By Tim Gaylard, Special to The Roanoke Times

The famed Irish flutist Sir James Galway and his wife, Jeanne, were the featured artists with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra at the Performing Arts Theatre on Sunday afternoon. Maestro David Stewart Wiley led the appealing program of Glinka, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Cimarosa for a sold-out house of more than 2,000 audience members.

Galway, who has been a leading classical performer for decades, played a joyful rendition of Mozart’s Flute Concerto in D major. Galway applied the sound of his golden flute with admirable breath control, and he displayed sensitive nuances in the dynamic shadings of his instrument, most notably in the sustained beauties of the slow movement.

The audience was lucky to have not just one Galway but two, when Sir James’ wife, Lady Galway, joined him to perform Cimarosa’s Concerto for Two Flutes in G major. The couple sailed through the elegant and graceful score, playing off each others’ musical lines with a unified approach and delightful repartee. The audience responded to this expert partnership with a well-deserved standing ovation. The Galways reciprocated by playing a number of encores, the highlights of the whole concert.

Sir James amused the audience with his Irish wit and charm as he introduced the items. He and his wife played a zippy arrangement of Mozart’s “Rondo Alla Turca,” followed by Cindy McTee’s beautiful arrangement of ”Shenandoah.”

Then Sir James took the stage alone. He played two Irish folk tunes, the latter an absolutely ravishing “Danny Boy.” Then a Bach “Badinerie,” taken at breath-taking speed, was repeated at an even more miraculous presto tempo.

Wiley provided a supportive orchestral sound for the soloists, and let the RSO shine in three crowd-pleasers for the orchestra alone.

In the second half of the program, Wiley conducted Mendelssohn’s beloved tone-poem, known as either the ”Hebrides” or “Fingal’s Cave” overture. In this piece, the audience heard some of the best orchestral wind playing of the concert, especially from the clarinets.

Finally, as the audience was leaving, Sir James appeared one more time and played an Irish tune on his own. The crowd responded with clapping.

Timothy Gaylard is music professor at Washington and Lee University.

By Kevin Kittredge, Special to The Roanoke Times

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and music director David Stewart Wiley kicked off their 2011-2012 season at the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre on Monday night with a crowd-pleasing program that featured a distinct American theme.

The bill included Leonard Bernstein’s overture to “Candide” and the ever-popular “New World Symphony” by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak, written on a visit to America in the 1890s. The audience of more than 1,600 even got into the act, singing along with the RSO’s opening rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The highlight of the evening, however, was surely the world premiere of a concerto for mandolin and orchestra written by Roanoke’s own Jeff Midkiff. Midkiff, a local educator and clarinetist, is also a virtuoso mandolin player. His concerto, “From the Blue Ridge,” was commissioned by the RSO.

Blending elements of multiple genres and including lyrical solos on the piccolo and bassoon, the 18-minute concerto was a long way from “Rocky Top.” Midkiff himself played the mandolin, switching from percussive rhythm work to do dazzling solo runs, in the process expanding this listener’s knowledge of what a mandolin could do, and be. There were times when it sounded more like Flamenco guitar than a bluegrass instrument. The last movement, aptly titled “The Crooked Road,” was where Midkiff showed his Appalachian roots. In one memorable passage, Midkiff and concertmaster Akemi Takayama played a searing bluegrass duet that would have drawn hoots and cheers in less august surroundings. This audience reserved the hollerin’ for the end of the piece, which got a standing ovation.

Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 is one of the world’s best-loved orchestral pieces. The composer was a little vague on whether its fetching melodies were based on African-American or Native American roots, and some feel they draw mostly from his native Bohemia. Either way, it’s an early statement about the power of America’s polyglot culture that still resonates today.

The RSO did the piece justice. The ravishing English horn melody in the slow movement, played here by William Parrish, was enough to bring tears to the eye. Some of the more boisterous parts lacked punch in this difficult room, however, especially in the right loge — despite the fact the RSO had placed its horn players up on risers. But the strings had a warm, buttery sound up there, lovely to hear. All in all, it was a satisfying night, and a powerful argument for keeping Wiley, now in his 16th season, around forever.

