Western Piedmont Symphony

Masterworks: Symphony Swings
2025-02-22 19:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | P.E. Monroe Auditorium, LRU, 775 6th St NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
The Clarinet Queen of New Orleans: Dr. Doreen J. Ketchens! You’ve seen her on Instagram, now see her live in concert with the Western Piedmont Symphony!
Doreen Ketchens live on Jimmy Kimmel performing When the Saints!
A night of classic American jazz music featuring one of the greatest clarinetists alive, known as the Louis Armstrong of the clarinet, Doreen Ketchens, performing jazz swing music with the Western Piedmont Symphony. Also on the program is Soul Force by award-winning composer Jessie Montgomery, Three Dance Episodes from On the Town by Bernstein, and the musical mural of African-American history told through music, Ellington’s Black, Brown, and Beige Suite.
Featured Artist
Doreen Ketchens
Program
Montgomery, J. Soul Force
Bernstein On the Town: Three Dance Episodes
Ellington Black, Brown, and Beige: Suite
Various American Jazz and Swing
(“St. Louis Blues,” “Just a Closer Walk with Thee,” “Caravan,” “Amazing Grace,” “Basin Street Blues,” and more)
Dr. Doreen J. Ketchens, clarinet and vocals
Note: programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates subject to change.

Partners and Sponsors

LYNN AND CHIP YOUNG

Masterworks: The Rite of Spring
2025-01-25 19:30 - 21:30 | P.E. Monroe Auditorium, LRU, 775 6th St NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Western Piedmont Symphony celebrates its orchestral artistic breadth and depth with the sensational Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), Stravinsky’s musical choreographic work celebrating the return of spring and the renewal of the earth in primal rhythms and rituals of dance. Also on the program is Debussy’s Syrinx for solo flute, the unforgettable film music from Psycho by B. Herrmann, and the musical fantasia Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky.
Program
Debussy Syrinx, L. 129
Herrmann Psycho: A Narrative for String Orchestra
Mussorgsky Night on Bald Mountain
Stravinsky The Rite of Spring

Note: programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates subject to change.

Crossroads: Valves and Keys Trio
2025-01-16 19:30 - 21:00 | Drendel Auditorium, SALT Block, 243 3rd Ave NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
North Carolina artists David Dash, trumpet; Maria Serkin, horn; and Alison Gagnon, piano, perform poetic works by female composers Dorothy Gates, Whitney George, Cecilia McDowall, and Amy Beach.

Presented in partnership with L.A.T.E. hours at Hickory Museum of Art

WPS Youth Orchestras Fall Concert
2024-12-15 15:00 - 17:00 | Drendel Auditorium, SALT Block, 243 3rd Ave NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Hear our young artists in performance! Both Debut Strings and the Youth Symphony will perform works from the classical repertoire.
The Western Piedmont Symphony Youth Orchestras (Debut Strings and the Youth Symphony) are an integral member of the Western Piedmont Symphony family and are a rigorous part of the cultural fabric of the community. The WPSYO program cultivates artistic growth of its members through enriching orchestral experiences.
Seating is reserved/assigned. Highly recommend purchasing tickets before the concert. This show is always sold out.

Note: programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates subject to change.

Foothills Pops: Holiday Spectacular
2024-12-07 19:30 - 21:30 | J.E. Broyhill Civic Center, 1913 Hickory Blvd, Lenoir, NC, 28645, United States
Everyone’s favorite seasonal concert is back for an evening of classic Christmas songs, seasonal movie music, electrifying holiday pops, and winter music classics. The region’s best way to start your holiday season! Concessions open at 6:30 p.m.; the magical music begins at 7:30 p.m. At J.E. Broyhill Civic Center, 1913 Hickory Blvd., in Lenoir, NC.
CLICK HERE TO GET TICKETS
Featured Artist: Matt Sickles, electric guitar

SERIES SPONSORS

CONCERT SPONSORS
Anonymous Angel

PARTNER SPONSORS

Note: programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates subject to change.

Sight + Sound Film Series with Hickory Museum of Art
2024-11-21 18:30 - 21:30 | Drendel Auditorium, SALT Block, 243 3rd Ave NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Western Piedmont Symphony + Hickory Museum of Art present Sight + Sound Film Series, featuring a great collaboration of symphony and metal rock captured on film.
The HMA Sight + Sound Series will feature high-quality films from modern, popular music talent such as Talking Heads “Stop Making Sense”, U2 “Rattle & Hum”, and many others. Big screen, big sound-audiophiles will cherish these one-night-only viewings as a chance to take in the vibes of some of their favorite artists on the big screen. Movies will be shown in the Drendel Auditorium.
Contact HMA at 828-327-8576, ext 201 for more information on the titles selected.

