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Wheeling Symphony Orchestra

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:41:00 +0000

The Wheeling Symphony Society, Inc. was established in 1929 by Mrs. Eleanor D. Caldwell and a group of local musicians as the foundation upon which a Wheeling Symphony Orchestra was born.

As the Wheeling Symphony enters its 78^th season, it continues to operate on the premise of its founders who were ". . .prompted by a love of music and because we believe a larger musical organization could undertake more comprehensive programs for the entertainment of more people."

Mrs. Caldwell, an accomplished musician herself, and local string musicians would gather at her Woodsdale home to perform together. It was this small group of musicians who formed the nucleus that became the Wheeling Symphony.

Over the past seven decades, the symphony has gained national prominence under eight music directors. In 2004, the WSO and Music Director AndrÃ¯Â¿Â½ Raphel Smith performed at the National Performing Arts Convention, as part of the American Symphony Orchestra League's National Conference in Pittsburgh.

During the 2005-06 season, the orchestra presented the World Premiere of Grammy-winning American composer Richard Danielpour's "Triptych" from Margaret Garner. "Triptych" for mezzo-soprano and orchestra features a text written by Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison.

During the 2004-05 season, Maestro Smith led the orchestra in a World Premiere work by Mr. Danielpour in honor of the 50th anniversary of the founding of Wheeling Jesuit University.

Guest soloists with the orchestra have included major artists of our time: Yehudi Menuhin, Arthur Rubenstein, Roberta Peters, Marian Anderson, Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Stolzman, Andre Watts, and the late Jean-Pierre Rampal, to name a few.

Today, the orchestra performs five Masterworks and two Pops concerts at the historic Capitol Music Hall in Wheeling during its regular subscription season. The spectacular holiday concert, Symphony on Ice, will be performed for the tenth consecutive year at WesBanco Arena.

Annually, two free concerts draw thousands of tri-state area residents for music and fireworks. A July Fourth celebration is held at Wheeling's Heritage Port Amphitheater while a Labor Day weekend performance is given at the Anne Kuchinka Amphitheater in Oglebay Park. The orchestra also performs throughout the year in Weirton, Morgantown, Elkins, Clarksburg, and Canaan Valley. In the past, WSO performances have been presented in other venues in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Education outreach is another important aspect of the WSO's mission. A series of Young People's Concerts are presented locally to thousands of students from schools throughout the tri-state area and on tour to communities throughout West Virginia. The Wheeling Symphony's musicians and guest artists often visit area schools to provide master classes and informances.

The WSO's Artist-in-Residence provides music instruction to students at an inner-city school, and offers a music program at an after-school facility. Area school students from two partner-in-education schools provide ensembles, choral groups, and artwork as pre-concert entertainment throughout the concert season. For the 2005-06 school year, the Artist-in-Residence program was sponsored by the Robinson Parlin Trust, administered by WesBanco Trust and Investment Services, and by the Orrick, Herrington, Sutcliffe Foundation.

The Wheeling Symphony Youth Orchestra reaches out to accomplished area young musicians who perform two public concerts annually. The students also attend master classes and informances by symphony musicians and international guest artists of the WSO. The WSYO is tuition-free due to the generous support of The Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust and corporate and individual donors.

Music Director

Music Director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, Raphel Smith, has established a distinguished career through innovative programming and a strong commitment to American music. Currently in his fifth season with the Wheeling Symphony, this season he leads the orchestra and group Time for Three in a co-commission with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony for Jennifer Higdon's Concerto 4-3. He has led the orchestra in acclaimed festivals, world premieres, and at the American Symphony League Conference.

Highlights of Mr. Smith's 2007-08 season include guest conducting appearances with the Syracuse Symphony and Pro-Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston. Last season, he made his debut with the Milwaukee Symphony and stepped in on short notice for an indisposed conductor to lead the Chicago Sinfonietta.

Mr. Smith served as Assistant Conductor to Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic from 2000-2002. He was Assistant Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra for six years, where he worked closely with Wolfgang Sawallisch. Prior to his appointment in Philadelphia, Smith served as Assistant Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony under the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts Conductor's program.

