The old wedding rhyme has four lines: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. East Stroudsburg University's music faculty has been working through it one concert at a time, and the fall 2026 schedule names two of those lines. The Symphonic Winds play "Something New" on Sunday, November 15. The University Jazz Ensemble plays "Something Blue" on Friday, December 4. Both are free and open to the public in the Fine and Performing Arts Center at Normal and Marguerite streets, according to the fall concert announcement ESU Insider published on October 19.
The series began last semester with a Symphonic Winds program called "Something Borrowed." So when the two remaining fall chapters are done, three of the rhyme's four lines will have had a concert. Nobody has announced "Something Old" yet.
The fall season runs as a serial, and anyone who lives a few minutes from campus can follow its two chapters without paying for a ticket.
"Something Borrowed" Set the Rule
ESU's description of the fall concerts makes the connection directly. It calls "Something New" a continuation of the Bridal Concert Series that started with "Something Borrowed" last semester. It describes "Something Blue" the same way, as the next step after the two Symphonic Winds programs.
The fall programs show what each title means in practice. "Something New" isn't a vague theme. It's a program of music written in the 21st century. "Something Blue" isn't a nod to a color. It's a concert built on the blues. Each line of the rhyme turns into a rule for choosing the music, and the rules get specific.
November 15: What "New" Means to the Symphonic Winds
The Symphonic Winds concert starts at 3:30 p.m. on a Sunday, the only afternoon start on the fall schedule. The program is all 21st-century work. The announcement names Alex Shapiro and Eric Whitacre, and it lists two regional premieres: Ming Li Goldston's Chinese Folk Song Medley, from 2022, and Raymond J. Horvat's Wind, from 2016.
A regional premiere means the piece hasn't been performed in this area before. Two of them on one free Sunday afternoon in Cohen Recital Hall is the clearest sign this series is more than a student requirement. The ensemble picked the "new" theme and then found music the area hasn't heard.
December 4: "Something Blue," Taken Literally
The University Jazz Ensemble finishes the fall part of the series on Friday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m. ESU describes the program as the blues "in its iterations throughout the 20th and 21st centuries."
"Borrowed" and "New" both went to the Symphonic Winds. For "Blue," the series moves to the jazz players, and the theme turns into a musical form. A series that started with a concert band ends its fall run with a history of the blues.
The Rest of the Fall Calendar
The bridal concerts sit inside a longer fall schedule, and the concerts between them follow their own logic. Two have already happened by early November: a live improvised score for the 1931 Frankenstein on October 30 and the Percussion Ensemble's "Small Talks" on November 3. Here is what's still ahead.
| Date | Time | Ensemble | Program | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, November 10 | 7:30 p.m. | Students and community participants | Solo and Ensemble Concert | Free |
| Sunday, November 15 | 3:30 p.m. | Symphonic Winds | "Something New" | Free |
| Friday, November 20 | 7:30 p.m. | ESU Chorus | "Lerner & Loewe" | Free |
| Friday, December 4 | 7:30 p.m. | University Jazz Ensemble | "Something Blue" | Free |
| Sunday, December 6 | 7 p.m. | Symphonic Winds and University Jazz Ensemble | President's Holiday Concert | Ticketed |
The November 10 concert is the one most tied to the town. ESU calls it the second annual solo and ensemble concert, and the performers include community participants as well as students. Two years in, it's still a new tradition, and one where neighbors can be on the stage, not just in the seats.
On November 20, the ESU Chorus sings the music of Lerner and Loewe along with other songs from what the announcement calls the Golden Age of American Musical Theater. It falls between the two bridal chapters, so a household that goes to the November 15 and December 4 concerts can add a third free night in the same stretch.
December 6: The One Night That Needs a Ticket
The President's Holiday Concert on Sunday, December 6, at 7 p.m. is the only event on the fall list that isn't free. It brings together the two ensembles behind the bridal series, the Symphonic Winds and the University Jazz Ensemble, for a holiday program. Tickets went on sale Sunday, November 1, through ESU's theatre ticket page.
The announcement doesn't list a price for this concert. For questions about any of the fall performances, ESU gives [email protected] and the Fine and Performing Arts main office at 570-422-3695.
Looking at the season as a whole, the December 6 show is where the bridal-series ensembles finish the semester together. Two days after "Something Blue," the same jazz players are back on stage, this time with the Symphonic Winds. Both concerts fit on one weekend calendar.
Parking on Campus for an Evening Concert
All of the fall concerts are in the evening or on weekends, and ESU's visitor parking rules are looser during those hours. According to ESU's visitor parking page, visitors can park in any student lot without displaying a permit from 3:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday. The same applies all weekend, from 3:30 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Monday. All other parking rules and signs still apply.
The same page also has a broader rule:
"All motor vehicles parking on campus must be registered with University Police, located at Hemlock Suites on 161 Smith Street. This includes visitors to campus, contractors and vendors."
ESU says visitor registration is currently free and that visitors who park without registering may be ticketed. The page states both rules, the open evening lots and the registration requirement. Before a concert, check the visitor parking page or call University Police so the night doesn't end with a ticket on the windshield.
The concert announcement doesn't list seating or reservation rules for the free shows. The Fine and Performing Arts office number above is the place to ask.
Planning Around the Rhyme
If you only go to two concerts this fall, the series structure makes the choice for you. "Something New" on November 15 at 3:30 p.m. and "Something Blue" on December 4 at 7:30 p.m. are the two chapters of the Bridal Concert Series on this semester's calendar, and both are free.
For one free Sunday afternoon, November 15 is the date, with two regional premieres in the program. For a weeknight, November 10 has community performers on stage, and the November 20 chorus show fills the Friday between the two bridal chapters. For a holiday outing with tickets bought ahead, December 6 brings the bridal-series ensembles back together, with tickets on sale since November 1.
The fourth line of the rhyme, "Something Old," hasn't appeared on any announced schedule.
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