From Wheeling Symphony: Get ready to encounter a Dementor™, ride the Knight Bus™ and discover just who Sirius Black™ really is. Relive the magic of your favorite wizard in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™  in Concert. Based on the third installment of the classic saga, the thrilling tale is accompanied by the music of a live symphony orchestra as Harry soars across the big screen.

From the Wheeling Symphony: Celebrate one of the most prolific American composers and conductors, Leonard Bernstein, with this musical tribute featuring two exemplary talents: Bernstein’s own daughter, writer and storyteller Jamie Bernstein, and powerhouse vocalist Morgan James, in her third appearance with the WSO. From West Side Story to Candide, enjoy this examination of the life and work of one of the most important figures in American orchestral history, perfectly timed to celebrate America 250.  

From the Wheeling Symphony: Harry Potter. Luke Skywalker. Indiana Jones. E.T. 

For over 70 years, composer John Williams has composed the soundtrack for some of the most beloved heroes of American cinema. Join us as we celebrate his 95th birthday with a tribute to his outstanding career, featuring hits from juggernaut films such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Superman, and more.  

From Wheeling Symphony: Escape the dreary cold of February for an afternoon in invigorating Spain, with music that evokes the spirit, color, and landscape of Spanish life.

The concert opens with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, a joyful, festive work inspired by Spanish folk dances, conducted by WSO Associate Conductor Yoona Jeong. We then continue with Leanna Primiani’s Visions, a new work commissioned through the prestigious Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

From there, we return to Spain for Manuel de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain, featuring the Wheeling premiere performance of exciting young pianist Natalia Kazaryan. Written in three movements, each named for a specific Spanish garden, the piece takes listeners on an evocative journey, showcasing the orchestra with the same richness and imagination as the solo piano.

To close the concert, we return to the music of Leanna Primiani with her Triptych, a work originally inspired by Wheeling’s own Betty Zane.

From Wheeling Symphony: Our March Masterworks program features composers spanning four centuries, from Mozart in the 18th century to contemporary composer Clarice Assad.

The concert begins in celebration of Music in Our Schools Month, as the Wheeling Symphony Youth Orchestra joins the WSO on stage for a side-by-side performance of Sibelius’s Finlandia. Beloved by students and professional musicians alike, this work also serves as this season’s Musician’s Choice selection, nominated by WSO Principal Timpanist Jacob Gutierrez.

We then turn to Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, a vibrant collection of seven folk tunes from Transylvania. Our contemporary offering comes from Clarice Assad, whose music the WSO has programmed nearly every season over the past five years. For this performance, we welcome trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden for Assad’s Bohemian Queen, inspired by the art of American painter Gertrude Abercrombie.

The concert closes with Mozart’s beloved Symphony No. 40, one of his most recognizable and dramatic works. Of the 41 symphonies attributed to Mozart, it is one of only two written in a minor key.

From Wheeling Symphony: Our Masterworks season comes to an exciting close with Ode to Joy, the inspiration behind our season title.

After two seasons of collaborating with the Wheeling Symphony Community Choir, we are thrilled this year to introduce them officially as the Wheeling Symphony Chorus, a core part of WSO performances. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 was selected with the chorus in mind, bringing them back to the stage as a central part of our Capitol Series. In addition, the choir will be joined by four talented soloists: Monica Yunus, Marianne Cornetti, Victor Cadamone, and Alan Cline.

The WSO will also perform Brahms’s Academic Festival Overture, a joyful collection of German student songs that shows Brahms at his most festive. We round out the program with the thrilling world premiere of Will Dixon’s Les Belles de Lausanne. Dixon was a Black Wheeling native who went on to great musical success in New York City, but whose history and legacy have largely been forgotten. It is our honor to help bring Dixon’s work back into the spotlight. His life, career, and remarkable Wheeling roots will also serve as the subject of this year’s Festival of Ideas.

From Wheeling Symphony: What if The Beatles had a chance to perform live in concert with a full symphony orchestra? Classical Mystery Tour brings this musical dream to life!

The four musicians in Classical Mystery Tour not only look and sound just like The Beatles, they are also renowned for their stunningly authentic renditions of the band’s iconic hits. From “Yesterday” and “A Day in the Life” to “All You Need is Love” and “Hey Jude,” Classical Mystery Tour recreates the songs exactly as originally recorded, backed by the talented musicians of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. 

Experience this two-hour concert, featuring timeless Beatles classics, four costume changes, and an unforgettable journey through the era and spirit of the band that changed the world.