DANVILLE — The Danville Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is celebrating the stage in their opening concert of the 2026-2027 season at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3 at Danville High’s Dick Van Dyke Auditorium.
Maestro Matthew Sheppard will lead the DSO in “All The World’s A Stage,” featuring classical works spanning from opera to musical theater to ballet.
“We are so excited to open the season with this concert — a concert that celebrates the incredible and varied artforms and artists that grace our stages! Are you a musical theater junkie? Come for Sweeney Todd! Love the guitar? Don’t miss the Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra. Ballet, or opera? We have that, too!” says Sheppard.
“All the World’s A Stage” will feature guest guitarist Guido Sanchez-Portuguez who is the Clinical Assistant Professor of Guitar and Theory at the University of Illinois and has performed in many festivals around the world, including the Mid America Guitar Ensemble Festival, Boardwalk International Arts Festival, and Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Costa Rica. He will be performing Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, a piece evoking the beautiful palaces, fountains, and gardens of Spain. Other pieces on the program include Giuseppe Verdi’s overture to the opera Nabucco, a concert suite from Stephen Sondheim’s Tony-award winning Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Manuel de Falla’s El Sombrero de Tres Picos (The Three-Cornered Hat) ballet suites.
Before the concert, Sheppard and Sanchez-Portuguez will lead a conversation at 2 p.m. in the Dick Van Dyke Auditorium. Patrons with a purchased ticket are invited to attend.
Tickets to the concert are selling fast. Tickets on the main floor and balcony are $35 and $45, while students can buy a ticket for $10.
Tickets may be purchased online at danvillesymphony.org. or by calling 217-443-5300.
Tickets are also available at the DSO office at 715 West Fairchild Street, Danville. Hours 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.