SYMPHONY SUNDAY CELEBRATES 35TH YEAR ON JUNE 4 WITH FREE CONCERTS, FIREWORKS

CHARLESTON, W.VA. (05/18/17) – The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (WVSO) will celebrate the 35th anniversary of Symphony Sunday on June 4 by featuring some of the community’s most beloved music, food, games and artisans during this free outdoor festival.

This family-friendly event includes a full day of entertainment beginning at 1 p.m. that includes performances by West Virginia musicians and dancers, a Japanese cultural presentation, Celtic jam session, a drum circle and a symphonic concert by the state’s premier orchestra at the University of Charleston. The day caps off with a grand finale performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and a fireworks display that illuminates the West Virginia State Capitol.

“It’s our way of giving back to the community and thanking them for their support,” said WVSO President Joe Tackett.

This year’s theme is “Be Our Guest.”

While the entertainment, children’s games and craft activities are free, vendors also will sell crafts and food, including Greek, Philippine and Indian cuisine, among others; For $2, children can enjoy unlimited time on Party King inflatables.

Symphony Sunday is presented by the West Virginia Symphony League, the WVSO’s volunteer fundraising and social arm. The league kicks off the 2017 Symphony Sunday weekend at 6 p.m. Friday, June 2, with a VIP Happy Hour that includes commemorative gifts and a French wine-tasting event led by Scotty Scarberry from The Wine Shop at Capitol Market.

A Pinnacle Party sponsored by Steptoe & Johnson follows at 7:30 p.m. This special fundraiser, themed “An Evening in Paris,” will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine on the 17th floor of the Chase building, 707 Virginia St. East.

Tickets for the Pinnacle Party are $50. For an additional $25 patrons are invited to the exclusive VIP Happy Hour.

A “Be Our Guest” reception from 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday gives patrons exclusive access to watch the performances from atop the university rotunda and patio of Riggleman Hall. Heavy hor d’oeuvres, craft beer and wine will be served. Tickets to the “Be Our Guest” reception are $50.

Tickets for both receptions and the VIP Happy Hour can be purchased by calling the WVSO at 304.957.9876, by emailing Amanda McDonald at amcdonald@wvsymphony.org or by visiting wvsymphony.org.

Symphony Sunday 2017 is made possible through support from the following friends: State of West Virginia, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, University of Charleston, Central West Virginia Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, Kanawha County Commission, City of Charleston, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, Charleston Area Medical Center, Members Choice West Virginia Federal Credit Union, West Virginia American Water Company, Fifth Third Bank, Mitch & Ann Evans, Kaminski Law Office, Kay Casto & Chaney PLLC, MacCorkle Lavender PLLC, The Wine Shop, and Ed & Carolyn Vallandingham.

The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is West Virginia’s premier performing arts organization, presenting classical, pops, family and chamber-music concerts annually throughout the Mountain State. Currently entering its 78th season, the WVSO is a proud member of the community and enriches the region by providing affordable, high-quality concerts, collaborations with West Virginia arts organizations and a nationally award-winning
education program.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

MAIN STAGE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

1-1:45 p.m. | Kanawha Valley Community Band
1:55-2:40 p.m. | Arts in Action dance troupes
2:50-3:35 p.m. | Brass Band of the Tri-State
3:45-4:30 p.m. | Kanawha Kordsmen
4:40-5:50 p.m. | WV Youth Symphony Groups
6-6:45 p.m. | Charleston Metro Band
6:50-7:30 p.m. | Kanawha Valley Pipes and Drums
8:00 p.m. | West Virginia Symphony Orchestra featuring grand finale fireworks

CHILDREN’S COSTUME LAWN PARADE (starts at 3 p.m. at the Main Stage)

ARTISAN TENT (1 – 8 p.m.)
Performers include a Drum Circle, Megumi Homma’s Japanese cultural presentation, Plant and Gnome Celtic jam session, Brass Quintet, and more.

BOOK NOOK (1 – 6 p.m.)

FOOD VENDORS (1 – 9:30 p.m.)
Billy Bob’s Funnel Cakes - Funnel cakes, fried Oreos, and fried pickles
Bridge Road Bistro
Carver Career Center
Ellen’s Homemade Ice Cream
Gino’s Pizza
MaryRose’s Spicy Bowl – Indian cuisine
Nona’s Wood Fired Pizza
Philippine cuisine
St. George’s Orthodox Church – Greek cuisine
West Virginia Symphony League: Popcorn, hot dogs, roasted corn

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COUNTRY ROADS

Grant Cooper, Conductor

Guest Vocalists Rachel Potter, Patrick Thomas and Alana Springsteen

CHARLESTON, W.VA. (5/5/17) – The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (WVSO) joins classic country on Saturday, May 13, at the Clay Center in a musical tribute to the greatest stars in country music.

Nashville performers Rachel Potter from The X Factor and Patrick Thomas of The Voice join guest vocalist Alana Springsteen and the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra in playing such classics as Achy Breaky Heart, Crazy, Ring of Fire and The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Maestro Grant Cooper is conducting.

Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased at wvsymphony.org or by calling the Clay Center Box Office at 304.561.3570. $15 “Tweet Seats” are also available in the second balcony where the audience is encouraged to share their concert experience with the WVSO via social media.

This concert is brought to you in part by ZMM Architects & Engineers, Huntington Bank, A.C.&S and members of the Contractors Association of West Virginia, BBL Carlton, Brewer & Company of West Virginia, LOC Investment Advisers, Pickering Associates and Triton Construction.

The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is West Virginia’s premier performing arts organization, presenting classical, pops, and chamber-music concerts annually throughout the Mountain State. Currently in its 78th season, the WVSO is a proud member of the community and enriches the region by providing affordable, high-quality concerts, collaborations with West Virginia arts organizations and a nationally award-winning education program.

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WV SYMPHONY PRESENTS 'HANDPICKED' 2017-18 SEASON: A SEASON OF FIRSTS

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (04/08/17) –The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s (WVSO) 2017-2018 season will take audiences on a fantastic musical journey into outer space, into an elegant church for a Baroque concert and through the prehistoric wilds of Jurassic Park.
Some of West Virginia’s best musical talent also will share the stage with the symphony during the upcoming season, including The Bob Thompson Unit, Lewisburg pianist Barbara Nissman and Qiet, a Charleston band that describes its sound as “the musical culmination of this wild and wondrous world, infused with every culture on the planet and refined in the mountains of West Virginia.”

“This season is going to be incredible,” said WVSO President Joe Tackett. “Not only are we excited about bringing a new conductor on board, but we will be performing some amazing music featuring a variety of renowned instrumentalists. Our extremely talented musicians also played a huge role in selecting this year’s music so it’s going to be an extra special treat for everyone.”

The new season is titled “Hand Picked | Season of Firsts” because it will be the first season in 16 years the symphony will be led by a new maestro. That person also will have a hand in selecting some of the pieces to be played later in the season. Five of six finalists vying to replace retiring Maestro Grant Cooper have completed week-long interviews in Charleston. The final candidate is scheduled to be in Charleston the first week in May, and the WVSO expects to have a new music director on board before the 2017-2018 season begins.

The WVSO’s Capitol Conference Center Symphonic Series kicks off Sept. 23 at the Clay Center in Charleston with the works of American composers Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin and Aaron Copland and will feature Alexandre Moutouzkine on piano. The WVSO will repeat the concert on Sept. 24 at Blennerhassett School in Parkerburg.

Next up, an Oct. 21, Cooper will serve as guest conductor for the “Go for Baroque” concert, which is being held at First Presbyterian Church in Charleston to take advantage of its magnificent organs. Works by Handel and Giovanni Gabrieli will be performed as authentically as they were written using the church’s balcony for call and response. Also part of that concert, guest violinist Charles Morey will join the orchestra in performing Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. The WVSO will take this concert on the road for an Oct. 23 concert at Colebank Hall in Fairmont.

In collaboration with the West Virginia Symphony Chorus and choirs from Fairmont State University, Marshall University, West Virginia State University and West Virginia University, the symphony will perform Verdi’s majestic Requiem on Nov. 10 at the WVU Creative Arts Center in Morgantown and on Nov. 11 at the Clay Center in Charleston.

Astral Artist and cellist Christine Lamprea will be a guest artist on March 3, 2018, at the Clay Center for “A Night of ‘Great’ Music” featuring Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, “The Great,” and again on March 4, 2018, at Blennerhassett School in Parkersburg.

The April 13 “Northern Lights” concert at the WVU Creative Arts Center and April 14 “Northern Lights” concert at the Clay Center will feature Erik Ralske on French horn playing Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 2. Ralske is principal horn of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City.

Lewisburg Pianist Barbara Nissman will be the guest artist for the May 5, 2018, concert at the Clay Center and a May 6, 2018, concert at Blennerhassett School. Those two nights the WVSO also will perform Gustav Holst’s The Planets, Op. 32, which features dynamic music with large-screen visuals of the planets provided by NASA.

The ZMM Architects and Engineers Pops Series kicks off Dec. 1 with a traditional favorite, Home for the Holidays,at Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg, followed on Dec. 2 at the Clay Center in Charleston, Dec. 3 at Blennerhassett School in Parkerburg and Dec. 4 at the WVU Creative Arts Center in Morgantown.

The WVSO will perform iconic Star Wars music as part of “The Music of John Williams: May the Force Be With You” concert set for Feb. 17 in Charleston, Feb. 18 in Parkersburg and Feb. 19 in Fairmont.

On March 17, the orchestra will perform the score to Jurassic Park live as the classic film appears on the big screen at the Clay Center.

