The music of the symphony rose and fell. Emotions raw, music refined.  The audience full.  An entire auditorium fixed on the maestro, the instrumentalists and, in particular, a soloist returning to the orchestra for the first time in five years playing a 19^th century violin.

The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra capped the Fifteenth Annual Buzzards Bay Musicfest with a rousing performance by internationally-known violinist Brian Lewis on July 17 at Tabor Academy.

The Buzzards Bay Musicfest is a four-day celebration of classical music that began in 1997 and has grown in size and reputation since. The Musicfest has a policy of never repeating any selections twice, and this year was no exception with works by Beethoven, Haydn, Tchaikovsky and Telemann comprising the performances.

Lewis, a Kansas native-turned-world-famous-violinist, brought the audience to its feet as he finished his solo.

“I haven’t been here in, oh, about five years,” said Lewis after the show.

“Brian’s my old roommate from Julliard,” said Julian Hallmark, a violinist who flys in from California every year to play in the Musicfest.

Lewis played the violin long before his college days.

"I grew up playing the violin," Lewis said. "My mother played, my grandmother played, my whole family played. I started school when I was five, and was shocked to find out that I was the only one who could play the violin. My mom told me not to feel bad that I was the only one and I told her I didn't feel bad for me, I felt bad for them."

Lewis was one of the original performers at the Musicfest.

“I played for seven or eight years and then I went on tour in Japan,” said Lewis.  “This year I got to come back because my tour doesn’t start until this Friday, which is great.”

“It’s a huge deal that he’s here,” said Kimberley Teves, executive director of the Buzzards Bay Musicfest Board of Directors.

Lewis reunited with another founding member of the Musicfest, Maestro Russell Patterson, Artistic Director of the Musicfest.  The Fireman Performing Arts Center at Tabor Academy was packed by the show’s start with few, if any, seats left.

“Tabor has been very supportive of us over the years,” said Sally Madison, Chairman of the Board of Directors.  “Attendance seems to go up every year, and we’ve raised most of the money we need.”

“We’ve had a hugely successful year,” said Teves. “We had that thunderstorm on Wednesday and for people to have come out in the face of the elements is a tremendous testament to the commitment and enthusiasm of our audience.”

Enthusiasm was readily apparent in the lengthy standing ovation given to Lewis and the orchestra as the first half went into intermission.

“It’s a beautiful place, everyone’s so welcoming," said Hallmark. "It’s a lot of fun."

“As soon as you set foot back in Marion, it’s as if you never left,” Lewis said.