Click here to watch the video.

Following an intense review process, the Butler County Symphony Association is proud to announce three finalists for the Symphony’s Music Director position.  These conductors emerged as the top candidates from a pool of over 100 candidates, representing 23 US states and 11 countries. Each of the three finalists will program and conduct two concerts in the BCSO’s 2024-2025 season. The winning candidate will be appointed as Music Director of the BCSO in May of 2025.

Click here to read more about them!

Spring into music and celebrate the 2024-2025 Butler County Symphony Orchestra concert season at our annual Gala. Join us for an evening of delicious food, raffles, wine pull, dancing, and of course the fantastic music you are accustomed to with the BCSO. Get your tickets today!

5PM:  Hors d’oeuvres/Cash Bar
5PM-6PM: String Quartet
6PM Dinner
7PM Live music and dancing
8PM Basket raffles and silent auction – click here to check out our raffle items!

Entertainment will be provided by Clint Bliel Quartet featuring Lisa Bliel

Location: Butler Country Club, 310 Country Club Road, Butler, PA 16002

Tickets:

• $150 per person
• Gala – Table Reservation (10 Seats)

Dress code is formal.

RSVP by April 25, 2025. Call 724.283.1402 or email admin@butlersymphony.org for more details. Please email admin@butlersymphony.org all of the names that are in your party, as well as any group you’d like to sit with!

Interested in being a sponsor, click here for details.

Tickets for individual shows are now on sale for an unforgettable 2024-2025 season with the BCSO!  We’re searching for our next Music Director, and YOU get to be part of the decision. Enjoy world-class performances, from classical masterpieces to thrilling pop concerts. Plus, experience community involvement with student musicians, a costume contest, and your chance to provide feedback. Don’t miss this opportunity to shape the future of the orchestra! 

October: Video Games @ the Symphony with Maestro Moon Doh (Costume contest!)

November: Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante with world-renowned cellist Alexander Dimitrov and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique conducted by Maestro Moon Doh

December: Holiday Traditions with Maestro Austin Chanu featuring Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and a community sing-along

February: Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Philadelphia Orchestra Concertmaster David Kim and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 conducted by Maestro Austin Chanu

March: Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 with Maestro Daniel Wiley, featuring high school students and the Collegiate Concerto Competition winner

April: A grand finale with Maestro Daniel Wiley and fiddler Caitlin Warbelow, featuring community musicians

Contact the office at (724)-283-1402 to learn about our discounts for groups of 10 or more.

Every Saturday at Noon from June 8th through September 7th:

Live music: Enjoy our FREE concerts in our Main St. office, broadcast into Diamond Park, or streamed live on our Facebook page.

Local flavor: Savor delicious offerings from local pop-up shops and restaurants.

Follow us: Get the latest updates on performers and dates on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Want more details? Call us at 724.283.1402 or email info@butlersymphony.org.

Click here to download the flyer.

The Butler County Symphony Orchestra presents the final regular concert of its landmark 75th anniversary season. Featuring the music of the incomparable John Williams on Saturday, April 13th at 7:30 pm in Butler’s Intermediate High School Auditorium. Experience iconic motion picture musical scores from Star Wars, Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and many more. Re-live the unforgettable movie melodies that span generations and have become legendary in shaping cinematic history! Get your tickets now!

The guest conductor is the Grammy Award-winning Lucas Richman, who has also appeared as a guest conductor for numerous orchestras. These include the New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Iceland Symphony Orchestras. John Williams invited Richman to lead a three-month national summer tour of Star Wars in Concert. Mr. Richman has collaborated with numerous film composers conducting scores for such productions as the Academy Award-nominated The Village, As Good as It Gets, The Manchurian Candidate, Kit Kittredge, An American Girl, and The House With a Clock In Its Walls. Conductor Lucas Richman’s music has been performed by over two hundred orchestras across the United States and has been recorded by numerous organizations.

The Butler County Symphony Association will also honor three individuals that evening for their outstanding service. These include The Butler County Symphony Association Award given to James Cunningham, The Orchestra Musician Award given to Judy Deahl, and The Outstanding Music Educator Award given to Chessa Fernandez-Crum.

