Reading in full bloom: a spring of arts & performance
(4-minute read)
This spring, Reading came alive with music, voices, and performance from across the community - from student choirs to the symphony orchestra. Thanks to RCTV, every note was captured on video, so you can enjoy these memorable events from the comfort of your home. Here’s a guide to everything you can watch.
Reading Symphony Orchestra: Rhythm & Fire | March 21, 2026
The RSO kicked off its spring season with an electrifying program built around two elemental forces: rhythm and fire. The evening opened with Manuel de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance from El amor brujo, a piece of raw, passionate energy drawn from Spanish folklore. The second work was Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1, performed by Vartan Arakelian, an 18-year-old prodigy and 2025 YoungArts National Arts Competition award winner who has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. The concert concluded with Paul Creston’s Symphony No. 2, a piece so rhythmically driven that Creston himself wrote a celebrated treatise on the subject. Under the baton of Music Director Maestro George Ogata, the RSO delivered a first half that blazed with fiery energy and a second half that showcased the full depth of American orchestral writing.
Watch: RSO March Concert: Rhythm & Fire
RMHS Choir: Spring into Song | May 8, 2025
Reading Memorial High School’s talented choral students took the stage for their annual spring showcase at the RMHS Performing Arts Center. The concert featured six of the school’s ensembles: Select Choir, Fermata Nowhere, the Crescendudes, Harmonium, RMHS Mixed Choir, and RMHS Singers - all performing under the direction of Ms. Kristin Killan. From intimate a cappella groups to the full mixed choir, Spring into Song highlighted the extraordinary range and dedication of RMHS’s choral program and gave students the chance to shine before their families, classmates, and the broader Reading community.
Watch: RMHS Choir: Spring into Song
Reading Community Singers: For the Beauty of the Earth | May 10, 2026
One of Reading’s most beloved institutions, the Reading Community Singers, presented their spring concert at the RMHS Performing Arts Center. Titled For the Beauty of Earth, the evening was led by Spring Artistic Director Elijah Botkin, a Boston-based conductor and arranger whose credits include directing the Northeastern University Madrigal Singers.
A special highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 2026 RCS Scholarship to recipient Allison Hall. Hall will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute to study biomedical engineering with a minor in music. An accomplished instrumentalist, she has studied piano for 12 years and performs on violin, bass, and guitar with a range of ensembles.
Watch: Reading Community Singers: For the Beauty of the Earth
RPS Artsfest at RMHS | April 13-15
Reading Public Schools’ annual ArtsFest transformed RMHS into a vibrant celebration of creativity over three days, spanning every grade level from kindergarten through senior year. Visual artwork from students across the district lined the school’s Main Street corridor, while the Performing Arts Center hosted live music, dance, drama, and choral performances throughout the festival.
Artsfest is one of Reading’s most community-centered events, showcasing chorus, band, jazz band, RCTV productions, dramatic performances, and folk dancing from the youngest students to graduating seniors. RCTV captured the community’s artistic talent, which is available to watch.
Watch: Artsfest Day 1
Watch: Artsfest Day 2
Watch: Artsfest Day 3
Reading Symphony Orchestra: Blast Off into Space! | May 17, 2026
The RSO closed out its spring season with a pops concert that was out of this world - literally. Blast Off into Space! brought together some of the most iconic orchestral music ever written about exploration, science fiction, and the cosmos. The program featured Richard Strauss’s grand Also sprach Zarathustra (familiar as the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Gustav Holst’s sweeping suite The Planets, and the beloved E.T. the Extraterrestrial suite by John Williams.
Held at the RMHS Performing Arts Center, the concert was designed to be family-friendly and accessible, blending classical favorites with beloved film scores. Whether you’re a longtime symphony-goer or bringing kids to their first orchestra concert, this recording is a joyful watch.
