As David Stewart Wiley reflected on his 25th season as conductor and music director of Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, he had a lot to be thankful for — especially for the support shown by patrons and concertgoers as the symphony undertook “a journey of reemergence and reopening.”

The culmination of a quarter century with the symphony happened to coincide with RSO’s return to live concerts after the long, financially perilous pause in live performances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.