Many of America’s most prominent music schools—including Juilliard, the Eastman School of Music, the Curtis Institute of Music, Interlochen, and Berklee College of Music—rose to prominence during the 20th century. But efforts to establish great American music conservatories began much earlier. Some of these ambitious institutions struggled financially and ultimately disappeared. One of the most remarkable was the National Conservatory of Music of America, founded in New York

Morton Gould, an extremely prolific and successful composer, was known mostly for his music for radio, film, TV and Broadway. Due to his prodigious command of orchestration and his facility with diverse musical genres, he also received frequent commissions for the concert hall. With WWII in full swing he wrote American Salute in 1942, the same year our orchestra was founded. Based on the tune “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” the piece was written overnight with copyists sta

Our June program is one of the most interesting collections of repertoire we have ever presented. After intermission we will present excerpts of orchestral hits to illustrate the development of the orchestra from the small instrumental ensembles that Johann Sebastian Bach put together in the early 18h Century, to the massive orchestral forces assembled by Igor Stravinsky to entertain and shock the Parisian audiences before World War One at Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe. Our Bremer

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony is one of the great romantic orchestral blockbusters. It deals with themes of fate and the triumph of overcoming fate. The melodies are all memorable and the ending is huge, bombastic and over the top. Perhaps this is why it has been beloved by audiences since its premiere in 1888. Of course, the early critics were not convinced. In Russia, Valerian Bogdanov-Berezovsky wrote, "The Fifth Symphony is the weakest of Tchaikovsky's symphonies, but neve

Erich Wolfgang Korngold is well known as the composer of classic movie scores including The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood, and of course, The Adventures of Robin Hood. What American movie audiences did not know is that Korngold was one of the greatest child prodigies who ever lived and one of the most famous composers in Europe in the 1920’s and 30’s. After just a few piano lessons with a family friend, he became a phenomenal pianist. He wrote his first major work, The Snowman at

This weekend you will hear nine of the finest young piano virtuosi in Kitsap County and a wonderful classical saxophonist. On March 14th, 20 Kitsap-area students competed in the 2026 Bremerton WestSound Symphony Young Artists Competition. The level of playing by all our contestants was phenomenal and choosing winners at this level is both a challenge and a delight for our judges. Our students and their teachers have brought us a very interesting selection of repertoire from

This Sunday at the Marvin Williams Center, our orchestra features a free concert of Music from the Movies and our very own Youth Jazz Ensemble provides a concert coda. Experience the unforgettable power of Star Wars music—John Williams’s sweeping orchestral score that transports you to a galaxy far, far away with heroic fanfares, brilliant themes, and cinematic grandeur. The soundtrack is a timeless celebration of adventure, romance, and the magic of film music. Saddle up fo

Seattle Opera Star Tess Altiveros will appear with the Bremerton WestSound Symphony!

Handel’s Messiah is a perpetual audience favorite. No holiday season is complete without the unforgettable melodies, dramatic text and impassioned vocal writing — including the Hallelujah Chorus. Handel’s librettist, Charles Jennens, chose sections of both the Old and New Testament for the lyrics of this work. George Frederic Handel, though not a native English speaker, makes the words of the King James Bible come alive with his brilliant musical settings. Amazingly, the Mes

The period after Hector Berlioz was known as the driest, most barren epoch in France. All the great symphonic composers, it seemed, were German or from German-speaking lands. Think of Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, and Brahms. At the same time, the French had Beriot, Servais, Franchomme, and Thomas. When was the last time you heard a concert featuring any of these composers? And then, a miracle. Contemporary critics assure us that Camille Saint-Saëns was a greater child prodigy tha