Symphony by the Sea Marks 45 Years with Four Sunday Concerts at The Cabot

Symphony by the Sea has announced four Sunday afternoon concerts at the historic Cabot Theater in Beverly this fall, winter and spring, marking the orchestra’s 45th anniversary. The 2026–2027 concerts bring together beloved orchestral masterworks and an exceptional roster of guest artists under Music Director and Conductor Donald Palma.

The concert year opens November 8, 2026, with “The Heavenly Life,” centered on Mahler’s luminous Symphony No. 4, a work that journeys from earthly life toward a childlike vision of heaven. Featured soprano Sara Heaton has earned acclaim for her “gleaming lyricism” and has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Boston Baroque, Chicago Opera Theater and Odyssey Opera. She made her Metropolitan Opera solo debut in the acclaimed 2018 production of Cendrillon and is currently a member of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus.

On February 7, 2027, the orchestra invites audiences on “A Walk Through the English Countryside,” a winter afternoon of British music featuring Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, Elgar’s Serenade and Introduction and Allegro, Britten’s Simple Symphony and Finzi’s Prelude and Romance. The program features Scott Moore, Symphony by the Sea’s concertmaster, a violinist and composer praised by LEO Weekly as “staggeringly versatile and gifted.” Moore also serves as concertmaster of the Lexington Symphony and Cape Ann Symphony, has performed as a soloist with the Louisville Orchestra, has collaborated with artists including Jim James of My Morning Jacket and pianist-composer Rachel Grimes, and since 2018 has performed the complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by J.S. Bach from memory.

A highlight of the year arrives March 21, 2027, when violinist Keila Wakao returns for her fourth appearance with Symphony by the Sea to perform the monumental Brahms Violin Concerto. The Boston-born violinist continues a remarkable rise: her recent honors include a 2026 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the 2026 Concert Artists Guild Louis and Susan Meisel Prize and First Prize in the 2026 National Schadt String Competition. She made her Boston Symphony Orchestra debut at its 2024 Opening Night Gala and her Tanglewood debut in July 2026 performing the Barber Violin Concerto.

Joining Keila for the March concert will be her father, celebrated oboist Keisuke Wakao, following his retirement at the close of the 2026 Tanglewood season after 36 years with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops. Wakao has performed around the world, made multiple solo recordings and enjoyed a notable artistic collaboration with John Williams, who composed an oboe concerto specifically for him. Haydn’s Symphony No. 44 opens the program. The father-daughter appearance marks a return to The Cabot following their acclaimed February 2026 performance with Symphony by the Sea.

The concert year concludes April 25, 2027, with a spring afternoon designed for audiences of all ages: Prokofiev’s beloved “Peter and the Wolf,” paired with Stravinsky’s Suite from Pulcinella. Matthew Arnold, a tenor and conductor well known to North Shore audiences, brings a storyteller’s voice to Prokofiev’s musical tale. Arnold has performed principal and featured roles with Odyssey Opera, Boston Lyric Opera and the Miami Music Festival, serves as Director of Music at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Marblehead and leads the New England Yankees big band.

The announcement follows a celebrated 2025–2026 season that earned high praise from The Boston Musical Intelligencer. Reviewing the orchestra’s February 2026 all-Mozart performance at The Cabot, critic John Tamilio III called Symphony by the Sea “one of the esteemed treasures of the North Shore” and praised its “superb execution.” Of the February 2026 Wakao concert, he called Keila Wakao’s playing “fiery” and the concluding Mozart “dazzling and erudite,” as the audience rose for its second ovation of the afternoon.

Now celebrating its 45th anniversary, Symphony by the Sea has brought professional orchestral music and distinguished guest artists to audiences north of Boston for over four decades, welcoming artists including Pamela Frank, Stephanie Chase and Paula Robison as well as members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Its chamber-sized ensemble of 35 to 40 professional musicians performs at the historic Cabot Theater in Beverly.

Tickets for each concert are available now through The Cabot at thecabot.org or by calling the Cabot box office at 978-927-3100.