Blog: Symphony Tacoma “A Grand Finale”

Saturday night’s performance was a concert like no other! It will remain unforgettable. Not only because of the program, another collection of firsts for the group, Elgar In the South, Peaslee Arrow’s of Time, the world premiere of Elsie Winklers’ Metamorphosis, and William Grant Still’s Symphony No.1 Afro-American, but for the warmth and love that I felt between us. 

It has been bittersweet to say goodbye; especially to this orchestra, which I have loved conducting for the past twelve years. It was especially meaningful to invite my husband, Scott Hartman, to perform Peaslee’s Arrows of Time; a mark of cleverness, beauty and rhythmic wit, a bit like Scott, who was a hit!

It was wonderful to have the Symphony Tacoma Voices join us for the encore; Bernstein’s Make Our Garden Grow. The significance of that moment was especially powerful: we have been planting seeds, and I hope our partnership will continue to bear fruit for many years to come. And to end with the surprise: Radetsky March conducted by my dear friend, Director of Symphony Tacoma Voices, Dr. Geoffrey Boers.

It was also incredibly moving to present the world premiere of Metamorphosis written by talented Tacoma composer Elise Winkler. As we are going through a “metamorphosis” ourselves, the piece felt especially timely. Elise has a deeply poignant voice and an important story to tell, and many audience members remarked on how compelling and moving they found her music.

My heart goes out to this orchestra, Symphony Tacoma for whom I am so thankful! They played spectacularly, especially in William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 1, Afro-American. It felt like true synergy, and we locked in with direction, musical prowess, and passion.

Before the performance of the Still one of our board members, Christina Abby, who shared with the audience the poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906), which inspired William Grant Still.

I was so very moved by the poem Christina Abby wrote in my honor:

Sarah, you’ve been

A visionary light

That has shone ever so bright

Illuminating our spaces

With pure, unadulterated delight

Gracing us with presence

Unshakable and unwavering love

Transcending angelic heights

Known to and only by above

Musically mirroring

A mission-bound legacy

Of building access and bridges

To, in and for community

A gift was presented! Our former board chairs Dick Ammerman & Clark D’Elia presented me with a beautiful, engraved baton case inscribed, “For twelve years of visionary leadership, artistry, and inspiration. With deepest thanks, your Symphony Tacoma.”

Thank you, Tacoma, for all the support over the years, including the many wonderful friends, board members, patrons, Symphony Tacoma staff, assistant conductors, collaborators, voices, and musicians. It has truly been an honor! Until we meet again…Good-Luck!

Concert Preview: A Grand Finale 

Celebrate Sarah Ioannides’ final concert on the Symphony Tacoma podium with a robust program featuring Scott Hartman on trombone and a rich blend of timeless and contemporary works that explore history, hope, and the future. Elgar’s vibrant overture captures the warmth and spirit of southern Italy, inviting listeners on a lively musical adventure filled with bright and joyful energy. Delve into the intriguing concept of time’s unstoppable flow through a dynamic and thought-provoking composition that challenges perception and stirs the imagination. Still’s groundbreaking symphony weaves lush African American spirituals and blues into a dynamic orchestral tapestry, offering a profound reflection on cultural identity and resilience.

Article Feature: Boston University’s “Musings”

Associate Professor of Orchestral Conducting & Director of Orchestral Activities, Sarah Ioannides, recently debuted with the Phoenix Symphony, conducting pieces by Boulanger, Tchaikovsky, and Prokofiev with violinist Richard Lin. She then performed with Symphony Tacoma featuring pianist Roman Rabinovich and led Boston University Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the university’s Chorus and Opera Institute. Next week, she will conclude her time with Symphony Tacoma with a diverse program featuring works by Elgar, Peaslee, Elise Winkler, and Still, with soloist Scott Hartman. 

Blog: Boston University at Symphony Hall

There are moments before walking on stage when time seems to disappear.

Days, weeks, hours have been consumed by anticipation and practice, everything leading to that instant when the performance begins, in front of thousands, in one of the world’s great concert halls. The orchestra tunes. I walk out. Applause rises, and with it, the sense of expectation.

Then…stillness. Total concentration. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 begins.

Everything we had worked so hard to achieve becomes reality. You can feel the audience listening.

