Was the listener merely projecting his feelings on what he heard, or was there not something special about the rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” that opened the first concert of the 2019-2020 season of the Spokane Symphony?

Season opener “Masterworks 1: American Rhythms,” Saturday and Sept. 15 at the Fox, features guest pianist William Wolfram.

Since 1986, visitors have marked the unofficial end of summer in the South Hill’s Comstock Park with a free performance by the Spokane Symphony. Beautiful weather brought a crowd at least 5,000 strong to the performance, which included patriotic tunes and pop classics.

When musician Larry Jess gathers his trumpet, it’s like a meeting between old friends – inseparable as the day is long, but still excited to make the acquaintance. Similar to a handshake, Jess works his way into it: first, by finding a tune through just the mouth piece. Then, with half of the instrument assembled.

Free is the word for the Spokane Symphony when it comes to families. Free concerts in the parks – three of them in the coming week – and free tickets to concerts for school-age children.

The Spokane Symphony will perform in Pavillion Park and Comstock Park, and the Coeur d’Alene Symphony will perform in Coeur d’Alene City Park.

James Lowe will perform with the symphony on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m., part of a full weekend of activities scheduled to celebrate the reopening of the signature attraction in the downtown park.

According to a Facebook post, the heat and poor air quality are to blame for the decision.

Travis Suttle Rivers, a retired Eastern Washington University music professor and prolific critic of the Spokane Symphony, covering hundreds of performances for the Spokesman-Review, died Sunday, July 21. He was 81.

James Lowe, who beat out 188 applicants to succeed Eckart Preu, was formally introduced during a news conference at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox.

“I’m so excited to roll up my sleeves and get working,” Lowe said, praising the orchestra, the Fox theater and the community support he saw in Spokane.

“The M Show: Percussion Edition” will be held at the Washington Cracker Co. Building on May 23 and 24.

Had this weekend’s concerts by the Spokane Symphony been planned as an audition by Eckart Preu for the position of principal conductor and music director of the orchestra, they could not have been more successful. We had already heard five outstanding candidates earlier in the season: Morihiko Nakahara, James Lowe, Rei Hotoda, Arthur Arnold and Jayce Ogren. Every one of them exhibited extraordinary qualities that alerted us to the possibilities for new growth that are ahead for Spokane and its orchestra, and so might the concerts led this weekend by Preu, were it not for one big difference: The fact that these concerts were the last to be led by Preu as principal conductor of the Spokane Symphony, a position he has held for 15 years.

KSPS-TV, Spokane's public television station, produced this video profile of the Spokane Symphony's longtime conductor in 2018.

Preu will lead the symphony for the final time during “Classics 10: Eckart’s Farewell,” Saturday and Sunday at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox.

Portland’s funky and jazzy “little orchestra” has a soft spot for Spokane.

The fifth shoe dropped on Saturday night, when Jayce Ogren, the last of five candidates we were to hear for the position of music director of the Spokane Symphony, led the orchestra in its penultimate classics concert of the 2018-19 season. Even before walking onstage, Ogren had distinguished himself in the customary interview with Verne Wyndham’s “From the Studio” radio program, on which Istvan Vardai, cello soloist in this weekend’s program, also appeared. Those who heard the interview (and if you missed it, it can still be found at spokanepublicradio.org) were treated to a discussion of music as informative, as interesting and as inspiring as one could possibly hope for.

Ogren will lead the Spokane Symphony during “Classics 9: Russian Virtuosity” on Saturday and Sunday at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox.

The Family Concert will be Aug. 4, and the Spokane Symphony will perform Aug. 11.