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DAVID STEWART WILEY has led the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra since 1996, helping the ensemble achieve ever-higher levels of artistry, while bonding it with the community-at-large. Late in 2023, the RSO Board announced the extension of his contract for another four years, making him the longest-tenured Music Director in the orchestra’s 71-year history. David also enjoys an enviable guest conducting career, having appeared with the distinguished symphonies of Atlanta, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Hawaii, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Oregon, Saint Louis, San Francisco and Utah, as well as with those in dozens of countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. He has a multi-faceted and in-demand career as an orchestra builder, guest conductor, arranger, educator and chamber music collaborator, and inspires and engages both orchestras and audiences alike. David made his triple debut with the Boston Pops as conductor, composer and piano soloist in Boston’s historic Symphony Hall.
Under his direction, Virginia’s Roanoke Symphony Orchestra (RSO) has experienced continued artistic growth, program innovation and expansion, along with increased financial stability. David’s tenure with the RSO is a remarkable success story, with consistently stellar reviews, a diverse and impressive list of guest artists and composers and innovative commissions of new music. He is an engaged, active and recognized community partner, having been named Roanoke’s “Citizen of the Year” for his outstanding service and outreach. David was part of the leadership team that traveled to Denver as Roanoke received its unprecedented 7th “All-American City” award. Wiley actively partners with schools and numerous arts and civic organizations, and the RSO & Wiley received a Distinguished Music Educator Award from Yale University for their work with local schools. They produced its first live TV broadcast, and collaborates with WVTF public radio to broadcast many of its concerts. His energetic work in bringing classical music to youth in greater-Roanoke’s minority communities has been steadfast, and he was honored by the NAACP as Citizen of the Year in the Arts. He and his wife Leah were honored at the MS Society’s “Dinner of Champions” for their leadership, and Maestro Wiley was honored during his 25th season by the governor and a joint bipartisan resolution in the Virginia house and senate.
As a solo pianist with diverse classical, pops and chamber music experience, David Stewart Wiley has performed with numerous orchestras in the United States including Boston, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Oregon, West Virginia and Wheeling, performing major concerti by Baroque to contemporary composers, often conducting from the piano. He has appeared in recital and chamber music appearances in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Russia and China. Numerous opera and ballet performances include the Aspen Opera Theater, IU Opera Theater and the Moscow Ballet.
As an experienced leader, David plans and facilitates an innovative experience with business executives and musicians together on stage titled “Conducting Change” which helps executives to model leadership skills in a fun and engaging atmosphere with a live orchestra. Corporations with successful experiences with this program include Allstate Insurance, Carilion Health Systems and member One Federal Credit Union.
Summer engagements include the Aspen Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, and the festivals of Garth Newel, Park City (Utah), Minnesota Orchestra Summerfest, Prince Albert (Hawaii), Sitka (Alaska) and Wintergreen (Virginia). From 1999 until 2006 Wiley was the Artistic Director & Conductor of the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival, where he founded and built the festival orchestra, created the student academy and led the festival to remarkable artistic growth in seven years, tripling the balanced budget.
David also serves as Artistic Director of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Music Festival, based in Floyd and Music Director & Conductor of Orchestra Long Island (OLI) in New York. As he has done for 20 years beginning in 2001 with the Long Island Philharmonic, he leads concerts for many thousands each year in venues from the Bronx to the Hamptons, in educational, pops, chamber, and classical and parks programs. Earlier in his career, he served as Assistant Conductor of The Minnesota Orchestra and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
Wiley’s CDs include an album of French Cello Concerti with Zuill Bailey & the Roanoke Symphony on Delos International, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 “Choral” with the RSO & Choruses, “American Piano Concertos” with Norman Krieger & the RSO on Artisie 4 which includes Wiley’s third piano concerto. He has released “Wiley & Friends: Classical Jazz, American Trumpet Concertos” with the Slovak Radio Symphony/Neebe, violin/piano duo CD “Preludes & Lullabies” with Akemi Takayama, Sempre Libera with soprano Adelaide Trombetta, a solo piano CD with all original compositions Full Circle, and Piano Bells. As a composer, he has written symphonic music for the film Lake Effects, which featured a soundtrack performed by the RSO, Wiley conducting, with original music by Boyle and Wiley.
David Stewart Wiley won the Aspen Conducting Prize, was Assistant Conductor for the Aspen Music Festival and was awarded a Conducting Fellowship at Tanglewood. Wiley holds both a Doctor and Master of Music in Conducting from Indiana University, a degree in Piano Performance with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music and a degree in Religion, summa cum laude, from Tufts University. He is a recipient of the Perry F. Kendig Prize for service to the arts, and is a Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International.
