Maestro André Raphel and the Wheeling Symphony announce the orchestra’s 2012-2013 Season which will soar with memorable works, extraordinary soloists, pieces by today’s leading classical composers, and the timeless towering music of rock legends and the King of Pop.

“The 12-13 Season focuses on works that speak to the soul, music that resonates with visceral excitement,” said Maestro Raphel. “From Respighi’s exhilarating Pines of Rome to Shostakovich’s gripping Symphony No. 10, the concerts offer works by 20th Century originals combined with leading composers of our time.”

Raphel continued, “Extraordinary soloists return such as Orli Shaham and Stewart Goodyear playing works by Gershwin and Tchaikovsky, respectively. Martin Chalifour, concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, makes his debut, as well as Ilana Davidson, singing Mozart. It’s a distinctive season of repertoire and artists.”

The WSO’s 83rd season, titled “Come As You Are, Leave Differently,” consists of four Masterworks performances and three Pops concerts to be performed at the Capitol Theatre along with the traditional free Fourth of July concert at Heritage Port and Music Under the Stars concert at Oglebay Park.

WSO Executive Director Bruce Wheeler explained the connection between music and emotion as reflected in the season theme. “The magic of an orchestral performance does not only happen on stage with the musicians, but allows the audience to experience that magic to elevate their emotions as reflected in our season title ‘Come as you Are, Leave Differently’,” Wheeler said.

Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning composer Jennifer Higdon will be featured during the 2012-2013 Season. Higdon will be in Wheeling for a Composer Residency in March, and her music will be played throughout the season.

Another highlight will be the celebration of the Sesquicentennial of West Virginia statehood. To mark this historic milestone, the Wheeling Symphony is commissioning composer Kenneth Fuchs to write a fanfare for orchestra. As part of the June 20, 2013 commemoration, Fuchs’ work also will be arranged for band.

In addition to the classical repertoire, the new season will rock and pop with the music of the iconic band, The Eagles; the beat and the ballad of music of Sting and The Police, and the record-shattering genius of the music of Michael Jackson.

The season includes:

Friday, Sept.28, 2012 
Music of The Eagles
André Raphel, conductor
Michael Shotton, lead vocals

Your Wheeling Symphony Orchestra soars on wings of The Eagles. Vocalist Michael Shotton, whose incredible vocal range wowed the WSO audience with the music of Led Zeppelin in 2010-2011, returns to Take It to the Limit performing The Eagles’ top hits with orchestra! Desperado. Hotel California. Take It Easy. One of These Nights and much more!

Sponsored by WesBanco

Friday, October 19, 2012 
Ravel, Franck, and Orli Shaham playing Gershwin
André Raphel, conductor
Orli Shaham, piano

Ravel: Alborada del Gracioso
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F – Orli Shaham, piano
Franck: Symphony in d minor    

A consummate musician recognized for her grace, subtlety and vitality, Orli Shaham performs this jazz concerto that was featured in the movie classic An American in Paris. Hailed by critics on four continents, Ms. Shaham is in demand for her prodigious skills and admired for her interpretations of both standard and modern repertoire.
           
Sponsored by McKinley & Associates

Thursday, November 15, 2012
Brass Fanfares, Folk Music and Martin Chalifour performing Bruch
André Raphel, conductor
Martin Chalifour, violin

Higdon: Tenfold
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5
Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 – Martin Chalifour, violin
Bartok: The Miraculous Mandarin Suite

Martin Chalifour, Principal Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, performs the lyrical beauty of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 – a true showpiece for the master violinist! This concert begins with the rousing Tenfold by Higdon and ends with the fiery Bartok!

Sponsored by Elizabeth Stifel Kline Foundation

Thursday, February 14, 2013
The Music of Sting and the Police
Valentine’s Day
Neil Donell, lead vocals

A Valentine’s Day date with the music of Sting and the Police! Every Breath You Take. Fields of Gold. Roxanne. These are just a few of the many hits made popular by these British sensations. This concert features Neil Donell on lead vocals. Often referred to as “the most recorded voice” in Canada, Donell has lent his extraordinary vocal range to the albums of many other artists, including Anne Murray, Triumph, and Rush to name a few.

Friday, March 8, 2013
Rossini, Higdon, Respighi and Ilana Davidson singing Mozart
André Raphel, conductor
Ilana Davidson, soprano

Rossini: Il Signor Bruschino
Higdon: Concerto for Orchestra
Mozart: Exsultate, jubilate KV 165 – Ilana Davidson, soprano
Respighi: Pini di Roma

The orchestra celebrates the 50th anniversary of Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s birth, with her dynamic Concerto for Orchestra. American soprano Ilana Davidson brings a crystalline soprano, assured musicality and interpretive insight to Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate. The Pines of Rome features off-stage brass and a large orchestra as a finale to this concert.

Sponsored by Dick and Rosalie Dlesk & Family
Higdon Residency Sponsor: Judge & Mrs. Frederick Stamp, Jr.

Friday, April 26, 2013
The Music of Michael Jackson
André Raphel, conductor
Gavin Hope, lead vocals

The music of the King of Pops from the earliest Jackson 5 to his mega-selling solo years! Billie Jean. Thriller. Bad. Man in the Mirror. This concert features vocals by Gavin Hope who has shared the stage with Shania Twain, Natalie Cole, James Brown and Aretha Franklin.

Friday, May 17, 2013
All-Russian Program with Stewart Goodyear performing Tchaikovsky
André Raphel, conductor
Stewart Goodyear, piano

Mussorgsky /Rimsky-Korsakov: Prelude to Khovantchina
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 – Stewart Goodyear, piano
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10

A grand finale of large Russian works! Known for his elegant and exquisite technique, Stewart Goodyear gives his virtuosic performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Composed in the wake of Stalin’s death, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 concludes the season with dramatic intensity.

Sponsored by Paul T. Tucker

FREE SUMMER CONCERTS

Red, White & Blue
André Raphel, conductor
July 4, 2012
Heritage Port Amphitheatre, Wheeling WV

Music Under the Stars
André Raphel, conductor
September 2, 2012
Anne Kuchinka Amphitheatre
Oglebay Park,
Wheeling, WV

Sponsored by Progressive Bank and Reisbeck Food Markets

The WSO also will present its annual Young People’s Concerts during the 2012-2013 Season, whereby thousands of area students experience their own memorable trip to the symphony.

Wheeling Symphony concerts are presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.

For more information on the WSO’s 2012-2013 Season or to subscribe, visit www.wheelingsymphony.com or call 1.304.232.6191.