Skip to main content

'Classical Mystery Tour' showcases best of The Beatles at Maryland Theatre


HAGERSTOWN, MD. >> Tickets are on sale for the "Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to The Beatles" concert with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, to be performed at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Maryland Theatre in downtown Hagerstown.

The four musicians in Classical Mystery Tour look and sound like The Beatles, but Classical Mystery Tour is more than just a rock concert.

The show presents more than two dozen Beatles tunes transcribed note-for-note and performed exactly as they were originally recorded. Hear "Penny Lane" with a live trumpet section, experience "Yesterday" with an acoustic guitar and string quartet, and enjoy the classical/rock blend on "I Am the Walrus."

This concert is the best of The Beatles — from early Beatles music on through the solo years. Many have called it "the best show The Beatles never did."

Since its initial performance at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in 1996, Classical Mystery Tour has become one of the top Symphony Pops attractions in the country. The group has performed with more than 100 orchestras across the United States and around the world.

The Los Angeles Times called the show "more than just an incredible simulation ... the swelling strings and the soaring French horn lines gave the performance a high goose-bump quotient ... the crowd stood and bellowed for more."

"We really want to make an effort to sound exactly like the originals," said Jim Owen, who conceived the show and performs as John Lennon.

"The orchestra score is exact, right down to every note and instrument that was on the original recording. On "Got to Get You into My Life" we have two tenor saxophones and three trumpets. That's what it was written for, and that's what we use. And on "A Day in the Life," that final big orchestra crescendo sounds amazing when it's played live."

Tickets for adults range in price from $25 to $65, and for children from $15 to $55. Tickets may be purchased online at www.marylandsymphony.org, in person at 30 W. Washington St., Hagerstown or by calling 301-797-4000, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Classical Mystery Tour is presented by Antietam Cable Television Inc. Additional funding has been provided by Middletown Bank.

The Maryland Symphony Orchestra is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.

Founded in 1982, The Maryland Symphony Orchestra is the area's premier professional orchestra. Led by Music Director Elizabeth Schulze, it is one of only four professional symphony orchestras in Maryland.