John Gennaro Devlin, Conductor

07/30/2026

The 2026 Lancaster Festival with the amazing Lancaster Festival Orchestra is in the books and we couldn’t be happier. From the amazing guest artists like Lady A, Morgan James, Michael Maliakel and Maxim Lando, to the scintillating performances by the LFO, this was a season to remember.

A special thank you to the staff, board, crew and volunteers who came together to create the festival anew after last year’s devastation. I already can’t wait for next year!

07/25/2026

Lady A performs with an orchestra for the first time at the Lancaster Festival with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra!

07/16/2026

So happy that the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra’s 2026-27 season, “Joy,” has been revealed.

I am particularly excited that the season will end with Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9, featuring our very own Symphony Chorus. And, it will be a thrill to celebrate the legacy of Leonard Bernstein alongside his daughter, Jamie, and the incomparable Morgan James.

07/04/2026

I am so sad to pass along this news. This is one of my favorite concerts every year, with thousands gathering to celebrate music and our United States. Especially on this 250th birthday, we will miss you.

Thank you to the staff, crew and volunteers of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra who have been working so hard all week through extreme heat, and now, rain. They will be up all night moving the show to Canaan Valley.

I just made a donation to the WSO to say thank you to them. Please join me!

Unfortunately, due to inclement weather, tonight’s July 4 concert has been cancelled. We apologize for the inconvenience.

This is a highlight for the WSO every year and we are deeply sorry to make this call, but the safety of our patrons, musicians, and all others involved comes first.

Fireworks are still planned for 9:15 pm.

07/03/2026

We are hot and happy after the first stop of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra’s July 4th tour! Thank you to my wonderful collaborators in the orchestra, our vocal soloist, Edward Washington II, and our Associate Conductor, Yoona Jeong. Onwards!

05/15/2026

This weekend’s season-finale concert was a memorable experience for so many reasons, most especially the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra’s gorgeous rendition of the New World Symphony. Here is a musical memory of the indelible Largo, with special kudos to Cynthia Anderson on English horn.

05/08/2026

It’s been an amazing week at the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, all leading to our season finale tonight. Daniel Roumain’s piece for Tracy Silverman is a beautiful picture of what America has been and what it can be. Plus, works by Alex Berko, Estèvez and Dvorak. The orchestra sounds amazing and we can’t wait to see you at the Capitol Theatre.

05/01/2026

April was an incredible musical month! Looking back on a few highlights:

YPC concerts with thousands of kids with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra at the Capitol Theatre. (All WSO photos by the amazing Sadie Varlas)

A fantastic Greenberg Artists show with Shayna Steele, Brie Cassil, Emily Drennan and the artists of the York Symphony Orchestra. Thank you for welcoming us so warmly! (Photos: Bob Chadderdon).

The WSO brought down the packed house with Star Wars in concert. The orchestra, led by Rachel Stegeman, played magnificently and Wheeling is still buzzing from the show.

A few shots out and about in Wheeling. I love working with members of our youth orchestra, and meeting some of the youngest music lovers in the city!

04/07/2026

It was a deeply meaningful week for me with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

When I was 18, I had the opportunity to perform in Rochester’s beautiful Kodak Theatre with the New York All-State Band. That experience changed my life as I found myself surrounded, for the first time, by musicians who challenged and inspired me to think about music in entirely new ways.

Twenty-two years later, it was incredibly special to return to this stage as a professional and to feel that same sense of inspiration—this time coming from the extraordinary Musicians of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.