Audiences will have the rare opportunity to journey through the entire Romantic era of classical music in the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra’s (MSO) March concert, “Ambition and Destiny.”  The concert’s title reflects the ambition of the composers’ experimentation with new forms as well as the theme of fate embodied in Tchaikovsky’s passionate symphony.  

The three selections in the concert are presented in chronological order, with Carl Maria von Weber’s "Oberon Overture" representing the early period of romanticism, Ludwig van Beethoven’s "Piano Concerto No. 4" the classical middle period, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Symphony No. 4" the latter years of romanticism as it was giving way to modernism.

The concert showcases two Colby College faculty members, Guest Conductor Jinwook Park, returning  to the MSO’s podium for the first time in two years, and pianist Morgan Lee, who relocated to Maine after earning her Master’s Degree in 2022. 

At the Franco Center in Lewiston: Saturday, March 21 - 7 p.m. and at the Orion Performing Arts Center in Topsham Sunday, March 22 - 2:30 p.m.

The three pieces in the program are all penned by well-known composers. The Oberon Overture previews the plot and themes of von Weber’s final opera in which a brave hero travels from the faerie realm throughout the known world to rescue his love. Guest artist Morgan Lee joins the MSO in the technically challenging Piano Concerto No. 4, and the final portion of the concert is Tchaikovsky’s passionate Symphony No. 4, manifesting fate in the power of the horns consistently interrupting the dreamscape of the strings throughout the first movement. . 

Tickets are $27 in advance and $30 at the door, with free admission to anyone 25 and under. The MSO is pleased to be pioneering a new streaming option for this concert at the cost of $15 per household. Both in-person and streaming tickets can be reserved at midcoastsymphony.org or by calling the box office at (207) 481-0790.