Programs
Mission Statement
The Wheeling Symphony Society, Inc. serves the residents
of our communities by providing excellent orchestral
programs which entertain, educate and enhance the quality of life.
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Message From the Music Director
Welcome to the 2009-10 Season of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. This is certainly a momentous season for the WSO. We celebrate the re-opening of the Capitol Theatre and the 80th anniversary of the orchestra! I’m especially excited about the orchestra’s return to the Capitol. It represents a great moment in the musical life of our city, one in which all the people of the Ohio Valley can take pride. We’re looking forward to reconnecting with the people of Wheeling and beyond.
To celebrate our 80th Season, I had the idea to program works throughout 09-10 performed during the orchestra’s first season 1929-30. The Opening Night Masterworks program features the immensely talented Zuill Bailey, cello; the ever popular Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as orchestral staples by Beethoven and Stravinsky.
Later in the Season, we’ll celebrate the Centennial of the influential American composer Samuel Barber, with two of his most gripping works, “Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance” and the “Adagio for Strings.” Mozart is our featured composer this season and joining the orchestra for this program will be pianist Angela Cheng. A Mozart specialist, she makes her Wheeling debut playing the Piano Concerto No. 21, well known from its use in the film Elvira Madigan.
Other soloists appearing with the orchestra this Season include Benjamin Hochman, piano and our own WSO principals; Fran Duffy, harp; Rachel Stegeman, violin and Robert Driscoll Jr., oboe. It is a season in which there will be something for everyone!
Our Opening Night Pops is a musical homecoming featuring Grammy Award Winner, Tim O’Brien. The Letterman and a unique sports themed program entitled “Music of Champions” round out the Pops Series. As a special event, you don’t want to miss the presentation of a perennial Holiday favorite Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” which the orchestra will mount for the first time in many years in ballet form.
Join us for a memorable journey with music by Beethoven, Berlioz, Schubert, Ravel, Stravinsky and many more. It is a season of celebration, and I hope you’ll join us for music that enriches the soul.
Yours,
André Raphel Smith
Music Director, Wheeling Symphony Orchestra
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