By Seth Williamson

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra held up a mirror to America on Monday night, and it was beautiful. From the gritty streets of New York City to lonely Western prairies to the small town we all wish we were from, it was there in the RSO’s final Masterworks concert of the season. Reviewers should be on guard when a program pushes all their personal buttons. So — full disclosure — I’ll say that almost everything Maestro David Stewart Wiley chose for this concert was a particular favorite of mine. Keep that in mind as you read this review.  Nevertheless, it was great.

OK, so I’ve never been thrilled by Joan Tower’s “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman.” Mildly dissonant and brass-intensive, it isn’t negligible. But — ironically for a self-consciously feminist work — most of its notoriety is derived from the title’s deliberate reference to Aaron Copland’s indisputably great “Fanfare for the Common Man.” Next was “The Millcreek at Waxman’s Crossing” by Boones Mill composer Jerome Margolis. In a manner reminiscent of Copland’s so-called “prairie period,” there were tender lyrical passages, open fifths and fourths, and lovely wind sonorities.

After 32 years’ service on the back row, RSO bass trombonist Jim Sochinski retired from the orchestra after this performance. The RSO celebrated his tenure with his “RSO Fanfare No. 6,” which premiered in 1990. Featuring brash horn calls, horn rips, declamatory trumpet passages and a rhythmic figure lifted from Brahms’ “Academic Festival Overture,” the piece sounds as fresh as it did two decades ago. Unfortunately, here and later on there were a few egregious horn clams. The seafood was all the more noticeable from a section that normally nails tough passages flawlessly.

George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris,” complete with acoustic taxi horns and with rather deliberate tempi, got enthusiastic applause. As for the suite from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story,” you didn’t have a pulse if this performance left you unmoved. This flowering of New World genius is the equal of anything produced by Europe. The RSO’s reading was joyful, heartfelt, exuberant. Ditto the suite from Richard Rodgers’ “Victory at Sea,” crammed with great tunes. It was followed by a standing ovation and shouts of bravo.

After a singalong encore of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” Wiley surprised Sochinski by asking him to conduct John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever,” with brilliant solo work from the redoubtable Julee Hickox.

What a finale!

Seth Williamson produces “Morning Classics” and “Back Roads & Blue Highways” for public radio station WVTF (89.1 FM) in Roanoke.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with David Stewart Wiley as Music Director and Conductor for the RSO. David’s great energy and commitment have contributed immeasurably to the RSO’s success” says Board President Richard Maxwell.

Wiley’s ongoing popularity has been demonstrated not only through consistent acclaim by critics and audiences alike but through significant multi-year growth in attendance, ticket income and financial support. The RSO has seen the number of subscribers more than triple during the last five years for it’s Picnic at the Pops Series, presenting renowned pops artists and symphony orchestra in concert together, and a 35% increase in the number of Symphony-to-the-Max subscribers (all subscription concerts, including classical programs) during the same period. The RSO has further broadened its programming to provide more “entry points” for diverse audiences to find and enjoy quality performances of live music – at the heart of its mission. This includes new and unique programs in collaboration with rock musicians and visual performers, new commissions, as well as corporate leadership training events created and led by David Stewart Wiley.

“The RSO and I continue to have a great collaborative partnership,” says Wiley. “I am grateful to our dedicated professional musicians, hard working board and staff, wonderful chorus and chorus master, and the many individuals and businesses throughout the region who continue to sustain us and support our vital mission. Our future looks really bright. We continue to experience responsible artistic growth and continue to operate in the black.  I am privileged to serve as Music Director of the RSO.”

Wallace Easter, chair of the RSO Musician Committee stated, “This is a great time for the orchestra and the musicians really appreciate the positive environment in which to make music.”

The RSO is also announcing its 2010-11 season, with top violinists Natasha Korsakova & Akemi Takayama, renowned pianist Norman Krieger, wind virtuoso Elizabeth Roberts, and repertoire ranging from Rachmaninoff’s third symphony to Beethoven’s Ninth “Choral” symphony.   The Picnic at the Pops series features headliner stars Blake Shelton, Boz Scaggs, and Jane Powell with the RSO, and a new “Symphony Spooktacular” program in October will be added.   The RSO will celebrate Maestro Wiley’s 15th anniversary as RSO music director with October’s opening concert of the season.  Wiley also continues as Music Director & Conductor of the Long Island Philharmonic in New York.

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra celebrates its mission to enrich lives, to educate, and to entertain diverse audiences in western Virginia with the highest quality instrumental and choral music.

