West Liberty University is pleased to sponsor the spring concert of the Wheeling Symphony Youth Orchestra, which also will be the premiere performance of the newly created Wheeling Symphony Junior Orchestra.
The concert will take place at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 23 at Vance Memorial Church, 905 National Road, Wheeling. Free and open to the public, a reception will follow.
“The Wheeling Symphony Youth Orchestra’s annual spring concert will have a new sound thanks to the addition of more musicians as our Junior Orchestra joins the act,” said Youth Orchestra Manager Michelle Stack, who is also a member of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and plays the viola. Her full-time job is with West Liberty where she is the director of the college union and campus life.
“We are so grateful to West Liberty and all of our sponsors for supporting our new orchestra and our spring concert and we invite the community to enjoy the show,” Stack said.
The Junior Orchestra is performing two pieces, one patriotic arrangement, and an arrangement of Ode to Joy, from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The Youth Orchestra is performing works by Rossini, Bizet, Faure and selections from Les Miserables.
The Wheeling Symphony Youth Orchestra and the newly formed Wheeling Symphony Junior Orchestra offer young musicians from the tri-state area a formal venue in which to train and perform together. Youth Orchestra members are high school through college age students and Junior Orchestra members are 5th through 8th grade students.
Youth Orchestra students benefit from the professional musical environment and tutelage of directors Matthew Inkster and Benjamin Podolski. Junior Orchestra students are directed by Justin Jones and Patrick Garrett. Both Inkster and Garrett are musical instructors at West Liberty.
Rehearsals for both orchestras are held weekly from September through April, with two big public concerts each year.
“This concert will be a musical delight and feature music we all love,” said Wheeling resident David Miller, chair of the youth and junior orchestra steering committee.
Joining WLU as sponsors are Bedway Development Corporation, James L. Comerci, M.D., Daniel I. Joseph, D.D.S., Micah Labishak, Gail Looney, McCamic, Sacco and McCoid, Dr. Dennis and Donna Niess, Michael and Patricia Pockl, Helen Prezkop, Progressive Bank, Sapon & Sapon, D.D.S., Select Home Support, Paul Tucker, Valley Fitness Center, Valley Physical and Aquatic Therapy, Valley Pain Management and Ye Olde Alpha.
For more information on the concert, please contact Stack at 304-336-8273. For more information on the WLU music department and its programs, please contact Dr. William Baronak, dean of the College of Arts and Communication at wbaronak@westliberty.edu.
