Panama City Symphony

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United States
Panama City, FL
Panama City Symphony

PURPOSE
To share the joy and power of symphonic music, enriching lives through performance, education, and community connection.

http://PanamaCitySymphony.org

850-785-7677

06/18/2026

AUDITIONS

Panama City Symphony announces auditions for the 2026/27 season. We have openings for the following positions:

Principal Cello
Principal Oboe
Horn 3 & 4
Section Violin
Section Cello
Section Bass

Apply here by July 24, 2026

06/17/2026

RESERVE YOUR GUARANTEED SEATS FOR PANAMA CITY SYMPHONY'S 31ST SEASON!

Panama City Symphony invites you to secure your preferred, guaranteed seats for our "Core Five" subscription concerts today! Experience a symphonic musical journey with Horizons: A Season of Discovery, as we expand our reach across three venues:

Barbara W. Nelson Fine Arts Center (Bay High) – Our season opener in a venue with 700 seats and a modern design.

St. Andrew Baptist Church – A beautifully renovated, acoustically outstanding venue with 753 comfortable seats, including balcony seating.

Helen Blackburn Auditorium (Arnold High) – Our largest space with 1,000 seats and excellent acoustics. We are heading west for two concerts to better serve our PCB, Margaritaville, and 30A neighbors!

Reserving seats for these five concerts provides you with unforgettable evenings of music—from Dvořák’s New World Symphony to our Grand Finale, where a chorus of powerful adult voices will join the orchestra to sing Beethoven’s monumental Ode to Joy in its original German! This year, you will also play a vital role in our community by helping us choose our next Music Director along the way.

Lock in your Season Subscription by JULY 1ST to guarantee your seats for this historic season of superb music.

SUBSCRIBER PERKS INCLUDE:
-Guaranteed reserved seating across our beautiful venues.
-Exclusive invitation to our VIP Soiree.
-Behind-the-scenes "Moments with the Maestro" previews where you can meet our finalists for our new Music Director and Conductor.

SEASON 26-27 CHERISHED HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
Kick off the holiday season at the FREE Beach Home for the Holidays concert at Aaron Bessant Park (Nov 28th), featuring our orchestra and Panama City Ballet!

Then, join us for our holiday spectacular, A Grand Symphony Christmas (Dec 5th), featuring the combined power of our orchestra alongside Adult and Children’s Choruses! Please note: While this special December 5th event is not included in the season subscription, individual tickets will be going on sale soon—stay tuned!

RESERVE YOUR SEATS TODAY
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/pc-symphony-season-subscription-tickets--2627

06/16/2026

WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
2026 Emerging Artists Competition and Encore Showcase

The Panama City Symphony (PCS) 2026 Emerging Artists Competition and Encore Showcase, took place at Gulf Coast State College Amelia Center this past weekend. It was a beautiful blend of talent, heart and soul. A biennial event, the next competition will take place in 2028.

This year, PCS welcomed three high school students and eight college students, representing eight prestigious college-level music schools. Among the finalists were seven violinists, one cellist, two saxophonists, and one pianist. Judges evaluated the young musicians using three key rating metrics: technical precision, musicality, and overall stage presence. Their performances were deeply moving, emotionally powerful, and inspiring. Winners received cash awards. The College and High School Grand Prize Winners will also return to perform pieces composed for them to perform with PCS.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS:

Grand Prize College Division: Joshua Thai, violin, $3,500
Grand Prize High School Division: Mana Takahashi, violin, $1,000

Second Place College Division: Carter Doolittle, saxophone, $2000
Third Place College Division: Yeji Hwaang, violin, $1000
Audience Choice Award: Vladimir Tsiper, violin, $200

PCS thanks Season Grand Marquis Sponsor: The St. Joe Community Foundation; Emerging Artists Sponsors: The Isaac W. Byrd Family Foundation and the Mack and Eleanor Lewis Family Foundation; our Media Team: Mike Fender, Fender Photography and video producer Greg Cruser, Downtown Renaissance Panama City; Host: Dr. Jennifer McAtee and the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Gulf Coast State College.

THANK YOU to PCS Music Education Chair, Mary Middlemas, who organized this event with incredible diligence, meticulous, attention to detail, profound kindness, and a genuine, radiating enthusiasm for music education. Thank you to adjudicators: John Divine (PCS Principal Clarinet), Erika Sciascia (PCS Concertmaster), and Dr. Ben Sung (Violin Professor at FSU); Piano Accompanists: Steven DiBlasi, Galen Dean Peiskee, Ani Mouradian, and Irina Elkina; Jordan Hale, PCS Orchestra Manager; Karen Roganov, PCS Hospitality Chair ; Friends of the Symphony: Ken Rogers, Tim Hermes; Board members Kathy Collins, Ray East, Dani Streichert, David Mashburn, and Marta-Rose Thorpe.

PCS also thanks our patrons who have loyally supported the Symphony for 30 years. It is your passion and dedication that will lead us directly into our landmark 31st year and guide PCS into its exciting next chapter!

06/12/2026

It’s time… Panama City Symphony’s Emerging Artists Competition begins today!

The Emerging Artist Competition is a biennial event, now in its second cycle. This rising music star competition continues a tradition of excellence established by 2024 winners Victor Shlyakhtenko (piano) and Didi Stone (violin), both of whom performed as featured soloists with the Symphony during the 2024/25 season. Didi Stone will be the featured artist at Bella Notte, the Symphony’s annual black-tie fundraiser, on February 3, 2027.

Panama City Symphony wishes to give a big THANK YOU to our Emerging Artists co-host, Gulf Coast State College, and to our sponsors, Byrd Family Foundation and Mack and Eleanor Lewis Foundation.

