Two homecomings, one debut, and the power of connection
Making my conducting debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic last month with Renée Fleming.
Dear Friends,
This has been a year of remarkable debuts—Philadelphia, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Hong Kong—and November brings another one I'm especially excited about. This month I'll step onto the podium with Madison Symphony for the first time, bringing a program that moves from medieval mysticism to Russian grandeur. But I'm also returning to an orchestra I know well: Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, where we've built the kind of trust over two seasons that makes every concert feel like a conversation among old friends.
There's something quietly thrilling about this balance—returning to orchestras where trust runs deep, and meeting new musicians for the first time. Both require the same thing: showing up fully present, ready to listen, ready to connect.
Mentor and Muse in Baltimore
On November 16, I'll conduct Baltimore Chamber Orchestra in a program called Mentor & Muse: Haydn & Mozart—and the title captures what I love most about this kind of programming. The best performances happen when we're learning from each other: composers learning from those who came before them, musicians learning from each other in real time, and all of us learning from the music itself.
We're opening with Marcus Maroney's Concerto for Chamber Orchestra, a pulsing, rhythmically vibrant work that showcases what's unique about chamber orchestras—the way they can perform in harmonic dialogue with themselves. Then we'll feature National Symphony Orchestra Principal Trumpet William Gerlach making his BCO debut in Haydn's elegant and virtuosic Trumpet Concerto. And we'll close with one of Mozart's crowning achievements: the celestial and exultant Symphony No. 41, the "Jupiter."
This is exactly the kind of thread I look for when building programs—bold new music paired with perennial favorites, creating an arc that feels both surprising and inevitable. And with an orchestra like Baltimore Chamber, made up of top-tier players from the region's best ensembles, we've built the kind of trust over two seasons that lets us take risks together. That unspoken sixth sense—where I barely have to gesture and they're already there—that's what makes this work feel alive. It's also what makes concerts like this feel restorative, for everyone in the room.
Finding the Thread
I've been thinking a lot lately about why certain pieces of music belong together on the same program. It's not about matching keys or eras—it's about finding an emotional or philosophical thread that ties the works together. Sometimes it's a shared story, like mentorship. Sometimes it's about catching people off guard in the most wonderful way—pairing the themes from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon with Holst's The Planets, or reimagining Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale with blues legend Robert Johnson as the narrator.
The goal is always to create an experience where every piece feels like it had to be there. Where the arc of the evening leaves you somewhere new. That's what I'm chasing with every program I build—whether it's with an orchestra I've worked with for years or one I'm meeting for the first time. And when it works, when that thread becomes clear, the music stops being just notes on a page. It becomes something people carry with them.
A New Conversation Begins
This month I'll also make my debut with Madison Symphony for a program called Radiance (November 21-23). We're performing Christopher Theofanidis' Rainbow Body, a work I've loved for years. It's based on a haunting theme by 12th-century mystic composer Hildegard of Bingen, and the way Theofanidis brings it into modern times is overwhelmingly powerful. We'll pair it with Haydn's elegant Cello Concerto No. 2 with Alban Gerhardt, and close with Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition in Ravel's dazzling orchestration—a journey from medieval mysticism to Russian grandeur.
Every debut is a conversation that hasn't happened yet. I can't wait to see what this group of musicians brings to it.
Join Me This Month
I hope you'll join me for one of these concerts—or, if you're far from Baltimore or Madison, that you'll follow along as I share behind-the-scenes moments from rehearsals and performances on Instagram and Facebook. And if you're already thinking ahead to the holidays, Memphis Symphony Orchestra has both Handel's Messiah and our beloved Magic of Memphis concert coming up in December.
Thank you, as always, for being part of this journey with me. Music is better when it's shared, and I'm grateful to share it with you.
With gratitude,
Robert
Upcoming Appearances
Baltimore Chamber Orchestra — Mentor and Muse
Saturday, November 16, 2025 | 8:00 PM
Madison Symphony Orchestra — Radiance
November 21, 22, 23, 2025
Memphis Symphony Orchestra — Handel's Messiah
December 2, 3, 4, 2025
Memphis Symphony Orchestra — Magic of Memphis
December 20, 2025