The Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra (CVSO) began its latest series of performances for the 2026-2027 season, appropriately titled "A Season of Discovery."

The discovery in question: A new music director to lead the decades-old symphony and share new visions for the broader performance arts community of the Chippewa Valley.

On Saturday, Sept. 26, the first of what will be three finalist performances was held in the Pablo Center at the Confluence (128 Graham Ave., Eau Claire). Each music director candidate – Cullan Lucas, María Fátima Corona del Toro and Spencer Marti – will curate their own programs to lead the orchestra.

Lucas, who has led the orchestral program at Winona State University in Minnesota – and leads the Driftless Urban Orchestra (DUO) as Artistic Director – presented "Transatlantic Impressions" on Saturday night.

His program explored "American identity through four distinct voices" and featured arrangements by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, George Gershwin, among others. Lucas and the CVSO together aimed to capture the "young, enthusiastic spirit of American life."

Visit the Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra webpage online to learn more about "A Season of Discovery" and purchase tickets to individual concerts.