In 2024, two young composers collaborated virtually with teaching artist Kristin Vining to create and orchestrate original compositions. These works were performed by the Walla Walla Symphony at the 24-25 season opening concert, Tides & Tales, on October 8, 2024.

One piece was selected randomly from the beginner/intermediate cohort and one from the advanced cohort.

Beginner/Intermediate Cohort Selection

Beatrice Luongo is in the fifth grade at Edison Elementary School.  She enjoys riding horses, sketching, writing stories, and playing the violin.

"My inspiration was that I like riding horses and having fun with them, so I wrote a piece about them. I thought a lot about the movement of horses at different speeds, and I tried to show that in the music."

Advanced Cohort Selection

Teresa Wheeler believes in living every day to its fullest no matter where she is. This energy is reflected in her passion and drive for music, in particular jazz composition and jazz piano, which has compelled her to pursue advanced study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. She has attended Berklee’s 5-week Aspire Program two summers now and is hoping to go there for college. Another fun fact: ‘The Serpent’s Delight’ is part of a series of jungle-themed pieces Teresa has composed; a big band piece in this series will be performed by Mill Creek Jazz Band on October 20th. Teresa is immensely grateful for all of the support she’s received from the Walla Walla Symphony through the Youth Symphony Orchestra and SPARK!, and wishes to extend a special thank you to Prof. Kristin Vining, whom she loves working with!

"I’ve composed a number of pieces that have a jungle theme and found I was missing one element: the darkness and slyness of the jungle. And so my inspiration for this piece came from what I think the quieter parts of the jungle sound like. Other artists that have inspired me in this piece include Thelonious Monk, Esperanza Spalding, Silk Sonic, Michael Mayo, Laufey, and Dave Brubeck.”