Gridiron Symphony - orchestra playing on stage, athletes and mascots in foreground

We're thrilled to announce a spectacular musical event you won't want to miss! On Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m., the East Texas Symphony Orchestra will perform with members of our talented high school bands for the first-ever "Gridiron Symphony:  A Tribute to High School Football in East Texas" at the UT Tyler Cowan Center.

Written by Dr. Kyle Gullings, Associate Professor of Music Theory and Composition at UT Tyler, the work celebrates the traditions surrounding the East Texas passion for high school football. The concert will also feature other sports-themed works, including Olympic-inspired pieces by John Williams, Vangelis’s popular theme from “Chariots of Fire,” and P.D.Q. Bach’s transformation of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 into a sporting event. 

Tickets are available through the Cowan Center box office by phone at (903) 566-7424 or online. The box office is also open for in-person ticketing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

WORLD PREMIERE

Richard Lee, conductor
Williams:  Olympic Fanfare and Theme*
Vangelis:  Chariots of Fire*
Waldteufel:  Skaters Waltz *
arr. Roszell: Rocky Broadway*
von Tilzer/Rosenhaus: Take Me Out to the Ballgame*
Williams: Wide Receiver (NBC football theme)*
“Third Down Medley”* 
Ives:  Yale-Princeton Football Game *
Gullings: Gridiron Symphony (World Premiere)*

*First ETSO performance