It's a wrap! Season Finale MasterWorks, Sunday, June 1st, 2025 at 3pm

After a near sell out performance for it’s most recent MasterWorks Concert, the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra (WSO), presents its Season Finale performance Sunday, June 1st at 3pm at the Fine Arts Center, Naugatuck Valley Community College. 

The June 1st concert, will showcase not only the winner of WSO’s 2024 Clark Young Artist Competition—which this year spotlights the saxophone—but will also feature the selection of works chosen directly by the audience through an interactive voting process offered at the beginning of the year.   The Season Finale concert was aptly entitled ‘Bolero & Ballots’ due to a unique twist, where the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra (WSO) in the early months of the year offered its subscribers a chance to vote from 12 favorite classical pieces to make up the balance of the music program for the Season Finale. 

ABOVE: AND THE WINNERS ARE .... Click on the above to have a quick wander through 'Leif's Delightful Dozen' - 12 treasured works which were offered up to WSO's audience for vote to influence the final music program for the Season Finale.

BELOW: Rimas Stapusaitis, WSO’s 2024 Young Artist Competition Winner [Alto Saxophone]  will perform with the symphony Glazunov: Concerto for Alto Saxophone in E-flat Major (14’)

WSO’s Music Director, Leif Bjaland, had been intrigued by the idea of involving the audience, in shaping the music program for our MasterWorks Season Finale. Inspired by this concept, he curated a list of twelve beloved classical pieces, called Leif’s Delightful Dozen, none of which, to his surprise, had he performed with the WSO during his now 30 year tenure.  Executive Director Doug Donato shared about the incredible audience engagement in this process, “We were just delighted by the response with votes pouring in as soon as the options were presented, "This innovative project has resulted in a music program is both familiar - yet new, and celebrates cherished works while offering a fresh and exciting listening experience for all.”  

The Season Finale will features two exceptional pieces and four audience voted favorites and a special surprise, the number one choice voted by the audience.

Concert goers will also experience the rich warm tones of the mid-19th century invention, the saxophone, in Glazunov's Concerto for Alto Saxophone, showcasing WSO’s Clark Young Artist Competition winner. The afternoon culminates with Ravel's mesmerizing Bolero. 

CALENDAR LISTING

Sun, June 1st 2025 3 pm

Season Finale: Bolero and Ballots

MasterWorks Series - Season Finale,

Fine Art Center, CT State Community College

750 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, CT 

MUSIC PROGRAM

Beethoven: Egmont Overture (9’)   

Glazunov: Concerto for Alto Saxophone in E-flat Major (14’)

– with Rimas Stapusaitis, alto saxophone (YAC Winner)

Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien (15’) (3rd Place  in Audience  Vote))

Smetana: The Moldau (12’) (4th Place  in Audience  Vote) & MUSICIAN'S CHOICE!)

Ravel: Bolero (15’)

Encore:   The First Place Winner of our first ever Audience vote, will be played as our Encore and revealed at the Concert!

Leif Bjaland, Music Director 

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 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 

ABOUT Rimas Stapusaitis, WSO’s 2024 Young Artist Competition Winner [Alto Saxophone]  

Winner of Waterbury Symphony’s lauded 2024 Young Artist Competition [Alto Saxophone], Rimas Stapusaitis is an active performer and educator pursuing his master's degree in Saxophone Performance at the University of Michigan under the mentorship of Dr. Timothy McAllister. His work with the Citrine Quartet, formed in fall 2024, has led to opportunities to compete as a quarterfinalist in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and to perform at the Classical:NEXT conference in Berlin, Germany, both held in May 2025. Rimas has a passion for music education and maintains a private saxophone studio, runs sectionals at local schools, and works on staff with multiple marching band programs throughout the marching season. In his free time, Rimas enjoys spending time with friends and family and is an active member, volunteer, and scout in his local Lithuanian community

We also wish to thank our incredibly generous season and 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]

*Friday Box Office Hours During Summer10 am - 3 pm

*Via our Box Office Partner, The Palace Theater Ticketing Office

Waterbury Symphony Orchestra Telephone: 203-574-4283