The work of Leonard Bernstein will be among the music performed by the West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra during its season finale Thursday, April 24.

The 7:30 p.m. performance will be in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre of the Creative Arts Center on WVU s Evansdale Campus.

The concert will feature faculty hornist Virginia Thompson as soloist on Johann Michael HaydnsConcertino for Horn.

Other works on the program include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts overture toThe Magic Flute,with guest conductor Jeffry Blake Johnson;Fanfare pour précéder La Periby Paul Dukas; three movements fromOllantayby Alberto Ginastera; and three dance episodes fromOn the Townby Bernstein.

We have a program that truly displays the artistry of the music students here at WVU ,said Mitchell Arnold, acting director of orchestral studies.The first half is probably the most traditional in terms of programming, with works by Mozart and his colleague Michael Haydn, the younger brother of the famous Franz Joseph Haydn.

Dr. Thompson will perform the work on the modern horn, but then will reprise a portion on the �€~natural,or valveless horn of the late 18th century,he said.This will be a treat for the audience as they will have the opportunity to hear virtuosic horn playing executed in the manner of day.

The second portion of the program is geographically and stylistically diverse, Arnold noted. A brass fanfare written to open the balletLa Periby Dukas will be followed by Ginasteras take on an ancient Incan legend,Ollantay.

There are moments in the three-movement work that transport the listener to the abandoned stone fortresses of the ancient Incan empire,he said.

The concert will close with three dances from Bernsteins first Broadway musical,On the Town.The show tells of three sailors on 24-hour shore leave in New York City in 1944. The final dance, which features the shows signature tune,New York, New York,is one of the most accurate and exciting orchestral depictions of one of the greatest cities on earth, Arnold said.

Thompson has been a horn teacher at WVU since 1990. She performs regularly with the WVU faculty Laureate Wind Quintet and has performed with symphony orchestras in the region, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Thompson is an active soloist, recitalist and clinician with a special interest in new music. She has performed or presented throughout the United States and in Canada, China, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, South Africa and Switzerland.

She was president of the International Horn Society from 2000-02 and has written reviews of music, books and premiere performances as well as articles for the International Horn Society journal, and she has presented the WVU Horn Ensembles at both regional and international workshops. In the near future, Mark Master Series will be releasing a CD of Thompson performing works written specifically for her.

Johnson has studied the art of musicmaking for more than 30 years, beginning with piano studies and later adding voice, conducting and harpsichord. He received a masters degree in vocal accompanying and harpsichord performance from Boston University and a bachelors degree in piano and voice performance from William Jewell College. Currently, he is pursuing a doctorate in conducting at WVU .

For concert tickets and information, call the WVU Box Office at 304-293-SHOW.