The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is a professional orchestra that performs primarily at the
Clay Center Clay Center can refer to a community in the United States:
*Clay Center, Kansas
*Clay Center, Nebraska
*Clay Center, Ohio
Clay Center is a village in Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. The population was 262 at the 2020 census.
History
Clay ...
in
Charleston,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
. The orchestra performs over 50 concerts annually around the state of
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
, and has a nationally award-winning education program. The orchestra has played with such soloists as
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman ( he, יצחק פרלמן; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist widely considered one of the greatest violinists in the world. Perlman has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that hav ...
,
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist.
Born in Poland, Stern came to the US when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union and China, and ...
,
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma (''Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...
,
Emanuel Ax
Emanuel "Manny" Ax (born 8 June 1949) is a Grammy-winning American classical pianist. He is a teacher in the Juilliard School.
Early life
Ax was born to a Polish-Jewish family in Lviv, Ukraine, (in what was then the Soviet Union) to Joachim and ...
,
Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne (born January 16, 1934) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages. She is a recipient of the Natio ...
, and
Kathleen Battle
Kathleen Deanna Battle (born August 13, 1948) is an American operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle initially became known for her work within the concert repertoire through performances ...
.
In addition to regular season concerts, The Orchestra offers several programs such as the Symphony Chorus and Young People's Concerts. West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is a
501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
.
History
Early history
An earlier symphony orchestra, organized by music educator W. S. Mason and others, served
Charleston as early as the 1920s and perhaps before.
Under the direction of William R. Wiant, the Charleston Civic Orchestra gathered 55 musicians for their first rehearsal on September 19, 1939. The first concert was performed at the
Charleston Municipal Auditorium on November 14, 1939. The orchestra was officially incorporated on May 29, 1940, and an
Executive Board
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
and Women's Committee were formed to support its efforts.
When conductor William R. Wiant left Charleston for military service in the fall of 1942,
Antonio Modarelli
Antonio Modarelli (1894 in Braddock, Pennsylvania – 1954) was an American conductor and composer.
Though popular in Europe, even to the point of being the first American to be invited into the '' Gesellschaft der deutschen Komponisten'', Modar ...
, conductor of the
Wheeling Symphony Orchestra
The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra is a regional orchestra based in Wheeling, West Virginia. Since its founding in 1929, the orchestra has performed at the historic Capitol Music Hall.
Temporary Relocation
In May 2007, the "Capitol" closed its door ...
, was called upon to become the new conductor. Prior to coming to
Wheeling in 1937, Modarelli had led the
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District, Pittsburgh, Cultural District.
History
The Pittsburgh Sy ...
for seven years. Modarelli retained this dual conductorship for five years before moving to Charleston on a full-time basis.
Then, in 1943, the orchestra's name was changed to Charleston Symphony Orchestra. To attract musicians during the war years the orchestra entered into an innovative alliance with the local chemical industry, which agreed to recruit and hire chemical engineers and chemists who were also symphonic musicians. This successful partnership garnered national attention.
The orchestra’s first manager, Helen Thompson, a second violinist in the orchestra, was active in the founding of the
American Symphony Orchestra League
The League of American Orchestras, formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League, is a North American service organization with 700 member orchestras of all budget sizes and types, plus individual and institutional members.
Based in New York Ci ...
, the professional service organization for orchestras in the United States. Thompson, became its first full-time executive secretary in 1950, and maintained the league’s office in Charleston for 12 years.
Composer
George Crumb
George Henry Crumb Jr. (24 October 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical ...
's parents, George(clarinet) and Vivian(cello), were members of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Crumb's composition "Poem" was performed by the CSO in 1947. Crumb was 18 years old. "Gethsemane" was performed in 1952.
1950s and 1960s
Following Modarelli's death, Geoffrey Hobday led the orchestra from 1954 to 1963. His conductorship was marked by an award from the
Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University that funded a guest appearance by composer
Stanley Wolfe
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
conducting his Third Symphony.
