To the Kennedy Center

Symphony Orchestra performs in Washington, D.C. landmark

IN MID-FEBRUARY, the WWU Symphony Orchestra had the unique chance to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., as part the 2024 Capital Orchestra Festival. WWU’s symphony orchestra was one of only four to be invited to participate, and performed pieces including Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and “Finale” to Saint-Saëns’ Third Symphony with organ.

“This opportunity to perform in a significant musical hall is a rare opportunity, one that is a once-in-a-lifetime event for many of our students,” said Brandon Beck, associate professor of music and Symphony Orchestra director.

The concert was part of a longer tour of the East Coast that included sightseeing, a workshop with a famous conductor, and an additional performance at the Spencerville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Silver Springs, Maryland. More than 50 student musicians from a variety of majors compose the orchestra, conducted by Beck.

Performing at the Kennedy Center was a once-in-alifetime experience for me. I was ecstatic to be on the same stage as many great musicians who had performed before me. It was a beautiful experience that I will never forget …

—Lisa Luzyl Wa-Mbaleka, sophomore health science major