The Warren Philharmonic Orchestra will commence its 2024-2025 season on Sunday, November 24th, at 4:00 pm at the First Lutheran Church, 109 West Third Avenue, Warren.

Bryan Eckenrode, the orchestra’s musical director and conductor, will conduct the musicians in a concert titled “Ringing in the Holidays.”

“We are looking forward to this performance because it is all holiday-themed,” said Philharmonic President Brenda Schnick

The orchestra will feature special guests the Joyful Sounds Handbell Choir. Thirteen handbell ringers will perform in addition to the fifty-piece orchestra for two numbers, “How Great Our Joy” and “Comfort, Comfort Ye, My People.”

The Joyful Sounds Handbell Choir began forty years ago at the First Lutheran Church and is directed by Denise Pearson. The handbell choir features 13 ringers ringing five octaves of handbells for over 60 bells.

Some bell choir members have thirty-nine years of experience, and others are new to ringing. The group rehearses weekly and performs at the First Lutheran Church monthly.

The orchestra will perform a variety of holiday favorites, including “We Three Kings,” “Little Bolero Boy,” “Holiday for Strings,” “The Christmas Song,” “White Christmas,” and “Carol of the Bells.” This diverse selection is sure to get you in the holiday spirit.

The final selection, “A Christmas Festival,” will feature the orchestra and a carol sing-a-long with the audience.

Schnick said, “Having the bell choir accompaniment and sing-along portions are new to the handbell choir and the orchestra.”

Tickets for this performance will be available at the door the day of the concert, starting at 3:15 pm. Ticket prices are $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for students and seniors, and children 11 and under are free.

The performance will also be available live on YouTube for those unable to attend in person. Please tune into our Warren Philharmonic YouTube channel to view the performance, or click the link on the Warren Philharmonic of Warren PA Facebook page to access the performance.

“We are also very excited about our other performances of the season,” said Schnick.

The Warren Philharmonic concert on March 16th, 2025, will feature Melinda Crawford Perttu, a former U.S. Champion Scottish fiddler, and the May 11th, Mother’s Day concert will feature soloist Hunter Peterson playing organ and singing with the orchestra.

The Warren Philharmonic Orchestra is made possible through the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts Program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency. It is funded by the citizens of Pennsylvania through an annual legislative appropriation and administered locally by the Arts Council of Erie, Inc. The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The orchestra, a nonprofit 501c(3) organization, is additionally funded through private and corporate sponsorships, including the Barbara Baldwin Defrees Foundation, Community Foundation of Warren County, Conarro Family Foundation, and Betts Foundation.

“We urge our audience to mark their calendars and join us for this upcoming holiday experience. It is not to be missed,” said Schnick.