Walla Walla Symphony

The Walla Walla Symphony is an orchestra based in Walla Walla, Washington. Founded in 1907, the Walla Walla Symphony is the "oldest continuously operating symphony west of the Mississippi".Walla Walla Symphony website The current Music Director and Conductor is Yaacov Bergman, who has held the position since 1987. The Walla Walla Symphony performs most of its concerts at Cordiner Hall located on Whitman College Campus and provides a Symphonic, Chamber and Discovery Series, along with special concerts throughout the year.
==Concert Series==
* Symphonic Series concerts are performed at Cordiner Hall, Whitman College Campus and provide music to over 1,000 patrons each concert.
* Chamber Series feature musicians from the Walla Walla Symphony who perform in a smaller, more intimate setting. The concerts include complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres.
* Discovery Series are concerts featuring nontraditional symphonic music guest artists, or concerts in a unique setting. One example, Mares 'n' Music, is held at the Walla Walla Fairgrounds and local horse groups perform drills and patterns to live symphonic music in the arena.
* Special Concerts provide the area's youth the opportunity to listen to live, age-appropriate symphonic music. The Walla Walla Symphony performs a Family "Foodraiser" concert followed by two free Kids' Concerts the next morning for 2,600 fourth and fifth graders. The Family Concert attire is come as you are, and the admission is a can of food as donation to the local food banks.
==Youth Programs==
The Walla Walla Symphony sponsors and supports free youth programs that allow children of all ages and backgrounds to participate in music.
* Encore! Musical Instrument Lending Program is a nationally recognized program that allows interested students the capability of borrowing musical instruments from the lending library for free. The instruments are returned to the symphony office once a year to make repairs if necessary.
* Walla Walla Symphony Youth Orchestra is a tuition-free youth orchestra directed by Benjamin Gish. The audition-based ensemble varies in age from 12-18 and students travel over 2 hours to play with the ensemble. Founded in August 2008 with the help of Sherwood Trust, the orchestra performs concerts twice a year.
* Rock & Roll Camp is a week-long, free camp designed for teenagers to participate and learn the genres of music that they're interested in. The teens take workshop classes all week, form ensembles and perform a final free concert to the public at the end of the week. Classes include: Bass Guitar, Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar, Percussion, Advanced Percussion, Brass, Keyboard, Vocal, Video & Zine, Bass & Guitar Sound Dynamics, Beginning & Advanced Guitar Theory, Studio Work, T-shirt Production, Rock & Blues Harmonica, Blogs & Twitter, Songwriting and Afro-Cuban Drumming.
* Taking it to the Kids Program is a comprehensive youth music education project. The program involves two free Kids' Concerts for 2,600 fourth and fifth graders, a free "foodraiser" concert the night before the Kids' Concerts, school visits by Walla Walla Symphony Musicians and youth scholarships to talented young players that are eligible to play with the orchestra.
==Musical Directors and Conductors==
* 1907-1922 Edgar Fischer
* 1922-1923 Gottfried Herbst
* 1923-1924 Karel Havlicek
* 1924-1934 Alice Reynolds Fischer
* 1934-1936 Victor Johnson
* 1936-1940 Walter Wren
* 1940-1941, 1942-45 Frank Beezhold
* 1941-1942 Nelson O. Schreiber
* 1945-1969 William H. Bailey
* 1969-1976 Jose Rambaldi
* 1977-1986 R. Lee Friese
* 1986-1987 Cindy Egolf Sham-Rao
* 1987–Present Yaacov Bergman
==Recent Guest Artists==
Stephen Beus, Peter Soave, Michael Lewin, Tai Murray, Richard Markson, Mayumi Fujikawa, Gerald Robbins, Lucille Beer, Marie Birve, Sharin Apostolou, Karen Zizzi, Brendan Tuohy, Christopher Clayton, Matthew James, Hamilton Cheifetz, Kraig Scott, Charles Robert Stephens, Ross Hauck, Angela Niederloh, Janice Johnson, David Krakauer, Adam Lau, Matt Dolphin, Sarah Parnicky, Dick Hyman, Julia Gish Salerno, Debra Richter, Jay Zhong, Jon Klein, Dean Kravig, Victor Benedetti, Juliana Rambaldi, Jeffrey Springer, Dana Peterson, Alexander Bernstein, Evangelia Kingsley, Jodie Langel, Ron Spivak, Camille Peterson, Jenny Hayden, Waldemar Malicki, Anthony Taylor, Thomas Hampson, Eugene Ballet.
==World Premiere Compositions==
* Hamchilla Holiday by Parker Davis
* Lyric Symphony and The Legend of Chief Joseph by John Verrall
* Escapade, The Manhattan Jazz Suite, and Jazz Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra by Marvin Schluger
*Premiere Ouverture, Op. 23 (Modern World Premiere) by Louise Farrenc
* Symphony No. 2 by John David Earnest
* Chasing the Light by William Berry
* Christmas Fantasy for Jazz Quintet and Orchestra, Artist Portraits, A Valley Of Streams, Quintet & Orchestra by David Glenn
* Chant and Improvisation, Variations on a Gregorian Chant for Jazz Trio and Orchestra by Tom Simon
* Piano Concerto by Tania Cronin
* Great River Percussion Concerto by Forrest Pierce
* An American Concerto by Gwyneth Walker
* Symphony No. 47, "Walla Walla, Land of Many Waters" by Alan Hovhaness
* Svanen (Modern World Premiere) by Elfrida Andree.
==References==
* Schultz, D. (2006). "A Dream Fulfilled"
==External links==
* 
* Walla Walla Symphony Youth Orchestra
* Walla Walla Symphony Website
Category:American orchestras
Category:Musical groups from Washington (state)
Category:Walla Walla, Washington