A jewel of the Commonwealth's art scene will be live in concert this Wednesday evening at Madison Southern High School. That's when the Louisville Orchestra, a world class ensemble of musicians, comes to Berea.

According to LO's music director, Teddy Abrams, it promises to be an evening filled with "pure joy–abandon, elation, and enthusiasm."

'The best of Kentucky'

The 90 minute-long, free concert is flecked with works by 19th and 20th Century Russian composers, including Mikhail Glinka's Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila, the Allegro from Shostakovich's 5th symphony, and the rousing finale of Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony.

"We are also particularly excited to feature our brilliant Concertmaster, Gabriel Lefkowitz, as the soloist in the spectacular and widely-loved violin showpiece by Saint-Saëns, the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso," Abrams wrote in the email. Saint-Saëns was a French 19th century contemporary of Tchaikovsky.

The brassy, windy, percussive—and virtuosic—program will combine to thrill audiences of all ages, especially the youth, according to State Senate President Robert Stivers (R–Manchester).

"This statewide tour exposes families to the incredible talent we have here at home and will inspire young people in unimaginable ways," Stivers told The Edge in an email. "By removing the barriers of price and place, we are narrowing the gap in music education and ensuring every Kentuckian can experience the transformative power of live orchestra music.”

Culture on wheels

Berea is one of several Central and East Kentucky stops on the 2026 In Harmony tour, the LO's first statewide classical music outreach program, funded entirely by the state General Assembly, thanks primarily to Stivers who championed the Orchestra to his colleagues in Frankfort.

"The Louisville Orchestra represents the very best of Kentucky’s artists, and when presented with the opportunity to support this outreach across our state, I had to say yes to the full experience," Stivers said.

The state's General Assembly voted in 2021 to fund the Orchestra to the tune of $8.6 million, distributed in two installments across four years. The LO spent half the appropriation across the 2022-2024 season. This is the final year of the second tranche of the state's investment in the mobile cultural institution.

"Our funding is currently up for review, and we're hopeful the General Assembly will continue to see the value in what we're doing," Elizabeth Etienne, senior tour manager for the LO, told The Edge in an interview.

The LO has 70 full-time musicians, according to Etienne who said the bill for travel, hotel accommodations for concerts performed outside of driving distance of Louisville, and per diems for the musicians and crew can total $100,000 per concert.

Concerts for everyone

As of last summer, the funding has supported the LO giving 36 free concerts across the state, bringing classical music programming to over 31,000 attendees. The orchestra has also performed 67 concerts in public schools across Kentucky, as well as 56 public libraries. There have been another 35 community appearances, bringing the total number of Kentuckians reached by the LO to over 47,000.

Wednesday's In Harmony stop in Berea will also feature two concerts in local schools. The LO Brass Quintet will perform for an hour for Madison Southern's band program, followed by a Q&A for the students. The LO Wind Ensemble will perform at Berea Community School.

A public concert by the LO String Quartet will be given at the Berea Arts Council on Wednesday at 2:30 PM. And at 4:00 PM, the LO's Once Upon an Orchestra will perform If You Give a Mouse a Cookie at the Berea Public Library.

"Kids love these programs," said Etienne, noting how often times these concerts will be a child's first encounter with orchestral instruments such as a pedal concert harp. "They get very excited," she said.

High school gym studio

Concert stops on the In Harmony tour are staged in the local high school gym, according to Etienne. Through the magic of LO associate principal violist, sound engineer, and Grammy winner Evan Vicic, any gym can be outfitted as a concert hall.

"He is a genius," said Etienne. "We play in the high school gyms because that's usually the only place on tour where our orchestra fits, but he can work it so that the audience has the full orchestral experience, just as though they were in a concert hall."

Of course, if it's in the gym, guests won't be sitting in cozy theater chairs, they'll be in the bleachers. "We do put out some chairs, but they are mostly reserved for handicapped seating, so bring your bleacher chairs and your pillows," Etienne said.

Creative Corps

Also on the program are three pieces composed as part of the LO's Creative Corps. This program sponsors composers-in-residence who live and compose in Louisville for a year. Shaker Hymn was written by the program's Chelsea Komschlies, a Wisconsin native and current member of the Corps. The work combines hymns she found in the library at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill outside Harrodsburg.

North Carolina native Brittany Green's work, Testify! was "inspired by Gospel music and the energy of a powerful praise break at church," Abrams told The Edge. Green was a full-time composer with the Louisville Orchestra in 2025 and is currently the composer-in-residence at the Lexington Philharmonic.

The Trestle Tree, by Donald Sorah and Roy Crawford, "was written to commemorate flooding in Appalachia," Abrams said. Proceeds earned by the work have been used to support families displaced by the flood, according to Abrams.

"These three beautiful pieces reflect our own times and our Kentucky landscape," Abrams said, "It is a great honor to share them with audiences across the state on our In Harmony tour!"

For tickets to In Harmony in Berea, and to see the complete program listings, visit the LO website. The concert is on Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM in the gymnasium at Madison Southern High School, 279 Glades Road, Berea. Doors open one hour before the show.