Celebrate the Season with the BSO – 8pm show
2025-11-28 20:00 - 21:30 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47408, United States
CLICK HERE for tickets
available through the Buskirk-Chumley Box Office.
Children $9, Students $16, Adults $29.
General Admission Seating

Rock in the holidays with the BSO’s much-loved Celebrate the Season, this year featuring our friends from the rock band Don’t Call Me Betty.

Friday, November 28, 2025: 2 shows at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater
– Our early show (5:00 pm) gets out in time for you to watch the Canopy of Lights
– Our later show (8:00 pm) sends you off home in a rockin’ holiday mood!
Tuesday, December 9, 2025: 7pm at Spencer’s Tivoli Theatre

Celebrate the Season at the Tivoli Theatre!
2025-12-09 19:00 - 20:00 | Tivoli Theatre, 24 N Washington St, Spencer, IN, 47460
Tickets available now at spencertivoli.org
Children $5, Adults $11
Rock in the holidays with the BSO’s much-loved Celebrate the Season, this year featuring our friends from the rock band Don’t Call Me Betty.
Tuesday, December 9, 2025: 7pm at Spencer’s Tivoli Theater

Old Friends - A Chamber Orchestra Concert
2026-01-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Switchyard Park Pavilion, 1601 S Rogers St, Bloomington, IN, 47403, United States
A unique concert experience surrounding the orchestra.
Saturday, January 17, 2026Switchyard Park Pavilion6:15pm Refreshments – provided by Oliver Winery and Cabin Restaurant7:00pm ConcertAdults $15, Students $10, Children under 18 FREE.

One of the best things in life is friendship. That’s especially true when a friendship stands the test of time. You may not live near each other anymore. You may have different hobbies, careers, and schedules. But when you DO get to spend time together again, none of that matters.
Help us welcome back our much-loved former principal bassoonist Catherine Marchese this coming January for a special concert. On the program:
Selections from David Baker’s Hommage à l’Histoire, presented as part of our ongoing collaboration with IU Archives of African American Music and Culture.
Strauss’s Duet-Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon featuring Catherine Marchese on bassoon and our own Carl Weinberg on clarinet.
Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 “London”

Between Silence and Strauss - Concert at Buskirk-Chumley Theater
2026-03-08 17:00 - 18:30 | Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47408, United States
CLICK HERE for tickets
available through the Buskirk-Chumley Box Office.
Children FREE, Students $16, Adults $29.
General Admission Seating
Soloist Shawn Tairyu Head joins the orchestra for Hosokawa’s Autumn Wind for Shakuhachi and Orchestra as a collaboration with IU Asian Culture Center. Also on the program is songs from the Strauss’s Rosenkavalier Suite, and 2026 Youth Concerto Competition winner Ella Hightower performing Dvorak’s Concerto for Violin, Allegro ma non troppo.
4:15pm pre-concert talk
5:00pm concert – Repertoire:
Songs from Richard Strauss
Feierlicher Einzug
“Morgen!” Op. 27, No. 4, with vocalist Siyi Yan
“Allerseelen”, with vocalist Danielle Long
from Der Rosenkavalier:
“Presentation of the Rose”, with vocalists Siyi Yan and Danielle Long
Final trio, with vocalists Siyi Yan, Danielle Long, and Rachel Spodek
Antonín Dvořák, Concerto for Violin, Allegro ma non troppo, with Ella Hightower – 2026 BSO Youth Concerto Competition Winner
Kosaku Yamada, Flower of Mandala
Toshio Hosokawa, Autumn Wind for Shakuhachi and Orchestra, with Shawn Tairyu Head – shakuhachi soloist

Resounding Joy: Beethoven 9 at the MAC
2026-05-16 19:00 - 20:30 | IU Musical Arts Center, 105 N Eagleson Ave, Bloomington, IN, 47406, United States
Get your tickets here
Or contact the MAC box office: 812-855-7433

What is it about Beethoven’s 9th Symphony that sets it apart? Maybe it’s the innovative musical structure. Maybe it’s the way Beethoven blends themes of chaos, redemption, grace, and struggle so effortlessly. Or it could be that this piece culminates, as John Henken of the LA Philharmonic writes, “expressing our highest aspirations with music of life-affirming exaltation.”
For the first time in our history the BSO will perform Beethoven’s iconic 9th Symphony. Joined by a 100+ member community chorus on the stage of Indiana University’s Musical Arts Center (MAC), this is sure to be an unforgettable concert experience that will also feature a world premiere piece by Daixuan Ai. Read her program notes here.
Participating choirs include the Bloomington Chamber Singers (Caio Lopes, director), Voces Novae (Sue Swaney, director) and the choir of the Unitarian Universalist Church (Sue Swaney, director), as well as individuals from many other local choirs. The choirs are all coming together under the direction of Dr. Betsy Burleigh.
Vocal soloists (click here for bios):Soprano: Nathalie FriederichAlto: Esther JoTenor: Suro KimBass: Stephen Stavnicky
Adults: $25, Students: $12, Children under 18: Free
Saturday May 16, 2026, at the IU Musical Arts Center
6:15pm pre-concert talk with Daixuan Ai and Ryo Hasegawa
7:00pm concert
Get your tickets here
Or contact the MAC box office:
812-855-7433
101 North Eagleson Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47405
Monday–Friday | 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

