Western Piedmont Symphony Performs MYSTICAL SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE This Week

Western Piedmont Symphony will perform MASTERWORKS: SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE featuring works by Berlioz, Bruch, and Smyth on Thursday, March 7, at 7:30 PM at P.E. Monroe Auditorium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory.

"Symphonie Fantastique is a wild and thrilling journey that tells the story of an artist and his unrequited love. The dreams, passions, and even terror that are evoked in this music is truly groundbreaking for its time and has become an audience favorite today," stated music director Matthew Troy. "Also on the program is world-renowned violinist Kelly Hall-Tomkins performing Max Bruch's rousing Violin Concerto No. 1 and an opening work by the 20th century female composer trailblazer Ethel Smyth, who's overture to her opera "The Wreckers" has sat neglected for nearly a hundred years. WPS is one of the only orchestras leading the charge to bring this valuable music back to the concert stage," added Troy.

March is Women's History Month, and WPS celebrates women in music with several free events leading up to the March 7 Masterworks concert. On Tuesday, March 5, music scholar and Ethel Smyth expert Amy Zigler leads a community conversation about the ahead-of-her-time composer and her role in 20th century women's suffrage and music composition. On Wednesday, March 6, guest artist violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins leads a masterclass with two young artists. Both events are free to attend.

WHAT: Community Conversation: Pioneering Women Composers - Dame Ethel Smyth, Women's Suffrage, and Musical Identity

WHEN: Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: Community Room, Ridgeview Branch Library, 706 1st St SW, Hickory, NC 28602

TICKETS: FREE

WHAT: Masterclass with Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violin

WHEN: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 - 4:00 p.m.

WHERE: Drendel Auditorium at the SALT Block, 243 Third Ave NE, Hickory, NC 28601

TICKETS: FREE

MASTERWORKS tickets are $20, $30, $40, and $50, with $10 tickets available for students with valid ID. Purchase by visiting wpsymphony.org/tickets, call 828.324.8603, or visit the WPS Box Office, located on the SALT Block at 243 Third Avenue NE, Hickory, NC, 28601. Box Office hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mon. - Fri. Concert venue is P.E. Monroe Auditorium on the Lenoir-Rhyne University campus, 775 6th St NE, Hickory, NC, 28601. Please note: All programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates are subject to change.

Western Piedmont Symphony's 2023-2024 season - MUSIC FOR YOU - expresses human stories and connections evident in each of the works or composers represented. The 59th season continues in 2024 with a Crossroads Concert with the all-female KAIA String Quartet on Thursday, March 21, 2024, and Foothills Pops: Totally Awesome 80s featuring popular hit songs from the neon decade featuring the Jeans N' Classics band and Western Piedmont Symphony on Saturday, April 20, 2024. For more information about the Western Piedmont Symphony 2023-2024 season of concerts and events, visit wpsymphony.org.

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