Events
Season Finale: The Music of the Police
For the first time ever, we close out our 2023/24 season with a full-scale arena rock concert! Symphony-rock masters Jeans ʼn 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 1st Summit Arena will finally come true as we invite over 2,000 people to attend our largest JSO concert ever.
Memorial Day Chorus Performance
The JSO Chorus, Directed by Jeffrey L. Webb, will be performing at the Memorial Day Service at Grandview Cemetary at 9am.
Click here to sign up! Johnstown Symphony Youth Orchestra Auditions
JSYO Audition Information:
Please fill out the form below
Sign up for a 10-min time slot
Click on the instrument for the audition materials
STEP 1: Please fill out the form below and submit
STEP 2: Click here to sign up for an audition time
October: Steel and Innovation
Our dynamic season opener begins by honoring the industrial history of our region, featuring Stacey Garrop’s Forging Steel, premiered by the Pittsburgh Symphony and performed with a specially curated version of the 1992 Guggenheim film of Mill workers in the Cambria Iron Works Machine Shop. Next, we celebrate the role of technology and innovation in our region with Automation, a composition that places the cello soloist against an AI version of itself, blurring the lines of technology and human creativity. On the second half, we perform Rachmaninoff’s extraordinary Symphonic Dances, his final orchestral masterpiece, composed in America in 1940.
November: Heritage
We bring our popular candlelight series back to the Grand Halle, combining music that honors the cultural heritage of Johnstown. Reflective and energetic works by Quinn Mason and Music Director James Blachly, reflect music from Johnstown’s rich cultural heritage. To close the concert, the professional JSO strings join forces with our avocational Community Strings and the Johnstown Symphony Youth string quartet to perform Vaughan Williams’s beloved work Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, tracing lines of culture and melody across generations.
December: Family Holidays
The Holidays would not be complete without the JSO’s Christmas Pops Concert, celebrating the magic of this season in this festive JSO tradition. Please note there will be a 3pm and 7:30 performance! Purchase your tickets early before they sell out!
January: Community
Join us for an evening of inspiration and harmony as we unite to commemorate the profound message of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrate the vibrant spirit of our community. The JSO Chorus, under the direction of Jeffrey L. Webb, along with local gospel choirs, will uplift and energize us with joyful melodies that resonate with the essence of Dr. King's legacy.
February: Creativity
Program to feature Jeff Webb and the Classic Vinyl Concert Series
Jeff Webb & The Classic Vinyl Series and the JSO will perform iconic hits from legendary bands like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and many more! Join us for a night of excitement and nostalgia as we breathe new life into timeless melodies, ensuring an experience that will linger in your memory long after the final note fades away.
March: Nature
In a program celebrating the extraordinary beauty of this region, JSO Concertmaster Maureen Conlon Gutierrez performs a hidden gem for violin and horn, joining with one of the greatest hornists ever, the legendary Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s principal horn, Bill Caballero. On the second half is Sibelius’s nature-filled and triumphant Symphony No. 2, a beautiful journey through landscapes of space and time.
April: Hope
Our season finale is a concert that celebrates the strength of this community in overcoming adversity, and the way that beauty and faith guide us forward. Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony is his last symphonic statement, a work that is stunningly beautiful and expressive. Fauré’s Requiem is one of the most beloved choral works ever written – songful, soulful, and bringing us to a place of peace. The central movement, the Pie Jesu, will feature a young singer from the Johnstown region.
May: Heroes
Funded by The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies Beerman Holocaust Education Fund, we are honored to present a concert that reflects the resilience of the human spirit, and serves as a profound testament to the importance of Holocaust education. Through the generous support of this fund, we will be performing works by Jewish composers whose lives and music were tragically cut short or greatly impacted by the holocaust. This concert is focused on the stories behind the music and recognition of our WWII veterans.
Please note that our May concert tickets are “Pick Your Price” beginning at $20.
All proceeds will benefit JSO education and community engagement initiatives.
Fashion Show
We are excited to be bringing back the Fashion Show for the first time since 2018!
Presented by the Johnstown Auxiliary of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra
Event Details:
Date: May 7th, 2024
Location: Sunnehanna Country Club; 1000 Sunnehanna Drive, Johnstown, PA 15905
Time of Event:
5:30 pm: Champagne punch and raffle opportunities
6:30 pm: Dinner
7:15 pm: Fashion Show
Tickets: $50
To purchase tickets to this event, please call Auxiliary Member Teresa Marafino at 814-233-6363
Tables seat 8-10 people
PPAC Finale: The Planets and Star Wars
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.
Community Strings Spring Semester
Spring Semester starts April 4th! Tuition costs $50. Come join us!
