Contemporary Music and the HSO
The HSO has a long history of working with living composers, performing their works, and inviting them to conduct or otherwise be present for the performance. A good number of these have been commissions by the orchestra, and many of the rest have represented American or regional premieres. A list of contemporary works recently performed by the HSO is given below.
| Composer | Works performed | Performance dates | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Adler (b. 1928) | The Fixed Desire of the Human Heart | October 21, 1995 | |
| Stars in the Dust | October 21, 1995 | ||
| Art Creates Artists | October 24, 1998 | ||
| Eliot Bailen | Double Concerto for Flute and Cello | October 12, 2012 | World premiere |
| Larry Bell (b. 1952) | Symphony No. 2 ("Idumea") | March 2, 1997 | World premiere |
| Thomas Benjamin (b. 1940) | Two Latino Sketches | March 7, 2004 | World premiere |
| Andrew Cole (b. 1980) | Maya Beckons; I Shall Embrace Her | March 4, 2007 | World premiere |
| David Froom (b. 1951) | Festive Sounds | May 2, 1993 | World premiere |
| Jim Grant (b. 1954) | Concerto for Viola and String Orchestra | December 6, 1997 | World premiere |
| Symphonic Poem No. 1: Release | March 3, 2001 | World premiere | |
| Waltz for Saxophone and Strings | March 3, 2001 | ||
| Lee Pui Ming (b. 1956) | she comes to shore: a journey for piano and orchestra |
February 28, 2010 | World premiere |
| Albert Leman (b. ca. 1920) | Fortuna Desperata | March 10, 1996 | American premiere |
| Nkeiru Okoye | Songs from Harriet Tubman | March 1, 2009 | |
| Gaetano Panariello (b. 1961) | Triple Concerto for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano: |
April 27, 2008 | World premiere |
Paul Phillips (b. 1956) |
Brownian Motion |
December 3, 2005 |
|
| Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez (b. 1964) | Girándula | March 5, 1994 | World premiere |
| Five Pieces for Orchestra | March 6, 2005 | World premiere | |
| Ex Machina for Piano, Marimba, and Symphony Orchestra | April 26, 2009 | ||
| Robert Sirota (b. 1949) | City of God: Prelude | March 9, 2003 | World premiere |
| Steven C. Smith | Quattro Contro | December 9, 1989 | |
| Russell Steinberg | Symphony No. 1 ("City Strains") | May 1, 1999 | |
| Matthew Stofferahn (b. 1982) | Synkinetic | December 1, 2007 | World premiere |
| Roderick Watkins (b. 1964) | Light's Horizon | May 4, 1996 | World premiere |
| Mark Lanz Weiser (b. 1968) | Into the Dark and Darker Cold | December 4, 1999 | World premiere |