Asheville Symphony Closes Season with Masterworks 7: Unbroken

The Asheville Symphony concludes its 2025–2026 season with Masterworks 7: Unbroken on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 2 and 8 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Asheville.

Led by Music Director Darko Butorac, the program brings together a newly commissioned work, a beloved Mozart concerto, and one of the 20th century’s most compelling symphonies.

The concert opens with RAINN, a powerful new work by composer Karena Ingram. Commissioned through the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation Orchestral Commissions Program, an initiative of the League of American Orchestras in partnership with the American Composers Orchestra, the project represents a nationwide effort to amplify the voices of women and nonbinary composers. The Asheville Symphony is one of 30 orchestras participating in the initiative, ensuring the work will be heard in performances across the country.

RAINN was premiered by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra on May 17 and 18, 2025. Alongside Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the Asheville Symphony, the newly-commissioned work will premiere across the country with the National Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Portland Columbia Symphony in Portland, OR.

Ingram’s RAINN draws inspiration from the work of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network and explores themes of trauma, resilience, and rebuilding. Structured around the passage of time, the piece invites audiences to experience cycles of breaking and renewal, reflecting the emotional realities of survival and healing.

Following RAINN, pianist Adam Golka joins the Asheville Symphony for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, a work known for its lyricism, intimacy, and expressive depth. The program concludes with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, a sweeping and deeply personal work composed in the aftermath of Stalin’s death. Marked by moments of tension, introspection, and defiant energy, the symphony offers a powerful conclusion to the 2025-2026 Masterworks Season.

About Asheville Symphony

The Asheville Symphony performs and promotes symphonic music for the benefit, enjoyment, and education of the people of Western North Carolina, annually reaching 50,000 people across the nation.

The Asheville Symphony also offers robust music education programs for thousands of students across WNC, including its Young People’s Concerts, Music in the Schools, Hip Hop Folktale Project, Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra and more. Learn more at www.ashevillesymphony.org.

Tickets are available at AshevilleSymphony.org or by calling the box office at (828) 254-7046.