GLEN ECHO, Md. - Marylandian -- WCM Community Orchestra will perform the world premiere of "Overture-Salon Glen Echo" for its upcoming concert.  This new piece composed by orchestra member (violinist) and composer-in-residence Yoko Wylegala is inspired by the park itself.

When the pandemic shut down in-person rehearsals and performances, the group's future was uncertain.  Zivkovic, like most during the pandemic, pondered the direction and uncertainty of music in the wake of numerous music groups having to cancel rehearsals and performances.   "After the pandemic, the first question we had to answer was, 'do we have an orchestra?' Then it took another year to see what was feasible," said Zivkovic, as many musicians had left the area or stopped playing.  Eventually, rehearsals and performances resumed, and new and old members brought their energy and talent to the orchestra.

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The program will also feature the performance of Symphony No. 2 in D Major by Jean Sibelius.  Bouncing back from the pandemic with a renewed sense of zeal and interest in making music together, Zivkovic approached Wylegala about writing a new piece to open its 2023-24 season.  Wylegala named the piece 'Salon Glen Echo' and expressed that "the piece gained its own personality and directed the composition process."  The orchestra's weekly rehearsals take place in the same space that hosts Glen Echo's lively social dance scene. Wylegala, a regular at both the dances and the orchestra, wrote themes in 'Salon Glen Echo' inspired by the tango, salsa, and cha cha dances.

Born in Tokyo, Yoko Wylegala studied music and composition in Mexico, Peru, Berlin and Hong Kong, where she received her Ph.D. in music composition. Her compositions have been performed worldwide. Most recently, in April her chamber opera 'Nakhoda Manis' was commissioned for the Puccini International Chamber Opera Festival in Lucca, Italy. 'Salon Glen Echo' is the first of her orchestral pieces to be performed in the United States. She received an Art and Humanities Fellowship from the District of Columbia as an orchestra composer in 2020.

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The Washington Conservatory Community Orchestra, based at Glen Echo Park,  is an ensemble of more than 50 avid amateur musicians requiring no audition and open to amateur musicians from the Greater DC Metro area, performing a wide range of modern and traditional orchestral music.  Jovan Zivkovic has led the group since 2017. The Washington Conservatory of Music, based at Glen Echo Park, is a nationally accredited, nonprofit community music school serving children, teens, and adults.
http://www.washingtonconservatory.org

Sunday, December 10, 5 PM
North Chevy Chase Christian Church
8814 Kensington Parkway
Kensington, MD  20815

Free and open to the public