Jim Cunningham, The Butler County Symphony Association Awardee has enjoyed a long and distinguished dual career as a fundraising consultant and a professional trumpet player. He has also served as a volunteer for a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. Jim’s personal and volunteer interests are significant. He has helped raise millions of dollars in charitable resources for numerous organizations throughout the United States. Cunningham has been a professional trumpet player for over 60 years and continues to play with the Butler County Symphony Orchestra. He joined the orchestra in 1971 upon his discharge from the Navy. While in the Navy he was the lead trumpet player in the Northwest Navy Band in Seattle and has also performed with the Seattle Philharmonic, the Frederick Symphony, and the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra. Jim is also a current member of the Board of Directors of the Butler County Symphony Association and serves on the Resource Development Committee. Jim Cunningham lives in Butler with his wife Jeanette.

Judy Deahl, the recipient of The Butler County Symphony Association Orchestra Award, was a member of the orchestra as a violinist for over fifty years. She served in a variety of capacities from musician, and board member, to the orchestra’s music librarian. Judy is described as someone who would play the violin regularly in her home. This inspired her daughter Evie to also play the violin all her life. “It was refreshing,” says Evie, “to live in a home where my father also championed the talents and abilities of my mother”. Judy Deahl would bring her violin to every one of the Deahl Quartet performances for over 40 years around Butler and has recordings on each of their three CDs. She has performed solo for many of her own concerts in Butler, playing for churches, dance schools, and the theater. Judy Deahl continues to inspire with the joy of music in the personal care home where she now lives playing for the many residents who love hearing her. The violin and music are a vital part of a wonderful life that Judy, her family, and friends have enjoyed.

Chessa Crum, the recipient of The Outstanding Music Educator Award is Choir Director at her alma mater, the Seneca Valley School District. There she is excited to work with the very educators who made her want to become a music teacher. In addition to teaching middle school choir at Ryan Gloyer Middle School in the Seneca Valley School District, she is also the Vocal Director for the middle school musical and the Junior Cast Director. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and earned a Master of Education Degree from Point Park University. Crum is a vocalist, flautist, and pianist who has worked with numerous groups in the area including the Pittsburgh Creator’s Project and Circle of Friends Chorus where she served as Assistant Director for 5 years. She also teaches private students the love and joy of music. It is her goal to not only teach her students to love music but also be good humanitarians making the world a better place. Mrs. Crum enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, and family time. She and her husband David have two children, Violet Laurel age 6, and Ivy Rose age 4.

The Butler County Symphony Association is pleased to announce that the Collegiate Concerto Competition winner for 2024 is flautist Taylor Pastore.

Taylor is a native of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and a graduate of Canon-McMillan High School. She currently studies music education and psychology at Slippery Rock University, participating in many musical programs, including the orchestra and flute ensemble. Taylor is a member of the National Flute Association’s collegiate flute choir and performs with various musical organizations in Washington, Pennsylvania. Taylor is a recipient of the John Phillip Sousa award and a member of the Tri-M Honors Society. She has been playing the flute for over a decade and plans to pursue a career in music education upon graduation from Slippery Rock University.
The Collegiate Concerto Competition is one of many community outreach initiatives conducted by the Butler County Symphony Association. The organization’s mission is to provide quality symphonic and classical music to the surrounding community, and function as an educational resource to local schools by providing a venue for community musicians to develop their talents and skills. To fulfill this mission, there are various educational initiatives throughout the season culminating with the annual concert in March.

Concerto winner Taylor Pastore will be playing Ballade by Albert Perilhou during the Butler County Symphony Orchestra’s Mahler’s Titan concert, on Saturday, March 2nd, at Butler’s Intermediate High School Auditorium. Also, featured will be the Side-by-Side Honors Symphony.

The Collegiate Concerto Competition was held in January at Swope Music Hall on the campus of Slippery Rock University.

The 2024-25 season is going to be very exciting with three very talented young conductors leading the orchestra.  Following an intense search of over 100 applicants, these 3 candidates will program and conduct next season’s concerts and you will be able to give your input!  Come to these concerts and fill out an evaluation form for each candidate and let us know who you think should be the next Music Director of the Butler County Symphony Orchestra!

