Walla Walla University Symphony Performs at Kennedy Center

In Wednesday’s (3/26) Gleaner (Northwest Pacific region), Emily Wical writes, “The Walla Walla University Symphony Orchestra traveled to the East Coast for a unique chance to perform at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The orchestra performed pieces including Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Finale and Saint-Saëns’ Third Symphony with organ. The invitation to play on the main stage of Kennedy Center came after the orchestra’s memorable performance at Carnegie Hall in the spring of 2019. The concert at Kennedy Center was part of the 2024 Capital Orchestra Festival, and WWU’s orchestra was one of only four invited to participate. This rare opportunity was greatly appreciated by all the orchestra members, including Lisa Luzyl Wa-Mbaleka, WWU sophomore health science major, who said, ‘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 and it ignited my passion even further for music.’ Beyond the performance at Kennedy Center, orchestra students also participated in a workshop … explored Washington, D.C. monuments and memorial sites, and visited museums. The multi-day tour also included a performance at an Adventist church.”