Jump To: Program Description | Artists | Playlist | Program Notes 

The Program

September 27, 2027 | 3:30pm
Beachwood HS | 25100 Fairmount  
Free Admission

Pines of Rome
Life Emerges, Life Endures

 

HOWE: Stars

NIELSEN: Helios Overture

MENDELSSOHN: Piano Concerto No. 1

Joyce Yu, piano 

RESPIGHI:  PInes of Rome

 

Image Projections by Cleveland Photographic Society

Conducted by Domenico Boyagian

Pre-Concert Event

Lobby Photo Gallery featuring work by Cleveland Photogaphic Society | Opens at 3:00pm

 



The Hype:
Life Emerges, Life Endures

The cosmos is within us. We are made of star stuff. See for yourself as SSO and the Cleveland Photographic Society open the season with Stars, Helios,and The Pines of Rome in a multi-sensory exploration of life across space and time: the distant stars with their building blocks of life, the life-giving light of the sun and the ancient trees that bear witness to centuries of human history. Feel the spirit of the ancients live on as the Eternal City gloriously emerges from the mist into blazing sunrise and brass-filled crescendo. Life finds a way. 

We’ve partnered with The Cleveland Photographic Society and their army of amazing local photographers to bring the music to life with stunning images that light up the stage. These artists are the real deal! No AI slop with pictures of 6-toed babies here. 

Amidst it all, pianist and rising star Joyce Yu dazzles in Mendelssohn’s sparkling first piano concerto.

Playlists

The Artists

Celebrated for his expressive artistry, clarity of vision, and dynamic leadership, Maestro Domenico Boyagian has been hailed by The Cleveland Plain Dealer as “a born conductor” and “a conductor for whom the music is the sole point of standing before musicians.” Milwaukee’s Shepherd Express praised his “insightful grasp of style” and his ability to lead “with sensitivity in tempo and phrase.”

Now in his ninth season as Music Director of the Suburban Symphony Orchestra, Boyagian has guided] the ensemble through a vibrant period of growth, highlighted by a complete Beethoven Cycle that culminated in a sold-out Ninth Symphony at Severance Hall to celebrate the orchestra’s 70th anniversary. The 2025–26 season features works by Holst, Grieg, Prokofiev, Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, as well as the annual Young Soloist Concerto Competition. A dedicated advocate for education, Boyagian collaborated with pianist Lang Lang on the “101 Pianists” program to inspire young performers.

As Music Director of Cleveland Opera Theater, Boyagian has elevated the company to a leading regional force, conducting productions across the U.S. with companies such as Florentine Opera, Opera Southwest, Florida Grand Opera, Opera North, Opera Delaware, Opera Baltimore, and the Manhattan School of Music. Guest engagements have included the Milwaukee Symphony, Delaware Symphony, Palm Beach Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, and the Bulgarian Festival Orchestra.

Born in Bologna, Italy, Boyagian studied at the Bologna Conservatory, Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has recorded Grieg works with Antonio Pompa-Baldi and the Ohio Philharmonic for Centaur Records, as well as Margaret Brouwer’s Voice of the Lake with Blue Streak Ensemble. His honors include a “Most Distinguished Artist” grant from Cleveland’s Community Partnership for Arts and Culture and recognition as one of the “Top 10 Most Successful Italians Under 40 in the U.S.” by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce of New York.

 

Program Notes

Program notes will be available approximately one week before the performance.

Eduard Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole
Notes by violinist Yi-Chuan Li

Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, although directly translated to, “Spanish Symphony”, is considered a violin concerto by today’s standards. It was written in 1874 for violinist Pablo de Sarasate, the composer of Zigeunerweisen. It contains many Spanish themes and motifs throughout, including gypsy-style gestures in the first theme. This piece sparked a period of Spanish themed music, such as Bizet’s opera Carmen. Symphonie Espagnole also had an influence on Tchaikovsky. After Tchaikovsky went through a rough period of his life, his student Iosif Kotek introduced him to Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. He enjoyed it so much that he set aside his ongoing compositions to write his violin concerto in D major

Camille Saint-Saens:  Cello Concerto No. 1
Notes by cellist Nick Jacques

Saint-Saëns’ first cello concerto is a piece with drama and operatic storytelling. I associate the first movement with a hero finding himself in a storm, followed by expansive themes in both the first and third movements where this character wrestles with doubt. By the time we get to the coda, our hero has come out victorious, signalled by the transition from A minor to A major. My favorite part of the piece is the deep F major theme in the third movement, which reminds me of a wise old man.

Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1
Notes by pianist Max Tian

Mendelssohn’s First Piano Concerto shifts moods so quickly in the last two movements that it feels like a series of scenes in a film. The Andante, to me, is the warmest part of the piece. It feels like a song shared in a quiet space with the piano just floating over the strings in a calm, singing line. From there, the music does not really stop, since it connects straight into the finale, where the piano suddenly has a sparkling, rapid-fire energy that is flowing rather than heavy

New to SSO? First Time Visitor Guide

Thank you to our supporters