Meet Our New Executive Director!

Q&A with Glenn Northern

You spent 36 years as an educator, including 24 years at Penn High School and 14 years leading its band program. How does that experience prepare you for this role with ECSO?

Glenn: Education and arts administration have more in common than people might think. In both cases, you’re helping people realize their potential, and facilitating the success of the membership in each organization.

At Penn, I had the privilege of working with extraordinary students, dedicated families, and talented educators. Success wasn’t simply about performances or awards. It was about creating an environment where students could grow, challenge themselves, and become part of an organization where they feel safe, valued and cared for.

I see many of those same opportunities within ECSO. We have the chance to inspire people, build community, and create meaningful experiences through music.

One of your hallmarks at Penn was developing young musicians. How might that translate to ECSO?

Glenn: One of my goals is to strengthen the connections between ECSO and the incredible music programs throughout our region.

We are fortunate to live in a community with outstanding school music programs, dedicated music educators and exceptionally talented students. We want young musicians to see ECSO not as something distant, but as something they can connect with, learn from, and aspire to be part of. We want students to see themselves and their potential in the stories and journeys of our symphony musicians.

Whether that’s through educational programming, mentorship opportunities, side-by-side performances, or simply creating more opportunities for students to interact with professional musicians, I believe there is tremendous potential to deepen those relationships.

Why is investing in young musicians so important as ECSO approaches its 80th season?

Glenn: Because the future of orchestral music depends on it.

The students sitting in band, orchestra, and choir rooms today are the musicians, teachers, arts advocates, donors, volunteers, and audience members of tomorrow.

One of the lessons I learned during my years in education is that young people rise to the expectations we set for them. If we invite them into the artistic life of our community, they will respond. ECSO has a tremendous opportunity to help cultivate that next generation.

Looking at Season 79, which programs are you most excited to share with audiences?

Glenn: One of the things I love most about this season is its variety.

We begin with the vibrant rhythms of ¡Ritmo Botánico! at Wellfield Botanic Gardens, feature monumental masterworks like Verdi’s Requiem, celebrate the power of film music in Cinemamatic Symphony, and conclude with Holst’s The Planets.

For me, that diversity reflects what ECSO does best. We can present great music in many forms while creating entry points for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

The Youth Concerto Competition returns in Season 79, why is that so important to you—and to the young musicians of Elkhart County?

Glenn: I spent so much time working with student musicians, and I believe it’s important that we continue the ECSO mission of supporting and affording opportunities to local orchestral musicians of all ages.

The chance to audition for the Youth Concerto Competition, alone, is often a life-changing experience for a young musician. And receiving the award, and having the chance to perform with the Symphony, is the ultimate motivator for our dedicated young players.

Bringing back this award in Season 79 is a way to further engage Elkhart County’s young musicians, and reviving the Concerto competition also reflects the educational philosophy I’ve brought with me to this position: which is that student musicians represent the future, and it’s important to fortify them with confidence; support them with belief; surround them with optimism; inspire them through musical joy, and offer them significant opportunities for growth, advancement, and achievement.

Enjoy our historic 79th season

Season 79 begins on Sept. 13 with the season premiere, ¡Ritmo Botánico!, at Elkhart’s beautiful Wellfield Botanic Gardens, as we gather to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and welcome guest soloist Heidi Eash (oboe).

Duel Vi2lity, Nov. 15 at The Lerner Theatre, features guest soloist Khari Joyner, a rising cellist described by the New York Classical Review as “one of the most exciting young musicians on the classical scene.”

Our annual concert on the historic campus of Goshen College—inside the lovely Sauder Concert Hall at the Goshen College Music Center—takes place Feb. 14, 2027. Verdi Requiem features collaborators and guest soloists including the Camerata Singers, Goshen College Choirs, and vocalists Jenny Ribeiro (Soprano), Roz Woll (Mezzo-Soprano), and Scott Hochstetler (Bass).

Cinematic Symphony, March 14, 2027, at The Lerner Theatre, celebrates film music from Mozart to Williams and features guest conductor Michael Stern. The event also features, as guest soloist, our Youth Concerto Competition Winner!

Planetary Finale, the final concert of Season 79, is May 16, 2027 at The Lerner Theatre, and presents pax duo, an exciting percussion project created by Tristan Swihart and Micah Detweiler that aims to break preconceptions of contemporary percussion through collaboration and new creations that transcend genre.

YOUR support is crucial! 

The continued support of patrons like YOU is most crucial to our mission of spreading music, education, and opportunity throughout our area, and you can rest assured that your gift will bring music and goodness into the world, and into our community.

Contribute today, and make sure to purchase your Season Tickets for Season 79 by visiting The Lerner Theatre Box Office, at 410 South Main Street in downtown Elkhart, or by calling the Box Office at (574) 293-4469.