10/21/2026
TONIGHT! The Mason Symphony Orchestra invites you to experience "Beginnings and Triumphs" this evening, Wednesday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall.
Tickets are selling fast! https://music.calendar.gmu.edu/mason-symphony-orchestra-concert-beginnings-amp-triumphs-2026
Long before he transformed the musical world with his groundbreaking symphonies, Ludwig van Beethoven introduced himself to Vienna with a remarkable debut of his first symphony. Symphony No. 1 honors the elegance and balance of the Classical tradition while revealing the bold imagination that would soon redefine it. Fresh, energetic, and full of surprises, the work offers a glimpse of a young composer poised on the threshold of greatness.
Opening the program is Verdi’s stirring Nabucco Overture, a dramatic curtain-raiser drawn from the opera that launched the composer’s international career. Filled with sweeping melodies, brilliant orchestral colors, and moments of both grandeur and lyricism, it provides a fitting introduction to an evening celebrating the beginnings of two musical giants. Together, these works illuminate the early sparks of genius that would grow into some of the most influential voices in classical music history.
Continuing this celebratory evening is Karel Butz’s Three Metallic Spires, inspired by The Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. The memorial’s spires are associated with the Air Force’s three core values, “Integrity first,” “Service before self,” and “Excellence in all we do.” Bursting with an Americana and dreamy spirit, the works’ open harmonies and expansive melodic lines represent the three spires soaring triumphantly towards the heavens.
Tickets: $20 Adults, $15 Senior, $10 Youth