The WVSO will close its Pops Series on May 19 at the Clay Center by sharing the stage with The Bob Thompson Unit, Qiet and The Company Stores, all of West Virginia. The Bob Thompson Unit features West Virginia Music Hall of Famer Bob Thompson of Mountain Stage fame on piano, Doug Payne on saxophone, Ryan Kennedy on guitar, John Inghram on bass, and Tim Courts on drums. Qiet features the musical talents of Steve Barker, James Maddox, Christopher Vincent, Max Venoy and Jared Layman. The Company Stores is a Charleston band featuring vocalist Casey Litz that blends elements of many genres of southern music, including Appalachian folk, Delta blues, rock, jam band, and hip hop layered in modern styles and rhythms.

Two special event concerts include the WVSO’s annual collaboration with the Charleston Ballet on the holiday classic, The Nutcracker on Dec. 8 and 9 at the Clay Center. New this year, the WVSO will join with the West Virginia Symphony Chorus to present Handel’s Messiah on Dec. 17 at Christ Church United Methodist, Charleston.

Season tickets for the Capitol Conference Center Symphonic Series start at $112. Season tickets for the ZMM Architects and Engineers Pops Series start at $96. The starting price for the Grand Subscription Series, which includes the Symphonic Series and the Pops Series, is $195. Sales to current season ticket holders begin April 8 and for new subscribers on July 1. Single ticket sales will begin in August.

The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is West Virginia’s premier performing arts organization, presenting classical, pops, and chamber-music concerts annually throughout the Mountain State. Currently in its 78th season, the WVSO is a proud member of the community and enriches the region by providing affordable, high-quality concerts, collaborations with West Virginia arts organizations and a nationally award-winning education program.

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Alexandre moutouzkine, piano

             ALL-AMERICAN OPENING NIGHT
                 Bernstein: Candide Overture
                 Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F                                           with Alexandre Moutouzkine, piano
                 Copland: Symphony No. 3

Sept. 23, 2017 @ 7:30 p.m., Clay Center, Charleston
Sept. 24, 2017 @ 3 p.m., Blennerhassett School, Parkersburg

charles morey, violin

              GO FOR BAROQUE
      Gabrieli: Sonata Pian'e Forte
      Handel: The Cuckoo and the Nightingale
      Gabrieli: Canzon in Double Echo
       Vivaldi: The Four Seasons                                                    with Charles Morey, violin

        Grant Cooper, conducting

Oct. 21, 2017 @ 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.,                             First Presbyterian Church, Charleston
Oct. 23, 2017 @ 7:30 p.m.,                                 Colebank Hall, Fairmont

VERDI’S REQUIEM
With the West Virginia Symphony Chorus and choirs from Fairmont State University,
Marshall University, West Virginia State University and West Virginia University

Nov. 10, 2017 @ 7:30 p.m., WVU Creative Arts Center, Morgantown
Nov. 11, 2017 @ 7:30 p.m., Clay Center, Charleston

christine lamprea, cello

               A NIGHT OF “GREAT” MUSIC
Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture
Haydn: Concerto in D Major                                                                  with Christine Lamprea, cello and Astral Artist
Schubert: Symphony No. 9, “The Great”

March 3, 2018 @ 7:30 p.m.,                                                         Clay Center, Charleston
March 4, 2018 @ 3 p.m.,                                           Blennerhassett School, Parkersburg

erik ralske, french horn

         NORTHERN LIGHTS
Brahms: Academic Festival Overture
Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 2                                    with Erik Ralske, French horn
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5

April 13, 2018 @ 7:30 p.m.,                                                       WVU Creative Arts Center, Morgantown
April 14, 2018 @ 7:30 p.m.,                                                         Clay Center, Charleston

barbara nissman, piano

     OUT OF THIS WORLD
Theodore Wiprud: Sinfonietta
Liszt: Totentanz                                                                     with Barbara Nissman, piano
Gustav Holst: The Planets

May 5, 2018 @ 7:30 p.m.,                                             Clay Center, Charleston
May 6, 2018 @ 3 p.m.,                               Blennerhassett School, Parkersburg

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Dec. 1, 2017 @ 7:30 p.m., Carnegie Hall, Lewisburg
Dec. 2, 2017 @ 7:30 p.m., Clay Center, Charleston
Dec. 3, 2017 @ 3 p.m., Blennerhassett School, Parkersburg
Dec. 4, 2017 @ 7:30 p.m., WVU Creative Arts Center, Morgantown

JOHN WILLIAMS: MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

Feb. 17, 2018 @ 7:30 p.m., Clay Center, Charleston
Feb. 18, 2018 @ 3 p.m., Blennerhassett School, Parkersburg
Feb. 19, 2017 @ 7:30 p.m., Colebank Hall, Fairmont

JURASSIC PARK: MOVIE WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA

March 17, 2018 @ 1p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Clay Center, Charleston

bob thompson unit

      LISTEN WHERE YOU LIVE                                     

Featuring The Bob Thompson Unit, Qiet and The Company Stores

May 19, 2018 @ 7:30 p.m., Clay Center, Charleston

 

 

SPECIAL EVENTS

THE NUTCRACKER     

Dec. 8 @ 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 9 @ 2 p.m. at the Clay Center, Charleston

HANDEL’S MESSIAH    

Dec. 17, 2017 @ 7:30 p.m. at Christ Church United Methodist, Charleston