While we are on a break, we want to keep the music playing wherever we can. We will be sharing videos from our musicians, teachers and orchestra performances on our social media channels with the tag #wso2go
You can follow along on Facebook • Instagram and Twitter and we will post highlights on this page.
From the Executive Director:
Classical music provides us with resounding experiences! From quiet moments at home to sharing a meal with Beethoven in the background, music helps to keep us connected. Please consider a gift to help support YOUR symphony continue to bring you music and educate thousands of area children.
Please >click here to donate now and share music with your friends and families.
Stay Well,
Moving Forward Together Concert recorded at the Palace Theatre, July 2020
July 24, 2020
Kira Bokalders, clarinet
July 9, 2020
Emily Cornelius, 51st Season Opening Night Guest Concertmaster
July 2, 2020
Devin Arrington, violin
Devin Arrington performs his original composition inspired by his travels and study of South Indian Carnatic violin.
June 28, 2020
Will Teegarden, cello
Will Teegarden performs Bach’s Prelude.
June 12, 2020
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra performed Walker’s “Lyric for Strings” on February 2, 2013, at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. This performance was part of the WSO’s 44th season.
June 7, 2020
Risé Kostilnik, oboe
6 Questions with a Musician – Episode 4
June 3, 2020
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra
The WSO performed Delius’ “On Hearing the First Cuckoo of Spring” on October 12, 2017 at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg during the 49th season
June 1, 2020
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra performed Elgar’s “Enigma Variations” on March 13, 2004 at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. This performance was part of the WSO’s 35th season.
May 28, 2020
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra performed Bach’s “Magnificat” on November 2, 2013, at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. This performance was part of the WSO’s 45th season and the first collaboration with the WSO Chamber Singers.
May 24, 2020
Amy Baker, bassoon Kira Bokalders, clarinet, and Sarah Steranka, flute
Kummer’s Trio in F Major, Op. 32, III. Rondo allegretto.
May 22, 2020
Austin Sposato, horn
6 Questions with a Musician – Episode 3
Click to tune in as Austin answers questions about chamber music and how he decided to become a musician.
May 15, 2020
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra
May 12, 2020
Daniel Meyer’s “Love Letters” Playlist on Spotify
>Click here to listen to all of the Playlists
May 6, 2020
Justin Kohan principal trumpet
6 Questions with a Musician – Episode 2
Listen in as Justin answers questions about his family polka band, teaching, and his favorite music.
May 1, 2020
Samantha Nelson, violin
Samantha Nelson, with the Muse Quartet, perform from the “Wood Works” collection of Nordic folk tunes arranged by the Danish Quartet.
About the Muse String Quartet: Exploring an array of genres including folk, jazz, and classical music, the Muse String Quartet brings performances to the Pittsburgh community and surrounding areas. The quartet is comprised of four professional string players, all having received advanced music degrees from the Carnegie Mellon School of Music and currently representing esteemed local music organizations including the Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh and Westmoreland Symphony. Learn more on their Facecbook page.
April 25, 2020
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra performed Beethoven’s Symphony No, 9 in D minor, Op. 125 “Choral” on May 20, 2017, at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. This performance was part of the WSO’s 48th season.
April 22, 2oo2
Tom Godfrey Principal Flute
April 19, 2020
Jason Neukom, Associate Concertmaster
6 Questions with a Musician – Episode 1
Listen in as Jason Neukom, associate concertmaster (and founding member of Beo String Quartet) answers “6 Questions with a Musician.”
April 17, 2020
Nadine Sherman, Associate Principal Cello
From her home to yours…thanks to Nadine Sherman for sharing “An Open Book” a piece she composed in college. Learn more about Nadine on her website.
April 16, 2020
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra performed Sergei Prokofiev’s (1891-1953) Violin Concerto No. 2 – Andante assai on October 12, 2019 at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg.
April 12, 2020
WSO Principal Bassoon Linda Morton Fisher
Happy Easter! Thanks to WSO Principal Bassoon Linda Morton Fisher for sharing this Easter performance of “Agnus Dei” (Hovland arr.) featuring the Shadyside Presbyterian Church choir, under the direction of Mark Anderson.
April 9, 2020
Artistic Director Daniel Meyer
Artistic Director Daniel Meyer recorded a message that includes the final movement of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 for you to enjoy at home! You can also listen to his “Calm” playlist on Spotify by clicking here.
April 6, 2020
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra performed Franz Schubert’s (1797-1828) Symphony No. 3 – Allegretto on March 16, 2019 at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. This performance was part of the WSO’s 50th Anniversary Season.
In his short life (he died at age 31) Schubert composed more than 1,000 pieces of music. He was a student of Antonio Salieri, and later Schubert became a full-time teacher and composed music in his little free time. It is said his best work was done quickly – he even wrote a song on the back of a café menu! His Symphony No. 3 was written in 1815, but like much of his work, it wasn’t performed publicly until decades after his death. It premiered in 1881 at London’s Crystal Palace led by August Friedrich Manns.
