“I can’t believe our thrilling “American Idol™”-like season-long search for your Winston-Salem Symphony’s next Music Director is reaching its final candidate,” said E. Merritt Vale, Winston-Salem Symphony President & CEO. “It has been so much fun meeting and watching the candidates in action. What an amazing group of candidates! Our final conductor is Timothy Redmond, who hails from London, and we hope everyone will take advantage of the many opportunities to interact with him during his visit to Winston-Salem. And, of course, come see him on the podium! We really want your feedback. It will be invaluable in helping us make a well-informed decision about your next Music Director. You can find out more about all the ways to meet the candidates on our website and on Facebook.”
Under the baton of Redmond, the concerts will take place on Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Stevens Center of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, 405 West Fourth Street in downtown Winston-Salem. Tickets begin at $20 and are available in advance by calling the Symphony Box Office at 336-464-0145 or online at WSsymphony.org.
Music Lovers’ Luncheon, a fun and informative pre-concert event, will occur the Friday before each 2018–2019 Classics Concert and will give attendees a chance to get to know the five Music Director finalists and the renowned guest artists. The Music Lovers’ Luncheons will take place at Forsyth Country Club at 3101 Country Club Road in Winston-Salem. The next luncheon is Friday, April 26 from 12–1:30 p.m. This intimate afternoon event will include an enlightening discussion led by Music Director candidate Timothy Redmond and guest violinist Steven Moeckel. Music Lovers’ Luncheons are an opportunity to gain insights on the music presented and learn more about the performers personally. Advanced registration is required and can be made by calling 336.464.0145. The luncheon is $25 per person.
There will be two other opportunities to interact with Redmond outside the concert hall. On Monday, April 29 at 5:30 p.m. enjoy a Happy Hour at the Katharine Brasserie and Bar at 401 N Main Street in downtown Winston-Salem. This will be a fun mix and mingle with Redmond and other guests. Attendees’ first house wine or beer is complimentary. On Tuesday, April 30 at 10 a.m., Redmond will be at Coffee & Conversations at Footnote, which is located at 634 W 4th Street, Suite 120, in downtown Winston-Salem. Attendees can enjoy a cup of coffee (the first cup is on the Symphony) and lighthearted interaction with Redmond.
For their Classics Concert series, each Music Director candidate was assigned two main pieces to conduct and given the opportunity to pick an overture of their choice. Redmond has chosen to open the concert series with Pulcinella Suite, by Igor Stravinsky. Looking for something to pair with the mid-20th century romantic work of Barber, Redmond wanted something lighter and upbeat. In addition, the Stravinsky piece, like the Barber Violin Concerto, has an element of nostalgia, a sense of looking back to a time that never was. The Pulcinella Suite is delightful and energetic and will be a lively way to open the concert.
The concert continues with Barber’s Violin Concerto, which will highlight the artistry of guest artist Stephen Moeckel. Romantic and lyrical, the Concerto also offers Moeckel many challenges and opportunities for technical fireworks. As David B. Levy, Professor of Music at Wake Forest University writes in his program notes for this concert, this concerto “has taken its place in history, not only as a wonderful example of Americana, but as one of the great violin concertos.”
Closing out this concert series is the renowned Finnish composer Sibelius’s epic Symphony No. 1, in E minor. As Levy indicates in his concert notes, “Sibelius, when all is said and done, is a difficult composer to characterize. ‘Moody’ might be the best word to describe his style, as he had an uncanny ability to go from folkish to craggy and exalted to melancholy, with the mere stroke of his pen.” Magnificent, expansive, dramatic, and moving, this Symphony puts Sibelius’s genius on full display.
Timothy Redmond conducts and presents concerts throughout Europe. He is Professor of Conducting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Music Director of the Cambridge Philharmonic, and a regular guest conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras (RPO). He has appeared in the UK with orchestras including the BBC Concert, Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, and more. Redmond is well-known as a conductor of contemporary music and has a particular association with the music of Thomas Adès. Since working closely with the composer for the premiere of The Tempest at Covent Garden, he has conducted critically-acclaimed productions of Powder Her Face for English National Opera, the Royal Opera House, and St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre. He recently gave the Hungarian premiere of Totentanz, the Irish premiere of Living Toys, and assisted the composer for the New York premiere of The Tempest at the Metropolitan Opera. Recent highlights have included premieres of works by Edward Rushton and Peter Maxwell Davies with the LSO and the 2014 LSO BMW Open Air Classics concert at which he conducted for 10,000 people in Trafalgar Square. Redmond studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester University, and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena. He furthered his studies in masterclasses with George Hurst, Ilya Musin, Yan Pascal Tortelier, and Pierre Boulez and as an assistant to Elgar Howarth, Valery Gergiev, and Sir Colin Davis.
Violinist Steven Moeckel’s effortless virtuosity, vivid characterization, and uncanny ability to capture the very essence of a work have been hailed by critics worldwide. As concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician, his ability to engage audiences in an astounding range of repertoire distinguishes him as one of the most versatile young musicians of today. A seasoned performer since childhood, Moeckel began his career as a violinist in the United States, and then, from the age of 11, toured as principal soprano soloist of the renowned Vienna Boys Choir. Resuming his violin studies, he graduated with honors from the Mozarteum in Salzburg at the age of 19 and immediately assumed the position of Co-Concertmaster of Germany’s Ulm Philharmonic. Since his return to the United States, Moeckel has continued to combine a career as concertmaster with that of soloist and chamber artist. He is a much sought-after concerto soloist, his repertoire encompassing everything from the standard classical and romantic masterpieces to the visceral virtuosity of the Shostakovich Concerto and Corigliano’s Red Violin. Invited to China under the auspices of the newly formed Ling Tung Foundation, he was the first Western violinist to perform the beloved violin concerto, The Butterfly Lovers, with a Chinese orchestra. At home in myriad styles, with pianist Paula Fan he performed a twelve-hour marathon charity concert featuring masterworks of the classical literature interspersed with intermezzi featuring country, tango, and jazz. Currently concertmaster of the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Steven Moeckel performs on a violin crafted c. 1840 by the celebrated French maker, Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. For full artist biographies, please visit WSsymphony.org.
This concert and the Winston-Salem Symphony are sponsored by Season Presenting Sponsors Bell, Davis, & Pitt, P.A. and BB&T; Concert Sponsor River Landing; Music Director Search Presenting Sponsor Mrs. Charles M. Howell; Music Director Candidate Sponsor Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton; Guest Artist Sponsor Bill and Becky Clingman; Hospitality Sponsor Leonard Ryden Burr; Classics Media Sponsors Fox 8 WGHP and 89.9 FM WDAV Classical Public Radio; as well as the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County and the North Carolina Arts Council.
About the Winston-Salem Symphony
The Winston-Salem Symphony, one of the Southeast’s most highly regarded regional orchestras, began its 72nd season in October 2018. The season will include performances featuring the five finalists for the Music Director position. Each candidate will conduct a pair of Classics Series concerts, and attendees will have a chance to play a role in the selection process. In addition, the 2018–2019 season will include a Plugged-In Pops series, Discovery Concerts for Kids series, an annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, the Concert for Community featuring Winston-Salem Symphony and Youth Symphony musicians, holiday concerts, three youth orchestra ensembles, and a multitude of educational and community engagement programs, including the newest offering, the P.L.A.Y. (Piedmont Learning Academy for Youth) Music program providing, primarily to under-served youth, instrumental music instruction and more. The Symphony is supported by Season Presenting Sponsors BB&T and Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A., as well as generous funding from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, the North Carolina Arts Council, and other dedicated sponsors. For more information, visit WSsymphony.org.
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