To our past and present Symphony musicians, sponsors, subscribers, and audiences:

There are many items for which we would like to provide an update as we write this note to you. First and foremost, the Southern Tier Symphony is pleased to announce our upcoming concert series on April 26 and 27th at Olean High School and Blaisdell Hall at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.  It is thanks to you, our individual, group, and corporate sponsors and donors, that we are able to hold our upcoming concert series. A special thank you to Olean High School, who have graciously allowed us to hold our concert in their performance hall. 

The program for our upcoming series features works by Dvorak, Grieg, Mendelssohn, and Rachmaninoff, culminating in a performance of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto no.2 in C minor by world renowned soloist, music educator, and video producer Ben Laude.  Dr. Laude's playing has been praised by the New York Times as “superb in pace, tone, and eloquence.” Debuting with the Austin Symphony at age 17 in a performance of Rachmaninoff’s 1 st Piano Concerto, Laude has since performed in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York, venues from Miami to Santa Fe, San Diego to the British Virgin Islands, as well as around the world, from Prague to Ramallah. Laude has been heard in live performance on Chicago’s WFMT as part of the Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, WQXR’s Chopin Marathon at the Greene Space in New York, as well as Austin’s “Eklektikos” (KUT) and “Classical Austin” (KMFA) programs. In October 2017, he appeared as a special guest on David Dubal’s nationally syndicated program “The Piano Matters” (WWFM) for a three-part series commemorating the 35th anniversary of Glenn Gould’s death, featuring excerpts from Laude’s recordings of Bach’s Goldberg Variations and E Minor Partita. During the 2018-2019 season Laude appears as a guest soloist at Piano Evenings with David Dubal and the Bach Store in New York; in collaboration with violist Hannah Rose Nicholas as part of the Tri-County Concerts Association’s Emerging Artists Series in Philadelphia; and in a lecture recital at the University of California-Irvine. Holding a doctorate in piano from the Juilliard School, Laude has taught at Bard College-Conservatory and the Suzuki School for Strings in New York, and during the summer serves on the faculties of Berkshire Summer Music and Danbury Chamber Music Intensive.  Regular patrons of the Symphony will remember his last visit when he performed Piano Concerto No.4 in G major, op. 58, Ludwig von Beethoven(1809).  We are excited to have him rejoin us for our upcoming concert series.

Whether this is your first or 50th time, we invite you to come share in the splendor of live music at Olean High School and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.  Tickets are available for order online or are sold at the door.  No matter which method you prefer, we hope to see you soon for a set of performances you will not soon forget.

As we move past this concert season and look forward to 2025-26, we are currently in discussion with our longtime friends at St. Bonaventure University and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford concerning new and exciting opportunities for members of the orchestra.  Although we cannot disclose much information at this point in time, please plan on looking forward to more of a presence at both campuses around the December holiday time with a concert series featuring select members of the orchestra's magnificent brass section.  

If you have any further questions regarding the symphony's status, or if you wish to contribute to the orchestra, we ask you to please contact us at [email protected] for further information and/or conversation.