Tag Archives: Stuart Malina

Bien Venue: Music and stars highlight Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra’s 2025-26 season

September 29, 2025 | by Lori M. Myers

Walk into the Forum auditorium before start time for a Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra concert, and it is right then and there that the show begins.

Whether you’re a first-timer or a long-time fan, you can’t help but be in awe of this place, which is as glorious and majestic as the music that wafts out its doors. Every nook and cranny, everywhere your eye wanders, is a work of art.

“The building is comprised of eight varieties of marble from Africa, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Tennessee and Vermont,” said Matthew Herren, HSO’s executive director. “The ceiling is painted on individual canvas sections and decorated with constellations and depictions from the Zodiac. More than 1,000 stars are shown in their proper position.”

The stars are also aligned “in their proper position” on stage for HSO’s 2025-26 season, led by Music Director Stuart Malina. Herren admits he’s excited about every one of the concerts being performed at The Forum, HSO’s home for 96 years.

For instance, there is something for all musical tastes in the Masterworks Series of shows. On Nov. 8 and 9, audiences will take a 100-year orchestral odyssey, from Benjamin Britten’s “Four Sea Interludes” to Richard Strauss’ “Death and Transfiguration,” then Stacy Garrop’s “Becoming Medusa,” until the final stop with Igor Stravinsky’s “The Firebird.”

On Jan. 10 and 11, HSO will present Zoltan Kodaly’s “Dances of Galanta,” Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony #6, “Pastorale.”

The Feb. 14 and 15 concert, “Mozart and More,” opens with Mozart’s Symphony #35, “Haffner,” and concludes with Louise Farrenc’s Symphony #3. The presentation also includes a new work for four players and numerous instruments (including wine glasses!) by Viet Cuong entitled, “Re(new)al.”

On March 14 and 15, Anna Clyne’s “Masquerade” will be performed, along with the rarely heard Symphony #2, “Fantaisie Symphonique,” composed by Kurt Weill just before his escape to France during World War II. Wrapping up the March performances is Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony #3, which the composer proclaimed was one of his best pieces.

While Herren is excited about the full slate of performances for the 2025-26 season, he admits to being particularly thrilled about what will be presented on April 18 and 19—”The Verdi Requiem.” The orchestra will be joined by The Susquehanna Chorale, The Messiah University Concert Choir and Choral Arts Society, along with soloists Othalie Graham, Sabrina Carten, Israel Lozano and Ben Wager, who will combine their talents and glorious sounds.

“‘The Verdi Requiem’ stands out to me as a beloved, timeless masterpiece,” Herren said. “It shows off everything, all on a grand operatic scale. This one is not to be missed.”

Rounding out the Masterworks Series on May 9 and 10 is Jean Sibelius’ “The Swan of Tuonela,” Bela Bartok’s “Concerto for Orchestra,” and pianist Joyce Yang playing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto #1.

Special programs, such as Musical Chairs, Check Out the Symphony, and Student Rush Tickets, offer discounts for Masterworks concerts and Youth Orchestra performances.

Opening the Capital Blue Cross POPS Series on Oct. 25 and 26 is “To Whitney with Love” where “American Idol” finalist, LaKisha Jones, celebrates the great ladies of soul, including Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston.

“LaKisha has a wonderful personal story, and this is a program packed with greatest hits by remarkable female artists,” Herren said.

Singer and pianist Paul Loren returns to HSO on Dec. 6 and 7, performing the swinging hits of Frank Sinatra in “Come Swing with Me.” Audiences will delight in some of Sinatra’s best, including the tunes “Come Fly with Me,” “My Way,” “The Best Is Yet to Come” and others.

HSO journeys to the Great White Way on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, spotlighting music from wonderful Broadway shows, including “Hamilton,” “Wicked,” “Spamalot” and others. The POPS Series then moves from stage to screen on Feb. 28 and March 1 with scores from cinema including themes from “Casablanca,” “Gone with the Wind,” “Cinema Paradiso” and more. The POPS series winds up with “The Music of Billy Joel” starring Michael Cavanaugh on April 25 and 26. Cavanaugh was the original star of “Movin’ Out,” Twyla Tharp’s Tony-Award winning Broadway show.

For those young and young at heart, HSO also offers Young Persons’ Concerts in the fall and spring, playing for about 2,000 students. The fall production will feature highlights from the November Masterworks Series. The spring production will feature Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” and includes staging by the Really Inventive Stuff theater group.

