Annapolis Symphony Orchestra

06/17/2026

📯 📣 We're very excited for July 3rd at 7:30 PM, when the A*O Brass Quintet will open for the movie "Hamilton" on the lawn at St. John's College in Annapolis. This FREE performance is open to the public and will feature A*O musicians:

Christopher Buchanan, trumpet
Thomas Bithell, trumpet
Shane Iler, horn
David Perkel, trombone
Jake Fewx, tuba

🇺🇸 ⚓️Buchanan is the Chief Arranger for the United States Navy Band and was a longtime member of the United States Naval Academy Band. Perkel likewise was a member of the US Navy Band. Each member of our Brass Quintet is an exceptional, professional musician who has performed with National Symphony Orchestra, Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Chorale Arts Society, Philadelphia Orchestra, National Philharmonic, and others.

🤩The musicians created the music program, which includes some of their favorite patriotic and classical pieces:

Enrique Crespo: Suite Americana No. 1
Victor Ewald: Brass Quintet No. 1
Leonard Bernstein (arr. Jack Gale): West Side Story Suite
Duke Ellington (arr. Jack Gale): Duke Ellington Suite
Additional works to be announced

🧺 Grab a blanket, a picnic, a lawn chair, and most importantly - a friend - and head to the Liberty Tree at St. John's College on July 3rd, for music and a movie. This event was coordinated with the Annapolis250 Commission.

Visit Annapolis The City Of Annapolis Historic Annapolis Annapolis Arts District Downtown Annapolis Partnership Baltimore Musician's Union

06/16/2026

🎻 A violin performance. A scholarship presentation. Conversations among friends. A room filled with music lovers. And, somehow, a rainbow.

Last week the A*O staff and Board Chair Katie Edwards hosted a special event we (very excitedly) called "A*O in Bloom". It was an invitation to our stakeholders, including subscribers, for an organic, naturally inviting Look Back on Season 64. The program included casual chats with our staff, and musicians about how we're also Growing Forward into Season 65.

Academy violinist Virginia Plunk performed. Three students received important and meaningful scholarships. Alex Kovling and Kevin Grasel, horns; Brian Shoop, viola; and Daniel Shomper, cello played favorite pieces.

The evening was a beautiful reminder that the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra is more than concerts—it's a community.

The moments we share together throughout the season—large and small— are made possible by people who believe that music has the power to inspire, educate, and enrich lives.

As we look ahead to Season 65, we're grateful for the community that continues to grow around the music. If you've supported the A*O with your time, talent, treasure, or a ticket, please raise your hand and accept our most sincere thanks. You can be proud of your association with the A*O - take a peek at our brag book to learn more about our accomplishments this season: https://issuu.com/annapolissymphonyorchestra/docs/aso_in_bloom?fr=sNDVmNDkxMjE3NjY

💚 💙 🤍 We Are Annapolis Symphony Orchestra.

PS: Swipe to the end for a gift from Mother Nature 🌈

Photo Credit: Richard Brown for Annapolis Symphony Orchestra

*OinBloom

06/02/2026

There wasn't a single person from the A*O community who didn't leave Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall absolutely elated yesterday evening after our concert. What an inspirational event!🤩

Conductor José-Luis Novo brought the music to life like never before, his vision and guidance of our musicians a powerful testament to the passion, artistry, skill, and talent of our orchestra. We were honored to perform Reinaldo Moya's Polo Romanesco with the composer making a surprise appearance in the audience!😍

Our performance of Dimitri Shostakovich No. 5 was full of poignant moments and outstanding work from Concertmaster Netanel Draiblate, Principal Horn Alex Kovling, Principal Flute Kimberly Valerio, Principal Oboe Fatma Daglar, and our clarinetists and violists. Every single section performed with artistic excellence, and we could not be more proud of our musicians.🦸‍♀️

We are also grateful to be a performing arts organization with a strong team of patrons, donors, board members and staff who collaborate, innovate and create together, making moments on stage like this possible, and unforgettable.

©Photos of the performance by Richard Brown - more coming, stay tuned!

06/01/2026

Tonight, conductor José-Luis Novo will lead our orchestra in our debut performance at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. We’re excited to invite participants of the League of American Orchestras, the Baltimore community, and our loyal patrons to experience the A*O’s artistic excellence, which reflects the passion and talent inherent to our entire organization.

To our musicians- have a great time tonight! We can’t wait to watch, listen, and feel the music.🎶

📸 Amy Raab

05/23/2026

📣 Attention FA*O members - and folks interested in joining Friends of Annapolis Symphony Orchestra:

💲 The price of membership will increase June 1. Individual membership with be $75, and couples will be $100. Don't miss out on all the FA*O fun! 🎉 Lock in your membership now to save.

https://annapolissymphony.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/ #/instances/a0F36000004gG0vEAE

Attention to our FA*O family! Membership rates will increase to $75 individual and $100 couple effective June 1, 2026.

Renew before prices go up on June1, and get ready for an epic year of great music, great people, great events, and everything that makes FA*O worth belonging to.

Don't wait - save that $$ and renew your membership now.
https://annapolissymphony.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/ #/instances/a0F36000004gG0vEAE

05/22/2026

🏆Bowie State University Choir has been selected on the initial ballot of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards for the category of HBCU Choir of the Year!

The Stellar Awards are one of the most recognized national celebrations of excellence in gospel music—spotlighting outstanding talent and honoring achievement across the industry. This year’s newest category highlights the exceptional work of HBCU choirs. Being recognized at the national level is a major honor for the Choir's artists.

The award would allow the choir to celebrate the music and cultural soundtrack embedded within their communities. We are happy to support the choir in this effort. 🗳️ To advance in the award process, the choir needs fan votes. Online voting is open through June 1.

