Symphonicity to Present World Premiere of Virginia Beach Symphony
“One rusty horseshoe hangs on a nail above the door, still losing its luck…”
As a composer from Virginia, my connection to Virginia Beach runs deep - not only through personal memories but also through the city’s role in shaping my early musical path. It was at the Cavalier Hotel during the 1990 Virginia Music Educators Association conference that I first heard one of my orchestral works performed, a turning point that set me firmly on the road to composition. Over the years, Virginia Beach has remained a place of meaning for me - from childhood trips to the oceanfront (including a failed attempt at surfing!) to long walks along the boardwalk, drives through its rural southern region, and evenings spent taking in its nightlife.
The Virginia Beach Symphony reaches beyond my own story, aiming to capture the city’s spirit through music. Its four movements paint a portrait of Virginia Beach’s character and contrasts - from the vast expanse of the ocean and the vibrant energy of the Town Center to the quiet reflection of Pungo’s rural life, where Claudia Emerson’s poem Stable gives voice to both past and present. The final movement brings the powerful yet familiar presence of the Navy’s F/A-18 fighter jets to life, serving as a musical tribute to the women and men of the military.
The reason Emerson’s haunting line from Stable stayed with me is the same reason Angela Andrieux’s photograph of an abandoned fishing boat (pictured above) caught my attention: both capture the bittersweet tension between what endures and what fades. That same push and pull - memory against change, permanence against impermanence - has shaped not only this symphony but also the way I think about place and community. My hope is that this work resonates with anyone who knows what it means to return to a place that has changed, yet remains meaningful in new ways.
The world premiere of the Virginia Beach Symphony takes place on November 16, 2025, at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, with Daniel W. Boothe conducting Symphonicity. Tickets available here. (get them soon - this concert is selling out!)
Photo Credit above: Angela Andrieux Photography (https://angelaandrieux.com/)
