Celebrating the 31st Season of the Manassas Symphony Orchestra

By Anna Bedell

For all music lovers out there, summer is a time we eagerly await — the beginning of every concert season. The summer of 2023 is the 31st season for the Manassas Symphony Orchestra, located in its home at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. President Diane Bennett, who has held the position for the last three years, along with a staff of volunteers, have supported the symphony with talented musicians while creating a unique experience.

The History

Founded in 1992 by Gail Kettlewell, the former provost of Northern Virginia Community College’s Manassas campus, the symphony has evolved over the years. It has become an interactive, creative environment for everyone in the community to enjoy.

The group has worked for decades to encourage student musicians, with many participating in concerts, as part of the orchestra or as soloists during the summer pop concerts and holiday concerts at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas.

“It is a labor of love for everyone involved, because everyone is a volunteer,” said Bennett.

A Musical Collective

Musical Director and Principal Conductor James Villani joined the symphony in 2002. “I'm principal conductor, I plan the programs for the year and organize the artistic side of the organization,” said Villani. “I pick the music, we work with the personnel manager to choose the musicians and work with the business side of the board.”

Villani said the group has to make sure they keep the budget in check, all while selecting talented musicians.

“We have a really exciting, varied program for the year,” said Villani. “From the end of the season in May, we featured a woman named Doreen Ketchins, a very famous jazz clarinet player from New Orleans.”

Half of the program was the orchestra with Ketchins playing traditional orchestral arrangements of Dixieland music as a soloist, he said, which is different for the program.

“Our program is something a little different, we're calling it seriously fun, where it's symphonic takes on music from some of John Williams’ music as part of the program,” said Villani.

Williams’ suite from Schindler's List, which is a violin solo, will feature Emil Cheytanov as the master soloist.

On the other side of the intermission, the musicians will be playing Carnival of the Animals with the two pianists who are members of the orchestra.

This year’s May 6 concert featured a collective of 75 to 80 musicians.

MSO plays favorite Broadway songs and melodies, joined by some of the stars of the 2022 and 2023 Prince William Little Theater/Manassas Symphony joint productions of The Sound of Music and Oliver. Oliver was held at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on July 14-16, 2023. The Broadway Lights, which is a free concert, will be held at the Harris Pavilion on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023, at 3 p.m.

“Our December family concert will be featuring a young man, a cello player from Fairfax County, who actually got his start at Prince William County Schools, his name is Kyle Ryu,” said Villani.

Ryu is an aspiring 11th-grade cellist who attends Robinson Secondary School. Advancing to the final round of many competitions, he won top prizes in the NVMTA Concerto Competition, Metropolitan Music Festivals, and the state division for the OPUS Competition. He is a recipient of NPR’s From the Top Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award, receiving a $10,000 scholarship to continue his musical studies, and was featured on NPR’s From the Top radio broadcast in January 2023.

The annual family concert closes with the MSO’s exclusive colorful Music and Light Show, where the orchestra plays, while the whole auditorium is surrounded by lights synchronized in real-time with the music, Villani continued.

For the Love of Music

Alexander Bernstein was the featured piano soloist for Aspirations, the Manassas Symphony's Concert on May 6, 2023. He played American composer Edward MacDowell’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in A Major.

“It was Alex Bernstein who had masterclasses with students the day before the concert and we'll be doing that with our viola soloist in October,” said Villani.

The symphony reflects the health of art, all the arts organizations do, Villani stated, including the community choir, community theater, community bands, and all the community dance organizations.

“We really live in a metropolitan area that's cast as being rural, suburban, but we've got so much talent in this area,” said Villani. “I think it's important to the community because it really provides a low barrier entry for bringing kids to the concerts.”

MSO encourages children to attend by offering them free concert tickets, through college age with their student IDs, bringing multiple generations of families together. The cost point for adult tickets is low, compared to attending a fully professional symphony, he said.

Villani continued by saying, from the community perspective, it's a friends and neighbors kind of orchestra that provides exceptional quality concerts with opportunities for introducing kids and adults wherever they are on the orchestra experience scale.

“I sometimes look at the group, and I'm just astonished that we’ve been able to attract players from all over the spectrum, all very good players,” said Villani. “ And they talk about the quality of programming and were given the chance to play music that they actually have never played before.”

MSO gives people the opportunity to continue playing.

“As part of our mission, it’s to go to students in high school, for instance and say, ‘this isn't the end of the road’ to keep playing through college,” Villani continues.

Even when students are finished with college, they don't have to be a music major, or a professional musician to keep up their skills, he said.

“There's the opportunity to play in a high-quality group, that's our message is ‘keep playing,’” said Villani.

There are folks in the group from high school to 82 years old, with the opportunity for them to sit next to each other, play together, learn from each other, socialize, and make friends.

Funding/Donations/Sponsors

The Manassas Symphony Orchestra receives partial funding from the Prince William County Arts Council, City Of Manassas, Virginia Commission of the Arts, and National Endowment for the Arts.

Donations come from various private donors, along with public donations, which help MSO bring quality music to the community, reaching over 3,000 concert-goers annually.

Sponsors include Manassas Historic Heart, Modern Beat, NOVEC, and the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. To help the Manassas Symphony Orchestra with donations that support the music program, visit manassassymphony.org.

Anna Bedell is a freelance journalist and writer for Prince William Living Magazine. In her free time, she travels abroad and has a passion for exploring new places while meeting new people and volunteering.

Fall Yard Sale

Saturday, September 9th | 8am-12pm Manassas Park Community Center

Pre-registration is required for vendor space.

2023 Latino Fest City Of Manassas Park

Saturday, September 30th | 10am-6pm Manassas Park Community Center This event is FREE to attend.

Manassas Park Community Center 99 Adams Street

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