Classics Series
Events
GERSHWIN, RACHMANINOFF, & TRANE
Winston-Salem Symphony
Robert Young Saxophone
Michelle Merrill Conductor
Our season-opening weekend coincides with the centennial celebration of High Point native John Coltrane, who left an enduring legacy in the jazz idiom. Saxophonist Robert Young brings Coltrane’s influence to bear in a recent concerto by Guillaume Connesson. Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Rachmaninoff’s fiery Symphonic Dances, two of the rare orchestral pieces that include saxophone, round out this program.
GERSHWIN, RACHMANINOFF, & TRANE
Winston-Salem Symphony
Robert Young Saxophone
Michelle Merrill Conductor
Our season-opening weekend coincides with the centennial celebration of High Point native John Coltrane, who left an enduring legacy in the jazz idiom. Saxophonist Robert Young brings Coltrane’s influence to bear in a recent concerto by Guillaume Connesson. Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Rachmaninoff’s fiery Symphonic Dances, two of the rare orchestral pieces that include saxophone, round out this program.
VIOLINS OF HOPE
In this program, we remember victims of the Holocaust in a deeply musical way: by performing on surviving instruments of the Holocaust, collectively known as the Violins of Hope, in music of Mendelssohn, Bernstein, John Williams, Jessie Montgomery, and others. Guest pianist Sara Davis Buechner also joins for UNCSA faculty composer Jared Miller’s poignant work Shattered Night in remembrance of the November anniversary of Kristallnacht.
VIOLINS OF HOPE
In this program, we remember victims of the Holocaust in a deeply musical way: by performing on surviving instruments of the Holocaust, collectively known as the Violins of Hope, in music of Mendelssohn, Bernstein, John Williams, Jessie Montgomery, and others. Guest pianist Sara Davis Buechner also joins for UNCSA faculty composer Jared Miller’s poignant work Shattered Night in remembrance of the November anniversary of Kristallnacht.
BRAHMS 1
Hear two Winston-Salem Symphony premieres on one concert! Enjoy the Symphony’s first-ever performance of the overture to Beethoven’s only ballet, Creatures of Prometheus, plus the vibrant violinist Yevgeny Kutik in the Second Violin Concerto of Philip Glass. Known for his mesmerizing “minimalist” sound, Glass’s music has a broad appeal among symphony audiences, opera lovers, and movie buffs. Brahms’ captivating First Symphony—which took Brahms over twenty years to write—balances the program.
BRAHMS 1
Hear two Winston-Salem Symphony premieres on one concert! Enjoy the Symphony’s first-ever performance of the overture to Beethoven’s only ballet, Creatures of Prometheus, plus the vibrant violinist Yevgeny Kutik in the Second Violin Concerto of Philip Glass. Known for his mesmerizing “minimalist” sound, Glass’s music has a broad appeal among symphony audiences, opera lovers, and movie buffs. Brahms’ captivating First Symphony—which took Brahms over twenty years to write—balances the program.
ROMEO & JULIET
Shakespeare’s most beloved drama, performed live by actors from Concert Theatre Works (who are returning after 2023’s WSS performances of The Chevalier), is interspersed with selections from Prokofiev’s powerful and enduring Op.64 ballet score—one of his most popular orchestral landscapes.
ROMEO & JULIET
Shakespeare’s most beloved drama, performed live by actors from Concert Theatre Works (who are returning after 2023’s WSS performances of The Chevalier), is interspersed with selections from Prokofiev’s powerful and enduring Op.64 ballet score—one of his most popular orchestral landscapes.
FALSE HEROES
WSS principal cellist Brooks Whitehouse portrays the pseudo-hero adventurer Don Quixote with principal violist Simon Ertz as his sidekick, Sancho Panza, in Richard Strauss’ epic tone poem. Then, on the second half, enjoy Beethoven’s “heroic” Symphony No. 3, originally dedicated to Napoleon before he crowned himself emperor and prompting Beethoven to angrily remove the dedication.
FALSE HEROES
WSS principal cellist Brooks Whitehouse portrays the pseudo-hero adventurer Don Quixote with principal violist Simon Ertz as his sidekick, Sancho Panza, in Richard Strauss’ epic tone poem. Then, on the second half, enjoy Beethoven’s “heroic” Symphony No. 3, originally dedicated to Napoleon before he crowned himself emperor and prompting Beethoven to angrily remove the dedication.
CARMINA BURANA
The 26/27 season concludes with composer Nico Muhly’s Doom Painting, written specifically for the incredible Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and receiving its East Coast premiere. The Symphony Chorus then joins for Carl Orff’s instantly recognizable Carmina Burana and its spine-tingling “O Fortuna” chorus.
CARMINA BURANA
The 26/27 season concludes with composer Nico Muhly’s Doom Painting, written specifically for the incredible Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and receiving its East Coast premiere. The Symphony Chorus then joins for Carl Orff’s instantly recognizable Carmina Burana and its spine-tingling “O Fortuna” chorus.