Berks in Focus: Symphony of a Thousand Images
A Community Portrait in Music and Light
Celebrate the life, culture, and beauty of Berks County through your eyes!
Join the Reading Symphony Orchestra and the Yocum Institute as we celebrate Berks County through your images! On October 10, 2026, we’re creating something truly extraordinary – a stunning new original “visual concerto” celebrating all there is to love about Berks County.
This immersive orchestra experience is open to all Berks youth ages 5-22. The final performance piece will be produced from a pool of well over 1,000 local image submissions and then choreographed onto a massive 440-square-foot screen above the Reading Symphony Orchestra. Your images will accompany a live performance of Joseph Curiale’s evocative piece, Awakening, a work that beautifully captures the heart and spirit of our beloved county and region.
Visit www.yocuminstitute.org/
Submission Deadline
→ Sunday, May 31, 2026
Westwater Arts will create this project for the Reading Symphony
“Berks in Focus” will be created by Nicholas Bardonnay, the Creative Director & CEO of Westwater Arts. Nicholas is a photographer and multimedia artist. His photography has been exhibited in galleries in London, Los Angeles, Portland and Hong Kong, among others. Since joining Westwater Arts in 2009, Nicholas has worked on more than 120 concerts with orchestras in cities across the U.S. as well as Scotland, England, Singapore, Canada, Poland, and Germany. His latest projects are Mágico, National Park Suite and Visions, which respectively celebrate Mexico’s vibrant culture, the legacy of the National Park Service, and America’s First Peoples. Nicholas will join us here in Reading as technical and artistic director for “Berks in Focus.”.
About the Reading Symphony Orchestra
Since 1913, the Reading Symphony Orchestra has been providing uninterrupted access to exceptional classical music to the citizens of Berks County and beyond. As one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating symphonies, the RSO has performed masterworks from Bach to Beethoven, and many more. Over the years, we’ve welcomed an array of distinguished guest artists, including soprano Renée Fleming; pianists Yuja Wang and Fabio Bidini; violinists Midori and Pinchas Zukerman; and Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux.
About the Yocum Institute for Arts Education
Founded in 1934, The Yocum Institute for Arts Education has served Berks County for more than 90 years with its mission dedicated to enriching the community through arts education. As well as boasting an arts based preschool and kindergarten, the Institute’s expanded offerings include music, dance, theater, visual arts, and even martial arts. With strong partnerships with outreach programs like PrimaryStages and Neighborhood Bridges, the Yocum Institute continues to expand its role in the community and offer a quality arts education to Berks County’s youth and beyond.
Inspiration Photos - Courtesy of Nadia & Andrew Pochan, Jamie Lambert
