Excitement is brewing at the Northern Neck Orchestra, where ticket sales, donations, and community engagement have all seen significant increases since Michael took the helm in 2016. The 2017-2018 season welcomes a dozen new members to the ensemble, including a new concertmaster and several new principal musicians. 

The 2017-2018 repertoire includes Beethoven's Symphony no. 6, an all-Mozart program featuring pianist George Warren, and will conclude with the annual collaboration with the Chesapeake Chorale, this year in a concert of opera music and a performance of Beethoven's Choral Fantasy​, which Michael will conduct from the piano.

The New York Youth Symphony annual "Kickoff Weekend" tradition continues this year with a retreat to Long Island, where an weekend balanced between intensive rehearsals and fun-filled recreation creates a bonding experience for the students, and allows the orchestra to hit the ground running. 

2017-2018 Repertoire includes Rachmaninoff's Symphony no. 2, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (with Julia Bullock), Kevin Puts' Flute Concerto (with Demarre McGill), and three world-premiere commissions by Hilary Purrington, Thomas Kotcheff, and Peter Shin.