Symphonic Classics and September Splendor

Principal horn and longtime local music educator Debra Inglefield is the featured soloist as the Symphony also performs Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat.

Ms. Inglefield, a faculty member at the University of Notre Dame, Andrews University, and Indiana University South Bend, has been with the Elkhart County Symphony since 1991 and has more than 30 years of experience in orchestral and band performance.

A local educator for more than three decades, Ms. Inglefield—who studied French horn at Bowling Green State University with the late, legendary professor of horn, Herb Spencer—has taught myriad students who’ve gone on to enjoy success in regional and statewide competitions. Many of Ms. Inglefield’s students have advanced to pursue careers in music and music education.

A repertoire of classics in the gardens

A work in three movements, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major was completed in 1786, and its manuscript was written in red, green, blue, and black ink. Experts disagree whether the unusual choice of ink was meant as a sort of ‘color code,’ or if it was an attempt to tease the composition’s intended performer—Mozart’s friend Joseph Leutgeb—but most agree that the piece is Mozart’s most significant concerto for horn.

The opera buffa The Marriage of Figaro, composed by Mozart in 1786 and featuring an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, is based on the 1784 stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais and is considered by music enthusiasts and scholars to be one of the greatest operas of all time. The opera was the first of three collaborations between Mozart and Da Ponte, and the Overture from this historic work was completed only two days before the work premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna on May 1, 1786.

Cavalleria rusticana, a one-act opera by Pietro Mascagni, was adapted from an 1880 short story of the same name. Considered a classic verismo opera, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. Mascagni’s opera was submitted as part of an open competition for Italian composers who had not yet had an opera performed on stage, but the composer did not—himself—send in his entry. Having only heard of the competition two months before the final deadline, Mascagni assumed his work to be too hastily-written and—his confidence having deserted him—he put the draft away in a cabinet drawer. Mascagni’s wife took the draft out and submitted it for entry on the final day of the contest. Mascagni’s opera took First Prize, and its intermezzo has become one of the most beloved from operas of the verismo period.

Georges Bizet’s L’Arlésienne Suite No. 1, first performed in November of 1872, was so popular that its publisher commissioned a second set—L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2—four years after the young French composer died tragically of a heart attack. Bizet’s good friend Ernest Guiraud is said to have assembled the bulk of the arrangements, and—although Suite No. 2 is not as clearly uniform as the first—a large proportion of the work was thought to be inspired by Bizet’s material.

Festive Overture, composed by Dmitri Shostakovich in 1954, was commissioned for the Bolshoi Theatre’s 37th anniversary celebration of the October Revolution. One of the most enduring Shostakovich scores, the short, celebratory piece begins with brass fanfare that is reintroduced before the work’s coda.

Be part of a season to remember!

The Symphony’s 2025-26 debut jumpstarts a season program featuring special guests, community collaborations, and scheduling accomplishments for the Elkhart County Symphony Association. Michail Thompson (March 29), assistant principal trumpet with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C.; associate principal bass for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Aleck Belcher (Feb. 15); and Caitlin Edwards (May 17)—a 2023 Sphinx MPower Artist Grant recipient—join the Symphony as guest soloists during our 78th season, and on Nov. 23, at The Lerner Theatre in Downtown Elkhart, we welcome the beloved trio of Goshen College alumnae, Girl Named Tom, for “A Classical Christmas: Girl Named Tom & The Elkhart County Symphony.”

More than just a season highlight, the collaboration with Girl Named Tom—presented in partnership with the City of Elkhart and The Lerner 100 Year Anniversary—represents a landmark event for the Symphony, our loyal supporters, and our growing community of new fans and followers.

2025-26 Concert Schedule

Season 78 Tickets and Pricing

Season tickets for our five-performance 2025-26 season offer the benefit of five concerts for the price of four, with additional perks to be specified at our collaborative holiday concert with Girl Named Tom.

Season packages and individual concert tickets can be purchased at The Lerner Theatre Box Office, 410 South Main Street, Elkhart, Indiana, or by calling the Box Office at (574) 293-4469.

A better box office and ticketing experience

The Lerner Theatre is expanding its box office hours to better accommodate guests. The new hours at The Lerner Theatre will be as follows:

Monday-Friday: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Show Days: 10:00 a.m. – Start of Show

The Lerner Theatre is also pleased to announce increased transparency in the ticket-buying experience. The Lerner Theatre has made the switch to All-In Pricing, ensuring that ticket buyers, before making a purchase, can see the full price upfront including fees (before taxes).

All-In Pricing Guide for Season Tickets

In-person or over the phone with a credit card (price includes credit card fees):

• Adult: $130.00
• Child: $67.60
• Senior: $114.40
• Mezzanine: $156.00

In-person with cash or check:

• Adult: $125.00
• Child: $65.00
• Senior: $110.00
• Mezzanine: $150.00