All this music, under the stars

For more information on the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, visit www.harrisburgsymphony.org.

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Latin Flair: Surprises await as the Dalí Quartet takes the stage with the Harrisburg Symphony

December 28, 2023 | by Phyllis Zimmerman

Carlos Rubio

For Carlos Rubio, playing his native Latin American music is “very close to the heart.”

“That’s what we grew up with, and now we get to share it,” said Rubio, who is scheduled to play with the Dalí Quartet next month as part of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra’s ongoing Masterworks program.

For two performances in February, the HSO presents the Dalí Quartet featuring second violinist Rubio and Adriana Linares, viola. Both are Venezuela natives now living in the Philadelphia area who also perform with the Harrisburg Symphony.

Rounding out the Latin-oriented group are Puerto Rico native Jesús Morales, cello, and U.S. native Ari Isaacman-Beck, first violin.

The quartet is premiering a new work for string quartet and chamber orchestra by Anna Clyne, a Grammy-nominated composer, at the Forum in Harrisburg next month. The program also includes a Tchaikovsky composition based on Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and “Symphony No. 6” by Dmitri Shostakovich.

“This concert has so many levels of ‘feel good,’” said HSO Music Director Stuart Malina.

To begin with, the premier of a new work is always electrifying, he said.

“Second, presenting the Dalí Quartet is very exciting considering the trajectory of their success and their local connections,” he continued. “Finally, and perhaps most satisfying to me, is sharing the stage with Adriana and Carlos, two beloved members of our orchestra and dear friends.”

Adriana Linares

Linares said that she’s “very proud to share our music” with American audiences.

“The music makes me feel very tender,” she said. “I feel its beauty, tenderness or happiness from dance. I feel all kinds of emotions whenever we play.”

Linares likes performing as part of a quartet, she said, because, “I get to play a soloist voice and still have a quartet to fall back on.”

In addition to her work with the Dalí Quartet, Linares is founding president and artistic director of the Arts & Community Network (ArCoNet), a nonprofit organization founded in 2012 and based in North Wales, Pa. Under ArCoNet’s umbrella, Linares has launched several music programs that include a 120-student string academy, a youth and chamber orchestra, solo boot camp retreats and other partnerships and collaborative projects.

Linares holds a master’s degree in viola performance from Temple University, where she studied with violist and Curtis Institute of Music President Roberto Diaz. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University where she studied with violist Atar Arad.

Likewise, Rubio said that he likes performing in a group of four because “you get to play in your own voice, and talk to each other and share and combine ideas.”

“I love the ambiance of it,” he said. “We’re four people playing together, and we get to put all of our feelings into it.”

Rubio began his musical career as a member of Venezuela’s Youth Orchestra System. With the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, he toured France, Japan, the United States, Mexico and Spain. He also was awarded the grand prize in the Spanish and Latin American Music Competition at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and was distinguished as the Ohio Latino Arts Association’s “Performing Artist of the Year.”

Rubio also performs with the Philly Pops and the Harrisburg and Lancaster symphony orchestras.

“It’s a different audience for us here,” Linares said. “In the U.S., our audiences are a little bit older than what we see in South America. In South America, we see a lot more children and college students and young adults… It’s music that not a lot of the people here would have heard of, so there’s more surprise. Maybe in Latin America, they scream a little more. Here, they just act very surprised.”

The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and the Dalí Quartet perform Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 11 at 3 p.m. at the Forum, 500 Walnut St., Harrisburg. For tickets, visit www.harrisburgsymphony.org. For more information on the Dalí Quartet, visit www.daliquartet.com.

Images courtesy of Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.

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Maestro Malina extends contract with Harrisburg Symphony for three more years

July 12, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda

Stuart Malina

The Harrisburg Symphony’s long-time maestro is set to continue his tenure with the orchestra.

On Wednesday, the HSO announced that Stuart Malina has agreed to a three-year contract extension as music director and conductor.

“I’m thrilled to be in Harrisburg with our extraordinary orchestra,” Malina said. “To me this is a very special organization, which combines superb board and staff leadership with superb musicians who play with intensity, commitment, and joy at every single performance.”

Malina began his tenure with the HSO in June 2000. His new contract will take him through the 2025-26 season, which will be his 26^th year as the orchestra’s artistic leader.

