Encore sets ’26-27 concert lineup
Andy Brosig/News-Sun
Another season of musical entertainment is just around the corner as Encore Entertainment and the Southwest Symphony Orchestra announce the lineup for the 2026-27 symphony season.
The entertainment kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, in the Western Heritage Museum Theater, 1 Thunderbird Circle, in Hobbs. Featured musicians are the Yu & I Duo, YeEun Gemma Kim and Ines Thome, past winners of the prestigious Beverly Hills National Auditions.
Kim, originally from Korea, and Thome, from Germany, met when they became housemates in Los Angeles while attending the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. They quickly learned they had a shared love of both chamber music and Korean cuisine.
Over the years, their artistic partnership has flourished, captivating audiences across the United States with their magnetic stage presence and consummate musicality. Each stands as accomplished soloists, boasting a collection of accolades in their respective instruments that has carried them to stages around the world. Their repertoire spans the ages, from evocative renditions of early music performed on period instruments to innovative arrangements of popular music executed with the highest level of artistry.
An opening reception will follow the performance.
The series continues at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at Watson Hall on the New Mexico Junior College campus in Hobbs with “American Tune: Simon, Croce & Taylor.” Take a trip back to the 1970s with the music of Paul Simon, Jim Croce and James Taylor. “American Tune” showcases the popular, well-loved music of three master craftsmen framed with stories about the artists themselves.
Celebrate Dia de los Muertos at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, at R.N. Tydings Auditorium at Hobbs High School with the Southwest Symphony’s “Spooky Symphony.” The afternoon will feature a program of haunting melodies, with face painting for all and treats for the kids.
Start off the new year with the Symphony’s annual Youth Series Concert, “The Remarkable Farkle McBride,” an orchestration of the award-winning book of the same name by actor and author John Lithgow.
The Youth Series features two concerts: a daytime performance for 4th- and 5th-graders from around Lea County, which includes and introduction to the instruments and players in the orchestra, followed by an evening public concert, set for 6:30 p.m. at R.N. Tydings Auditorium at HHS.
Then return to Tydings Auditorium, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, to warm up for Valentine’s Day and a trip south of the border with a performance by the critically-acclaimed Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea, the multi-Grammy winning, all-female ensemble. With a career spanning more than a quarter century Mariachi Divas is known for its sophisticated, smooth, refined musical style.
Founded in 1999 by musical director and trumpet player Cindy Shea, the ensemble continues to expand the scope of mariachi music, delighting audiences around the world.
The season wraps up with the Southwest Symphony’s annual Spring Concert, 3 p.m. Sunday, April 4, at Tydings. While details are still being ironed out, the concert promises a mix of classic and popular music, with a reception to follow.
Season tickets are available for $100 via the link at www.swsymphony.org/calendar-1. Individual concert tickets are $25 and are available at the same link or at the door. Tickets are also available at Q Systems Music and Sound, 423 W. Broadway St., and Music World, 200 W. Bender Blvd., both in Hobbs.
For more information, visit swsymphony.org.
