Before the conductor raises the baton and before the first note is played, many Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra patrons begin their concert experience by opening their program book.
Inside, they’ll find more than a list of musical works. They’ll discover the stories behind the music they are about to hear. For every WFSO subscription concert, our program notes are carefully researched and written by Todd Giles, whose passion for classical music helps audiences discover new perspectives on the works they’ll hear from the stage.
Program notes are much more than concert summaries. They provide historical context, introduce the composers, explain the inspiration behind each piece, and point listeners toward musical moments they may want to listen for during the performance. Whether you’re attending your very first symphony concert or you’ve been coming for decades, a well-written set of program notes can enrich your experience and deepen your appreciation of the music.
Creating these notes is both an art and a scholarly endeavor.
Each concert program begins with extensive research. A program notes writer studies the composers’ lives, the historical period in which the music was written, the circumstances surrounding each work’s creation, and the musical ideas that make each piece unique. That research is then distilled into engaging, accessible writing that invites readers into the music without requiring a background in music theory.
Rather than telling audiences what to think about a piece, program notes provide a doorway into the music, offering insights that can make a familiar masterpiece feel fresh or help first-time listeners discover something they might otherwise have missed.
At the WFSO, we believe music education extends beyond the classroom and into every concert experience. Our program notes are one way we help audiences connect more deeply with the music, whether they’re reading before the concert, during intermission, or exploring a program afterward.
If you’d like to prepare before attending a performance—or revisit a favorite concert—you can browse our growing collection of program notes on our website. There you’ll find notes for upcoming subscription concerts as well as an archive from previous seasons.
Explore our Program Notes Archive
We’re grateful to Todd for the care, curiosity, and expertise he brings to every concert, helping make each performance an even richer experience for our community.
About Todd Giles
Todd Giles has been volunteering for the WFSO since he served on our board of directors from 2015–2018 and has written and recorded our concert program notes since 2017, which patrons can read both at the concert and on our website. Todd hosts the weekly classical program Browsing Through the Shelves on KCCU-FM each Monday afternoon from 1:00 to 2:00. He dedicates the programming each Monday preceding the WFSO’S subscription concerts to highlighting the music and composers that concertgoers can hear live that coming weekend. When he is not sharing his love of classical music with his fellow Texomans, Todd also writes essays and records podcasts in support of the Wichita Falls Museum of Art (“The Vault Unlocked“) and Moffett Library’s Special Collections (“Editions & Impressions“). Todd has likewise been sharing his love of literature and writing with MSU Texas students since 2012, where he is a professor of English.
