Our January concert highlights one of the most influential mentor/mentee duos in all of symphonic music. This program features works from Ludwig Van Beethoven and his mentor, Joseph Haydn, who is known as the “father of the symphony.” The orchestra will open with Haydn’s Symphony No. 94, commonly known as “the Surprise Symphony,” if you want to know why, you’ll have to discover for yourself! This piece will feature side-by-side performances of Casper College orchestra students alongside WSO musicians in the orchestra, making this performance a first for the WSO. Then you will be treated to a performance of Beethoven’s Violin concerto with world-class violinist, Simone Porter, who will bring this piece to life. Porter regularly performs with major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. This is our third attempt to bring Simone to Casper since 2020, so we are excited to finally welcome her to the WSO stage!