The Hershey Symphony Orchestra has announced its 55th season.

Under the baton of new music director Greg Woodbridge, the orchestra will kick off the season on Saturday, Sept. 23, with some of Woodbridge's favorite pieces. "A Little of This, A Little of That..." will include music by Beethoven, Glinka, Mahler, Falla, and Rachmaninov. The orchestra will be joined by guest artists Gwendolyn Bowers, mezzo-soprano, and Eric Fung, piano. Woodbridge, who serves as the first Maestra Dr. Sandra Dackow Endowed Chair, will hold a special talkback with audience members immediately following the concert.

Singer LaKisha Jones of Broadway and "American Idol" fame will lead the vocals for "Queens of Rock and Soul" on Friday, Oct. 27. The music will celebrate ladies of soul such as Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston. Jones is a frequent soloist with symphony orchestras around the world.

The Hershey Symphony Orchestra will present its annual "Holiday Spectacular" at 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2. The performances will feature choirs from local high schools.

The orchestra will present "The Music of Billy Joel, starring Michael Cavanaugh" on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, at 8 p.m. Cavanaugh, who played Joel in the Broadway show "Movin' Out," and his band will bring the music of Joel to life, backed by the full Hershey Symphony Orchestra.

The symphony will present a concert titled "Glorious" on Saturday, March 23. The orchestra will be joined by local choirs to present Poulenc's "Gloria." This piece will be paired with Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition," a piano suite transformed into an orchestral work by Maurice Ravel.

On Friday, April 26, the symphony will present its final performance of the season, "Treasured and Timeless." The concert will include a musical tour of Eastern Europe with the Enesco's "Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1" and Prokofiev's Suite 2 from "Romeo and Juliet."

Due to renovations scheduled at the Hershey Community Building, which houses the Hershey Theatre, the symphony will perform its Feb. 17 and March 23 concerts in the newly renovated Founders Hall on the campus of Milton Hershey School. The members of the symphony also will serve as artists in residence at Milton Hershey School, helping to enrich educational and cultural experiences for students. The symphony will continue occasional performances at Founders Hall when the Hershey Theatre is not available in 2024 and 2025 due to renovations.

Season tickets are on sale now, and individual tickets will go on sale Tuesday, Aug. 1. To learn more about the concerts and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.HersheySymphony.org.