The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra concluded its 95th season this past week in a perfect way — by inviting the people of the Ohio Valley to help celebrate this milestone.

The symphony wasn’t alone in this finale performance. It welcomed a community choir 40 members strong, made up of Ohio Valley residents, for the first time in years.

They sang as part of a piece composed by West Liberty University music professor Matthew Harder that is inspired by the impact that the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra has had in the Ohio Valley over nearly a century. And the libretto of that composition comes from a poem written by Wheeling author and historian Christina Fisanick, who also happened to be part of the choir.

What a wonderful way to cap a milestone season for the WSO, by bringing together many of those valley residents who love it the most and absorbing their input and talents.

For more than nine decades, the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra has never forgotten what has powered it through the years, the love and devotion of a community ecstatic that a symphony of this caliber can be found in a cozy city like Wheeling.

The WSO has always made it a point to let everyone know, both at home and abroad, that the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra really is Wheeling’s symphony orchestra.

WSO Executive Director Sonja Thoms said that the community’s support makes it important to continue the symphony’s mission of embracing and representing the Ohio Valley.

“I love that the community is really interwoven in the fabric of this program because that’s what this is, this orchestra is for the community and really for everyone so we’re working really hard to make sure it feels that way for everyone,” Thoms said.

Bravo, WSO. Congratulations on 95 years, and may you continue making Wheeling and the Ohio Valley proud for many, many more.