Carmina Burana: Symphony Orchestra and Choirs

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana brings massed voices, orchestra and soloists together for one of the 20th century’s most recognizable large-scale choral works. The FIU Symphony Orchestra and FIU Choirs perform the work Saturday, April 17 at the Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center as part of the FIU Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts 2026-2027 season. The program moves from the thunderous opening of “O Fortuna” to contrasting passages of lyricism, humor and dramatic intensity. Composed in the 1930s from medieval poems and songs, Carmina Burana explores themes including fortune, love, nature and earthly pleasure. Its driving rhythms, vivid orchestration and expansive choral writing give FIU’s orchestral and vocal ensembles a shared showcase on the Wertheim stage.