Suburban Symphony Orchestra, Where Music Meets Photography

The Suburban Symphony Orchestra announces its season-opening concert “Pines of Rome,” a novel, multi-sensory collaboration with the Cleveland Photographic Society. Over 100 images taken by local photographers and inspired by the music will be projected above a live orchestra playing music that evokes the vastness of space, visions of life in Ancient Rome, and the journey of the sun across the sky. The program is conducted by Music and Artistic Director Domenico Boyagian and also features acclaimed pianist Joyce Yu.  The concert will be held on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. at Beachwood High School, 25100 Fairmount Blvd, Beachwood, OH, with a pre-concert lobby photo gallery opening at 3:00 p.m. Admission is free. Details can be found at https://suburbansymphony.org/pines.

A Unique Collaboration
This inaugural collaboration between the Suburban Symphony Orchestra (SSO) and Cleveland Photographic Society (CPS), two arts groups comprised of volunteer community members from throughout Northeast Ohio, was conceived as a way to provide a unique and engaging experience for all involved—the musicians, the photographers, and the audience. “I’m thrilled about the opportunity to partner with CPS on a musical and visual journey as the opening concert of our 72nd season,” said SSO Artistic and Music Director Domenico Boyagian. “SSO’s role in today’s society is to enrich the lives of its members and community, and there’s no better way to do that than alongside an organization that shares this same idea—CPS captures the moment, SSO brings it to life.”
An Evocative Program
The program launches a season built around themes of life, resiliency, and nature and features tone poems that naturally inspire a visual artistic component: Mary Howe’s Stars, Carl Nielsen’s Helios Overture, and Ottorino Respighi’s The Pines of Rome.  The size and breadth of CPS’s organization made them a natural partner to curate dozens of images that reflect the mood of the music. “This is an exciting opportunity for CPS members to collaborate with another local organization in sharing and celebrating artistic vision,” said CPS Exhibits Chair Jenny Gaba. “We are excited to see our images contribute a visual narrative that complements the pieces performed by SSO, creating a distinctive and immersive sensory experience for audiences.”
Pianist Joyce Yu rounds out the program with a performance of Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Ms. Yu is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. She holds multiple artist diplomas, performs internationally and is an active collaborator with multiple composers.

Lobby Photo Gallery
To enhance the overall concert day experience, the audience is invited to peruse a collection of printed photographs in a pop-up gallery in the lobby of the auditorium. The gallery will open at 3:00 p.m. and remain available for viewing during intermission and following the concert.

About the Suburban Symphony Orchestra
The Suburban Symphony Orchestra, currently led by Artistic & Music Director Domenico Boyagian, is an 80-member, Beachwood-based orchestra that has provided high-quality, free classical music to the community for over 70 years. The orchestra performs well-known masterworks and hidden gems and has strong ties to the community, frequently collaborating with renowned soloists, local arts groups, and hosting a student concerto competition. Recent highlights include Beethoven’s Ninth at Severance Hall, a collaboration with the Cleveland Chorale, and a performance of film music at Cain Park. This is SSO’s fourth multi-media collaboration since 2019 and its first collaboration with photographers; previous collaborations involved student artists from Canterbury Elementary School, Rainey Institute, and St. Dominic School in Shaker Heights.

Its upcoming season themed “Life Finds a Way” explores different aspects of  life: hope, resilience and nature. It  features The Pines of Rome with projected photographic images (Sept 27), Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 (Nov 8), Ugly Sweater Extravaganza (Dec 12), Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 (Feb 7), Mozart Requiem with West Shore Chorale (Mar 21, at Maltz Performing Arts Center), The Composer Next Door: A  Public Collaboration Workshop (Apr 4) and Dvorak Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” featuring Young Soloist Competition Winners. More information can be found at: https://suburbansymphony.org
About the Cleveland Photographic Society
Founded in 1887, the Cleveland Photographic Society is one of the oldest and largest camera clubs in North America. For over 135 years, CPS has provided a community for photographers of all levels to learn, challenge, and inspire each other. They are a very active club, offering a variety of activities for members and visitors alike, from guest speakers nearly every Friday evening at its clubhouse in Broadview Heights to special interest groups, mentoring, competitions, classes in both photography and photo editing, critique nights, exhibits, and field trips. More information at clevelandphoto.org/

Maestro Domenico Boyagian was appointed as Music Director of Suburban Symphony Orchestra in 2018, following the long tenures of Robert C. Weiskopf, and Martin Kessler. Mr. Boyagian is the Music Director of Cleveland Opera Theater. In addition to local appearances, he has conducted across the United States. In recognition of his talent, Boyagian was named “one of ten most successful Italians in the U.S.” by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce in New York City and is a “Most Distinguished Artist” grant recipient from the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture in Cleveland.

The Suburban Symphony Orchestra is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and by state tax dollars allocated by the Ohio legislature to the Ohio Arts Council.