The 2025-26 season opened in appropriately grand fashion with two Gala Celebration concerts featuring acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell. Throughout the Classical Series, audiences experienced bold programs that paired known masterworks with innovative artistic exploration.
A fall festival inspired by Baltimore’ s own Edgar Allan Poe brought together music, literature, and immersive elements. Highlights included Scriabin’ s Prometheus: The Poem of Fire featuring pianist George Li, the University of Maryland Choir, and a color organ providing colorful light projections, as well as the U. S. premiere of Mark Simpson’ s Israfel. In the spring, the EARTH | Songs festival explored humanity’ s relationship with the natural world through the world premiere of a new work by Grace- Evangeline Mason and Mahler’ s Das Lied von der Erde, featuring distinguished vocalists Russell Thomas and Sasha Cooke under Heyward’ s direction. The festival also featured Music Director Laureate Marin Alsop conducting the East Coast premiere of Brett Dean’ s Fire Music, and a reimagined interpretation of Vivaldi’ s The Four Seasons with the Nu Deco Ensemble. The subscription year concluded with our second in a now multi-year Verdi opera cycle with two sold-out, critically acclaimed performances of Rigoletto, starring Quinn Kelsey in the title role.
A new BSO Collections framework helped audiences navigate a rich array of Popular, Celebrations, and Family offerings. Standout moments included a sold-out GospelFest featuring four regional HBCU choirs and the launch of the BSO’ s America 250 celebration. The Aspects of America program featured jazz vocalist
Beloved artists presented as part of Live at the Meyerhoff series this year included Bernadette Peters, Pink Martini, Leslie Odom, Jr. Diana Krall, Max Richter, and two classic artists in recital, violinist Itzhak Perlman and pianist Seong-Jin Cho.
Cécile McLorin Salvant in a tribute to the American songbook and the world premiere of a new commission by Billy Childs, A More Perfect Union, for flute and clarinet, performed by brothers Demarre and Anthony McGill.
SummerFest once again showcased the breadth of the BSO’ s programming and the Meyerhoff as a venue for non-orchestral presentations of all kinds. Performances ranged from classical favorites to special collaborations with artists such as Disney Legend Lea Salonga. We officially ended the summer by turning over the stage to Juvenile and the 400 Degreez Band for a sold-out Live at the Meyerhoff event.
Beyond the performances themselves, the BSO provided audiences with many opportunities for learning and dialogue. Newly appointed Inside the Classics Scholar Dr. Rachel Franklin presented preconcert lectures at every BSO at Strathmore Classical concert, while AfterWords with Heyward invited patrons at both venues to engage directly in candid post-concert conversations.
Seong-Jin Cho Photo Credit: Howard Korn
Supporting the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra reflects our belief in investing in the institutions that strengthen our communities and make them vibrant places to live and work. We’ re proud to support the Pops Series and the role the arts play in bringing people together across the Baltimore region..
Ellen Fish, Market President, Atlantic Union Bank
BSO Board Member
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
PRESENTING SPONSOR OF THE POPS SERIES, ATLANTIC UNION BANK
As a continuation of Sandy Spring Bank’ s prior support, Atlantic Union Bank proudly aligned its brand— and corporate philanthropy— with the six-concert, dual-market Pops Series. 2025-26 Pops programs spanned many genres including film and Broadway blockbusters, the music of Motown, the songs of Tina Turner, and the musical standards of Ellington, Strayhorn, and Cole Porter.
2025-26 YEAR IN REVIEW 7