Nittany Valley Symphony to Conclude 59th Season With ‘Hearts on Fire’

The Nittany Valley Symphony will present its 2025–26 season finale, “Hearts on Fire,” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 1, at Bellefonte Area High School.

Tickets are $25 for adults, and $5 for students and youth. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 814-231-8224.

“Hearts on Fire” brings love, loss and transcendence to the fore in a grand display of romantic tragedy, lyrical beauty and the triumph of spirit. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture opens the program with an evocative reimagining of William Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy and all the passion and drama thereof.

The Nittany Valley Symphony will welcome George Carpten IV, assistant professor of trumpet at Penn State, as trumpet soloist for Oskar Böhme’s expressive and virtuosic Trumpet Concerto in F Minor. By maintaining a balance between virtuosic display and musical expressiveness, Böhme’s Romantic-style Trumpet Concerto expands the traditional perception of the trumpet beyond fanfare and brilliance to include sustained lyricism and emotional depth.

A fitting close to the symphony’s 59th season, Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major presents a triumphant testament to resilience and hope. Passages of restless energy and forward motion build tension that leads to an expansive and powerful conclusion — one of the greatest symphonic climaxes in the orchestral repertoire.

“The Nittany Valley Symphony relies on support from generous donors and sponsors to help cover the costs involved in presenting both its performances and its educational and community engagement programming,” the organization wrote in a news release. “NVS is grateful to season sponsor Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, and to all of its contributors for their selfless investment in the symphony’s tradition of artistic excellence and community service.”