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Joey Burdette
336.725.1035 or jburdette@wssymphony.org
The Winston-Salem Symphony Presents The Chevalier
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (September 13, 2022) –Two years after premiering the staged reading, the Winston-Salem Symphony is proud to present The Chevalier, a play with music written and directed by Bill Barclay, on Sunday, October 3 at 3 p.m. at R. J. Reynolds Auditorium in Winston-Salem.
Barclay’s powerful story focuses on Joseph Bologne, who was born on the Caribbean Island of Guadeloupe to an enslaved mother and French Nobleman. His mixed race meant that the French title of nobility would not convey to young Joseph. That slight would not matter as talent and fate set the man on an inspiring path to earning nobility on his own. Bologne became known as a master swordsman whose fighting skills earned him a place as an officer for the King’s guard, thus securing his noble rank of Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
The Chevalier was one of history’s most accomplished men. He was the archetypal Renaissance man: a gentleman of the nobility, champion fencer, general of Europe’s first Black military regiment, crusader against slavery, virtuoso violinist, and a composer whose works were celebrated by the greatest musicians of his age. Bill Barclay’s play with music portrays Bologne in a deservedly heroic light: as a friend to the young Mozart, as an enlightening mentor to Marie Antoinette, and above all as a true patriot of equality—an ideal that shines through the fabric of his music.
The Chevalier is a symphonic play addressing music and race. It is a meditation on the true nature of equality, based entirely on historical events, told in today’s language, and conflating the fervor of the French Revolution with the resistance against authoritarianism unfolding in 2020. Joseph Boulogne, le Chevalier de Saint-Georges—master composer, virtuoso violinist, finest fencer in Europe, general of Europe’s first Black regiment, and crusader against slavery—was an extraordinary artist of color nearly forgotten by white-washed history.
The Chevalier will be conducted by Thomas Heuser with Brendon Elliott as solo violin. Joining the Winston-Salem Symphony will be Thomas Brazzle as the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Sarah Baskin as Marie Antoinette, David Joseph as W. A. Mozart, and Bill Barclay as Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.
Tickets to The Chevalier begin at $25 and can be purchased by calling the Symphony Box Office at 336-464-0145 or online at wssymphony.org. Please note the following parental advisory: This production contains brief instances of explicit language.
About Bill Barclay
Barclay was director of music at Shakespeare’s Globe from 2012–2019, where he produced music for over 120 productions and 150 concerts. A director, composer, writer, and producer, he is the artistic director of Concert Theatre Works. Broadway and West End credits include “Farinelli and the King,” “Twelfth Night,” and “Richard III,” all starring Mark Rylance. A passionate advocate for evolving the concert hall, he has created works of concert theatre for the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican, and six times for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (“Peer Gynt,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with Andris Nelsons, “The Magic Flute,” and “L’Histoire du Soldat” with Charles Dutoit). Other credits include The Silkroad Ensemble, London Philharmonic Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, Virginia Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Tanglewood, Washington National Cathedral and Buckingham Palace.
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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