Wichita Symphony Orchestra goes patriotic for Botanica outdoor concert
What started as a way to get an audience outside of the Century II concert hall during the pandemic has become a signature event for Wichita Symphony Orchestra and Botanica.
“Symphony in the Gardens” returns Friday, with a patriotic-themed performance tied to the country’s 250th anniversary, Tim Storhoff said.
“We’re leaning into American music for the full orchestra concert at the end, so I’m really excited about that,” the WSO executive director said. “We’ve got a couple of (Aaron) Copland tunes, a medley of Rodgers & Hammerstein, and we close out with Sousa’s ‘Stars and Stripes Forever,’ instead of the usual ‘1812 Overture.’”
Instead of his voluminous movie score accomplishments, composer John Williams will be represented by “Liberty Fanfare,” created in 1986 for the centennial of the Statue of Liberty.
The non-domestic offering will be Beethoven’s “Storm Movement” from his sixth symphony, “to keep the actual storms away,” Storhoff said.
The night concludes with fireworks.
Admission includes Botanica’s newest exhibit, “Origami in the Gardens,” with metallic sculptures designed to look like giant versions of the Japanese art of paper folding.
As in previous years, small ensembles will be stationed throughout Botanica, leading up to the full-WSO concert.
“Sort of wherever you go, there’ll be a combination of, sort of, food and drink stations with an ensemble playing there, so people will have the chance to wander through and discover music and some really delicious bites,” Storhoff said of the food, provided by Blue Moon Caterers.
“They’ve got a new pastry chef, and they’re really outdoing themselves this year, and they’re wanting to just step it up even further, too,” he added.
Storhoff said the symphony performers enjoy the change of pace that the concert brings.
“I think it’s really important about getting us out of our usual venue. Not just the venue itself, but being outside of the traditional concert hall setting,” he said. “It allows people to hear our musicians, both in these smaller ensembles and configurations, playing different music that they may not be used to hearing from them, a little bit more up close and interact with them in some different ways.
“Having a full orchestra concert outside, you know, there aren’t as many opportunities for that now, even now that, you know, Symphony in the Flint Hills is gone,” Storhoff added about the Chase County event which concluded in 2025 after 20 years. “I guess we might be one of the only big, outdoor full orchestra experiences that you can get in the state of Kansas.”
SYMPHONY IN THE GARDENS
When: 6 p.m. Friday, May 15
Where: Botanica gardens
Tickets: $135 for general admission (including admission, heavy hors d’oeuvres and chairs for the finale concert), $185 for VIP (addition of open bar, VIP parking and access and premium seating), from botanica.org or wichitasymphony.org