Charlotte Symphony Orchestra To Premiere First Sonic Logo Commissioned by an Orchestra
Composed By Grammy Award-Winner Mason Bates
September 4, 2025 | Charlotte, NC – The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Music Director Kwamé Ryan will debut the Orchestra’s new Sonic Logo, commissioned from Grammy Award-winning composer Mason Bates, at the opening concerts of its 2025–26 Classical Series on Friday, October 10, and Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. at the Knight Theater.
The Sonic Logo — a brief musical signature created to accompany the Symphony’s refreshed brand identity unveiled last year — represents a groundbreaking first in orchestral branding.
Bates, one of the most widely performed living American composers and a Grammy Award winner for his opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, described the audio logo as an attempt to “capture both the excitement and depth of emotion of Kwamé Ryan and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra.”
Sonic logos are familiar in media and technology — from Netflix’s “ta-dum” to NBC’s iconic three chimes — but this commission represents a first in orchestral music. The Charlotte Symphony will use the new audio identity across digital platforms, broadcasts, media communications, and in the concert hall. Both a 30-second and a 5-second version will be made available to press following the premiere.
“From the moment I first saw our new visual logo, I felt it was calling out for its own sound,” said Music Director Kwamé Ryan. “I immediately thought of my friend Mason Bates, whose music beautifully bridges the classical and contemporary. With Mason’s ‘Sonic Logo’ — written in a style audiences will instantly recognize from over a century of popular culture, starting with MGM’s iconic lion’s roar — we are signaling that the CSO is deeply rooted in tradition while being attuned to how people experience sound today.”
The unveiling of the Sonic Logo comes as the CSO enters its second season with Kwamé Ryan at the helm — the first fully shaped by the Music Director since his appointment.
The series-opening concerts will also feature Bates’s Attack Decay Sustain Release, followed by Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, with soloist Joshua Roman, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5. The Saturday performance will be broadcast live on WDAV 89.9 (wdav.org).
Tickets
Tickets for the concert start at $40 and are available now at charlottesymphony.org. For press tickets, contact Deirdre Roddin at droddin@charlottesymphony.org or 704.714.5112.
About the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is one of the premier music organizations in the Southeastern United States and the oldest continuously operating symphony orchestra in the Carolinas. As Charlotte's most active performing arts group, the CSO presents around 150 concerts each season, reaching more than 150,000 music lovers. The CSO is committed to its mission of uplifting, entertaining, and educating the diverse communities of Charlotte-Mecklenburg and beyond through exceptional musical experiences. Led by Music Director Kwamé Ryan, the CSO employs 65 professional full-time orchestra musicians, fosters four youth orchestras, and offers significant educational support aimed at serving the under-resourced areas of our community. Founded in 1932, the Charlotte Symphony plays a leading cultural role in the Charlotte area and serves the community as a civic leader, reflecting and uniting our region through the transformative power of live music.
Event Listing
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
Knight Theater
Friday, October 10, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 11, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Kwamé Ryan, conductor
Joshua Roman, cello
Mason BATES Sonic Logo (World Premiere)
Mason BATES Attack Decay Sustain Release
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 1
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5
In the series opener, a lively work by Mason Bates kicks off a program of striking contrasts, setting the stage for Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto. By turns biting, brooding, and darkly humorous, the concerto reveals the composer’s signature defiance — a quality that often put him at odds with Soviet authorities. Finally, the towering Fifth Symphony, written in the shadow of Stalin’s oppressive regime, unfolds with gripping drama and raw emotion, evoking both resilience and a deeply rooted connection to his Russian homeland.
Hi-res photography is available in the Charlotte Symphony’s photo gallery or by contacting Deirdre Roddin at droddin@charlottesymphony.org
###