BEVERLY, MA — Symphony by the Sea has announced its 2026-2027 season, a four-concert series at The Cabot in Beverly that will mark the orchestra's 45th anniversary.
The Sunday afternoon lineup features guest artists including Metropolitan Opera soprano Sara Heaton, concertmaster Scott Moore, violinist Keila Wakao, oboist Keisuke Wakao and tenor, conductor and narrator Matthew Arnold.
In a review of the group's February 2026 all-Mozart concert, The Boston Musical Intelligencer critic John Tamilio III called Symphony by the Sea "one of the esteemed treasures of the North Shore."
He also praised the orchestra's "superb execution" under Music Director and Conductor Donald Palma.
The season opens Nov. 8, with "The Heavenly Life," built around Mahler's Symphony No. 4. Heaton is the featured soprano for that program. According to the announcement, Heaton appeared in the Metropolitan Opera's 2018 production of Cendrillon and is currently a member of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus.
On Feb. 7, the orchestra will present "A Walk Through the English Countryside," with Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending, Elgar's Serenade and Introduction and Allegro, Britten's Simple Symphony and Finzi's Prelude and Romance. Moore will be the featured violinist on that program. The announcement states that Moore also serves as concertmaster of the Lexington Symphony and Cape Ann Symphony.
A March 21 concert will feature Keila Wakao in the Brahms Violin Concerto and her father, Keisuke Wakao, on oboe, with Haydn's Symphony No. 44 opening the program. The announcement says the appearance follows Keisuke Wakao's retirement at the close of the 2026 Tanglewood season after 36 years with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops.
That father-daughter performance also returns the two musicians to The Cabot after a February 2026 Symphony by the Sea concert. In his review for The Boston Musical Intelligencer, Tamilio described Keila Wakao's playing as "fiery" and the concluding Mozart as "dazzling and erudite."
The season concludes April 25, with Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" and Stravinsky's Suite from Pulcinella. Arnold will serve as narrator for the family-focused program. Symphony by the Sea said its chamber-sized ensemble includes 35 to 40 professional musicians.
Season subscriptions and individual tickets are available now through the orchestra's website. Subscription savings are available through Oct. 15.
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