The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra will open its 70th season with an evening of energetic, dance-inspired music and the first step in choosing the artistic leader who will guide the orchestra into its next chapter. Canadian conductor Benoit Gauthier will lead the FSO in “Beethoven’s 8th Symphony” on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Huff Concert Hall on the campus of Methodist University. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
The program pairs Beethoven’s joyful 8th Symphony with folk dances by Zoltán Kodály and Antonín Dvořák and an overture by Johann Strauss. Gauthier has described the program as “Dancing Night,” inviting concertgoers to experience the life, movement and energy running through the selections. In developing the program, Gauthier looked back to the music performed at the FSO’s first concert. The nod to the orchestra’s beginnings makes the season opener especially fitting as the organization celebrates seven decades of bringing professional orchestral music to Fayetteville and the surrounding region. The concert also marks the public’s first opportunity to see one of the four finalists being considered as the FSO’s next music director. The search follows the departure of former Music Director Stefan Sanders in April.
Each finalist will travel to Fayetteville during the 2026-27 season and conduct a concert featuring music of their choosing. The performances will allow the musicians and community to experience each candidate’s artistic vision, leadership style and connection with the orchestra. Audience members will be encouraged to offer feedback after the concerts, and their responses will be considered as part of the selection process.
Gauthier brings experience as both a conductor and a builder of musical communities. He founded the Orchestre symphonique de la Côte-Nord at age 16, creating a professional orchestra in a region of Québec that did not have one. The ensemble has since performed major symphonic works and developed tours designed to reach communities across the geographically expansive Côte-Nord region. In 2024, Gauthier received the Jean-Marie-Beaudet Prize in Orchestral Conducting from the Canada Council for the Arts. He is also a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he served as a conducting fellow before being appointed to the school’s conducting faculty in a position created for him.
The remaining music director finalists will appear later in the season. Dirk Meyer will conduct a program featuring Brahms’ First Symphony on Nov. 14; Duo Shen will lead Dvorák’s Eighth Symphony on Jan. 23; and Ian Passmore will conduct Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony on Feb. 20. A fifth season concert, “5 Folk Songs in Counterpoint,” is scheduled for April 10 at St. John’s Episcopal Church.
This year, season ticket holders will also receive access to the Friday rehearsal before each finalist’s concert, offering a behind-the-scenes view of how the conductor and musicians shape a performance. Full-season subscriptions and three-concert Compose Your Own packages are available through Sept. 19. Single tickets for “Benoit Gauthier: Beethoven 8” may be purchased online at https://www.fayettevillesymphony.org/ or by calling the FSO office at 910-433-4690 or at the door on the night of the concert. Discounts are available for seniors, military members, college students, children, and Cumberland County Schools employees. Huff Concert Hall is located on the Methodist University campus at 5400 Ramsey St. in Fayetteville.

(Photo: Benoit Gauthier will be conducting the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra's first concert of the season. Photo courtesy of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra's Facebook page)