Some music asks to be heard. This music demands to be felt. 

On Thursday, January 22 , the Waco Symphony welcomes Aristo Sham, Gold Medalist and “Audience Favorite” of the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, to the stage at Waco Hall. 

Aristo joins Maestro Lawrence Loh for Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, a work charged with urgency, power, and vulnerability. It’s music that wrestles and soars, revealing the depth of an artist willing to take risks and tell the truth through sound. 

The evening honors music’s ability to transcend borders with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique.” Written at the end of the composer’s life, it is raw, intimate, and unforgettable. 

The program opens with Starburst by American Composer Jessie Montgomery, a vivid burst of color and motion that sets the tone for a night of contrast, emotion, and connection. 

Arrive early for Opening Notes, a free pre-concert talk with Maestro Loh, from 6:40 p.m.–7:10 p.m. in Recital Hall II.