  Ab initio nuclear theory provides not only a microscopic framework for
quantitative description of the nuclear many-body system, but also a foundation
for deeper understanding of emergent collective correlations. A symplectic
Sp(3,R)$\supset$U(3) dynamical symmetry is identified in ab initio predictions,
from a no-core configuration interaction approach, and found to provide a
qualitative understanding of the spectrum of 7Be. Low-lying states form an
Elliott SU(3) spectrum, while an Sp(3,R) excitation gives rise to an excited
rotational band with strong quadrupole connections to the ground state band.
