The grand finale of the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra’s (ESO) 2026 Spring/Summer season in Taiwan is here! Following the overwhelming success of March’s 'Ode to Joy,' which captivated audiences across Northern and Central Taiwan, Conductor-in-Residence Jaap van Zweden will once again lead the ESO in collaboration with the Taipei Philharmonic Chorus.

Together, they will present Verdi’s monumental Requiem in a concert titled 'Jaap van Zweden & ESO' featuring four internationally acclaimed soloists.

'A requiem written by an atheist—not for salvation, but for memory.' In 1873, Verdi composed this world-shaking Messa da Requiem to honor his dear friend, the Italian humanist Alessandro Manzoni. Although categorized as a liturgical work, Verdi’s score is saturated with intense operatic drama and raw emotional power, famously described by critics as 'opera in ecclesiastical robes.' Under the baton of the ESO’s Artist-in-Residence, Jaap van Zweden, audiences will experience Verdi’s profound testament to friendship, allowing the living to feel the true weight of existence through music.

This large-scale production brings together over 200 musicians and chorus members, featuring a formidable quartet of vocal soloists: the acclaimed soprano Hrachuhi Bassenz, a frequent performer at the Royal Opera House; the distinguished mezzo-soprano Tanja Ariane Baumgartner, a star of the Salzburg Festival and Vienna State Opera; the brilliant tenor René Barbera, an Operalia competition winner; and the powerful bass Alexander Tsymbalyuk, the youngest-ever gold medalist in the history of the Tchaikovsky Competition’s male vocal category.

The Evergreen Symphony Orchestra will present 'Jaap van Zweden & ESO' on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 19:30 at the National Concert Hall (Taipei), and on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 19:30 at the Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Concert Hall). For ticket information, please contact the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra or visit the OPENTIX platform.