MISSION:   The Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit arts organization that features a unique performance ensemble made up of professional, amateur, retired and student musicians. Serving the Waynesboro, Staunton, Charlottesville, Nelson County, and greater Shenandoah Valley communities, the WSO seeks to provide local, dedicated instrumentalists with opportunities to collaborate and share in the joy of music-making while contributing cultural vitality to the region.
Membership in WSO is open to student, amateur and professional musicians, at the discretion of the music director.  The orchestra rehearses on Tuesdays from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in Waynesboro.  For information, Contact Charles Salembier, 540-942-3828;  wcs@ntelos.net or the website.

The WSO String School has 7 teachers and provides after school lessons to young string players at all levels of experience.  The String School meets after school at Kate Collins School in Waynesboro.  For more information contact 540-942-1659 or stringschoolmail@gmail.com.

The WSO is a 501(c)(3) organization. This allows the orchestra to accept tax-deductible contributions.

The WSO was founded in 1996 as the Waynesboro Community Orchestra. In its debut concert, 23 musicians performed works by Lully, Bach and Haydn. Over the past decade the ensemble has grown significantly, having over doubled its core size and often tripling the original personnel for some repertoire, which now includes works by Beethoven, Copland, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert, and Wagner.  The ensemble has consistently programmed more challenging literature with each season, growing a repertoire that includes works from all centuries of the classical tradition.  Highlights from recent seasons include performances of Beethoven’s 5th and 6th Symphonies as well as Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait.” The WSO has welcomed members from many communities outside Waynesboro, including Staunton, Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, and Richmond, while also performing concerts in Staunton in partnership with Mary Baldwin College as well as fundraising events in Charlottesville. In addition, the orchestra regularly collaborates with professional soloists while remaining deeply committed to the WSO String School, which provides after school lessons to young string players.

Peter Wilson, Music Director

Dr. Peter Wilson is an engaging and multifaceted American violinist and conductor whose musicianship has been noted as “first-class” by The Washington Post. He was appointed Music Director of the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra in 2007 and has conducted the National Symphony Orchestra as well as the National Gallery Orchestra.

Highly respected throughout the Nation's Capital, he is an active soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster, recording artist, and performance clinician throughout the United States. He holds music degrees from Northwestern University and The Catholic University of America where he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts.