Message from Maestro Smith

Greetings Friends,

I cordially invite you to join the Wheeling Symphony for our 2007-08 season, which at its core is inspired by Russian music. There are so many great "Russian Jewels" in the orchestral repertoire, that my goal in programming was to weave important works by Russian composers throughout the season. It all starts with the Opening Night program featuring Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances and Mussorgsky's Night On Bald Mountain.

Perhaps you'd like to hear the All-Russian program in January 08, which features the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh. We'll explore Russian history and the nationalist musical language when we present Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky Cantata. This program also features music from Prokofiev's earliest film score Lt. Kije Suite, and Borodin's Polovtsian Dances.

We are especially honored this season to be joining The Philadelphia Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony as a commissioning partner for Jennifer Higdon's: Concerto 4-3. You won't want to miss our Masterworks 4 program, when we welcome back the stellar young group Time for Three to play Ms. Higdon's concerto. And what else, this program closes with Tchaikovsky:Symphony No. 4.

Great soloists await you this season at the Symphony as we welcome Christopher O'Riley, pianist and host of the radio show "From the Top" to play Beethoven's Emperor Concerto. Also returning will be Janice Chandler-Eteme, soprano in Mahler: Symphony No. 4, and Glenn Dicterow, violin for Korngold's stunning Violin Concerto.

Our Pops series features the group Monday Off for the opening pops program, and later in the season a local favorite "It's Wheeling Steel" Part II. Guest artists Five By Design once again join the orchestra for this memorable event. Of course, we'll also continue the great holiday tradition of presenting Symphony On Ice.

The orchestra and I are very excited to bring these programs to you! Join us for an extraordinary season of great music and incredible artists.

Kind Regards,

Andrè Raphel Smith