A recipient of the 2023 Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation U.S., Austin Chanu is currently the Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, where he assists Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, as well as other guest conductors, and leads The Philadelphia Orchestra in select concerts. Austin made his subscription debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra in April 2023 conducting Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Critics commended his interpretation saying, “the orchestra never sounded better as Chanu led with primal energy and shamanistic insight into the music… the orchestra matched Chanu’s confident leadership in a performance of searing energy and heart-thumping passion” (Broad Street Review). Previously, Austin has appeared as a guest conductor with the Baltimore Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He was also the Music Director for the Los Angeles Music and Art School. During his tenure at LAMusArt, Austin conducted the youth orchestra, choirs, and jazz band, while overseeing the development of curriculum and artistic direction of the ensembles. During this time he also served as a teaching artist and conductor for the LA Philharmonic Association’s Associate Composer Program, and was a high-call woodwind performer for musical pit orchestras in the greater Los Angeles area. Austin received a B.M. in Music Composition from the USC Thornton School of Music in 2015, graduating Magna cum Laude. While at USC, he received the Most Valuable Player Award as a conductor and proponent of new music. Austin graduated from the Eastman School of Music in 2021 with an M.M. in Orchestral Conducting, in the studio of Neil Varon. Currently he serves as the Assistant Conductor of the Eastman Philharmonia and Eastman School Symphony Orchestra as he pursues his DMA in orchestral conducting.

A recipient of the Takaya Urakawa Foundation Grant awarded to promising young musicians, Moon Doh is associate conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, appointed by Music Director Manfred Honeck in 2021. In this role, he has conducted subscription, education, family, and movie concerts as well as sold-out performances with artists such as Sting. An active community builder, he has presented Beethoven’s string quartets in various libraries across Pittsburgh, held Discovery and Drinks talks in different breweries, and led children’s concerts in diverse venues including the MuseumLab in collaboration with Mo Willems. As the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Flora Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, Germany prior to his Pittsburgh appointment, he initiated the orchestra’s first ever live stream concerts that reached an unprecedented number of audiences across the globe over three seasons. He not only led exciting subscription concerts but also worked closely with music pedagogues in order to give young people a chance to learn and experience orchestral music in a meaningful way. In recent years, Moon has worked with many orchestras across Europe: WDR Funkhausorchester, Duisburger Philharmoniker, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, and Dortmunder Philharmoniker in Germany, Romanian Chamber Orchestra in Romania, Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra in Spain, Sinfonietta Cracovia in Poland, and Pleven Philharmonic in Bulgaria to name a few. Moon’s latest collaborations in the US include debuts with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Ann Arbor Symphony, and Symphoria. Born in South Korea, Moon spent much of his childhood in the Philippines, Russia, and the United States. At the age of nine, he began cello and piano studies in Russia and has since performed with various youth and student orchestras across the globe. As a passionate advocate for young rising artists, he led concerts with the All-State Orchestra of Hessen in Germany. In addition, he was also the conductor of the Under-16 Orchestra of Tonhalle Düsseldorf and regularly coached the Youth Orchestra of Essen. A staunch believer in empowering others, Moon has actively worked with asylum seekers in Hungary, children in underserved areas of Bangladesh, and inmates in Baltimore as the president of a student organization while completing his B.A. in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins University. He currently sits on the Board of Violence Prevention Network USA, an organization that helps people at risk of radicalization. Moon studied orchestral conducting at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf in Germany. Prior to his conducting studies, he received a B.A. in music composition from Sahmyook University in South Korea. Moon has participated in renowned music festivals such as Accademia Chigiana in Italy and Bartók Festival in Hungary. His mentors include Manfred Honeck, Rüdiger Bohn, Cristian Măcelaru, Peter Eötvös, and Jorma Panula. IG: @doh.moon

Daniel Wiley has quickly become a notable young conductor on the rise, having made guest appearances with the Cincinnati Ballet, Calgary Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony, Orchestra Iowa & Quad City Ballet, Salisbury Symphony, Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Windsor Abridged Opera, London Symphonia, Boise Philharmonic, Abilene Philharmonic, Denali Chamber Orchestra, Meridian Symphony, Equilibrium Ensemble (Italy), and the University of North Florida Opera.

