Great Woods Symphony Orchestra performs a concert of Classical Pops favorites, led by Professor Delvyn Case, Conductor.

The concert will be held on Thursday, July 24th, 2025 at 7pm in the President’s Garden. This is a relaxing, free, community event open to all.

Parking will be available in Lot 1, and we strongly encourage you to bring your own chairs or picnic blankets for seating in the garden. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be moved inside to Cole Memorial Chapel. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Pam Vaz at [email protected] by July 17th, 2025.

We will also be collecting non-perishable donations for the Cupboard of Kindness food pantry, and they have expressed a greater need for the following items: cereal, soup, pasta, jarred pasta sauce, juice boxes, rice, potato, and pasta mixes, canned pasta such as Chef Boyardee, and granola bars. If you are able to, your contribution is greatly appreciated!

Program

Great Woods Symphony Orchestra

About the Performers

Emma Bradshaw ’25 discovered the scope of her passion for songwriting in her freshman year. Her sophomore Fall, Emma spent a semester in Professor Case’s songwriting class, followed by an independent study with him that Spring. In addition to songwriting, she is also a versatile musical theatre performer who was recently seen at Wheaton in a starring role in Rent. Emma loves how versatile music can be, from an aid in working through difficult situations, to making others laugh. She is very grateful for the connections and memories that music has created in her life and looks forward to where it will bring her next.

Soprano George Lane ’26 is a rising senior at Wheaton College. Their hometown is East Montpelier, Vermont. They major in early childhood education and music, and study voice with Joanne Mouradjian. They are a recipient of a Chaminade Music Club scholarship (2024) and participate in the Wheaton College Chorale and Chamber Singers, most recently singing as a soloist in the group’s staged adaptation of Fauré’s Requiem. Last summer, they sang in the chorus of the Opera Company of Middlebury’s production of La fille du régiment. Following their graduation in the spring of 2026, George hopes to become an elementary school teacher and pass on their love of music to a new generation of learners.

During his time at Wheaton, Sean Perez ’25 played in many ensembles including the Orchestra, Wind Symphony, World Music Ensemble and took Flute and Piano Lessons. Additionally, he was the Co-President of the Flute Choir, President of both the Archery and Ping Pong Clubs, and a senior delegate on the Model United Nations Travel Team. As a Biochemistry Major and Music Performance Minor he was awarded the Howard A. Meneely prize for the highest GPA in the graduating class as well as the Elita-Pastra Landis prize in Biochemistry. Additionally, he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa and Tri Beta honors societies. After college, Sean plans to continue volunteering at the Emergency Department at Sturdy Memorial Hospital while working as an EMT before applying to medical school.

Professor of Music Delvyn Case P’22 conducts the Great Woods Symphony Orchestra and teaches courses in composition, popular music, and songwriting. He is a composer of concert, educational, and pops music, including the holiday overture Rocket Sleigh, which has been performed by the Boston Pops and more than 100 other orchestras across the US, Europe, UK, and Canada. His two “musical storybook” compositions, Lighthouse Keeper and Fire in the Big-Top!, have been performed for thousands of children in Maine, Massachusetts, New York City, California, and Australia. In 2022 he was named Distinguished Composer of the Year by the Music Teachers National Association.

He spent the first half of 2024 as a Visiting Fellow at Oxford, where he worked on projects exploring the intersections of music and theology.

Text and Lyrics

Deep River (traditional)

Deep river, my home is over Jordan.
Deep river, Lord, I want to cross over into campground.
Oh, don’t you want to go to that gospel feast?
That promised land, where all is peace?

