Laura Ruple: Jonathon, what are you looking forward to this season?

Jonathon Heyward: Each season, the relationship between the Orchestra, the audience, and the community deepens, building a sense of shared trust, shared curiosity, and shared ambition.

What a beautiful position from which to introduce our season’ s theme, " Illuminated Through Sound." This idea speaks to what music can reveal— a composer ' s imagination, a soloist ' s voice, a community ' s history, or something personal within the listener. There are many artists and works I am excited about this season, but what matters most is the shape of the season as a whole, and how we will all share in moments of brilliance, reflection, intimacy, and celebration.

LR: You are leading two new subscription series this season. How would you describe both the Coffee Series and Symphony at Six to BSO audiences?

JH: I think both series are wonderful additions because they recognize that our audiences live very full lives, and people experience music in different ways.

The Coffee Series offers a chance to hear the orchestra in a daytime setting, which can feel relaxed, welcoming, and very immediate. Symphony at Six is a brilliant option for people who want the richness of a BSO concert, but with a slightly earlier evening format. It gives people more flexibility while still offering a meaningful musical experience.

They are distinct, but together they offer a really rewarding way to experience the season. I encourage audiences to give both a try.

LR: Throughout the season, we will celebrate the music and legacy of Beethoven as the world marks the 200th anniversary of his death. What was the first piece of Beethoven’ s that you ever conducted, and how does his music speak to you today?

JH: I vividly remember the first Beethoven I ever conducted. I was 18 years old, and it was the first movement of the Eroica Symphony. Even in that single movement, you feel the extraordinary ambition of music, the sense that Beethoven is pushing beyond every boundary. It taught me very early on that conducting Beethoven demands complete honesty and commitment. What continues to move me about Beethoven is that the music is never simply monumental. It is deeply human. Even in the most famous works, there is struggle, tenderness, humor, defiance, and hope.

That is why it feels so meaningful to have Beethoven woven through the season. Whether it is the Piano Concertos, the Fifth Symphony, the Ninth, or hearing an artist such as Evgeny Kissin in recital, we are not just revisiting familiar masterpieces. We are asking why this music still speaks so powerfully to us, 200 years later.

LR: Speaking of Beethoven ' s Piano Concertos, what can we expect in the arrival of a new piano at the Meyerhoff?

JH: A great piano has a voice of its own. When choosing our instrument, I will be listening for color, warmth, clarity, and the range of character it can offer. The piano must be able to sing with intimacy, but it also has to meet the full force of an orchestra and the unique acoustics of the Meyerhoff. That balance is incredibly exciting.

The timing of this selection is truly special because of the sheer range of musical works the piano is featured on this season on the season, and because each pianist joining us brings a very different sound world, imagination, and way of communicating with the Orchestra. Prokofiev’ s Third has this brilliant, electric energy. Brahms’ Second is almost symphonic in scale, with such nobility and depth. Grieg gives us lyricism and poetry, Beethoven’ s concertos show the evolution of a revolutionary musical mind, and Rachmaninoff’ s Second has that incredible emotional sweep.

That is what I am most excited for: the conversation between these remarkable soloists, this new instrument, the BSO, and our audiences.

Laura Thiesbrummel

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