Prepare to be enchanted and thrilled by a series of captivating performances in Central Texas, brought to you by the Waco Symphony Orchestra. From the timeless holiday classic 'The Nutcracker' to the exhilarating virtuosity of violin superstar Ray Chen, and the cinematic marvel of 'Jurassic Park in Concert,' these events promise to inspire and entertain. Culminating in a breathtaking season finale, these performances offer an extraordinary celebration of music, art, and cultural heritage that are sure to delight audiences of all ages.

A Symphony of Wonders: Unforgettable Performances in Central Texas

Prepare to embark on a transcendent journey through music with the Waco Symphony Orchestra's latest events. Featuring an eclectic blend of classical compositions and Broadway hits, these concerts promise to captivate audiences with performances by celebrated artists such as Aristo Sham and Sterling Elliott. From the powerful notes of Brahms and Beethoven to the enchanting tunes of Wicked and Les Misérables, this season offers something for every music enthusiast. Join Maestro Lawrence Loh and the Waco Symphony as they weave a tapestry of sound, bridging cultural and musical divides.

A Symphony of Cultures: From Brahms to Broadway with the Waco Symphony Orchestra

Aristo Sham, the Gold Medalist and “Audience Favorite” of the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will join Maestro Loh and the Waco Symphony in playing the first piano concerto of Johannes Brahms. This competition was named for American pianist Van Cliburn who, in 1958 during the Cold War, won the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In tribute to that monumental feat in artistic diplomacy, the WSO will perform Tchaikovsky’s final 6th Symphony. We open this concert with music by American composer Jessie Montgomery. She wrote Starburst in 2012 for The Sphinx Virtuosi, the flagship ensemble of the Sphinx Organization. Montgomery writes the following to describe this work: “Exploding gestures are juxtaposed with gentle fleeting melodies in an attempt to create a multidimensional soundscape.”

EPSG:4326

2025 Cliburn Gold Medalist

Baylor University

With toy soldiers, dancing snowflakes, and the Sugar Plum Fairy, you won’t want to miss The Nutcracker—a treasured holiday tradition and the only production with live orchestra in Central Texas. Back by popular demand, Ballet Frontier returns to Waco to inspire a childlike wonder in all of us.

The Nutcracker

This true holiday favorite features John Williams’ charming and delightful score performed live to picture by the Waco Symphony Orchestra. Macaulay Culkin stars as Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old boy who is accidentally left behind when his family leaves for Christmas vacation and must defend his home against two bungling thieves. Hilarious and heart-warming, Home Alone is fun for the entire family!

Home Alone in Concert

"From Bernstein to Copland” explores music by these two friends who truly defined American music in the 20th Century. Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from “On the Town” and Copland’s Appalachian Spring are filled with dance, joy and nostalgia. The Waco Symphony welcomes Emily Levin, the principal harp of the Dallas Symphony in Ginastera’s colorful Harp Concerto. Maestro Loh is a champion of the music of Polina Nazaykinskaya and will open the second half with her brand new work, Elegy XXII, a work that yearns for peace amongst conflict, loss and despair. This concert truly showcases the power of music.

From Bernstein to Copland

Our opening concert, “Made in America,” will showcase Grammy Award-winning violinist Anne Akiko Meyers in Barber’s Violin Concerto—one of the great lyrical American classical concertos, complete with technical fireworks. The orchestra will be featured in Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, his final symphonic work written entirely in America and premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra. We open with Dvořák’s Carnival Overture, written just before Dvořák traveled abroad from Prague to live in the US to teach in New York City. This overture was seen as both a farewell to his native country and as a hello to New York.

Made in America

Our season finale will take us on a scenic journey! Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic Anthony McGill performs Richard Danielpour’s Clarinet Concerto “From the Mountaintop” inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., and the orchestra will perform Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 “Organ” featuring the Dallas Symphony’s Resident Organist and Baylor graduate, Bradley Hunter Welch. This symphony has been featured in several television shows and films, most famously in Babe (1995). Conveying a pioneering spirit, the orchestra will also perform Brian Tyler’s theme to Yellowstone from the hit TV series!

