Frost School doctoral student Chi Ting takes the solo spotlight Saturday when the Frost Symphony Orchestra opens its season at Gusman Concert Hall in Coral Gables.

Ting, a native of Taipei studying at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, will perform Mozart's Flute Concerto in D major. The program also includes Mozart's "Haffner" Symphony and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, "Pathétique." Conductor Gerard Schwarz leads the Sept. 19 concert at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, $25 and $30.

Mozart pieces both came together under pressure

Each work on the program arrived under pressure. Mozart wrote the "Haffner" as festive music for a Salzburg family in 1782, shipping sections piecemeal while juggling a new marriage and opera commitments in Vienna, the Gables Gazette reported.

The flute concerto has its own origin story. Mozart adapted it from an earlier oboe concerto to fill a commission from Dutch physician and amateur flutist Ferdinand De Jean, who had offered 200 florins for multiple works. Mozart never finished the full order. De Jean paid him 96 florins instead.

Tchaikovsky died days after conducting the premiere

Tchaikovsky sketched his Sixth Symphony beginning in February 1893 and finished the score by the end of August. He conducted its premiere in St. Petersburg. Nine days later, he was dead at 53.

Ting trained at Colburn, Rice before UM

Ting earned a bachelor's degree at the Colburn Conservatory and a master's at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music before coming to UM, where she studies with flute instructor Jennifer Grim. She has performed as a substitute flutist with the Taiwan Philharmonic and as a concerto soloist with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra.

Schwarz brings Grammy-nominated résumé to podium

Schwarz has led the Frost Symphony Orchestra since 2019 and is also music director of the Palm Beach Symphony. His recording career spans more than 350 albums and 14 Grammy nominations.

Concert opens centennial season for Frost School

The concert is part of the Frost School's 2026-27 Frost Music Live season, which marks the school's 100th anniversary. The school opened in 1926 as the Conservatory of Music, one of the University of Miami's three original schools. Interim Vice Dean Serona Elton said in an Aug. 31 season announcement that the centennial program would "connect world-class artists with the South Florida community through accessible, elevated music experiences."

Venue details and season schedule

The concert takes place at Gusman Concert Hall, 1314 Miller Dr., Coral Gables. The six-concert Frost Symphony Orchestra series continues through April 2027.