Symphony’s 52nd Season Starts Next Week
From Broadway melodies and Handel’s Messiah to the familiar sounds of “Star Wars,” the Rockbridge Symphony is preparing for its 52nd season of bringing live orchestral music to the Rockbridge area.
The 2026–27 season will feature four concerts, beginning Saturday, Sept. 12, at Lexington Presbyterian Church with “Won’t You Dance?”
The program will include selections from “Fiddler on the Roof,” Copland’s “Dance Episodes,” Leroy Anderson’s “Blue Tango,” the foot-tapping “Pops Hoe-Down” and Offenbach’s everpopular “Can-Can,” as well as works from Offenbach, Brahms, and more. The concert was originally planned for January but was canceled due to winter weather. A preconcert talk will begin at 6:45 p.m., and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
On Dec. 8, the Symphony will join choirs from Southern Virginia University for a performance of Part I of Handel’s Messiah at SVU’s Knight Arena, marking a new collaboration for the orchestra. The Symphony will return to Washington and Lee University’s Wilson Hall on Feb. 20, 2027, for its first performance there since 2024. The season will conclude in late April at Lexington Presbyterian Church with a “Star Wars”-themed concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original film’s 1977 release.
The Rockbridge Symphony is an intergenerational community orchestra that draws its strength from musicians with a wide range of backgrounds and experience. Seasoned professionals perform alongside longtime community musicians and emerging players, giving musicians an opportunity to learn from one another while sharing quality live music with local audiences.
The Symphony also welcomes new musicians throughout the season, including those who may not have played in some time. Former players wondering whether it might be time to dust off a violin, retrieve a flute from its case or rediscover their trumpet embouchure are encouraged to give it a try. No audition is required.
Rehearsals are held Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Maury River Middle School band room. Interested musicians are welcome to attend a rehearsal, meet artistic director Matt Mainella and members of the orchestra, and see if the Symphony feels like a good fit.
Community support continues to help make the Symphony’s work possible. The orchestra recently received a $4,500 Creative Communities Partnership Grant, awarded jointly by the city of Lexington and the Virginia Commission for the Arts. The funding will help support the Symphony’s 2026–27 season and its ongoing efforts to make live orchestral music accessible throughout the community.
Among the projects supported by the grant are repairs to a set of timpani gifted to Maury River Middle School by Washington and Lee University. Restoring the instruments will directly benefit middle school band students while also supporting the Rockbridge Symphony and the broader community of musicians and concertgoers.
“This grant provides greatly appreciated financial support, but beyond the dollars, it shows that our community leaders value having a thriving orchestra right here in Rockbridge County,” said Jack Bissett, percussionist and steering committee president. “A local orchestra not only gives audiences a shared space to experience quality live music, it also brings together seasoned professionals, longtime community musicians, and emerging players to make music and learn from one another. That kind of connection is worth sustaining.”
For more information about the 2026–27 season or joining the orchestra, email [email protected] or visit rockbridgesymphony. org.
ROCKBRIDGE Symphony director Matt Mainella clarifies a musical passage during rehearsal.
