FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News media contact
Joey Burdette
336.725.1035 or jburdette@wssymphony.org
The Winston-Salem Symphony Presents Sensory-Friendly Family Concert “Worldwide Playlist: Dancing Around the Globe”
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (January 18, 2023) – The Winston-Salem Symphony will present the Ignite Family Series performance of Worldwide Playlist: Dancing Around the Globe at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 5, 2023, at R.J. Reynolds Auditorium at 301 N. Hawthorne Road in Winston-Salem..
This sensory-friendly concert is an excellent fit for all families. Guest conductor John McKeever will lead the orchestra through dance music and rhythms from around the world. Attendees will experience orchestral music from North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and learn about the rhythms native to global cultures.
This concert is the second in the Winston-Salem Symphony’s fun and exciting three-concert Ignite Family Series. These shows provide an interactive experience that the entire family can enjoy while introducing the youngest audience members to the joy of live music. In addition to the concert, there will be a variety of pre-concert activities, including games, story times, and an instrument petting zoo that gives all kids a chance to make sounds just like the musicians on stage. Festivities start at 2 p.m. with interactive craft activities with Wake Forest University’s Museum of Anthropology and Kaleideum along with drumming with Tam Tam Mandingue. Audience members are encouraged to arrive up to an hour before show-time to participate in all available activities. The concert itself is a kid-friendly length of under one hour.
Tickets start at $18 and can be purchased online at wssymphony.org or by calling the Box Office at (336) 464-0145.
About Sensory-friendly Concerts
This specially designed concert experience will allow individuals with sensory sensitivities to experience a full symphony orchestra concert in a way that they find comfortable and enjoyable. The sensory-friendly accommodations are designed to make the experience enjoyable for all in attendance. During this welcoming and inclusive performance, patrons will be welcomed by trained staff and volunteers and can move freely during the show and express themselves in a non-judgmental environment. Accommodations for the concert include designated quiet, movement, and activity areas; a shush-free show where noise and verbalizing are okay; slightly raised house lights; and pre-show materials that explain the flow of the day and introduce the music. This relaxed concert setting will create a welcoming environment for individuals with autism and sensory sensitivities and will be a fun-filled performance that individuals of all ages and abilities will enjoy. “The excitement of a sensory-friendly concert is not just in the music, but in the freedom and joy it brings to those who thought they could never experience it,” said Rachel Watson, Senior Director, Education, Engagement, and Inclusion.
About John McKeever
John McKeever recently completed a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Colorado Boulder. As a graduate teaching assistant, he served as the Director of the Campus Orchestra. He also served as an Assistant and Cover Conductor for the Boulder Philharmonic. Dr. McKeever is currently an Assistant Conductor with the UNC School of the Arts Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he is a Performing Artist for the School of Dance at UNCSA.
About the Winston-Salem Symphony
Proud to be one of the Southeast’s most highly regarded regional orchestras, the Winston-Salem Symphony just celebrated its 75th Anniversary. The 2022–2023 season concludes a year-long search for a Music Director from six virtuosic candidates. The Symphony will continue inspiring listeners of all ages throughout North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad with various concerts, education programs, and community engagement initiatives each year.
This concert and the Winston-Salem Symphony are supported by Season Presenting Sponsors Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A., Chris and Mike Morykwas, the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, and the North Carolina Arts Council.
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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