It’s hard to believe it’s already August, and WSO rehearsal start in September! It’s been a busy summer for us as we line up our four guest conductors, and begin promoting our upcoming season.
We are honored to have Keehun Nam, Dennis Friesen-Carper, Richard Haglund and Hannah Schendel leading our concerts from the podium this season. Each of them brings a unique and diverse approach to musical direction. You can check out their bios at this link. At the end of our season, the WSO Membership will vote in a new permanent music director. We hope you plan to attend every concert, and welcome you to be a part of this experience alongside us.
The process of searching for a new, permanent music director has been both challenging and invigorating for the organization. It’s given us the opportunity to look at who we are, and why we choose to serve the greater Twin Cities community. If you are reading this, you are already a part of our community. We never discount the importance and the value of having musicians coming together to perform free concerts that bring a little extra joy to someone’s life. In a hectic, complicated world, sometimes it’s the simple things that matter the most.
Click on the links above for full concert details.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we look forward to seeing you this fall!
https://thewso.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/wayzata-symphony-orchestra-mainLogo.png00Melissa Kalalhttps://thewso.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/wayzata-symphony-orchestra-mainLogo.pngMelissa Kalal2022-08-04 11:53:012022-08-04 12:03:522022-23 Season is Almost Here!
I have wondered about nature’s music ever since my mother pointed out that it is everywhere if you will only listen. Birds, nature’s finest musicians, sing incredibly complex songs. With two sets of vocal cords, they can harmonize with themselves. Loons have been “calling” since the time of the dinosaurs! Humpback whales sing the same 30-minute song as they migrate and if one whale makes an adaptation, they all learn it and incorporate it into the song.
Our concert on May 1 is made up of pieces written by composers who were inspired by the sounds of nature and our guest, David Rothenberg, who has written many books on the subject, will provide valuable insight.
This concert will be especially meaningful for me because it will be my last as Music Director of this wonderful orchestra. It will be a bittersweet departure. As I told the musicians, my shelf life as a conductor has not expired but my instinct, which has never failed me, says it’s time for a change.
I look forward to seeing you all on May 1 at Wayzata Central Middle School at 3:00 pm. For details, visit the link below.
After 17 months of unwelcome hiatus, we are thrilled to be back, stronger than ever, presenting a season of exciting programs. There is mounting pressure to make orchestras and their programs more reflective of the communities they serve, so diversity in classical music has become a political – as well as an artistic – imperative. Our programs reflect our desire to embrace that challenge.
We have a fabulous new home at Wayzata Central Middle School. The auditorium provides everything we need – an acoustically superb stage, large audience capacity, welcoming reception area and ample parking.
NACHITO HERRERA! October 3 and October 10, 2021
What is so unique and miraculous about Nachito Herrera is his amazing ability to inhabit two very different musical worlds – classical and Latin jazz. He is the perfect example of how an enlightened artist can transcend various genres creating something that floats above it all. He is a Cuban immigrant who is not just breaking down barriers, he is showing that diversity is an essential part of moving humanity forward. Repertoire includes Rachmaninoff, Piano Concert No. 2 and the premiere of Esperanza (Hope). Upon waking after 11 days in the ICU recovering from COVID-19, the melody came to Nachito.
MINNESOTA’S OWN. November 21, 2021 KEVIN KLING, Special Guest
This program will be a musical tribute to Minnesota. We will showcase the creations of two MN composers, Libby Larsen and Stephen Paulus. Between each musical selection, internationally renowned MN storyteller, Kevin Kling, will share his literary genius including his original narration for Benjamin Britten’s, Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
THE WSO CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH. FEBRUARY 27, 2022 BRUCE HENRY, Jazz vocalist/Historian
Our soloist for this program will be Jazz vocalist and African American historian, Bruce Henry. With his help, we will provide a musical overview of the African American musical voice from
1750 – 2020 including symphonies, spirituals, gospel and leading composers of the Harlem Renaissance, Duke Ellington and William Grant Still. We finish with Umoja written by Valerie Coleman, declared Performance Today’s 2020 Classical Woman of the Year.
WHY DO ANIMALS SING? May 1, 2022 DAVID ROTHENBERG, Musician/Author/ Composer/Philosopher
David Rothenberg has written several books including Why Birds Sing, Bug Music, Thousand Mile Song. He has played his amplified clarinet underwater with whales, with nightingales in Berlin and traveled the world speaking on the subject of the musical connection between humans and animals. Between all pieces, he will share his expertise and recordings of bees, birds and whales, providing fascinating connections to human music. We have commissioned him to write a piece for this concert based on our State Bird, the Loon. The piece is entitled Loon Asylum because that is what you call a group of loons.
Thank you to all of you that continued to support us during the pandemic. We are excited to resume full rehearsals in September, and look forward to seeing you at our concerts this season!
– Marlene
https://thewso.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/wayzata-symphony-orchestra-mainLogo.png00Melissa Kalalhttps://thewso.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/wayzata-symphony-orchestra-mainLogo.pngMelissa Kalal2021-07-18 10:37:152021-07-18 10:51:24WSO – Resilient and Strong!