Donald Voorhees, conductor of television's
Bell Telephone Hour
''The Bell Telephone Hour'' (also known as ''The Telephone Hour'') is a concert series that began April 29, 1940, on NBC Radio, and was heard on NBC until June 30, 1958. Sponsored by Bell Telephone as the name implies, it showcased the best in c ...
, also appeared as guest conductor.
Hobday was succeeded by Charles Gabor, whose tenure lasted only one season (1964–65), but his Young People's Concerts would become a long-lasting tradition.
In 1965, Charles Gabor was replaced by Charles Schiff. Under Schiff, the orchestra became more cosmopolitan in scope, booking nationally recognized guest artists on a regular basis and presenting more challenging orchestral works than in the past. An expansion of the children's concerts eventually led to the first set of quadruple Young People's Concerts being performed in 1968, a tradition first introduced by Charles Gabor, which continues to this day.
1970s and 1980s
Charles Schiff left in 1977, and Ron Dishinger was hired. Dishinger continued the development of the orchestra's education program through an expanded Student Enrichment Program in the elementary schools. Dishinger served as conductor until 1979.
Sidney Rothstein became Music Director in 1980 and began a period of artistic growth that continued throughout the 1980s. In his first season, Rothstein greatly expanded the orchestra's schedule and performed the first Super Pops concert at the
Charleston Civic Center
The Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center (originally known as Charleston Civic Center) is a municipal complex located in the downtown area of Charleston, West Virginia, United States. Originally completed in 1958, it consists of four main co ...
. The following season he formed the orchestra's first resident string quartet and presented the first "Symphony Sunday," an outdoor festival marking the end of the season.
With the appointment of Thomas Conlin as Artistic Director & Conductor in 1984, a new era began for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. The season expanded in size to 8, then 9, then eventually to 12 concerts including pops. Touring and run-out concerts around the state were also greatly increased, and a second home in
Parkersburg
Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metro ...
was established, through a new organization, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra - Parkersburg.
In recognition of its new status as a true regional organization, in 1988, the name of the orchestra was changed to the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
1990s and 2000s
The newly named West Virginia Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 50th Anniversary during the 1989–1990 season. The highlight of the year-long observances was a five-concert tour culminating in a performance at the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
in
Washington D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
on October 29, 1989 . Included in the program was a new piano concerto by composer
Tomas Svoboda commissioned by the orchestra in celebration of the occasion.
In December 1999, Thomas Conlin announced his intention to step down from the WVSO podium in 2001, concluding an extraordinary 17-year tenure. After an extensive search process that attracted almost 200 applications from around the world, the WVSO named
Grant Cooper, a
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
native, as Artistic Director & Conductor of the WVSO in March 2001. Upon the selection of Cooper, Thomas Conlin accepted the title of Conductor Laureate, in recognition of his extensive accomplishments with the WVSO. In September 2015, Grant Cooper announced that he will step down as Artistic Director & Conductor at the end of the 2016-17 season. Lawrence Loh was chosen from six finalists to become the new conductor beginning in the 2016-17 season.
On July 12, 2003, the
Clay Center Clay Center can refer to a community in the United States:
*Clay Center, Kansas
*Clay Center, Nebraska
*Clay Center, Ohio
Clay Center is a village in Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. The population was 262 at the 2020 census.
History
Clay ...
for the arts and sciences of West Virginia opened, where the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra would establish its new home. Since 2003, the orchestra has performed its primary concerts in the
Clay Center's Maier Foundation Performance Hall, an 1,883-seat theater with exceptional acoustics and sight lines.
Artistic directors and composers
*Lawrence Loh (2017–2022)
*Grant Cooper (2001-2017)
*Thomas Conlin (1984–2001)
*Sidney Rothstein (1980–1984)
*Ron Dishinger (1977–1979)
*Charles Schiff (1965–1977)
*Charles Gabor (1964–1965)
*Geoffrey Hobday (1954–1964)
*Antonio Modarelli (1942–1954)
*William R. Wiant (1939–1942)
References
External links
*
{{authority control
American orchestras
Performing arts in West Virginia
Wikipedia requested audio of orchestras
Musical groups established in 1939
Musical groups from West Virginia
Non-profit organizations based in West Virginia
1939 establishments in West Virginia