staff list

The Wheeling Symphony Society, Inc. was established in 1929 by Mrs. Eleanor D. Caldwell and a group of local musicians as the foundation upon which a Wheeling Symphony Orchestra was born.

As the Wheeling Symphony enters its 78^th season, it continues to operate on the premise of its founders who were ". . .prompted by a love of music and because we believe a larger musical organization could undertake more comprehensive programs for the entertainment of more people."

Mrs. Caldwell, an accomplished musician herself, and local string musicians would gather at her Woodsdale home to perform together. It was this small group of musicians who formed the nucleus that became the Wheeling Symphony.

Over the past seven decades, the symphony has gained national prominence under eight music directors. In 2004, the WSO and Music Director André Raphel Smith performed at the National Performing Arts Convention, as part of the American Symphony Orchestra League's National Conference in Pittsburgh.

During the 2005-06 season, the orchestra presented the World Premiere of Grammy-winning American composer Richard Danielpour's "Triptych" from Margaret Garner. "Triptych" for mezzo-soprano and orchestra features a text written by Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison.

During the 2004-05 season, Maestro Smith led the orchestra in a World Premiere work by Mr. Danielpour in honor of the 50th anniversary of the founding of Wheeling Jesuit University.

Guest soloists with the orchestra have included major artists of our time: Yehudi Menuhin, Arthur Rubenstein, Roberta Peters, Marian Anderson, Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Stolzman, Andre Watts, and the late Jean-Pierre Rampal, to name a few.

Today, the orchestra performs five Masterworks and two Pops concerts at the historic Capitol Music Hall in Wheeling during its regular subscription season. The spectacular holiday concert, Symphony on Ice, will be performed for the tenth consecutive year at WesBanco Arena.

Annually, two free concerts draw thousands of tri-state area residents for music and fireworks. A July Fourth celebration is held at Wheeling's Heritage Port Amphitheater while a Labor Day weekend performance is given at the Anne Kuchinka Amphitheater in Oglebay Park. The orchestra also performs throughout the year in Weirton, Morgantown, Elkins, Clarksburg, and Canaan Valley. In the past, WSO performances have been presented in other venues in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Education outreach is another important aspect of the WSO's mission. A series of Young People's Concerts are presented locally to thousands of students from schools throughout the tri-state area and on tour to communities throughout West Virginia. The Wheeling Symphony's musicians and guest artists often visit area schools to provide master classes and informances.

The WSO's Artist-in-Residence provides music instruction to students at an inner-city school, and offers a music program at an after-school facility. Area school students from two partner-in-education schools provide ensembles, choral groups, and artwork as pre-concert entertainment throughout the concert season. For the 2005-06 school year, the Artist-in-Residence program was sponsored by the Robinson Parlin Trust, administered by WesBanco Trust and Investment Services, and by the Orrick, Herrington, Sutcliffe Foundation.

The Wheeling Symphony Youth Orchestra reaches out to accomplished area young musicians who perform two public concerts annually. The students also attend master classes and informances by symphony musicians and international guest artists of the WSO. The WSYO is tuition-free due to the generous support of The Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust and corporate and individual donors.

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