Matt Jackfert, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Wheeling Symphony Announces New Season

The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra is bidding farewell to the 2014-2015 season by performing a series of masterpieces by great composers, both old and new,…

The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra is bidding farewell to the 2014-2015 season by performing a series of masterpieces by great composers, both old and new, during their concert on May 15th, 2015 8:00 PM at the Capitol Theater in Wheeling.

This concert features Arvo Pärt’s La Sindone–a deep, mysterious, and emotional journey describing the Shroud of Turin. Pianist Norman Krieger will join the Orchestra to perform the energetic 3rd Piano Concerto of Rachmaninoff. Then, they’ll finish by shifting the spotlight to the orchestra members in Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra.

Tickets and more information at: http://www.wheelingsymphony.com/upcoming-concerts/

The Wheeling Symphony also recently announced their upcoming 2015-16 season. This series of concerts features classics like Stravinsky’s Firebird, Sibelius’s 7th Symphony, and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique as part of a French Festival. However, they are also premiering a co-commission of a piano concerto by American composer, Kenneth Fuchs. This will be a return for Fuchs who wrote Forever Free for the WSO for West Virginia’s Sesquicentennial.

andre_raphel_interview_2_pt._2.mp3

A brief overview of the WSO's 2015-16 season with excerpts of upcoming pieces.

Tickets and more information at: http://www.wheelingsymphony.com/

Husband and Wife Pair Bring Their Cultures to the Concert Hall

Generally when a musician makes a mistake in a concert, he or she can just go home and forget about it. When your husband or wife is also your partner in…

Generally when a musician makes a mistake in a concert, he or she can just go home and forget about it. When your husband or wife is also your partner in music, that may not be so easy! That’s the case for the Fa2 Duo–the violin and piano duo comprised of Cristian and Victoria Fatu.

In the late 2000’s, Cristian and Victoria came from Romania and Russia respectively, to study at Park University in Missouri. There, the two met during a musical collaboration and continued their work together. Later, they would get married and become what is known as the Fa2 Duo. The husband-and-wife pair performs a wide variety of music while also bringing musical flavors from their home countries by self-arranging folk tunes for their violin and piano ensemble.

The duo has two upcoming concerts:

April 26th, 7:30 PM
West Virginia State University
Davis Fine Arts Theater

April 27th, 8:15 PM
West Virginia University
Bloch Performance Hall,
Creative Arts Center

More information at: http://fa2duo.blogspot.com/

From Performer to Maestro: A Return to the BPO for Stefan Sanders

It takes a serious amount of knowledge to become a conductor of an orchestra. That's why Maestro Stefan Sanders learned it from the inside out. He knew he…

It takes a serious amount of knowledge to become a conductor of an orchestra. That’s why Maestro Stefan Sanders learned it from the inside out. He knew he wanted to be a conductor, but started as a Bass Trombone player in the Buffalo Philharmonic and waited for his time. When conductor, JoAnn Falletta, gave him the chance to conduct the BPO, he jumped on the opportunity. Since then, he’s become Director of the Round Rock Symphony in Texas and an Associate Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic. Listen to hear his story and recordings of the BPO.

Playlist:
Corigliano — The Red Violin: III. Andante Flautando
Respighi — Church Windows: III. The Matins of St. Clare
Gershwin — Piano Concerto in F: III. Allegro con Brio

Montclaire String Quartet Performs LIVE at WVPB Studios

The Montclaire String Quartet performed LIVE without a net in the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Studios at 600 Capitol Street Friday, February 13th.

The tightly-knit ensemble performed selections from their upcoming concert titled “The Silver Screen.” These pieces included selections from film and selections from film composers that were written as concert music.

At our studios, they performed:

Nino Rota — 2 movements from Concerto for Strings
Bernard Hermann — selection from Echoes
Alexander Borodin — Nocturne
Astor Piazzolla — Tango Ballet

They will perform these selections and MORE at their recital at the Erma Byrd Gallery at the University of Charleston at 3:00 PM this Sunday, February 15th.

Tickets at wvsymphony.org

Performers:
Anton Shelepov – Violin I
Cristian Fatu – Violin II
Bernard Di Gregorio – Viola
Andrea Di Gregorio – Cello

Maestro André Raphel Brings New Music to Life

Take a listen as Maestro André Raphel talks with us about his upcoming concert of Spanish and American Music with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, their…

Take a listen as Maestro André Raphel talks with us about his upcoming concert of Spanish and American Music with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, their composer-in-residence, Roberto Sierra, and their guest violinist, Michael Ludwig.

Their concert features:

Roberto Sierra: Fandangos
Barber: Violin Concerto
Piazzolla: TresMovimientosTanguisticosPorteños
Piazzolla: Oblivion
Falla The Three-Cornered Hat Suite No. 2

The concert is Friday Nov. 7th 8 PM at Wheeling’s Capitol Theatre. Tickets and information at wheelingsymphony.com.

In Studio with the Montclaire String Quartet

This past Wednesday, the Montclaire String Quartet stopped by the studios at West Virginia Public Radio for a live in-house performance. They performed selections from their upcoming concerts, gave their insights into the pieces and talked about the group’s recent transitions. The members are from around the world but have found a home in West Virginia, and this year they welcome Cristian Fatu to the group. Here is this year’s instrumentation:

Anton Shelepov — 1st violin
Cristian Fatu — 2nd violin
Bernard DiGregorio — Viola
Andrea DiGregorio — Cello

Their upcoming concert is at the University of Charleston Sunday, September 14th at 3:00 PM. Tickets are available in advance by calling the Clay Center Box Office at 304-561-3570 or online at wvsymphony.org. Tickets can also be acquired at the door at 2:00 PM.

Their playlist for Wednesday’s on-air performance:

Giocomo Puccini: Crisantemi
Robert Schumann: Quartet in A Minor, Opus 41, No. 1
Frank Bridge: String Quaratet No. 1 in E minor “Bologna”, H. 70