VS transforms the Royal Theatre into a gallery of musical paintings under guest conductor Maurice Cohn. Jocelyn Morlock’s Oiseaux bleus et sauvages captures the exuberance of wild birds in flight; pianist Élisabeth Pion, Radio- Canada’s 2024–25 Classical Revelation, brings vivid colour to Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain. Finally, Rimsky- Korsakov’s Scheherazade unfolds its timeless tales of adventure and imagination—a symphonic storytelling masterpiece.
Maurice Cohn, conductor
Acclaimed for his “depth, musicality, and expressive power” and for leading “sensational” performances with “exceptional colors,” Maurice Cohn is recognized as a leading voice among the new generation of American conductors. A two-time Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award recipient, he serves as Music Director of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Partner and Conductor of New York City’s Camerata Notturna.
In the 2025/26 season, Cohn made debuts with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra with TwoSet Violin, Würth Philharmonic with Hélène Grimaud, and Brussels Philharmonic with Alexandra Conunova, and lead the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in a week featuring Jan Vogler and Chad Hoopes. Recent seasons have included engagements with the Filharmonie Bohuslava Martinů, Omaha Symphony, Utah Symphony, and The Syracuse Orchestra, as well as collaborations with contemporary ensembles ensembleNEWSRQ and Aspen Contemporary Ensemble.
Previously Assistant Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi, Cohn led performances including the world premiere of Mason Bates’s Philharmonia Fantastique and Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones. Since his 2023 appointment in West Virginia, he has introduced works by Duke Ellington, Louise Farrenc, and Kurt Weill, returned the orchestra to opera with Carmen, and presented genre-crossing concerts with NPR’s Mountain Stage. This season features soloists including Stephen Waarts, Hayoung Choi, and Barbara Nissman, plus the premiere of Gabriel Kahane’s If love will not swing wide the gates with Anthony McGill.
Cohn holds a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance and a BA from Oberlin, and a Master of Music in Conducting from Eastman.
Élisabeth Pion, piano
A curious explorer of piano repertoire with a rare combination of sensitivity and strength, 29-year-old French-Canadian pianist Élisabeth Pion is the Gold Laureate and Audience Choice Award winner of the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition. She appears on international stages as a recitalist, chamber musician, and guest artist, earning acclaim for her technical precision, expressive range, and deep engagement with her repertoire.
Pion has performed at prestigious venues such Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Maison Symphonique, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, and Sala Cecília Meireles. She is a regular guest artist with distinguished ensembles including the Orchestre Métropolitain, Edmonton Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Brazilian Symphony, and Les Violons du Roy, and has collaborated with conductors such as Gerard Schwarz, Elias Grandy, Nathalie Marin, Kensho Watanabe, and Nicolas Ellis, to name a few. She was a Radio-Canada 2024-25 Breakthrough Artist.
Joceleyn Morlock (1969—2023)
Oiseaux bleus et sauvages
Manuel de Falla (1876—1946)
Noches en los jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain)
I. En el Generalife (In the Gardens of the Generalife)
II. Danza lejana (A Dance Is Heard in the Distance)
III. En los jardines de la Sierra de Córdoba (In the Gardens of the Sierra de Córdoba)
INTERMISSION
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844—1908)
Scheherazade, Op. 35
I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship
II. The Tale of Prince Kalendar
III. The Young Prince and the Princess
IV. The Festival at Bagdad; The Sea; The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock