whistle stop tour of the orchestra

WHISTLESTOP CAMPAIGNING:

Rallies along the rails.

Harry S. Truman campaigns from the platform of a private railcar in 1948.    Photo: US National Archives

Origin of the Whistlestop Campaign

In 1836, William Henry Harrison became the first presidential candidate to give speeches from the back of a train.  However, it was Theodore Roosevelt who, over six decades later, launched the practice that would become known as the whistlestop campaign.  Roosevelt’s high-energy succession of rapid-fire, trackside rallies reached deep into America’s heartland and fundamentally changed the way candidates interact with the electorate.

The term ‘whistlestop’ was borrowed from the railroads’ practice of signaling stops at small, occasionally used railway stations.  Incoming trains announced their approach with a blast of the steam whistle.  If passengers, mail, or freight were waiting to be picked up, the depot master raised a tower signal alerting the engineer to stop.  If no stop was necessary, a different signal told the engineer he could pass on through.  Similarly, as presidential candidates criss-crossed the country by train, the engineer whistled his approach to the station, the candidate addressed crowds from the rear platform of a private railcar, and the train traveled on to the next town.  The entire stop might last only ten to twenty minutes. 

Before the whistlestop, many presidential candidates avoided travel altogether, choosing to woo voters at home over the proverbial chicken dinner or to deliver speeches from their front porch.  In 1888, Benjamin Harrison campaigned from his residence in Indianapolis.  In 1896, William McKinley’s orations from his front porch in Canton, Ohio, drew crowds that aggregated some 700,000 over the duration of the campaign.  This form of low-key persuasion was considered dignified, and it was left to surrogates to fan out around the country spreading the candidate’s message. 

Theodore Roosevelt  - 1900 

In 1900, McKinley again chose to wage a front-porch campaign.  However, his running mate, Theodore Roosevelt, took to the rails in a populist bid to connect directly with voters in small towns throughout rural America.  In one of the most famous political campaigns in U.S. history, Roosevelt embarked on a whirlwind crusade that encompassed 480 stops in 23 states.  Everywhere he went, Roosevelt was met by admiring throngs of hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands of citizens eager to see and hear a candidate for national office.  The grueling schedule paid off.  Eighteen of the states he toured gave a plurality of votes to the McKinley-Roosevelt ticket, a gain of five states for the Republicans over 1896.

Since that first whistlestop campaign, every U.S. president except William G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Donald Trump has used the private railcar tour to connect with voters in small-town America.  The interaction between candidates and the electorate has continued to evolve through the decades, yet despite the advent of large rallies, televised debates, and social media messaging, the allure and romance of the legendary whistlestop continues to entice presidential candidates to hold rallies along the rails.

Truman's 1948 Whistlestop Campaign

Harry S. Truman’s 1948 whistlestop campaign saved his presidency. 

Elected in November 1944 as Vice President in Franklin Roosevelt’s administration, Truman had served a mere 82 days in office when Roosevelt died of a massive stroke.  As he took the presidential oath of office in April 1945, Truman faced monumental challenges abroad:  rebuilding postwar Europe, ending the war in the Pacific, curbing the spread of Communism, and the emergence of a Cold War.  On the home front, the nation was struggling to transition to a peacetime economy.   Labor disputes, inflation, shortages of consumer goods, and a national railroad strike headlined the list of domestic woes.

To make matters worse, Truman had difficulty getting his message across.  His personality was less charismatic and his speech-making style less polished than his predecessor and his political rivals.  By June 1948, his popularity had dropped from 80 to 35 precent.  Truman’s opponent, New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, was considered such a shoo-in that the pollsters stopped polling.  Truman’s chances of reelection looked bleak.

In a risky strategic gamble, the pint-sized, plucky haberdasher from Missouri resolved to appeal directly to the American people in a whistlestop tour.  The campaign took place over the summer and fall of 1948 and consisted of three legs:  a cross-country trip to California, a six-day sprint through the Midwest, and a ten-day run through the large population centers of the Northeast. As he made his way through town after town, Truman relentlessly attacked the Republican Congress as “do nothing” and uninterested in “…the welfare of the common, everyday man.”  He tailored his speeches to each community, using local references and mentioning hometown events.  Crowds turned out to see him at all hours.  In the days before television, it was a rare opportunity for rural Americans to see a famous dignitary in person.  Face-to-face with ordinary Americans, Truman was more confident and relaxed. His off-the-cuff, energetic style played well in the heartland. He understood their needs, and his homey, wise-cracking tone spoke their language.   Speaking from the rear platform of a private railcar, communication with the assembled crowds was immediate and direct.  If during a speech someone yelled at him, Truman answered back.  People began calling him by his first name, and “Give ‘em hell, Harry!” became the battle cry of his uphill campaign battle.

“Everyone in town and others from the surrounding area came to see

   the man who thought we were important enough to address.”       Marilyn Harlan       Pacific Junction, Iowa       Population 500

Truman barnstormed the country nearly to election day.  He traveled 31,000 miles and made 352 speeches, many of them to voters in cities and towns most Americans had never heard of.  When he returned home to Missouri on October 31st, he was still behind in the polls. In a final appeal to the electorate Truman wrote, “From the bottom of my heart I thank the people of the United States for their cordiality to me and their interest in the affairs of this great nation and of the world.  I trust the people, because when they know the facts, they do the right thing . . .”

An incorrect banner headline appeared on the front page of the Chicago Daily Tribune (later Chicago Tribune) on November 3, 1948.

The election results were a stunner.  Truman carried 28 states, winning 24,105,812 votes or 49.6 percent of the popular vote to Dewey’s 21,970,065 or 45.1 percent.  Truman’s come-from-behind, whistle-stop tour was an unexpected success.  The four-month marathon on the rails energized his underdog campaign and pushed a struggling president to a second term.

Click on selected cities in the box at right to see images and hear speeches from Truman’s 1948 Midwest campaign tour.

Cincinnati, OH

Hamilton, OH

Deshler, OH

Fostoria, OH

Willard, OH

Rittman, OH

Richmond, IN

Greenfield, IN

Crawfordsville, IN

Danville, IL

Decatur, IL

Springfield, IL

Altoona, WI

Spooner, WI

Superior, WI

St. Paul, MN

A whistle-stop tour through the history of choral music

Welcome to the first instalment of our regular At Home Guide , in which we discuss what’s new on Bachtrack At Home and guide you through the wonderful performances in our ever-growing archive.

With our next live stream featuring the Netherlands Radio Orchestra and Choir performing Rachmaninov’s All Night Vigil fast approaching, we thought that now could be a great time to take you on a whistle-stop tour through the history of choral music.

The history of choral music in the Western Classical tradition might be seen as a dialogue between sacred and secular art, between scripture and musical innovation, or between the human voice and other instruments. From the hypnotic unison singing of Gregorian chant, to the complex polychoral style of the Venetian school through to the secular cantatas of the 20th century, there is a dizzying wealth of music to discover.

During the latter part of the medieval period, a style of vocal music called organum evolved out of Gregorian chant. With multiple, independent parts, this was arguably the first example of polyphonic vocal music in Europe, laying the groundwork for the choral music of the Renaissance era. Two kinds of choral composition were prominent during this time: the motet, a kind of Latin religious work; and the mass, another kind of sacred composition based specifically on settings of Liturgy – both were largely written for an a cappella ensemble. In England, Thomas Tallis wrote some of the finest examples of Renaissance choral music, including his dark setting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah , the motet In pace in idipsum and O sacrum convivium , his setting of the Magnificat Antiphon (go here to watch to watch Swiss period ensemble Gli Angeli Genève perform these works and more). The verse anthem form – a vocal composition with alternating soloist and choir sections – also came to rise in this period, and Tallis’s fellow Englishman Orlando Gibbons created some of the best-known works in this form.

Into the Baroque

Increased interaction between vocalists and instrumentalists burgeoned as the late Renaissance bled into the early Baroque period. The Venetian School, represented by the likes of Claudio Monteverdi, developed the mass to include more instrumentation and even additional choirs, resulting in a “polychoral” compositional style. Himself a singer, Monteverdi composed some of the finest examples of choral music in his Vespers and Eighth Book of Madrigals (go here to watch period ensemble Vox Luminis perform a selection of Monteverdi’s choral works). Meanwhile, as the seventeenth century progressed, Henry Purcell would continue to develop verse anthems. His anthem My heart is inditing of a good matter was composed in honour of King James II, and you can watch Vox Luminis perform that work among others of the era here .

The motet continued to expand throughout this period: first into separate movements, then into a new form altogether – the concert-length oratorio. Often based on sacred subjects or Biblical narratives, oratorio might be thought of as a sort of “religious opera”. Handel’s Messiah and Israel In Egypt are thought to be among the finest examples of this form in the Baroque period. Meanwhile, the French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier transferred the medium –originally an Italian invention – to his homeland. Here you can watch a concert by Ensemble Correspondances, specifically dealing with Charpentier’s connection with Italy. A discussion of choral music in the Baroque era would be amiss without mention of Vivaldi, a composer perhaps best known for his concerti but who also composed a large body of sacred choral works. Indeed, he wrote four settings for the hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo alone, the most famous of which is the Gloria in D , performed here by the French chamber ensemble Le Concert Spirituel.

Classical Works

Composers became increasingly preoccupied with the potential of instrumental and symphonic music during the Classical period, but choral works were never far from the surface. Haydn, impressed by the Handel oratorios he had heard during his time in England, composed two major works in that form of his own: The Seasons and The Creation . Considered by some to be his magnum opus , The Creation brings to life the story of the beginning of the world as told in scripture, and can be seen performed here by the Bergen Philharmonic and the Edvard Grieg Choir.

Mozart also composed a number of fine sacred choral works, especially masses, his patron being an archbishop. The Coronation Mass in C major and Great Mass in C minor (the latter of which can be seen performed in full by the Edvard Grieg Choir here ) are widely thought to be among the highlights of his oeuvre, yet the most highly-regarded arguably his Requiem Mass . Unfinished at the time of the composer’s death, it was commissioned by Count Franz von Walsegg to honour his late wife. The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir are due to perform the work on 6th October, and you can watch the whole concert for free here . Another fine example of Mozart’s choral music, his Litaniae de venerabili altaris sacramento , can be enjoyed here .

True Romance

As the influence of the church began to wane during the 19th century, composers adapted pre-existing forms for more secular ends. The medium-length choral cantata form, which had originally been used to portray religious subjects, was exploited by the likes of Brahms, Mendelssohn and Schubert to reflect non-religious narratives. Sacred choral music itself was changing, too. With composers scrabbling to exploit all the sonic material they had to hand, churches became increasingly unable to accommodate their ambitious works. Thus, compositions such as Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle , with their large choral and orchestral settings, had to be performed in concert halls rather than places of worship. Other Romantic composers seem to have found the solemn mass to be a useful form; Schubert and Beethoven both wrote major works in the convention, with the latter’s being considered to be one of his most accomplished works. Beethoven also used choral texture to add extra weight to his secular compositions, perhaps most famously in his Ninth Symphony. Another fine example of Beethoven’s choral writing can be seen in the cantata Calm Sea and a Prosperous Voyage , performed here by the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Choir.

Meanwhile, the oratorio as a form had far from been abandoned. Felix Mendelssohn, for example, evoked Baroque inspirations such as Bach and Handel with compositions such as St Paul and Elijah , a full performance of which can be viewed here .

In Russia, choral music continued to flourish into the late Romantic period – perhaps due to the influence of the Orthodox Church. In 1885 Tchaikovsky completed a set of works based on Russian liturgy named simply Nine Sacred Pieces , while Rachmaninov set the prayer “O Theotokos” to a stark choral arrangement (watch these works and more performed by the Netherlands Radio Choir here ). Rachmaninov also saw the potential for choral texture within symphonic works, and this can be seen perhaps most interestingly in The Bells , a “choral symphony” based on the writings of Edgar Allan Poe.

Tradition and Modernism

Even as modernism ran roughshod over the forms of the past during the 20th century, vestiges of traditional choral music endured. Poulenc continued to write masses and motets, such as his Motets pour le temps de noël and Mass in G major . The latter is a choral work without orchestral accompaniment, speaking to the high regard with which 20th century composers still held for the vocal ensemble. Two more unaccompanied choral works by Poulenc, his Exultate Deo and Salve regina , can be heard in a spirited rendition by the Netherlands Radio Choir here .

Even the great serialist Arnold Schönberg employed choral forces, though largely in his less experimental works. His Gurrelieder is one of the major secular cantatas of the 20th century, employing a large choir and vocal soloists along with the orchestra. Elsewhere, the choir continued to be a source of inspiration for composers working across all manner of styles. Steve Reich and Philip Glass used choral textures in their minimalist compositions, and this minimalist usage of the choir was taken even further out by the experimental composer Meredith Monk. Artists such as John Tavener and Arvo Pärt drew inspiration from Eastern liturgy and medieval chant to create a style that came to be known as holy minimalism. Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem – a non-liturgical mass – and the cantata Rejoice in the Lamb are other prominent examples of 20th century choral music. So, while the ecclesiastical foundations of choral music cease to play a major role in European society, its reverberations continue to be felt in the European Classical tradition as it exists today.

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Whistle Stop

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Performer: Woody Herman And His Orchestra Writer: Zilner Randolph; Woody Herman

Instrumental; Fox Trot.

Digitized at 78 revolutions per minute. Four stylii were used to transfer this record. They are 3.5mil truncated eliptical, 2.3mil truncated conical, 2.8mil truncated conical, 3.3mil truncated conical. These were recorded flat and then also equalized with Turnover: 400.0, Rolloff: -12.0.

The preferred versions suggested by an audio engineer at George Blood, L.P. have been copied to have the more friendly filenames.

Matrix number: 67522A Catalog number: 3332 B

Other IDs from the record include: (67522)

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Presidential Speeches

September 18, 1948: whistlestop tour in chariton, iowa, about this speech.

Harry S. Truman

September 18, 1948

I appreciate that introduction very much, and I think he is a good prophet. I have had a wonderful tour today beginning at Rock Island, Ill., and they tell me this is the last town in Iowa I'll stop at, and I'll regret that because at every place I have been the crowds have been just like this, and they've been exceedingly cordial. I feel that Iowa is beginning to wake up to the situation, and on November 2 I won't have to say much more about them voting Democratic. You know, the reason for that is that the Democratic Party gave the farmers the price support program, soil conservation, rural electrification, crop insurance, and other progressive measures of this kind. They have led to the greatest prosperity for the farmer that the farmer has ever had in the history of the world. In 1932, 123,000 farmers in the United States had lost their farms. In 1947, less than 800 farms were foreclosed. That's the greatest record in history. In 1932, the farmers were hopelessly in debt. Their indebtedness has been reduced by more than 50 percent and they have $18 billion in assets. Think of that! Just think of that! Now, there are people in this United States that would like to go back to that condition, when labor was receiving an average of 45 cents an hour and when the farmer was getting 3 cents for hogs and 15 cents for corn and burning the corn because it wasn't worth the price. Those same people now have made an attempt to do away with the price support program which is responsible for this immense production which we have had in the last 7 years and which has kept millions of people in this world alive. I'm asking you just to read history, to use your own judgment, and to decide whether you want to go forward with the Democratic Party or whether you want to turn the clock back to the horse and buggy days with such people that made up that "do-nothing" 80th Congress. That Congress tried its level best to take all the rights away from labor. That Congress tried its level best to put the farmer back to 1932. That Congress tried its level best to put small business out of business. For what purpose? To help the big interests which they represented. Do you know that there were more and bigger lobbies in Washington than at any time in the history of the Congress of the United States? Some time a little later on I'm going to tell you about those terrible lobbies: The Association of Manufacturers' and the speculators' lobbies and several others that I could name right now; and I've got the facts and figures on them. They spent more money lobbying for special privilege in this "do-nothing" 80th Congress than has been spent in Washington in the whole history of the country. Now, why did they do that? Because they wanted to take you to town. I'll tell you—you're going to get taken to town if you don't use your privilege on election day. You stayed at home in 1946 and you got the 80th Congress, and you got just exactly what you deserved. You didn't exercise your God-given right to control this country. Now you're going to have another chance. If you let that chance slip, you won't have my sympathy. If you don't let that chance slip, you'll do me a very great favor, for I'll live in the White House another 4 years. It's been a very great pleasure to be in Iowa, and I appreciate it. I have had the privilege of riding with all your public officials today. It's been a very great pleasure to ride with your candidate for Governor, who is a wonderful man, the Democratic candidate for Governor. And I was with Guy Gillette, with whom I served in the Senate, and there never was a better Senator in the Senate than Guy Gillette. I'm extremely fond of him, and I hope, for your own welfare and for the welfare of this great State, that you'll send Guy Gillette back to the Senate, and that you'll elect the Democratic candidate for Governor and all the Democratic Congressmen and public officials you possibly can. I like Democrats no matter what office they're running for. I hope that everything will go well with you. I can't tell you how I appreciate this wonderful turnout, this wonderful reception. It's been just like this all day long. I have come to the conclusion that the people in Iowa like their President and appreciate what he's trying to do for the common people.