“Our relationship with Stuart Malina has been an especially happy one for everyone here in Harrisburg—our audiences, our musicians, our board, and our staff,” said Patricia Ferris, HSO board chair. “I think I speak for everyone when I say that we are thrilled to extend this partnership for three more years. Stuart is a great musician and a pleasure to work with.”

“I look forward to three more artistically invigorating years with Stuart,” said Matthew Herren, HSO executive director. “We have an ideal working relationship, and I can’t wait to see where we will go next.”

The Harrisburg Symphony Association also announced the appointment of two new board members:

Elizabeth Mullaugh, Attorney of Counsel, McNees, Wallace & Nurick
Christyan Seay, Artistic Director, Capital Area Music Association

“I am delighted to welcome Elizabeth and Christyan to the Harrisburg Symphony Association Board of Directors,” Ferris said. “They are committed to our mission, and they have deep roots in our community combined with notable experience in leadership and service.”

The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1931 and is now in its 94th season at the Forum Auditorium in Harrisburg.

For more information on the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, visit their website.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Harrisburg Symphony to play five outdoor dates over long July 4 weekend

June 6, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda

A past Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra concert at the band shell in Reservoir Park (courtesy HSO)

A local summer tradition is set to continue this year, as the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra has scheduled five free performances over the extended July 4 weekend.

On Tuesday, the HSO announced “Summer Series” shows spanning locations in Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry and Lebanon counties on five consecutive days.

“Everyone loves the Summer Series, especially the musicians,” said Stuart Malina, HSO music director and conductor. “This year’s playlist ranges from a salute to the big band era and ‘West Side Story’ to a tribute to America’s armed forces, along with a few rousing cowboy songs. Each year, we offer a little something for everyone.”

The HSO series schedule is:

Friday, June 30 – Lebanon Valley College, Annville
Saturday, July 1 – Negley Park, Lemoyne
Sunday, July 2 – Dickinson College, Carlisle
Monday, July 3 – Millerstown Park, Millerstown
Tuesday, July 4 – Reservoir Park, Harrisburg

Each concert is held outdoors. In case of inclement weather, including excessive heat, the shows will be performed in an indoor location that will be announced on the symphony’s website and social media channels, as well as local media. The series is underwritten by Highmark and Penn State Health.

“For over 30 years, the Harrisburg Symphony’s Summer Series has offered a crowd-pleasing selection of red, white and blue favorites held in beautiful local settings,” said Matthew Herren, executive director of the HSO. “We invite everyone in the community to grab your lawn chairs, a picnic basket and the kids for a free concert to celebrate America and American music.”

For more information, visit the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra’s website.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Musical Reunion: With its new season, the HSO prepares for a homecoming—and a return to happy normalcy

September 29, 2022 | by Barbara Trainin Blank

Stuart Malina

The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra is looking forward to another season of playing glorious music, and its enthusiastic audiences are looking forward to hearing it.

Yet, the emphasis in 2022-23 is more than musical.

“It’s a very exciting season,” said Matthew Herren, HSO’s executive director. “But what comes to mind as the most exciting event is the return to HSO’s home, the spacious and majestic Forum Auditorium, after two years. This will be an exciting reunion.”

The 75-musician-strong symphony is the first tenant to return to the under-restoration Forum, which technically remains an active construction site through early 2024.

“We’re offering to open doors early and are encouraging audience members to arrive early because of the site,” Herren said.

As always, the orchestra will present 12 weekends of live performances with “world-renowned guest artists and our own extraordinary Harrisburg Symphony musicians,” he added.

The symphony is noted for blending known and possibly unknown works of music.

“The upcoming season is brimming with variety, which will stretch your ears and touch your heart,” said Maestro Stuart Malina, HSO’s longtime music director. “From classical favorites to works by living composers—and more female artists and artists of color than ever before.”

A typical season includes seven pairs of Masterworks concerts, five pairs of concerts in the Capital Blue Cross Pops Series, two Young Person’s Concerts that reach thousands of school-aged children, and free outdoor concerts over the July 4 weekend.

The dates of Oct. 1 to 2 launch the Masterworks concerts. Sharing the program are Richard Strauss’s swashbuckling tone poem “Don Juan,” Johannes Brahms’s triumphant “Symphony No. 1,” and a mid-20th-century work, the uplifting “Poem for Orchestra” by William Grant Still.

