05/27/2026
Reflections from our Music Director Ryo Hasegawa:
Every concert is special, but this one had more specialness than any other concerts. A completely sold out concert, Beethoven 9 & the world premiere of “When It Blooms” by my dear friend Ai Daixuan with the BSO and the Bloomington Community Chorus led by Betsy Burleigh, Sue Swaney (Voces Novae), and Caio Lopez (Bloomington Chamber Singers), featuring 4 fantastic soloists Nathalie Friederich, Esther Jo, Suro Kim, and Stephen Stavnicky, at Indiana University's Musical Arts Center. It was also surreal and honor to have the one and only Sylvia McNair in the alto section of chorus (her Beethoven 9 choir debut after singing thousands of concerts as a soloist!)
And of course, it was special because this concert marked my final concert with the BSO after two years as Music Director. I’m incredibly grateful to every member of the orchestra, board, staff, and every community member of Bloomington who supported the orchestra during my time and who attended the performances. I grew as a person and a musician and this could not happen without kindness, patience, and extraordinary dedication of the BSO members. Thank you and see you soon!