More Harry S. Truman speeches

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Rubenstein Center Scholarship

Mapping Lady Bird Johnson's Whistle-Stop Tour

• Katie Peter AU Fellow 2022-2023

Show Me More

Less than a month before the 1964 presidential election, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson traveled for four days through the American South by train. In a practice known as whistle-stop campaigning, the first lady set out with her team, invited guests, and members of the press aboard the personalized “Lady Bird Special.” They visited eight states and stopped in forty-seven towns.

The first lady believed that traveling through the South was especially necessary ahead of the election because in July, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 , prohibiting segregation of businesses and public places and banning discrimination in employment practices. 1

Although many lauded Johnson’s decision, it aggravated and alienated many white voters in the South. In the upcoming presidential election, President Johnson faced off against Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona. Goldwater was a leader of the Republican Party who opposed many of President Johnson’s social programs as well as the Civil Rights Act. 2 The goal of the trip was to garner support for President Johnson, who faced opposition from both the Republican Party and southern conservative members of his own Democratic party.

Lady Bird was a native Texan with deep southern roots. She insisted on going to places where President Johnson and the Democratic ticket needed support to prove the White House had not dismissed southern white voters. 3 Liz Carpenter, Lady Bird’s press secretary and the mastermind behind the tour, referred to the trip as a “salvage operation in the wake of the Civil Rights Act.” 4 Lady Bird asserted, “I thought the South was getting a bad rap from the nation and indeed the world, sort of painted as a bastion of ignorance and prejudice and all sorts of ugly things. It was my country, and although I knew I couldn't be all that persuasive to them, at least I could talk to them in language they would understand.” 5 Lady Bird leveraged her southern heritage to try to find common ground with white southerners who opposed the Johnson Administration, while also showing Black southerners that the president supported them.

Lady Bird and her party traveled 1,682 miles and made 47 stops between October 6 and October 9. 6 Click through each stop on the Whistle-Stop Tour to learn more:

On election day, President Lyndon B. Johnson won 44 states, including Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. Although five of the eight states that the Lady Bird Special visited went to Goldwater, the first lady’s efforts were not in vain. While the Democratic party had discounted the whole region, Lady Bird understood that she could connect with people and spread her and her husband’s message. The whistle-stop tour made it clear that Lady Bird was a skilled campaigner and a savvy political mind.

The tour was such a success that immediately after it ended, President Johnson requested that the first lady make more campaign stops. The whistle-stop tour was also the first time a first lady took her own campaign trip separate from her husband. 7 This tour proved that Lady Bird Johnson was a political actor in her own right. She continued to take up causes during her tenure as first lady and set an example of activism and political participation for first ladies to come.

This was originally published on August 18, 2023

Footnotes & Resources

• Civil Rights Act of 1964, July 2, 1964, Milestone Documents, National Archives , Accessed July 6, 2023, https://www.archives.gov/miles... .
• Bart Barnes, “Barry Goldwater, GOP Hero, Dies,” The Washington Post , May 30, 1998, https://www.washingtonpost.com... .
• Liz Carpenter, Ruffles & Flourishes , 1st Texas A & M University Press ed (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1970): 143.
• Carpenter, Ruffles & Flourishes, 142.
• Lady Bird Johnson, “interview S-XIII,” 1/23/1987, Oral history by Nancy Smith, pg 6, LBJ Presidential Library , accessed June 12, 2023, https://www.discoverlbj.org/it... .
• "Whistle Stop [2 of 6]," Liz Carpenter Subject Files, White House Social Files, Box 11, LBJ Presidential Library, accessed June 13, 2023, pg. 6 https://www.discoverlbj.org/it... .
• Julia Sweig, Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight , (New York: Random House, 2021): 131.

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In a statement, Boeing said, “These claims about the structural integrity of the 787 are inaccurate. The issues raised have been subject to rigorous engineering examination under FAA oversight.”

