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Announcing our 2026/27 Season! "What The World Needs Now"
- marketing7373
- Jul 1
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 31
The Waterbury Symphony Orchestra (WSO) proudly presents its 88th season, 'WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW' with the launch of three concert series, fresh and innovative twists on traditional favorites, world-renowned guest artists and, drum roll please, the sublime, the superb, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. We will also be featuring our 3rd Annual Candlelight Quartet Concert, a HOLIDAY POPS: Christmas in CT - Return of the Ugly Sweater and introducing new guest artists as well as audience favorites.
Litchfield Series
Litchfield Community Center, Litchfield, CT
Sun, Nov 15th, 4:00pm
November Song:
Gounod & Dvorak
Evoking the world of Slavic folk music, Dvořák's Serenade for Winds is painted with the colors of an autumn landscape. The warmth of the final days of fall blends with glowing harmonies in a musical stroll through woodlands every New Englander holds dear. Charles Gounod's sparkling La Petite Symphonie was written for a gathering of musical friends and remains one of the gems of the wind ensemble repertoire. Filled with memorable melodies, charm, and grace, this intimate program offers an afternoon of remembrance, beauty, and delight.
Sun, Jan 24th, 4:00pm
WSO’s Annual Young Artist Chamber Concert: Featuring Yale Chamber Ensemble
Deservedly selling out for each of the last two years WSO’s Young Artist Chamber Concerts is not one to miss! One of the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra's most treasured traditions is its long-standing partnership with the Yale School of Music. Year after year, this collaboration brings some of the most exciting young musicians in the country to our stage, allowing audiences to hear tomorrow's stars today.
Featured Artists
Yale School Of Music Young Artists
Sun, May 2nd, 4:00pm
American Song Birds: Featuring Maria Wirries & Alex Rybeck
Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney, Sarah Vaughan, and Billie Holiday used their extraordinary artistry, emotional depth, and vocal range to bring the Great American Songbook vividly to life. Soprano Maria Wirries, currently starring in Broadway's smash-hit musical The Lost Boys, pays tribute to these legendary women alongside master pianist Alex Rybeck.
Music Program
Selections From The Great American Songbook
Master Works & Holiday Pops Series
Fine Art Center, NVCC Waterbury
Sun, Oct 4th, 3:00pm
Season Opening MasterWorks: Brubeck Frank, Gershwin & Rachmaninoff
with award winning pianist Evren Ozel
America has always been a nation on the move, as our trio of composers can attest. Chris Brubeck's Can(n)ons of Freedom journeys back to the winter of 1776, when sixty tons of cannons were dragged 300 miles from Fort Ticonderoga to the heights above Boston Harbor. Gabriela Lena Frank travels musically to South America's Andes Mountains in her lyrical and evocative Elegia Andina, while George Gershwin captures the excitement and energy of travel abroad in An American in Paris.Completing the afternoon is Rachmaninoff's monumental Piano Concerto No. 3, often regarded as the Mount Olympus of pianistic achievement. Van Cliburn Competition winner Evren Ozel brings this bold and brilliant masterpiece to life.
Sun, Mar 14th, 3:00pm
Nordic Winds, Bohemian Meadows:
Nielsen & Dvořák
There are few things in live music more exciting than hearing a young superstar on the rise. This year's Thomas C. Clark Young Artist Prize winner performs Carl Nielsen's delightful Flute Concerto, a work filled with playful exchanges and colorful dialogue among the orchestra's wind instruments. Following intermission, Antonín Dvořák's beloved Symphony No. 8 unfolds as a vivid musical love letter to his native Bohemia, celebrating the folk melodies, dances, landscapes, and spirit of the Czech countryside.
Sun, April 18th, 3:00pm
Ode To Joy: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
Absolutely thrilled to be bringing this world favorite to our stage - Beethoven's Symphony No. 9!! From our nation's Enlightenment founders until today, one universal plea has echoed across every land, culture, and language: the brotherhood of mankind. This timeless ideal reaches its fullest expression in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Among music's most profound journeys from darkness into light, Beethoven's masterpiece combines orchestra, chorus, and soloists in a powerful affirmation of our shared humanity. Join us for an unforgettable afternoon as voices and instruments unite in one of the greatest celebrations ever written.
Featured Artists
Hartford Chorale
Guest Vocal Soloists To Be Announced
Sat, Dec 5th, 3:00pm
HOLIDAY POPS CONCERT: Christmas in Connecticut: Return of the Ugly Sweater
Warning: This concert may contain excessive holiday cheer, questionable knitwear, and a few sweaters that should probably never have left the closet.
Break out your tackiest, twinkliest, most gloriously over-the-top holiday sweater and join the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra for an afternoon of festive favorites, holiday cheer, and plenty of laughs.
Maestro Leif Bjaland has already chosen his sweater, and judging by the twinkle in his eye, it's sure to be a showstopper. Whether you're competing for ugly sweater bragging rights or simply celebrating the season with family and friends, this holiday tradition is guaranteed to leave you smiling.
