Symphony opens season at Hawaii Theatre

The Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra returns to indoor, live performances this weekend with two concerts at the ­Hawaii Theatre Center.

Ballet music will be a theme for the concerts, with the program featuring Milhaud’s “The Creation of the World” and Stravinsky’s “The Firebird.” Both early 20th-century works, which were considered somewhat audacious for their time, have connections to popular music styles — Milhaud incorporated jazz idioms into his work, while “The Firebird” has been excerpted by rock and jazz musicians Frank Zappa, John McLaughlin and others.

Scott Yoo, conductor and artistic director of the Mexico City Philharmonic, returns to lead the orchestra. Yoo led the symphony in Shostakovich’s moody Symphony No. 10 in E Minor in 2016 and is also known for hosting “Now Hear This,” a PBS docuseries that blends performance, analysis and travel while exploring classical compositions and composers.

The program also features flutist Demarre McGill soloing in Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 1 in G. McGill is one of the most accomplished Black musicians in classical music today, having served as principal flutist for many orchestras, including the Seattle Symphony, his current role. Noted for his warm tone quality, he will be the first flutist to perform here as a guest artist since Sir James Galway in 2013.

The concerts are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $18-$99 and can be purchased at hawaiitheatre.com. Proof of vaccination and masks are required.