The Folsom Lake Symphony launches its 2026–27 season with a passionate and dramatic Opening Night program on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom.

The concert, titled “Symphonie Fantastique,” features acclaimed violinist Joshua Brown as soloist in Max Bruch’s beloved Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, followed by Hector Berlioz’s revolutionary Symphonie fantastique. The pairing brings together two extraordinary expressions of Romantic music. Bruch’s Violin Concerto offers a lyrical and emotionally rich showcase for the solo violin, while Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique transports audiences into a vivid world of passion, obsession, hallucination and madness.

Featured Soloist Joshua Brown Violinist Joshua Brown is recognized internationally for his expressive artistry. He has been praised for his “richness of sound, elegance of reading, and commitment of every moment at the service of the work” (La Libre). Brown rose to global prominence following his success at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, where he was awarded Second Prize as well as both Audience Awards. In 2025, he received an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the CAG Louis and Susan Meisel Prize.

Since making his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra, Brown has performed with leading orchestras throughout the United States and Europe, including the Munich Radio Orchestra, MDR Sinfonieorchester, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra and Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. His performances are recognized for their depth, sensitivity and clarity of interpretation. Brown performs on a Nicolò Amati violin dating from approximately 1635–1640.