2026-2027 Season Tickets On Sale June 15
June 15 - August 15
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2026-2027 Season Tickets and New Subscriptions on sale starting June 15, 2026!
Be in the room where the music happens this season.
Season Highlights
Saturday, September 12, 2026 – Foothills Pops: Symphony of the Shire
An evening of music from fantasy, films, and games. Featuring the memorable music from Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Robin Hood, Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda, and more.
7:30 p.m., J.E. Broyhill Civic Center, Lenoir
Thursday, September 17, 2026 – SIDE/SHOW
An evening of FREE, unique performances with WPS Musicians and Friends spanning many musical genres including jazz, classical, and Americana. Presented in partnership with the City of Hickory and the Art Crawl and Hickory Downtown Development Association.
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., various locations, Downtown Hickory
Saturday, October 24, 2026 – Masterworks: Mystic Horizons
Featured artist Sandeep Das, tabla
The season-opening Masterworks features the dynamic Concerto for Tabla and Orchestra by Dinuk Wijeratne featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Sandeep Das, plus works by living composers Max Richter (On the Nature of Daylight) and Behzad Ranjbaran (Seven Passages from his Persian Trilogy). The mesmerizing fairytale from The Arabian Nights, Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov closes the evening.
7:30 p.m., P.E. Monroe Auditorium, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory
*Thursday, November 19, 2026– Masterworks: Handel’s Messiah
Featured artists: The Symphony Singers
A musical rite of the holiday season, Handel’s Messiah is a virtuosic and emotional oratorio chronicling the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ conveyed in music. Presented in true Baroque style by an intimate ensemble of 50 musicians and professional singers.
*Special date and location.
7:30 p.m., St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Hickory
Friday, December 4, 2026 – Foothills Pops: Holiday Spectacular
Everyone’s favorite seasonal concert is back for an evening of holiday and winter music classics. The region’s best way to start December and get some holiday cheer! Matt Sickels, guitar, will electrify with Trans-Siberian Orchestra Christmas songs. Additional guest artists to be announced.
7:30 p.m., J.E. Broyhill Civic Center, Lenoir
Sunday, December 13, 2026 – WPS Youth Orchestras: Fall Concert
Hear our young musicians perform classical works. Both Debut Strings and the Youth Symphony are important parts of the Western Piedmont Symphony family and the local community, providing members with valuable orchestral experience and musical growth. Seating is reserved and assigned. Tickets should be purchased in advance, as this concert often sells out.
3:00 p.m., Drendel Auditorium, Hickory
Saturday, February 13, 2027 – Masterworks: American Roots
Featured Artists: Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper
Experience the sounds of regional traditions and melodies in works by American composers Aaron Copland (Appalachian Spring), William Grant Still (Festive Overture), Charles Ives (Variations on “America’), and Mark O’Connor (Queen Anne’s Revenge). GRAMMY Award-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland and his band Flamekeeper will join the Symphony to perform a mix of Bluegrass and Americana songs for the second half of the concert.
7:30 p.m., P.E. Monroe Auditorium, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory
Saturday, March 13, 2027 – Masterworks: Splendid Tchaikovsky
Featured artist to be announced
Embrace the romance of Russia in the Suite from Dr. Zhivago by OSCAR-winning composer Maurice Jarre, and a Tchaikovsky-centric program including the passionate tone poem Marche Slav, the bold and triumphant Piano Concerto No. 1, and the epic, theatrical fireworks and cannons of the iconic 1812 Overture.
7:30 p.m., P.E. Monroe Auditorium, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory
Saturday, April 17, 2027 – Foothills Pops: The Texas Tenors
The Texas Tenors and the Western Piedmont Symphony perform a unique blend of country, classical, Broadway, and current pop music with breathtaking vocals, humor, and a touch of cowboy charm.
7:30 p.m., J.E. Broyhill Civic Center, Lenoir
Sunday, May 16, 2027 – WPS Youth Orchestras: Spring Concert
Hear our young musicians perform classical works. Both Debut Strings and the Youth Symphony are important parts of the Western Piedmont Symphony family and the local community, providing members with valuable orchestral experience and musical growth. Seating is reserved and assigned. Tickets should be purchased in advance, as this concert often sells out.
3:00 p.m., Drendel Auditorium, Hickory
Saturday, May 22, 2027 – Masterworks: Romantic Masters
Featured Artist: Andrew Sords, violin
Western Piedmont Symphony welcomes violinist Andrew Sords for a program of rich Romantic works. The evening includes Ethel Smyth’s Boatswain’s Mate Overture, Sibelius’s lush and lyrical Violin Concerto in D Minor, and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7, a deeply expressive and dramatic work that reflects the composer’s love for his homeland.
7:30 p.m., P.E. Monroe Auditorium, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory
And more … free masterclasses, education concerts, and community engagement events and conversations in Hickory and throughout the greater Catawba Valley. For more information about the Western Piedmont Symphony 2026-2027 season of concerts and events, visit wpsymphony.org.
For more information about the Western Piedmont Symphony 2026-2027 season of concerts and events, visit wpsymphony.org.
Please note: all programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates are subject to change.
SERIES SUBSCRIPTION AND TICKET INFORMATION
Season Subscriber Renewals happening now. New Series Subscription packages and Single Tickets on sale June 15, 2026 Series subscriptions offer up to 15% off the single ticket price and a reservation on your favorite seats. Flex-6 and Flex-10 packages also available.
Single ticket pricing:
Masterworks: $20-$58; students with valid ID $10 (regular C seat)
Foothills Pops: $33-$58; students with valid ID $10 (regular C seat)
WPS Youth Orchestras: $10-$12
SIDE/SHOW and community engagement events are FREE.
Student tickets are $10 with a valid ID. Students can purchase $10 tickets in sections A and B only when accompanied by an adult who also buys a ticket in the same section. Students may also buy individual $10 tickets in section C without requiring an additional adult ticket purchase.
The WPS Box Office is located on the SALT Block at 243 Third Avenue NE, Hickory, NC 28601. Box Office hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Wed. – Fri. For more information about Western Piedmont Symphony, visit wpsymphony.org, call 828-324-8603, or email [email protected].
CONCERT VENUES
MASTERWORKS: P.E. Monroe Auditorium at Lenoir-Rhyne University, 775 6th St. NE, Hickory, NC 28601
SPECIAL LOCATION FOR MASTERWORKS: HANDEL’S MESSIAH: St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 52 16th Ave. NW, Hickory, NC 28601
FOOTHILLS POPS: J.E. Broyhill Civic Center, 1913 Hickory Blvd., Lenoir, NC 28645
WPS YOUTH ORCHESTRAS: Drendel Auditorium at the SALT Block, 243 3rd Ave. NE, Hickory, NC 28601