On Jan. 7 to 8, Felix Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto”—one of the most beloved works in the classical repertory—will be played by violinist Jennifer Frautshi. The piece shares the stage with contemporary composer Mieczystaw Weinberg’s “Symphony No. 3” and the “Suite from Cold Mountain,” a lyrical opera by Jennifer Higdon commissioned in part by the HSO.

“Jennifer is more than a colleague,” Malina said. “She is a friend. We went to school together.”

Paired concerts are on Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.

Originally scheduled for April 2020 was Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto,” as performed by Peter Sirotin, HSO concertmaster. But he preferred to wait for the return to the symphony’s home turf for the April 15 to 16 concert. The program opens with “Black Iris,” a personal new work by Reena Esmail inspired by the “Me Too” movement, and concludes with Jean Sibelius’s epic “Symphony No. 5.”

The Pops Series differs in that it goes “purely beyond entertainment,” Malina said.

“The Great Ladies of Jazz” opens the series on Nov. 5 to 6 as vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Aisha de Haas pay tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland and other stars of the uniquely American art form of jazz.

“It’s a fantastic show with fabulous singers,” Malina said.

That’s followed by an evening of the greatest hits of the legendary Paul Simon (Dec. 10 to 11), a show that includes songs like “Bridge over Troubled Water” and “The Sound of Silence.”

Next, the modern master of film music, John Williams, will be honored (Jan. 21 to 22) in a show called “A Night at the Movies,” which will include his scores from such movies as “Close Encounters,” “Harry Potter” and “Jurassic Park.” To some degree the show was patron-driven.

“When we did a tribute to John Williams before, audiences complained it didn’t include this or that,” Malina explained.

So, he obliged by offering a second tribute that included additional orchestral pieces.

Operating under the umbrella of the Harrisburg Symphony is the Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra, founded in 1953. There are three ensembles in the program, each of which performs twice at the Forum and Strawberry Square.

As it returns to the Forum, the HSO, at this time, isn’t planning to reinstate COVID-era policies.

“We’re proud how the orchestra has navigated the past two seasons,” Herren said. “We’re proud how we all worked together. We’ve shown strength and resilience, patience. Audiences have been cognizant that the last two seasons have been challenging. There’s no roadmap for the past two years.”

The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra performs at the Forum, 500 Walnut St., Harrisburg. For more information, including subscriptions and tickets, visit www.harrisburgsymphony.org.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

The Hidden Gems of HBG: A Bonus Valentine’s Day Podcast

February 14, 2022 | by Karen Hendricks

What are the hidden gems of Harrisburg? And where are these sparkling treasures?

That’s what we asked nearly all of our podcast guests over the past year. But—surprise, surprise—we saved these audio treasures for this bonus Valentine’s Day episode.

This special Valentine’s Day edition of TheBurg Podcast is sponsored by Explore HBG.

Nearly 25 guests reveal their favorite, go-to places they consider unique to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. And some of the answers may surprise you: They range from sparkling gems of nature to the capital city’s cultural gems, outstanding restaurants and businesses, iconic architectural gems, plus even a few quirky local gems. Some are truly hidden, off-the-beaten-path gems.

Discover the hidden gems of the Burg, on TheBurg Podcast: Hosted by Lawrance Binda, editor of TheBurg; and Karen Hendricks, TheBurg Podcast’s host and producer.

Guests, sharing their hidden gems, include:

Melissa Brown, UPMC Central PA
Fred Burton, Harrisburg-based writer
George Conrad, president, Standing Stone Trail Club
Karen Cullings, executive director of the Daphin County Library System
Seth Dellinger, Animal Advocates of Central PA
Jenifer Donnelly of Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg
Clare Flannery, Harrisburg runner
Monica Gould, DEI expert, of Strategic Consulting Partners,
Rich Hauck, TheBurg illustrator
Brad Jones, Harristown president and CEO
Kasey Jordan, Harrisburg native and ice skater with Revolution Ice Unity
Kevin Kulp, president, Harrisburg Senators
Maestro Stuart Malina of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
Maureen Marks of Maureen Marks Arts
Diane McCormick, freelance writer for TheBurg
Sammi Leigh Melville, TheBurg’s resident film writer
Rod Mortel, High Hopes for Haiti
Melissa Nicholson of Gamut Theatre
Steph Perez, Harrisburg artist
Ian Potter, muralist and Harrisburg native
Peter Sirotin of the Harrisburg Symphony and Market Square Concerts
Crystal Skotedis, Harrisburg resident, principal with Boyer & Ritter LLC
Todd Vander Woude, executive director of the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District
Andrew Williams, music teacher, Reach Cyber Charter School

TheBurg Podcast introduces you to some of the Harrisburg area’s most fascinating people, through their own authentic stories, expanded from every month’s magazine–because there’s always “more to the story.” TheBurg Podcast is released monthly on the second Friday of every month. It is hosted and produced by Karen Hendricks, an award-winning journalist and PR professional. Visit her website here.