Family Matinee
Appropriate for kids of all ages, this downtown 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
One of the most sought-after musicians of our generation, three-time GRAMMY® nominated violinist Curtis Stewart makes his JSO debut performing Julia Perry’s long neglected yet strikingly beautiful Concerto for Violin. Also experience an early 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.
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.
JSO Chorus Auditions
The Johnstown Symphony Chorus will be holding auditions for the following voice parts:
-Soprano
-Tenor
-Bass
For further information, please reach out to Chorus Director, Jeffrey L. Webb, at jwebb@johnstownsymphony.org
Holiday Concert
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
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.
JSO Chorus: Holiday Stroll Performance
The JSO Chorus, directed by Jeff Webb, will perform from 6:30-7:30pm at 416 Main Street during Light-Up Night on November 17th! Come in from the cold and get warmed up with some holiday carols!
Opening Night: Rhapsody in Blue & The Firebird
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.
JSO Musician Auditions
Musician Auditions
The Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and Maestro James Blachly are pleased to announce auditions for the following positions:
Piccolo/Flute 3
Principal Horn
Principal Trumpet
Principal Harp
Associate Concertmaster
Section First Violin
Principal Second Violin
Section Viola
Section Cello
Section Double Bass
The audition application date of October 1st has passed and we are no longer accepting new applications.
To be added to the waitlist to audition, please email Personnel Manager at mstombaugh@johnstownsymphony.org
Taste of the Laurel Highlands
Held by the Johnstown Symphony Somerset Auxiliary, the “Taste of the Laurel Highlands Fundraiser” showcases delicious food from regional restaurants in the beautiful Green Gable’s Restaurant. Bid on auction items both online and in-person with all proceeds supporting the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra.
In person event:
Date: Tuesday, October 10th
Time: 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Location: Green Gables Restaurant; 7712 Somerset Pike, Jennerstown, PA 15547
Begins: Sunday, October 1st
Ends: Tuesday, October 10th @ 7:00 pm
Sunset Serenade Fundraiser
9.16.23 @ 5:30 pm
Nulton Aviation Services, Inc @ the
John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport
Nulton Aviation Services, Inc
Purchase Tickets Below!
We cordially invite you to our 2023 Sunset Serenade Fundraiser, “Swinging into Our Future,” September 16th at the scenic Johnstown Airport! This event promises to be an extraordinary gathering, bringing together music and aviation enthusiasts, passionate JSO supporters, and cherished friends, all united in supporting the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra!
For an even more exclusive experience, upgrade to VIP status!
All proceeds will benefit the Johnstown Symphony Youth Orchestra!
> Exclusive access to the Nulton Aviation Lounge
> Complimentary champagne & hors d’oeuvres
> Mingle with Maestro Blachly
Performances by: Pete Jacobs Wartime Radio Revue joined by the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra Strings
Guest Soloists: Kevin and Mallory Bean from February's “Open Mic Night” Concert!
1940s dance party outfits encouraged! (Or any era’s cocktail attire.)
Food & Libations
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Dancing
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Live & Silent Auctions
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Swing Lessons
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Food & Libations • Dancing • Live & Silent Auctions • Swing Lessons •
Inclined to Sing Open House and 1st Rehearsal
Do you know a child who loves to sing? The JSO's Inclined to Sing Children's Chorus is the place to be! Join us for an exciting Open House on August 29th at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church on Scalp Ave!
Singers in Grades 2-6 will meet at 5pm!
Singers in Grades 7-12 will meet at 6pm!
Young singers will learn music fundamentals and correct singing techniques while performing quality music in an atmosphere of fun and excitement!
To learn more information, please contact our Inclined to Sing Director Valerie Galczynski at vgalczynski@johnstownsymphony.org
We will see you there!
Chorus Auditions
The audition process is very simple and usually takes roughly ten minutes to complete. The audition consists of the following elements:
Singers will have their vocal range tested by singing exercises up and down the scale.
Singers will be asked to sing one verse of the melody to either Amazing Grace or My Country 'Tis of Thee. You may download the sheet music by clicking on its title.
Singers will have their tonal memory tested by hearing short musical phrases and being asked to sing them back to the director.
Singers will be asked to sight-read a short piece of music. Reading music is not a pre-requisite to gaining entrance to the JSO Chorus, but it is useful for the director to know the singers reading/following abilities.
Singers interested in auditioning should note the audition dates posted on the JSO website and social media outlets and then fill out the online audition form. The director of the chorus will then contact the singer to set up a specific audition time.
Additional questions about the JSO Chorus and the audition process should be emailed to the director, Jeff Webb at jwebb@johnstownsymphony.org.