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For Immediate Release

Date:  10 May, 2010

Contact:  Rodney Overstreet, Marketing Director

540.343.6221 ext.227 or rodney.overstreet@rso.com

There was plenty to like in Monday night’s Roanoke Symphony Orchestra concert at the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre.

But the Virginia premiere of Lowell Liebermann’s magnificent new clarinet concerto outshone everything else.

When it came to superlatives, soloist Jon Manasse’s splendid performance pretty much sucked all the oxygen out of the room, leaving little to say about the Gershwin, Dvorak and Mozart works, any of which on another night might have been the centerpiece of a program.

Yes, Maestro David Stewart Wiley presided over finely calibrated crescendi in the overture to Mozart’s opera “The Marriage of Figaro.” The Dvorak Symphony No. 8 in G Major was artfully shaped and soulfully played. And George Gershwin’s little “Lullaby for Strings” was as likeable as ever.

But when the Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, Op. 110, by American composer Liebermann cruised to a breathless finish and the standing ovation and shouts of bravo were echoing through the hall, it seemed clear that we had heard a piece that will remain in the repertoire for decades to come.

But it will always take a player of Manasse’s caliber to do justice to Liebermann’s work. The occasional gifted amateur may strike out into the deep waters of the Mozart clarinet concerto. But no amateur can handle the Liebermann piece. This bravura work requires not merely a professional player, but a virtuoso.

It is lyrically gorgeous, full of ravishing tunes from the opening whole-tone scales to the perpetual motion finale. The orchestra is called upon to provide a wash of ethereal textures with high bells and delicate woodwind effects.

It’s difficult to pick out peak moments. But the entire middle slow movement, with its sinuous, long-breathed melodies that take unexpected chromatic turns, was breathtaking. Manasse’s technical mastery was obvious enough in the rapid passage work. But the pianissimo passages in the instrument’s very highest tessitura, with intonation that was dead-on perfect, were extraordinarily lovely. Manasse deserved every bit of adulation he got at the end of this piece.

As a final gift to the audience, the RSO performed the Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 5 to yet more shouts of approval.

by Seth Williamson

 Roanoke, Virginia — The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, David Stewart Wiley, music director, is enjoying increases in sales and attendance recently despite reports of dwindling audience sizes nationally. The new information, released in full today by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), combined with an earlier report conducted by the League of American Orchestras (LAO), outlines declines in participation rates for orchestras, other performing arts, cinema, as well as live sporting events and other activities during the period of 2002 to 2008. According to previous national studies, classical music audience sizes grew over 20 years, from 21.8 million in 1982, up to 24.6 million in 2002. In the past 6 years, the size dropped down to 21.3 million. For the RSO, the past few years have yielded an upturn in sales, with its sights already set on study recommendations – thinking creatively about its role in a culture of changing expectations.

 During the past few years, the RSO has anticipated and focused on practices that show promise in countering these trends. Exploring ticket pricing, venues, programming, touring, education, new media and social networking services, are all part of the RSO’s strategic plan. The RSO’s progress indicators now include an astounding 316% increase in subscribers between 2004 and 2008 for it’s Picnic at the Pops Series, presenting renowned pops artists and symphony orchestra in concert together, and a 37% increase in the number of Symphony-to-the-Max subscribers [all subscription concerts] during the same period. The RSO has further broadened its programming to provide more “entry points” for diverse audiences to find and enjoy quality performances of classical music – at the heart of its mission. This includes new and unique programs in collaboration with rock musicians and visual performers, as well as corporate leadership training events created and led by music director David Stewart Wiley.

Today’s NEA study, Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, along with the LAO’s Audience Demographic Research Review also reveal some encouraging news to the RSO and orchestras across the country. There is a high level of interest in classical music online and through electronic media, pointing to the enduring strength and vitality of symphony orchestras. The RSO recently launched the web page it calls “RSO 2.0″ – a reference to “Web 2.0″ interactive and networking technology – to promote its use of such services. A link to the page can be found at the RSO’s web site at www.rso.com. Last fall, the RSO introduced an online audio podcast series called Inside the Music in which maestro Wiley explores the classical repertoire from the RSO’s Masterworks Series of concerts. With these online services and features, the RSO feels it is on the right track with a hot trail to follow, especially in continuing to develop new relationships with younger listeners. The reports also indicate a significant increase in the percentage of people playing classical music, supporting an increasing sense of the importance in the art and education of classical music. For more information about the NEA study, visit www.nea.gov.

