Winston-Salem Symphony

Michelle Merrill takes the podium for her debut concert as Music Director, leading the Winston-Salem Symphony through a captivating program celebrating Bernstein and Brahms. Experience the mesmerizing artistry of violinist Kristin Lee as the rising star takes center stage to perform Brahms’ timeless Violin Concerto. The evening reaches its pinnacle as you are swept away by the iconic rhythms and electrifying energy of Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Opening the program is Dvořák’s Carnival Overture, a boisterous and festive work fitting this celebratory occasion.

In October of 1998, Matthew Shepard, a young, gay student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie was kidnapped, severely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in a lonely field under a blanket of stars. Five days later, when Matt passed away, the world was watching. Craig Hella Johnson has responded with his first concert-length work, Considering Matthew Shepard.

This three-part fusion oratorio speaks with a fresh and bold voice, incorporating a variety of musical styles seamlessly woven into a unified whole, setting texts by poets including Hildegard of Bingen, Lesléa Newman, Michael Dennis Browne, and Rumi alongside passages from Matthew’s personal journal, interviews with his parents, and newspaper reports.

We invite you to explore the colors and textures of the orchestra in Luster by acclaimed composer and UNCSA faculty member Jared Miller and to feel the thunderously triumphant opening chords of Tchaikovsky’s mighty Piano Concerto. Pianist Michelle Cann has been heralded as a “compelling, sparkling virtuoso” (Boston Intelligencer), and her interpretation of this iconic and powerful composition will draw you in with its famous first melody and keep you on the edge of your seat as it races to the conclusion.

Following intermission, the orchestra performs Shostakovich’s monumental Fifth Symphony, an indomitable piece composed amid Stalinist terror.

We invite you to explore the colors and textures of the orchestra in Luster by acclaimed composer and UNCSA faculty member Jared Miller and to feel the thunderously triumphant opening chords of Tchaikovsky’s mighty Piano Concerto. Pianist Michelle Cann has been heralded as a “compelling, sparkling virtuoso” (Boston Intelligencer), and her interpretation of this iconic and powerful composition will draw you in with its famous first melody and keep you on the edge of your seat as it races to the conclusion.

Following intermission, the orchestra performs Shostakovich’s monumental Fifth Symphony, an indomitable piece composed amid Stalinist terror.

Prepare to be transported to enchanting realms of romance and legend in this captivating finale to the 2023-24 Classics Series. The journey begins with the Chevalier’s evocative melodies from L’amant anonyme (The Anonymous Lover), the only surviving opera by Joseph Bologne. You are then invited to take a tragic tour of the underworld in Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice Suite, born of his surreal and heartbreaking opera, and the concert reaches its magical conclusion with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Immerse yourself in the sensory pleasure of the orchestra’s sound and let the imaginative melodies take you away as they animate the tales from The One Thousand and One Nights.

Prepare to be transported to enchanting realms of romance and legend in this captivating finale to the 2023-24 Classics Series. The journey begins with the Chevalier’s evocative melodies from L’amant anonyme (The Anonymous Lover), the only surviving opera by Joseph Bologne. You are then invited to take a tragic tour of the underworld in Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice Suite, born of his surreal and heartbreaking opera, and the concert reaches its magical conclusion with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Immerse yourself in the sensory pleasure of the orchestra’s sound and let the imaginative melodies take you away as they animate the tales from The One Thousand and One Nights.

In the composer’s ever popular La Mer, the orchestra paints a vivid sonic portrait of the ocean’s vast beauty and mystery. GRAMMY®-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano joins forces with the Winston-Salem Symphony for a spellbinding performance of Doug Cuomo’s a raft, the sky, the wild sea, a concerto that combines improvisation and gripping melodies to depict the perilous journey of those seeking refuge and hope on the open water. Finally, lose yourself in the intoxicating waves of rhythm in Ravel’s La Valse, as the orchestra whirls you through a mesmerizing dance of light and shadow.

In the composer’s ever popular La Mer, the orchestra paints a vivid sonic portrait of the ocean’s vast beauty and mystery. GRAMMY®-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano joins forces with the Winston-Salem Symphony for a spellbinding performance of Doug Cuomo’s a raft, the sky, the wild sea, a concerto that combines improvisation and gripping melodies to depict the perilous journey of those seeking refuge and hope on the open water. Finally, lose yourself in the intoxicating waves of rhythm in Ravel’s La Valse, as the orchestra whirls you through a mesmerizing dance of light and shadow.

Join the Winston-Salem Symphony for a special one-night-only performance with country and bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs. The 15-time GRAMMY® winner is joined by the incomparable pickers of Kentucky Thunder and the Winston-Salem Symphony for an unforgettable evening of music.

Genre-defying bassist and composer Edgar Meyer bridges the worlds of classical and bluegrass music to shine a new light on American music. The only bassist to ever be awarded a MacArthur ‘genius’ grant, his diverse lineup of musical collaborators includes Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, and Béla Fleck. Meyer joins the Winston-Salem Symphony to perform his own Concerto for Double Bass and Giovanni Bottesini’s Concerto No. 2.

Genre-defying bassist and composer Edgar Meyer bridges the worlds of classical and bluegrass music to shine a new light on American music. The only bassist to ever be awarded a MacArthur ‘genius’ grant, his diverse lineup of musical collaborators includes Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, and Béla Fleck. Meyer joins the Winston-Salem Symphony to perform his own Concerto for Double Bass and Giovanni Bottesini’s Concerto No. 2.

The Winston-Salem Symphony, guest vocalists, and the fan-favorite Jeans ‘n Classics band come together to celebrate the supergroup’s decades of hits, including “Rhiannon,” “Say You Love Me,” “Little Lies,” “Landslide” and more.