Director’s Message

Dear Orchestra Lovers,

Welcome to the most unusual season that the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra has faced since its founding in 2002. Due to Covid-19 protocols many changes have taken place in the world around us as well as within the WHSO. The orchestra is still together and strong, facing a challenging year of rehearsal space as well as concert spacing. The WHSO is on a mission to return to normal conditions as soon as possible while keeping our membership and our supportive subscribers safe and healthy.

Please read and familiarize yourself with our Covid-19 protocol.

We are easing our way into our 19th season which will have some changes. All our concerts this year will be in the lovely Roberts Theater on the Kingswood Oxford campus. The concerts will be shorter than usual, with no intermission and no refreshments of any sort offered. At previous concerts, we would have items for sale on the tables in the lobby, but that will not be the case this season. Regarding our usual lovely programs that contained concert and artist information as well as many advertisements, we have decided to conserve our funding and not print them this year. Now that you know about the physical setup of our concerts this season, it is time to discuss our opening program and performers.

The WHSO is very proud of our two featured soloists. Each soloist is a Conard High School senior who will be graduating next June and leaving our orchestra to pursue their dreams as they enter their college years. Cellist Maggie Slap has been a member of the town’s orchestra since she was a student at Sedgwick Middle School. She will be performing the charming and challenging “Rococo Variations” by Tchaikovsky. Our violist, Thomas Tarutin, joined the orchestra during his freshman year and will be playing the lovely “Romanze for Viola and Orchestra” by Max Bruch. Two fanfares will round out the program. Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” and Chiarappa’s own “Fanfare for the Uncommon Person.”

It is our hope that you will continue to support the orchestra during these challenging times, and I look forward to seeing your smiling faces in the audience. After almost two years of no performances, our musicians look forward to bringing back the joy of live music to our audiences.

Richard Chiarappa
Music Director, WHSO