Manchester Symphony Orchestra announces 86th season

The Manchester Symphony Orchestra announces its 86th season with a schedule of four concerts under Debra Lynn, conductor and artistic director.

“This season has everything, from classical favorites, to fiddle improvisation, to The Nutcracker ballet,” Lynn said. “I’m very excited about the MSO’s 86th season. There will be a lot of variety for our audiences, but there will also be some new adventures for our musicians onstage.”

“While it is wonderful to program familiar ‘hits,’ I also want to give our most seasoned musicians opportunities to continue challenging themselves and offer our audiences unique experiences,” she said.

Please save the dates:

  • On October 6, MSO goes “Back to the Classics” with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, and music from the Pulcinella ballet by Igor Stravinsky with arias for mezzo-soprano, tenor, and bass vocal soloists.

  • In collaboration with the Wabash Valley Dance Theater, there will be performances of The Nutcracker classical ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky on December 7 and 8.

  • The March 9 concert features improvisatory fiddle traditions from Norway, Scotland, and Ireland that came to the Appalachian Mountains with those immigrants. The concert showcases the world premiere of “Boomerang,” a new composition by Lynn in collaboration with SVER, a folk music group from Norway. SVER will be the season’s guest artists in residence.

  • The May 11 concert celebrates “American Legends,” with Jerod Impchchaachaaha' Tate’s “Ghost of the White Deer” bassoon concerto featuring Erich Zummack, Lynn’s “Appleseed Variations,” and Aaron Copland’s “A Lincoln Portrait.”

North Manchester is one of the smallest communities in the nation with its own symphony orchestra. Residents of Wabash County and what was then Manchester College founded the symphony in 1939. That partnership continues today, in its 86th season, with a carefully crafted collaboration of professional and community musicians, as well as selected MU faculty, staff, and student musicians.

For the media

Dr Debra Lynn photo