At a media tour of its 787 Dreamliner manufacturing plant in South Carolina held Monday, two top Boeing engineers defended the structural integrity of the 787, saying the wide-body jet was stress-tested for 165,000 cycles, beyond the expected lifespan of the plane, and never failed. The company said it had inspected 689 of the more than 1,100 787s in service worldwide and found no evidence of fatigue.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former Federal Aviation Administration safety investigator, told NBC News, “Even if these cracks would form, which there’s no evidence of, the airplane is so resistant, and so structurally robust, according to Boeing, that they’re not going to break apart.”

Despite such assurances, Salehpour remained steadfast in his claims to NBC News on Tuesday, saying that production of the 787 should be halted while the alleged problems are addressed in the fleet now in service. He noted that the gaps could make the 787 susceptible to “premature fatigue failure,” particularly as the planes get older.

Salehpour’s allegations first became public last week, in a report by The New York Times and later in other media. Salehpour flagged the issue to the FAA in January, and the agency has said it is investigating his claims. Salehpour, who has worked for Boeing for 15 years, said that after he raised concerns internally, Boeing transferred him to work on the 777 line in 2022.

“Retaliation is strictly prohibited at Boeing,” the company has said.

Salehpour told NBC News he felt compelled to go public. “When I see questionable actions that could cause safety problems, I have committed I’m going to come forward regardless of what the cost is,” he said.

Salehpour’s attorney, Lisa Banks, separately told NBC News on Tuesday that she has heard from at least half a dozen “additional would-be whistleblowers at Boeing who have reported the same kinds of issues that Sam has raised with Boeing.”

“I’m 100% confident in Sam’s allegations because they’re based on Boeing’s own data and Sam’s decades of experience as a quality engineer,” Banks said.

Tom Costello is an NBC News correspondent based in Washington, D.C.  

Lewis Kamb is a national FOIA reporter for NBC News, based in Seattle. 

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Union Pacific releases new details about Big Boy tour; Ogden a major stop

By rob nielsen - | apr 10, 2024.

Ben Dorger, Standard-Examiner file photo

OGDEN — Union Pacific’s “Big Boy” No. 4014 is set to make a return to Ogden this summer.

On Wednesday, the Union Pacific Railroad announced new details about a planned tour of the system by the 4014, including a planned stop in Ogden.

“Union Pacific’s famed Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, will return to the rails this summer with a scenic tour across mountain ranges and high desert vistas in four western states: Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California,” the Union Pacific website announced. “Big Boy will journey from its home base in Cheyenne, Wyoming on Sunday, June 30, en route to Roseville, California, before returning to Wyoming by the end of July. It will make numerous whistle-stops in communities along the way.”

While a full slate of these whistle-stop tours has yet to be announced, the announcement did highlight two public display periods for the 4014 — Roseville, California, (July 12-13); and Ogden (July 20-21).

“The month-long ‘Westward Bound’ tour will honor Union Pacific’s rich railroad legacy and celebrate the railroad’s employees and communities it serves,” the site said. “For part of its journey, the Big Boy’s consist will include an assortment of rail cars giving spectators a glimpse into what the locomotive looked like pulling freight in its heyday.”

In addition to short and extended public displays, the Westward Bound Tour reportedly also will include a special passenger trip to benefit the Union Pacific Museum as its annual gala fundraiser. Information on this trip — such as where it will commence, the cost and how to get tickets — will be released at a later date.

The July journey by the 4014 will be the first part of a tour of a large swath of the Union Pacific system, including visits to parts of the Midwest and South in the fall.

For more information, visit https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm .

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WV Symphony Orchestra State Tour will stop in Parkersburg

The tour will feature appalachian spring and premiering a new piece of music, the piri concerto.

PARKERSBURG, W.Va . (WTAP) - WV Symphony Orchestra will be making a stop in Parkersburg during its State Tour.

The group will be performing Appalachian Spring and premiering a new piece of music, the Piri Concerto. The Concerto features a traditional wind instrument from Korea and the musician Gamin.

Performing will be a group of 13 musicians plus the creator of the new concerto, Theodorre Wiprud, and Gamin, guest artist.

Senta Goudy, the Vice Chair of the WV Symphony Orchestra Parkersburg, said the new location for the concert will be at the Parkersburg Art Center on Sunday, April 21 at 2:30p.m.

Tickets are available at the Parkersburg Symphony’s website: www.wvsop.org/tickets . Children can attend free of charge.

Becky McGinnis, the chair of the WV Symphony Orchestra Parkersburg, said the concert is for anyone!

