OCT

5

The WSO’s 70th concert season is all about celebration, so let’s ring it in with a roaring gala concert! First, the orchestra will capture the audience with light, orchestral selections from the Strauss family that will make you feel like you’re
dancing through the streets of Vienna.

From there, we transition into operatic favorites from Puccini, Lehar, and Gounod, featuring the velvet soprano voice of Elena Perroni — an Australian native who has risen to international esteem performing in title roles with the West Australian Opera, in concert with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and in venues all over the world.

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We finish the evening with a celebration of American composers. George Gershwin’s Girl Crazy Overture will have you singing along to classic melodies like Embraceable You and I Got Rhythm. Then, we take a trip to the west side with Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, featuring standout melodies like Somewhere, Maria, and Mambo.

DEC

7

Sponsored by the McMurry Foundation

Even during the cold Wyoming winter, a concert comprised of beloved holiday standards will surely keep you warm. Jerry Hou returns to conduct this merry performance. The orchestra begins the night with selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, with its familiar melodies to remind us of the holidays at home.

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Singer Devin DeSantis, who has worked all over the country performing in musicals like Hairspray and Les Miserables, will take the stage with Wyoming Choral Arts Ensemble for a Christmas carol spectacular including White Christmas and The Night Before Christmas. We finish the night with a joyous Sleigh Ride sing-along for the whole audience.

JAN

25

Brave the Wyoming winter for a celebration of revered musical traditions from the classical period — a musical movement known for its emphasis on form and structure. These pieces highlight the principles that create the steadfast foundation of orchestral music and composition.

We begin with two works from father and son Loepold and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, respectively.First, Leopold Mozart’s Toy Symphony will come to life with the help of some extra special guest soloists. We follow with the explosive urgency of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s most popular symphony and one of the last he ever wrote — his Symphony No. 40.

MAR

14

Celebrate esteemed pieces from the world’s musical masters! This spring concert begins with the vibrant fervor of Brahms’s Hungarian Dance No. 5. This romping folk tune was originally composed as a four-hand piano piece. Brahms garnered praise, popularity and profit for the piece during his life as well as long after.

American violin virtuoso Simone Porter will continue our 2020 tribute to Beethoven with a masterful rendition of his Violin Concerto. With its robust musical depth and striking innovation, this work shattered the early conventions of the Romantic concerto. Porter has debuted with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Her signature tenacity and immaculate technique will serve to invigorate the timeless concerto.

APR

18

Made possible by the Doane Family & the Casper College Foundation

We open on an upbeat note with John Phillips Sousa’s patriotic standard Stars and Stripes Forever. Then, we transition into Joan Tower’s Made in America. Tower is largely regarded as one of the most important living American composers. Made in America explores the theme of America the Beautiful with powerful dissonance, creating compelling images of American idealism and the hunger for change.

This concert comes as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the USA and 150th in Wyoming. The WSO has commissioned an original work from rising American composer Stephanie Ann Boyd, known for her ethereal melodies and exploration of feminine themes. We hope this composition will act as an enduring token of this significant anniversary of women’s suffrage as well as a reminder of Wyoming’s rich history of remarkable women.