And, we are off! WSO's 87th Season Opener MasterWorks Concert on Sunday October 5th, 3pm

Waterbury Symphony Orchestra Opens 87th Season with MasterWorks Concert: Tchaikovsky and a Twist of Fate

Sunday, October 5, 2025 | 3:00 PM | Fine Arts Center, Naugatuck Valley Community College

WATERBURY, CT — The Waterbury Symphony Orchestra (WSO) launches its 87th season on Sunday, October 5, with a dramatic MasterWorks concert, Tchaikovsky and a Twist of Fate. Under the baton of Music Director Leif Bjaland, the full orchestra will explore three striking musical visions, each bound by a common thread—Fate.

(Left) Soloists Eric Gratz, Violin and (Right) Julian Schwarz, Cello will join the full symphony for one piece by local composer Paul Frucht.

The program opens with Aaron Copland’s beloved Appalachian Spring, a work whose pastoral warmth and optimism conceal a deeper meditation on renewal and hope. Contemporary local composer Paul Frucht’s Finding Religion follows, a poignant family-inspired journey in search of life’s meaning, featuring cellist Julian Schwarz and violinist Eric Gratz as soloists. The concert culminates in the emotional storm of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, a sweeping exploration of destiny’s triumphs and heartbreaks, ignited by its unforgettable opening brass fanfare—what the composer himself called “the voice of Fate.”

“Though these three composers lived in different times and places, their music shares a common search for meaning,” said Bjaland. “Their answers are distinct, but the journey—thrilling, inspiring, and deeply emotional—resonates across generations.”

Concert Details

Date/Time:  Sunday, Oct 5, 2025 3 PM [Doors open at 2:15 PM]

Location: Fine Arts Center, CT State Community College, 750 Chase Parkway, Waterbury,

Tickets: Starting at $25 (plus fees); Student discounts available.

Box Office: 203-346-2000 | waterburysymphony.org

Parking: Free, accessible covered garage parking available.

Program

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring (23’)

Paul Frucht: Finding Religion (15’)

   with Soloists Eric Gratz, Violin & Julian Schwarz, Cello

****Intermission*****

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 (42’)

I. Andante sostenuto – Moderato con anima – Moderato assai, quasi Andante – Allegro vivo

II. Andantino in modo di canzona

III. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato – Allegro

IV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco

Total Program Time [Inc Intermission[ Approximately 100 minutes] 

ABOVE:  With an old fashioned barber chair to hand, Waterbury Symphony’s concertmaster Alyce Cognetta Bertz and Executive Director Doug Donato prepare Maestro Leif Bjaland for another blockbuster performance, as the WSO readies its 87th Season Opening MasterWorks concert, Tchaikovsky and a Twist of Fate, on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 3:00 PM. [Photo Credit: WSO/Heather Norris]

About our two soloists:

Eric Gratz, Violinist   With a remarkably versatile career as soloist, concertmaster, chamber musician, conductor, artistic director, and educator, Gratz served as Concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony for nine seasons.  His solo appearances include The Cleveland Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony, Euclid Symphony, Kings Symphony, CityMusic Cleveland, Lexington Bach Festival Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, McCall MusicFest Orchestra, and Mid-Texas Symphony. 

Since 2024, Gratz has served as Director of the American Chamber Music Society in Chicago, and appears at major festivals and concert halls around the world, including Mainly Mozart Festival, Maui Classical Music Festival, Castleton Festival, Dame Myra Hess Recital Series, Santa Cruz Foundation for the Performing Arts, Severance Hall, Auditorio Manuel De Falla, and the Kennedy Center. 

A passionate educator, Gratz has given masterclasses in the U.S., Ecuador, Italy, and China. He is on faculty at the New Music School, North Central College, and the summer faculty at Interlochen Arts Camp as a Valade Concertmaster. A familiar face on digital platforms, he has recorded several Tonebase Violin courses on music by Beethoven, Kreisler, and Ysaÿe.

Julian Schwarz made his concerto debut at age 11 with the Seattle Symphony and has since appeared as soloist with major orchestras across the United States, including Buffalo, Charlotte, Hartford, Jacksonville, Louisville, Omaha, Puerto Rico, Richmond, Rochester, San Antonio, Sarasota, Syracuse, Toledo, Tucson, Virginia, and Wichita. Internationally, he has performed in Australia, Mexico, and China, and frequently tours in recital with pianist Marika Bournaki.

A passionate chamber musician, Schwarz is a founding member of the New York–based ensemble Frisson, a core member of the Olmos Ensemble in Texas, and a frequent guest at festivals including Verbier, Salzburg Mozarteum, and Seattle Chamber Music. He has given more than 100 performances at Brooklyn’s Bargemusic and is Artistic Director of the Eastern Music Festival’s Tuesday chamber series.

Dedicated to expanding the cello repertoire, he has championed new works by Lowell Liebermann, Richard Danielpour, Jennifer Higdon, and others, while also recording the music of Ernest Bloch and Arthur Foote.

Schwarz serves as Associate Professor of Cello at Shenandoah Conservatory and is on faculty at NYU. A Seattle native from a distinguished musical family, he studied at the Colburn School and The Juilliard School with Joel Krosnick. He performs on a 1743 Gennaro Gagliano cello.  JulianSchwarz.com

Concert Program, Including Concert Introduction by Maestro Leif Bjaland, Musician Roster, Program Notes by WSO Cultural Ambassador Dr. Vincent de Luise and more:

TICKETS & PARKING

Free accessible parking in covered garage

Tickets Starting at $25 plus standard booking fee; $10 for students with ID - Call box office

Tickets available at the door prior to the Concert

Tickets online, visit: waterburysymphony.org (http://waterburysymphony.org/)

Tickets by phone at WSO/The Palace Box Office: 203-346-2000*

For more information:

Waterbury Symphony Orchestra 

Telephone: 203-574-4283 

We also wish to thank our incredibly generous Season and Series concert sponsors:

For more information

By telephone to WSO, call 203-574-4283 [Tue, Thu, Fri 10 - 4pm] For Tickets Online, visit: www.waterburysymphony.org. For ticketing by Phone* 203-346-2000 [Mon - Fri 10 am - 5* pm]

*Via WSO/Palace Box Office

Waterbury Symphony Orchestra Telephone: 203-574-4283