Concert Preview: Symphony Tacoma presents “Pops & Rock” feat. Jimmie Herrod

by Sarah Ioannides | Nov 3, 2025 | News, News Articles

Concert Preview: Symphony Tacoma presents “Pops & Rock” feat. Jimmie Herrod

Sarah Ioannides | Symphony Tacoma Music Director | Female Conductor and Composer

Join us for an unforgettable night of unstoppable energy as Symphony Tacoma and Symphony Tacoma Voices unite with America’s Got Talent finalist Jimmie Herrod, a Tacoma native whose powerhouse vocals have taken the nation by storm! From Motown magic and the British Invasion to disco grooves, rock anthems, and dance-floor favorites, this electrifying concert will have you singing and maybe even dancing in the aisles.

This is Tacoma’s chance to welcome home one of its brightest stars; you don’t want to miss it!

Read the full review

Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra: Conductor Sarah Ioannides debut with the ensemble Uncommon Gems, Nov.2

by Sarah Ioannides | Oct 25, 2025 | News, News Articles

Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra: Conductor Sarah Ioannides debut with the ensemble Uncommon Gems, Nov. 2

Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra presents the debut of Sarah Ioannides with the ensemble Uncommon Gems on Sunday November 2 at 3PM at The Second Church in Newton (60 Highland Street, West Newton). Ioannides has curated a program designed to surprise and delight, spotlighting rarely performed works that reveal unexpected brilliance and character.

The program opens with Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, a vivid, rhythmically charged suite originally written for piano and later arranged by the composer for chamber orchestra.

Swedish composer Elfrida Andrée’s Intermezzo — an effervescent miniature drawn from one of her symphonies — has been newly orchestrated by Jonathan Spatola-Knoll, conducting assistant for Symphony Tacoma. This performance marks its East Coast premiere.

The concert also includes the world premiere of an orchestration of Aaron Copland’s Duo for flute and chamber orchestra by D. Wilson Ochoa, principal librarian of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Read the full review

BU Today Feature: BU Symphony Orchestra: Vivid Storytelling, Emotional Richness

by Sarah Ioannides | Oct 9, 2025 | News, News Articles

BU Today Feature: “BU Symphony Orchestra: Vivid Storytelling, Emotional Richness”

On October 3, the Boston University Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Sarah Ioannides (fourth from left), performed a program exploring vivid storytelling and emotional richness at the Tsai Performance Center. Opening with Seven O’Clock Shout by Valerie Coleman, followed by Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune and Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture, the concert closed with Stravinsky’s energetic ballet Pétrouchka. Featured were two graduate student conductors, Ian Henscheid and Gordon Cheung.

Photo by Alicia Hamm (COM’26)

Read the full review

Symphony Tacoma Presents “Brilliance & Beyond”

by Sarah Ioannides | Oct 9, 2025 | News, News Articles

Concert Preview: Symphony Tacoma Presents “Brilliance & Beyond”

Step into a world of fierce legends and dazzling intensity, opening Music Director Sarah Ioannides’ final season on the Symphony Tacoma podium with powerful emotion, masterful technique, and eloquence. Experience the captivating and mysterious legend of Salomé through lush, evocative melodies that celebrate the power and allure of legendary women. Symphony Tacoma welcomes back violinist Bella Hristova as she performed Barber’s Violin Concerto. Described as “a player of impressive power and control” (WA Post), violinist Bella Hristova performs Barber’s concerto in a breathtaking showcase of virtuosity and depth. Stravinsky’s dynamic work bursts with expressive rhythms and vibrant orchestration, telling the dramatic tale of a puppet’s struggle for freedom and love.

Read the full review

Concert Preview: Boston University Symphony Orchestra

by Sarah Ioannides | Sep 27, 2025 | News, News Articles

Boston University Symphony Orchestra

Boston University School of Music presents Boston University Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Sarah Ioannides, in Tsai Performance Center on Friday, October 3, 2025 in a free event. This dynamic program explores vivid storytelling and emotional richness through two landmark orchestral works. Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune opens with dreamy sensuality, evoking the hazy world of myth and imagination through lush harmonies and fluid, shifting textures. Inspired by a poem by Mallarmé, the piece captures the languid desires and fleeting visions of a faun in the heat of the afternoon. Stravinsky’s Petrouchka bursts with color and rhythmic vitality, telling the story of a puppet who longs for life and love amid the chaos of a bustling Russian fair. With its brilliant orchestration and dramatic contrasts, the ballet blends folk melodies, satire, and pathos into a vibrant, emotionally charged tour de force. Sandwiched between Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture offers a witty and exuberant salute to student life, weaving together traditional college songs in a richly orchestrated and impressive orchestral showcase.

Read the full review