Southwest Symphony announces new name and 2024-2025 Season!

It is with great eagerness and excitement that Encore Entertainment, Inc. announces its 2024-2025 concert series “Season of Favorites”. Formerly known as Southwest Symphony, Inc., Encore Entertainment will present 4 Cultural Arts concerts and three performances by the Southwest Symphony Orchestra. All 4 Cultural Arts concerts are returning favorites and music performed by the Southwest Symphony Orchestra will be from past favorite concerts.

The first performance is September 9, 2024, at 3:00pm featuring Artrageous. This troupe is comprised of multi-talented performance artists, world-class singers, and recording artists, highly trained dancers, audience motivators, and veteran musicians. They arrive from the high desert of northern New Mexico. Their energetic performance is a combination of ALL ARTS on ONE STAGE, combined with humor and audience interaction in a frenzy of movement and color.

On October 10, 2024, at 7:00pm the Southwest Symphony Orchestra will perform with Brass Transit in “Color My World”. This show brings together accomplished and award-winning musicians for the sole purpose of paying tribute to the decades-long, multi-platinum songbook of the band CHICAGO! Together with the orchestra it will be a performance that is beyond incredible.

Dallas String Quartet will perform on November 18, 2024, for a concert that is half pops, and half Christmas inspired. Start the holiday season off with a dazzling sound that is compared to artists like Lindsey Stirling, Vitamin String Quartet, Brooklyn Duo and 2Cellos. A fusion of classic traditional and electric strings, Dallas String Quartet will perform as a quartet with the full accompaniment of drums and guitar.

Southwest Symphony Orchestra will proudly present its Youth Series Concerts on January 27 and 28, 2025. The Youth Series brings in over 2,000 Lea County 3rdh and 4th graders over a two-day period for an educational/hands on experience with music and instruments. There will also be an evening concert for the public on January 27 at 7:00pm. Music for this Series will consist of favorite pieces from past Youth Series.

Valentine’s Day will be extra special this year with a concert by the Bria Skonberg Quintet on February 14, 2025, at 7:00pm. Bria Skonberg has become the shining hope of hot jazz, on the strength of a clarion trumpet style indebted to Louis Armstrong, a smooth purr of a singing voice inspired by Anita O'Day and the wholesome glow of youth. What a perfect date or a perfect group outing for that night!

The Southwest Symphony Orchestra wraps up its concert season with its “Musicians’ Choice” performance on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at 3:00pm. The musicians have spoken and will be playing their favorites from past years concerts for the audience to enjoy. A reception will be held after the concert for musicians and the audience to celebrate the season.

TaikoProject rounds out the “Season of Favorites” with their performance of Japanese drumming on April 6, 2025, at 3:00pm. TaikoProject was founded in 2000 in Los Angeles, California by a group of young, emerging Taiko drummers led by Bryan Yamami and Masato Baba. The group continues to define a modern American style of Taiko drumming, blending traditional forms with an innovative and fresh aesthetic.

All performances for the season will take place at R.N. Tydings Auditorium located in Hobbs, NM. Tickets for the 2024-2025 “Season of Favorites” may be purchased online at swsymphony.org. The best buy for your entertainment dollars is the Flex Pass for $100 each for all 7 concerts. These tickets are interchangeable and can be used for any concert. Door tickets may be purchased online or at the ticket booth for $25 each. Donation/Sponsorship information may be found on the website or by calling 575-738-1041. Encore Entertainment, Inc. is a non-profit 501c3 organization.