Bogotá Philharmonic Plays Two Free Concerts This Weekend — From a Suba Church to León de Greiff
Classical Music & Culture
Key Facts
- Friday. August 28, 6:00 p.m., Parroquia San Ambrosio in the Suba district — free entry until capacity.
- Saturday. August 29, 4:00 p.m., Teatro León de Greiff, Universidad Nacional (Carrera 30 #45-03) — free until capacity.
- Program. Mendelssohn’s ‘Hebrides’ overture, Glazunov’s Violin Concerto and Brahms’ Symphony No. 4.
- Conductor. Swede Ola Rudner, former assistant to Sandor Végh and ex-concertmaster of the Vienna Symphony.
- Soloist. Russian violinist Sasha Rozhdestvensky, praised by Yehudi Menuhin as one of the most refined of his generation.
The Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá closes August with two free concerts under Swedish conductor Ola Rudner: Friday evening at a parish church in Suba and Saturday afternoon at the Universidad Nacional’s Teatro León de Greiff, with Russian violinist Sasha Rozhdestvensky as soloist.
Bogotá’s city Philharmonic ends the month the way the city’s ‘Bogotá, mi Ciudad, mi Casa’ program intends culture to work: no ticket, no barrier, two very different rooms. On Friday the orchestra moves into a neighborhood church in Suba; on Saturday it returns to its home ground at the Universidad Nacional.
Two Concerts, Two Bogotás
The first concert lands in Suba, Bogotá’s sprawling northwestern locality, at the San Ambrosio parish church on Friday at 6:00 p.m. The second, on Saturday at 4:00 p.m., returns to the Teatro León de Greiff, the modernist auditorium on the Universidad Nacional campus that has anchored the city’s symphonic life for decades.
Both performances are free until the venue fills, the model the mayor’s office and the orchestra have pushed all year to take classical programming beyond the city center.
What the Orchestra Will Play
The program opens with Felix Mendelssohn’s ‘Hebrides’ overture, moves to Aleksandr Glazunov’s Violin Concerto — one of the most demanding scores written for the instrument — and closes with Johannes Brahms’ Fourth Symphony.
The Glazunov solo part falls to Sasha Rozhdestvensky, a Moscow- and Paris-trained violinist who has built an international career and now teaches at European music institutions.
Who Is Conducting
Ola Rudner began as a violinist, served as assistant to the legendary Sandor Végh, and was concertmaster of the Camerata Salzburg and the Vienna Symphony before moving to the podium.
He has led the Tasmanian Symphony and the Württemberg Philharmonic of Reutlingen as chief conductor, and appears regularly with Australian and Scandinavian orchestras and European opera houses.
Why It Matters for Newcomers
For expats still mapping Bogotá’s cultural geography, the Philharmonic’s free-concert circuit is the lowest-friction entry point into the city’s classical scene — the same program that a subscription audience pays for downtown reaches the neighborhoods at zero cost.
The León de Greiff hall sits inside the Universidad Nacional’s leafy campus, itself worth the trip: arrive early, since free-entry concerts fill on a first-come basis.
Practical Notes
No tickets are issued for either concert; entry is until capacity is reached, so arriving 45 to 60 minutes early is advisable, especially for the smaller church venue in Suba.
The Teatro León de Greiff is at Carrera 30 #45-03, inside the National University campus; the San Ambrosio parish is in Suba’s center, reachable via the TransMilenio Suba corridor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Bogotá Philharmonic concerts this weekend really free?
Yes. Both the Friday concert at Parroquia San Ambrosio in Suba (6 p.m.) and the Saturday concert at Teatro León de Greiff (4 p.m.) are free, with entry until each venue reaches capacity.
What is the Bogotá Philharmonic playing?
Mendelssohn’s ‘Hebrides’ overture, Glazunov’s Violin Concerto with soloist Sasha Rozhdestvensky, and Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, conducted by Sweden’s Ola Rudner.
Do I need to reserve a seat?
No reservations are made; admission is first-come until full. Arriving early is recommended, particularly for the Suba church performance.
Connected Coverage
Bogotá’s free-culture circuit keeps growing — we track the concerts, festivals and museum days worth your weekend.
Sources: Alcaldía de Bogotá; Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá; Pulzo.
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