The new school year also means a new season for the West Seattle Community Orchestras, which is celebrating some fresh starts this year – and that could include yours! Here’s all the WSCO news:

With the 2025–2026 concert season fast approaching, the West Seattle Community Orchestras (WSCO) has announced registration and audition details as well as new conductors for two of their four ensembles — well-known Concert Orchestra conductor Bryan Kolk returning as conductor of WSCO’s Symphony Orchestra and Allion Salvador joining as the new conductor of WSCO’s Concert Orchestra.

Fall registration for all ensembles is now open. Auditions for new members are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 23. For more information, visit wscorchestras.org/register or e-mail info@wscorchestras.org.

Bryan Kolk is a music educator, conductor, and bassist who served as Concert Orchestra conductor for four years. He was chosen to conduct the higher-level Symphony Orchestra earlier this summer after former conductor Asieh Mahyar accepted a professorship in another state. Kolk directs the orchestra at Mercer Island High School, which performed at Carnegie Hall earlier this year. He previously directed orchestra and guitar classes at Garfield High School in Seattle and at high schools in Michigan. He also directs the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras’ Debut Symphony and has years of experience directing music festivals and camps.

Following Kolk’s move, WSCO launched a broad search for a new Concert Orchestra conductor. Allion Salvador — a violinist who is completing a master’s degree in conducting at Central Washington University — was chosen to serve. From 2023–2025, Mr. Salvador served as Music Director of the Federal Way Youth Orchestra. He has also worked with Spokane Symphony, Seattle Philharmonic, and Missoula Symphony, and currently serves as assistant conductor of Wenatchee Valley Symphony and a pops conductor for Candlelight Concerts. He is associate concertmaster of Yakima Symphony and co-concertmaster of the String Orchestra of the Rockies. A 2021 Music International Grand Prix winner, he studied violin at Manhattan School of Music.

Four ensembles comprise WSCO, which also offers beginning strings instruction for young people and for adults (Bill Panks is teacher). In addition to the orchestras mentioned above, beginning students can join the WSCO Debut Orchestra (Rachel Nesvig, conductor) and advanced brass, woodwind, and percussion players can try out for WSCO’s Wind Symphony (Justin Murray, conductor). All four ensembles are multigenerational, offering youth an opportunity to perform alongside more experienced musicians.

If you can’t, or don’t want to, get involved with WSCO right now, you can still make plans to enjoy their fall concerts – watch for the dates, on their website as well as the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar.