Western Piedmont Symphony (WPS) is one of Hickory’s many musical masterpieces, and this year, it's celebrating its 60th anniversary season.
Originally known as the Hickory Symphony Society, Western Piedmont Symphony was started in 1964 when Albert Chaffoo with the Asheville Symphony wrote to Charles Jeffers, president of the newly formed Arts Council, suggesting that Hickory create its own symphony. At first, Jeffers thought this was absurd, but his father-in-law, Mr. T.R. Kramer thought it would be a great idea and gave them a head start of $50,000.
Since then, WPS or affiliated quartets have performed over 40 premieres. Outreach has greatly expanded in recent years, and a count made after 2017 revealed that the musicians had reached 30,000 students and made 85 presentations to a variety of age groups. WPS has been featured on WDAV, WFDD, South Carolina Public Radio, and with Greg Knight on Performance Today. It has also placed four times in the Professional Orchestral Division of the American Prize Competition.
The 2024-2025 60th Anniversary Season consists of five Masterworks concerts, Crossroads concerts, three Foothills Pops concerts, Discovery Family Concert, two Youth Orchestras concerts, and various other community engagement concerts. To learn more and purchase your tickets, visit the WPS website.
