Thank you for showing your support for the Western Symphony Orchestra! In addition to funding from the WWU Music Department, the WSO is also largely dependent on individual giving to maintain its vibrant and important programming, including performances of major contemporary and historical works, daytime educational concerts, live-to-film productions like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, engagements with Indigenous composers and guest artists, and international concert tours. More than just a presence on the Western campus, the WSO also a major fixture in the musical constellation of the Bellingham community.
$10 WSO LUNCH SPECIAL
For Give Day 2024, we are focused primarily on engaging as many people as possible between 11AM and 1PM to win the "Lunchtime Crunchtime" challenge, which awards large bonuses to the two campaigns with the largest donor engagement (not dollars raised) during that window. Your gift of as little as $10 could help unlock over $3,500 in challenge funds from the WWU Foundation and College of Fine and Performing Arts!
Of course, larger gestures of support are always welcome, and donors who give $100 or more will receive a Western Symphony Orchestra mug!
ABOUT THE ORCHESTRA
Comprised of 70-80 of the finest student musicians from across the WWU campus, the Western Symphony Orchestra gives 5-6 performances each year, including traditional concerts, educational programs, operas, live-to-film productions, and an annual concerto competition concert featuring student soloists. Every four years, the WSO embarks on an international performance tour, most recently traveling to Spain in June of 2023.
Committed to advancing the discourse on orchestral music, the Western Symphony Orchestra has given world, American, and Pacific Northwest premieres of works by John Williams, William Bolcom, Kaija Saariaho, Mason Bates, Missy Mazzoli, and Roger Briggs. The WSO also frequently collaborates with faculty and guest artists, along with the Western Choirs and Opera Theatre.
The orchestra is also dedicated to performing works by underrepresented and Indigenous composers, and in recent years has given performances of major pieces by William Levi Dawson, Nathaniel Dett, Nkeiru Okoye, Florence Price, Silvestre Revueltas, William Grant Stilll, and Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate
Recent highlights include the unofficial US Premiere of John Williams' Prelude and Scherzo for Piano and Orchestra, featuring Grammy-winning pianist Gloria Cheng; the first live performance of the landmark Gil Evans/Miles Davis collaboration Sketches of Spain in the Pacific Northwest; conference appearances at the College Orchestra Directors Association and National Association for Music Education; a memorized, choreographed, and costumed production of Peter and the Wolf; and the second-ever performance of Bruce Ruddell’s The Healing Heart of the First People of This Land, commissioned by Upper Skagit elder Vi taqʷšəblu Hilbert.
