By The Shout

The following announcement is based on a press release from the Wichita Symphony.

WICHITA – The Wichita Symphony Orchestra presents a concert led by music director Daniel Hege at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 24, in the Century II Concert Hall.

The concert features acclaimed pianist Clayton Stephenson performing Tchaikovsky’s monumental Piano Concerto No. 1. The American pianist has been hailed for interpretations that are "fresh, incisive, and characterfully alive" (Gramophone).

The program opens with Jessie Montgomery’s Overture. Then, the stage hosts Stephenson as he performs the Tchaikovsky piano concerto. Although originally a critical failure and labeled “unplayable,” the technically demanding piece has become one of the most recognizable works in the world.

Finally, audiences will experience Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, created when Shostakovich was under scrutiny from the Soviet regime. It is considered an outstanding offering in the 20th-century orchestral repertoire.

“Music has always had the power to communicate what words sometimes cannot, and in Shostakovich’s case, what could not safely be expressed openly,” said Hege. “Under Stalin’s regime, he used the orchestra to express anguish, resistance and defiance beneath the surface of music that could pass official scrutiny. This program gives us three very different composers and three very different voices, each revealing something deeply human through music.”

Event Details

Wichita Symphony Orchestra Presents "Defiance"
Conductor: Daniel Hege
Piano: Clayton Stephenson
Featuring music by: Jessie Montgomery, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Dmitri Shostakovich
7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Century II Concert Hall, 225 W. Douglas Ave. in Wichita

Tickets and additional information are available at wichitasymphony.org.

Announcements are submissions from arts and cultural organizations and community members. They are published at the discretion of SHOUT editors and may be lightly edited. Send press releases and other announcements to emily@shoutwichita.com.

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