Symphony of Southeast Texas Presents "Destiny, Dance, and Spirit" March 28

The Symphony of Southeast Texas returns to the Julie Rogers Theatre this Saturday with a program titled "Destiny, Dance, and Spirit." The concert mixes Verdi with contemporary American composers and gospel-inspired works.  

 

The Symphony of Southeast Texas doesn't program concerts like they're preserving artifacts. They program them like they're making something happen.

 

Case in point: the March 28 concert at Julie Rogers Theatre. On the same bill, you'll hear 19th-century Italian opera composer Verdi alongside 20th-century American minimalist John Adams and contemporary British composer John Rutter's gospel-inspired "Feel the Spirit."

 

That's not random. That's a statement about what classical music can be when it's not stuck in one century.

 

The SOST Chorus joins for Rutter's piece, which draws from African American spirituals and transforms them through a classical lens. It's the kind of programming that asks, "What if we stopped treating different musical traditions like they need to stay in separate rooms?"

 

The concert also features Adams' "The Chairman Dances," a kinetic orchestral work originally written for his opera about Nixon's visit to China. It's rhythmic, propulsive, nothing like what most people picture when they hear "symphony concert."

 

Respighi's "Pines of Rome" closes the night with sonic drama. Four movements, each named for different pine groves in Rome, building to an ending that reportedly includes recorded nightingales and a full brass section.

 

The Symphony has been doing this for 73 seasons now. They've figured out that keeping classical music alive means letting it breathe, not embalming it. You can program Verdi without pretending we're still living in 1871.

 

Event Details

 

Tickets start at $36.

 

What: Symphony Concert – "Destiny, Dance, and Spirit"

When: Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 7:30pm

Where: Julie Rogers Theatre, 765 Pearl Street, Beaumont

Seating: Reserved, first-come first-served

 

Details: sost.org or call (409) 892-2257.

 

For more ticket information and availability, contact the Julie Rogers Theatre box office or visit the Symphony of Southeast Texas website.