Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Announces Symphony in the City Concert at Johns Hopkins University

BSO Media Contacts:
Allison Burr-Livingstone
ablivingstone@bsomusic.org

Sara Warfield
sara@sarawarfieldcommunications.com

Hopkins Media Contact:
Kim Hoppe
Khoppe1@jhmi.edu

Free Concert Highlights Conducting Debut of New Assistant Conductor Jiannan Cheng and a Celebration of the 150^th Anniversary of the University

Baltimore, MD — October 6, 2025— The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) will bring its beloved Symphony in the City series to Turner Auditorium at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 7:30 pm. The free community concert will feature the conducting debut of Jiannan Cheng, the BSO’s newly appointed assistant conductor, in a program of evocative autumnal works.
The program highlights the artistry of underrepresented and well-loved composers alike, from Fanny Mendelssohn’s spirited Overture in C major to Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s lyrical Novelletten, and from Jean Sibelius’s Autrefois (Scène pastorale) to Florence Price’s vibrant Suite of Dances. Works by Vaughan Williams, Grieg, and Debussy complete the program.
“It is an honor to join the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra family this season and even more special to make my official debut on a Symphony in the City concert – a series so deeply rooted in community,” said Jiannan Cheng, assistant conductor, BSO. “This program brings together music of tenderness, charm, and joy, and I am especially moved to share works by composers whose voices deserve to be heard more widely. I look forward to connecting with our Baltimore neighbors through this performance.”
Presented in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, the event aligns with the University’s 150th anniversary celebrations, underscoring the shared commitment of both institutions to community connection, education, and cultural enrichment. In addition to hosting the Symphony in the City concert, Johns Hopkins University will be underwriting access for hundreds of Hopkins students to experience the Orchestra all-season long through the BSO’s Student Select program. Normally a $45 season-long membership, Student Select holders enjoy complimentary access to all BSO Classical Collection concerts, specially discounted tickets to Popular and Celebrations Collection concerts, and the opportunity to bring a friend for just $10.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the BSO to Johns Hopkins for this special performance,” said Lisa Ishii, M.D., M.H.S., Senior Vice President of Operations for Johns Hopkins Health System. “It’s an evening that showcases the best of Baltimore’s talent and spirit.”

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Symphony in the City: Johns Hopkins Turner Auditorium
Wednesday, November 19, 2025

7:30 pm Concert Start Time
Turner Auditorium, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21205
Jiannan Cheng, conductor

Program:

• Fanny MENDELSSOHN – Overture in C major
• VAUGHAN WILLIAMS – Fantasia on Greensleeves
• Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR – Four Novelletten, No. 1 and No. 4
• SIBELIUS – Autrefois (Scène pastorale)
• GRIEG – Holberg Suite, Mvts. 1, 4, 5
• DEBUSSY – Petite Suite
• Florence PRICE – Suite of Dances

This performance will run approximately 60 minutes and is presented without intermission.

Admission is free, but reservations are recommended. For details and tickets, visit https://my.bsomusic.org/overview/20300

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony in the City series is made possible by the generous support of Presenting Sponsor BGE, additional support from Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins 150, and the major support of Robert E. Meyerhoff & Rheda Becker. Launched in 2019, Symphony in the City is a testament to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s commitment to bringing world-class music to audiences beyond the walls of the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, reaching every corner of Baltimore City. It serves as a celebration of community, culture, and the transformative power of music.

About Jiannan Cheng

Praised as “a rare combination of technical skill, intense musicality, and a genuine passion,” Jiannan Cheng has quickly established herself as one of the most dynamic artists of her generation. Winner of the 1st Prize, Orchestra Prize, and Audience Prize at the 2024 Hugo Alfvén International Conducting Competition in Sweden and 2nd Prize at the Orchestra’s Conductor Competition in Romania, she currently serves as the Music Director of Orchestra Concordia. She has conducted orchestras across Europe, North America, and Asia, including Les Violons du Roy, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini, Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt, the Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra, and the Dallas Opera Orchestra. Equally active in opera, she has held positions with Opernfestspiele Heidenheim, City Lyric Opera, and the Vienna Summer Music Festival, and was a participant in The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors. Born in China, Jiannan studied conducting at the China Conservatory of Music, the University of Washington, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Munich, and has been mentored by conductors including Riccardo Muti, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Marin Alsop, and Kurt Masur.

 

About the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

For over a century, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. The orchestra is internationally renowned and locally admired for its innovation, performances, recordings, and educational outreach initiatives, including OrchKids.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs annually for more than 275,000 people throughout the State of Maryland. Since 1982, the BSO has performed at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and since 2005, with the opening of The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, the BSO became the nation’s first orchestra performing its full season of classical and pops concerts in two metropolitan areas.
In July 2022, the BSO made history with the announcement that Jonathon Heyward would succeed Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder Marin Alsop as the Orchestra’s next Music Director. Maestro Heyward began his inaugural season in September 2023.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a proud member of the League of American Orchestras.
More information about the BSO can be found at BSOmusic.org