The announcement and photos are from West Seattle Community Orchestras:

West Seattle Community Orchestras (WSCO) is beginning its fall season under the direction of its new Executive Director, Virginia Wright. Virginia has a Bachelor’s degree in music, with professional experience in online and print design, IT/systems administration, and arts/nonprofit management and administration. She has worked in managerial roles in several music organizations in the greater Seattle area, and remains committed to supporting the continuation of the musical arts in many different ways.

Also new this fall is Nse Ekpo, conductor candidate for WSCO’s Symphony Orchestra. Nse is the first of three conductor candidates who are “auditioning” to become WSCO’s permanent Symphony conductor.

Virginia explains: “At the end of last season, WSCO’s Symphony conductor James Pham left to pursue a conducting opportunity in Germany. During the summer the WSCO Hiring Committee met with a great group of potential candidates to fill the vacant role. Going into the Fall season, we are now ready to enter into the final stages of assessment, which will include each of our three finalists executing a full cycle of planning, rehearsals, and a final concert. This process will provide us with a good look at the working style and ability of each of the three conductors. All three are highly qualified, and it will be a wonderful opportunity to see them work with the orchestra.” (We’ll have more to report about the other two candidates later in the season.)

Nse is not truly new to us, having co-conducted WSCO’s predecessor, the Westside Symphonette, during 2007 and 2008. He says he’s delighted to be back.

Nse (pronounced EN-say) Ekpo enjoys a varied career as a performer, educator, and content creator throughout the United States and abroad. Recent engagements have taken him to Pazardjik, Bulgaria where he guest conducted the Pazardjik Symphony Orchestra. In 2018, Ekpo was named a finalist in two categories of the American Prize: Professional Orchestral Conducting, and the Ernst Bacon Award for the Programming of American Music (Professional Division).

Dr. Ekpo is currently the Concert Band Director at Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington. He holds a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the University of South Carolina, where he studied with Donald Portnoy.

WSCO is also pleased to welcome back our long-time outstanding conductors — Rachel Nesvig, Debut Orchestra; Mike Jauregui, Intermediate Orchestra; and Anton Coleman, Wind Symphony — as well as our excellent professional string coaches, Clare Bresnahan and Daniel Mullikin.

Rehearsals for the Debut, Intermediate, and Wind Symphony will begin October 2, with the Symphony starting up October 9. All rehearsals are held Tuesdays at Chief Sealth International High School. Specific start times for the rehearsals and more details are listed on our website, www.wscorchestras.org, or you can contact info@wscorchestras.org.

WSCO especially encourages student musicians (through grade 12) to sign up. No charge!

Finally, WSCO also offers classes for adults who wish to learn (or relearn!) a string (violin, viola, cello) or band instrument (flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone).

It’s not too late to join WSCO for the new season! Sign up here.