Sherman Symphony Orchestra Launches 60th Season

Sherman, Texas, October 14, 2025

News Summary

The Sherman Symphony Orchestra will open its 60th season with a concert featuring Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, conducted by Daniel Dominick at Kidd-Key Auditorium. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public, with tickets priced at $20 for adults, while students and children can attend for free. The program will include notable pieces by Mendelssohn and Wagner, showcasing an evening of rich orchestral color and emotional depth, alongside student outreach initiatives to encourage music education.

Sherman — The Sherman Symphony Orchestra (SSO) will launch its 60th season with a concert on Saturday, October 18, 2025. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be held at Kidd-Key Auditorium, located at 400 Elm Street, Sherman, Texas. Daniel Dominick, Music Department Chair at Austin College, will conduct the orchestra; he has been SSO’s conductor since 1992. The concert is open to the public, with ticket prices set at $20 for adults; students and children can attend for free.

Program and concert highlights

The program will feature Brahms’ Symphony No. 4, known for its depth of emotion and inventive musical texture. The concert will also include an overture titled Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage by Mendelssohn, which is described as an early-romantic tone poem reflecting a voyage’s hopes and feelings. Additionally, the Pilgrim’s chorus from Wagner’s Tannhäuser overture will be performed. The combination of large-scale symphonic work and evocative overtures is intended to mark the orchestra’s milestone season with a mix of emotional breadth and orchestral color.

Logistics and access

The venue, Kidd-Key Auditorium at 400 Elm Street, Sherman, Texas, will host the concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are priced at $20 for adults. Students and children may attend at no charge. The event is open to the public.

Education and community outreach

The Sherman Symphony Orchestra recently hosted its 23rd annual children’s education concert at Kidd-Key Auditorium. Over 2,000 students from the Texoma area are invited to experience live music through this concert, many for the first time. The education director, Leslie Whelan, highlighted the different energy of the performance, which makes it unique and exciting. Fifth graders are specifically invited to the children’s concert as it precedes many students’ opportunities to start learning an instrument. The orchestra uses its resources and musicians to demonstrate individual instruments and families. Support for the concert comes from the Texas Commission on the Arts and Texoma Physicians Group, allowing it to be offered free of charge. The concert series has reached tens of thousands of students since its inception in 2002, thanks to community generosity.

Institutional context: Austin College and the conductor

Austin College, located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, is a private national liberal arts college with a history dating back to 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas under its original name and charter. The college has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students and over 100 faculty members, resulting in an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. More than 50 percent of Austin College’s students identify as persons of color, promoting diversity and individuality within the community. The college is related to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious background.

Season context and upcoming performances

The October concert will mark the opening of the SSO’s 60th season under the longtime leadership of Daniel Dominick, who has conducted the orchestra since 1992. Upcoming concerts for the SSO include the Christmas Pops concerts scheduled for December 7 and 8.

Why this matters

The 60th season opening brings together a veteran conductor, a program that ranges from Romantic overtures to a late-Romantic symphony, and community-focused education efforts that reach thousands of regional students. The mix of ticketed public performance and free educational outreach reflects the orchestra’s dual role as both a cultural presenter for general audiences and an active participant in local music education.

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Additional Resources

• Herald Democrat: Sherman Symphony Orchestra to Perform Fall Concert
• KXII: Sherman Shadowcats Host Sherman Symphony Orchestra
• KXII: Sherman Symphony Orchestra Hosts 23rd Annual Children’s Education Concert
• KTEN: Live Interview with Sherman Symphony Orchestra
• Baltimore Sun: BSO $5 Million Gift to OrchKids
• Wikipedia: Symphony Orchestra
• Google Search: Symphony Orchestra
• Google Scholar: Symphony Orchestra
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Symphony Orchestra
• Google News: Symphony Orchestra

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