Montgomery Symphony Orchestra Presents Masterworks I: Brass & Bernstein October 16, 2026

MONTGOMERY, AL — Montgomery Symphony Orchestra continues its 50th Anniversary Season with Masterworks I: Brass & Bernstein on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 7:30pm at Troy University’s Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts.

The concert will feature internationally acclaimed trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden in a program showcasing the brilliance and versatility of the trumpet alongside orchestral favorites by Antonín Dvořák and Leonard Bernstein. MSO Music Director and Conductor Jamie Reeves stated “Our Masterworks I program celebrates the MSO’s artistic vision, honoring beloved symphonic traditions while championing the voices of our time. Mary Elizabeth Bowden is one of the leading brass soloists of our generation, and I’m honored for this collaboration which brings two new solo works for trumpet and orchestra to Montgomery. These new pieces, alongside Dvořák’s Carnival Overture and Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, will make for a thrilling evening of music for the River Region.” 

Bowden will perform the Alabama premiere of Jeff Scott’s Athena Trumpet Concerto, a vibrant contemporary work drawing on Scott’s wide-ranging musical influences. Scott, a hornist, composer, and member of the Grammy-nominated Imani Winds, has performed and collaborated across the classical, jazz, Broadway, and dance worlds.

Bowden will also be joined by Montgomery Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Bryan Reeves for Jennifer Oliverio’s Timetilt, a concerto for two trumpets and strings, commissioned by Montgomery Symphony Orchestra. The performance adds a distinctly local connection to a program celebrating the trumpet in both solo and ensemble settings. “I'm thrilled to be part of this truly exciting concert. To perform as a soloist with my colleagues in the MSO is an honor in itself, but to also premiere a new piece alongside Mary Elizabeth Bowden, a fantastic international soloist of whom I've been a fan for quite a while, is genuinely very special,” stated Bryan Reeves.

The evening opens with Dvořák’s Carnival Overture, an energetic orchestral showpiece filled with the excitement and color of a bustling celebration.

The concert concludes with Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Drawn from Bernstein’s iconic Broadway score, the work transforms music from West Side Story into a thrilling orchestral suite featuring familiar themes including “Somewhere,” “Mambo,” and “Cool.”

Masterworks I is part of Montgomery Symphony Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary Season, which celebrates five decades of bringing live orchestral music to Central Alabama.

Masterworks I: Brass & Bernstein
Friday, October 16, 2026 | 7:30pm
Troy University’s Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts
251 Montgomery Street | Montgomery, Alabama

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit montgomerysymphony.org.