TheBurg Podcast received two prestigious awards in 2021: First place, Excellence in Journalism, Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter; and Honorable mention, Keystone Media Award, Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation.

To sponsor a future episode of TheBurg Podcast, contact Lauren ([email protected]). TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pa.; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Safe & Sounds: Harrisburg Symphony opens its live music season, in a new space, with safety in mind.

September 30, 2021 | by Barbara Trainin Blank

The symphonic hall is again alive.

This month, the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra opens its 2021-22 season, having shared with many arts organizations the need to go virtual last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But, as it geared up for its first live concerts since February 2020, HSO faced an additional challenge. Renovations to the 90-year-old Forum in the Capitol Complex, its long-time home, forced it to seek another, temporary performance space for the season.

Right from the beginning, HSO has endured substantial challenges. When a group of music lovers decided to establish a symphony in Harrisburg, the country was in the throes of the Great Depression. Nevertheless, the founders moved ahead, with the first concert at Harrisburg’s William Penn High School on March 19, 1931, with a move to the Forum soon after.

Luckily, the search for a new, temporary home to resume live concerts was not as daunting as some expected.

“Even as it became possible to perform live again, HSO had to find a performance space large enough and attractive enough to substitute for the awe-inspiring Forum space,” said Matthew Herren, the symphony’s executive director. “Fortunately, we found a replacement in the Scottish Rite Theatre, which is a hidden gem near Italian Lake in Uptown Harrisburg.”

Built in 1954, the Scottish Rite Cathedral, at 2701 N. 3rd St., offers an entertainment venue that seats nearly 1,200 people, with 800 convenient parking spaces.

“It has a welcoming atmosphere, a large stage for our orchestra, and plenty of comfortable seating for our patrons,” Herren said.

The Pennsylvania Department of General Services, which operates the Forum, is “looking forward to the return of the HSO and its patrons to its historic auditorium after renovations are completed,” said Curt Topper, secretary of the department. “For nearly a century, the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra has called the Forum auditorium home.’

Of course, the heart of the symphony’s new season is the live music, noted Stuart Malina, music director and maestro.

“I’m very excited to be returning to live performances for a live audience,” he said.

For the season, HSO will present two series—Masterworks and the Capital Blue Pops.

Masterworks begins the weekend of Oct. 2-3 with the theme of “Picture Perfect.” The pieces to be performed include “Three Latin-American Dances” by Gabriela Lena Frank, a lush new piano concerto by HSO composer-in- residence Jonathan Leshnoff, and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.”

The opening Pops concert, the weekend of Oct. 23-24, is a tribute to John Williams, one of the leading film composers.

The Masterworks series continues Nov. 13-14 with a theme of “Sweeping Landscapes.” Pieces to be performed include “Sinfonietta No. 1” by Mieczyslaw Weinberg, David Ludwig’s “Pictures from the Floating World,” with bassoonist Joseph Grimmer, and Jean Sibelius’s “Symphony No. 1.”

For the season, HSO tried hard—and succeeded—to maintain much of the programming that had been planned for 2020-21.

“Some changes had to be made, mostly due to ongoing COVID concerns,” Malina said. “For example, we are delaying any choral work and scheduling. But we kept the bulk of the existing programming.”

As of now, HSO is planning to keep to the announced program, “barring any major downturn,” he added.

Another point of excitement is that several composers represented in the symphony’s Masterworks series are not heard often in the concert hall, Herren said. These include Valerie Coleman, Carlos Simon and Gabriela Lena Frank.

Along with the renewed live concerts, HSO is emphasizing the development of its youth orchestra programs and its increased efforts toward diversity, inclusivity and equality, according to Pat Ferris, the new chair of the board.

In addition, the HSO Symphony Society, the fundraising arm, will sponsor a gala at Ashcombe Mansion in Mechanicsburg in April.

Of course, there is likely one more thing on concert attendees’ minds, aside from enthusiasm over the return of live music.

