Concertmaster Alice Hallstrom’s violin opens the concert on a quiet note that builds throughout Ralph Vaughan-Williams’ exquisitely melodic, pastoral, and quintessentially English work.

Jean Sibelius’ good-natured and deceptively uncomplicated-sounding Symphony No. 3 is a turning point from his first two intensely romantic and nationalistic symphonies to his later, more austere and complex symphonic works. The second half reveals an early 20th century overture by the underplayed (and under-recognized) New York born, Berlin trained composer Helen Crane. We bookend the program with another English composer, BAFTA Award-winning film composer Richard Harvey (The DaVinci Code) whose beloved Concerto Antico is a stunning contemporary Baroque showcase for guest soloist Scott Hill’s guitar.