The West Texas Symphony will open its 64th season on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center with an exciting concert celebrating the music of Sergei Prokofiev and featuring two distinguished guest musicians. The program, titled “Prokofiev!”, will be led by Gary Lewis, Music Director and Conductor of the West Texas Symphony.
 
The evening will showcase the bold, dynamic sounds of Prokofiev alongside the contemporary work of composer and saxophone soloist Ennis Harris performing his work From the Wind, That Which Augurs. Harris is a Los Angeles-based composer and arranger whose work bridges musical cultures and forms through the lens of storytelling. His music moves fluidly across genre and cultural traditions, and has been performed by leading artists and ensembles across the U.S. and abroad. He is the recipient of multiple awards for his compositions, and holds a B.A. in Global Jazz Studies from UCLA and M.M. and D.M.A. degrees from USC.
 
Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, features the virtuosic artistry of acclaimed pianist Clayton Stephenson who appears by arrangement with The Cliburn Agency. A rising star in the classical music world, Stephenson brings his exceptional musicianship and dynamic performance style to Prokofiev’s celebrated piano concerto. Stephenson’s love for music is immediately apparent in his joyous charisma onstage, expressive power, and natural ease at the instrument. He started piano lessons at age 7, and the next year was accepted into The Julliard School’s Music Advancement Program. He credits the generous support of community programs with providing him musical inspiration and resources along the way. Recent and upcoming highlights include concertos with the Houston, North Carolina, and Cincinnati Symphonies; festival appearances at Grand Teton, Grant Park, and Tippet Rise; recitals at Washington Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center, Foundation Louis Vuitton, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall; gala performances with the New York and Las Vegas Philharmonics; and more. He graduated from the Harvard-New England Conservatory (NEC) dual degree program in spring 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in economics at Harvard and a master’s degree in piano performance at NEC. In addition to being the first Black finalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, he received an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2024, won the inaugural Nina Simone Piano Competition in 2023, and is a 2025 Sphinx Medal of Excellence honoree.
 
The evening concludes with Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, one of the composer’s most powerful and enduring orchestral works. Written during World War II, the Fifth Symphony combines dramatic intensity, lyrical beauty, and rhythmic vitality in a work that remains a cornerstone of the orchestral repertoire.
 
Don’t miss this night of incredible symphonic music! Tickets may be purchased at WTXS.ORG or by calling 800-514-3849. For a limited time, patrons can subscribe to the Grand Series, which includes all 7 mainstage concerts, and SAVE 50% off the cost of purchasing each concert individually! It’s the absolute best deal of the season!

Patrons are also invited to experience Symphony SoundBites, a pre-concert dinner held at 6:00pm before the performance in the Rea-Greathouse Recital Hall at the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $30 and patrons will enjoy this catered event, dining with friends as Maestro Gary Lewis provides an insider’s view of the evening’s program. Seating is limited. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Wagner Noël Box Office at 432-552-4437. Deadline to purchase SoundBites tickets is Friday, August 21^st at 5:00pm.

PROKOFIEV! is generously sponsored by Linda Stephens, Sharon & John Webb, Saulsbury, Cliffy & BJ Beal, Karmen & Billy Bryant, Sharon & Bobby Floyd, Kay Bird, Julie Edwards, Ann & Ken Hankins, Jr., Kris & Cheri Howard Vickie Hurt, Ann Parish and Betty Ann Prentice, Odessa American. For more information on West Texas Symphony events, please visit WTXS.ORG.