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 path. It was here, at the historic 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. Beyond that, Virginia Beach has always been a place of meaning for me, from childhood trips to the oceanfront (including a failed attempt at surfing!) to the countless impressions gathered along its boardwalk, farmland, and neighborhoods.
The Virginia Beach Symphony reaches beyond my own story, aiming instead to capture the city’s character through music. Its four movements form a portrait of Virginia Beach’s character and contrasts: the vast presence of the Atlantic Ocean; the vibrant rhythm of the Town Center; the reflective landscapes of Pungo, where Claudia Emerson’s poem Stable gives voice to both past and present; and finally, the commanding yet familiar presence of the Navy’s F/A-18 fighter jets, in a finale that serves as a 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/)
