CWSO returns to Sentry for first time in three years

By Patrick Lynn

The Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra will return to Sentry later this month—the first time in three years.

Now in its 74th season, CWSO has been performing at Woodlands Church during much of the COVID-19 pandemic. Music Director Andres Moran said in a press release that he was “ecstatic” to be back at Sentry Theater.

The CWSO will perform their “Simply Classical” concert at Sentry Theater on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature concertmaster Graham Emberton and principal violist Mary Moran, and feature works by Mendelssohn, Mozart and Beethoven.

Emberton is a violinist from Stevens Point, and is also a member of the Fox Valley Symphony. He’s previously performed with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Utah Festival Opera, Lansing Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and the Britten-Pears Orchestra.

Moran has a multi-faceted career as a music performer, educator, and collaborator based at the Aber Suzuki Center at UW-Stevens Point, where she teaches private viola lessons and group lessons, working with young beginners, advanced students, and adults. She’s an active member of the American Viola Society and is featured on an album of music written by traditionally underrepresented composers, to be released in the spring of 2023.

The CWSO has partnered with the Stevens Point Area YMCA to provide childcare for children ages 6-11 during the concert. Space is limited so parents are asked to register at spymca.org or contact Kristy Bridenhagen at [email protected]

Tickets for the Feb. 18 concert are available online at cwso.org/tickets, the CWSO office, located inside the Smith Scarabocchio Art Museum, 800 Main St., or at the door of each performance.

The next CWSO performance at Sentry Theater will be held on April 15. The concert is called “Magnificent Pines” and will feature works by Barber, Smetana and Pines of Rome by Respighi. It will also feature the 2022 Betty Frost Jenkins Young Artist Concerto Competition winner, Jane Story.

The CWSO offices are in the Smith Scarabocchio Art Museum at 800 Main Street. For more information about the CWSO, call 715-345-7726 or visit cwso.org.