Western Piedmont Symphony

05/30/2026

05/26/2026

Thank you Hickory Daily Record for sharing our season announcement! 🎻🖤🎼

“As we enter the 62nd season of our journey as an orchestra, I am filled with pride and a bright optimism as we continue bringing exceptional artistic experiences to our

05/22/2026

🎻✨ WESTERN PIEDMONT SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES SEASON 62 ✨🎻

Western Piedmont Symphony is thrilled to announce our 2026-2027 season featuring award-winning guest artists, beloved classics, Bluegrass, fantasy film music, Handel’s Messiah, and more!

Celebrating 62 years of live symphonic music in the foothills of western North Carolina, WPS will present more than 15 concerts and events across Hickory, Lenoir, Morganton, and Boone.

🎟️ Season Subscriber Renewals are happening now!
New Series Subscriptions and Single Tickets go on sale June 15, 2026.
Series subscriptions save up to 15% and reserve your favorite seats. Flex-6 and Flex-10 packages also available.

✨ SEASON HIGHLIGHTS ✨

🎼 MASTERWORKS
📍P.E. Monroe Auditorium, Hickory

🔹Mystic Horizons
Oct. 24, 2026
Featuring tabla master Sandeep Das with works by Max Richter, Dinuk Wijeratne, Rimsky-Korsakov & more.

🔹Handel’s Messiah*
Nov. 19, 2026
A timeless holiday tradition presented in true Baroque style with The Symphony Singers.
📍 St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Hickory

🔹American Roots
Feb. 13, 2027
Featuring Grammy-winning Bluegrass artists Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper with music by Copland, Mark O’Connor & more.

🔹Splendid Tchaikovsky
Mar. 13, 2027
Featuring the iconic 1812 Overture.

🔹Romantic Masters
May 22, 2027
Featuring acclaimed violinist Andrew Sords performing works by Smyth, Sibelius & Dvořák.

🎬 FOOTHILLS POPS
📍J.E. Broyhill Civic Center, Lenoir

🔹Symphony of the Shire
Sept. 12, 2026
Music from fantasy, films & games.

🔹Holiday Spectacular
Dec. 4, 2026
Holiday favorites plus Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas songs featuring guitarist Matt Sickels.

🔹The Texas Tenors
Apr. 17, 2027
A unique blend of country, classical, Broadway & pop favorites.

🎻 Plus SIDE/SHOW, Youth Orchestra concerts, free masterclasses, education concerts, and community engagement events throughout the season.

Learn more at wpsymphony.org

*Programs, artists, venues, dates, and pricing subject to change.

📸 credit: Brandon Brumley Photography

05/20/2026

Take a moment and enjoy this excerpt from the Casablanca Suite, performed live at Masterworks: Musical Wanderlust, the final concert of the Western Piedmont Symphony's 61st season. ✨

05/19/2026

🎻 Auditions for the 2026–2027 Western Piedmont Symphony Youth Orchestra season are coming up, and we are excited to welcome both returning and new students.

📅 Audition Dates
• May 30: Winds, Brass & Percussion
• June 6: Strings

🎼 Returning Debut Strings Students
• Students staying in Debut Strings should submit a scale and best playing video by May 31. No sight reading required.
• Students auditioning for Youth Symphony should attend the in-person audition on June 6. Sight reading is required.

🎻 Returning Youth Symphony Students
Please prepare scales/arpeggios plus 1–2 minutes of your best playing. No sight reading required.

📌 Scale sheets, repertoire requirements, and full audition information are available at wpsymphony.org/youthorchestras

✨ New students interested in Youth Symphony or Debut Strings should follow the standard audition guidelines posted on wpsymphony.org/youthorchestras.

05/18/2026

Take our quick survey to make future concerts even better!

Did you attend Masterworks: Musical Wanderlust? We hope the performance left you inspired and uplifted. Your experience matters deeply to us, and your feedback helps us continue bringing meaningful, high-quality performances to our community.

Please take a few moments to share your thoughts in our short survey below. It only takes 2–3 minutes, and your input will help us make future concerts even more engaging and enjoyable.

We want to hear from you! Why did you choose to come to a symphony concert? What did you think?

05/18/2026

We ❤️ Sheng Cai! 🎹🎶

05/18/2026

Still thinking about Saturday night. ✨

Here are a few candid moments from Masterworks: Musical Wanderlust. We loved spending time with guest artist Sheng Cai and sharing this incredible season finale with our community.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at P.E. Monroe Auditorium, our talented musicians, dedicated staff, wonderful volunteers, generous sponsors and community partners, and especially Music Director Matthew Troy for bringing this experience to life.

What a way to close the season. 🎹🎻👏

Professional photos coming later this week. 😉