Carnegie Hall presents Casual Classics by the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra (WVSO) celebrating its 2025 Spring Concert Tour on Saturday, Mar. 29, at 7 p.m. The performance will be led by WVSO Music Director Maurice Cohn and feature Franz Haydn Symphony No. 44 in e minor, Toru Takemitsu Three Film Scores, and Beethoven Symphony No. 1 in C Major.
Guests are invited to come early to Club Carnegie from 6 to 6:45 p.m. in the Board Room located adjacent to the Hamilton Auditorium. A cash bar and snacks are available.
Born and raised in Galesburg, Illinois, Maurice Cohn became Music Director of the West Virginia Symphony in the 2023-2024 season. Musical highlights of his first year in Charleston include the Symphony’s November 2023 collaboration with Mountain Stage, conducting the West Virginia Symphony premieres of music by Clara Schumann and Jessica Hunt, and expanding the orchestra through the hiring of sixteen new musicians.
Prior to moving to Charleston, Maurice served as Assistant Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for three seasons. He made his subscription debut in 2023, stepping in for Music Director Fabio Luisi, and conducted the orchestra in numerous concerts at Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, at venues throughout North Texas, and as part of the DSO’s Bravo! Vail summer residency in Colorado. Concurrently with his time in Dallas, Maurice was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Aspen Music Festival for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
When not in Charleston, Maurice conducts performances throughout the United States and abroad. Recent and upcoming guest conducting engagements include the Cincinnati Symphony, Utah Symphony, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, ensemble NEWSRQ, Omaha Symphony, Amarillo Symphony, and the Oberlin Conservatory Orchestra. He also serves as Artistic Partner and Conductor of Camerata Notturna, a chamber orchestra based in New York City.
Maurice spent two summers as a conducting fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, where he received the Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize and the Aspen Conducting Prize. He received an M.M. in conducting from the Eastman School of Music and is a three-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. He holds a B.M. in cello performance from Oberlin Conservatory and a B.A. from Oberlin College, where he studied history and mathematics.
The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is West Virginia’s premier performing arts organization, presenting classical and pops concerts annually throughout the Mountain State. Currently in its 86th season, WVSO is a proud member of the community and enriches the region by providing affordable, high-quality concerts, collaborations with West Virginia arts organizations and a nationally award-winning education program.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students. Thanks to the Carnegie Cardinal Fund, Greenbrier County Students attend for free, but still must reserve a seat. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.carnegiehallwv.org, calling 304-645-7917, or stopping by the box office at 611 Church Street, Lewisburg.
Carnegie Hall WV is a nonprofit organization supported by individual contributions, grants, and fundraising efforts such as TOOT and The Carnegie Hall Gala.
