For a city this size, this is a great orchestra. The symphony's home is the Clay Center which is a lovely venue with great acoustics.
The orchestra is as good as much better known groups in larger cities (well, many of the musicians also play with the Pittsburg or Cleveland symphonies so this isn't as surprising as it appears at first). A big bonus for this one is that you can get excellent tickets (fairly cheaply) at the last minute. Almost all concerts are presented on both Friday and Saturday evenings, so you can work around most scheduling conflicts. And the fairly new concert hall features good acoustics, comfortable seats and (most important for half of us) lots and lots of stalls in the women's restrooms!
I always greatly enjoy the Symphony when I am able to attend. They put on some wonderful performances and are very professional. Nothing second class about them at all. If you enjoy great classical music by very talented people, I suggest you go to one of their performances soon.
and multiple venues for arts and sciences. Incredibly affordable performances most every month.
We went to see the Nutcracker and it was wonderful. The music was just lush and captivating. My entire family loved the performance and the seating at the Clay Center is great.
OK, we West Virginias are often starved for professional entertainment, even those of us who don't know it. There is nothing less than world class performance coming from our state orchestra! professional in every asepct! Miestro Cooper does sometimes select pieces that are more things that we need to hear than that we want to hear, but that's the great part. Something obscure is always paired with something familiar - you leave entertained, and educated!
As a West Virginia native, it was a delight to come home and hear such a wonderful group of musicians! It is an experience not to be missed if you are traveling to the Charleston, WV region.
My husband and I enjoy going to the orchestra. The music is wonderful! It is great to have such talented musicians in Charleston!
The WVSO is a wonderful orchestra under Maestro Grant Cooper. The recent Symphony Idol contest showcased the talent from around the state and the orchestras diversity.
Fortunately, this small town orchestra is a big town feel. No off-pitch tweets and cracks here, the performers are well-practiced and the maestro leads them in style.