Wheeling Symphony Orchestra (WSO) announces that WSO on the GO Yoga is back, this time featuring WSO Principal Cellist Elisa Kohanski who will provide musical accompaniment to Jill Kloss Spangler’s certified yoga instruction on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021, at 6 p.m. at the Heritage Port Amphitheater. The event is free and open to the public, and all ages and levels of experience are invited to take part. Participants should bring a mat or towel and water. The rain location will be the Skate Rink at Wheeling Park.
“Our first WSO on the Go Yoga event was such a hit, we wanted to do it again as soon as possible,” said Betsy Delk, the WSO’s Director of Institutional Advancement. “We had about 40 yogis at our August event, and they all seemed to really enjoy the experience. For this month, our Principal Cellist, Elisa Kohanski, will be providing the musical accompaniment. Elisa plays so beautifully; the music alone will be a treat!”
Yoga instruction will once again be provided by Jill Kloss Spangler, who has completed a 200-hour power yoga teacher training. Spangler, the Director of Nutrition and Diabetes Education at WVU Medicine Reynolds and a certified fitness instructor, looks forward to partnering with the Wheeling Symphony again. “Practicing yoga to the accompaniment of live music is really something special,” says Spangler. “It’s like the perfect combination of a beautiful concert and a workout!”
Elisa Kohanski enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player while championing unique artistic collaborations. She has performed with the Miami String Quartet, Olivia Newton John, Robert Shaw, Gustavo Dudamel, Garrison Keillor, Harry Connick, Jr., and in halls around the world including Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Schlossfestspiele in Heidelberg, and Stefaniensaal in Graz, Austria. She is Principal Cellist of Pittsburgh Ballet and Wheeling Symphony, a member of Pittsburgh Opera, performs with Pittsburgh Symphony, Taconic Music and has played with Columbus Symphony. A founding member of Trio Nova Mundi and IonSound Project, Elisa’s recordings include TNM’s Canticum; IonSound’s CD by Jeremy Beck, and Daphne Alderson’s Joan of Arc. Her newest CD, IonSound Project’s Inspired By, was recorded last summer and is just finished! She is adjunct faculty at Grove City and Washington and Jefferson Colleges and has taught and performed in festivals around Italy, Germany, Austria and Bosnia. She earned her Bachelor’s from Eastman School of Music and her Master’s from CMU. A native Rhode Islander, Elisa has performed on six continents, most uniquely on an Arctic iceberg, and in Antarctica for an audience of people and penguins. Her seventh continent performance (Australia) is in the works.
Because of the generous support of our sponsors and donors, including title sponsor McKinley Carter Wealth Services, all WSO on the GO concerts will be free to the public to entice and encourage new audiences to become long-time supporters. More information is available at wheelingsymphony.com.