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The Western Piedmont Symphony of Hickory, NC, was organized in 1964 the first rehearsal was held on the Lenoir-Rhyne University campus under the direction of the founding Music Director and Conductor Albert Chafoo. The Western Piedmont Symphony Society, Inc. was legally incorporated on November 3, 1972 in the State of North Carolina. The upcoming 2011-12 season marks our 47th anniversary.

Martin Bellar, the Western Piedmont Symphony’s second conductor, was responsible for founding the Western Piedmont Youth Symphony. Richard Hughey, the symphony’s third conductor, established the Western Piedmont String Quartet. He also conducted the Western Piedmont Symphony’s first Family Concerts during the 1988-89 season. In 1991, John Gordon Ross was selected as the fourth Music Director and Conductor. This season proudly marks John's 21st year with the symphony.

WPS is fortunate to have a resident string quartet in place. Frye Street Quartet was the first resident quartet, followed by the Degas Quartet, then the La Catrina Quartet. Last season, WPS selected the Kontras Quartet to fill the three year residency position. They are again be on board for our 2011-2012 season.

At the end of the 2006-2007 season, WPS was pleased to debut five new timpani purchased through the support of the Lyerly Charitable Remainder Trust and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

Our 43rd season WPS also began our relationship with the Ashe County Arts Council, performing a repeat of Masterworks #1 in October 2007 and two educational concerts with the Western Piedmont Chamber Orchestra.

The finale of the 44th season was a special May 2nd concert combining the Western Piedmont Symphony, Youth Symphony, Piedmont Percussion Ensemble, pianist John Cheek and composer J. Mark Scearce at a special Family Side-by-Side Concert at P.E. Monroe Auditorium. Marin Fanjoy-Labrenz, a youth symphony violinist, was the featured soloist. The Masterworks season featured the world premieres of the “Tubman Songs” by Nkeiru Okoye and “Terra Terribilis” by Laura Kaminsky.

Our 46th season of concerts featured a fun weekend of concerts with DBR or Daniel Bernard Roumain who made improvisers out of several of our WPS and WPYS members. The Youth Symphony and Symphony Orchestra presented a Side by Side concert for area 7th graders on the Friday before the Masterworks concert and DBR presented a club concert complete with DJ on Friday evening. We also presented a concert that featured the shofar or ram’s horn as a solo instrument. That concert helped garner another spot for WPS in the finals of The American Prize.

Our 47th year will be full of surprises. Don’t miss any of the concerts!

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