Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra Celebrates 26th Season with Music Director Stuart Malina
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Asia Tabb
AIRED; September 4, 2025
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Stuart Malina is entering his 26th season as music director of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra (HSO), a milestone he admits still surprises him.
“Well, firstly, it boggles my mind that you can actually say 26 years in conjunction with any job that I’ve held,” Malina said. “What keeps me inspired is the amazing musicians in this orchestra. I feel very, very lucky to be able to work with them. It’s been 26 years and it feels like it’s just been a week. Every time I get to work with them, it’s joyful.”
Over the past quarter century, Malina has watched the orchestra evolve and grow while building a culture of what he calls “joyful music-making.”
“The orchestra was really wonderful when I first came here,” he explained. “But I do feel that over the last 25 years, we’ve really honed our ensemble. The orchestra’s level keeps getting higher and higher from the high level it was at before. One of the things I’m most proud of is that we’ve developed a culture here of joyful music-making. Not only is the skill level high but the passion and joy level is as high, and that makes for great music making.”
As for the season ahead, Malina said audiences can expect the orchestra’s signature mix of classical masterpieces and popular favorites across two main series: the Masterworks and Pops concerts.
“In our Masterworks Series, we present a wide variety of great music—from classics from hundreds of years ago to music written within the last 10 years,” Malina said. “Opening night was a perfect example. We began with an overture from the early 19th century by Rossini, followed by a very new piano concerto by my friend Jim Stevenson, played by the brilliant virtuoso Jeff Beigel. And then we ended with one of the great orchestral pieces from the main canon, the Berlioz Symphony Fantastique, which really shows off the orchestra in all its glory.”
Looking ahead, the orchestra will also perform the monumental Verdi Requiem in April, featuring multiple choruses and soloists.
The Pops Series, Malina explained, takes a different approach: “We do music that makes you smile. My feeling is that if the audience doesn’t leave happy and entertained, we have failed. And here too, it’s a wide range of music—ranging from the music of Whitney Houston, which we open our season with, some big band music, Billy Joel, movie music, Broadway music. It really covers a lot of bases, but we’ve been very successful and our audience keeps coming back, so I figure we’re doing something good.”
After more than two decades at the helm, Malina still sees the Harrisburg Symphony as a vibrant and growing community treasure. “We’ve been bringing great music to this area for a quarter century,” he said. “And I anticipate many, many more happy years.”