Willmar Area Symphonic Orchestra

2019-20 WASO Brochure

Buy Season and Concert tickets below

Check out this video taken by WRAC 8 Willmar Public TV

Announcing our 2019-2020 Season

1. Halloween Hollow
Saturday, October 26, 7 PM, WEAC
Northern Darling

The WASO Halloween Costume Contest will be held during intermission for elementary age students on the stage.
Categories: Scariest, Funniest, Most Creative, Cutest
Prizes: Chocolate from Mr. B’s, family passes to the YMCA and two adult tickets to another WASO concert!
The mayors from Willmar & New London will be the judges!

Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain
Williams: Suite from Jaws
Saint-Saens: Dance Macabre
Berlioz: March to the Scaffold from Symphony Fantastique
Williams: Darth Vader’s March
With Northern Darling:

Circles Liz Davis, Orch. Ramsey
Baby’s in the Cradle Liz Davis
Fall Down Blues James Mouritsen, Orch. Jacobs
Deadly Darling Liz Davis
100 Degrees Liz Davis, Orch. Ramsey
Do It Right Northern Darling, Orch. Ramsey

2. Beethoven Birthday Bash!
Sunday, January 12, 3 PM, WEAC
Peter McGuire, Violin

Beethoven: King Stephen Overture
Beethoven: Violin Concerto

3. Dancing Shoes: (or Oh! What Suite Music!)
Friday, March 13 (Children’s Concert), WEAC
Sunday, March 15, 3 PM, WEAC
Kaitlin Ramsey, Narrator

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Suite
Copland: Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo
Telemann: Little Dance Suite

4. Young Artists’ Concert
Saturday, May 9, 7 PM, WEAC

Sibelius: Symphony No. 2

Young Artists:
Check out the information for the Young Artist Competition for this season.
Applications due Fri, Dec 13, 2019
Auditions will be Tues PM on Jan 21, 2020
Dress Rehearsal will be Friday, May 8 at 7 - 9:30 PM
Young Artist Concert will be Sat., May 9 at 7 PM
Follow this link for more details.

Schedule of events

Meet the Members of the orchestra

Support the orchestra

Willmar Area Symphonic Orchestra announces our new conductor.

Stephen J. Ramsey (Music Director/Conductor) is the founding music director of the Dakota Valley Symphony. He is in his 31 st season conducting the Symphony and the Summer Pops Orchestra. He is also in his 23rd season as Music director/Conductor of the Austin Symphony Orchestra of Austin, Minnesota. After assisting James Riccardo on several occasions with his duties as the founding music director of the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Orchestra, Ramsey has been pleased to serve as its music director for the past six years.

A well-known conductor in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, Ramsey has led performances at many area colleges, concert halls and churches. He has served as music director and conductor for Lakeshore Players and Applause Community Theater. He has held the positions of Director of Ensembles for Hamline University and Conducting Associate for the St. Paul Civic Symphony. At various times, he has also been the music director for productions by Chimera Theater, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, and the Minneapolis Jewish Community Center’s Chamber Orchestra, mixed chorus, women’s chorus, and their Genesis Theater Company.

Ramsey is an active guest conductor throughout the upper Midwest, and has led the Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra, the Bloomington Symphony, the Minnesota Youth Symphonies, the St. Paul Jewish Community Center Orchestra, Kenwood Symphony Orchestra, Linden Hills Chamber Orchestra, the Central Chamber Orchestra, the Suburban East High School Orchestra Festival, and the Des Moines Junior High School Music Festival Orchestra.

Ramsey holds a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. He has studied with Leonard Slatkin, William McGlaughlin, Dr. Glenn Block, Dr. Lee Humphries, Max Rudolph, Dr. Maurice Jones, Dr. Samuel Jones, Harold Farberman, Kirk Muspratt, Dr. Eph Ehly, and Dr. James Sample.

Steve is so very pleased to have the opportunity to serve the members of the Willmar Area Symphonic Orchestra, it’s very active board of directors, and its tremendously supportive audiences. Please welcome him into the Willmar community and tell him what you would like to hear!!!

Season Tickets

Season Tickets Available $40/adult:
Buy your season tickets now to all four concerts and save!
Children 0 - 18 FREE (Child tickets are complimentary but required. Add number of kids to the form below)

Concert Tickets

Concert Tickets Available $12/adult
Children 0 - 18 FREE (Child tickets are complimentary but required. Add number of kids to the form below)

Tickets at the Door

Adult $12
Children 0 - 18 FREE (Child tickets are complimentary but required.)

The Willmar Area Symphonic Orchestra is a 501 (C) (3) non profit organization. Your donation is tax deductible.