Symphony No. 1, op.25 “Classical” (1917)
Sergei Prokofiev

Composed between 1916 and 1917, Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 serves as a brilliant bridge between the sharp-edged modernism of the early 20th century and the elegant structures of the 18th. While many of his contemporaries were pushing the boundaries of massive orchestration and heavy emotionalism, Prokofiev took a deliberate detour into the past. He set out to write a symphony as if Haydn were alive in the modern era; clinging to his aristocratic manners but perhaps fostering a secret penchant for sudden dissonance and rhythmic mischief. The “Classical” title was Prokofiev’s own invention, which he intended both as a stylistic descriptor and a playful jab at the musical establishment of his day.

The opening Allegro begins in a release of melodic flare, with a rapid upward scale that sets a tone of breathless energy. It follows a strict sonata form, yet stays fresh with sudden, “wrong-note” modulations that keep the listener on their toes. This is followed by the Larghetto, which is a movement of pure elegance where the strings provide a delicate, almost porcelain-like melody that feels both nostalgic and slightly surreal. In the third movement, Prokofiev replaces the traditional Minuet with a Gavotta, a stylized Baroque dance. It is famously quirky, featuring wide melodic leaps that suggest a dancer who is remarkably graceful despite a touch of comic eccentricity. The symphony concludes with a Finale: Molto vivace, a display of woodwind virtuosity. It is a high-speed chase that demands absolute precision from the performers, sparkling with a wit that feels quintessentially Prokofiev. Completed during the tumult of the Russian Revolution, the music betrays none of that external chaos. Instead, it remains a masterpiece of clarity and sophisticated irony, proving that looking backward can be the most forward thinking move a composer can make.

-Abby Park (BM 2026, Violin Performance)

Serenade for String Orchestra (2025)
Quinn Mason

This ‘Serenade for Strings’ is a project many years in the making. The present composition is the result of musical ideas composed as far back as 2007 and 2013. In a sense, the piece has had multiple early lives and finally takes shape in its final life as this piece. In composing a ‘Serenade for Strings’, one mustn’t forget the masterworks that the genre boasts, such as those by Tchaikovsky, Elgar, Dvořák and others. Therefore, I sought to use the groundwork they laid, but speak in my own voice (and use only one movement) in a mostly post-romantic style. From a slow-burn introduction, I write several contrasting fast sections that are melody focused, and build upon previous themes. However, despite these fast sections, the piece retains a dark, reflective and somewhat nostalgic color. While the piece glances back lovingly, it also looks forward dynamically and lyrically.

-Quinn Mason

Symphony No.2, op.36, D major (1802)
Ludwig Van Beethoven

Composed between 1801 and 1802, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D major stands at a fascinating crossroads in his career. It was written during a time of deep personal crisis: grappling with the reality of his deteriorating hearing, feeling socially isolated, and withdrawing to a quieter town, Heiligenstadt, he details his dance with the ideation of death in his infamous Heiligenstadt Testament. However, he offers little outward sign of his inner turmoil as this symphony radiates liveliness, excitement, and even humor.

The first movement opens with a grand, slow introduction, steadily gaining momentum before launching into a vibrant Allegro con brio. Here, Beethoven expands classical forms inherited from Haydn and Mozart, infusing them with greater scale and dramatic contrast. Sudden dynamic shifts and playful motifs give the music a sense of unpredictability and forward motion.

The second movement, marked Larghetto, provides a lyrical contrast. Its flowing melodies and gentle accompaniment create an atmosphere of warmth and serenity. Rather than deep melancholy, Beethoven offers a poetic and elegant meditation, rich in subtle detail and expressive nuance.

The third movement is a scherzo, lively and rhythmically surprising; it replaces courtly grace with wit and vigor, hinting at the bold innovations that would define his later works.

The final movement bursts with exuberance. Its playful, almost mischievous character is driven by a rhythmic figure that feels both humorous and slightly unruly. The symphony concludes in a blaze of gusto, affirming Beethoven’s creative brilliance.

Overall, Symphony No. 2 captures a composer pushing boundaries, bridging Classical era style with his boldness, originality, unmistakable personality, and emotional depth.

-Avery Robinson (MM 2026, Trombone Performance)

Mei Ann Chen

Taiwanese American conductor Mei-Ann Chen is renowned as one of the most versatile, compelling, and dynamic international conductors today. Music Director of the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011, her contract has been unanimously extended through the end of the 2028-2029 season. Chief Conductor of Austria’s Recreation – Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte (the first female Asian conductor to hold this position with an Austrian orchestra), she is also the Artistic Advisor of Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA), the first-ever Artistic Partner of Houston’s ROCO, and Artistic Partner with Northwest Sinfonietta (WA). On April 2, 2026, she was announced by the internationally renowned Manhattan School of Music as Director of Orchestral Activities and Chair of Conducting beginning the 2026-27 academic year. An acclaimed communicator praised for her energy and enthusiasm, Ms. Chen is a sought-after guest conductor and has appeared with distinguished orchestras throughout the Americas, Europe, The United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and her native Taiwan (over 160 to date), and continues to expand her relationships with orchestras worldwide.

