About Washington Balalaika Society Russian Orchestra
The Washington Balalaika Society was founded in 1988 by a group of Washington-area musicians interested in studying and performing the music of Russia, Ukraine and eastern Europe on traditional Russian folk instruments -- the balalaika, domra, bayan and related folk wind and percussion instruments. The Society's initial membership of eight has grown to more than fifty, and the WBS Orchestra is now the largest of its kind in America with musicians at all levels from beginner to professional, from teens to 90s in age.
The WBS Orchestra is organized in instrumental sections similar to a symphony orchestra, under the direction of a conductor. The instruments of the orchestra include five sizes of domras ( first and second prima domras, alto, tenorr and bass), six sizes of balalaikas (prima, sekunda, alto, bass, contrabass), guslis, accordions/bayans, wind instruments (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and folk winds) and both conventional and folk percussion instruments.
The Orchestra presents more than a dozen concerts each year including its annual Spring and Fall Concert Series, and appears at festivals, parks, museums, churches and other public and private venues during the year. The WBS Orchestra has performed at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall with the Paul Hill Chorale and The Choral Arts Society of Washington; Carnegie Hall in New York; the Round Lake Auditorium in New York's Adirondacks; Lisner Auditorium, the Embassy of the Russian Federation and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
