Hickory – Western Piedmont Symphony (WPS), the professional orchestra of the western foothills of North Carolina, will open its 60th anniversary MASTERWORKS concert series with BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH SYMPHONY on November 9th, and then perform a DISCOVERY FAMILY CONCERT: ROBOTS, MACHINES, AND MUSIC on November 10th. The regional professional orchestra celebrates 60 years of music in the foothills of western North Carolina with more than seventeen concerts featuring music from across the centuries, from Bach to Beethoven, Stravinsky to Ravel, Gershwin to Ellington, and more.

Because of the effect of Hurricane Helene on the greater Catawba Valley and WNC region, Western Piedmont Symphony postponed its first planned MASTERWORKS concert of the season. Now the Western Piedmont Symphony will open the MASTERWORKS series on Saturday, November 9th, with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Also, on the program is a Baroque gem, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, and the doubly demanding Brahms Concerto for Violin and Cello featuring Misha Keylin, violin, and WPS principal cello Samuel Magill.

“The upcoming MASTERWORKS concert speaks directly to the moment in which we are currently living. The heart of the concert is Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 5, which is about the raging difficulties of life that are ultimately transformed into a life affirming triumph. It reflects the essence of our shared human journey,” noted WPS music director Matthew Troy. “Also on the program is the Double Concerto by Johannes Brahms, which was written in 1887 as a gesture of reconciliation after a falling out between friends, and the delightful Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by the Baroque master, J.S. Bach,” added Troy.

Sunday, November 10th, is a fun day with the Western Piedmont Symphony’s DISCOVERY FAMILY CONCERT. Themed ROBOTS, MACHINES, AND MUSIC, the fun, family-friendly concert is inspired by machines, motors, and robots, and features the music and songs of George Gershwin, John Williams, Beethoven, and The Beatles. Discover musical adventures of live symphonic music and explore where music and science meet in a concert of fun and familiar music and songs. Activities begin at 2:00 p.m., and the music begins at 3:00 p.m. DISCOVERY FAMILY CONCERTS are presented in partnership with the Catawba Science Center and the new CSC exhibit, Artificial Intelligence: Your Mind and the Machine.

MASTERWORKS: BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH SYMPHONY is sponsored by Vanguard Furniture, Snyder Paper, Sandra Pait Clay and George Clay, III, and Associated Hardwoods. DISCOVERY FAMILY CONCERT: ROBOTS, MACHINES, AND MUSIC is sponsored by the Underdown Family Foundation. Western Piedmont Symphony also receives funding support from Arts Culture Catawba and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

MASTERWORKS tickets are $20, $30, $40, $50 for adults, and $10 for students with valid ID. Concert start time is 7:30 p.m. DISCOVERY FAMILY CONCERT tickets are $5 for children, $10 for youth 12-17, and $14 for adults. Pre-concert activities begin at 2:00 p.m. and the concert starts at 3:00 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit wpsymphony.org, 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. Wed. – Fri. P.E. Monroe Auditorium is located at 775 6th St. NE, Hickory, NC 28601(on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University Please note: All programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates are subject to change.

Western Piedmont Symphony’s 2024-2025 60th anniversary season continues Saturday, November 16, with CROSSROADS: A VIOLA CELEBRATION, where the piano and violas come together in a lush program highlighting the dark, rich voice of the viola! Works Brahms, Bridge, and more. Scott Rawls, viola; Kimberly Sparr, viola; James Douglass, piano. 7:30 p.m., at Drendel Auditorium, the SALT Block, Hickory; and Saturday, December 7, with FOOTHILLS POPS: HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR, everyone’s favorite seasonal concert of holiday and winter music classics. 7:30 p.m. at J.E. Broyhill Civic Center, Lenoir.

For more information about Western Piedmont Symphony concerts and events, visit wpsymphony.org.