Francesca Dego Steps In for Johannes Moser for Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Performances Feb. 20–21

MILWAUKEE, WI (2/18/2026) — The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) announced today that cellist Johannes Moser has withdrawn from this weekend’s Feb. 20–21 performances due to illness.

Italian American violinist Francesca Dego will step in to perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63. The program will continue to include selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty.

British conductor Alpesh Chauhan will lead the performances. He is principal guest conductor of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and music director of the Birmingham Opera Company.

Program

Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Selections from The Sleeping Beauty

Dates: Feb. 20–21, 2026
Venue: Bradley Symphony Center
Tickets: Available at mso.org or by calling the MSO Box Office at 414-291-7605.

Francesca Dego, violin

Francesca Dego is an Italian American violinist recognized for her compelling interpretations and flawless technique. She performs with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Houston Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne.

Highlights of the 2025-26 season include debuts with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and Phoenix Symphony, as well as return engagements in Tokyo and Genoa. She will serve as resident artist at Wigmore Hall in the 2026-27 season.

An exclusive Chandos recording artist, Dego’s discography includes the Busoni and Brahms violin concertos with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, recognized with Italy’s Franco Abbiati Prize, and a widely praised Mozart concerto cycle with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

A dedicated advocate for contemporary music, she has commissioned and premiered numerous works, including her project Feathers in Time. Dego performs on an Antonio Stradivari violin on loan from J & A Beare.

Alpesh Chauhan, conductor

Alpesh Chauhan is internationally recognized for his expressive conducting and imaginative programming. He serves as principal guest conductor of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, music director of the Birmingham Opera Company, and principal conductor and musical adviser of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

He appears regularly with major orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His collaboration with the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker has been praised for its creativity and strong audience connection.

Committed to opera and community engagement, Chauhan continues the legacy of Birmingham Opera Company founder Sir Graham Vick by bringing ambitious productions to broad audiences. He is also a champion of contemporary music, conducting works by composers such as Thomas Adès, Anna Clyne, Sofia Gubaidulina, Jessie Montgomery, and Steve Reich.

In 2022, Chauhan was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to the arts and later named an honorary fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music.

About the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

Led by Music Director Ken-David Masur, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is Wisconsin’s largest cultural institution and one of the nation’s leading orchestras. Since its founding in 1959, the MSO has performed more than 130 concerts annually, including classics, pops, family, education, and community programs throughout the state. The orchestra has premiered works by composers such as John Adams, Philip Glass, J.E. Hernández, Roberto Sierra, Marc Neikrug, Matthias Pintscher, and Dobrinka Tabakova, earning national recognition for artistic innovation. The MSO was also the first American orchestra to offer live recordings on iTunes.

In 2021, the MSO completed the restoration of a historic downtown movie palace, opening the Bradley Symphony Center. The venue has become a vibrant hub for music and community engagement, sparking renewal along West Wisconsin Avenue and serving as a catalyst for cultural activity in Milwaukee.

The MSO’s commitment to education and outreach reaches tens of thousands of students annually. Its nationally recognized Arts in Community Education (ACE) program, now in its 36th year, integrates music across subjects and provides vital opportunities in schools where arts programming may be limited. ACE offers lesson plans, classroom visits by MSO ensembles, and concerts tailored to each grade level. Along with Youth and Teen concerts, Family Series, and Meet the Music pre-concert talks, these programs provide students and families with meaningful, transformative experiences in music.

Through its artistic excellence, innovative programming, and community engagement, the MSO continues to inspire new audiences, nurture the next generation of musicians, and strengthen Milwaukee’s reputation as a vibrant center for music and the arts.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.