In the fall of 2022, Daniel joined the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops, and May Festival as their Assistant Conductor. With these respective organizations he is responsible for conducting and covering a wide variety of concerts as well as working with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras. Prior to his tenure with the CSO, Daniel held numerous conducting posts, including Assistant Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony, Music Director of the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestras, Associate Conductor of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Windsor Symphony Youth Orchestras, Music Director of the Windsor Symphony Community Orchestra, Visiting Professor and Wind Ensemble Conductor at the School of Creative Arts at the University of Windsor, Education Conductor/Consultant for London Symphonia, Conductor for the Windsor Abridged Opera Company, Music Director of Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science Youth Orchestra, and Assistant Conductor for the Meridian Symphony Orchestra.

During the pandemic, Daniel was instrumental in expanding the Windsor Symphony’s educational footprint by creating a digital education concert series that includes 12 hours of interactive music curriculum for schools. This program has been lauded as “an exemplar of impassioned and outstanding pedagogy” (Dr. Ken Montgomery, Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Windsor) and recognized by the Ontario Provincial Parliament as an example of how an orchestra can change lives through music, even during a time of unprecedented uncertainty. To date, this program has served more than 200,000 students across the United States and Canada.

In 2019, Daniel was the second prize recipient of both the Smoky Mountain International Conducting Institute and Competition and the Los Angeles International Conducting Competition. Daniel has also spent time conducting new music ensembles, including for the Musicbed Music and Film Corporation based in Fort Worth, Texas, as well as participating in the Composing in the Wilderness program as part of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival in Fairbanks, Alaska. Through this program, Daniel has conducted numerous world premieres in Denali National Park.

As a former public-school music teacher, Daniel has a unique passion for music education, and frequently donates his time as a guest clinician to support students and teachers in music programs across North America.

The Side-by-Side Honors Symphony is a program offered to all high school students who are chosen by their teachers to play with the Butler County Symphony at the March 2nd Education Concert. Students will prepare a piece of music which will then be rehearsed with our Maestro and section leaders of the orchestra to prepare the students to perform “side by side” with members of the orchestra. Applications are available to teachers and must be submitted by January 15, 2024. Once the students are chosen, they will receive music and attend their first rehearsal with a guest conductor on February 6, 2024. They will attend 2 more rehearsals with the Orchestra the weekend of the Education Concert.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS:
Click here to apply to perform with the Butler County Symphony for our March concert. A teacher recommendation is required to complete the application.

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS:
Click here to recommend your high school-age students to participate in our Side-By-Side Honors Symphony so they can perform with the BCSO.

For more information on how to apply, please reach out to education@butlersymphony.org.

Are you a highly qualified musician ready to make your mark in the world of music? We’re thrilled to announce the auditions for the 2023-24 season with the BCSO! Use this link to find out more.

Listen in as Butler County Symphony Musical Director Matthew Kraemer, discusses our upcoming concert entitled, “The Golden Age of Hollywood,” on Saturday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. The program includes scores from film classics by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Max Steiner, Franz Waxman, and Miklos Rosza, plus Henry Mancini’s Moon River. Matthew Kraemer runs down the delights of the concert and shares his plans for New Orleans in this conversation with Jim Cunningham.

Listen now: https://bit.ly/3UhHtQH

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Adam M. Janssen, Trombone. Learn more about Adam here.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Christina Sanzotti Savannah, Bassoon. Learn more about Christina here.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Sasha Shapiro, Principal Viola. Learn more about Sasha here.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Christie Kecskemethy, Principal Violin II. Learn more about Christie here.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on 2023 Collegiate Competition winner Thomas Bachert, an alto saxophonist and aspiring young music educator from Pittsburgh. He is a graduate of North Hills High School and attends Slippery Rock University for degrees in saxophone performance and music education. He is active in various organizations, including the university wind and jazz ensemble. Bachert recently performed with his saxophone quartet and the ARC Quartet at the International Saxophone Symposium in Fairfax, Virginia.

As a member of the Slippery Rock University Jazz Ensemble, he will be featured on commissioned recording projects at various jazz festivals in Italy and France scheduled for July this year. Our March 4 concert, “The Inextinguishable,” will be Bachert’s orchestral and soloist debut performing Jacques Ibert’s “Concerto da Camera.”

