Music Director Kwamé Ryan leads the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. Photo: Charlotte Symphony Facebook.
In Tuesday’s (2/24) Charlotte Observer (North Carolina), Adam Bell writes, “To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra … teamed up with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra [to commission] a work by American composer Levi Taylor that will have its world premiere in Charlotte next January. The Tuesday morning announcement coincided with the release of the CSO’s upcoming 2026-27 season, its 95th, which also will feature acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell at its annual gala…. Taylor said he was inspired by civil rights leader John Lewis’ call to make ‘good trouble’ for civil disobedience and feminist author bell hooks’ writings on love as a radical practice of resistance…. That piece is in line with the CSO season’s theme of resilience. Other performances under the theme include: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which the CSO described as a testament to joy despite the composer’s struggles with deafness; Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, composed in the middle of World War II; and the U.S. premiere of Grammy-winning composer Calliope Tsoupaki’s ‘Aurora,’ which explores refugees’ journey across the Mediterranean Sea … This is music director Kwamé Ryan’s third season leading the orchestra.” The article lists highlights of the orchestra’s classical, pops, and movie series.
