Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra

08/11/2026

108 years later, and we are still growing! 🎶

Principal Clarinet, 2nd Clarinet*, 4th Horn auditions are announced.
*Principal/2nd Clarinet positions will be filled from the same audition.

The Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1918, is the longest, continually active orchestra in Wisconsin and we are growing!

The Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi are pleased to announce auditions for the following string vacancies:

• Principal Clarinet
• 2nd Clarinet*
• 4th Horn

* Principal / 2nd Clarinet positions will be filled from the same audition.

📅 Audition Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026

📧 How to Audition:
To reserve a time slot, please email [email protected] with:
• The position you wish to audition for
• A one-page résumé outlining relevant performance experience and educational background to [email protected].
Please mail a $25 refundable deposit check or money order with a copy of your resume to: Heather Guadagnino, Orchestra Manager, Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, PO Box 1152, Sheboygan, WI 53082-1152.

Your deposit will be returned to you at the audition or by mail if you cancel your audition prior to the September 4, 2026 deadline. Please make sure to include your contact information including address, phone number, and email.

⏰ Application Deadline: Friday, September 4, 2026

Audition guidelines, repertoire, and specific audition times will be emailed to candidates after the application deadline. Repertoire will also be sent upon inquiry.

All rounds of the audition will take place behind a screen.

The Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra is a community-based, part-time, professional orchestra. Applicants for all positions must be eligible to work in the United States. The Shebogyan Symphony Orchestra is an equal opportunity employer and does not and shall not discriminate based on race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.

07/01/2026

Congratulations Uptown Social on receiving a grant to form this innovative musical offering in our community! And what a tribute to name it after longtime Lakeland University - WI choral director and founder of the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus Janet Herrick. Best wishes to Sheboygan Symphony Chorus alum Emily Rendall-Araujo and Carra-Lyn Conger on this new endeavor, we can't wait to hear the results!

Friends of Uptown Social Receives Grant to Launch Dementia-Friendly Choir in Sheboygan

The Friends of Uptown Social is pleased to announce it has received a $5,000 grant from Giving Voice Initiative as part of the organization’s Rural Initiative to expand dementia-friendly choirs throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin.

With this support, Uptown Social will launch the Janet L. Herrick Dementia-Friendly Choir, an inclusive program designed for individuals with memory loss, their care partners, and community members at large.

Rehearsals will be held at Uptown Social, 1817 N. 8th Street in Sheboygan, on Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., beginning September 10 and continuing through November 19. The season will conclude with a free community concert on November 20 at 10:00 a.m. at the same location.

The choir will be led by Music Director Carra-Lyn Conger, who recently retired from the Sheboygan Area School District after a distinguished career as a music teacher. She currently serves as Director of Music at First Congregational UCC in Sheboygan. Emily Rendall-Araujo, Director of Senior Services for the City of Sheboygan, will accompany on piano and administer the program. She also serves as accompanist at First Congregational UCC in Plymouth. Both Conger and Rendall-Araujo hold bachelor’s degrees in music from Lakeland University.

“Music has always been a source of connection, joy, and belonging,” said Music Director Carra-Lyn Conger. “A dementia-friendly choir allows singers to participate without fear of forgetting lyrics or losing their place. It’s about creating a welcoming space where all voices are valued and where music brings people together across abilities and experiences.”

“This program reflects the heart of our community,” added Emily Rendall-Araujo, Director of Senior Services. “We want individuals with memory loss, their loved ones, and anyone who loves to sing to feel fully included. The power of music to spark memories, lift spirits, and build relationships is incredible, and we’re thrilled to bring this opportunity to Sheboygan.”

Music is widely recognized as a powerful tool for individuals with memory loss. Even as dementia progresses, the parts of the brain that respond to music often remain active. Group singing can improve mood, reduce anxiety, stimulate memory recall, encourage social engagement, and provide opportunities for meaningful connection. Familiar songs can help individuals re-engage with their environment and experience moments of joy and recognition.

The choir is named in honor of Janet L. Herrick, a highly respected figure in Sheboygan’s musical community. A longtime professor of music and choral activities at Lakeland University - WI, founder of the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus and Chorus Director for 25 years, Herrick influenced generations of area musicians, including both Conger and Rendall-Araujo. She passed away in 2025 from complications related to dementia.

Participation in the Janet L. Herrick Dementia-Friendly Choir is free, and no diagnosis of memory loss is required. Community members, care partners, and individuals living with dementia are all encouraged to join. Music selections will be familiar, engaging, and enjoyable for singers of all ability levels.

Those wishing to support the choir can send donations to:
Friends of Uptown Social
1817 N. 8th Street
Sheboygan, WI 53081
The link to donate online is in the comments

For more information, or to sign up for the Janet L. Herrick Dementia-Friendly Choir, please call Uptown Social at 920-459-3290 or email [email protected].

06/30/2026

Congratulations to Levi Ruona, member of the Sheboygan Symphony Youth Orchestra and winner of the Ruth DeYoung Kohler fine arts scholarship. Best wishes, Levi, we can’t wait to see all you accomplish in your musical career!

06/23/2026

What we've always known, Sheboygan is a great place to call home! Congratulations to Uptown Social and our fellow arts organizations that make Sheboygan a vibrant city for people of all ages!

https://www.worldatlas.com/places/10-best-places-to-retire-in-the-great-lakes-s10y26.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawSnrDFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF5WVZzYWtMTVdrQVJFUXVMc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHujEnHlkSIecPYmuMOsVNdhXr290S6nwDPFAb903nSygd3o5HkEdL7z0x5tN_aem_bV1VXrR7LJuTp6_-QDXiTw

Discover the best places to retire in the Great Lakes, where affordable towns like Ashland, Sheboygan, and Two Harbors sit right on the water.

05/20/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended our final performance of the season! And what a performance it was!

Mayor Ryan Sorenson issued a proclamation honoring the SSO for kicking off Sheboygan's celebration of America's 250th anniversary. We recognized retiring clarinetist Joe Milicia on 45 years of service to the orchestra. Nearly 50 students and chaperones from Plymouth WI Schools and a Big and Little from Big Brothers Big Sisters WI Shoreline attended the concert through generous donor support. And everyone in attendance was wowed by the extraordinary playing of pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner on Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and the orchestra's brilliance on Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.

We can't wait to see you again in October!

05/13/2026

Thank you The Sheboygan Sun for the coverage!

To honor our country’s 250th anniversary, the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra will perform Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and William Grant Still’s Symphony

05/12/2026

What iconic company adopted Rhapsody in Blue as its theme song in 1987? 🎶

Comment below if you know the answer!

And if you haven’t yet reserved your seats, call the Weill Ticket Office at 920.208.3243 or buy online at https://wc830wc.na.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/18683

05/06/2026

Just 10 days until our last performance of the season! 🎶

Hear Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, arguably one of the most iconic pieces in American classical music. Originally written for solo piano and jazz ensemble and later orchestrated for a full symphony, it blends classical form with jazz and helped define a new American sound. Its opening clarinet glissando is one of the most recognizable moments in classical music.

Performing on solo piano is Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner, a gifted virtuoso who has played at the White House and Kennedy Center and performed internationally. He holds multiple degrees from Juilliard and Yale and is an Adjunct Professor at New York University.

Don’t have your tickets yet? There’s still time! 🎟️
https://wc830wc.na.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/18683

05/04/2026

Members of our Sheboygan Symphony Chorus loved being part of this amazing musical performance. Thanks to Bel Canto Chorus and the Kettle Moraine Symphony for including us!