Purchase “The Inextinguishable” Tickets: https://bit.ly/40Feads

If you missed our Saturday concert, you can catch an encore of “Symphonic Dances” highlights in Monday’s Butler Eagle. As well as a tribute to Butler County Symphony Musical Conductor Matthew Kraemer.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Jaime Lachesky, Flute. Learn more about Jaime here.

If you missed our Saturday concert, you can catch an encore of “Symphonic Dances” highlights in Monday’s Butler Eagle. As well as a tribute to Butler County Symphony Musical Conductor Matthew Kraemer.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Fernando Almeida, Bass. Learn more about Fernando here.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s “Meet the Musicians Monday” spotlights guest cellist Nicholas Canellakis, who headlines our Feb. 4 “Symphonic Dances” concert. Learn more about Nicholas here.

The Butler County Symphony Musical Conductor Matthew Kraemer has accepted the music directorship of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans beginning in September of 2023.  This is an exciting artistic career opportunity for Maestro Kraemer. It regrettably means however that he will be stepping down as the Butler County Symphony Orchestra Conductor at the end of the current season.

The Butler County Symphony Orchestra along with the Symphony Board of Directors, Symphony Association, and community will feel the loss of such a tremendously talented, and insightful individual. The Butler County Symphony wishes him well into the future as he continues to advance his career with this new and very exciting opportunity.

Matthew will continue to conduct the Butler County Symphony’s three remaining concerts this season which include Symphonic Dances on February 4^th, The Inextinguishable on March 4^th, and The Golden Age of Hollywood on April 8^th.

He also will be participating in a new and exciting joint effort between the Symphony and Butler Public Library. Symphony Storytime featuring Maestro Kraemer reading and discussing concert themed children’s stories centered toward area youth each Saturday morning at the Butler Public Library the day of the Symphony concerts.

Maestro Matthew Kraemer’s leadership and musical influence will continue into the 2023-2024 season.  His artistic planning will feature guest conductors that include Moon Doh and Andres Cardenes among others, including a special encore concert featuring Matthew Kraemer!

The Butler County Symphony Association will begin the search for a conductor in the future.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Carrie Walsh Erdely, Violin. Learn more about Carrie here.

11 am, Saturday, February 4. 2023

Families with children in preschool to grade 3 are invited to attend a very special storytime. We will be joined by a special guest, Maestro Matthew Kramer, as he shares a story and activities related to music and dancing.

This program is presented in partnership with the Butler County Symphony Orchestra.

For more information, contact Ms. Tiffany at tharkleroad@bcfls.org.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Vincent Leung, Cellist. Learn more about Vincent here.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on McKenzie Holt, Violin. Learn more about McKenzie here.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Carrie Yamamoto, Violin. Learn more about Carrie here.

Looking for a gift for music lovers that hits just the right note? Support the Butler County Symphony Orchestra and shop our brand-new online store! Click here to shop now!

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Kimberly Lamb Winfield, Oboe. Learn more about Kimberly here.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Michael Gelfand, Cello. Learn more about Michael here.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Ella Hickey, Violin I. Learn more about Ella here.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Jason Venesky, Tuba. Learn more about Jason here.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Julia Poetain, Violin. Learn more about Julia here.

Listen in as Composer Reinaldo Moya and Butler County Symphony Musical Director Matthew Kraemer discuss our concert “Voices of Nature,” held on Saturday, Nov. 5th. This concert featured the 2nd world premiere of Moya’s Dark Earth: Anthropogenic Amazon.

LISTEN NOW!

Want some special inside information about the November and December concerts? Check out this episode of Armstrong The Butler Buzz featuring our Executive Director, John Furman.

Each week, we spotlight one of our talented musicians in our “Meet the Musicians Monday” series, a chance to toot our own horn about our skilled music-makers. This week’s musician spotlight is on Gino Faraci, Bass. Learn more about Gino here.

Relive our inaugural first free summer concert, An Evening of Patriotic Songs Under the Stars, performed on June 30, 2022, at the Cranberry Township Community Park. Enjoy an encore evening of music on WQED FM 89.3 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. this Friday evening as the Butler County Symphony plays such patriotic classics as “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “1812 Overture,” and “Victory at Sea.”

