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The Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus Presents Locklair’s Requiem

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (October 18, 2022) – The Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Christopher Gilliam, is presenting a concert featuring Requiem, by Wake Forest University Composer-in-Residence Dan Locklair on Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 3 p.m. The concert will take place at Wait Chapel on the campus of Wake Forest University. The Chorus will be accompanied by the Winston-Salem Symphony String Orchestra and Wait Chapel’s magnificent organ.

Locklair’s powerful Requeim is quickly becoming a staple of the international choral repertoire. David Levy, Professor Emeritus of Music at Wake Forest University, said in his program notes for this concert: “Dan Locklair’s Requiem is a piece of music that speaks, as Beethoven wrote of his Missa solemnis, from the heart to the heart.” Since the concert date coincides with Reformation Sunday in the liturgical calendar, the program will open with Johann Sebastian Bach’s beautiful and renowned A Mighty Fortress is Our God.

This concert is a tribute to Don Armitage, a revered and long-time fixture of our vibrant musical community.

General admission tickets cost $20 and can be purchased by calling the Symphony Box Office at 336-464-0145 or online at wssymphony.org.

About Don Armitage

Don Armitage, Cantor Emeritus of Augsburg Lutheran Church, graduated from Central Methodist University with a Bachelor of Music in 1964 before earning his Master of Sacred Music from Union Theological Seminary (NYC) in 1966. Armitage earned his Ph.D. in Applied Music, Theory, and Literature in 1982 from Michigan State University.

His career includes decades of local service with First Presbyterian Church, Augsberg Lutheran Church, Wake Forest University, Piedmont Chamber Singers, and the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorale. Armitage’s dedication, leadership, and excellence in music were recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who in 2010. He is an active member of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada and was the local host for two national conventions in 1977 and 2020. Armitage has served on national boards for the Presbyterian Association of Musicians and the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians.

About the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus

The Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus is an auditioned mixed ensemble made up of volunteer singers, many of whom are professional soloists, or who are current members of area church and university choruses. It is directed by Dr. Christopher Gilliam. The Symphony Chorus rehearses weekly and performs several times each year with the Winston-Salem Symphony. For more information visit wssymphony.org/about/chorale.

About the Winston-Salem Symphony

Proud to be one of the Southeast’s most highly regarded regional orchestras, the Winston-Salem Symphony will celebrate its 75th Anniversary across 2022. The Symphony inspires listeners of all ages throughout North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad with various concerts, education programs, and community engagement initiatives each year.

The Symphony is supported by Season Presenting Sponsors Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A.; 2022 Classics SeriesGuest Artist Sponsors Salemtowne; Symphony Unbound/Etherbound Presenting Sponsors Chris and Mike Morykwas; 75th Anniversary Season Sponsor Betty Myers Howell; the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, the North Carolina Arts Council, and other dedicated sponsors. Subscriptions and single tickets can be purchased online at wssymphony.org or by calling the Symphony Box Office at 336-464-0145.

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