Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra

10/07/2026

Did you know you can request MSO to perform live what you love?

We call this "audience choice." Each year we'll program something suggested by our audience.

Hear last year's "winning" submission Feb 13, 2027--music by American composer Samuel Barber.

Snap the QR code below or follow this link to submit your request: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdymGQwvOAnWX0BWcD0iaeGaYaaaWfm2D_tGOBqQL2b6qn1HA/viewform

10/03/2026

Be transformed...TONIGHT, Sat, Oct 3, 7:30pm @ Capitol Civic Centre

Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent film "Metropolis" reveals a world forged in the polished perfection of technology, luxury, and industry’s power. Experience it with live orchestra and a rich, luminescent new score by Michelle McQuade Dewhirst.

More info and tickets: https://manitowocsymphony.org/gold-metropolis/

10/02/2026

This Sat, Oct 3, 7:30pm @ Capitol Civic Centre

Robots, robots, everywhere!

Experience Fritz Lang's visionary 1927 silent film Metropolis like never before, with a luminous new score by Michelle McQuade Dewhirst performed live-to-film.

More info and tix: https://manitowocsymphony.org/gold-metropolis/

10/01/2026

Sat, Oct 3, 7:30pm @ Capitol Civic Centre Gold: Metropolis

See the monumental silent film "Metropolis" and hear a new score performed live, written by our very own Michelle McQuade Dewhirst.

We will wait, but not much longer!
(screen-grab from the film)

Tickets and more info: https://manitowocsymphony.org/gold-metropolis/

09/30/2026

Maestro Dylan Chmura-Moore and composer Michelle McQuade Dewhirst joined Coffee on the Coast host Tina Prigge to share exciting details of our October 3 performance GOLD featuring the world-premiere of a score composed by Michelle McQuade Dewhirst to accompany the film Metropolis. Live to film on stage at the Capitol Civic Centre. Discounted ticket prices for ages 35 and under. Children 11 and under are free. This is going to be epic.

09/30/2026

We can't wait!

See Metropolis, Sat, Oct 3, 7:30pm, Capitol Civic Centre with a new score by Michelle McQuade Dewhirst. More info: https://manitowocsymphony.org/gold-metropolis/

09/29/2026

Sat, Oct 3, 7:30pm, Capitol Civic Centre
See Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film, Metropolis. Hear a new score by MSO's Michelle McQuade Dewhirst performed live-to-film!
Tix here: https://manitowocsymphony.org/gold-metropolis/

09/27/2026

Need some Sunday reading? Michelle's got you covered.
https://almamauler.substack.com/p/on-spreading-the-news

Michelle wrote the music for our Sat, Oct 3, 7:30pm performance. Live-to-film, we're going to make music while showing the legendary silent film Metropolis.

Michelle's got a great Substack (no subscription required) where she writes on her compositional process and a lot more.

Get ready!

Coming soon: Metropolis 2.0!

09/26/2026

Dystopian Glam Rock?

Come see what inspired this--David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" and "The Man Who Sold the World."
https://youtu.be/-olWhdDQEec
and
https://youtu.be/ZM0e1m9T9HQ

"Paying tribute to the classic film, Bowie named his third album Metrobolist before pressures from his label forced him to switch the name to The Man Who Sold the World, meanwhile, later down the line, the singer took inspiration from Metropolis’ iconic visuals for the live tour of his Diamond Dogs album. As Bowie’s former lover, Amanda Lear, told Miami News in 1978, Bowie 'rented the film and ran it over and over again in his house. And that’s where Diamond Dogs came from – the whole staging and album and everything, Bowie got from Metropolis'."

Tickets: https://manitowocsymphony.org/gold-metropolis/

David Bowie en directo en 1974, ya abandonando su imagen mas glam, ...

09/25/2026

Meet Michelle. She's the composer of our Gold: Metropolis live-to-film extravaganza Sat, Oct 3, 7:30pm at Capitol Civic Centre. More info: https://manitowocsymphony.org/gold-metropolis/

An accomplished composer, horn player, and music educator, Michelle McQuade Dewhirst is the Artistic Director of the Weidner Philharmonic in Green Bay, WI as well as a long-time member of the Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra. As Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, she teaches courses in music theory, music history, composition, horn, and popular music. Her recent work includes original scores for the silent films Metropolis, Man with a Movie Camera, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari; a commissioned orchestral work for the Fox Valley Youth Symphony, and a collaborative work for chamber orchestra and solo tap dancer featuring Jumaane Taylor.

Michelle looks forward to the inclusion of her music on forthcoming commercial recordings by trumpet player Adam Gaines and two-time Grammy-nominated soprano Laura Strickling. Her next film project will be a new score for Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi. When not teaching, performing, or composing, Michelle enjoys reading, knitting, and consuming every cooking and baking competition show she can find (unless it features Gordon Ramsay yelling). She lives in Green Bay, WI with her husband Michael, her son Sebastian, and her border collie Otis.