Name: Exploration
Start: 2026-09-12T19:30:00
Location: Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center

Rapides Symphony Orchestra

We open our 2026 season united in music by American composers John Corigliano, David Amram, and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson as well as Eduard Grieg's jaunty “Holberg Suite”.

Idealism

Calvary Baptist Church

Our common purpose to make each generation better than the last leads us to music of American themed-music by Randall Thompson, Frederick Delius, and Leonard Bernstein’s “Make Our Garden Grow”  The winners of our biennial student Concerto Competition will also be showcased.

Aspiriation

Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center

Our pops on the river is strictly Red, White, and Blue with patriotic music and fireworks on the Red River.
Selections will include Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" and a world premiere of the concert overture "Dear Enemy" by a composer with roots in Avoyelles Parish, Marie Chenever.

Courage

Alexandria Riverfront Amphitheater

America’s ardor for pushing boundaries led to the settling of America's west and exploring the cosmos. The Symphony celebrates this spirit of discovery with Aaron Copland's “Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo” and Gustav Holst's epic, “The Planets”.

Exploration

Whether it be culture or politics, America found it's voice in the late 19th through the 20th Century. We perform Joan Tower's "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman",  Gershwin's jazzy classic “Rhapsody in Blue" with internationally recognized pianist Spencer Myer, and Dvorak's classic “New World Symphony.”

Influence

Finally, we celebrate the holidays with holiday music with the panache that only America can  produce. It’s a great concert for the whole family!