The mission of the Winston-Salem Symphony is to bring music to life.
Believing that music has the power to inspire, the Winston-Salem Symphony fulfills this mission by enriching the community with live music. The Symphony brings performances, educational programs, and community engagement initiatives to where people live and desires for audiences to experience music in a way that is relevant and meaningful to their own lives. Through music, the Winston-Salem Symphony aspires to create shared experiences and connections that improve the quality of life in Winston-Salem and throughout the region.
The vision of the Winston-Salem Symphony is a community where live music connects people from all walks of life to inspire a more vibrant and creative region.
About the Winston-Salem Symphony
Established in 1946, the Winston-Salem Symphony is one of the oldest and most respected arts organizations in the region. Originally named the “Winston Civic Orchestra,” it premiered to a full house in March 1947. Within five years, it was incorporated as a nonprofit organization and over time transformed from “civic” to “professional” status. The Symphony hired its first full-time conductor (John Iuele) in 1955. Since then, three other exceptional Music Directors have led and nurtured the artistic growth of the orchestra: Peter Perret (1979-2004), Robert Moody (2005-2018), and Timothy Redmond (2019-2021).
Over the past 75 years, the Winston-Salem Symphony has grown into a nationally recognized regional orchestra employing 78 professional musicians on a per service basis. Many of the musicians hold advanced degrees and are faculty members at area universities including UNC School of the Arts, Wake Forest University, and UNC Greensboro. 44% of the orchestra members are freelance musicians who maintain private studios and play with other ensembles throughout North Carolina.
The Symphony’s Classics Series features six concert programs per season, each with Saturday evening and Sunday matinee performances usually held at the downtown UNCSA Stevens Center, which will soon be undergoing a full renovation. Classics Series repertoire includes orchestral masterworks, recent compositions and commissions, and outstanding guest soloists from around the world. At least one Classics Series concert per season typically features the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus, a 70-member auditioned choir of volunteer singers. The Chorus also performs a standalone concert and Handel’s Messiah each season. The Symphony’s Pops Series of 3 or 4 programs per season are held at the historic Reynolds Auditorium and includes the annual Carolina Christmas concert and programs featuring guest artists from a variety of genres and recognizable orchestral music from films and popular culture. The Symphony’s newest offering, the Ignite Family Series, aims to provide programs that will entertain and engage audiences of any age. Additionally, the Symphony offers free community and holiday concerts and explores new and welcoming concert formats in unconventional venues with Symphony Unbound. When COVID-19 shuttered concert halls, the WSS went online to inspire the community with innovative streaming collaborations through the Etherbound digital film series and the Stage Pass streaming subscription program.
The Winston-Salem Symphony has worked with guest artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Renée Fleming, Itzhak Perlman, Van Cliburn, Evelyn Glennie, Robert McDuffie, Sir James Galway, Joshua Bell, Midori, Rachel Barton Pine, Chris Botti, Rhiannon Giddens, Béla Fleck, Branford Marsalis, and more.
As part of its commitment to engaging our community through live orchestral music, the Winston-Salem Symphony is a music education leader in the region and provides a range of opportunities for students. Educational offerings include: the P.L.A.Y. (Piedmont Learning Academy for Youth) Music Program, the Symphony’s El Sistema-inspired program that provides students at underserved schools access to string music instruction; four ensembles of the Youth Orchestras Program; chamber music visits to local elementary schools; a full-orchestra concert for local fifth graders; an annual statewide concerto competition for young musicians; and school visits and masterclasses with guest artists.
A volunteer Board of Directors comprised of 40 elected and four ex-officio Directors governs the Winston-Salem Symphony. Merritt Vale serves as President and CEO, leading an administrative team of 12 full-time and 5 part-time personnel. The Symphony’s administrative offices have recently relocated to a newly remodeled office suite on the 19th floor of Winston Tower. Thanks to outstanding individual donations and local, state, and federal support, the Symphony is emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic in a strong fiscal position that is bolstered by a modest but growing endowment valued at $7.2 million. As part of its current strategic plan, the Winston-Salem Symphony is focused on achieving the four following imperatives by the end of 2024:
- Achieve and maintain annual financial stability to ensure long-term organizational sustainability;
- Enhance its reach, relevance, and profile;
- Diversify and expand its audience base; and
- Assess and enhance the effectiveness of artistic, Board, staff, and volunteer resources.
The Winston-Salem Symphony looks forward to working with its next Music Director to continue a long tradition of artistic excellence while finding new ways to bring music to life for the community. Learn more about the Winston-Salem Symphony on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
About the Community & Region
Named one of The South’s Best Cities On the Rise 2021 by Southern Living, the magazine states:
The ingenuity of the city’s Moravian founders has translated into a community of young entrepreneurs and creators who spurred a live-work-play revolution. That spirit is most apparent at Innovation Quarter, a downtown-based research park that encompasses 90 companies, over 1,000 residences, 5 academic institutions, and 20 miles of connected greenways and parks—plus restaurants, coffee shops, and watering holes.
Winston-Salem is situated in close proximity to a variety of beautiful landscapes, with the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains and the more than 70 wineries of the Yadkin Valley Wine Region to the west and the sunny warm-water beaches of the Atlantic Coast to the east. The region offers more than 3,500 acres of parks and recreation areas suitable for year-round enjoyment and boasts a cost of housing that is 20 percent lower than the national average. Served by four interstate highways and an international airport, the Piedmont Triad is conveniently located an equidistant short trip to Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, as well as halfway between Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
Historically a thriving manufacturing town, today’s Winston-Salem has transformed into a lively community of arts and culture, home to many arts institutions including Piedmont Opera, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Old Salem Museum & Gardens, River Run International Film Festival, the North Carolina Black Repertory Company and its celebrated National Black Theatre Festival, Piedmont Craftsmen, the nation’s first arts council, and much more.
It is also home to a vibrant network of highly respected colleges and universities, including Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University, Salem Academy & College, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, along with state of the art medical and health care facilities, and a growing biotech industry centered in the city’s Innovation Quarter. Winston-Salem also boasts corporate/U.S. headquarters like HanesBrands, Inc. and is a significant presence for other major corporations like Krispy Kreme, Reynolds American, Wells Fargo, Truist, Pepsi Cola, Inmar, Collins Aerospace, Cook Medical, Corning, Herbalife, Lowe’s Foods, Caterpillar and more.
An innovative, vibrant, and multi-cultural community with a rich history and an enduring love for the arts, Winston-Salem always offers something new to experience. To learn more about Winston-Salem, North Carolina, go to winstonsalem.com, visitwinstonsalem.com, or bestofwinston.com.
We look forward to welcoming Music Director candidates to Winston-Salem during the 2022-2023 season so you can experience everything that our community has to offer.
