Hickory – Western Piedmont Symphony (WPS), the professional orchestra of the western foothills of North Carolina, presents MASTERWORKS: GRANT US PEACE on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at P.E. Monroe Auditorium in Hickory. This inspiring Masterworks program brings together orchestra, chorus, and acclaimed guest soloists in a powerful exploration of humanity’s enduring longing for peace. Blending profound choral and orchestral works, the evening offers audiences a stirring musical journey of reflection, hope, and unity in a world yearning for harmony.
The program brings together a range of works that explore conviction, struggle, and the search for peace. It opens with Christian Zeal and Activity by American composer John Adams, a contemporary piece that examines faith and intensity in modern life. Selections from Claude Debussy’s musical mystery play The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian follow, showcasing his distinctive colors and dramatic storytelling. The concert concludes with Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem (Grant Us Peace), a major work for chorus, orchestra, and soloists that moves through moments of tension and reflection before arriving at a powerful plea for peace.
“Grant Us Peace is a thought-provoking and powerful journey that contains a message that is as necessary as it is timeless,” said Music Director Matthew Troy. “The works on this concert will take the audience through an experience that is imbued with reflection, spirituality, and transformation. The program opens with the ethereal work by composer John Adams called Christian Zeal and Activity, followed by the mystical sounds of Claude Debussy’s music from The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian. Closing the concert will be the 1936 oratorio Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughan-Williams, which employs the text of Walt Whitman and explains that ‘war and all its deeds of carnage, must in time be utterly lost.’ This promises to be a deeply moving concert that uplifts our community through the power of music.”
Featured artists for this program include soprano Janinah Burnett and baritone Michael Adams. Internationally celebrated for her radiant tone and remarkable versatility, Burnett has performed leading roles on both Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera stage while maintaining an active international career. Adams appears regularly with the Metropolitan Opera and leading companies across the country. Together, Burnett and Adams bring extensive stage experience and vocal artistry to Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem. The choral masterwork also features more than 150 members of regional community choirs, including the CVCC Chorus and Ensemble, the Hickory Choral Society, and the Lenoir-Rhyne A Cappella Choir.
Behind the Music: Pre-Concert Conversation with Music Director Matthew Troy
Enhance your concert experience with Behind the Music, a special pre-concert conversation led by Music Director Matthew Troy. This complimentary talk, included with concert admission, will take place from 6:30 to 6:50 p.m. in P.E. Monroe Auditorium prior to MASTERWORKS: GRANT US PEACE. Audiences are invited to gain deeper insight into the composers and works featured on the program before the performance begins.
MASTERWORKS: GRANT US PEACE is funded with support from Vanguard Furniture, Sandra Pait Clay and George Clay, III, the Hickory Community Relations Council, Imagine One Hospitality, and The Art of Compassion, a community initiative that inspires and promotes compassion, kindness and love for others through education, arts and entertainment. Additional support is provided by Our State magazine, Arts Culture Catawba, and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
MASTERWORKS tickets are $20–$58 for adults. Student tickets are $10 with a valid ID. Students can purchase $10 tickets in sections A and B only when accompanied by an adult who also buys a ticket in the same section. To purchase tickets, visit wpsymphony.org, call 828.324.8603, or stop by the Western Piedmont Symphony Box Office located on the SALT Block at 243 Third Avenue NE, Hickory, NC 28601. The Box Office is open Wednesday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. P.E. Monroe Auditorium, where MASTERWORKS concerts are held, is located at 625 7th Ave NE, Hickory, NC 28601.
Up next, Western Piedmont Symphony invites audiences to FOOTHILLS POPS: FROM BROADWAY TO HOLLYWOOD! on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir. This lively concert takes listeners on a musical journey through iconic show tunes from stage to screen and beloved American standards by Gershwin, Sondheim, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and more. The evening features the stunning soprano Haley Sicking, who has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall and toured across 18 cities in China. Concessions will be available beginning one hour prior to the performance, and tickets start at $33. To purchase tickets or learn more, visit wpsymphony.org.
Western Piedmont Symphony continues its Masterworks series with MASTERWORKS: MUSICAL WANDERLUST on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at P.E. Monroe Auditorium in Hickory. This adventurous program takes audiences on a musical journey around the world, featuring orchestral and solo masterpieces including Goldmark’s Overture to Sakuntala, Bizet’s L’Arlesienne Suite No. 1, Steiner’s Casablanca Suite, and Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5, “Egyptian”. Featured artist Sheng Cai, an acclaimed Canadian pianist, brings his expressive depth and virtuosity to the program, having performed with major orchestras worldwide including the Toronto Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, and Philharmonie Südwestfalen.
For more information about the Western Piedmont Symphony 2025–2026 season of concerts and events, visit wpsymphony.org. Please note that all programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates are subject to change.
