Join FBSO for a concert of great tunes and patriotic pieces!

This Performance has been canceled due to COVID-19.

FBSO Goes to the Movies!

Still basking in the afterglow of last Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony?

Want to retain the fun of the red carpet?

Join the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra and Chorus this Sunday, February 16, for more movie magic!

Is there anything more exciting than sitting in a darkened theater and hearing those first stirring notes of a great movie theme? Hollywood music can be romantic; it can be uplifting; it can be almost anything that makes a movie scene memorable. On Sunday, February 16, 2020, the Fort Bend Symphony and Chorus will journey through the history of great cinematic music with works from movie masters from Irving Berlin to John Williams.

The Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will

Deck the Halls

to welcome in the most festive season of the year.

Put the leftovers away. Take a break from football.

Get in the Holiday spirit!

Hear your favorite Christmas songs, both popular and traditional,

as well as a musical tribute to the miracle of Chanakah.

For the first time this year, experience one of

the most inventive musical takes on

the story of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Some of the world’s greatest music came from the genius of just three Russian composers. The Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra will spotlight the finest works of Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for its season-opening concert, Russian Fireworks.

The baton of conductor Dominique Røyem will rise to start the music at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, October 6, 2019, at the Stafford Centre, 10505 Cash Road, Stafford.

Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain

Rimsky-Korsakov’s Festival Overture

Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave

&

Symphony No. 2:The Little Russian, movement 1.

In addition to the program of superb music, Russian Fireworks will give you the opportunity to view outstanding Russian art and artifacts in the Stafford Centre lobby, courtesy of the Russian Cultural Center-Our Texas.

CELEBRATE THE 4TH WITH THE FORT BEND SYMPHONY’S

FREE ANNUAL PATRIOTIC CONCERT, JULY 4 AT 2:30 PM

STAFFORD CENTRE, 10505 CASH ROAD, STAFFORD, TX

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas –

You are invited to come celebrate our American heritage in music and song with the Fort Bend Symphony and the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra Chorus, at 2:30 in the afternoon, July 4 at the Stafford Centre.  For the first time, this year’s free family performance will be in the afternoon, rather than prior to the fireworks.  This much-loved free concert is an annual event for many Fort Bend County families. The program includes a variety of American music, from marches to patriotic themes to songs from the stage and screen. 

It wouldn’t be Independence Day without marches!  For 2019, FBSO brings you more toe-tappers than ever before.  Bagley’s National Emblem March has been a favorite since it was penned in 1906.  The Colonel Bogey March is a British march composed in 1914 by Kenneth J. Alford.  The father of American marches, John Phillip Sousa, is well represented with two of his best, The Liberty Bell March and The Washington Post March.  The International Dixieland Jamboree includes St. James’ Infirmary, Bill Bailey and When the Saints Go Marchin’ In.  George M. Cohan’s You’re a Grand Old Flag rounds out this year’s high-stepping tunes.

Music from Broadway and the movies are a beloved part of Americana.  Selections from West Side Story, The Magnificent Seven and the cartoon theme antics of What’s Up at the Symphony? are sure to entertain all ages. 

As we celebrate our country’s independence, we also celebrate the men and women in our armed forces who keep our nation safe around the world with The Armed Forces Salute.  A medley of familiar patriotic classics concludes the program with America Fantasia, comprised of themes from Swanee River, The Girl I Left Behind Me, Dixie and The Star-Spangled Banner.     

We hope to see you and your family at this free Fort Bend County summer holiday tradition.

Popular Houston musical theatre stars, Joel Sandel and Danica Johnston, will lead the talented cast as the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra and Chorus presents Meredith Willson's The Music Man in the concert musical format, Sunday, May 19, at the Stafford Centre. Enjoy the full story and glorious music of the con man Professor Harold Hill as he turns his life around thanks to Marian the Librarian and all the people of River City.

A concert musical has minimal staging so that the music takes the spotlight. And The Music Man features some of the most popular show tunes of all time. This is the quintessential American musical!

Originally presented on Broadway in 1957, The Music Man won 5 Tony Awards in 1958, beating out West Side Story for Best Musical. The 1962 film version is a classic, beloved by all ages.

Don't miss the first ever concert musical production from the Fort Bend Symphony and Chorus.

The music of The Music Man will fill the Stafford Centre on Sunday, May 19th.

Don't miss the fun!

FREE CHILREN’S CONCERT FROM THE FORT BEND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA “THE TEDDY BEARS’ PICNIC”

Saturday, April 6, 2019 - 2pm George Memorial Library, Richmond

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – Each spring, families across Fort Bend county enjoy FBSO’s free children’s concert.  This year’s performance is the family favorite, “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic”, on Saturday, April 6 at 2pm in the George Memorial Library in Richmond.

Children of all ages are invited to bring your favorite teddy bear to join in the fun.  Written in 1907, this music has delighted youngsters for well over 100 years.  Words were added to John Walter Bratton’s music by the Irish lyricist Jimmy Kennedy in 1932.  “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic” has been recorded by dozens of vocalists over the years, including Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Jerry Garcia, John Inman, Anne Murray, and Trout Fishing in America. 

