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WHEELING - The next season of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra will start with a visit from a classical music legend and include auditory trips to both Hogwart's and Jurassic Park.
The orchestra has announced the lineup for its 2022-23 season, with the theme of "American Stories." The season will include a six-concert subscription series at the symphony's Capitol Theatre home, a pair of "SoundBites" concerts at the Scottish Rite Cathedral and a number of community favorites such as the Celebrate America July 4th Tour, Music Under the Stars and Symphony on Ice.
The season begins Sept. 29 with an Opening Night Gala and Concert featuring world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Ma is a 19-time Grammy winner who has been awarded the National Medal of Arts and Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The night's performance will include a special project commissioned by the symphony and Music Director John Devlin for the occasion - a collaboration with Washington, D.C.-based hip-hop artist Christylez Bacon and American composer Evan Meier.
"I worked with Christylez during my time in Washington in many different capacities and I knew that I wanted to design a project with the orchestra that would feature all of his diverse creative talents and unique ability to engage audiences of all types," Devlin said. "The resulting piece, 'Migrations in Rhythm: A Concerto for Beatbox and Rhyme,' examines the way that the United States has served as a point of musical intersection for different cultures. Collaboratively, Christylez and I chose another DC-based artist, Evan Meier, to write this work that explores the interaction of many different influences as they led to the creation of funk and go-go.
Through this project and many others, the symphony will continue its focus on American music during the coming season.
"I'm proud to say that the music of 13 different American composers will be featured throughout our concerts this season," Devlin said. "The American experience is something unique to each individual and we all have our own stories to tell. Musically, we will explore many different types of American tales -- stories of migration, displacement, the ferocity and creativity of women, perseverance in the face of obstacles and more."
Following the opening night concert in September, the WesBanco Capitol Concert Series will continue with three masterworks and three pops concerts. Masterworks highlights include Clarice Assad's É Gol; Shostakovich's "Symphony No. 10" and "Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915," which was commissioned by opera star Eleanor Steber, who was born in Wheeling in 1914.
Masterworks audiences will also be treated to Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite" and works by Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms and John Williams. Among the guest artists bringing their talents to Wheeling are Maxim Lando (piano), Bridgette Gan (soprano), Eunice Kim (violin) and Xavier Foley (double bass).
The pops concerts will delight audiences of all ages with "Halloween at Hogwarts" and "Jurassic Park in Concert," which will feature the original film with the orchestra performing John Williams' score. Broadway veteran Morgan James will bring the classic sounds of Memphis to Wheeling with "Symphonic Soul." James will be joined by Wheeling favorite and Grammy nominee Ryan Shaw, who performed at Devlin's first concert as the WSO's music director in 2019.
The SoundBites series will return with two performances at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. In October, the orchestra will partner with the Pittsburgh-based chorus Voces Solis. Ryan Keeling, artistic director of Voces Solis, will conduct the chorus and orchestra in their performance of John Corigliano's "Fern Hill," and Devlin will lead Sarah Kirkland Snider's "Mass for the Endangered."
In February, the orchestra will stage a "Night at the Italian Opera," complete with a meal inspired by the influence of Italian heritage in the Ohio Valley.
In addition to the Capitol and SoundBites Series, the symphony will present a slate of community concerts beginning with the Celebrate America Tour with stops in Weirton, Clarksburg and Canaan Valley before performing at the Heritage Port Amphitheater on July 4. Local favorites Eli Lambie and the Mojo Kings and Hip-Hop artist Isaiah Keez will join the orchestra for the tour.
The annual Labor Day weekend concert at Oglebay's Anne Kuchinka Amphitheater will celebrate the music of the Beatles with Jeans n' Classics tribute to the iconic Abbey Road album. Symphony on Ice will return to WesBanco Arena on Dec. 1.
WesBanco Capitol concert series and SoundBites series subscriptions are on sale now. Capitol season subscribers will have first access to tickets for the Opening Night Celebration Gala, which will include cocktails, a gourmet meal and premium seating for the opening night concert. Subscribers who do not wish to attend the gala will have priority access to tickets for the opening night concert, which will be available to the general public beginning Aug. 1.
Single tickets for concerts will be available beginning Sept. 6. For ticket pricing and subscription packaging, visit wheelingsymphony.com or call (304) 232-6191.