PARKERSBURG - With the start of the new calendar year, symphony fans in the Mid-Ohio Valley will have several opportunities to enjoy classical music in Parkersburg and Marietta.
Following a belated start due to financial issues, the River Cities Symphony Orchestra will begin its new season in February.
In September, Mac Lichterman, president of the RCSO, said the orchestra leadership announced the cancellation of orchestra's September and November concerts and postponed the opening of the 2011-12 season until February because of finances.
The symphony, founded in 1997 after the dissolution of the Marietta Chamber Orchestra, performs in Marietta and Parkersburg and is run by volunteers while the musicians are paid professionals. The musicians are a mix of local musicians, instructors from Marietta College and Ohio University and area music educators and students from Ohio University and West Virginia University.
The current season will begin at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 with a concert at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Marietta. The Feb. 26 concert will feature the symphony in collaboration with the Marietta College Concert Choir and Oratorio Chorus, both directed by David Monek, in a performance of the Schumann Requiem. The program will also include the Mozart Flute Concerto with soloist Lindsey Goodman.
The RCSO's annual Romantic Interludes Pops Concert will take place June 1 at 8 p.m. at the Lafayette Hotel.
For more information on RCSO events, call 304-485-7068 for details.
The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra has held three concerts this fall in Parkersburg, including the Holiday Concert on December at Blennerhassett School in Parkersburg.
As the second half of the season begins, the WVSO-Parkersburg will perform Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World") on March 4.
The 2011-2012 season will conclude with "Rhythm and Romance" featuring pianist Katie Mahan performing Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F on May 6. In addition, the program will include Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4.
Praised for her unique personality and extraordinary musical sensitivity, Mahan is quickly establishing herself as an artist of rare appeal. Her passionate performances have attracted audiences throughout the United States, Germany, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Canada, Austria, and Japan.
Tickets and information are available by calling 304-485-4200
The WVSO welcomes patrons with disabilities and, with three weeks advance notice, will make every effort to accommodate their requests.
Funding for the WVSOP concert series comes in part from grants from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, the National Endowment of the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, from the McDonough Foundation, and from the Artsbridge Arts Fund.