On its website, HSO states that it “strongly recommends” vaccinations for audience members and “masks for those at risk.” It also states that they will “continue to monitor CDC and state/local government guidelines.”

“We’re trying to ensure a safe environment for everyone,” Herren said. “Some people may have reservations about being in a large environment, and we understand. This is a deeply personal choice.”

For more information on the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, including tickets, visit www.harrisburgsymphony.org or call the box office at 717-545-5598.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Harrisburg Symphony announces a new season, in a new venue

August 24, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda

Scottish Rite Cathedral. Photo by Elena Jasic

The Harrisburg Symphony is gearing up for a new, in-person season, and, for at least this year, a new venue, as well.

On Monday, the HSO announced that its 2021-22 season will be held in the Scottish Rite Cathedral on 3rd Street in Uptown Harrisburg.

“I am very pleased we will present our entire 2021-22 season at the historic Scottish Rite Theatre — a hidden gem near Italian Lake with a welcoming atmosphere, large stage for our orchestra, and plenty of comfortable seating for our patrons,” said Matthew Herren, executive director of the orchestra. “We look forward to delighting HSO audiences in this venerable setting.”

The theater holds almost 1,200 people and has some 800 parking spaces on site.

The HSO long has made the Forum downtown its home. However, that landmark building, owned by the commonwealth, is undergoing an extensive, $90 million restoration, necessitating the temporary move.

“For nearly a century, the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra has called the Forum Auditorium home,” said Curt Topper, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, which operates the facility. “We look forward to the return of the HSO and its patrons to our historic auditorium after renovations are completed.”

HSO will open its season the weekend of Oct. 2 to 3 with a Masterworks program featuring “Three Latin-American Dances” by Gabriela Lena Frank, the new “Piano Concerto” by HSO composer-in-residence, Jonathan Leshnoff, and Mussorgsky’s masterpiece, “Pictures at an Exhibition.”

On Oct. 23 and Oct. 24, HSO will pay tribute to the celebrated film composer, John Williams, as the Capital Blue Cross Pops opening program.

This will be the HSO’s first in-person season since 2019, as the 2020 live program was scrubbed due to the pandemic, with virtual performances in its place. Also, earlier this year, the symphony celebrated its 90th anniversary.

The entire 2021-2022 season of Masterworks and Pops programming will be announced shortly, according to the HSO.

“I’m incredibly excited at the prospect of performing once again for a live audience,” said Maestro Stuart Malina, HSO’s music director. “We have a magnificent season planned, filled with everything our audience has come to expect from the HSO — great symphonic music, spectacular soloists and entertaining pops, all played by a world-class orchestra.”

The Scottish Rite Cathedral is located at 2701 N. 3^rd St., Harrisburg. For tickets and more information about the HSO, visit harrisburgsymphony.org.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Breaking Down Barriers: TheBurg Podcast, April 2021

April 8, 2021 | by Karen Hendricks

What are some of Harrisburg’s challenges—and successes—in terms of breaking down barriers?

Brad Jones, Harristown president and CEO, talks about reinventing the city of Harrisburg’s image through economic development and adaptive reuse projects.

Maestro Stuart Malina of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra explains how the 90-year old organization continues to break down the barriers and stereotypes that often prevent people from enjoying the arts.

And are you a Friend of TheBurg? Kelsey Tatge and Lawrance Binda of TheBurg address how the membership program Friends of TheBurg breaks down barriers and establishes closer ties between the public and our very own news organization.

TMHT: Editor of TheBurg Lawrance Binda plants a springy “The Most Harrisburg Thing” to wrap up the show.

Because “there’s more to the story,” this episode expands several stories from the pages of April’s magazine: “We Re-Built This City” / “Turning the Page” / And Friends of TheBurg celebrates its one-year mark with membership available here.

TheBurg Podcast is hosted and produced by Karen Hendricks, a lifelong journalist who also dabbles in PR/Marketing. Visit her website here.

TheBurg is a monthly community magazine based in Harrisburg, Pa.; Lawrance Binda, co-publisher/editor.

Interested in sponsoring TheBurg Podcast? Contact Lauren ([email protected]).

Meet some of the Harrisburg area’s most fascinating people, and hear their own authentic stories, expanded from every month’s magazine, on TheBurg Podcast—because there’s always “more to the story.”

For the HSO, the show goes on—90 years and counting

March 17, 2021 | by Karen Hendricks

The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra on stage at The Forum in 2019

When the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra (HSO) takes the stage for their 90th birthday concert this Saturday, there will be striking differences compared to their inaugural March 1931 performance.

