The Mid-Columbia Symphony is tuning up for its 82nd season after financial difficulties led to an abbreviated concert series the year before.

This year’s season will be a special one, as it serves as the selection process for the symphony’s next director – which made adequate funding even more essential. 

The symphony cut back on concerts and expenses last year and held a fundraiser to secure enough funding for the upcoming season. This year’s season will be a special one, as it serves as the selection process for the symphony’s next director – which made adequate funding even more essential. 

With a great response from the community, the symphony is financially secure for this season, said board president Christine McKinnon, though the organization is still working on recovering and supporting the next season. 

For the second time, the symphony will host its Musical Chairs fundraiser, an event featuring live music, food and wine at Fiction @ Bookwalter Winery. Tickets to the Oct. 4 event cost $45, and attendees have the chance to sponsor a position in the orchestra. 

Those who miss the event can always call the Mid-Columbia Symphony to sponsor a position, and the organization is also launching recurring donations for the first time. As part of the arts group’s work to raise awareness about its existence, the symphony will offer merchandise from stickers to T-shirts for those who sign up for a recurring donation through Oct. 17. 

Raising awareness

McKinnon said that many arts organizations are struggling right now, and the symphony is working to raise awareness. 

“We still have people saying, ‘We have a symphony’ question mark?,” McKinnon said. “We are trying to change that to ‘We have a symphony’ exclamation mark!”

To introduce the symphony to more community members, the group has started hosting a booth at the Richland Farmers Market. At the annual Art in the Park event, the symphony hosted an instrument “petting zoo,” allowing kids to touch and try out various instruments.

The symphony also has been doing pop-ups, performing in different places throughout the community. Some members of the symphony will be playing at an aid station at the Run the River marathon in April 2027. Meanwhile, the Richland Public Library has added a limited number of symphony tickets to its Tumbleweed Tourist program, allowing library patrons to attend concerts for free.

McKinnon said the goal is cross-communication, bringing attention to the symphony across different groups in the community. 

Interview season

This year, concert attendees will get the chance to watch three guest conductors lead the symphony’s orchestra. 

The symphony has been searching for a music director following the retirement of Nicholas Wallin, who served in the position for 17 years. The group began with more than 50 applicants, then did online interviews with top candidates. 

The top five conducted a 14-member orchestra, and now the final three candidates will each conduct one of the symphony’s concerts this year. 

A fourth concert, the symphony’s holiday concert, will be conducted by Adrienne Fletcher, interim music director and director of the Mid-Columbia Youth Orchestra. 

The guest conductors had the chance to build their own program, though they’ll each have to work with a surprise piece. That’s because in the two spring concerts, the two winners of the Mid-Columbia Symphony’s annual Young Artist Competition will get to perform with the orchestra. 

Since the competition won’t be held until January, the winners – and their pieces – haven’t yet been determined. So, the board introduced a piece into the fall concert so that the playing field is level between the three candidates. 

Each conductor will be in town for about a week to meet community members, sponsors and donors in addition to conducting their concert. 

Danh Pham, the music director for the Washington-Idaho Symphony Orchestra and the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra, as well as the conductor of the Washington State University Symphony Orchestra and director of bands at WSU, will conduct the Mid-Columbia Symphony’s Oct. 17 concert. 

Paul Luongo, professor of music at Whitman College, will conduct the March 20, 2027, concert, while Rebekah O’Brien, director of orchestras at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, will conduct the May 22, 2027, concert. 

The audience can participate in a survey to share what they thought of the conductors. 

“You don’t need to be a musician to know if you like the conductor,” McKinnon said. 

The candidates are already good conductors. What the board is hoping to hear from the audience is how engaging each conductor is and how well he or she presents the information before each piece. 

“If they’re adept at it, you should be excited before the symphony even starts playing,” said board member Sheila Gephart. 

The final selection will be announced in June 2027. 

McKinnon said that the symphony is excited to have a conductor who can bring their thoughts and ideas and begin programming for the area. 

“We want somebody who can see what our community is and what our community wants,” she said.