Come for the music.
Stay for the sweaters.
Newtown Series
Edmond Town Hall, Newtown, CT
Sun, Oct 25th, 2:00pm
The Haunting of Edmond Town Hall: A Most Menacing Musical Experience
Judge, lawyer, and Revolutionary War veteran William Edmond has returned from beyond the grave and awaits any mortal foolish enough to cross the haunted threshold of his august, sinister, and spooky namesake—Edmond Town Hall.
Music Program
J.S. Bach:
• Toccata And Fugue In D Minor
Edvard Grieg:
• In The Hall Of The Mountain King
Danny Elfman:
• Beetlejuice
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Forest Spirits
Camille Saint-Saëns:
• Danse Macabre
Modest Mussorgsky:
• Night On Bald Mountain
John Williams:
• Devil's Dance
• Harry Potter Selections
Bernard Herrmann:
• Psycho Suite
Ray Parker Jr.:
• Ghostbusters
Creepy Clips Film Montage
Composer, Arranger & Collaborator:
John Jesensky
Sat, Feb 13th, 7:00pm
WSO's 3rd Annual Candlelight String Quartet: It's YACHT ROCK!
Steely Dan, Hall & Oats, Toto & More.
Rock Royalty by Candlelight! WSO's String Quartet, led by concertmaster Alyce Cognetta Bertz.
Surrounded by thousands of candles, WSO string quartet present an evening of smooth harmonies, unforgettable melodies, and soft-rock favorites from the golden age of Yacht Rock.
Music Program:
Steely Dan
Toto
Hall & Oates
Christopher Cross
And More
Sat, Apr 3rd, 7:00pm
WSO Presents: Chris Brubeck's Triple Play
Blending jazz, folk, blues, and classical influences, the trio delivers an engaging mix of original compositions, inventive arrangements, and infectious energy.
Featured Artists:
Chris Brubeck
Joel Brown
Peter 'Madcat' Ruth
By Calendar Date!
Our 88th Season! 'What the World Needs Now'
A season celebrating freedom, imagination, joy, community, remembrance, and the enduring power of music to bring people together. From the revolutionary spirit of America's founding to Beethoven's timeless call for universal brotherhood, this season invites audiences to experience the many ways music connects us to one another and to the world around us.
SUN OCT 4 • 3:00 PM [Fine Arts Center, CSCC Naugatuck Valley]
MASTERWORKS
SUN OCT 25 • 2:00 PM [Edmond Town Hall, Newtown]
NEWTOWN SERIES
SUN NOV 15 • 4:00 PM [Litchfield Community Center, Litchfield]
LITCHFIELD SERIES
SAT DEC 5 • 3:00 PM [Fine Arts Center, CSCC Naugatuck Valley]
HOLIDAY POPS
SUN JAN 24 • 4:00 PM [Litchfield Community Center, Litchfield]
LITCHFIELD SERIES
SAT FEB 13 • 7:00 PM [Edmond Town Hall, Newtown]
NEWTOWN SERIES
SUN MAR 14 • 3:00 PM [Fine Arts Center, CSCC Naugatuck Valley]
MASTERWORKS
SAT APR 3 • 7:00 PM [Edmond Town Hall, Newtown]
NEWTOWN SERIES
SUN APR 18 • 3:00 PM [Fine Arts Center, CSCC Naugatuck Valley]
MASTERWORKS
SUN MAY 2 • 4:00 PM [Litchfield Community Center, Litchfield]
LITCHFIELD SERIES
![Act now, to secure your Subscription Offer starting as low as $90 which secures first dibs on best seating [and a 15% discount & WAIVED per ticket booking fees] for our MasterWorks & Holiday Pop Concerts. For those who subscribed last season, your seats are held for you for the duration of the Subscription window. Subscriptions are available for any one of the three Series or the Whole Season taking advantage of 15% off single tickets and WAIVED per ticket booking fees. Alternatively take advantage of our FLEX SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE - a MIX & MATCH option to order any three or more concerts and enjoy 10% off single ticket prices and waived 'per ticket' booking fees. Subscription Packages are available until August 31st and can be ordered by mail or phone. WSO/Palace Box Office at 203-346-2000 Monday - Friday.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d7830d_d00332755f2d4770a5fda08bba5944fe~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_613,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/d7830d_d00332755f2d4770a5fda08bba5944fe~mv2.png)
Now throughout the entire season this year, WSO is offering a Flex Package Subscription Option—a MIX & MATCH option for any three or more concerts from the full 10-concert season. Flex Package orders enjoy 10% discount on all tickets and waived 'per ticket' booking fees. Available throughout the entire season, prices start as low as $73 for 3 concerts.
Subscriptions are available by phone or by mailing in a completed Subscription Form.
By Telephone: Call our WSO/Palace Box Office at 203-346-2000 Mon-Friday.
By Mail: Fill out the Subscription Form above and mail it with your payment to WSO, 500 Chase Parkway, Unit 4C, Waterbury, CT 06708
