Article: South Sound Magazine. By Kaitlin Armstrong. Oct 2, 2019

Symphony Tacoma will begin its 73rd season on Oct.19th at the Pantages Theater with an original production of Romeo and Juliet. In a performance that blends symphony and theater, the program will pair Prokofiev’s iconic ballet score with selections from the classic Shakespeare play. Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet has long been an audience favorite, both as a ballet and a symphonic production. Now, director Sarah Ioannides has reimagined the original Prokofiev score, bringing new life to an age-old story. The production will feature students from Tacoma School of the Arts (SOTA) in the roles of Romeo and Juliet. This year marks Ioannides’s sixth season with Symphony Tacoma. During her tenure with the symphony, Ioannides, who has received accolades from The New York Times and graced numerous top conductor lists, has established a reputation as a formidable creative director. In previous seasons, Ioannides has also forged collaborations with groups such as the Hilltop Artists, Lincoln High School, and the Tacoma Youth Symphony.

From League of American Orchestras, Symphony Magazine By Janelle Gelfand
January 2019

Smaller-budget orchestras are taking a chance on contemporary composers, involving their communities and appealing to the next generation of music lovers.

At the conclusion of Symphony Tacoma’s May 2017 world premiere of Daniel Ott’s Fire-Mountain, a multimedia work inspired by nearby Mount Rainier, the audience in Tacoma’s Pantages Theater sat, stunned, before erupting in applause. “The was an amazing silence, a quiet embrace of something coming from the grassroots, from the community, from the things so many care about,” says Symphony Tacoma Music Director Sarah Ioannides. “There was the excitement that Symphony Tacoma has given life to something that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.”