The Poway Symphony Orchestra will be concluding its 2024-25 season with “Timeless Treasures,” which includes a featured performance by bassoonist David Savage.

The concert will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 25 in the Poway Center for the Performing Arts.

“A theme this season has been performing music new to the (orchestra),” said music director and conductor John LoPiccolo. “This concert continues that tradition with two works new to our repertoire — Mozart’s ‘Bassoon Concerto’ (in B-flat Major) and Schumann’s ‘First Symphony.’

“Mozart’s concerto is a rare gem in the concert hall, full of expressive range and technical brilliance,” LoPiccolo said. “It requires a true professional, and David Savage brings exactly the artistry and experience this piece demands. It’s going to be a real treat for our audience.”

Savage said he is looking forward to the performance because of its “beautiful themes” and “rewarding challenge.”

The La Mesa resident started playing the bassoon in the 1970s while working on a bachelor’s degree in music at San Diego State University.

“I played the flute, oboe, saxophone and a little clarinet,” Savage said. “I was in shows after high school and was asked if I could learn the bassoon in six weeks for ‘Oliver,’ the musical. I said yes because I was used to being a woodwind dabbler. Since then, the bassoon has been my primary instrument, which I started studying in earnest in 1980.”

Savage has been a professional bassoonist and contrabassonist for the past 45 years.

He said the bassoon is “a very fun instrument to play because it is the clown of the orchestra” due to its musical versatility. “I enjoy that and nothing beats its sound.”

As for the concerto composed by Mozart, Savage said it is the most famous written for the bassoon and the go-to one bassoonists use when auditioning for orchestras, especially parts of its first movement.

However, it is the concerto’s second movement that Savage said he enjoys most as thematically Mozart used it when writing his opera, “The Marriage of Figaro” for the countess’ aria “Porgi, amor.”

Despite its popularity, Savage said he has not performed the piece with an orchestra before. He has only played it in public once, accompanied by a pianist.

“This is a fun opportunity for me, because I usually do not play as a soloist since there are not a lot of unique opportunities for me,” he said. “I appreciate the opportunity to do it, as it is a step off the beaten path and I enjoy the challenge.”

Savage said he started playing occasionally with the Poway Symphony Orchestra a decade ago when LoPiccolo became its music director and conductor. Three years ago, Savage became a full-time member of the orchestra.

Since the concerto is about 19 minutes in length, Savage said he wanted to focus on rehearsing it and opted to not play the other two selections that will be performed at the May 25 concert.

Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 1, dubbed “Spring,” is a vibrant and lyrical celebration of the season, according to LoPiccolo.

“This symphony is all about happiness and joy,” he said. “Schumann composed it in the dead of winter, but was bursting with anticipation for spring. It’s full of gorgeous melodies and it’s a joy to perform.”

The program will open with Ludwig van Beethoven’s dramatic Egmont Overture, Op. 84, last performed by the orchestra in 2016.

“It’s the perfect piece to start the concert,” LoPiccolo said. “Dramatic, passionate and symbolizing the fight for freedom. It’s a great fit with the rest of the program’s romantic spirit.”

As for the concert’s theme, “Timeless Treasures,” outgoing Poway Symphony Foundation Board President Bo Matthys said it is appropriate due to milestones in the group.

“This concert celebrates not only timeless musical treasures, but also marks the completion of the 10th season with our Music Director John LoPiccolo as conductor of the orchestra,” Matthys said. “Over the past decade, John has had an extraordinary impact on the PSO.

“Under his musical leadership, the orchestra has not only grown in size, but also in artistic caliber,” Matthys said. “Just as importantly, he has expanded the range and depth of our repertoire — introducing more ambitious, diverse and emotionally rich programs each season.”

Matthys, the PSO Foundation’s founding president, is stepping down on June 1. He will continue his involvement as president emeritus while James Reid, the foundation’s vice president, succeeds him.

Tickets are $15-$45. They can be purchased through powaycenter.com, by calling 858-748-0505 or at the PCPA box office, 15498 Espola Road. For details, visit powaysymphonyorchestra.org.