News Release: Neon Strings on August 28, 2026

NEWS RELEASE
Wichita Symphony Orchestra
July 9, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wichita Symphony Announces Neon Strings
Immersive Concert Pairs 1980s New Wave with the Music of Philip Glass

Wichita, KS –  The Wichita Symphony is proud to announce Neon Strings: Philip Glass and the 1980s New Wave, an immersive WSO Connect concert taking place Friday, August 28 at 7:30 PM at Odd Fellow Hall, 930 W Douglas Ave. Performed inside a custom-designed light installation by artist Mason Talbott, the concert brings Wichita Symphony musicians into one of the city’s distinctive gathering spaces for a vivid, 55-minute performance experience that blends classical minimalism, 1980s pop culture, and music-reactive light.

The program centers on Philip Glass’s String Quartet No. 3, “Mishima,” a hypnotic and cinematic work by one of America’s most influential minimalist composers. Glass’s repeating patterns and shifting textures flow into string arrangements of songs by The Cure, Tears for Fears, Talking Heads, Gary Numan, Billy Idol, Madonna, and Kate Bush, creating a bridge between minimalist classical music and New Wave, a bright, restless style that rose to popularity in the early 1980s by fusing punk rock’s edge with pop hooks and synthesizer-driven sounds.

“With WSO Connect, we want to create performances that feel surprising and deeply connected to Wichita’s creative community,” said Tim Storhoff, Executive Director of the Wichita Symphony. “Neon Strings is exactly the kind of experience this series was designed for: an adventurous collaboration that pairs extraordinary Wichita Symphony musicians with local creative partners and invites audiences to encounter orchestral music in an imaginative and colorful new setting.”

WSO Connect is the Wichita Symphony’s series of intimate, innovative performances created through partnerships with local artists, venues, and organizations. The series brings audiences closer to the music through chamber-scale concerts, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and performance experiences in new and unexpected spaces throughout the community.

Following the concert, attendees are invited to stay at Odd Fellow Hall to explore the light installation, order food and a themed cocktail, and mingle with the artists while a playlist of 1980s hits continues the evening.

The performance features Wichita Symphony musicians Tim Jones, violin; Hannah Cartwright, violin; Ricardo Cavalcante, viola; and Quinn Lake, cello, with Mason Talbott as the light installation artist.

General admission tickets are $25, with limited premium and VIP seating options also available. WSO season ticket holders and those who register for the mailing list can secure early access to the best seats in the house before tickets open to the general public on Tuesday, July 14 at 10:00 AM. Tickets may be purchased at wichitasymphony.org or through the Symphony box office at (316) 267-7658.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Contact: Timothy Storhoff, Executive Director
Phone: (316) 267-5259, ext. 106
Email: tstorhoff@wso.org

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