Tune in on the radio or use this link Friday to listen online: https://bit.ly/3gaE3yY

The Butler County Symphony Orchestra partnered with HM3 Partner in Celebrity Care Fest 2022 on Saturday, July 23rd at 5 pm. Our symphony members played backup for Queen V, Lou Gramm, founding member of Foreigner, and the world-famous Jacksons. The Temptations also performed.

Click here to read more about this amazing event in the recent Cranberry  Eagle article.

The Butler County Symphony Orchestra presents a semi-staged production of “Guys & Dolls” on April 10th. WQED-FM’s Jim Cunningham spoke with the Orchestra’s conductor Matthew Kraemer about the production in this Carnegie Museum of Art “Voice of the Arts” podcast.

Click here to listen now!

A big thank you to the Butler Buzz for hosting our Executive Director, John Furman, to share how the Butler County Symphony Orchestra continues to play a critical role in the promotion of musical arts in the community. Click here to watch the interview now.

Our Young Artists Competition winner is Emma Kim, a pianist. She will play the 1st movement of Prokofiev’s Piano concerto No. 3, Op. 26 in C Major on March 5, 2022, at 7:30 pm.

Emma is 17, has played piano since age 5, and has studied with Dr. Marina Lupinacci since age 9. She is currently a senior at North Hills High School. Emma has been a Steinway Society Young Artist for the past eight years, was selected as Pittsburgh Concert Society Young Artist, was awarded Penn State Marian García Competition second prize, and is this year’s PYSO Concerto Competition winner, amongst others. She plays piano for the North Hills Jazz Band and is also captain of the NH Girls Varsity Tennis Team.

The Butler County Symphony Orchestra conducted by Matthew Kraemer presents Mozart’s 40th Symphony, with music by Ginastera and Gabriela Lena Frank – Saturday night at the Butler Intermediate High School at 7:30 pm. Executive Director John Furman joins Jim Cunningham and Matthew to talk about the special features of the concert, the great strides the orchestra has made in the past ten years, and where to get a good meal in Butler. Original airdate: Nov 4, 2021

Click here to listen now.

Please enjoy our previous virtual concert performed in the beautiful, historic Scottish Rites Cathedral in New Castle. This is a sample of what will be featured during our Scottish Reverie on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m. We hope you will join us! Click here to get tickets now! You can view the full program here.

Be sure to join us on Nov. 21st at 7pm via Facebook, YouTube or our website for the premiere of “All Baroque.”

This virtual program is being presented for free and features a chamber version of your Butler County Symphony Orchestra performing works by Bach, Corelli, Handel and Pachelbel.
This performance will also be aired on Armstrong Neighborhood Channel 10 on Nov 23, 25, 27 and 29 at 1am, Noon and 9pm.

Even in the midst of a pandemic, it is our mission to continue to safely provide music and music education to the Butler County Community and beyond, whatever the format may be.

Concert Features New, Known Works

BRAVO! Read all that Leanne Heaton, Butler Eagle Correspondent, had to say about our Saturday concert! Did you join us for our evening of Wolfgang Mozart, Gabriela Frank, and Alberto Ginastera? If so, please add your own voice to an encore of applause by sharing your review and positive notes about the Butler County Symphony Orchestra.

Click here for the article link.

Kyle Chastulik (IUP)

Kalista Heidkamp (SRU)

A Brass Quintet from your Butler County Symphony Orchestra performs various holiday classics in this virtual performance.

Thank you to all of our sponsors of the 2020-2021 concert season for keeping the music playing in Butler County Symphony Orchestra!

Maestro Matthew Kraemer is coming to you straight from his home to announce the 2020-2021 Butler County Symphony Orchestra Concert Season! This season is structured differently due to these uncertain times and will start in November of 2020. We will be doing all that we can to make the concert experience safe and enjoyable for all of our patrons, musicians, and volunteers. Brochures will be sent out next week (June 1 – 5) and season subscription renewals will begin the following week.

Current subscriber renewals: June 8th – June 26th
New subscriber period: June 29th – July 17th
All tickets on sale: July 20th