MORGANTOWN — The WVU Symphony Orchestra opens its season with two performances this week.
WVUSO will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, at WVU’s Canady Creative Arts Center in Morgantown and Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Church-McKee Center for the Arts in Keyser.
The concerts features Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 8 in G Major;” Matthew Jackfert’s “The Black Bear Awakens,” with WVU Professor of Violin Mikylah Myers as soloist; and Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight.”
Jackfert is a WVU alum and West Virginia Public Radio host. He was inspired by the hibernation cycle of West Virginia’s black bear, specifically its winter torpor and its awakening to the new spring season, when he composed this concertino for violin and orchestra. He incorporates the folk song “Black is the Color of my True Love’s Hair” in the central section of the piece.
Richter’s score, “On the Nature of Daylight,” was originally composed in 2003 as part of a collection titled “The Blue Notebooks.” Possibly one of the most popular string works of recent years, the piece has been featured in several films, including “Shutter Island” and 2016’s “Arrival.” WVUSO will perform Richter’s piece in his version for full string orchestra.
Dvorak’s G major symphony was chosen as a celebration of the return to full orchestra, as it captures a myriad of emotions, from joy to grief.
Thursday’s event will be live-streamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsVx7jjwaL4.
For tickets to the Morgantown concert, visit the Creative Arts Center Box Office during the hours of 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily or call 304-293-SHOW (7469).
For tickets and information on the Keyser concert, call 304-788-3066 or 304-788-9465.
For more information, visit: https://symphony.wvu.edu/.
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