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MID-ATLANTIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OPENS 2025–2026 SEASON WITH BARTÓK, MAYER, AND BEETHOVEN
Delmarva Peninsula — The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will open its 2025–2026 season, Bold Voices, Eternal Resonance, with concerts in Easton, Rehoboth Beach, and Ocean Pines featuring music by Bartók, Emilie Mayer, and Beethoven. Performances take place on Thursday, September 25 at 7:30 PM at the Easton Church of God in Easton, MD; Saturday, September 27 at 3:00 PM at Epworth United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach, DE; and Sunday, September 28 at 3:00 PM at the Community Church in Ocean Pines, MD.
The program includes Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, a lively suite of traditional melodies from Transylvania that showcase the composer’s deep interest in folk traditions and rhythmic vitality as well as Emilie Mayer’s Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, written in 1847. Long overlooked, Mayer’s symphonies are now receiving growing recognition for their craftsmanship and expressive power. Her First Symphony blends classical structure with a bold Romantic voice, making it a striking rediscovery for modern audiences.
The concert concludes with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major, one of the composer’s most celebrated works. Its propulsive energy, famously described by Richard Wagner as “the apotheosis of the dance,” continues to captivate listeners more than two centuries after its premiere.
“This program represents exactly what we want this season to embody,” said MSO Music Director Michael Repper. “We are pairing beloved classics like Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony with music that deserves far greater recognition, such as Emilie Mayer’s Symphony No. 1. It’s an opportunity for our audiences to experience something both familiar and new, and to be part of a broader conversation about the voices that shaped classical music.”
Tickets and subscriptions are available at www.midatlanticsymphony.org.ABOUT THE MID-ATLANTIC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is the only professional symphony orchestra serving southern Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore with a full season of programs. The MSO is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council, the Talbot County Arts Council, the Worcester County Arts Council, the Sussex County (Delaware) Council, and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Inc.
A complete schedule of the 2025-2026 season’s Masterworks and Ensembles programs, including venues, times, and other details, is available at www.midatlanticsymphony.org.
