WESTERN PIEDMONT SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES 2022-2023 SEASON OF MASTERWORKS, FOOTHILLS POPS, AND CHAMBER CLASSICS CONCERTS

HICKORY, N.C. (August 28, 2022) – Western Piedmont Symphony (WPS), the professional orchestra of the western foothills of North Carolina, announces its 2022-2023 season, Experience the Music. Hear Your Story. The 58th season features five classical Masterworks performances, three dynamic Foothills Pops concerts, four different genres represented on the Chamber Classics series, lunch and learn Soundbites events, and numerous community events and education concerts. WPS classical and pops concerts are led by Maestro Matthew Troy.

“During the past three seasons of my tenure as Music Director, our efforts have been focused on building for the future and creating a sense of pride in the orchestra and in our region. The concerts in the 2022-2023 season are thrilling opportunities to experience the work we have been doing,” said music director Matthew Troy.

The 2022-2023 season theme – Experience the Music. Hear Your Story – encompasses the human stories and connections evident in each of the works or composer stories represented. “This season, we will perform the beloved and familiar masterworks of Mahler, Beethoven, and Bach, as well as fables and mythologies expressed in the works of Ravel, Franck, and Stravinsky. Our collective immigrant stories will be heard in the works of current composers and performers Peter Boyer, Kinga Augustyn, and Nkeiru Okoye,” noted Troy.

“We have an abundance of inspiring music to look forward to this season at Western Piedmont Symphony,” noted executive director Kelly Swindell. “We are grateful for the generosity of the NC Arts Council, the United Arts Council of Catawba County, the City of Hickory, Visit Hickory, the Corning Foundation, the Broyhill Family Foundation, the Bernhardt Furniture Foundation, the NC Community Foundation, our venue partners at Lenoir-Rhyne University, the SALT Block, and Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, and our corporate and community partners to bring excellent music performance experiences to Hickory and the greater Catawba Valley,” added Swindell.

“We seek to create a space where our community can experience deeply inspiring classical and pops concerts with the world-class artistry of our musicians and exceptional guest artists. I am excited to extend a hearty invitation to our entire community to be a part of our journey during the upcoming season,” added Troy.

2022-2023 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

• Saturday, September 24, 2022 – Chamber Classics Series: Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble – North Carolina’s award-winning Lorena Guillén Tango Ensemble opens the 22-23 Chamber Classics series with soulful arrangements of Argentine tango standards and original compositions that create a dynamic pan-Latin fusion. 7:30 p.m., Drendel Auditorium, the SALT Block, Hickory 
• Friday, October 14, 2022 – Soundbites with Joe Lulloff, saxophone Lunch and music series with featured Masterworks guest artists. Noon, Keiser Community Room, the SALT Block, Hickory
• Saturday, October 15, 2022 – Masterworks: Opening Night – Classical saxophonist Joe Lulloff performs the Concerto for Saxophone (1949) by Henri Tomasi. Works by Ravel, Franck, and Stravinsky will also be featured. 7:30 p.m., P.E. Monroe Auditorium, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory
• Saturday, October 22, 2022 – Foothills Pops: Music of the Knights^® Join the Western Piedmont Symphony and Broadway/pop singers for a thrilling musical celebration of three of Britain’s legendary songwriters. Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney are not only knights — they also happen to be three of the most successful songwriters of all time with careers that span decades. 7:30 p.m., Broyhill Civic Center, Lenoir
• Saturday, November 5, 2022 – Chamber Classics Series: Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas Award-winning Scottish fiddle and cello duo Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas in an evening of dazzling teamwork, driving rhythms, and their shared passion for improvising on the melody and the groove of Scottish tunes. 7:30 p.m., Drendel Auditorium, the SALT Block, Hickory
• Saturday, November 19, 2022 – Masterworks: Orchestral Blockbusters – Maestro Matthew Troy leads the Western Piedmont Symphony in an evening of new and familiar works, including Toast of the Town-Overture by rising-star composer Quinn Mason, plus Bizet’s Carmen Suite, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major. 7:30 p.m., P.E. Monroe Auditorium, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory
• Friday, December 2, 2022 – Foothills Pops: Holiday Pops – Everyone’s favorite seasonal concert is back for an evening of holiday and winter music classics. 7:30 p.m., Broyhill Civic Center, Lenoir
• Friday, February 10, 2023 – Soundbites with Britton-René Collins, percussionist  Lunch and music series with featured Masterworks guest artists. Noon, Keiser Community Room, the SALT Block, Hickory
• Saturday, February 11, 2023 – Masterworks: Poetry in Motion – Dynamic vibraphonist Britton-René Collins performs the Concert for Vibraphone (2010) by North Carolina composer Nathan Daughtrey. Works by Marquez, de Falla, and Debussy will also be featured. 7:30 p.m., P.E. Monroe Auditorium, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory
• Saturday, February 18 2023 – Chamber Classics Series: John Salmon Trio – North Carolina-based John Salmon Trio performs a wide variety of jazz standards, from Cole Porter’s “Just One of Those Things” to originals such as Salmon’s Latin number “Mambo Madness.” 7:30 p.m., Drendel Auditorium, the SALT Block, Hickory
• Saturday, March 11, 2023 – Masterworks: Mighty Mahler- Western Piedmont Symphony’s principal flute Laura Dangerfield Stevens opens with the Orchestral Suite No. 2, BWV 1067 by J.S. Bach, then the orchestra dives into the masterful Fifth Symphony by Mahler, featuring the adored Adagietto, Mahler’s declaration of love to his wife, Alma. 7:30 p.m., P.E. Monroe Auditorium, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory
• Saturday, April 1, 2023 – Chamber Classics Series: Balourdet Quartet – The Chamber Classics series closes with the award-winning acclaimed Balourdet Quartet performing Douglas J. Cuomo’s new “Seven Limbs (A White Rose in the Blue Ground)” (2021), plus the string quartet classics of Mendelssohn (Quartet No. 4, op.44) and Beethoven (Grosse Fuge, Quartet No. 13, op.130). 7:30 p.m., Drendel Auditorium, the SALT Block, Hickory
• Friday, April 21, 2023 – Soundbites with Kinga Augustyn, violin Lunch and music series with featured Masterworks guest artists. Noon, Keiser Community Room, the SALT Block, Hickory
• Saturday, April 22, 2023 – Masterworks: The New Colossus- Virtuoso concert violinist Kinga Augustyn is featured in the Korngold Violin Concerto (1945). 2021 Guggenheim Fellow Nkeiru Okoye’s “Voices Shouting Out” and Peter Boyer’s multimedia story piece, “Ellis Island: The Dream of America,” close the Masterworks concert season. 7:30 p.m., P.E. Monroe Auditorium, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory
• Saturday, May 13, 2023 – Foothills Pops: Shaken, Not Stirred – the Music of James Bond The 22-23 season closes with the music of Bond, James Bond. Featuring the exciting themes of the James Bond movie series and other spy thrillers, including Live and Let Die, You Only Live Twice, Skyfall, Peter Gunn, and more. The Greg Knight Endowed Guest artist Thomas Pandolfi brings an exhilarating mix of prowess, cool confidence, and astonishing virtuosity to the evenings program highlight, the Bond Piano Concerto. 7:30 p.m., Broyhill Civic Center, Lenoir

