Maestro David Stewart Wiley is a beloved leader and musical ambassador for our Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and Virginia Blue Ridge Music Festival, and the RSO remains a remarkable 70 year success story of artistic growth, fiscal stability, and deep community outreach. The Commonwealth of Virginia recently marked Wiley’s 25th season as RSO Music Director with a bipartisan joint resolution and proclamation in the house and senate signed by the governor. Dr. Wiley has conducted top orchestras across the country and around the world, including Atlanta, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Minnesota, and Saint Louis, plus Italy, Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, China, Morocco and many more. Wiley recently made his triple debut as conductor, pianist, and composer with the Boston Pops. He also serves as Music Director of Orchestra Long Island in New York. The Roanoke City Council honored him as Roanoke’s Citizen of the Year, the RSO and Wiley received a Distinguished Music Educator Award from Yale University, he and his wife Leah received the 2019 Silver Hope award from the national MS Society, and the NAACP honored him as Citizen of the Year in the Arts for his efforts to bring classical music to youth in minority communities. Dr. Wiley won the Aspen Conducting Prize, was Assistant Conductor for the Aspen Music Festival, and was awarded a Conducting Fellowship at Tanglewood. Wiley holds a Doctor and Master of Music in Conducting from Indiana University, a degree in Piano Performance with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a degree in religion, summa cum laude, from Tufts University. www.davidstewartwiley.com, www.rso.com.