Crossroads: Viola Celebration
2024-11-16 19:30 - 21:00 | Drendel Auditorium, SALT Block, 243 3rd Ave NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Piano and violas come together in a lush program highlighting the dark, rich voice of the viola! Works Brahms, Bridge, and more.
Featured Artists: Scott Rawls, viola; Kimberly Sparr, viola; James Douglass, piano

Concert Sponsors
Dr. Randy Fisher and Dr. Ann Joslyn

Discovery Family Concert: Robots, Machines, and Music!
2024-11-10 14:00 - 16:00 | P.E. Monroe Auditorium, LRU, 775 6th St NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Discover musical adventures of live symphonic music and explore where music and science meet in a concert of fun and familiar music and songs.
Activities begin at 2:00 p.m., the music begins at 3:00 p.m.
Presented in partnership with Catawba Science Center and Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind and the Machine.

Partners

Note: programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates subject to change.

Masterworks: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony
2024-11-09 19:30 - 21:30 | P.E. Monroe Auditorium, LRU, 775 6th St NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
The first four notes say it all: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Also on the program of “The Three Bs” is a Baroque power play of three on three, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, and the doubly demanding Brahms Concerto for Violin and Cello featuring Misha Keylin, violin, and WPS principal cellist Samuel Magill.
Featured Artists
Misha Keylin, violin
Samuel Magill, cello
Program
Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
Brahms Double Concerto in A minor, op.102
Misha Keylin, violin; Samuel Magill, cello
Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op.67

Note: programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates subject to change.

Behind the Music: Screening of PSYCHO with Footcandle Film Society
2024-10-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Carolina Theater, 222 1st Ave NW, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Come see Alfred Hitchcock’s original classic horror film PSYCHO at the Carolina Theater in Downtown Hickory on Wednesday night, October 30th, at 7:00pm!

The Footcandle Film Society and the Western Piedmont Symphony are proud to co-host this Halloween-time film screening. Alan Jackson with the film society and the Symphony’s Music Director Matthew Troy will be on hand to talk about the film and, more specifically, it’s music as we get ready for WPS’ January 25th concert featuring music from the film by composer Bernard Herrmann.

Tickets are $5.00 at the door, but this screening is free to all current Footcandle Film Society members.
Event Partner

Crossroads: Martha Bassett’s Quinteto Brasil
2024-10-24 19:30 - 21:00 | Drendel Auditorium, SALT Block, 243 3rd Ave NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
North Carolina singer/songwriter Martha Bassett and her Quinteto Brasil present a night of bossa nova standards and new arrangements such as Desafinado, Meditation, One Note Samba, and more. Hear DESAFINADO in live performance of the Martha Bassett Show from The Reeves Theater in Elkin, North Carolina!

Presented in partnership with L.A.T.E. hours at Hickory Museum of Art

Side/Show
2024-09-19 17:00 - 20:00 | Downtown Hickory, 246 Union Square NW, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Join the Western Piedmont Symphony chamber ensembles and friends for FREE live music experiences. Happening in downtown Hickory in partnership with the Downtown Hickory Art Crawl. In conjunction with Downtown Hickory’s Art Crawl.

Locations

Artists

Sponsors and Partners

Note: programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates subject to change.

Foothills Pops: The Music of John Williams
2024-09-13 19:30 - 21:30 | J.E. Broyhill Civic Center, 1913 Hickory Blvd, Lenoir, NC, 28645, United States
Get your light sabers ready for a night of the most famous and beloved film scores of John Williams, including Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Superman, Harry Potter, and more!

Note: programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates subject to change.

WPS Auditions: Section Violin, Section Cello
2024-09-08 | Western Piedmont Symphony, 243 Third Ave NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Western Piedmont Symphony announces auditions on Sunday, September 8, 2024, for the following vacancies:
SECTION VIOLIN
SECTION CELLO
Audition date: Sunday, September 8, 2024
Application deadline: Friday, August 30, 2024
How to apply: Send a one-page performance résumé (.PDF) to WPS Orchestra Personnel Manager David Allen: pm@wpsymphony.org
Auditions will be held at: Western Piedmont Symphony Offices at the SALT Block
243 Third Ave. NE, Suite 1-N, Hickory, NC 28601

Audition repertoire and information:
WPS Audition Materials-Section Violin 2024
WPS Audition Materials-Section Cello 2024

No phone calls, please.
Only highly qualified candidates should apply.
The winning candidate must be able to provide proof of eligibility to work in the U.S.A. before an offer of contract is made.
Western Piedmont Symphony is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Western Piedmont Symphony is a regional professional per-service orchestra.

