The World Civic Orchestra thrilled audiences in its 5th Anniversary Concert!  The WCO aims to be a source of hope and a beacon of light for many.  Featuring performers from all around the United States and abroad, the World Civic Orchestra represents everyone.  Under the music directorship of Vincent Koh, the program included Brahms’ Third Symphony and Hungarian Dance No. 5, Dvorak’s Cello Concerto and Slavonic Dance No. 2, and Kevin Clark’s Impressions of Manhattan.  The orchestra was joined by cello soloist HaiYe Ni, principal of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

WCO’s third concert, “The Ring of 1000 Souls & Sound” was presented as part of {Project Violin} “Bonds Made of a Thousand Tones”, a post tsunami-nuclear explosion program in Japan.  The violin used in the performance of Vaughn Williams’ “The Lark Ascending” was made from the debris from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan in March 2011.  The violin maker Mr. Muneyuki Nakazawa wishes the violin to be played 1,000 times as a way to remember the victims as well as celebrate the incredible strength of people when confronted by adversity.  The WCO performed Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” in dedication to the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Hurricane Sandy, 9/11, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Texas oil disaster, and the tornado in Oklahoma.  Joining the orchestra were violin soloist Kevin Chen and piano soloist Hsiang John Tu.

With the recent tragedy in Japan and the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the WCO spreads a worldwide message of hope and recovery. To accurately reflect the sentiments of our world today, the programming for the concert was specifically chosen. Each piece, as Music Director & Conductor Vincent Koh describes “truly epitomizes our goals at the WCO.”  The first piece “A Lincoln Portrait” composed by Aaron Copland symbolizes the much-needed American patriotism of the 1940s while being applicable to the much-needed patriotism of today.  The second piece, Bruch’s “Scottish Fantasy for Violin & Orchestra” triumphantly recalls Scottish tradition while reminding everyone to call back on imagination and a looser interpretation of things.  “The Moon Over the Ruined Castle,” a Japanese folk song, sheds light on the land and honors it after the devastation.  And finally, no other piece symbolizes the hope of freedom from misery and suffering than Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony.  The WCO was joined by WQXR radio host Jeff Spurgeon and violin soloists Antonio Pontarelli and Pei-Wen Liao.

In our inaugural concert, the WCO ignited the stage at Carnegie Hall with Beethoven’s famous Ninth Symphony.  87 orchestral musicians and 120 choral singers from around the USA and around the world, representing 18 countries came together through their shared passion of music and to share in one common goal – fill the differences of the world we live in today.  The WCO was joined by soloists Jo Ellen Miller (soprano), Blythe Gaissert (mezzo-soprano), Injoon Yang (tenor), and Randall Scarlata (baritone) under the leadership of Music Director & Conductor, Vincent Koh.