Kennett Symphony Rebrands as Brandywine Valley Symphony

A Chester County symphony with a history of high-caliber performances has announced it will take on a new name.

The Kennett Symphony has rebranded as the Brandywine Valley Symphony (BVS). Its first performance as the BVS will take place next season at the Duffy Arts Center, featuring solo pianist Anna Shelest in Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor. In October 2026, the orchestra will make its debut appearance at Carnegie Hall in a concert that will also feature Shelest.

“As an orchestra, we've grown into a more prominent presence with a broader audience, and we need a name that reflects that evolution,” said Board President Dr. Timothy Blair to The Violin Channel. “While we remain rooted in Kennett Square — through our home office and cultural partnership with the Kennett Library — we're proud of how far we've come. Being invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in 2026 is a tremendous honor and a testament to our journey.”

During the past 85 years, the BVS has expanded its audience reach beyond Chester County to include areas of northern Delaware and New Jersey. 

“If you mention the Brandywine Valley anywhere in the nation, people immediately know it,” Blair told The Philadelphia Inqurier. “The Brandywine Valley is known for its arts, the Wyeths. Obviously people think of all the great history here and all of the culture.”

From 1988 to 2013, the orchestra — known as the Kennett Symphony of Chester County — earned recognition under the leadership of Mary Woodmansee Green. Green was Pennsylvania's first woman to be appointed conductor of a professional symphony. Following her retirement, current Music Director Michael Hall succeeded her.

Founded in 1940 as a community orchestra, the BVS holds four orchestral concerts and three chamber music concerts each season. Fifty-two musicians currently fill its roster.