April 2, 2020
WSO Principal Clarinet Ryan Leonard
About the Artists: Ryan Leonard performed Greenbaum’s Mondrian Interiors with his group the Incidental Chamber Players. They enjoy “championing works by composers who we feel don’t get their due,” said Ryan. This performance was part of their Continents series, where each concert is focused solely on one continent. In addition to Ryan the musicians include David Fitzpatrick, oboe; Kyle Morelock, horn; Kika Wright, bassoon; Amaury Morales, piano and Natalie Severson, harp.
About the Music: Australian composer Stuart Greebaum (b. 1966) was inspired to write the Mondrian Interiors after a visit to the Tate Gallery in London where he came across an exhibition of Dutch artist Piet Mondrian, widely regarded as a pioneer of 20th-century abstract art. Inspired by what he saw, Greenbaum purchased postcards of the paintings and later wrote his eight-movement composition. This clip features VII. Composition with Yellow Lines and VIII. Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue.
>Click here to see Mondrian’s Paintings
March 30, 2020
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto – Allegro moderato recorded on February 16, 2019, at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. This performance was part of the WSO’s 50th Anniversary Season.
This is not your average break up song. Tchaikovsky wrote the violin concerto after fleeing to Switzerland following his difficult divorce. The concerto came together in just a month’s time and is written in three movements filled with lyric melody suggestive of Slavic and Russian folksongs. The work premiered in Vienna in 1881, performed by Adolph Brodsky and conducted by Hans Richter.
March 29, 2020
Devin Arrington
Jules Massenet (1842-1912) “Meditation” (from the opera Thais) composed in 1892. Performed by Devin Arrington, violin and Jeanne Kohn – piano. Recorded at the Church of the Ascension.
March 23, 2020
WSO flutist Sarah Steranka
This clip features WSO flutist Sarah Steranka playing Elizabeth Brown’s Acadia for Flute and Shakuhachi, with the composer on the shakuhachi (a Japanese and ancient Chinese bamboo flute).
About the Artist
Sarah Steranka earned a BFA at Carnegie Mellon University and is working toward her master’s at Duquesne University. In addition to the WSO, she is a core member of the nationally recognized new music ensemble Kamratōn, where she plays flute and piccolo as well as alto, bass, and contrabass flutes.
About the Composer
Elizabeth Brown was born in 1953 in Camden, Alabama, where she grew up on an agricultural research station. After receiving a Master’s degree in flute performance from The Juilliard School in 1977, she started composing in the late 1970s. Brown began studying shakuhachi in 1982 and its music has been a major influence on her musical language. She is celebrated both here and in Japan for her compositions combining eastern and western sensibilities.
March 22, 2020
WSO Violinist Devin Arrington
Devin performs a beautiful arrangement of “You Raise Me Up” with pianist Birute Matonis recorded at the Third-Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. Click here to visit Devin’s Youtube Channel.
March 20, 2020
WSO oboist Risé Kostilnik
Our #wso2go features WSO oboist Risé Kostilnik with Jan Stivanson performing William Grant Still’s Incantation and Dance. Risé says “The video was part of a recital I gave in January 2019 to celebrate my successful hand surgery. That’s why there’s the ‘stick’ on my stand that I have to rest my oboe on sometimes.”
About the Artist: Risé Kostilnik has played oboe with the WSO for 35 years and teaches at Seton Hill University. She also plays with several quintets – Quinta Voce and Desperate Measures and belongs to the International Double Reed Society, Pittsburgh Musicians Union, and Tuesday Music Club.
About the Composer: William Grant Still (1895-1978) was the first African-American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra (Los Angeles Philharmonic, 1936) and to have a symphony performed by a professional orchestra (1930) among his many other accomplishments. You can learn more about his life and musical legacy through the Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200186213/
WSO oboist Risé Kostilnik
March 19, 2020
Associate Concertmaster Jason Neukom and Beo String Quartet
Happy First Day of Spring! It’s only fitting to share Mozart’s beautiful “Spring” Quartet for today’s #wso2go
Musicians: Jason Neukom, Sandro Leal-Santiesteban, Sean Neukom and Hannah Whitehead
March 18, 2020
Sarah Ferrell, cello
In today’s #wso2go WSO Cellist and Academy of Music instructor Sarah Ferrell shows her students how to set up for virtual lessons in this helpful video:
March 17, 2020
Austin Sposato, horn
Our first #wso2go video is from Austin Sposato, WSO horn player performing Anthony Plog’s Trio for Brass. Says Austin: “Anthony Plog is a trumpet player and composer who is still active today and I love playing modern brass chamber music. His music is complex, exciting and moving all within his distinct tonal language. This movement is all about the many moving parts coming together and coalescing.”
Musicians: Austin Sposato, horn; Michael Lockwood, trombone; John-Thomas Burson, flugelhorn