Everything Sucks

Music and lyrics by Emma Bradshaw

I thought that every suitors’ aim,
was just to claim me, break me,
make me theirs to mold
But for the first time I have found
someone who’s reaching out his hand for me to hold
I wish you could see all of the haunting
Radiance I see in you
But you can’t see your reflection
So I guess my little song
Will have to do

[Chorus]
So sink your teeth in baby
Wherever you’re going take me
Oh what wonders the undead can do
Cause you have made my life anew
Oh the world is always crumbling
But that don’t mean I have nothing
Cause everything sucks baby
Including you
They say that you can read our minds
But I’m inclined to say
That simply can’t be true
Cause just one second spent in mine
You’ll find there’s no denying
I’m so in love with you

[Chorus]
Not even death can do us part
Cause you walked straight to my heart
And gladly I let you in
And I thank the stars that garlic things not true
Cause to give it up’d be so hard to do
But I’d do it for you

The Great Woods Symphony is a college-community orchestra that includes Wheaton students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the general public. Recent performances have included symphonies by Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, and Beethoven, Holst’s “The Planets” (with the Smith College Orchestra), and concerto performances featuring Grammy-winner Richard Stoltzmann, Boston Symphony violinist Victor Romanul, Canadian Brass trombonist Achilles Liarmakopoulos and many Wheaton students. Along with masterworks of the Western tradition, the GWSO has a deep commitment to performing a broadly multi-cultural repertoire. Past concerts have been dedicated to the music of Latin American and African-American composers, plus collaborations with multi-media artist DJ Spooky and hip-hop composer/violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain.

Wheaton welcomes back alumna Lauren Henderson, Class of 2009, to share the music that has been enchanting audiences across the world. “Through every lyric, she transmits connection and wonder; through every album, personal discovery…”. She’ll bring to us her multifaceted approach to music, as a bilingual songwriter, and a singer with familial roots across the Caribbean and Central America. “Washed with bright, bold harmonies and ruminative syncopation, her repertoire features tender ballads, swinging arrangements, flamenco dance patterns, Afro-Caribbean influences, and heartfelt storytelling”. Lauren’s passion for the music is clearly conveyed through her highly acclaimed performances.

Tickets: free for current students & employees, $10 alumni, $15 general admission. Available via the Watson Box Office.

Weber Theatre, Watson Fine Arts, 7:30 p.m.

Book, Music & Lyrics by Jonathan Larson, directed by Stephanie Burlington Daniels

The ensemble performs under the direction of Artistic Director Andrea Taylor-Blenis.

Tickets may be purchased via the Watson Box Office. $10 general, $5 with a Wheaton ID & seniors, $2 students.

Longer form plays—written, directed and performed by Wheaton students—will be showcased in our annual festival. This festival includes four performances over 2 days, different works will be featured at each seating. 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. daily.

This professional dance company based in DC, focuses on the polyrhythmic art of stepping. Steeped in African and African American tradition, step has deep roots in the emergence of HBCUs in the south. Complex percussive sequences demand energy, precision, and teamwork; the intricacies of the movements can be heard as well as seen. Step Afrika! is committed to performance and outreach, their visit to Wheaton will surely expand our understanding of collective movement—and have everyone on the edge of their seats.

Free tickets may be reserved online via the Watson Box Office.

Wheaton’s Dance Collaborative presents Dance Fest 2023, featuring hip hop, salsa, tap, k-pop, step, and multi-cultural dance traditions, performed by TRYBE, Paraíso Latino, Tap Out Loud, KAOS and special guests, S.O.L.E. This annual performance showcases the talent of our student-run dance group. 

Please note: This performance includes strobe effects

Tickets: $5 general, $3 students, can be purchased via the Watson Box Office.

Gifted student performers demonstrate mastery in voice, violin, cello, piano and other instruments.

Juanito Pascual and his band New Flamenco Trio (Jose Moreno, percussion and vocals; Elisabet Torras Aguilera, dancer; Brad Barett, bassist) present Flamenco Music and Dance, with deep reverence for the traditional form while adding Jazz and other international influences for a charismatic fusion.

Join us to kick off Family & Friends Weekend arts@wheaton style. Come get a taste of what the arts at Wheaton can offer, there will be live performances, food trucks, tie dye, galaxy glitter jars and more!