With a touch of the bow and a flourish of winds, the Washington Idaho Symphony offers students a chance to indulge in professional orchestral music.

“I very much believe the symphony enhances quality of life for people living in the Palouse area,” said Jeremy Briggs Roberts, music director and conductor for the symphony. “Classical music is an important element of cultural development in our community.”

Comprised of 60 to 65 players, the orchestra members range in profession from music professors to freelance artists, local musicians to university students.

“We’re the only semi-professional orchestra within an hour and a half radius,” Briggs Roberts said. “Concerts come together from judicious repertoire choices. We choose which pieces we want to perform and put them together based how well they sound together.”

The Washington Idaho Symphony is a non-profit organization. The orchestra puts on their concerts and fundraisers similar to gala dinners and musical gardens to assist in funding the operations. Along with their concerts, they receive donations from individual and corporate donors in the community, Board President Henry Johnston said.

President Elson S. Floyd purchased $9,000 in single tickets for WSU students to attend the symphony concerts for free, Johnston said. Students just need to show a valid WSU ID to the box office staff.  

“We are grateful for President Floyd’s commitment to the Washington Idaho Symphony in this regard and we are proud to partner with WSU as our choice of venue for our Pullman concert,” he said.

This season’s guests include pianist Rajung Yang, the Quartetto Gelato and the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers.

Johnston said they’ve even had artists coming from groups like the London Philharmonic.

“The ‘small bands’ featured on our website are world-renowned guest artists whom we’ve contracted to bring in for our concert season,” Johnston said. “They’re not members of the symphony, but they bring a whole new level of sound to our symphony that hasn’t been heard before.”

Along with conducting the orchestra, Briggs Roberts plans and programs the concerts.

The symphony also has a Symphony League. Johnston said the league is a group of hard-working ladies who help run the events and concerts.

Briggs Roberts said the symphony is a community cultural asset, making a difference and standing as an “important part of our existence here.”  

However, he also noted how it can be a challenge to convince people that classical music is relevant to society. It’s not only a form of entertainment, Briggs Roberts said, it’s education and culture.

“Right now I see the symphony as the best kept secret on the Palouse and that needs to stop – people need to know how great our performances are,” said Johnston. “Grab a friend, come see a performance, get lost in the music.  You’ll be totally surprised at how completely awesome classical music is.”

To see the symphony in action, attend their next concerts on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3. For this program, they will perform Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor and Rachmaninoff, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor with guest pianist Inon Barnatan.

The performance on Nov. 2 will be at 7:30 p.m. at Jones Theatre in Daggy Hall. The Nov. 3 showing will be at 3 p.m. at Clarkston High School.

Tickets for the show are $25 for adults, $15 for students 13 and older with ID, $10 for children 12 and under, and free for WSU students with ID.

For more information or to join the Symphony League, visit their website at www.washingtonidahosymphony.org/