WHEELING — The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra is wrapping up its season with a concert on Thursday, May 15, that will highlight the local community and celebrate the past 95 years of music — while looking to the future.

One unique element for this year’s final show of the season is a community choir performance made possible by a Wheeling Heritage grant, a “wonderful opportunity” for the singers, said Communications and Development Manager for Wheeling Heritage Amy Karrasch.

“It’s bringing people of all ages, the youth and other people in the community to come together and really express themselves,” Karrasch said. “They’re not professionals. So it just gives people the opportunity to be in front of an audience and really express themselves and have the support of the community.”

The WSO applied for and received the $1,000 Wheeling Heritage Partnership Grant for the community choir back in October, and the 40-person choir has been hard at work practicing for the performance since January.

“It’s so exciting,” said WSO Director Sonja Thoms. “It’s been really special to get to know them because music plays a really key role in each of their lives in different ways. We have everyone from high school students to retired individuals and everything in between so it’s really been a very beautiful thing to see 40 multigenerational people of our community come together and perform here together.”

In addition to the community choir, the showcase will also feature a new composition titled “Where I’m From” with music by West Liberty Professor Matthew Harder and lyrics written by local professor and author Christina Fisanick for the choir to sing in tandem.

Following that will be a performance by 15-year WSO principal cellist Elisa Kohanski, who traveled and performed on all seven continents last summer. The piece, inspired by and written for Kohanski by Jonathon Kolm, will include a movement for each continent of the world.

Former WSO Director Andre Raphel will return as a guest conductor to perform Maurice Ravel’s “La Valse.” Ravel’s “Suite No. 2” from “Daphnis and Chloe,” featuring another performance from the community choir, will conclude the show.

“We’re throwing so many things into what I’m calling our birthday party,” Thoms said. “We hope everyone can come.”

Thoms emphasized the importance of including the local community in several elements of this year’s final performance.

“This is a really special concert and 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.

For those interested in celebrating the WSO’s 95 years, tickets can be purchased starting at $19 on the symphony’s website or by contacting the box office.

“It has been an amazing season. We started in September with a look back at the legacy of the WSO and the road that has gotten us here and so much in between,” Thoms said. “So this is really kind of the capstone of this whole season and it’s really intended to honor our community but really start to open the door to what’s forward – we want 95 more years of the symphony.”