From Yellowstone to the Mountaintop

"Welcome…to Jurassic Park!” Celebrate the 31st Anniversary of Jurassic Park by experiencing this film live in concert. The WSO will perform John Williams’s iconic film score while you watch the full-length film projected in HD on a giant screen above the musicians. Featuring visually stunning imagery and groundbreaking special effects, the action-packed adventure of Jurassic Park is sheer movie magic 65 million years in the making; it pits man against prehistoric predators in the ultimate battle for survival. Don’t miss this unique and entertaining concert experience, an epic first for the Waco Symphony. Visit the website for other fun details.

Jurassic Park in Concert

Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, violinist Ray Chen has exploded on social media over the past decade where he has nearly a million fans on Instagram! His creative and hilarious videos have sparked a new generation of music lovers.

Violin Superstar Ray Chen

With toy soldiers, dancing snowflakes, and the Sugar Plum Fairy, you won’t want to miss The Nutcracker — a treasured holiday tradition and the only production with live orchestra in Central Texas. Back by popular demand, Ballet Frontier returns to Waco to inspire a childlike wonder in all of us.

Winner of the Gold Medal at the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Jon Nakamatsu will be featured on the ever-popular Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff. The inventive and talented Dallas-based composer Quinn Mason will delight audiences with his 2023 work called Inspiration! - Festive Overture. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” is inspired by the memory of a hero and is one of the most revolutionary symphonies ever written.

Jon Nakamatsu Plays Rachmaninoff

The opening concert of Maestro Lawrence Loh’s first season as Music Director celebrates the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with pianist Orli Shaham. In addition to performing with orchestras all over the world, Shaham is the co-host of NPR’s From the Top, a winner of the Avery Fisher Career Grant and a faculty member at The Juilliard School.

Rhapsody in Blue

This star-studded concert will be full of music from your favorite sci-fi films. Emmy Award-winning journalist and film critic Gary Cogill returns to the WSO stage to share film insights behind the music.

Sci-Fi Spectacular: Sun, Moon & Superstars

Inspired by the distant and unknown, music by Dvořák and Puts bring faraway ideas close to home.

Exploring the Great Unknown

Epic works by Rachmaninov, Beethoven, and a new genre-defying piece by Ben Johansen combine to create an evening full of extraordinary feats by composers and musicians alike.

Extraordinary Feats

With brave toy soldiers, dancing snowflakes, and the sparkling Sugar Plum Fairy, you won’t want to miss The Nutcracker—a treasured holiday tradition. Back by popular demand, Ballet Frontier returns to Waco to inspire a childlike wonder in all of us.

The program will open with a blast of heat from the Brazilian Carnival in Clarice Assad’s Bonecos de Olinda, her stunning musical depiction of larger-than-life puppets dancing through the festive streets of São Paulo.

Larger than Life

Puerto Rican-born composer Angélica Negrón’s genre-defying music transports the listener to another world. American Composer Aaron Copland wrote Lincoln Portrait during the early years of World War II, combining music and spoken word in a groundbreaking way to raise the spirit of our country.

Breaking Boundaries

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is the centerpiece of the final classical concert of the 25-26 season, a symphony that is universally known and truly knows no boundaries. We will open with an exciting new work by American composer Shawn Okpebholo, Stellar Fanfare Prelude for Orchestra, written in 2024 for the Chicago Symphony. We are proud to welcome the young American cellist Sterling Elliott, a 2021 Avery Fisher Grant recipient and winner of the Senior Division of the 2019 National Sphinx Competition.

Stellar, Sterling & Beethoven 5

Maestro Loh and the Waco Symphony welcome stars from Broadway for an unforgettable night in the Emerald City and beyond! Enjoy powerhouse renditions of iconic songs, from classic Broadway standards to modern hits.

Waco Symphony Orchestra

Mar 19, 2026

Stellar, Sterling & Beethoven 5

Apr 16, 2026

An Emerald City Evening: Wicked & All-Time Broadway Favorites

Jan 22, 2026

2025 Cliburn Gold Medalist

Dec 14, 2025

The Nutcracker

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