Chris Thile Will Perform with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra

On October 25, four-time GRAMMY Award winning mandolin player Chris Thile will join the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra (WSO) for a one-night-only performance. Best known for leading bluegrass bands Nickel Creek and the Punch Brothers, as well as hosting the NPR radio show Live from Here (formerly Prairie Home Companion), Thile will perform his new mandolin concerto Attention! alongside the WSO for their second Masterworks performance of the season.                     

“Over the past several years, the WSO has worked hard to bring in guest artists who represent the pinnacle of their respective musical fields, and Chris Thile certainly falls in that class,” says WSO Music Director John Devlin. “Between leading musical groups Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek to his collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer, Chris has won 4 GRAMMY Awards, as well as countless other accolades. He is truly one of the great American artists, and I cannot wait to share this special project, Attention!, with our audience.”

For his appearance with the WSO, Thile will perform Attention!, a piece composed by Thile that is described as “a narrative song cycle for extroverted mandolinist and orchestra.” The concerto showcases Thile’s many talents, with his musicality, songwriting, and storytelling all on display. In addition, Pittsburgh-based choral group Voces Solis will join Thile and the WSO for this performance.

“I had the opportunity to experience Attention! when Chris performed with the National Symphony Orchestra at the end of the summer, and it is truly that—an experience,” says Devlin. “Chris is often celebrated for his virtuosic playing, but to see that in combination with his undeniable charisma and storytelling ability is something special. I guarantee you have never seen anything like it!”

In addition to Thile’s concerto, the program will include three other musical selections. The concert will begin with Verdi’s Overture to La Forza del Destino, a piece that was performed during the WSO’s inaugural season in 1929. The WSO will then transition to contemporary Appalachian composer Brittany Green’s “In the Beginning,” followed by “Three Dance Episodes” from Leonard Bernstein’s On the Town. “Three Dance Episodes” was chosen in part to honor Wheeling native Everett Lee, a black conductor who broke several racial barriers in the 1950’s and was a close collaborator with Bernstein himself.

“A mandolin player is not a conventional choice for an orchestral soloist,” explains WSO Executive Director Sonja Thoms. “But the WSO celebrates unconventional artists, innovative concert formats and living American composers, so it is the perfect choice for us to present to our audiences.  While planning this program, we wanted to create a program that honored not only the heritage of the WSO, but that of the broader Ohio Valley and Appalachian region. It is beyond exciting to place a bluegrass musician centerstage as a soloist with our orchestra, and the fact that it is one of bluegrass’s most decorated musicians makes it even better.”

“It is an honor to work with Chris and bring him to the Ohio Valley,” Devlin says. “For those in the audience, I can promise the evening will be full of surprises, laughs, and positively mind-blowing playing. You don’t want to miss it!”

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