The Long Arc

Saturday, February 27, 2027, 7:30 PM

Sunday, February 28, 2027, 3:00 PM

The Long Arc follows powerful orchestral string music through four centuries, from baroque masterpieces to contemporary reimaginings. Violinist Isabela Diaz takes center stage in Philip Glass’s lyrical Violin Concerto No. 2 “The American Four Seasons,” where minimalist patterns evoke the changing landscape of a continent. After intermission, the world premiere of Gala Flagello’s Zeitgeist, a new work commissioned by the Ocala Symphony exploring music’s dual nature as both timely and timeless—how artists inevitably reflect the spirit of their age while creating art that transcends it, reminding us that the concert hall itself is a collective experience spanning generations. Arvo Pärt’s haunting Cantus in memory of Benjamin Britten and Britten’s own charming Simple Symphony—written when he was just a teenager revisiting childhood melodies—complete this meditation on how music connects past and present, individual voices and shared humanity, in an unbroken arc of artistic expression.

Featured Works:
Violin Concerto No. 2 – Philip Glass
Zeitgeist – Gala Flagello World Premiere
Simple Symphony – Benjamin Britten

Featured Artists:
Matthew Wardell, conductor
Isabela Diaz, violin
Gala Flagello, composer