Final program of 2009

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and Chorus with David Stewart Wiley conductor present their final concert of 2009 on Friday, December 11th at 7 p.m. at the Salem Civic Center. Part of the Picnic at the Pops Series, Friday evening’s Holiday Pops Spectacular is a collaboration of over 250 musicians from the RSO and Chorus, Salem Choral Society, Mill Mountain (handbell) Ringers, Roanoke College Children’s Choir, and tenor soloist George Dyer. A great event for the whole family, tickets for the concert start at $20 each with discount tickets available for groups and children 12 and under. Information is available from the RSO box office at (540) 343-9127 and online at www.rso.com, as well as the Salem Civic Center box office.

Touring performances

Special versions of the Holiday Pops program will be presented in 3 neighboring communities. The New River Valley Friends of the RSO will present Holiday Pops on December 12th at the Covington Center at Radford University – information at rso.com/nrv. The Piedmont Arts Association will present Holiday Pops on December 13th at Martinsville High School – information at piedmontarts.org. The Alleghany Arts Council will present Holiday Pops at Covington High School on December 14th – information at alleghanyarts4all.com. These touring performances involve the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra with David Stewart Wiley, conductor, and tenor soloist George Dyer.

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra celebrates its mission to enrich lives, to educate, and to entertain diverse audiences in western Virginia with the highest quality instrumental and choral music.

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Date: 10 December, 2009

Contact: Rodney Overstreet,

Marketing Director, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra

540.343.6221 ext.227 or rodney.overstreet@rso.com

The following review appears in the December 7, 2009 edition of The Roanoke Times

When they arrived for Sunday’s performance of “Messiah” by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Shaftman Performance Hall concertgoers may have wondered why most of the orchestra was late.

As the downbeat neared, it became obvious that music director and conductor David Stewart Wiley had decided to go with a much smaller complement of players than is heard in most professional performances of Handel’s great oratorio. Onstage before a nearly sold-out house was a string quintet, plus two flutes, two trumpets, a bassoon, a harpsichord and a timpani.  Could such a small chamber ensemble match the voices of the 70-odd symphony chorus members, which included members of the Liberty University Chamber   Singers?

They did better than I thought they could. In fact, even though this performance of Parts I and III was not authentically scaled to pass muster from early-performance experts, it rose at moments to unmistakable grandeur.  It didn’t hurt to have a full set of good vocal soloists. Soprano Adelaide Muir Trombetta, alto Tara Bouknight, tenor John Hugo (who is the RSO’s chorus master) and bass Wayne Kompelien (who directs the Liberty University Chamber Singers) were evenly matched and sang beautifully together.

   Trombetta and Bouknight were better than good. Trombetta, who was stunning in a red gown, had a sweet purity of tone and a cleanness and accuracy to her vocal ornamentation that was a delight to hear. Bouknight, who lives in Franklin County, did a richly detailed and gorgeous job every time she opened her mouth, especially with the lovely “He Shall Feed His Flock.”   Hugo and Kompelien were not as distinctive but turned in satisfactory performances.  

The big star in any performance of “Messiah” is and should be the chorus. The RSO’s chorus and Kompelien’s Liberty University singers did not disappoint.  They displayed a light touch with contrapuntal sections such as “For Unto Us a Child is Born.” Even better, their choral diction was close to perfect and easily understandable to the back of the hall. Hugo and Kompelien deserve congratulations for training such a fine group of singers.

Wiley’s tempos for the choruses were mostly lively. His light touch with the choruses made it easier to believe there was a full orchestra out front.  In fact, the final “Amen” of the final chorus “Worthy is the Lamb” was among the most noble and gravely beautiful performances in recent memory from these players and singers.

After that dramatic fi nale, the Shaftman Hall crowd responded with shouts of bravo and a standing ovation.

Seth Williamson produces “Morning Classics” and “Back Roads & Blue Highways” on public radio station WVTF (89.1 FM) in Roanoke.

By David Stewart Wiley

As we move closer to Thanksgiving, I want to express my sincere thanks to our region for supporting the Roanoke Symphony (and all of the arts) during these challenging economic times. It is important for all of us to celebrate good news where it exists, and the symphony is a true success story.