Debut Strings and Youth Symphony Auditions for 24-25
2024-09-07 10:00 - 15:00 | Western Piedmont Symphony, 243 Third Ave NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Western Piedmont Symphony Youth Orchestras (WPSYO) will hold auditions for the 24-25 season on Saturday, September 7.
Debut Strings is an auditioned string orchestra generally comprised of developing string players at an intermediate level of music-making.
Youth Symphony is an auditioned full orchestra, generally comprised of high school-aged students at an advanced musical level.
Auditions are required to be considered for either ensemble.
Sign up for an audition time, download auditions repertoire materials, and more information available at wpsymphony.org/youthorchestras/

WPS Auditions: Second Clarinet
2024-08-25 | Western Piedmont Symphony, 243 Third Ave NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Western Piedmont Symphony announces auditions on Sunday, August 25, 2024, for the following vacancies:
SECOND CLARINET

Audition date: Sunday, August 25, 2024
Application deadline: Friday, August 16, 2024
How to apply: Send a one-page performance résumé (.PDF) to WPS Operations and Education Manager Avery Bumgarner: ops@wpsymphony.org
Auditions will be held at: Western Piedmont Symphony Offices at the SALT Block
243 Third Ave. NE, Suite 1-N, Hickory, NC 28601

Audition repertoire and information:
WPS Audition Information-Second Clarinet Aug 2024

No phone calls, please.
Only highly qualified candidates should apply.
The winning candidate must be able to provide proof of eligibility to work in the U.S.A. before an offer of contract is made.
Western Piedmont Symphony is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Western Piedmont Symphony is a regional professional per-service orchestra.

AppSummerFest: An Evening with Natalie Merchant with Western Piedmont Symphony --- SOLD OUT!
2024-06-29 20:00 - 22:00 | Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, 733 Rivers St., Boone, NC, 28608, United States
SOLD OUT! Tickets on sale at Appalachian Summer Festival.
An Evening with Natalie Merchant: Keep Your Courage Tour with live accompaniment by WESTERN PIEDMONT SYMPHONY

“An artist with a singular voice and vision. Time has only amplified the power of Merchant’s music.” —Mojo
“One of the most successful and enduring alternative artists to emerge from the eighties intact and uncompromised.” —Vogue
In celebration of her ninth studio album, Keep Your Courage, ’80s superstar singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant comes to Boone, accompanied by Hickory, NC’s Western Piedmont Symphony.
Merchant writes in her album’s liner notes, “The songs contained within this album were written and recorded during the global pandemic that began in the winter of 2019 and is in its fifth wave as I write, in the autumn of 2022. It has been, and continues to be, a period of great flux and fear on every level: global, national, communal, familial, personal. But this is not an album about the coronavirus or the chaos it caused. For the most part, this is an album about the human heart.” She continues. “The word ‘courage’ has its root in the Latin word for heart, cor, and we see it over and over in many languages: le coeur, il cuore, o coração, el corazón. This is a song cycle that maps the journey of a courageous heart.”

WPS Auditions: Principal Trombone, Third Trumpet
2024-06-02 14:00 - 17:00 | Western Piedmont Symphony, 243 Third Ave NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Announcing the following vacancies for the 24-25 season:
Principal Trombone
Third Trumpet

Audition repertoire and more information available at wpsymphony.org/employment/#orchestra-audition

Audition Date: Sunday, June 2, 2024

Application Deadline: Sunday, May 19, 2024
Send a one-page performance résumé to WPS Orchestra Personnel Manager: pm@wpsymphony.org
Auditions will be held at: Western Piedmont Symphony Offices at the SALT Block
243 Third Ave. NE., Suite 1-N, Hickory, NC 28601

WPS Youth Orchestras Auditions for 24-25
2024-05-31 - 2024-06-01 | Western Piedmont Symphony, 243 Third Ave NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
2024-2025 Auditions for the Western Piedmont Symphony Youth Orchestras (WPSYO)
The WPSYO is composed of two ensembles:
Debut Strings is an auditioned string orchestra generally comprised of developing string players at an intermediate level of music-making.
The Youth Symphony is an auditioned full orchestra, generally comprised of high school-aged students at an advance musical level.

