Jamie Reeves Opens Landmark Season in Collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma

MONTGOMERY, AL —

Jamie Reeves will lead the opening concert of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary Season on Sunday, September 20 at 3:00 p.m. at the Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts, joined by internationally acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma for one of the orchestra’s most anticipated performances in recent years.

A 20-time Grammy Award winner, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, United Nations Messenger of Peace, and founder of Silkroad, Yo-Yo Ma remains one of the most influential artists in classical music. His discography includes more than 120 albums, from landmark recordings of the classical canon to genre-defying collaborations such as Goat Rodeo Sessions with Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer, and Stuart Duncan. Through initiatives including the Bach Project and Our Common Nature, Yo-Yo Ma has continued expanding classical music’s role in cultural dialogue worldwide.

The opening program reflects the artistic direction Jamie Reeves has cultivated in Montgomery — balancing contemporary voices with cornerstone repertoire. The concert opens with Carlos Simon’s The Block, followed by Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite. Following intermission, Yo-Yo Ma joins Reeves and the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra for Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor.

The performance launches a milestone season celebrating five decades of artistic excellence in Alabama’s River Region. The anniversary season will feature internationally recognized guest artists, a four-concert Masterworks series, a world premiere commission, a concert presentation of La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini, and a season finale featuring pianist Joyce Yang performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 ‘Emperor’.

Since his appointment as Music Director in the 2021–2022 season, Jamie Reeves has led a period of notable artistic momentum for the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra through ambitious programming, high-profile collaborations, and community-focused initiatives. His Alabama Composers Project has brought new works connected to the state’s cultural history to the stage, including the recent world premiere of A Time for Jubilee by Nkeiru Okoye commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March.

Beyond Montgomery, Jamie Reeves continues to expand his national profile through guest engagements with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, and Omaha Symphony, in addition to past cover conducting engagements with the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.