Our opening concert, “Made in America,” will showcase Grammy Award-winning violinist Anne Akiko Meyers in Barber’s Violin Concerto—one of the great lyrical American classical concertos, complete with technical fireworks. The orchestra will be featured in Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, his final symphonic work written entirely in America and premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra. We open with Dvořák’s Carnival Overture, written just before Dvořák traveled abroad from Prague to live in the US to teach in New York City. This overture was seen as both a farewell to his native country and as a hello to New York.

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“From Bernstein to Copland” explores music by these two friends who truly defined American music in the 20th Century. Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from “On the Town” and Copland’s Appalachian Spring are filled with dance, joy and nostalgia. The Waco Symphony welcomes Emily Levin, the principal harp of the Dallas Symphony in Ginastera’s colorful Harp Concerto. Maestro Loh is a champion of the music of Polina Nazaykinskaya and will open the second half with her brand new work, Elegy XXII, a work that yearns for peace amongst conflict, loss and despair. This concert truly showcases the power of music.

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Aristo Sham, the Gold Medalist and “Audience Favorite” of the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will join Maestro Loh and the Waco Symphony in playing the first piano concerto of Johannes Brahms. This competition was named for American pianist Van Cliburn who, in 1958 during the Cold War, won the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In tribute to that monumental feat in artistic diplomacy, the WSO will perform Tchaikovsky’s final 6th Symphony. We open this concert with music by American composer Jessie Montgomery. She wrote Starburst in 2012 for The Sphinx Virtuosi, the flagship ensemble of the Sphinx Organization. Montgomery writes the following to describe this work: “Exploding gestures are juxtaposed with gentle fleeting melodies in an attempt to create a multidimensional soundscape.”

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Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is the centerpiece of the final classical concert of the 25-26 season, a symphony that is universally known and truly knows no boundaries. We will open with an exciting new work by American composer Shawn Okpebholo, Stellar Fanfare Prelude for Orchestra, written in 2024 for the Chicago Symphony. We are proud to welcome the young American cellist Sterling Elliott, a 2021 Avery Fisher Grant recipient and winner of the Senior Division of the 2019 National Sphinx Competition.

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Maestro Loh and the Waco Symphony welcome stars from Broadway for an unforgettable night in the Emerald City and beyond! Enjoy powerhouse renditions of iconic songs, from classic Broadway standards to modern hits. Sensational vocalists Mamie Parris (Cats, School of Rock, Ragtime), Shayna Steele (Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hairspray), and and Nathaniel Hackmann (Back to the Future: The Musical, Les Misérables, Jekyll and Hyde) will perform music from Wicked, The Wiz, and The Wizard of Oz, plus other showstoppers from Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, West Side Story, and more. Mamie starred as Elphaba in the first national tour of Wicked, and Shayna sang on the soundtrack. This concert is a must-see for fans of Broadway and musical theater!

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This true holiday favorite features John Williams’ charming and delightful score performed live to picture by the Waco Symphony Orchestra. Macaulay Culkin stars as Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old boy who is accidentally left behind when his family leaves for Christmas vacation and must defend his home against two bungling thieves. Hilarious and heart-warming, Home Alone is fun for the entire family!

Waco Symphony is pleased to collaborate with Youth Chorus of Central Texas and Central Texas Choral Society for this performance.

© 1990 Twentieth Century Fox

With toy soldiers, dancing snowflakes, and the Sugar Plum Fairy, you won’t want to miss The Nutcracker—a treasured holiday tradition and the only production with live orchestra in Central Texas. Back by popular demand, Ballet Frontier returns to Waco to inspire a childlike wonder in all of us.

With its cast comprised of professional dancers, talented local students, dazzling costumes, world-class choreography, and the Waco Symphony playing Tchaikovsky’s beloved score under the baton of Maestro Beau Benson (Music Director/Conductor of the Temple Symphony Orchestra and the Waco Symphony Youth Orchestra), the stage is set for an unforgettable experience for all ages!

Visit the Nutcracker Market in the lobby to purchase nutcrackers and themed ornaments.

Sales benefit the Waco Symphony.