On a bitterly cold and wind-swept Monday evening, I drove an hour south from Atlanta to Macon, a historic central Georgia city long steeped in musical tradition. The destination was the Grand Opera House, built in 1884 and still one of the region’s principal cultural landmarks. There, the Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra performed under Mei-Ann Chen, an American conductor raised in Taiwan whose heritage remains central to her artistic identity.
Chen currently serves as Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta, an ensemble nationally recognized for breaking new ground in programming and championing diverse voices. That spirit of ambition and inclusion was evident in Macon as well.
Before the program began, Chen addressed the audience warmly, recalling how her early work with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra provided a formative professional boost at the outset of her career. She also offered gratitude to Amy Schwartz Moretti of the McDuffie Center for Strings for her support. Readers may find a more detailed conversation with Chen at https://www.earrelevant.net/2026/02/finding-a-voice-on-the-podium-a-conversation-with-conductor-mei-ann-chen/
The concert opened with four songs by young writers from the Otis Redding Center for the Arts—Under The Tree (Aislin Taylor), Neverland (Madisyn Cabiness), Mourning Dove (Sam Behrend), and To Be Known (Sara Mazanec), arranged by David Mallamud. These lush and expressive selections were confidently delivered by 16- and 17-year-old artists and met with waves of appreciative applause. The performances affirmed that Macon’s musical lineage continues to renew itself in the present.
After intermission came Symphony No. 1 by Gustav Mahler, a work often considered a rite of passage for orchestras. Mahler resisted attaching fixed narrative programs to his symphonies, yet he initially referred to this one as “Titan,” borrowing from Jean Paul’s novel before later withdrawing the title. The nickname endures, and the symphony suggests a broad emotional arc: awakening, rustic vitality, irony and sorrow, and finally an assertive arrival. Each movement functions almost as a tone poem within the larger architecture.
Chen proved a striking presence on the podium. She conducts with her entire frame—arms expansive, torso engaged, knees bending deeply into phrases. At moments of heightened intensity she even leapt slightly off the podium, physically embodying climactic impulses. The orchestra responded attentively to these kinetic cues.
The symphony is in four movements:
I. Langsam, schleppend; Immer sehr gemächlich.
The first movement emerges from suspended stillness before unfolding into expansive lyricism, loosely shaped in an A-B-A form. The central bridge, relatively calm, connects two powerful spans. In this performance, that middle section lost some forward propulsion and felt momentarily listless, though the opening and closing sections were well shaped and secure. Some phrase contours felt slightly unconventional, yet nothing compromised the larger structure.
II. Kräftig bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell.
This rustic Ländler-like dance projected sturdy character in its outer sections. The physicality of Chen’s approach suited the muscular rhythms well. As in the first movement, the more relaxed middle episode eased the momentum somewhat, though ensemble coordination remained firm.
III. Feierlich und gemessen; Sehr einfach und schlicht wie eine Volksweise.
Mahler’s minor-mode transformation of a children’s tune allowed the orchestra to find its strongest collective focus. The forward motion tightened noticeably. The grotesque undertones were clear yet controlled, resulting in a performance that was at once unsettling and compelling. Here the ensemble seemed fully aligned with Chen’s shaping.
IV. Stürmisch bewegt – Energisch.
The finale began with such force that a patron seated in front of me visibly jumped. With much of the brass and several woodwinds drawn from the Atlanta Symphony, the climaxes were formidable. The Grand Opera House acoustic favors brightness, emphasizing upper overtones; the result was thrillingly incisive brass sonorities, though cymbal strikes occasionally bordered on excessive brilliance. The concluding pages drove forward with exhilarating power.
The string players, many from the McDuffie Center for Strings, deserve special praise. They played with confidence in forte passages and maintained excellent ensemble cohesion throughout. In pianissimo sections, the sound occasionally hesitated, lacking the same assurance heard in louder dynamics, yet their discipline and unity were evident.
Undertaking Mahler’s First with a relatively young and evolving orchestra signals ambition. Delivering it with conviction suggests maturity. On Monday evening, Chen lived up to her press notices. She is indeed a dynamic conductor who leads with conviction and authority, even when working with a developing ensemble. For Atlanta readers, the Macon-Mercer Symphony is well worth the pleasant drive south. What unfolded was more than a concert; it was an affirmation that this orchestra is stepping confidently into its next chapter.
