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Waterbury Symphony Orchestra Announces 2026–2027 Season, "What the World Needs Now"
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Friday, August 14, 2026
Ten Concerts, Three Distinct Series, and a Season Celebrating the Power of Music to Bring Us Together
WATERBURY, CT — Riding the momentum of three consecutive years of record audience growth, including three sold-out performances this past season, the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra (WSO) announces its 2026–2027 season, "What the World Needs Now." The Orchestra's 88th season reflects WSO's commitment to presenting world-class performances that inspire, entertain, and unite audiences of all ages.
Led by Music Director and Conductor Maestro Leif Bjaland, now entering his remarkable 32nd season with the Orchestra, the new season features ten performances across three distinctive concert series. From the brilliance of Beethoven, Gershwin and Rachmaninoff to intimate chamber music, Broadway favorites, Halloween thrills and Candlelight concerts, the season celebrates the extraordinary power of music to bring people together.
"Our audiences have embraced the artistic journey we've been on together over the past several years. This new season builds on the momentum of the past few years with inspiring music, outstanding guest artists and unforgettable experiences that truly offer something for everyone."
Executive Director Doug Donato.
The season opens on Sunday, October 4 with MasterWorks: American Voices, featuring Van Cliburn Competition winner pianist Evren Ozel performing Rachmaninoff's monumental Piano Concerto No. 3, alongside works by Chris Brubeck, Gabriela Lena Frank and George Gershwin.
The holiday season returns with one of Connecticut's favorite musical traditions, Holiday Pops: Christmas in Connecticut – Return of the Ugly Sweater, on Saturday, December 5, inviting audiences to celebrate the season with festive music, laughter and their most gloriously outrageous holiday attire.
The MasterWorks Series continues on March 14 with Nordic Winds, Bohemian Meadows, featuring the winner of the Thomas C. Clark Young Artist Competition performing Nielsen's Flute Concerto alongside Dvořák's beloved Symphony No. 8. The season reaches its inspiring conclusion on April 18 with Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Ode to Joy," presented with the Hartford Chorale and distinguished vocal soloists in one of the greatest masterpieces ever composed.
The Orchestra's popular Newtown Series returns to historic Edmond Town Hall with three distinctly different musical experiences. October brings The Haunting of Edmond Town Hall, blending haunting John Williams and Danny Elfman and other orchestral scores with music ideal for Halloween. February welcomes the 3rd Annual Candlelight String Quartet: YACHT ROCK!, featuring timeless hits by Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, Toto, Christopher Cross and more, performed amidst thousands of candles. The series concludes in April with Chris Brubeck's Triple Play, showcasing an exciting fusion of jazz, blues, folk and classical influences.
The Litchfield Series continues its tradition of intimate chamber performances at the Litchfield Community Center. November's November Song: Gounod & Dvořák celebrates the beauty of the wind ensemble repertoire. January features the annual Young Artist Chamber Concert in partnership with the Yale School of Music, while May concludes the season with American Songbirds, starring Broadway soprano Maria Wirries and acclaimed pianist Alex Rybeck in a tribute to the legendary women of the Great American Songbook.
The season theme, "What the World Needs Now," reflects the Orchestra's belief that music has the unique ability to inspire hope, celebrate our shared humanity and strengthen communities. Across ten concerts, audiences will experience music that spans centuries, styles and traditions while affirming the timeless power of live performance.
Season subscriptions are available now through August 31, 2026.
Subscribers enjoy significant savings through either traditional Subscription packages or now with WSO's Flex Mix and Match Packages. Traditional subscription packages offer 15% savings on all ticket prices, waived per-ticket booking fees, and the security of reserved seating for every MasterWorks performance. MasterWorks subscriptions including all four concerts begin at just $90, with remarkable savings per person available for the 10 concert full-season packages ranging from approximately $125 to $200, depending on seating location.
Subscriptions may be ordered by phone to the Box Office or mail. Previous subscribers will have their seats reserved through the August 31 subscription deadline.
Single tickets go on sale on August 16th and complete season information are available at www.waterburysymphony.org.
2026–2027 Season Calendar
MASTERWORKS & HOLIDAY POPS SERIESFine Arts Center, CT State Community College, Naugatuck Valley
Sunday, October 4, 3:00 PM – American Voices: Brubeck, Frank, Gershwin & RachmaninoffSaturday, December 5, 3:00 PM – Holiday Pops: Christmas in Connecticut – Return of the Ugly SweaterSunday, March 14, 3:00 PM – Nordic Winds, Bohemian Meadows: Nielsen & DvořákSunday, April 18, 3:00 PM – Ode to Joy: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9
NEWTOWN SERIESEdmond Town Hall
Sunday, October 25, 2:00 PM – The Haunting of Edmond Town HallSaturday, February 13, 7:00 PM – Candlelight String Quartet: YACHT ROCK!Saturday, April 3, 7:00 PM – Chris Brubeck's Triple Play
LITCHFIELD SERIESLitchfield Community Center
Sunday, November 15, 4:00 PM – November Song: Gounod & DvořákSunday, January 24, 4:00 PM – Annual Young Artist Chamber Concert featuring Yale School of MusicSunday, May 2, 4:00 PM – American Songbirds featuring Maria Wirries & Alex Rybeck
For subscriptions, call the WSO Box Office at 203-346-2000, Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., or mail in a Subscription Form available online at waterburysymphony.org.
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
