New Year concert of the Worthing Symphony Orchestra, with conductor John Gibbons, of Strauss waltzes, polkas and overtures.
The Worthing Symphony Orchestra are back at the Assembly Hall on Sunday 3 January 2027, with a Viennese New Year Celebration that takes the afternoon back to the golden age of Vienna. It's a programme built around the music of Strauss and his contemporaries, with waltzes, polkas and overtures played in the elegance and exuberance of the Viennese style. The whole thing runs for 135 minutes, so it's a proper afternoon of music rather than a quick stop.
The orchestra itself has a long history in the town. It started as a nine-piece ensemble on Worthing Pier back in 1874, became a full-time municipal orchestra in 1926, and moved into the Assembly Hall in 1935. Over the years it's shared the stage with world-class soloists like Nicola Benedetti, Jess Gillam, Johan Dalene and Julian Lloyd Webber, and conductor John Gibbons opens each performance. This particular concert leans into the Strauss tradition, with the waltzes and polkas that defined the sound of old Vienna.
The venue is worth a mention too. The Assembly Hall is an Art Deco room that opened in 1933 and seats just under 1,000, with superb acoustics, a sprung dance floor, a Steinway piano and one of Europe's largest Wurlitzers. It's hosted BBC Radio 2 concerts and Pierre Boulez's BBC Symphony Orchestra debut, so it's a room that knows its way around a big orchestral sound.
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It starts at 2:45pm on Sunday 3 January, with advance member booking from £18.75 plus a £1.75 transaction fee. Under 26s get in for £7.75, which includes the transaction fee, and there's a season ticket available if you're planning on catching more of their work throughout the year.
