Nature. Beauty.
Saturday, February 8, 2025
In West Virginia, we treasure the fact that our physical landscape has provided so much and is so beautiful to behold. It is a point of pride that in 2020, New River Gorge became the country’s newest national park. This performance pays homage to the landscape of our state with Foggy Moon over the Gorge by West Virginia-based composer Matt Jackfert, a work inspired by the natural beauty found in New River Gorge. In addition, we welcome Utah Symphony Concertmaster Madeline Adkins to perform The Maze, a tribute to the Canyonlands National Park in Utah. We will end the performance with Tchaikovsky’s beloved Symphony no. 4.
Subscriptions for the 2024-2025 season are on sale now. For single tickets, click here. Contact the WSO box office at boxoffice@wheelingsymphony.com or 304-232-6191 to learn more.
Featuring
Madeline Adkins
Violinist Madeline Adkins joined the Utah Symphony as Concertmaster in September 2016. Prior to this appointment, she was a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO), performing as Associate Concertmaster from 2005-2016. She was also Concertmaster of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra from 2008-2016. Adkins performs on the "ex-Chardon" Guadagnini of 1782, graciously loaned by Gabrielle Israelievitch to perpetuate the legacy of her late husband, former Toronto Symphony concertmaster, Jacques Israelievitch (1948 - 2015). Madeline is a Concertmaster of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra and has served as Guest Concertmaster with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, and the São Paulo Symphony, among many others. Adkins has also been a guest artist at numerous festivals including the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa, the Sarasota Music Festival, Brevard, Jackson Hole Chamber Music, Sewanee Music Center, and Music in the Mountains, as well as a clinician at the National Orchestral Institute, the National Youth Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and the Haitian Orchestra Institute. In addition, she has served as the Music Director of the NOVA Chamber Music Series in Salt Lake City. A sought-after soloist, Adkins has appeared with orchestras in Europe, Asia, Africa, and 25 US states, including over 25 works as soloist with the BSO, and 11 concertos as soloist with the Utah Symphony. Her recording of the complete works for violin and piano by Felix Mendelssohn with pianist Luis Magalhães on the TwoPianists label was released to critical acclaim in late 2016. American Record Guide notes that Adkins and Magalhães are "ardent and spontaneous" and "their fierce coordination is breathtaking." Additional discography includes 13 albums with the Baltimore Symphony, where she was featured soloist on Brandenburg Concertos No. 2 + 4, and 7 albums thus far with the Utah Symphony, including Danse Macabre. In June 2021, Adkins premiered a new concerto for violin and orchestra that she commissioned from composer Nathan Lincoln de Cusatis entitled “The Maze” about the dramatic scenery and pictographs of the Maze section of Canyonlands National Park. Read more about The Maze here. A champion of early music, Adkins has been active in baroque performance on period instruments since the age of 11. She has been a member of the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Baroque, and Pro Musica Rara of Baltimore. With the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Adkins appeared as conductor and soloist in several baroque programs of her own design, as well as hosting concerts on the Casual Series. Since her arrival in Utah, she continues to lead conductor-less concerts with the Utah Symphony. The daughter of noted musicologists, Adkins is the youngest of eight children, six of whom are professional musicians. The siblings, who included titled players in the National, Dallas, and Houston symphonies, joined together to form the Adkins String Ensemble. She performed on viola and violin with this unique chamber ensemble for over 15 years, and the group has made numerous recordings, including Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht. Adkins received her Bachelor’s summa cum laude from the University of North Texas and her Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory where she studied with James Buswell. While a student, she won first prize in a number of competitions, including the Stulberg International String Competition, the ASTA National Solo Competition, and the New England Conservatory Concerto Competition and was a second prize winner in the Irving Klein International String Competition. Madeline serves as a Musician Director on the Board of the Grand Teton Music Festival and a member of the Advisory Board for the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. When not on stage, Madeline enjoys travel photography, reading, tap dancing, and exploring the West. She is also passionate about animal rescue and has fostered over 100 kittens! She currently volunteers for Ruffhaven Crisis Sheltering in Salt Lake City.
John Devlin, Conductor
Conductor John Gennaro Devlin, is an ardent champion of American music, an innovator of concert design, and a thought leader in the field of classical music. In his fifth season as Music Director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, Devlin is only the ninth conductor in its 90-year history to hold that title. He was recently named a recipient of the 2023 Georg Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award. Devlin’s artistry and versatility make him a frequent guest conductor with major orchestras across the nation. His engagements include performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and the American Repertory Ballet. Of his debut with the National Symphony Orchestra and violin soloist Joshua Bell, Anne Midgette of The Washington Post wrote that Devlin “led the evening with flair … and was visibly in his element.” A strong advocate for American music, Devlin has made it a programmatic focus and has premiered over 40 new American works. Committed to serving the wider arts community beyond the podium, Devlin is part of the six-member Conductor Constituency Leadership Team of the League of American Orchestras, advocating for conductors nationally. Previously, he served on the Conductors Guild’s Board of Directors and was a featured speaker at the organization’s annual conference, discussing the future of orchestras with the Executive Directors of the National and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras. He also delivered the keynote TED talk on “Innovation in Crowded Marketplaces” at a TEDx symposium. Devlin completed his master’s and doctoral degrees in orchestral conducting under the tutelage of James Ross at the University of Maryland. His undergraduate degree is from Emory University, where he graduated summa cum laude with a double major in Clarinet Performance and Latin.
