Wheeling Symphony kicks off July 4 festivities in Weirton
GOING OUT WITH A BANG — Saturday’s concert at the Weirton Event Center concluded with a fireworks display, provided by the City of Weirton. -- Craig Howell
SPECIAL GUEST — Guest vocalist Erica Gabriel accompanied the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra on several songs during Saturday’s concert, including “Country Roads,” “Colors of the Wind,” and various Broadway selections. -- Craig Howell
GOING OUT WITH A BANG — Saturday’s concert at the Weirton Event Center concluded with a fireworks display, provided by the City of Weirton. -- Craig Howell
SPECIAL GUEST — Guest vocalist Erica Gabriel accompanied the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra on several songs during Saturday’s concert, including “Country Roads,” “Colors of the Wind,” and various Broadway selections. -- Craig Howell
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WEIRTON -- The Weirton Event Center was alive with the songs of Broadway, John Williams and several patriotic selections Saturday, as the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra kicked off its 2023 Celebrate America! Tour.
Under the direction of John Devlin, the symphony took the stage in what has become a yearly visit to Weirton, performing a slate of 19 selections celebrating the nation and its armed forces, as well as popular culture.
"We love coming to Weirton every year for this very special concert," Devlin said.
The concert included some traditional patriotic tunes, such as "Stars and Stripes Forever," "Washington Post," and the "Armed Forces Salute," along with several John Williams compositions from the movies "Star Wars" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
Saturday's performance also served as a public debut for one of the symphony's songs. "The Heroism of Miss Betty Zane," was composed by Leanna Primiani and commissioned by the symphony. The song was inspired by the Betty Zane, whose family founded the first white settlement in what is now Wheeling. During the Siege of Fort Henry, when ammunition was getting low, Zane, then about 17 years of age, volunteered to run to her brother's nearby home to retrieve more.
"This is the first time this composition will be performed," Devlin announced.
Another West Virginia piece, composed by Matt Jackfert and commissioned by the Tucker County Foundation, was called "Canaan Valley Suite: I. Purple Fiddle," inspired, in part, by a live music venue in Thomas, W.Va.
Joining the symphony for this year's tour is vocalist Erica Gabriel, a soprano who has performed with orchestras across the country, with experience in both vocal competitions and education.
Her first performance of the evening was on "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," from "Phantom of the Opera," briefly discussing the impact of the world-renowned musical.
"It has a way of grabbing your emotions and bringing you into its world," she said of the selection.
Gabriel also provided vocals on renditions of "Country Roads," "America the Beautiful," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "Colors of the Wind," and "I Have Confidence."
At the beginning of Saturday's concert, the crowd was welcomed by Rachel Keeney, executive director of the Top of West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau, which organizes the annual summer concert series in Weirton.
Saturday's concert was made possible through the support of the Music for the Mountain State Endowment Fund, as well as local sponsors Charles M. and Thelma M. Pugliese Charitable Foundation; Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley; Serra Village Retirement Community; Comfort Inn; Hancock County Savings Bank; Summer's Enterprise; Weirton Medical Center; the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle; Cove Presbyterian Church; Electric O LLC; Frankovitch, Anetakis, Simon, DeCapio and Pearl; James White Construction Co.; Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort; Starvaggi; Steel Town Pre-Owned Auto Sales; Tudor's Biscuit World; Assure America; Ferguson Tire Services; First Choice America Community Federal Credit Union; Galloway Law Offices; Gus's Goodies; Hauser's; Linda Heilman; Mario's Restaurant; PS Marketing; Bob and Jane Watson; and Wine and Beverage Merchants of West Virginia.
The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra's Celebrate America! Tour continued Sunday with a performance in Canaan Valley, and today in Clarksburg, concluding Tuesday at Wheeling Heritage Port.