There will be an instrument petting zoo in the lobby following the performance, to allow children to examine the orchestra’s instruments up close. 

FBSO’s children’s concerts are entertaining, with lots of audience participation.  It’s a wonderful way to spend an afternoon with the family, while fostering your children’s love of music.  No tickets are required for this free performance.

Etta Mae's Musicale:

A Moore Family Salon

2:00 p.m., Sunday, February 17, 2019

The Stafford Centre, 19505 Cash Road, Stafford

The Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra and the Fort Bend History Association are teaming up for a romantic February concert combining classical music, period re-enactors and antiques to create a unique, family-friendly winter afternoon.

Featuring wind and brass small ensemble groups and three opera singers, Etta Mae’s Musicale is an afternoon of classical Beethoven at his best. Fidelio is Beethoven’s only opera, premiering in 1805 under the original title Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love. Three vocalists will perform selections, including the trio, Gut, Sohnchen, Gut. Also on the program is Beethoven’s flowing Prometheus overture, written for his ballet, The Creatures of Prometheus. Rounding out the afternoon of Beethoven are selections from his famous Symphony No. 5, one of the best-loved and best-known pieces of classical music.

You do not want to miss this delightful afternoon celebrating music and the legacy of our home, Fort Bend County, Texas. Get your tickets now!

Kick off the Holiday Season with great traditional Christmas music and the annual FBSO Handcrafted Market on Sunday, December 2, at 2:00 p.m., at the Stafford Centre.

This year, in keeping with the season theme of Coming Home, the orchestra will present

Deck the Halls: Home for the Holidays

2:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 2, 2018

The Stafford Centre

10505 Cash Road

Stafford, TX 77477

The Katy Youth Symphony and the Katy Youth Choir will be joining the orchestra and Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra Chorus for a stupendous and festive holiday concert! As an added attraction this year, the younger ensemble of the Katy Youth Orchestra will be playing a pre-show concert on the stage, and the younger ensemble of the Katy Youth Choir will be singing in the lobby during intermission.

Also in the lobby...the annual FBSO Handcrafted Market, where you will find seasonal treasures, handmade by Fort Bend Orchestra and Chorus members. These special items make the perfect gifts for special friends and family members.

Deck the Halls with your Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra!

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL   October 8, 2p, Stafford Centre

FBSO’s 26th season, “With Liberty and Justice for All”, focuses on the richness of the American experience.  In the opening concert, “America the Beautiful”, you’ll hear works from American composers of many different backgrounds, including Jesse Ayer’s “Stirrin”, an inspiring new arrangement of spirituals for orchestra and chorus.  Favorites from Copland, Bernstein and Stravinsky are combined with new works such as Tan Dun’s “Internet Symphony” that was commissioned for Google.  The FBSO Chorus is an integral part of this entertaining performance that celebrates America, Americans and the rich diversity of our land. 

The Fort Bend arts community joins together to showcase Orff’s masterpiece in a fitting conclusion for FBSO’s 25th season. The orchestra will be joined by the FBSO Chorus, directed by Gregory McDaniel, concluding its inaugural year. Texas-based and world-renowned, the incomparable Fort Bend Boys Choir will be directed by William R. Adams. Also joining the FBSO Chorus will be the Austin HS choirs.

It’s an April Fool’s Day celebration as the annual children’s concert peeks into all corners of the orchestra, looking for the culprit in this high-spirited murder mystery. The concert features words by Lemony Snicket in this work by Nathaniel Stookey. Children of all ages are welcome to attend!

FBSO is proud to present a performance showcasing composers and artists from our great state of Texas. There will be two new orchestra commissions by young composers Alejandro Basulto, a student at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, and John Grimmett, an accomplished composer-lyricist from Pearland. Completing the “Texas, Our Texas” homage is FBSO’s performance of the award-winning “Push” by Rob Smith, from the Moores School of Music, and the director of the AURA Contemporary Ensemble. Both of the Houston Music Teacher Association concerto competition winners and FBSO’s Marielle Ogletree Young Artist Concerto Competition winner will perform during the program.

The Mayor of Stafford joins FBSO as the narrator for The Night Before Christmas, and R&B singer and producer Lee-Lonn, will sing his own arrangements of timeless Christmas tunes with the orchestra. And no holiday event would be complete without a visit from Santa Claus!

FBSO’s Halloween tradition is back! Put the family in costumes, grab your lawn chairs and trick-or-treat bags, and join FBSO for a howlingly good time. Musical selections range from spine-tingling movie themes to spooky cartoon silliness. The orchestra is in costume, and there are treats in store for all. This is a free concert, great for the little ones of all ages.

Join FBSO and pianist Tali Morgulis for Gershwin's masterpiece Rhapsody in Blue!

Join FBSO and the City of Stafford for a celebration of our country! Free with fireworks after the concert!

The season concludes with a rousing tribute to superheroes (and a modern look at Superman), with traditional film and television compositions.  FBSO will be joined by the second HMTA concerto competition winner.