The first movement unfolds with its dramatic ebb and flow, the insistence of its motives, their repetition, evolution, and transformation. We pushed to the extremes of dynamic control we had explored in rehearsal: as the world grows louder, but never at the expense of the smallest, softest details. Transparency is everything.

In the final coda, the movement’s menacing character reaches its inevitable conclusion, its narrative drawn together with tremendous force. We close, and the audience erupts.

(Applause after the first movement is always something to consider. Some works invite it; others do not. I was surprised—but not unhappy. The orchestra is impressive. Beethoven, of course, is the giant who stands above us all.)

The second movement scherzo, placed by Beethoven in an unconventional position, came to life with clarity and precision. The fugal writing emerged cleanly, each line distinct, the basses relishing their final entries. Our timpanist, bold and fearless, broke through the texture with what felt, suddenly, like humor. I had never thought of that moment as comic before, but perhaps it is one of Beethoven’s jokes: an interruption at just the wrong time, deliberate and mischievous, while the music presses on regardless.

The trio offered contrast, warmth, lyricism, a sense of ease, before the movement’s clever and graceful close. Again, applause. Smiles exchanged. And a quiet thought: how to manage that energy moving into the third movement, where the true stillness must begin.

The third movement is a world unto itself, an idyllic, deeply human landscape. It is music one hardly dares touch, for fear of disturbing its perfection. To conduct it feels like the understanding that one develops from deeply loving and deeply respect: a partnership built on trust, listening, and restraint.

I was struck by the maturity of these young musicians, their patience through rehearsals as we worked toward a shared vision. In performance, that vision finally settled. We allowed the music to speak, to transcend, to carry us into what I feel is one of Beethoven’s most soulful slow movements. And yet—even here—those distant fanfares remind us that the outside world remains, waiting.

And then…the finale.

A moment of reckoning. One wonders what Beethoven felt as he wrote it: a shaking of the fist at the world, and at the same time, a profound call to unity. Schiller’s Ode to Joy asks us to come together, to recognize our shared humanity, to reach toward something greater.

In that final movement, time stood still. We were all part of something larger—players, singers, audience—drawn into the same current. Bows on strings, breath through metal, drums sounding, voices rising together. Live performance at its most essential: searching, unpredictable, alive. So much has been prepared, but in the end, we must let go, trust the moment, and allow the music to unfold freely. That is where the miracle lies.

Thank you to all who shared such generous and thoughtful responses.

Bravo to our choir for their power and expressivity throughout, and to our soloists, who sang with beauty and deep emotional connection. Each is an artist with a remarkable path ahead.

My deepest thanks as well to the faculty and our terrific student conductors and assistants who supported our students through this intense period, amid classes, exams, recitals, and opera preparations. Boston University is a busy place. But this was our night in Symphony Hall.

Students, you rose to the occasion. Orchestra, you gave everything. 

We grew together, and it showed.

-Sarah Ioannides

Photos by Jake Belcher

Concert Preview: Boston University at Symphony Hall

Experience a night of musical brilliance at Symphony Hall as Boston University’s ensembles unite for a powerful celebration of artistry, tradition, and innovation.

From the vibrant rhythms of Jessie Montgomery’s Coincident Dances—a dazzling fusion of styles shaped by one of today’s most compelling living composers—to the spiritual grandeur of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, this program honors both the past and the pulse of contemporary creativity.

The evening culminates with Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 9, bringing together the Boston University Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Chorus, and soloists in the timeless “Ode to Joy.” This transcendent masterpiece—born from silence and infused with hope—reminds us of music’s enduring power to unite and uplift.

Join us for an extraordinary showcase of student excellence, living legacy, and the language of joy! 

Concert Preview: Symphony Tacoma presents “Passion & Grace”

Your Symphony Tacoma brings Tchaikovsky’s sweeping melodies and storytelling to life in a concert full of drama, beauty, and grandeur. Tchaikovsky’s Shakespearean musical drama masterfully weaves love, conflict, and tragedy into an extraordinary piece of art. Roman Rabinovich brings his elegant technique to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with dazzling precision and deep intensity. The enchantment of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite, where grace and spectacle come alive in this timeless tale of true love.