2026 Annual Meeting
2026-06-24 08:00 - 17:00 | IN
You are cordially invited to the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra’s Annual Meeting on Tuesday, July 28 at 5:15pm. This meeting is open to the public and will be held in person in the Meeting Room A/B Combo at the Southwest Branch of the Monroe County Public Library, located at 890 W Gordon Pike, Bloomington, IN. Join us for refreshments starting at 5:00pm.
The main purpose of the Annual Meeting is to provide a State of the Orchestra and for members to vote in new board members. Please let us know by July 10 if you are interested in joining the BSO board of directors.
The BSO Annual Meeting is open to the public, but only members as defined below are allowed to vote:

Performing musicians who have participated in at least 50% of full orchestra performances during the 2025-26 season OR at least 30% of full orchestra performances during the previous 2 seasons.
Individual donors of $25 or more
Corporate donors of $125 or more – one representative of the corporation receives a vote.

Electronic ballots and information about attending virtually will be sent the week of the meeting in case you cannot attend in person. Please contact us if you have any questions at bso@bloomingtonsymphony.com.
Thank you so much for being a part of the BSO’s 56th season, and we look forward to seeing you on July 28!

Musical Memories - Free Concert at Switchyard Park
2026-08-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Switchyard Park Main Stage, 1601 S Rogers St, Bloomington, IN, 47403, United States
The BSO kicks off its 57th season with a FREE concert at the Switchyard Park Main Stage.

6:15pm: Meet the Instruments

For kids of all ages, get up close with the instruments of the orchestra! From violins to trumpets, cellos to clarinets, you will get a hands on experience and learn how each instrument makes its musical magic.

7pm: Concert, Switchyard Park Main Stage
Enjoy familiar classics like Copland’s Rodeo, Bizet’s Carmen Suite, and more!

We the People - Concert at Buskirk-Chumley Theater
2026-11-01 17:00 - 18:30 | Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47408, United States
Tickets Available Now
Adults – $27, Student – $14, Children under 18 – Free
Sunday, Nov 1 2026
4:15 pm pre-concert talk
5:00 pm performance
Buskirk-Chumley Theater
General Admission

America is a tune. It must be sung together. – Gerald Stanley Lee, Crowds: A Moving-Picture of Democracy, 1913
On Sunday, November 1, the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra will perform a concert in recognition of our country’s 250th year. From the familiar square dance feel of Aaron Copland’s Hoedown to the soulful, bluesy tonalities of William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony, this concert explores what it means to be an American.
Program:
“Hoedown” from Rodeo – Aaron Copland
“In Memoriam Sojourner Truth” – Gary Powell Nash
All Things Majestic – Jennifer Higdon
Symphony No. 1 – Afro-American Symphony – William Grant Still
I travel the world, and I’m happy to say that America is still the great melting pot – maybe a chunky stew rather than a melting pot at this point, but you know what I mean. – Philip Glass, 1999 NPR interview

BSO Season Passes can be purchased through October 16th. Passes include discounted tickets to all 4 season concerts, reserved seating, and other benefits. Learn more and purchase your Season Pass (CLICK HERE)

Tickets for this concert are available for purchase through the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Box Office online, or call 812-323-3020 ext 1, or go to 114 E Kirkwood Ave.

We don’t want cost to be the reason you don’t come to this concert. Thanks to our generous donors, we have some tickets available to ensure that anybody who wants to attend our concerts can do so, regardless of their current financial situation. If you will use a ticket, we will do all we can to make you our guest. Fill out THIS SHORT FORM and we will contact you when we have free tickets available.

Celebrate the Season with the BSO, 5pm and 8pm at Buskirk-Chumley Theater
2026-11-27 | Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47408, United States
Music from the Movies is the theme of this year’s festive holiday celebration. Chose from the 5pm or 8pm show, before or after enjoying Bloomington’s Canopy of Lights.

5pm or 8pm Concert
Buskirk-Chumley Theater

Included as part of your Season Pass. Learn more here.
Individual tickets on sale in September at the Buskirk-Chumley Box Office.

Celebrate the Season with the BSO, at Tivoli Theatre in Spencer
2026-12-08 19:00 - 20:00 | Tivoli Theatre, 24 N Washington St, Spencer, IN, 47460
Kick off the holidays with the BSO’s much-loved Celebrate the Season concert at Spencer’s historic Tivoli Theatre! Tickets on sale soon.

Some Assembly Required - concert at Buskirk-Chumley Theater
2027-03-07 17:00 - 18:30 | Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47408, United States
We’re collecting bits from YOUR favorite symphonies to create a one-of-a-kind performance, including a collaboration with Bridges Youth Orchestra, and featuring this year’s BSO Youth Concerto Comeptition winner.

4:15pm Pre Concert Talk
5pm Concert
Buskirk-Chumley Theater

Included as part of your Season Pass. Learn more here.
Individual tickets on sale in September at the Buskirk-Chumley Box Office.

Larger than Life - at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater
2027-05-16 17:00 - 18:30 | Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47408, United States
A season finale of EPIC proportions, featuring a collaboration with Salaam, as well as Mahler’s remarkable Symphony No 1.

4:15pm Pre Concert Talk
5pm Concert
Buskirk-Chumley Theater

Included as part of your Season Pass. Learn more here.
Individual tickets on sale in September at the Buskirk-Chumley Box Office.
