Music Director Alyssa Wang will conduct

WEST BARNSTABLE, MA—April 28, 2026

The Cape Symphony Orchestra is delighted to present “Voices of Spring: Mahler 5” on May 30 and 31 at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center. Music Director Alyssa Wang will lead a program of masterworks inspired by the season of renewal in all its shades of beauty, culminating in Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.

“Voices of Spring is a delightfully ambitious program that balances the colorful precision of French impressionism with the fearless density of Mahler’s behemoth Fifth Symphony,” said Wang. The program opens with Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps (From a Spring Morning), followed by Claude Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. After an intermission, the Orchestra will perform Gustav Mahler’s thrilling fifth symphony.

“The idea of a fifth symphony has been cemented into composers’ psyches as a significant endeavor ever since Beethoven’s Fifth, and a long line of composers like Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, and indeed Mahler, have all felt that weight when writing their own Fifth,” said Wang. “Mahler’s is a complex, fulfilling masterpiece that is technically rigorous for all performers involved and deeply exciting for audiences. Divided into five substantial movements, the symphony presents passionate juxtapositions between folk-like themes, solemn marches, and in the most famous fourth movement Adagietto, beautiful outpourings of love.

“Mahler was a conductor’s composer, and added copious instructions all across the score for whomever had the privilege of wielding the baton,” she continued. “For me, conducting Mahler is an enormous responsibility, not just because the musicians have their work cut out for them, but because Mahler himself seems to be present in spirit, watching over your shoulder to see if you’ve followed his instructions.”

“Voices of Spring: Mahler 5” will be presented Saturday, May 30 at 4:00 PM and Sunday, May 31 at 3:00 PM at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center, 744 West Main Street, Hyannis. Ticketholders are invited to a discussion of the concert program by Assistant Conductor Joe Marchio one hour before each performance.

For tickets, visit www.capesymphony.org, call 508.362.1111, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit the Cape Symphony Box Office at 2235 Iyannough Road in West Barnstable, Monday–Friday from 9:00 AM–5:00 PM. Tickets are discounted 20% for veterans and active military and 50% for students aged 6–22. Only tickets purchased on Cape Symphony’s secure website or through the Cape Symphony Box Office are legitimate and guaranteed.

The Cape Symphony Orchestra’s Masterpiece series concerts are sponsored by Cape Cod 5.

Media Contact:
Susan Sundermeyer, Marketing Content Manager
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Cape Arts & Entertainment is one of the largest professional cultural organizations in Massachusetts. We inspire, educate, and connect our community through exceptional music and inclusive outreach programs. The Cape Symphony Orchestra presents a diverse classical and pops repertoire at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center, while Cape Symphony Presents brings world-class artists of many genres to venues across the Cape & Islands. Cape Symphony Conservatory & Preschool offers private and group instruction for all ages at our West Barnstable and Falmouth campuses and our Lower Cape Extension in Brewster, a robust Youth Orchestra Program, and an acclaimed arts-infused curriculum for preschoolers in West Barnstable. Rooted in creativity, excellence, community, and lifelong learning, all three branches of CA&E enrich lives through the power of music. Visit www.capesymphony.org for more information.