Inside the Classics

At the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, we believe in enhancing the music with experiences that go beyond the stage, adding depth and insight to what you hear and, most importantly, feel. Arrive early to your BSO concert to take in an Inside the Classics Talk at both venues!

The Music center at Strathmore

We are pleased to feature Dr. Rachel Franklin as the BSO's Inside the Classics Scholar at the Music Center at Strathmore. Dr. Franklin is a British-born classical and jazz concert pianist, renowned as both a performer and public speaker. Her acclaimed wit, scholarship and insights about music have led to countless speaking engagements for such distinguished organizations as the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, and National Public Radio. To learn more about Dr. Franklin, visit www.rachelfranklin.com.

Dr. Franklin will be giving Inside the Classics Talks at every BSO Classical concert at The Music Center at Strathmore:

Sunday, June 15, 2025 | Lecture from 2 – 2:30 pm

Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

We are pleased to offer an Inside the Classics Talk at every BSO Classical concert at the Meyerhoff in the 25-26 Season! The talks will now take place inside the auditorium, and will begin 55 minutes prior to the classical concerts.

We are pleased to feature Dr. Anna Celenza as a BSO Inside the Classics Scholar at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Anna Celenza is the author of eight award-winning children’s books, including Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Beethoven’s Heroic Symphony and Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite. She has also published six scholarly books, most recently Jazz Italian Style (winner of the Bridge Book Prize) and The Cambridge Companion to Gershwin. Her current book project, Music that Changed America, is under contract with W.W. Norton. Trained as a musicologist, Celenza holds a joint appointment at Johns Hopkins University's Krieger School of Arts and Science and the Peabody Institute.

We are pleased to feature David Hildebrand as a BSO Inside the Classics Scholar at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. A freelance performer, lecturer, recording artist, and musicology instructor/advisor at the Peabody Conservatory, David is a specialist in early America music. He has authored scholarly articles, reviews, and co-authored the book Musical Maryland (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017). In addition to appearing on C-SPAN television, "History Detectives," NPR and BBC radio, his concert career spans four and a half decades, with wife Ginger Hildebrand. They also produced seven full-length CD recordings together. David was for 20 years the director of the Colonial Music Institute and twice appointed a research fellow at the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon.