WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — With sounds from out of this world, Memorial Auditorium in Wichita Falls City Hall is the place to be Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022.

The Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra is debuting its 75th anniversary season with a pianist addition that symphony music lovers will not want to miss.

“What people experience here is live music, it’s a moment in time where we put it on and if you’re here you get to experience it and you get to experience all of it, you see the musicians, you see the drama of the performance, you see the screen,” Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra Conductor Fouad Fakhouri said. “So it’s a special moment and once it’s done it’s over, you can’t recreate it.”

Keys strung together in perfect harmony. Internationally recognized pianist Jon Nakamatsu, hailing from the Golden State, will play Beethoven’s Symphony No.1.

“I have been studying this piece for a long time, actually of the five Beethoven piano contributors, it was the last one that I learned and I didn’t really learn it until I was probably in my 20’s so it’s the one that I feel in some ways the most youthful with, it’s just always a discovery,” Nakamatsu said. “You don’t really have to know anything to enjoy it, my son who is six, just loves the last movement because he says it’s something that sounds like we should be dancing.”

A performance sure to make you want to reach for the stars, The Planets will move the crowd to the sounds of the solar system and astrological characters, with extra effects and special guests only fit for the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra’s opening concert of its 75th anniversary season.

“Not many orchestras can claim that, it’s a tough field to sustain over many many years, it’s a beautiful anniversary, I mean we are really celebrating our history,” Fakhouri said. “What’s unique about this specific concert is that we have also an HD presentation, so as we’re performing the music you’re going to get to see photos from NASA, some beautiful photography of the plants as we’re performing each one of these planets.”

Nakamatsu is just glad to claim his bench in Wichita Falls.

“It’s been a thrill to come back and I have to say just smell the air in Texas, there’s something about getting off the plane and being here that feels really familiar and comforting,” Nakamatsu said.

Fakhouri couldn’t think of a better crowd than Wichita Falls residents and those from surrounding areas.

“I love coming in, doing these concerts or education concerts or any type of events that we have, the people that come to them and the sense of community and the pride in the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra that I sense in Wichita Falls is really motivating and it’s always wonderful to work for a community that really appreciates what you do,” Fakhouri said.

“I think it’s a wonderful way to experience either the piece for the first time or the piece for the 10th time, it’s always great,” Nakamatsu said.

The Planets will be performed live on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium.

It’s KFDX night and our Darrell Franklin will be introducing the symphony orchestra.

Tickets are available at the door, ranging from $10 to $55.

There are senior and military discounts available.

Also, don’t miss a timeline of the WFSO’s history on display.