The Hershey Symphony Orchestra’s 55th season will entertain audiences with a variety of pops and classical music from Billy Joel to Bach in two iconic venues—Hershey Theatre and Founders Hall at Milton Hershey School.
Under the baton of new symphony music director Greg Woodbridge, the symphony kicks off the season on Saturday, September 23, 2023, with some of Mr. Woodbridge’s favorite pieces. “A Little of This, A Little of That…” includes showstoppers by Beethoven, Glinka, Mahler, Falla, and Rachmaninov. The symphony will be joined by guest artists Gwendolyn Bowers, mezzo-soprano, and Eric Fung, piano. Maestro Woodbridge, who serves as the first Maestra Dr. Sandra Dackow Endowed Chair, will hold a special talkback with audience members immediately following the concert.
A frequent soloist with symphonies around North America and the world, singer LaKisha Jones of Broadway and American Idol fame leads the vocals for “Queens of Rock and Soul,” Friday, October 27. The music will celebrate the greatest ladies of soul from Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston.
The symphony will close out the year with its annual “Holiday Spectacular” at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 2. The performances will feature choirs from local high schools.
The Hershey Symphony is “Movin’ Out” to Founders Hall at Milton Hershey School to showcase “The Music of Billy Joel, starring Michael Cavanaugh” on Saturday, February 17, 2024, at 8 p.m. Cavanaugh, who played the Piano Man himself in the hit Broadway show Movin’ Out, and his band bring the music of Billy Joel to life, backed by the full Hershey Symphony Orchestra.
The symphony will perform again at Founders Hall on Saturday, March 23, with its concert “Glorious.” The orchestra will be joined by local choirs to present Poulenc’s Gloria. This will be paired with Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, a piano suite transformed into a grand orchestral work by Maurice Ravel.
On Friday, April 26, the symphony will return to the Hershey Theatre for its final performance of the season, “Treasured and Timeless.” The concert will include a musical tour of Eastern Europe with the Enesco’s Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1 and Prokofiev’s Suite 2 from Romeo and Juliet.
Due to renovations scheduled at the Hershey Community Building, which houses the Hershey Theatre, the symphony is pleased to perform its February and March 2024 concerts in the newly-renovated Founders Hall on the campus of Milton Hershey School. The symphony also is honored to serve as “Artists in Residence” at Milton Hershey School, helping to enrich educational and cultural experiences for students. The symphony will continue occasional performances at Founders Hall when the Theatre is not available in 2024 and 2025 due to renovations.
Season tickets will go on sale June 29 here. Individual tickets will go on sale August 1 here.