SHEBOYGAN – The table is set for Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra’s 107th season.
Founded in 1918, the SSO is the longest continually active orchestra in the state.
The 2025-26 season kicks off with the first in a new series, “Chamber Music at the Loft,” held at the Black Pig Restaurant, 821 N. Eighth St., at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 18. This short concert performance will feature SSO musicians combined with tasting flights and paired appetizers. More “Chamber Music in the Loft” events are also slated at the Black Pig Nov. 6 and Jan. 22, 2026.
The season’s opening concert will be “Unity & Hope” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts, 826 N. Eighth St. The concert will feature rising opera star and Sheboygan native, soprano Kathryn Henry, in a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. This work will also feature the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus. Paired with the Beethoven will be Michael Kropf’s “Moses in Nederland,” a work selected as part of the SSO’s participation in the Violins of Hope-Milwaukee residency, presented by the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. The residency utilizes string instruments owned by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. This piece is a work for solo violin and orchestra and will feature violinist Sabrina Tabby.
“Snowmen, Nutcrackers … and Kevin McCallister!?” is next up at the Weill Center at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13.The concert will highlight holiday-oriented music from film and dance, and feature the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus. The animated film “The Snowman” will be shown on a large screen with live performance of the score. Also on this program will be a suite from The Nutcracker, “Three Songs” from John Williams’ score from “Home Alone,” “Troika” from the film score to Lt. Kijé, Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, and a traditional carol sing-along.
“Storytellers” at 7 p.m. March 7, 2026, will feature two works that are programmatic and tell stories: Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel (Overture) and Hector Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique. Taken from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, Humperdinck and his sister created an enchanting opera that was an instant success in Germany and Europe. Symphonie Fantastique is a highly innovative work that still influences the composers of the 21st century, especially in film, television and video games. It is a virtuosic showpiece for the orchestra.
The season closes at 7:30 p.m. May 16, 2026, with “America@250: A Symphonic Canvas.” The concert will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Included will be George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue featuring pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner, Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story,” and William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 1 “Afro-American.”
To purchase single tickets, call the Weill Center box office at 920-208-3243, or go to sheboygansymphony.org. To purchase subscriptions, visit the Weill Center box office or call 920-208-3243 between noon and 4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays.
Contact Brandon Reid at breid@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra reveals 107th season lineup, starting with Oct. 11 concert
Reporting by Brandon Reid, Sheboygan Press / Sheboygan Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
