Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Announces 2024-25 Symphony in the City Line Up

Media contact:
Whitney Clemmons Brown
Director of Communications
wbrown@BSOmusic.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Announces 2024-25 Symphony in the City Line Up

Free Performance at Morgan State University Kicks Off Series with Music Director Jonathon Heyward and BSO’s New Composer in Residence James Lee III

BALTIMORE (September 3, 2024) – The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) proudly announces the return of its free, three-concert community series, Symphony in the City on Wednesday, September 18, at 7:30 pm at Morgan State University.

Held at the Gilliam Concert Hall in the Murphy Fine Arts Center, the first Symphony in the City concert of the season is led by BSO Music Director Jonathon Heyward and features selections from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral,” known for its vivid depiction of nature and rural scenes. In conversation with Beethoven’s timeless work, the concert will also showcase compositions by James Lee III, whose works are infused with vibrant narratives and deep cultural resonance.

“Beginning our season with a community concert at Morgan State University is deeply meaningful,” said BSO Music Director Jonathon Heyward. “This performance not only begins our musical journey for the year but also continues the BSO’s tradition of bringing music directly to the heart of Baltimore, honoring the Symphony’s roots as an orchestra founded by the city for its people.”

Symphony in the City is a series that intentionally aligns concerts and venues with community celebrations. The concert at Morgan State University not only marks the start of a new academic year, but also honors the University’s connection to the BSO’s new Composer in Residence, James Lee III, who serves as faculty member at Maryland’s largest historically Black university (HBCU). His BSO residency will feature two world premieres during the 2024-25 concert season and encompass an educational component with students from BSO OrchKids and the Baltimore School of the Arts, including compositions, mentorship, and workshop performances.

“The fact that the Morgan community, and the surrounding community at large, will have an opportunity to experience the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, led by their new Music Director Jonathon Heyward, live on our campus, is simply amazing,” said Eric Conway, DMA, chair of the Fine and Performing Arts Department and director of the Choir at Morgan State University. “This moment is further elevated by having the work of a respected Morgan faculty member, Dr. James Lee III, on display for all to enjoy. We are fortunate and thankful to the BSO for selecting Morgan as the location for the season’s first Symphony in the City concert.”

Symphony in the City

Wednesday, September 18, 7:30 pm, Gilliam Concert Hall, Murphy Fine Arts Center, Morgan State University, 2201 Argonne Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218

Artist

Jonathon Heyward, conductor

Repertoire

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”, I. Awakening of cheerful feelings on arrival in the countryside
LEE III Amer’ican
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”, II. Scene by the brook
LEE III Captivating Personas, III. Bored Comfort
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”, IV. Thunderstorm
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”, V. Shepherd’s song: Cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm

The Symphony in the City series will continue with performances across Baltimore, including a tribute to Veterans on November 20 at War Memorial and a celebration of Black History Month on February 6 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.

A Robert Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker Community Concert event, the Symphony in the City series is generously supported by Presenting Sponsor BGE. Launched in 2019, this series reflects the BSO’s commitment to bringing world-class music to diverse audiences across Baltimore. Each concert is a unique celebration of community, culture, and the transformative power of music, designed to reach beyond the walls of the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and into the heart of Baltimore’s neighborhoods.

Symphony in the City remains free to all. Reservations are appreciated but not required. Learn more by visiting https://www.bsomusic.org/symphony-in-the-city/.

About the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

For more than a century, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. The orchestra is internationally renowned and locally admired for its innovation, performances, recordings, and educational outreach initiatives, including OrchKids and the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras.

The BSO performs annually for more than 300,000 people throughout Maryland. Since 1982, the BSO has performed at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and since 2005, with the opening of The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, the BSO has been the nation’s first orchestra to perform its full season of classical and pops concerts in two metropolitan areas.

In July 2022, the BSO made history by announcing that Jonathon Heyward would succeed Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder Marin Alsop as the Orchestra’s next Music Director. Maestro Heyward began his inaugural season in September 2023.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a proud member of the League of American Orchestras. More information about the BSO can be found at BSOmusic.org.

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