Vote here: https://www.balloteer.com/bp/nph-ballotdisplay?&electionid=21201457813771191871&bsc1=0116483792892654100448&tid=1779471278

Experience Prince George's

05/14/2026

We can't wait for ASA DAY this weekend. Especially the 2 FREE concerts, which are open to the public. Check out the Music Program below, and join us at Maryland Hall.

🎼 FREE CONCERTS
We're very excited to present two important concerts this Sunday, May 17 for ASA Day at 1 pm and 5:30 pm.

Annapolis Symphony Academy Aquarius Wind Ensemble, Lyra Chamber Ensemble, Aries Youth Chamber Orchestra & Orion Youth Orchestra will each perform.

Both concerts will be held in Maryland Hall's Main Auditorium. Congratulations to our soloists, who are the winners of our first concerto competition.

⏰ 1 pm

🎻 Aries Youth Chamber Orchestra
✨Heather Haughn, Director

Friedrich Seitz Concerto No. 3 in G Minor, Op. 12, with Ella Choe, violin
Joshua Reznicow Ghosts of Bohemia
Dimitri Shostakovich Symphony for Strings (String Quartet No. 8, Op.110)

🎻 Orion Youth Orchestra
✨José-Luis Novo, Director
✨Claire Lewis, Assistant Director

Nancy Galbraith Midnight Stirring, with Claire Lewis, conductor
Otar Gordeli Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, op. 8, with Phoebe Alexander, flute
Manuel de Falla El Amor Brujo (Love the Magician)
Benjamin Britten Soirées Musicales, op. 9

⏰ 5:30 pm

🎻 Lyra Chamber Ensemble
✨Susan Dapkunas, Director

Gustav Holst Jupiter from “The Planets” (arr. Deborah Baker Monday, Contemporary)
Declan Postlethwaite Ride of the Dullahan
Ennio Morricone Gabriel’s Oboe from “The Mission” (arr. Robert Longfield) with Rayan Rezaee, violin
W.A. Mozart Overture from The Seraglio
(arr. Andy Masters, Contemporary), played by the Lyra Duodectet with A*O musicians
Robert Buckley Prairie Sky
Kathryn Griesinger Festival Fanfare

🎻 Aquarius Wind Ensemble
✨Anthony Valerio, Director

JaRod Hall Tripwire
James Ployhar Korean Folk Song Medley
W.A. Mozart Concerto No. 3 in E-Flat Major (Arr. Charles Yeago), with Noah Gordon, Horn
Michael Oare Apex Predator, with Natalia Menjivar-Landeverde, Flute; Kinsley Oliver, Piccolo
Ennio Morricone Cinema Paradiso (Arr. Robert Longfield), with Ian Schiller, Oboe; Patrick Murphy, Bass Clarinet, Isaac Soriano-Serrano, Alto Saxophone; Oscar Gomez-Gallardo, Trumpet
Henry Mancini Moon River (Arr. Michael Brown), with Emily Lindquist, Bassoon; Patrick Murphy, Bass Clarinet
Roland Barrett Arabian Dances, with David Hawks, Clarinet; Aaron Washington, Percussion

05/13/2026

🌟 Join our extraordinary community of subscribers in Season 65!

As a subscriber, you can expect:

🎻 International guest artists, including Julian Schwarz, Vadim Repin, Esther Yoo - 에스더 유, and Stewart Goodyear.
🎼 New and emerging composers
🎶 Iconic classical music
🎵 Unsurpassed artistic excellence

Choose our 5-concert Signature Series, or for the ultimate flexibility, choose a 3 or 4-concert FlexPass. Subscribe at https://annapolissymphony.org/events-tickets/subscribe/.

The benefits of being a subscriber extend well beyond feeling welcomed and included in the A*O family:

➡️ Choose your preferred seats
➡️ Lock in ticket pricing for the season
➡️ 20% off additional tickets
➡️ and so many more perks...

Subscribe today - we'll see you at the show!

05/09/2026

🕵️‍♀️We recently noticed this AI "photo" of Maestro José-Luis Novo on a third-party ticketing site advertising our upcoming performance at The Meyerhoff.

⛔️ BUYER BEWARE - we guarantee tickets sold ONLY through the official ticketing site at BSO.org: my.bsomusic.org/20282/20283.

Please do not purchase tickets for A*O & ASA at The Meyerhoff - Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 through any other website.

05/08/2026

🎫 Are you ready for a powerful evening of music? Get your tickets today at https://my.bsomusic.org/20282/20283.

June 1
8 PM
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Join the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and Conductor José-Luis Novo for their debut performance at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

The Annapolis Symphony Academy Orion Youth Orchestra, opens the concert, performing side-by-side with A*O musicians in a powerful show of artistry, skill, and mentorship. Our highest level students will blow the audience away with an inspiring performance that showcases the future of orchestral music. ASA Assistant Conductor Claire Lewis will conduct Nancy Galbraith's "Midnight Stirring".

José-Luis Novo conducts Dimitri Shostakovich's iconic and unforgettable Symphony No. 5. The hauntingly somber opening transforms to a triumphant finale—a timeless testament to resilience and the endurance of the human spirit. The piece is a work of gripping intensity and symphonic power from beginning to end.

Reynaldo Moya’s Polo Romanesco is a kind of postmodern send up of the Romanesca progression as it weaves its way through bits and piece of the Polo Margariteño. The piece is full of surprises and juxtapositions.

Join us! If you need a ride, and want a fantastic dinner at Rye Street Tavern before the show, please consider purchasing Friends of Annapolis Symphony Orchestra's package, which offers a ride, dinner, and a fantastically priced tickets. Information here: https://annapolissymphony.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/ #/events/a0SVs00000grCUHMA2