For starters, this weekend’s concert will take place virtually and be available for live-streaming directly into patrons’ living rooms—something that would have sounded completely foreign in 1931.

But there’s actually a common theme linking the two performances, beyond the music itself.

“We know we’re living under [pandemic] duress, but we need to remember what a bold decision it was for people to come together in Harrisburg and form an orchestra starting from zero dollars and zero funding,” said Matthew Herren, HSO executive director. “It was a big undertaking, and we honor their vision.”

The HSO has overcome many challenges in its 90 years including navigating its current “A Season Like No Other” via online performances. What began as a community orchestra featuring amateur Harrisburg musicians in 1931, morphed into a semi-professional organization, then blossomed into its current status as a fully professional orchestra.

The original Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra in 1931

“When we’re talking about an orchestra in a smallish city, it’s an extraordinary accomplishment to get to 90 years,” said Maestro Stuart Malina, HSO music director and conductor. “And when you get to the level of the HSO, the differential in artistic quality between us and the best orchestras in the world is really very small.”

Malina reflects on his musical childhood, family and fate that directed his steps toward the HSO—after he nearly followed in his father’s footsteps and became a lawyer—including his 20 years in Harrisburg, in the HSO’s March edition of their monthly “Conversations with the Maestro” YouTube series. The video is being released the evening of March 18, as a pre-cursor to this weekend’s celebratory online concert.

“When I first came to Harrisburg, I knew it was the capital—that was about all I knew about Harrisburg,” said Malina. “But the geographical location affords us major market players—that’s why I’ve stayed here so long… and on certain days, the Susquehanna River is the prettiest place in the world.”

He performs two piano pieces in the video—including a duet with his 18-year old son. Pandemic-era “exercises in creativity” such as online performances, and the HSO’s future, are also topics he touches upon.

“I’m feeling rather bullish about the future of the HSO. Others are pessimistic about the future of orchestras and arts organizations,” said Malina, citing the HSO’s strong community support, board, staff, and more than 70 musicians.

The last time the HSO performed for a live audience was March 1, 2020 at the Forum. Since October, the HSO has recorded and streamed six performances with four more in the works, according to Herren.

“We quickly shifted to online performance, and thanks to the generosity of the Whitaker Center we’ve been recording performances there for streaming on demand,” Herren said. “What we’ve proven to ourselves is that we’re more nimble than we thought.”

Pre-pandemic live performances typically attracted an audience between 1,000 and 1,700. Pandemic-era, pre-recorded online performances have been garnering ticket sales from 500 to 800 households. That translates into a steady audience, across a pandemic speed bump, if you calculate at least two people per household.

The 90th birthday concert, available online March 20-28, is a “celebratory program” reminiscent of “outdoor events and parades,” Herren said.

The program blends classical music’s past and present: It opens with James Stephenson’s “Fanfare for Democracy” composed for President Biden’s inauguration, and it pays homage to the orchestra’s 1931 debut concert program by including “Two Slavonic Dances,” by Bohemian composer Antonín Dvořák.

The HSO’s 1931 program (left), next to this month’s program (right)

“The orchestra’s level is probably the highest it’s ever been, professionally,” said Concertmaster Peter Sirotin, who has played violin with the HSO for 25 years. “It’s a joy to watch this orchestra grow into a Pennsylvania institution—a premier cultural organization… with a level of culture and morale and camaraderie that’s hard to find.”

Following the remainder of the season’s online programming, the HSO’s traditional, free outdoor summer concerts as well as the 2021-22 season remain a question mark for now.

“We have a schedule and intentions, but we will not publicly promote events until we know we can safely have the musicians on stage,” said Gloria Giambalvo, HSO marketing director.

She encourages the public to continue checking the HSO’s website and social media for announcements.

“We’re all dying to think about and talk about the summer, but we’re resisting,” said Giambalvo. “We don’t want to offer hope for something that may not happen as we initially intended. We’ve been open and honest with our patrons, and they respect that.”

The HSO’s YouTube Conversation with the Maestro, hosted by our very own Karen Hendricks of TheBurg Podcast, is linked here. HSO staff, as well as Hendricks, will be interacting and answering viewers’ questions live on YouTube, Thursday, March 18, 6-7:30 p.m.

For more information on the HSO including the 90th birthday concert, see harrisburgsymphony.org.

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