David and Leah have two sons, both currently in college in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Wiley draws verve, wit from RSO players in masterworks concert [headline]
The entire second half of the concert was taken up by Beethoven’s enduring Seventh Symphony. Wiley seemed to be channeling the spirit of Leonard Bernstein, whose centennial is being celebrated this year, and who was closely identified with this symphony throughout his career. Wiley drew the very best out of the symphony, and the performance was the highlight of the evening. There was a fierce intensity in the first movement; the second moved forward with relentless restlessness; the third was buoyant in the main sections, but in the trios came to thrilling climaxes; and the fourth showed a careful pacing of tempo, a rich range of dynamics and an incandescent energy that erupted closed to the end. The audience immediately rose to its feet, with loud cheers.
THE ROANOKE TIMES
Symphony dazzles huge audience under the stars [headline]
The [Roanoke Symphony] orchestra, conducted by David Stewart Wiley, was joined by members of the RSO Chorus, and the Southwest Virginia Ballet, directed by Pedro Szalay. The program was eclectic, including classical, Latin, cartoon music, folk, jazz, film and patriotic music, along with Broadway tunes. In sum, it was a joyous celebration of instrumental music as well as dancing and singing. For an encore, Wiley donned a costume and led with a light sabre the main theme from John Williams’ Star Wars, much to the delight of everyone.
THE ROANOKE TIMES
RSO goes big for holiday pops show {headline]
‘The more the merrier’ is a phrase often associated with holiday gatherings. The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops concert, featured more musicians than the organization could git onstage, with merriment to go around. Seven choirs, including the RSO’s own chorus, filled the stage behind the orchestra and a chunk of bleachers. Radford University Highlanders Pipes & Drums spent some time on stage. Soprano Adrienne Danrich sang multiple tunes. In all, 325 performers entertained a crowd of about 3,100, a number that RSO executive director David Crane said made it the biggest holiday concert in the commonwealth.
THE ROANOKE TIMES
Roanoke’s Remarkable Symphony Under the Stars [headline]
The hillside amphitheater in Elmwood Park was packed by music-lovers as the sun went down, the temperature dropped, and the excitement rose as Maestro David Stewart Wiley took the baton and launched the RSO’s 71st year. In an age tarnished by so much disappointment with failed leadership, Wiley stands out as a bright success. The RSO board just announced they had extended his contract for another four years, making him the longest-tenured conductor in their seven-decade history. With money tight and inflation high, the free admission was a welcome gift for the community. Multiple ethnicities were seen in the audience as well as an age range from families with young children to the elderly in wheelchairs. One couple said their two-year old grandchild was having a ball, dancing and jumping to the music.
BACON’S REBELLION (Virginia)
| 7/4/2024 (5pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHORUS (VA) Steps of the Virginia State Capitol “Toward a More Perfect Union: A Celebration of Freedom & Our Nation’s Founding” |
| 9/14/2024 (7:30pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (VA) Elmwood Park Amphitheater “Symphony Under the Stars” |
| 10/3/2024 (7:30pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (VA) Salem Presbyterian Church Pärt: Fratres |
| 10/25/2024 (7:30pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (VA) Salem Civic Center Pops: “Broadway Legends” |
| 11/3/2024 (3pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (VA) Shaftman Performance Hall Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #2 |
| 12/6/2024 (7:30pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHORUS (VA) Salem Civic Center “Holiday Pops Spectacular” |
| 12/7/2024 (4pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHORUS (VA) Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech (Blacksburg) “Holiday Pops Spectacular” |
| 12/8/2024 (3pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHORUS (VA) Martinsville Auditorium “Holiday Pops Spectacular” |
| 12/9/2024 (7pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHORUS (VA) Covington High School Auditorium “Holiday Pops Spectacular” |
| 12/17/2024 (7pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHORUS (VA) Church of the Holy Spirit Handel: Messiah |
| 1/25/2025 (11am) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (VA) Grandin Court Baptist Church “Triple Piano Spectacular” |
| 2/15/2025 (7:30pm) 2/16/2025 (3pm) |
ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (VA) Shaftman Performance Hall Mozart: Don Giovanni (overture) |
| 3/8/2025 (7:30pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (VA) Berglund Performing Arts Theatre Sibelius: Finlandia |
| 4/6/2025 (3pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHORUS (VA) Berglund Performing Arts Theatre Orff: Carmina burana |
| 4/18/2025 (7:30pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (VA) Salem Civic Center Pops: “An Innocent Man, The Music of Billy Joel” |
| 4/26/2025 (7:30pm) 4/27/2025 (3pm) |
ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (VA) Shaftman Performance Hall Wiley: Blue Ridge Spirit |
| 6/13/2025 (7:30pm) | ROANOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (VA) Salem Civic Center Pops: “Queens of Soul” |
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Shostakovich: Symphony #5 in d, Op. 47 (IV: Allegro non troppo) |
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Orff: Carmina Burana (excerpt) |
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Beethoven: Symphony #9 in d minor, Op. 125 (Finale) |
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“Conducting Change” - Corporate Leadership Training |