Symphonic Visions
The Johnstown Symphony’s 98 Season: Symphonic Visions brings music to life through imagination, color, and bold ideas. From sweeping soundscapes to film scores and art-inspired works, this is a season that invites you to experience the orchestra in a fresh and exciting way.
You will hear the magic of Harry Potter, the beauty of La Mer, the power of Beethoven, and music that connects to our own community, from the concert hall to the arena spirit of the Steelers. Familiar and unexpected, this season is designed to surprise, inspire, and move you. We are especially excited to welcome families to our March family concert, a fun and engaging introduction to the symphony for audiences of all ages.
Above all, this season is meant to be enjoyed. It is energizing, uplifting, and welcoming, whether you are joining us for the first time or returning again. This is your symphony, your sound, and the vision we share.
2026/27 Concert Season
Subscriptions on sale early June
Halloween @ the Symphony
Harry Potter, Night on Bald Mountain & Brahms
October 17, 2026 - 7:30pm
Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center
Step into a world of magic and mystery as the symphony brings the music of Harry Potter to life alongside Mussorgsky's thrilling Night on Bald Mountain. The evening crescendos with Brahms' monumental Piano Concerto No. 1, performed by soloist David Kaplan, making this a night of spellbinding music.
Honoring our Veterans
Beethoven, Hymn to the Fallen & Lalo
November 14, 2026 - 7:30pm
Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center
Join us for a moving tribute to those who have served our nation, anchored by the soaring emotional power of John Williams's Hymn to the Fallen from Saving Private Ryan. JSO Concertmaster, Maureen Conlon Gutierrez, takes center stage to perform Lalo's sweeping and heroic concerto, and Beethoven’s 7th Symphony closes our evening with power and beauty.
Holiday Pops!
Featuring the Johnstown Symphony Chorus & Inclined to Sing
December 12, 2026 - 3:00pm & 7:30pm
Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center
It’s the most wonderful time of year at the JSO as the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra joins with the Johnstown Symphony Chorus and the spirited voices of Inclined to Sing for a festive celebration of the season. Under the direction of Jeffrey L. Webb and Emily Stumpo, this cherished holiday tradition promises joy, warmth, and music that will fill your heart.
Date night @ the Symphony
Beloved romance and sports themes
February 13, 2027 - 7:30pm
Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center
Whether you love classic movies, rom-coms or the Steelers (or all of the above!), romance is in the air as the Johnstown Symphony sets the perfect mood with cinematic love themes from the silver screen and the electric energy of your favorite sports anthems. Celebrate someone special or treat your friends and family to an evening of unforgettable music.
Family Concert Matinee
Designed for young people and the young at heart
March 13, 2027 - 3:00pm
Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center
Bring the whole family for a joyful introduction to the orchestra, as Saint-Saëns's playful Carnival of the Animals and the enchanting music of Frozen spark wonder in audiences of every age. Jeff Webb guides young listeners through the inner workings of the symphony in Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, making this the perfect first concert in a lifelong love of live music.
*Not included in the Season Subscription packages
Symphony in Color
Debussy, Garrop & Stravinsky with the JSO Chorus
April 24, 2027 - 7:30pm
Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center
Close out the season in spectacular fashion as the orchestra paints in sound with Debussy's shimmering seascape La Mer, the vivid colors of Stacy Garrop's Chroma, and the prayerful expressivity of Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms. The Johnstown Symphony Chorus joins the stage for a triumphant finale that celebrates the full power and palette of the orchestral art form.
Full Season Subscriber Thank You
A Musical Gallery
May 15, 2027 - 7:30pm
The Grand Halle on Broad Street
As a special thank you to our loyal full-season subscribers, the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra invites you to an intimate evening at the historic Grand Halle, a venue as special as the people who make our season possible.
This exclusive chamber concert, curated by our Concertmaster Maureen Conlon Gutierrez, offers a unique and personal musical experience, showcasing the artistry of our musicians in a setting that brings you closer to the music.
Season Finale: The Music of The Police
1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial
For the first time ever, we close out our 2023/24 season with a full-scale arena rock concert! Symphony-rock masters Jeans ’n Classics join our orchestra for the first time since our Queen concert, this time performing hits from Sting and The Police. Come sing along to classics like “Every Breath She Takes,” “Roxanne” and “Message in a Bottle.” Music Director James Blachly’s dream of performing at the arena will finally come true as we invite over 2,000 people to attend our largest JSO concert ever.
PPAC Finale: The Planets and Star Wars
Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center
*Please note we are currently sold out for this show. To be added to the waitlist for tickets, please email LWagner@johnstownsymphony.org
In a galaxy not-so-far away, experience John Williams’ beloved music of Star Wars in its epic, symphonic grandness. Then take a journey through our solar system with a stunning visual narrative of images from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes as we perform Gustav Holst’s The Planets. Everyone in the family can embark on this cosmic journey.
Family Matinee
The Grand Halle
Featuring two soloists from the Johnstown Symphony Youth Orchestra and a special performance by Inclined to Sing!
Appropriate for kids of all ages, this concert will be held at the historic Grand Halle on Broad Street. Bring your whole family, and we will provide the music!
Mountaintop Masterpieces by Perry and Brahms
Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center
One of the most sought-after musicians of our generation, four-time GRAMMY® nominated violinist Curtis Stewart, makes his JSO debut performing Julia Perry’s long-neglected yet strikingly beautiful violin concerto. Also experience an early choral work from Perry, Ye Who Seek the Truth, and on the second half, Brahms’s future-looking and culminating achievement of symphonic form, his Symphony No. 4 in E Minor.
A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Greater Johnstown High School
Cochran Auditorium
Award-winning pianist Henry Wong Doe joins us in commemorating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in our ongoing partnership with the Johnstown NAACP. The concert will feature significant works of American composers Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson and Julia Perry, who are finally being recognized for their towering achievements, as we join together in celebration and reflection.
Holiday Concert
Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center
Ring in the holiday season with Handel’s beloved Messiah triumphantly performed by the orchestra and the Johnstown Symphony Chorus. This year, world-renowned vocalists Chelsea Helm, Steven Caldicott Wilson, Jesse Blumberg and Meg Bragle join us for breathtaking solos that will fill you with comfort and joy.
Candlelight Concert
The Grand Halle on Broad Street
An intimate, multi-sensory musical experience like no other! Surrounded by candlelight in one of our area’s most gorgeous spaces, the orchestra presents modern master Jessie Montgomery’s haunting Source Code, a work inspired by Alvin Ailey, Ella Fitzgerald, and others; Alfred Schnittke’s theatrical Moz-art à la Haydn; and Mozart’s timeless and passionate Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, all hand-picked for this intimate event.
Opening Night: Firebird & Rhapsody in Blue
Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center
Burst into our 95th season with an exuberant celebration of new beginnings. Acclaimed pianist and fearless improviser Peter Dugan joins the orchestra for a whirlwind rendition of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Raise a champagne glass with Mozart’s celebratory The Marriage of Figaro, and discover how Stravinsky changed the trajectory of modern ballet and orchestral music with his breakout work The Firebird.