As the Marquette Symphony Orchestra launches its 30th anniversary season, Music Director and Principal Conductor Octavio Más-Arocas announced that he will step down after this concert season. Marking a decade with the ensemble, Más-Arocas expressed immense gratitude for his tenure in the Upper Peninsula, noting that the milestone anniversary provides the organization with an ideal opportunity to plan a smooth transition and welcome a new artistic vision. His connection to Marquette is deeply personal, tracing back to an early visit where he and his wife named their daughter, Luna, along the downtown waterfront while admiring the local community. Leaving on exceptionally warm terms, he emphasized that while conductors naturally come and go, the orchestra's true strength lies in its dedicated musicians and supportive audience.
The orchestra's upcoming concert, titled "Everything Beautiful," reflects this spirit of gratitude and continuity through a thoughtfully designed program bridging modern American works with classical masterworks. Opening with Gala Flagello’s titular composition, the performance celebrates finding meaning and joy in life's everyday moments, mirroring the symphony's three-decade history. The first half continues with Margaret Bonds’ Montgomery Variations, a work grounded in African American spirituals that directly honors Antonín Dvořák’s famous prediction that spirituals and folk idioms would become the foundational voice of American classical music.
Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Más-Arocas about his announcement and the upcoming concert:
Bringing that historical connection full circle, the concert concludes with Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony, presented as a special "side-by-side" performance uniting MSO professionals with advanced high school musicians from Marquette and Negaunee. Mentoring young instrumentalists on stage has consistently been a favorite highlight of the conductor's season, and Dvořák's melodic, optimistic score offers an ideal showcase for student talent. By pairing community mentorship with diverse American repertoire, the event highlights the orchestra's core commitment to accessibility, educational outreach, and artistic excellence as it looks toward the future.
"Everything Beautiful and MSO Side-by-Side: Flagello, Bonds & Dvorak" takes place on Saturday, October 10th, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern at Kaufman Auditorium in Marquette.
More information and ticket details are available through NMU Ticketing outlets and marquettesymphony.org.