The good news is the Roanoke Symphony continues to experience record ticket sales in both our classical and pops series, with 1,625 tickets sold for our opening masterworks concert and a few thousand for our upcoming pops concert with superstar Natalie Cole. While ticket sales are so important to the vitality of the RSO, even in record years they do not cover the cost of these programs. So please know that every contribution and sponsorship is needed and truly appreciated — especially now.

Every citizen in our region should take great pride in the remarkable success of their professional orchestra and chorus — particularly that we are operating with a balanced budget year after year.

Did you know the RSO alone invests close to a quarter-million dollars in taxes and fees annually for the Roanoke Valley region and Virginia? The RSO is the region’s very own artistic stimulus package.

In a time of budget strain for local schools where our dedicated teachers have to do more with less, the symphony — and all arts education programs — are more needed now than ever before.

We all recognize that support comes in many ways, from volunteer time to monetary contributions, and it is the spirit of community that drives us all to success. With that in mind, special thanks are due to The Roanoke Times for reviewing important regional musical events and artists. Stories about our recent U.S. debut of a young, rising star violinist gives us all a glimpse into a bright future for the arts. It’s inspiring and exciting. And, did you hear about the RSO’s recent encore involving electric guitar? What a wonderful illustration of how the arts transcend age and genre.

Remember the first time you heard an orchestra or a particular song or pianist? What was it that spoke to you, made you connect?

The arts have incredible power to touch us. This is the journey that we share together, for through the arts we are invited to live our lives more fully, more sensitively and with vigor.

I am grateful to serve with an amazing team of professional musicians, supported by a great executive staff, board, donors and volunteers who share in our vision and commitment. We remain a stable, strong and vital pillar in our region particularly when we take the long view, the generational view.

The marketplace puts a short-term price on everything, but the arts place not simply a price but a long-term value on those things that matter. Education, community, connections, partnerships with schools, businesses and other civic organizations: These things matter now more than ever. With your attendance and support, your orchestra will remain vital, an artistic business model of excellence that generates not only excitement but is a vital part of the region’s economic engine.

Consider this a personal invitation from me, and your entire RSO team, to share in our successful 56th symphony season. Please support all the arts — we need you and we welcome you all.

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A lot of American symphony orchestras would have loved to be in the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra’s collective shoes Monday night.

At a time when many big-name orchestras are wondering how to keep the doors open, the RSO had its biggest opening night ever.  A capacity and record crowd of about 1,600 concert-goers showed up at the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre for a program that spotlighted a beautiful young violin soloist whose genealogy includes the great Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

Monday night’s performance also illustrated the dictum that live music doesn’t have to be flawless to be moving. In the great “Brahms D Major Violin Concerto,” there was some uncharacteristically sloppy playing: out-of-tune woodwinds, bungled entrances by strings, and even a few horn clams.

But Natasha Korsakova played with authority beyond her years, handing in a performance that was by turns urgent and powerful and rhapsodic. In an era when there is no shortage of young performers with technique to spare but nothing to say, Korsakova played with mature insight and eloquent lyricism.

She played with a warm, sumptuous tone and in the difficult passages filled with double stops, she played precisely and with great clarity.

Korsakova got an immediate standing ovation and was returned to the stage several times by an audience that was whistling and shouting bravos. RSO members shuffled their feet and stamped their approval, and Korsakova returned the gratitude with an encore of the “Giga” movement from Bach’s “E Major Partita for Solo Violin.”

Swaggering fanfares from the brass marked the opening of Franz von Suppe’s beloved warhorse, the “Light Cavalry” Overture, with its familiar galloping “horsey” music that followed the fanfares.

The rich orchestra tapestry of Richard Strauss’ “Don Juan” got a vivid rendering by Maestro David Stewart Wiley and his players. This was followed by what I believe was the first Roanoke performance of Arturo Marquez’s “Danzon No. 2.”

Barely 15 years old, this sensual Latin dance has been a hit in concert halls the world over, and the RSO showed us why. It was a bravura performance with star turns from several orchestra wind soloists.

Maestro Wiley rewarded the raucous applause with two encores: the familiar “Pizzicato Polka,” and a rip-roaring version of the disco hit “A Fifth of Beethoven,” which featured a blazing electric guitar solo.

All in all, this performance was a promising omen for the new season.

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