2022-23 Season is Almost Here!
/in WSO NewsAugust 4, 2022
It’s hard to believe it’s already August, and WSO rehearsal start in September! It’s been a busy summer for us as we line up our four guest conductors, and begin promoting our upcoming season.
We are honored to have Keehun Nam, Dennis Friesen-Carper, Richard Haglund and Hannah Schendel leading our concerts from the podium this season. Each of them brings a unique and diverse approach to musical direction. You can check out their bios at this link. At the end of our season, the WSO Membership will vote in a new permanent music director. We hope you plan to attend every concert, and welcome you to be a part of this experience alongside us.
The process of searching for a new, permanent music director has been both challenging and invigorating for the organization. It’s given us the opportunity to look at who we are, and why we choose to serve the greater Twin Cities community. If you are reading this, you are already a part of our community. We never discount the importance and the value of having musicians coming together to perform free concerts that bring a little extra joy to someone’s life. In a hectic, complicated world, sometimes it’s the simple things that matter the most.
Please mark your calendars:
October 9, 2022 (Keehun Nam)
November 20, 2022 (Dennis Friesen-Carper) (also featuring WSO Concerto Winner Ava Lambert, Cello)
March 5, 2023 (Richard Haglund)
May 7, 2023 (Hannah Schendel)
Click on the links above for full concert details.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we look forward to seeing you this fall!
Why Do Animals Sing?
/in WSO NewsMarch 28, 2022
Why Do Animals Sing?
I have wondered about nature’s music ever since my mother pointed out that it is everywhere if you will only listen. Birds, nature’s finest musicians, sing incredibly complex songs. With two sets of vocal cords, they can harmonize with themselves. Loons have been “calling” since the time of the dinosaurs! Humpback whales sing the same 30-minute song as they migrate and if one whale makes an adaptation, they all learn it and incorporate it into the song.
Our concert on May 1 is made up of pieces written by composers who were inspired by the sounds of nature and our guest, David Rothenberg, who has written many books on the subject, will provide valuable insight.
This concert will be especially meaningful for me because it will be my last as Music Director of this wonderful orchestra. It will be a bittersweet departure. As I told the musicians, my shelf life as a conductor has not expired but my instinct, which has never failed me, says it’s time for a change.
I look forward to seeing you all on May 1 at Wayzata Central Middle School at 3:00 pm. For details, visit the link below.
Why Do Animals Sing? Bugs, Birds and Whales
WSO – Resilient and Strong!
/in WSO NewsJuly 2021
After 17 months of unwelcome hiatus, we are thrilled to be back, stronger than ever, presenting a season of exciting programs. There is mounting pressure to make orchestras and their programs more reflective of the communities they serve, so diversity in classical music has become a political – as well as an artistic – imperative. Our programs reflect our desire to embrace that challenge.
We have a fabulous new home at Wayzata Central Middle School. The auditorium provides everything we need – an acoustically superb stage, large audience capacity, welcoming reception area and ample parking.
NACHITO HERRERA! October 3 and October 10, 2021
What is so unique and miraculous about Nachito Herrera is his amazing ability to inhabit two very different musical worlds – classical and Latin jazz. He is the perfect example of how an enlightened artist can transcend various genres creating something that floats above it all. He is a Cuban immigrant who is not just breaking down barriers, he is showing that diversity is an essential part of moving humanity forward. Repertoire includes Rachmaninoff, Piano Concert No. 2 and the premiere of Esperanza (Hope). Upon waking after 11 days in the ICU recovering from COVID-19, the melody came to Nachito.
MINNESOTA’S OWN. November 21, 2021 KEVIN KLING, Special Guest
This program will be a musical tribute to Minnesota. We will showcase the creations of two MN composers, Libby Larsen and Stephen Paulus. Between each musical selection, internationally renowned MN storyteller, Kevin Kling, will share his literary genius including his original narration for Benjamin Britten’s, Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
THE WSO CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH. FEBRUARY 27, 2022 BRUCE HENRY, Jazz vocalist/Historian
Our soloist for this program will be Jazz vocalist and African American historian, Bruce Henry. With his help, we will provide a musical overview of the African American musical voice from
1750 – 2020 including symphonies, spirituals, gospel and leading composers of the Harlem Renaissance, Duke Ellington and William Grant Still. We finish with Umoja written by Valerie Coleman, declared Performance Today’s 2020 Classical Woman of the Year.
WHY DO ANIMALS SING? May 1, 2022 DAVID ROTHENBERG, Musician/Author/ Composer/Philosopher
David Rothenberg has written several books including Why Birds Sing, Bug Music, Thousand Mile Song. He has played his amplified clarinet underwater with whales, with nightingales in Berlin and traveled the world speaking on the subject of the musical connection between humans and animals. Between all pieces, he will share his expertise and recordings of bees, birds and whales, providing fascinating connections to human music. We have commissioned him to write a piece for this concert based on our State Bird, the Loon. The piece is entitled Loon Asylum because that is what you call a group of loons.
Thank you to all of you that continued to support us during the pandemic. We are excited to resume full rehearsals in September, and look forward to seeing you at our concerts this season!
– Marlene