Please join us on Saturday evening at the Emerging Artists Encore Showcase beginning at 7 p.m. at Gulf Coast State College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit PanamaCitySymphony.org.

.shlyakhtenko

06/11/2026

Panama City Symphony Spotlights Young Musicians at Emerging Artists Competition

The excitement is rising as we approach this weekend’s Emerging Artists Competition, hosted by Panama City Symphony. Taking place at Gulf Coast State College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center, The competition begins this Friday. Then on Saturday, the public is invited to view finalists at the Emerging Artists Encore Showcase beginning at 7 p.m.; this event is free and open to the public.

This year, our competition celebrates the talent of eleven young, highly talented artists from across the country in the categories of violin, cello, piano, and saxophone. Judges will choose one winner in the College Division and one in the High School Division.

We hope you will join us on Saturday evening at the Emerging Artists Encore Showcase beginning at 7 p.m. at Gulf Coast State College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit PanamaCitySymphony.org.

Thank you Barry Lowen and WJHG for sharing this event with the region! https://www.wjhg.com/2026/06/11/panama-city-symphony-spotlights-young-musicians-emerging-artists-competition/

06/09/2026

MEET KANON TAKAHASHI

Competing in Panama City Symphony’s Emerging Artist High School Division on Violin, Kanon Takahashi, 15, is a student at Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School in Tampa, FL. “I first started playing the violin when I was four years old,” she shares. “At the beginning, I did not study with a private teacher and mainly explored the instrument on my own after being inspired by my older sister. As my passion for music grew, I began formal private lessons and became deeply involved in concerts, competitions, and various musical opportunities that helped shape me both as a musician and as a person.”

What Kanon loves most about the violin is its ability to communicate emotion and tell stories beyond words. “Performing allows me to connect with audiences in a very meaningful way, while also constantly pushing me to grow creatively, technically, and personally,” she says. “Music has taught me discipline, perseverance, and confidence, and it continues to be one of the most important parts of my life.”

Kanon hopes to continue music after school, and after graduation, plans to continue studying and performing music. She also plans to pursue medical school (her dream career is to become a doctor) and she hopes to combine both her passion for music and her interest in medicine throughout her future.

Kanon will perform Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, 1st Movement for the judges panel during the competition.

Join us Saturday, June 13, 2026 for the Emerging Artists Encore Showcase. Following a series of short performances by our finalists, the public will select the Audience Favorite. The evening will culminate in the presentation of our Grand Prizes: $3,500 for the College Division winner and $1,000 for the High School Division winner.

Time: 7:00 pm

Location: Gulf Coast State College Music, Amelia Center, Panama City, Florida

Free concert. Donations Welcome.

Co-Hosts: Gulf Coast State College Music Panama City Symphony

06/08/2026

MEET ISABELA DIAZ

Competing in Panama City Symphony’s Emerging Artist College Division on violin, Isabela Diaz, 21, attends The Juilliard School in New York City. “I first started taking private lessons at the age of six and absolutely loved it!” Isabela shares. “Playing the violin became a beloved hobby of mine very early on, since music surrounded my life in all aspects. What I love about the violin is its presence. I truly can’t reflect and express myself/my inner voice in any other instrument as well as I do with the violin.”

Isabela is currently completing her third year as an undergraduate at the Juilliard School, and hopes to continue her professional career as a performing violinist and chamber musician. “Keeping music in my life will always be my priority!”

Isabela will perform Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op 46 for the judges panel during the competition.

Join us Saturday, June 13, 2026 for the Emerging Artists Encore Showcase. Following a series of short performances by our finalists, the public will select the Audience Favorite. The evening will culminate in the presentation of our Grand Prizes: $3,500 for the College Division winner and $1,000 for the High School Division winner.

Time: 7:00 pm

Location: Gulf Coast State College Music, Amelia Center, Panama City, Florida

Free concert. Donations Welcome.

Co-Hosts: Gulf Coast State College Music

06/04/2026

MEET TRISTAN WATZLAWIK-ROEMER

Competing in the Panama City Symphony Emerging Artist High School Division on Cello, Tristan Watzlawik-Roemer, 14, is a student at LaVilla School of the Arts in Jacksonville, FL. “I started playing the cello when I was around 9 ½,” he shares. “From the moment I was allowed by my private teacher to bow the strings, something deeply resonated in me, and I decided from that magical moment that I want to pursue a career as a professional soloist and chamber musician.”

After six months of playing, he was accepted into the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra where he played principal cello in the Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also a member of the Florida All State Orchestra, and with his ensemble recently won national recognition at the National Orchestra Festival. “I formed a chamber trio with my friends called Trio Maristila,” he says. “My teachers provided me with the outstanding opportunity to learn, in a few sessions, from the legendary David Finckel - the artistic co-chair of the Lincoln Center and Chamber Music Society. I plan to pursue a conservatory nationally or internationally, hopefully as a pre-college student.”

Tristan will perform the Elgar Cello Concerto in E Minor, 4th Movement for the judges panel during the competition.

Join us Saturday, June 13, 2026 for the Emerging Artists Encore Showcase. Following a series of short performances by our finalists, the public will select the Audience Favorite. The evening will culminate in the presentation of our Grand Prizes: $3,500 for the College Division winner and $1,000 for the High School Division winner.

Time: 7:00 pm

Location: Gulf Coast State College Music, Amelia Center, Panama City, Florida

Free concert. Donations Welcome.

Co-Hosts: Gulf Coast State College Music Panama City Symphony

Address

Panama City, FL
32401

Telephone

+18507857677

Website

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/pc-symphony-season-subscription-tickets--2627, https://panamacitysymphony.org/sche

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