchment

The manuscript of the Carmina Burana is a unique testimonial to the literature and music of the Middle Ages. The manuscript was begun around 1230, but was continuously appended through the second half of the 14th century. Aside from the literary-musical text, the illustrations accompanying the text are also unique.

LISTEN To Yaniv's Fate's Power YouTube Playlist

READ The BSO Book Club (more information coming soon)

MEET US AT THE MOVIES Join us at the Pickford Film Center (more information coming soon)

Experience Music LIVE - there's nothing like it!

Join us for an engaging and informative Pre-Concert Talk with Dr. McKenna Milici. Now taking place in the Main Theatre, Pre-Concert Talks will take place at 2:00PM from the Main Stage. Doors open at 1:45PM. These talks are free for ticket-holders

Have a little one in your life that loves music? Join us for Classical Kids at our dress rehearsals. Learn more and sign up here.

First time at the Symphony? Check out our Concert FAQs to find out more about how we share the joy of LIVE music.

*All programs subject to change