And more … including the annual Side/Show pre-season launch in downtown Hickory (September 15) and free masterclasses, education concerts, and community outreach performances and conversations in Hickory and throughout the greater Catawba Valley.

For more information about the Western Piedmont Symphony 2022-2023 season of concerts and events, visit wpsymphony.org.

SUBSCRIPTION AND TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets to most Western Piedmont Symphony performances start at $25. Student tickets are $5 for Masterworks and $10 for Foothills Pops and Chamber Classics. Side/Show and community outreach performances are free. All programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates are subject to change.

New subscription packages are on sale now; single tickets sales to the general public opened August 15, 2022. 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 2:00 p.m. Mon. – Fri. For more information about Western Piedmont Symphony, call 828-324-8603, visit wpsymphony.org, or email [email protected].

CONCERT VENUES

MASTERWORKS: P.E. Monroe Auditorium at Lenoir-Rhyne University, 775 6th St. NE, Hickory, NC 28601

FOOTHILLS POPS: J.E. Broyhill Civic Center, 1913 Hickory Blvd., Lenoir, NC 28645

CHAMBER CLASSICS: Drendel Auditorium at the SALT Block, 243 3rd Ave. NE, Hickory, NC 28601

SOUNDBITES: Keiser Community Room, the West Wing at the SALT Block, 231 3rd Ave. NE, Hickory, NC 28601

About Western Piedmont Symphony:

Western Piedmont Symphony (WPS) is the professional orchestra of the western foothills of North Carolina. For 58 years, WPS has enriched and engaged the communities of Western North Carolina through high quality symphonic music with creative, relevant performances and educational opportunities for all ages. Each season, the Symphony presents an inspiring classical Masterworks series, a fun and unique Foothills Pops series, varying ensembles in the Chamber Classics series, plus education and community engagement programs in the Unifour region, all under the artistic direction of Maestro Matthew Troy. Western Piedmont Symphony is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council and is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. Business offices are located on the SALT Block at 243 Third Avenue NE, Hickory. Box Office hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mon. – Fri. For more information about Western Piedmont Symphony, call 828-324-8603, visit wpsymphony.org, or email [email protected]. Follow Western Piedmont Symphony on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter.