The KSU Symphony Orchestra continues celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of United States of America with a performance featuring works by two major composers associated with the Tanglewood Music Center: Copland and Bernstein. BSOM faculty artist Leonardo Lopes is the featured soloist in a double bass concerto by one of the founders of Tanglewood – and Bernstein’s primary conducting teacher – Serge Koussevitzky. Since its founding in 2004, the KSU Symphony Orchestra has grown into a vibrant musical community where emerging artists engage the great orchestral traditions while shaping the future of symphonic performance. Bringing together musicians from across disciplines and backgrounds, the ensemble approaches each performance with technical excellence, expressive depth and a spirit of discovery. This season’s programs journey across landscapes both historical and geographical — from celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary like this one, to a preview of the orchestra’s international tour repertory as they prepare to travel through Prague, Vienna and Budapest this spring. Along the way, you will encounter masterworks of the orchestral canon alongside bold contemporary compositions and performances featuring distinguished Bailey School of Music faculty artists and award-winning student soloists. Whether interpreting timeless repertoire or premiering new creative voices, the KSU Symphony Orchestra creates performances that are expansive, emotionally resonant and deeply connected to the world around them. This season reflects music’s enduring ability to travel across cultures and generations, carrying traditions and shared human experience wherever it is heard.