A Chamber Serenade
A Chamber Serenade
Saturday
Mar 8, 2025
5:00 PM
Sunday
Mar 9, 2025
3:00 PM
Winston-Salem Symphony
Karim Sulayman Tenor
Christopher Caudill Horn
Michelle Merrill Conductor
Arvo Pärt
Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten
Program Notes
Benjamin Britten
Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings
Program Notes
W.A. Mozart
Symphony No. 41, K551 “Jupiter”
Program Notes
Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s Cantus unfolds with haunting simplicity and profound solemnity, paying homage to Benjamin Britten’s legacy and musical influence. Britten’s Serenade, a masterpiece for smaller orchestra, weaves together tenor and horn solos with ethereal string textures, exploring themes of night, nature, and human existence. Mozart’s final symphony crowns the evening with its exuberant energy and brilliance. Join us for an unforgettable concert experience that traverses the depths of contemplation, beauty, and musical mastery across centuries and styles.
Please note:
The Saturday evening, Mar 8 performance is at 5:00 PM.
Single tickets to this event go on sale August 1, but you can save your seat with a subscription!
Saturday
Mar 8
5:00 PM
Sunday
Mar 9
3:00 PM
Pre-Concert Talk
Saturday at 4:00 PM | Sunday at 2:00 PM
All audience members are invited to join us in Centenary Church Dining Room, directly off the 4½ Street lobby, for a lively discussion about the music and surrounding context. Musicologist and Wake Forest University professor emeritus Dr. David Levy is your guide—pre-concert talks are free to attend, and occur one hour before any classically-inspired concert.
Karim Sulayman, tenor
Lebanese-American tenor Karim Sulayman has garnered international attention as a sophisticated and versatile artist, praised for his “lucid, velvety tenor and pop-star charisma” (BBC Music Magazine). The 2019 Best Classical Solo Vocal GRAMMY® Award winner, he continues to earn acclaim for his original and innovative programming and recording projects, while regularly performing on the world’s stages in opera, orchestral concerts, recital and chamber music.
Christopher Caudill, horn
Christopher Caudill began playing the horn at age ten while living in London, England, with his family. Piano and violin lessons had failed to do the trick, but a London Symphony concert at the Barbican with famous soloist Barry Tuckwell made him fall in love with the horn. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he earned a B.A. in European History before studying horn with the Chicago Symphony’s former Principal Horn, Dale Clevenger. He was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and the New World Symphony in Miami where he met his horn duet partner, Rachel Niketopoulos.
Michelle Merrill, conductor
WSS Music Director Michelle Merrill served four years as the Assistant and then Associate Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and also serves as the Music Director of the Coastal Symphony of Georgia, where she has ignited the growth and expansion of the orchestra’s offerings both on and off the stage. Ms. Merrill is a proud recipient of a 2016 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award as well as the prestigious 2013 Ansbacher Conducting Fellowship as awarded by members of the Vienna Philharmonic and the American Austrian Foundation, which enabled her to be in residence at the world-renowned Salzburg Festival.
Venue
Centenary United Methodist Church
646 W. Fifth St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Rideshare and Dining
Related Events
Music Lovers’ Luncheon
Friday, Mar 7 at Noon
Forsyth Country Club
3101 Country Club Rd., Winston-Salem
Enjoy lunch with a side of interesting conversation! Michelle Merrill, Karim Sulayman, and Christopher Caudill talk about the work of Arvo Pärt, Benjamin Britten, and Mozart.
Symphony by the Glass
Thursday, Mar 6 at 5pm
The Caviste
1100 Reynolda Rd
Stop by for an afterwork glass from a selection of wines specifically paired to this week’s program! Enjoy music by WSS musicians and casual conversation with other Symphony goers. The event is free to attend; wines are available for purchase.
