It would be a tragedy to miss this concert

The Newport Symphony Orchestra is ending its current season on a high note with “Listening for Shakespeare,” at the Newport Performing Arts Center this Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22.

Led by music director Adam Flatt, the orchestra will be joined by performance poet Frank Oden, who will connect the evening’s music with spoken word and dramatic interpretation. Oden will portray characters and scenes drawn from Shakespeare’s plays while the orchestra performs music inspired by the Bard’s stories.

The program opens with Otto Nicolai’s “Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor,” accompanied by Oden’s portrayal of the comic schemes of Sir John Falstaff. It continues with Erich Korngold’s “Suite from Much Ado About Nothing,” reflecting the intrigue and romance surrounding the characters Claudio, Hero, Beatrice and Benedick.

The orchestra will also perform ballet music from Giuseppe Verdi’s “Macbeth,” capturing the darker dramatic elements of the Scottish tragedy.

The concert then turns to “Pyramus and Thisbe,” a work by contemporary composer Dan Kellogg with libretto by Mark O’Donnell, based on the ancient story retold by Shakespeare in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Oden will portray multiple characters in the tale of two lovers who communicate through a crack in a wall before their tragic fate unfolds.

The program concludes with Leonard Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story,” inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

Saturday’s performance begins at 7:30 pm, with a preconcert talk at 6:45 pm. Sunday’s matinée begins at 2 pm.

Both performances take place at the Newport Performing Arts Center, located at 777 W Olive Street in Newport. Tickets start at $45, or $10 for students. For more information, go to newportsymphony.org or call 541-265-2787.