Check out our 2025-2026 Season!

Artwork was created by Neumann University recent graduate, Grace Darden.

I’m delighted to invite you to our 2025- 2026 Symphony Series- a season that celebrates identity, heritage, and the extraordinary breadth of the American musical voice. This year’s programs are designed to explore the ways in which music reflects where we come from, how we grow, and what unites us.

We begin the season on October 19 with “My Homeland,” a concert that explores themes of place and belonging. Glinka’s Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila provides virtuosic brilliance and energy, followed by Grieg’s passionate and lyrical Piano Concerto, performed by the exceptional Young-Ah Tak. We conclude with Vaughan Williams’ A London Symphony- a beautifully atmospheric portrait of the city he called home, blending grandeur with quiet introspection.

On December 7, we present “Coming to America,” a program centered on the immigrant experience and the idea of transformation. Dvořák’s American Suite captures the composer’s reflections on his time in the United States, while Korngold’s deeply expressive Cello Concerto- performed by Branson Yeast- bridges the worlds of film and concert hall. We end with Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, a richly layered and rhythmically compelling work that was written entirely while Rachmaninoff was in the United States.

March 1 brings “Fanfare for the New World,” a celebration of American voices, both historic and modern. William Grant Still’s Festive Overture sets a vibrant tone, followed by Edward MacDowell’s Piano Concerto No. 2, performed by rising star Artem Tenkeli. William Schuman’s New England Triptych gives new life to early American hymns, and we finish with Duke Ellington’s magnificent Three Black Kings- a tribute to spiritual, cultural, and political leadership through jazz-infused orchestration.

Our season concludes on May 3 with “Celebrating America 250,” as we look ahead to the nation’s semi-quincentennial. Leonard Bernstein’s exciting Candide Overture sets the stage for our annual spotlight on emerging talent: the winner of the DCS Youth Concerto Competition. We then perform two deeply American works- Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, a powerful blend of narration and orchestra, and William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony, a masterpiece that speaks to resilience, struggle, and cultural legacy.

All concerts are held at 3:00 PM on Sundays in Neumann University’s Meagher Theatre. I also invite you to join us an hour earlier for our pre-concert Meet the Music talks, where we explore the background and context of the music you’ll hear.

I look forward to seeing you for a wonderful season of music-making!

~Sebastian Grand- DCS Music Director

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