Review: 'Celebrate' by the Olympia Symphony Orchestra
Originally published on The JOLT News on February 10, 2026
The Olympia Symphony Orchestra's "Celebrate" concert at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday afternoon was a transcendent experience in more ways than one.
The music swept through the audience, completely capturing our attention and silencing our busy minds so that our souls could get their much needed respite.
The music itself contained layers of drama, vulnerability, suspense, thrill, peace, and indeed celebration just as the concert title calls for, and the Olympia Symphony Orchestra (OSO) rose up to each occasion. The whole experience was breathtaking. Their program included:
Guest violinist Adé Williams did not simply play the violin, but practically became the violin throughout her solos in the Sibelius piece. I have never seen such passionate violin playing, and now I feel a hunger for it. Williams, please come back to Olympia again soon!
There are two concerts left in the"In Motion"series, and I invite you to mark your calendars and get your tickets now.
About Frank
Classical music buffs are very familiar with Sibelius and Brahms, but who is this Frank? OSO always writes fascinating program notes, and these tidbits are borrowed from the program:
Born to a mother of Peruvian/Chinese ancestry and a father of Lithuanian/Jewish descent.
Frank is an American composer who is deeply shaped by her multicultural heritage and her engagement with Latin American folklore.
Latin Grammy winner, multiple Grammy nominee, and Guggenheim and USA Artist Fellow.
She has received commissions from major orchestras and famous artists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, the Chicago Symphony, and the Boston Symphony.
Hearing these facts deepens the audience’s appreciation for her music and allows them to fine tune their ears to listen for various nuances in her music, including her use of the Zampoña (panpipe) in the Elegía Andina.
Frank described this composition, one of her first ones, as an “exploration of what it means to be of several ethnic persuasions, of several minds.”
Another layer of sentiment is added to this piece as it is dedicated to her older brother, Marcos Gabriel Frank, who she nicknames “Babo” with whom she shared here multicultural childhood with.
Brahms
Before the second half of the performance, OSO Music Director and Conductor Alexandra Arrieche gave us historical background and context for Brahms Symphony No. 1.
Arrieche described how Brahms was stepping into the shoes of and creating a sort of societal musical transition from Beethoven, whom he greatly admired.
Historians believe Symphony No.1 took somewhere between 20 to 30 years for Brahms to write, but Arrieche believes 30 and now I do too.
Symphony No. 1 was written with a deep appreciation for Brahms’ musical colleagues and friends and an intentionality which is felt throughout the music, especially when the moments of tribute were highlighted. The first movement includes tributes to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and the fourth movement to Symphony No. 9.
There is also a moment of Brahms’ fourth movement that contains a melody he heard that made him think of his dear friend, Clara Schumann. It is said that Brahms wrote this melody on a postcard, mailed it to Schumann, and described how it made him think of her.
Now if you remember from the review I wrote from OSO’s Dance Concerton New Year's eve, I described how Brahms was asked for his autograph, wrote a moment of Strauss’ “Blue Danube” and said, “I wish I wrote this.”
The overall picture that Arrieche has painted for us can be summarized like this: Brahms was the ultimate fan girl, and that is why we love him.
Why ‘celebrate’
Every now and then throughout the concert, my mind drew back to the idea of “celebrate” and what it means to this particular concert and moment. As previously mentioned, there were celebratory moments woven into the music, but I think it goes deeper than that.
OSO was celebrating multiculturalism, creativity, friendship, celebrating one another as artists and as people, and the echoes of history that are kept alive in playing music.
We need this celebration now more than ever, and we need to keep the momentum going in listening to works by diverse artists and people who innovated the art of composition and made history.
When you buy a ticket to an orchestra concert, you are part of that movement, and it is an added bonus when you buy a ticket to a local orchestral performance because then you are celebrating our community, your neighbors, and are beginning to create a path for more music exploration in the future.
You can learn more about their next concert, “Transform,” by clicking here.
https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/review-celebrate-by-the-olympia-symphony-orchestra,28145