Announcing “Simply Fantastique” – Sunday, May 17, 3 pm* - A Dreamlike Season Finale Celebrating Mozart, Mendelssohn & Berlioz

The Waterbury Symphony Orchestra will conclude its 2025/26 MasterWorks Season with “Simply Fantastique,” a sweeping and emotionally charged season finale on Sunday, May 17, 2026 at the Fine Arts Center of CT State Community College, Naugatuck Valley in Waterbury. 

Capping off one of the most prolific and well-attended seasons in recent years, the afternoon concert will feature the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Felix Mendelssohn, and Hector Berlioz under the direction of Music Director and Conductor Leif Bjaland.

The concert opens with the side-by-side collaboration between WSO musicians and students from The Taft School Orchestra performing the first movement of Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 “Haffner.” Led by longtime WSO violinist and Taft Orchestra Director Lisa Laquidara, the collaboration reflects the orchestra’s ongoing commitment to meaningful educational partnerships and mentorship opportunities for young musicians throughout the region. 

Members of Taft’s Chamber Orchestra will again perform side by side with WSO’s professional musicians for its Season Finale Master Works Concert on Sunday, May 17th for its ‘Simply Fantastique’ Concert, an emotionally charged season finale featuring the works of Mozart, Mendelssohn & Berlioz.  (Above: WSO Music Conductor Leif Bjaland and WSO Musicians with TAFT Students receive standing ovation at their prior 'side by side' performance in May 2024. Photo by R.Falcetti/Taft)

“The opportunity for talented student musicians to perform alongside seasoned professionals is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do as an orchestra,” said Doug Donato, Executive Director of the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra. “The continued collaboration with The Taft School has become something truly motivational and special for both the students and our musicians.” 

Violinist Caroline Smoak, a Master’s Degree student of the Yale School of Music, winner of the 2026 WSO Thomas C. Clark Young Artist Competition will perform in WSO’s Season MasterWorks Finale on Sunday May 17th at NVCC.  Caroline will perform Mendelssohn’s beloved Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64. 

The Music Program continues with Mendelssohn’s beloved Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 featuring violinist Caroline Smoak of the Yale School of Music, winner of the 2026 WSO Thomas C. Clark Young Artist Competition.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest violin concertos ever written, the Mendelssohn Concerto is celebrated for its soaring lyricism, technical brilliance, and emotional power. 

A Master’s Degree student at the Yale School of Music studying with Ani Kavafian, Smoak has performed at renowned venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Symphony Hall, and has worked with distinguished artists including Itzhak Perlman, Gil Shaham, and conductors Simon Rattle and Barbara Hannigan. 

The concert concludes with Berlioz’s revolutionary Symphonie Fantastique, one of the most imaginative and cinematic works in orchestral repertoire. Written in 1830, the groundbreaking symphony tells the dramatic story of a young artist consumed by obsessive love, descending into hallucination and surreal dreamscapes after an opium overdose. Filled with vivid orchestral color, emotional extremes, and daring innovation, the work remains one of classical music’s most thrilling masterpieces. 

PreConcert Talk with both Conductor Leif Bjaland & WSO's Cultural Ambassador Dr. Vincent de Luise.

Prior to the performance, audiences are invited to attend a pre-concert talk at 2:00pm onstage featuring Maestro Bjaland and WSO Cultural Ambassador Dr. Vincent de Luise, offering insight into the composers, music, and historical context surrounding the afternoon’s program. 

The WSO also extends thanks to Season 25/26 Title Sponsor Thermo Conductor Services of Prospect for its ongoing support of the orchestra and its programming. 

Tickets and information are available through the WSO/Palace Theater Box Office at (203) 346-2000 or online at Waterbury Symphony Orchestra

The full Waterbury Symphony Orchestra will be on stage on Sunday May 17th at 3 pm at the Fine Arts Center of CT State Community College, Naugatuck Valley.  

Tickets start at $25 plus standard booking fees, available online via the WSO website at www.waterburysymphony.org or by phone, by calling WSO/Palace Theater Box Office at (203) 346-2000 Monday-Friday, 10 am to 4 pm. 

CALENDAR LISTING

Sunday, May 17, 2026

2:00 PM – Pre-Concert Talk featuring Leif Bjaland and Dr. Vincent de Luise

3:00 PM – MasterWorks Concert: “Simply Fantastique”

Fine Arts CenterCT State Community College, Naugatuck Valley

750 Chase ParkwayWaterbury, CT 06708

PROGRAM

Mozart: Symphony No. 35 “Haffner” – Movement I

Featuring students from The Taft School Orchestra performing side-by-side with WSO musicians

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64

Featuring Caroline Smoak, violinWinner of the 2026 WSO Thomas C. Clark Young Artist Competition

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

For More Info

Free accessible parking available in covered garage.

Tickets: 

Starting at $25 plus standard booking fee [Students with ID $10]

By Telephone, Call WSO/Palace Box Office (203) 346-2000

WSO Office: (203) 574-4283Online: WaterburySymphony.org

About WSO’s Thomas C. Clark Young Artist Initiative

Launched in 2019, WSO’s Thomas C. Clark Young Artist Initiative includes an annual Young Artist Chamber Series and Young Artist Concerto Competition.

The Young Artist Chamber Series features chamber music performed by young musicians affiliated with the Yale School of Music. Performers are compensated through the generosity of an endowed fund established by Current WSO Board Chair, Mr. Thomas C. Clark, furthering the WSO and Mr. Clark’s shared goal of highlighting and bolstering the careers of young musicians.

The Young Artist Concerto Competition encourages the musical development of emerging artists. The prize is made possible through the generosity of the Thomas C. Clark Young Artist Prize Fund and is the only named endowed competition prize in Connecticut.

Winners compete against contestants from across the continental United States, receiving a $2000 prize while earning the opportunity to perform with the WSO — an important professional credential.

Mr. Clark explained:“Having been involved for a long time with emerging musicians, I know how important it is for them to demonstrate their prowess in a performance with a symphony orchestra. The prize fund is a named endowment and has real and enduring value both for the winners and the Symphony. I’m happy that the Prize will advance these young artists throughout their musical careers.”

About Caroline Smoak, Violinist

A Master’s Degree student at the Yale School of Music, Caroline Smoak is pursuing a degree in Violin Performance studying with Ani Kavafian. She received her Bachelor’s degree at the New England Conservatory. An avid chamber and orchestral musician, Caroline has performed as concertmaster in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Symphony Hall and has been honored to work with world-renowned artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Gil Shaham,Noah Bendix-Balgley, as well as conductors Klaus Mäkelä, Sir Simon Rattle, and BarbaraHannigan.  Caroline has participated in the Heifetz International Music Institute, Verbier Festival Orchestra, and the Perlman Music Program. She was accepted into the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and will perform in the Verbier Festival Orchestra again this summer.

About Waterbury Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1938, the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra believes that music, music education, and shared cultural experiences are essential to humanity.

WSO’s programming includes its MasterWorks Classical Series, its popular Symphony & Cinema concerts, and innovative satellite performances through its Newtown Series and Litchfield Series, introduced in 2024. It also offers celebrated education initiatives , which serve libraries and schools throughout the region, with a special focus on reaching underserved communities.

Led by Music Director Leif Bjaland for more than thirty seasons, WSO draws more than one hundred professional musicians from across New England.

As orchestra-in-residence at the Fine Arts Center, Naugatuck Valley Community College, WSO gratefully acknowledges NVCC and honors the enduring legacy of generosity and vision of Ruth Ann Leever.