Digital concert program

Tchaikovsky and Borodin

Two symphonies, two composers: Tchaikovsky’s folk-song-filled Second and Borodin’s heroic Second.

Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
Concert: 7:30 PM
Pre-concert talk: 6:30 PM
Venue: Innovation Academy Auditorium

Program order

What you’ll hear

About 1 hr of music, in the order listed by the Symphony (subject to change). Larger works are split into movements, separate sections with short pauses between them. Audiences usually hold applause until the whole piece ends.

Alexander Borodin
1869–76 · Duration: about 27 min
Symphony No. 2 in B minor
Borodin’s best-known symphony is often nicknamed “Heroic.” Its bold, rugged themes conjure the warriors of old Russian legend.
Movements
1. Allegro
2. Scherzo: Prestissimo
3. Andante
4. Finale: Allegro
Listen for
The stern, hammering theme in the strings that opens the symphony, and the solo horn that begins the slow third movement like a bard starting a story.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
1872, revised 1879–80 · Duration: about 32 min
Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17
Tchaikovsky drew on Ukrainian folk songs for this sunny, energetic symphony, written long before his darker late works.
Movements
1. Andante sostenuto – Allegro vivo
2. Andantino marziale, quasi moderato
3. Scherzo: Allegro molto vivace
4. Finale: Moderato assai – Allegro vivo
Listen for
The lonely horn singing a Ukrainian folk song at the very start, and the finale, where a simple folk tune builds through variations to a dazzling close.

Open the Listening Guide

Featured performers

On stage

Conductor
Michael Giel
Music Director, Alpharetta Symphony
Michael Giel is currently in his third year as Music Director and Conductor of the Alpharetta Symphony. Since 2010, he has also served as Principal Conductor of Capitol City Opera Company in Atlanta and is the Associate Conductor of the Atlanta Pops Orchestra. Praised by ArtsATL for his “infectious onstage energy” and “vivacious demeanor,” he brings dynamic artistry to both classical and contemporary stages. Michael made his debut in the summer of 2025 conducting the Atlanta Symphony with Rumours ATL and Lindsey Stirling.
He spent seven seasons as Associate Conductor of the California Piano Concerto Festival in San Jose, CA, and has performed across Georgia and Florida with ensembles including the Savannah Philharmonic, Gwinnett Philharmonic, Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, Ocmulgee Symphony, Gainesville (GA) Symphony, Albany (GA) Symphony, Coastal Symphony of Georgia, Rome (GA) Symphony, Atlanta Pops Orchestra, Ludwig Symphony Orchestra, Da Salo Solisti Chamber Orchestra, LaGrange Symphony, and Central Florida Symphony.
Michael earned Bachelor’s degrees in Music Performance and Music Education from Valdosta State University and a Master of Music in Music Education from the University of Georgia. From 2008 to 2014, he served as Orchestra Director for the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program and has been a guest clinician for orchestra festivals in Atlanta Public Schools, Cherokee, DeKalb, Fulton, and Muscogee Counties.
In the modern music arena, Michael has performed with and for artists including CeeLo Green, Gucci Mane, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, Nas, Evanescence, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Josh Groban, Chloe Agnew (Celtic Woman), John Hopkins (Zac Brown Band), Debby Boone, Il Volo, Debbie Reynolds, Barry Manilow, Michael Bolton, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Sarah Brightman, Lindsey Stirling, Il Divo, and the rapper T.I. in a pair of concerts in which Rolling Out Magazine said his conducting provided the “sonic magic.”
A native of Atlanta, Michael lives in Brookhaven with his wife, concert pianist Catherine Giel. The two also perform together in the rock band Full Service, with Catherine on keyboards and Michael on electric bass. In his spare time, he is an avid tennis player and outdoor enthusiast.

Composer spotlight

Meet the composers

Choose a composer to learn more.

Alexander Borodin

1833–1887 · Russia

A respected research chemist by day, Borodin composed in his spare time and still wrote some of the most vivid music of 19th-century Russia.

Did you know?

He called himself a “Sunday composer” because his science career came first.
He belonged to “The Five,” a group of composers creating a distinctly Russian sound.
Symphony No. 2 took him about seven years, written alongside his opera Prince Igor.
His melodies later became songs in the Broadway musical Kismet.

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