Season closing performances of Aida saw an all-star cast share the stage with the full Orchestra, kicking off a four-year Verdi
Opera cycle to be followed by Rigoletto in June 2026.
The 2024-25 season opened with sold-out Gala Celebration concerts featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma and closed with critically acclaimed performances of Aida featuring Angel Blue in the title role. The core subscription season was marked by many additional milestones. The Orchestra welcomed James Lee III as Composer in Residence for the 2024- 25 season, performing several of his existing works, premiering three new commissions( including a piece for the fourth annual GospelFest), and integrating his voice across signature education programs( see more on pg. 8).
Our Lunar New Year Celebration was presented at Strathmore for the first time, and with the support of the AAPI Advisory Council, we hosted warm welcomes for visiting guests including pianist Yeol Eum Son and guest conductor Xian Zhang. For the second year in a row, three classical programs were presented at UMD’ s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
CELEBRATING BLACK EXCELLENCE AT THE BSO
Local philanthropists Eddie and Sylvia Brown have made an intentional leadership gift over several years to build greater representation within the BSO. In the 2024-25 season, they underwrote March 2025 performances centering Black talent on the podium, stage and score: a program with Jonathon on the podium, soprano Julia Bullock in her BSO debut, and a program pairing Mahler’ s Fourth Symphony with Jessie Montgomery’ s Five Freedom Songs. This work created in collaboration with Ms. Bullock and drawing from a 19th century anthology of spirituals to articulate a powerful expression of their shared experience as Black Americans.
In 2025-26, the major support of Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown will underwrite June 2026 performances of Rachmaninoff 3 featuring a world premiere by Billy Childs written for Anthony McGill( clarinet) and Demarre McGill( flute), conducted by Jonathon Heyward.
Beyond the Classical season, BSO Fusion, Pops, Film, and Holiday concerts delighted audiences in both markets. Our collaboration with the Cathedral Choral Society also returned with a special performance of Ethel Smyth’ s Mass in D at the Washington National Cathedral( recorded for commercial release).
SummerFest welcomed 17,000 patrons to a diverse array of performances, from JAWS In Concert, to a sold-out show with hip-hop icon Nas. Importantly, Summer 2025 marked BSO’ s first summer season at Strathmore in a decade, including a pay-what-youwish performance of Patriotic Pops.
The BSO experience also returned to the public airwaves. BSO Encore ran on WBJC 91.5 FM the first Sunday of each month from November to June with broadcasts of Jonathon Heyward’ s inaugural BSO concerts, presented with fresh conversation.
Our goal has always been to help the BSO reflect the fullness of our community and the rich diversity of talent shaping classical music today. We want to see more Black musicians, conductors, and composers represented throughout the BSO, not as a moment, but as part of the institution’ s fabric. Our hope is that this investment helps open doors, build pathways, and sustain the progress already underway.
Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown
Left to right: Millie Heyward, Jonathon Heyward, C. Sylvia Brown, Eddie C. Brown
2024-25 YEAR IN REVIEW 7