CALIFORNIA, Md. — Chamber Orchestra of Southern Maryland in Concert (COSMIC) Symphony is a little-known crown jewel of the area. The symphony is run by a nonprofit and gives eight concerts a year in Calvert and St. Mary’s counties. They’re also incredibly focused on building and bridging the world of music — they’re the only local symphony orchestra made up totally of native residents of Southern Maryland, and provide all concerts free of charge.
COSMIC is ringing in its 30th birthday with a gala on Sept. 13 and then is going to kick off its 2025-26 season with a special “Birthday Bash” concert. You can view the full schedule here, which includes four concert weekends with one show each in St. Mary’s and Calvert counties. The first concert weekend is the Birthday Bash on Oct. 11 and 12, followed by a winter concert in December, a Young Artists Concert in February and a season finale in April.
Board of Directors member Jeannie Miller-Bologna found COSMIC through her family’s nonprofit, the Joey A. Miller Foundation, which was set up in honor of her late husband. While looking for local musicians to work with her, she found COSMIC Symphony and soon joined their board.
“I was blown away,” Miller-Bologna said. “I couldn’t believe I didn’t know they existed before then.”
Miller-Bologna says that they have no lack of talent in the symphony or in the area, and that most members participate in addition to other full- or part-time jobs. The organization is about sharing music with the community and supporting talent at the same time. Many members have been part of the organization since its beginning.
In addition to those longtime members, COSMIC is entering an exciting new stage of its life. Now at 30 years running, the symphony orchestra has a young, energetic new director in Will Esterling, a Delaware native who is eager to bring new life, and new ears, to the chamber music experience.
Miller-Bologna described two of last year’s concerts, one that featured Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and another that included a collaboration with the Newtowne Players. The Newtowne Players concert drew a crowd of more than 700.
“It was really cool for me to go to the Rhapsody concert and watch everybody in the audience singing the words. That’s not typically the kind of thing you get to see at a typical symphony orchestra concert,” Miller-Bologna said.
And the symphony may be 30 years old, but they’re looking to reach more young people than ever before. New additions are young and social media savvy and bring their many skills beyond music to help spread the word.
All concerts are free to the community, and the board of directors plans to keep it that way. COSMIC is and always has been about sharing music and experiences with the community — supporting local arts and artists helps build a vibrant place for us all to enjoy.
Learn more about COSMIC Symphony and upcoming events.
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