Wheeling Symphony Orchestra (WSO) announces its annual Celebrate America tour, conducted by Roger Kalia, featuring guest artists Tim O’Brien with Jan Fabricius and Mollie O’Brien with Rich Moore. The tour makes stops in cities in West Virginia, including Weirton, Davis, Clarksburg and Wheeling. The concerts are free and open to the public.
The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra’s annual summer holiday tour reaches tens of thousands of West Virginians and their neighbors each year. Along with favorite orchestral hits performed by the WSO, the concerts are headlined with special guest artists.
This year, Wheeling natives, Mollie and Tim O’Brien, will perform a number of their songs with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra with the help of Jan Fabricius and Rich Moore, respectively. Mollie O’Brien has released a number of albums both as a solo artist and as a duo with her brother, Tim. She is a Grammy-winning musician and regularly tours and performs with her husband, guitarist Rich Moore.
Tim O’Brien is also a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter with more than 10 studio albums, including the Grammy-winning “Fiddler’s Green,” in addition to charting the duet, “The Battle Hymn of Love,” with Kathy Mattea. His shows feature his solid guitar, fiddle and banjo, along with his engaging vocals and harmony from Jan Fabricius.
“We are extremely excited to share with our friends around the state of West Virginia the 2018 Celebrate America tour, featuring hometown natives, Mollie and Tim O’Brien,” said Wheeling Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Bruce Wheeler. “The program includes favorites such as ‘America the Beautiful,’ ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ and ‘The Armed Forces Salute,’ while showcasing the incredible charts and melodies of Mollie and Tim’s music. We also have the privilege of introducing to our audiences Maestro Roger Kalia, who has established himself as one of America’s most exciting young conductors.”
Conductor Roger Kalia is currently the assistant conductor of Pacific Symphony in Orange County, Calif., and the music director of Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra. He also serves as co-founder and music director of the Lake George Music Festival in upstate New York, the premier musical arts festival in the region. Kalia has been hailed as a conductor who leads with “passionate intensity” and recognized as “one to watch.” In addition to his current conducting roles, he is in consistent demand as a guest conductor with engagements including National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, Chicago Sinfonietta at Symphony Hall, Long Beach Symphony and Boise Philharmonic.
“We want everyone to come out with their friends and family, enjoy some incredible music from their Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, and celebrate America’s birthday with us,” said Wheeler. The tour runs from July 1-4 with the final performance at the Heritage Port in Wheeling. Visit wheelingsymphony.com for more information.
TOUR SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 1, 8 p.m. — Weirton Event Center, Weirton, W.Va.
Monday, July 2, 5 p.m. — Canaan Valley State Park, Davis, W.Va.
Tuesday, July 3, 7:30 p.m. — Clarksburg Amphitheatre, Clarksburg, W.Va.
Wednesday, July 4, 7:30 p.m. — Wheeling Heritage Port, Wheeling, W.Va.