Following summer engagements that included significant debuts with the Festival Vaduz Classic in Liechtenstein, sold-out programs with South Africa’s Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Brevard Music Center, Ms. Chen’s 2025-2026 season includes debuts with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (South Korea debut), Austria’s ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, France’s Orchestre Nacional des Pays de la Loire, Madrid Orchestra and Choir (Madrid, Spain debut), Brazil’s Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra. She also returns to Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Franciso Symphony, Sinfonieorchester Liechtenstein, Sweden’s Uppsala Chamber Orchestra, the Netherland’s Residentie Orkest Den Haag, and Taiwan’s National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra for multiple programs during its 80th Anniversary Season.

Recent engagements include a five-city tour of the Netherlands in her debut with Philharmonie Zuidnederland, returns to San Franciso Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, debuts with Denmark’s Odense Symphony, The Orchestre National de France (Paris debut), Norway’s Stavanger Symphony, and Taiwan’s One Song Orchestras (televised New Year’s concert), and national debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (at 2023 Ravinia Festival). Ms. Chen served as a Jury Member for both the 2021 & 2024 MALKO Competition hosted by the Danish National Symphony, and led ROCO’s EarShot showcase with the American Composers Orchestra during the 2024 League Of American Orchestra’s National Conference in Houston, Texas.

Past significant engagements include a return to Vienna’s Tonkunstler Orchestra at the Grafenegg Festival and conducting Austrian televised ORF “Klangwolke Werk” projects and radio broadcast with the STYRIARTE Youth Orchestra. Other international debuts include Germany’s Staatsorchester Darmstadt and Orchestra National du Capitole de Toulouse (France debut), Spain’s Basque National Orchestra, Finland’s Helsinki Philharmonic in Finland, Norwegian Radio, Sweden’s Norrlandsoperan, and Netherlands Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw. In the US, Chen debuted with American Composers orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and returned to Cincinnati and multiple times with the San Francisco Symphony.

Extensive international guest credits include symphony orchestras of England’s BBC in London, Brazil’s São Paulo (OSESP), Denmark’s National, Aalborg, Aarhus, Odense and Copenhagen Philharmonic, Finland’s Tampere Philharmonic, Germany’s Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe, Musikalische Academie des Nationaltheater-Orchestesters Mannheim, and NDR Radiophilharmonie Hanover, Mexico’s National, Norway’s Oslo Philharmonic and Trondheim, Sweden’s Malmö, Gothenburg, Norrköping, Gävle, and Helsingborg, Switzerland’s Basel and Lucerne, Taiwan Philharmonic and Kaohsiung City at WeiWuYing (the world’s largest performing arts center since 2018 in Ms. Chen’s hometown), Scotland’s BBC Scottish, and Turkey’s Bilkent in Ankara. Other North American guesting credits include major symphonies of Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Oregon, San Diego, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver, to name a few.

As Music Director of Chicago Sinfonietta, Ms. Chen has made two recordings for Cedille Records: “Delights and Dances” (June 2013) and “Project W – Works by Diverse Women Composers” (released March 2019 by GRAMMY® nominated producer, Jim Ginsburg), featuring world premiere recordings for works by Florence Price, Clarice Assad, Jessie Montgomery, and Reena Esmail. In 2018, Innova Records released ROCO’s debut album “ROCO: Visions Take Flight” (produced by GRAMMY® Award producer, Blanton Alspaugh) featuring five commissioned contemporary works by Karim Al-Zand, Reena Esmail, Derek Bermel, Anthony DiLorenzo, and Marcus Karl Maroney. Invited by Marin Alsop, Ms. Chen recorded Miachel Daugherty’s Time Machine for Three Conductors with UK’s Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on Naxos Records label in 2011. This 2025-26 season, with Chicago Sinfonietta, she releases Black Being with flutists/composers Flutronix for Cedille.

A passionate advocate for music education, since 2014, Chen has dedicated significant time in mentoring young conductors through Chicago Sinfonietta’s Freeman Conducting Fellowship program (helping to launch professional careers for more than a dozen young conductors), has been a mentor for the Taki Alsop Fellowship since 2022, and conducts ensembles at important educational institutions, such as Carnegie’s esteemed NYO2 for young musicians (age 14-17), New England Conservatory (her alma mater), Indianapolis University, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, University of Southern California. She also serves at various training programs, including the New World Symphony in Miami, Texas Music Festival, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Ung Filharmoni in Norway, and was appointed a Visiting Scholar at the National Taiwan Normal University after leading Youth Orchestra Camp as Artistic Director of National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival (2016-2021). Ms. Chen also served as Music Director of the renowned Portland Youth Philharmonic in Oregon (2002-2007).

In March 2025, Mei-Ann Chen received the Marylou Speaker Churchill Award from her alma mater, New England Conservatory of Music, named for her violin teacher. Past honors include being named one of 2015 Top 30 Influencers by Musical America, the 2012 Helen M. Thompson Award from the League of American Orchestras, the 2007 Taki Concordia Fellowship founded by Marin Alsop, and 2005 First Prize Winner of the Malko Competition (she remains as the only woman in the competition history since 1965 to have won First Prize). Ms. Chen is Conductor Laureate of the Memphis Symphony after serving as Music Director (2010-2016). Born in Taiwan, Ms. Chen came to the United States to study violin in 1989 at Walnut Hill High School for the Arts, received a violin performance undergraduate degree from New England Conservatory before becoming the first student in New England Conservatory’s history to be awarded double master’s degrees simultaneously in both violin and conducting, and earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from University of Michigan.