Fall Lineup to Include Return of Symphony in the City and
In-Person Midweek Education Concerts
BALTIMORE (August 30, 2022) – The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) launches the 2022-23 season on September 17, 2022, with the return of its signature Season Opening Gala Celebration. Under the baton of conductor Jack Everly, the BSO will be joined by Grammy-award-winning soul and jazz vocalist Ledisi who will share her unique take on the music of legendary singer, songwriter, and activist Nina Simone.

Guests will enjoy a concert featuring Ledisi’s rendition of Simone’s most famous works such as “My Baby Just Cares for Me” and “I Put a Spell on You,” as well as orchestral favorites such as Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story. Students from BSO OrchKids and the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras join Ledisi and the BSO on stage for a special performance of Simone’s “Feeling Good.”
For the first time, all single ticket holders are invited to join in a post-concert celebration that includes a commemorative 2022 Gala tumbler and access to complimentary drinks, desserts and snacks, a DJ, dancing, and memorable photo opportunities.
“The Gala has always been the Symphony’s largest fundraiser, with proceeds felt at the heart of the Orchestra,” said Board Member Terry M. Rubenstein and granddaughter of the late Joseph Meyerhoff. “My grandfather considered the Symphony Hall a gift to Baltimore and loved nothing more than to see it filled with life, community, and music. This year, the first Gala in four years and nearly 40 years to the day of Hall’s public opening, we have so much to celebrate – including this incredible home.”
The Gala marks the start of a year-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, home to the BSO since 1982. Gala guests will be the first to experience capital improvements and view a new exhibition that brings Hall’s origin story to life through historical documentation. Beginning in November, the exhibition will expand to feature original works by local artists inspired by Hall’s architecture and cultural position over the next 40 years. The Gala also kicks off the season-long farewell celebration of Jack Everly, who concludes his tenure as Principal Pops Conductor.
“We are grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate 40 years of the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, a performance venue designed specifically to showcase the Baltimore Symphony and so much more,” said President and CEO Mark Hanson. “As we look to the next 40 years, the BSO is committed to finding additional ways to bring new audiences and a broad array of performing artists into the hall while also continuing to present the Orchestra throughout our community and state.”
The Gala is just the start of an exciting fall lineup of BSO events. On September 14 at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Central Branch, the BSO will perform the first of its fall Symphony in the City series, in which the Orchestra shares free concerts in locations throughout Baltimore. Newly promoted Associate Conductor Jonathan Rush will lead the one-hour evening performance in works by Duke Ellington, Adolphus Hailstork, and Mozart.
On September 15, the BSO continues its Music for Maryland Tour with a performance in Montgomery County at the Parilla Performing Arts Center. Later this fall, plans for a new partnership with Keystone Korner Baltimore – an organization celebrating its own 50th anniversary – will bring intimate jazz concerts to the Meyerhoff lobby.
Just in time for Halloween on October 28-30, the BSO performs Get Out in Concert, during which the Orchestra performs the score live to the movie. And, for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, the BSO invites schools from across the region to return to Midweek Education Concerts, beginning with Calypso Fusionon October 26-27 and introducing percussion instruments with the Positive Vibrations Youth Steel Orchestra Students. Free tickets and transportation support to Midweek Concerts are also available for Baltimore City Title-I schools.
***
TICKETS (Season Opening Gala Celebration)
Starting at $85, tickets include a tumbler, two complimentary drink tickets, and desserts and can be purchased by contacting the BSO’s Patron Support at 410.783.8000 or visiting BSOmusic.org.
Those 40 or under looking to elevate their experience, including access to a VIP post-concert reception with live music by pianist Cyrus Chestnut, can purchase a special Next Generation Gala ticket for $300. Full VIP ticket packages are available beginning at $500. To learn more about VIP tickets for the BSO’s Season Opening Gala Celebration, visit BSOmusic.org/Gala.
Cocktail attire is recommended.
About the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
For over a century, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. The orchestra is internationally renowned and locally admired for its innovation, performances, recordings, and educational outreach initiatives including OrchKids.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs annually for more than 275,000 people throughout the State of Maryland. Since 1982, the BSO has performed at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and since 2005, with the opening of The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, the BSO became the nation’s first orchestra performing its full season of classical and pops concerts in two metropolitan areas. More recently, 2020 marked the beginning of a new era of artistry, innovation, stability, and digital accessibility, including the launch of the virtual platform BSO OffStage and a groundbreaking docu-concert series BSO Sessions. More information about the BSO can be found at BSOmusic.org.