“If you love music, if you want to experience something new, or if you want to hear the beautiful Appalachian Spring - then this concert is for you. By the way, thanks to a generous donation from Mary Ann Ketelson and a grant from the WV Department of Arts and Culture.

Senta said the the WV Symphony Orchestra Parkersburg works to raise money to give five public concerts and three educational concerts in the school.

“Bringing live symphonic music to the Mid-Ohio Valley is what motivates us. Many of our current board members, and many great supporters, have been working together for more than a decade to ensure that the greater Parkersburg area can enjoy this music. So,, we’re more than happy that we can bring this experience here.”

Copyright 2024 WTAP. All rights reserved.

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Robeson County Center

Wheat Whistle Stop Tour

El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.

Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.

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Join us for a tour of local test plots as the N.C. State Small Grains Extension Team makes their rounds to Robeson County as part of a statewide Wheat Whistle Stop Tour. Plots include commercial and experimental varieties in the Official Variety Test (OVT). Current production issues and other topics upon request will be discussed on the tour.

Tuesday April 30, 2024

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

2284 West McDuffie Crossing Road Saint Pauls, NC 28384

Click: WWTS   or image  to register.

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Moscow Metro Tour

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Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

Write your review

Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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Moscow Metro Underground Small-Group Tour - With Reviews & Ratings

Moscow metro underground small-group tour.

• See more images

Tour Information

Key Details

• Mobile Voucher Accepted
• Free Cancellation
• Duration: 3 Hrs
• Language: English
• Departure Time : 10:00 AM
• Departure Details : Karl Marks Monument on Revolution Square, metro stop: Square of Revolution
• Return Details : Metro Smolenskaya
• If you cancel at least 4 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
• If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
• Tours booked using discount coupon codes will be non refundable.

Go beneath the streets on this tour of the spectacular, mind-bending Moscow Metro! Be awed by architecture and spot the Propaganda , then hear soviet stories from a local in the know. Finish it all up above ground, looking up to Stalins skyscrapers, and get the inside scoop on whats gone on behind those walls.

Know More about this tour

We begin our Moscow tour beneath the city, exploring the underground palace of the Moscow Metro. From the Square of Revolution station, famous for its huge statues of soviet people (an armed soldier, a farmer with a rooster, a warrior, and more), we’ll move onto some of the most significant stations, where impressive mosaics, columns, and chandeliers will boggle your eyes! Moreover, these stations reveal a big part of soviet reality — the walls depict plenty of Propaganda , with party leaders looking down from images on the walls. Your local guide will share personal stories of his/her family from USSR times, giving you insight into Russia’s complicated past and present. Then we’re coming back up to street level, where we’ll take a break and refuel with some Russian fast food: traditional pancakes, called bliny. And then, stomachs satiated, we are ready to move forward! We’ll take the eco-friendly electric trolleybus, with a route along the Moscow Garden Ring. Used mainly by Russian babushkas(grannies) during the day, the trolleybus hits peak hours in the mornings and evenings, when many locals use it going to and from their days. Our first stop will be the Aviator’s House, one of Stalin’s Seven Sisters, followed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — and you’ll hear the legends of what has gone on inside the walls. Throughout your Moscow tour, you’ll learn curious facts from soviet history while seeing how Russia exists now, 25 years after the USSR.

Local English-speaking guide

Pancake snack and drink

Additional food and drinks

Tickets for public transport

Souvenirs and items of a personal nature

Tips and gratuities for the guide

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking

Dress standard: Please wear comfortable shoes for walking. For your Urban Adventure you will be in a small group of a maximum of 12 people

Traveler Reviews

This tour exceeded our expectations. Nikolai (Nick), our tour guide, was very knowledgeable, thorough, and has a great personality. He didn't take shortcuts and really covered everything that was on the agenda in great detail. We saw beautiful metro stations and learned the history behind them, including many of the murals and designs.

We did the tour with Anna her knowledge and understanding of the History surrounding the metro brought the tour alive. Well done Anna!

This tour was amazing!

Anna was a great tour guide. She gave us heaps of interesting information, was very friendly, and very kindly showed us how to get to our next tour.

Amazing beauty and history.

An excellent tour helped by an absolutely amazing guide. Anna gave a great insight into the history of the metro helped by additional material she had prepared.

great tour and guide - thanks again

great will do it again, Miriam ke was very good as a guide she has lived here all here life so knew every interesting detail.a good day