Ryan Tani, who took the post of assistant conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) in the fall of 2023, will be leading four weekends of concerts before the end of the year. He will be on the podium for movie soundtrack performances of the Disney/Pixar film Coco Nov. 2-3 and The Muppet Christmas Carol Nov. 29- Dec. 1, as well as conducting the symphony’s popular Hometown Holiday Pops concerts Dec. 14-15 and 20-22.
“Last year was a chance to do everything. It challenged me in every way,” Tani said. “Family concerts, Pops concerts, speaking to the audience — all of those were things I’d never done before, and nothing prepares you for any of them.”
Looking ahead, Tani said that his next two assignments present different challenges. The orchestra for Coco will contain two guitarists and a lot of Latin percussion, to reflect its Mexican setting. And in the film’s themes of ancestry and family, Tani may be thinking of the fond memories he has of his own Spanish- speaking grandmother.
The 30-year-old The Muppet Christmas Carol, however, is a holiday tradition for many families, and they will enter the Bradley Symphony Center with “high expectations for what it sounds like,” Tani said. “People love it because of the music, and the score gets put in the forefront.”
The Hometown Holiday Pops concert, expanded to two full weekends this year, is “a great way to bring people into our hall,” Tani said. “Music is such a part of the holiday, and people find reasons to connect through music. As a singer, I love that.”
To learn more about Ryan Tani and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s full season visit mso.org.