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Oglebay Resort & Conference Center

Sun, 11 May 2008 05:24:00 +0000

Situated on a hilltop in the heart of Oglebay is the exceptional Wilson Lodge. Facilities at the lodge include casual and fine dining, an indoor pool, jacuzzi, sauna and massage therapy facilities.

In 2006, Wilson Lodge completed a $15 million expansion and renovation project. A new guest wing added 53 deluxe rooms and suites, and all 212 existing rooms at the lodge were completely remodeled. The popular massage therapy program at Wilson Lodge is expanding, with a new 5,000 sq. ft. spa expected to open in the summer of 2008.

For groups and larger families, Oglebay has 50 deluxe cottages, all with a large living room and 2, 4 or 6 bedrooms. Three new 8-bedroom cottages are currently under construction and are expected to be completed in the summer of 2008.

Groups of ten to four hundred are easily accommodated in Wilson Lodge's modern conference facilities. Dining options range from cookouts to banquets, to gourmet meals . . . all served in one of the beautiful dining rooms or one of the exceptional banquet rooms. Special themed events can also be catered at unique locations throughout the resort.

Oglebay is the perfect golf destination with thirty-six holes of championship golf now available at the Speidel Golf Club. Our newest course was designed by Arnold Palmer and compliments the original championship course designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones, Sr. The Speidel Golf Club features a fully-stocked pro shop, on-staff golf pro, modern locker facilities, driving range, and restaurant. Other golf amenities at Oglebay include the 18-hole regulation Crispin Golf Course, an 18-hole Par III course and driving range.

Visitors of all ages will be delighted by the Good Zoo at Oglebay with thirty acres of animals, a mile and a half train ride, discovery lab, 0-gauge train exhibit, and planetarium. The Mansion Museum (Mr. Oglebay's summer home), Glass Museum and Artisan Center, Environmental Education Center, and seven specialty shops are also highlights of Oglebay.

Additional recreational opportunities at Oglebay include swimming at the large outdoor pool, 10 Har-Tru tennis courts, horse stables offering trail rides and lessons, plus pedal boating, miniature golf, fishing, and miles of paved walking/jogging trails.

The natural beauty of Oglebay can be enjoyed with a stroll along brick walking paths in our magnificent gardens. These gardens are a sixteen-acre recreation of the gardens that existed at the turn of the 19th century when Oglebay was still a private estate. Over 50,000 tulips, daffodils and hyacinths herald spring's arrival, and the summer months feature colorful annuals blooming from the beds and dangling from over two hundred hanging baskets. The gardens' season is brought to a close with a vibrant display of mums in the fall.

The Oglebay special event calendar begins with SpringFest during the tulip show. This show, along with the area’s premier fall festival, Oglebayfest, features artisans displaying and selling their unique wares plus entertainment and festival foods. Oglebay is home to one of America's largest holiday light shows, the Winter Festival of Lights. Each November and December, this six-mile driving show dazzles visitors with over a million lights on a six-mile drive displayed over 300 acres.

Oglebay Resort is a unique 1650-acre resort of exceptional beauty and abundant recreational activities nestled in the hills surrounding Wheeling, West Virginia.

A golfer's paradise, Oglebay offers 36 holes of championship golf at the new modern links course designed by Arnold Palmer and the classic Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designed course.

Bissonnette Gardens features seasonal floral displays from April through October and the Winter Festival of Lights at Oglebay is America's largest light show with a million lights in November and December.

Wilson Lodge at Oglebay has overnight accommodations and cottages with fine dining, an indoor pool, a fitness room, and massage therapy.

There are also seven specialty shops, featuring unique gifts, clothes and collectibles. Experience the Oglebay Zoo with 85 species of animals nestled in 30 acres of flowers, trees, hills, and valleys.

Watch the native North American animals in their natural habitats or meerkats and naked molerats from Africa. A walk through the Wonders of the Wetlands will introduce you to a crane, bald eagles and various plants and animals that inhabit these fragile areas. The indoor Discovery Lab features a variety of hands-on activities and animal exhibits, and the barn is filled with friendly domestic animals where you can feed the goats.

Watch an exciting show in the Benedum Planetarium where the big screen pulls you into the action.

Oglebay also features fishing, pedal boating, horseback riding, swimming, tennis, picnic areas and the Mansion Museum. For more information, visit www.oglebay-resort.com.

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