SSO to Close 2025-26 Season with ‘Brahms & a Modern Voice’ on May 2
SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) will wrap up its 2025-26 season on Saturday, May 2 with “Brahms & a Modern Voice” at 7:30 p.m. at Springfield Symphony Hall. The SSO’s 82nd season finale will feature the return of guest conductor Courtney Lewis and the Springfield debut of violinist Charles Yang, described by the Boston Globe as a musician who “plays classical violin with the charisma of a rock star.”
Tickets for the May 2 concert are available, starting at $25, online at springfieldsymphony.org, or by calling the SSO Box Office at (413) 733-2291.
The performance begins with Ottorino Respighi’s first set of “Ancient Airs and Dances,” followed by Kris Bowers’ concerto “For a Younger Self,” with Yang making his Springfield debut in a piece he commissioned himself. Johannes Brahms’ bucolic “Symphony No. 2” will close the concert.
“This season has been about doing the work, not just on stage, but across every part of this organization — rebuilding alignment, strengthening trust, and raising the level of expectation for what this orchestra can be,” said Heather Caisse-Roberts, president and CEO of the SSO. “By the time we reach May 2, that work is no longer behind the scenes. It is present in the sound, in the collaboration, and in the energy in the hall. This finale is a moment to hear that transformation — and to understand that it is only the beginning of what is possible.”
The SSO’s nonprofit community partner for the May 2 performance is Glenmeadow, which will have a table with information about the organization set up prior to the concert and during intermission.
