WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (MARCH 30, 2016) – The Winston-Salem Symphony, Robert Moody, Music Director, will end the 2015-2016 Discovery Concerts for Kids series with a concert featuring the music of Star Wars. The concert will be conducted by Maestro Stephen Mulligan, Assistant Conductor, on Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 3 p.m. at Reynolds Auditorium at 301 N. Hawthorne Road in Winston-Salem. The Winston-Salem Symphony will be joined by members of the Carolina Garrison of the 501st Legion of officially-sanctioned Star Wars re-enactors.
The concert will celebrate the premiere of the latest movie in the series, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, with music from throughout the Star Wars saga, written by one of America’s most celebrated living composers, John Williams. The music from Star Wars is some of the most beloved in the history of film music, including “The Main Theme”, “The Imperial March”, and “Duel of the Fates”. Members of the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorale, directed by Dr. Christopher Gilliam, will join the Symphony to provide powerful vocals on the haunting “Duel of the Fates”, as well as “O Fortuna” from Carl Orff’s masterpiece Carmina Burana.
Single tickets for Discovery concerts are $7 for children, ages three to 12 (age two and under, free) and $18 for adults. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Symphony Box Office at 336.464.0145 or online at WSsymphony.org.
As always, the doors will open at 2 p.m. on April 17, an hour before performance time, for a variety of child-friendly pre-concert events. Guests will have the opportunity to explore exciting scientific adventures of outer space; enjoy the thrill of robotics through hands-on projects; meet, greet, and enjoy a photo opportunity with Star Wars characters; and more! They also will be able to hold, play, and learn about instruments at an instrument petting zoo. Pre-concert activities are included in the price of the concert ticket. Discovery Concert for Kids pre-concert activities partners include the Carolina Garrison of the 501st Legion, the Sawtooth School for Visual Arts, the Paisley Middle School Robotics Team, Sciworks, and Wake Forest Baptist Health Brenner Children’s Hospital.
The Carolina Garrison is the North Carolina/South Carolina chapter of the 501st Legion, an all-volunteer international Star Wars costuming organization with more than 8,800 active members representing more than 47 nations. The 501st Legion’s aims are to celebrate the Star Wars saga through costuming, to promote the quality and improvement of costumes and props, and most importantly to contribute to the local community through charity and volunteer work. The 501st Legion legacy started in the Carolinas back in 1997 with Albin Johnson and Tom Crews in Columbia, SC. Now, the 501st Legion is a world-wide organization, well known for charity work, and the preferred costuming group for LucasFilm Limited/Disney when it comes to high profile Star Wars events and TV spots. Even though the 501st Legion is world-wide and has had over 10,000 members over the years, there are still some of the very first Legion members still active in the Carolina Garrison.
These concerts and the Winston-Salem Symphony are sponsored by Discovery Concerts for Kids Presenting Sponsor Wake Forest Baptist Health Brenner Children’s Hospital and Founding Sponsor Jeanne Hill as well as by the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County and the North Carolina Arts Council.
About the Winston-Salem Symphony
The Winston-Salem Symphony began its 69th season in September 2015 as one of the Southeast’s most highly regarded regional orchestras. Under the baton of Music Director Robert Moody, the performance season includes a Classics Series, a Plugged-In Pops Series, Discovery Concerts for Kids, annual performances of Handel’s Messiah, a concert featuring Winston-Salem Symphony and Youth Symphony musicians, holiday concerts, three youth orchestra ensembles, and a multitude of educational and community engagement programs. For more information visit WSsymphony.org
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