Alexandria Symphony Tunes Up for a New Era With Four Guest Conductors and New Leadership

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra is tuning up for a season unlike any in recent memory: a new leader in the front office, four different guest conductors on the podium and a decision still ahead on who will become the orchestra’s next music director.

And Alexandria audiences will not have to wait long to hear what the new chapter sounds like.

The 2026-27 season opens Sept. 26 with Carmen & The Firebird, a program that moves from Wagner and Mendelssohn to Bizet and Stravinsky in one evening. Guest conductor Louis Lohraseb will lead the orchestra, with acclaimed violinist Chee-Yun Kim featured in Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra’s season schedule confirms performances Sept. 26 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Sept. 27 at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.

A New Leader Who Is Also a Musician

Behind the scenes, Rhonda Buckley-Bishop has begun work as interim executive director, bringing three decades of nonprofit leadership experience to an organization in the middle of an unusually consequential transition.

Her résumé is not only administrative. Buckley-Bishop earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Michigan State University and is a classical saxophonist who continues to perform. She also holds a graduate degree emphasizing nonprofit management and most recently served in an interim leadership role with Washington National Cathedral, according to the orchestra’s announcement.

“This is a truly exciting time in ASO’s history,” Laurie MacNamara, president of the ASO Board of Trustees, said. “Rhonda brings the combination of expertise, experience, and passion for our work that makes her the perfect leader for us as we continue to build the means to meet our mission of bringing the highest-quality classical music to our community.”

Buckley-Bishop succeeds George Hanson, who left June 30 after seven years as executive director. His tenure included the $1.8 million Making Music Together capital campaign, a new collective bargaining agreement with the orchestra’s musicians and a rebound in subscriptions after the pandemic.

When his departure was announced, Hanson described his years with the ASO as both a pleasure and an honor.

“The music-making is spectacular,” Hanson said. “I look forward to ASO’s next chapter.”

Four Conductors, Four Chances to Hear Something Different

The changes do not stop at the executive office. James Ross completed his tenure as music director in 2026 after leading the orchestra since 2018 and is now music director laureate. This season, audiences will hear four guest conductors — Louis Lohraseb, Chia-Hsuan Lin, Andrew Crust and James Blachly — as the ASO looks toward its artistic future.

That makes this season something of a musical audition room for Alexandria: four conductors, four programs and four distinct opportunities for audiences to experience how different leadership can shape the same orchestra.

After Lohraseb opens the season, Lin takes the podium Nov. 7 and 8 for Pictures at an Exhibition, featuring pianist Dinara Klinton. The program pairs Polina Nazaykinskaya’s Winter Bells and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, orchestrated by Maurice Ravel.

The orchestra’s popular Holiday Pops returns Dec. 19 and 20, with the conductor still to be announced.

Andrew Crust arrives Feb. 13 and 14 for a distinctly American program anchored by Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris, with pianist Richard Glazier. The concert also includes William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony and Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari.

James Blachly closes the subscription season April 17 and 18 with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Harpist Bridget Kibbey joins the orchestra for Ginastera’s Harp Concerto, and the program opens with Verdi’s La Forza del Destino Overture.

A Milestone at Schlesinger

The transition comes during another milestone: the ASO says this season marks 25 years of performances at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center on Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria campus.

Founded in 1943, the Alexandria Symphony is a fully professional orchestra and presents five concert pairs each season. Saturday evening performances are held at Schlesinger, while Sunday matinees are performed at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.

For Malone, a former student at NOVA’s Alexandria campus who acted in plays there before the Schlesinger Center was built, the anniversary carries a personal connection.

“That experience gave me a personal appreciation for the performing arts at NVCC and for how much the Alexandria campus has grown over the years,” Malone said.

Now the hall is preparing for another opening night — and an orchestra with deep Alexandria roots is preparing to show audiences where it may go next.