The WCFSO is a professional orchestra based at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I consider myself lucky to lead such a wonderful group of people in musical performance every month. Follow our current work in the wcfso, audio and video archives of my blog; highlights of our past few seasons are below. We're now on Facebook, too!
2008/9 season: Expect the Unexpected
Check my schedule for details on the upcoming season's WCFSO events
Expect the Unexpected brochure [pdf]
2007/8 season: Art Between Two Rivers
A special program of chamber music by composers touched by the Holocaust
A powerful new visual accompaniment to Holst's Planets as interpreted by artist Gary Kelley
Matt Haimovitz's first visit to the area, performing Barber with the orchestra
World premiere of Passing Season by 2007/8 composer-in-residence Philip Wharton
Celebrating 25 years of the Iowa Composer's Forum
Revisiting Dvořák's stay in northern Iowa with over 4000 area elementary school students
Art Between Two Rivers brochure [pdf]
2006/7 season: Music of the Dance
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg plays Tchaikovsky and Peter Schickele returns as P.D.Q. Bach
Our exploration of Mahler reaches the Fourth Symphony
An unforgettable Shostakovich Fifth
Fantasia Live!, a self-produced afternoon of dance and music for families
Music of the Dance brochure [pdf]
2005/6 season: Mozart meets Modernism
Mozart's 250th birthday, featuring the Gran Partita, choral works and the Two Piano Concerto
David Shifrin, my former teacher, performing Copland with the WCFSO
A weekend of Latin jazz with renowned local salsa band Orquesta Alto Maiz
Mozart meets Modernism brochure [pdf]
2004/5 season: 75th Anniversary
Performing Dvořák with Yo-Yo Ma
Music Alive grant supporting residencies in January and March with Peter Schickele
Mahler's Second Symphony broadcast on Iowa Public Television
Initiating a multi-year partnership with the Northern Iowa Youth Orchestra
$1M raised for the orchestra’s endowment fund
75th anniversary season brochure [pdf]
2003/4 season: Living Music
Introducing music by a living American composer on each classical concert
World premiere of 'Souvenir' by Philip Rothman as part of the season-opening Brahms festival
Local commission pairing UNI composer Alan Schmitz with budding elementary school composers
A new annual chamber music program featuring colleagues from the orchestra and around the state
Performing Mahler's First Symphony, kicking off a multi-year exploration of the composer