Audition time and date is by sign-up. Find audition repertoire, requirements, and how to sign-up at wpsymphony.org/youthorchestras
When:
Friday, May 31, 2024: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 1, 2024: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Where:
Western Piedmont Symphony-Community Rehearsal Room
243 Third Ave. NE, Suite #1-N
Hickory, NC 28601

WPS Office is located at the SALT Block in Hickory. Enter at the north side of the block at Third St. NE & Fourth Ave. NE

WPS Auditions: Principal Percussion, Section Percussion
2024-05-19 12:00 - 19:00 | Western Piedmont Symphony, 243 Third Ave NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
Announcing the following vacancies for the 24-25 season:
Principal Percussion
Section Percussion
Audition repertoire and information available at wpsymphony.org/employment/#orchestra-audition
Audition Date: Sunday, May 19, 2024
Application Deadline: Sunday, May 5, 2024
Send a one-page performance résumé to WPS Orchestra Personnel Manager: pm@wpsymphony.org
Auditions will be held at: Western Piedmont Symphony Offices at the SALT Block
243 Third Ave. NE., Suite 1-N, Hickory, NC 28601

Masterworks: Landscapes
2024-05-16 19:30 - 21:30 | P.E. Monroe Auditorium, LRU, 775 6th St NE, Hickory, NC, 28601, United States
🎟️ GET TICKETS 🎟️
Featured Artist: Amber Ferenz, bassoon
The symphony’s flagship classical series concludes with two WORLD PREMIERES: Kachina, by Amber Ferenz, and a commission for orchestra of music inspired by the foothills region by American composer Daniel Perttu. Grofé’s picturesque Grand Canyon Suite closes the series.
Program
Perttu World Premiere: Appalachian Vistas
Ferenz World Premiere: Kachina
Amber Ferenz, bassoon
— INTERMISSION —
Grofé Grand Canyon Suite

About the Artist:
Amber Ferenz is a nonbinary bassoonist and composer. Profoundly inspired by more than a decade of apprenticeship in indigenous medicine ways of the Americas and the magic and mystery of the natural world, they write lyrical, evocative pieces that weave together melodies and healing songs gifted by Nature.

Amber has been commissioned to write for solo bassoon, bassoon and piano, wind quartet, and bassoon and orchestra. Their most recent compositions include “Tales From the Grove” and “Unfinished Conversations” for bassoon and piano, “Wood, Water, and Roses: Women’s Medicine for Difficult Times” and “Yellow Poplar with Birdsong” for solo bassoon, “Tall Tales” for bassoon quartet, and “Bullfrog Boogie” for contrabassoon octet, which was featured at the 2022 IDRS Convention. Commissioned by Winston-Salem based chamber group Elektra Winds, their first wind quartet “These Four Directions” was an official selection for performance at the 2022 Music By Women Festival in Columbus, Mississippi. TrevCo Music publishes their growing catalogue.

Their composition “Songs for Wicked Children” for bassoon and piano featuring bassoonist Eric Van der Veer Varner was released as part of the album Compostela on the MSR Classics label in late 2022.

Amber received their Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance from the North Carolina School of the Arts, and their Master of Fine Arts in Western Orchestral Performance from the California Institute of the Arts. They teach bassoon at Gardner-Webb University and are a founding member of Elektra Winds and Queen City Winds, and serve as second bassoonist with the Asheville Symphony. Amber is also the contrabassoonist and interim orchestra librarian for the Greensboro Symphony, a frequent sub with the Charlotte Symphony, and the Camp Coordinator for the Glickman-Popkin Bassoon Camp since 2007 at the invitation of Mark Popkin.

Crossroads: Hank, Pattie and The Current with WPS Maestro's Quartet
2024-05-02 19:30 - 21:30 | The Premier, 109 11th St NW, Hickory, 28601, United States
🎟️ GET TICKETS 🎟️
NEW LOCATION! The Premier in Hickory!
Hard-hitting bluegrass pickers who moonlight as symphonic classical musicians, Hank, Pattie, and The Current, led by banjo player Hank Smith and fiddle player and vocalist Pattie Kinlaw with Billie Feather on guitar and Stevie Martinez on bass, take an innovative twist on traditional bluegrass music and mix it with a soulful brew flavored with classical, Motown, jazz, and pop influences. With special guests the WPS Maestro’s Quartet.
Doors open at 6:15 p.m., concert at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets sold through Western Piedmont Symphony:

Reserved Seating: $28 (theatre/row-style seating)
General Admission (standing): $20
VIP High-Top table of Four: $200 (includes bar service) VIP Tables SOLD OUT

Note From The Premier:

Seats are assigned on a first come first serve basis as people arrive.
Groups must arrive together in order to sit together.
For the best chance of being seated together arrive early and arrive all together.
While we do everything we can to seat groups together, we can not guarantee that groups will be seated together.
