Featuring Branford Marsalis in Early March
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (February 22, 2022) – The Winston-Salem Symphony is presenting a Classic Series concert cycle featuring legendary saxophonist Branford Marsalis on Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6, 2022. Under the baton of guest conductor Stephen Mulligan, the concert series presents an all-American program including a performance by Marsalis of a saxophone concerto by one of the world’s most-performed living composers, John Adams.
“We are thrilled to continue our 75th anniversary season by welcoming superstar saxophonist Branford Marsalis to perform with the Symphony,” said Winston-Salem Symphony President & CEO Merritt Vale. “Composer John Adams just celebrated his 75th birthday earlier this month, and his concerto will put any saxophonist through their paces, even Branford Marsalis. This concert is also special because we will welcome our former Assistant Conductor, Stephen Mulligan, back to Winston-Salem to lead the orchestra. This is one that you don’t want to miss.”
Adams’s Saxophone Concerto is a thrilling piece, whose jazz influence lies, in the composer’s words, “only slightly below the surface.” Highlighting the virtuosic capabilities of the performer and the instrument, the Saxophone Concerto requires speed, flexibility, and artistry. In addition to the Saxophone Concerto, the concert series includes the joyous exuberance of George Gershwin’s beloved An American in Paris, which depicts bustling city life, complete with tuned taxi horns. African American composer William Grant Still’s sumptuous 1947 Fourth Symphony, titled “Autochthonous,” is a true celebration of the spirit of the American people.
The concerts will take place on Saturday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 6 at 3 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 $25 and are available by calling the Symphony Box Office at 336-464-0145 or online at wssymphony.org. Please note, all patrons attending Winston-Salem Symphony events must present proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test, and masks are required. For the most up-to-date information, visit wssymphony.org/covid19.
Music Lovers’ Luncheon, a fun and informative pre-concert event featuring Karen Ní Bhroin and special guests, will occur the Friday before each 2021–22 Classics Series concert from 12–1:30 p.m. Attendees will have a chance to learn about the weekend’s programming while enjoying a gourmet lunch. The March 5 Music Lovers’ Luncheon will include an enlightening discussion with Ní Bhroin, guest conductor Stephen Mulligan, and saxophonist Branford Marsalis about John Adams’s explosive Saxophone Concerto as well as Gershwin and William Grant Still. Music Lovers’ Luncheons are an opportunity to gain insights on the music presented and learn more about the performer’s careers and backgrounds. Music Lovers’ Luncheons are $25 per person and advanced registration is required. Visit wssymphony.org/luncheon for more information and to make a reservation.
New Orleans-born Branford Marsalis is an award-winning saxophonist, band leader, featured classical soloist, and a film and Broadway composer. In the process, he has become a multi award-winning artist with three Grammys, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master, and an avatar of contemporary artistic excellence. The Branford Marsalis Quartet, formed in 1986, remains his primary means of expression. In its virtually uninterrupted three-plus decades of existence, the Quartet has established a rare breadth of stylistic range as demonstrated on the band’s latest release: The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul. But Marsalis has not confined his music to the jazz quartet context. A frequent soloist with classical ensembles, Marsalis has become increasingly sought after as a featured soloist with acclaimed orchestras around the world, performing works by composers such as Copeland, Debussy, Glazunov, Ibert, Mahler, Milhaud, Rorem, Vaughan Williams, and Villa-Lobos. And his legendary guest performances with the Grateful Dead and collaborations with Sting have made him a fan favorite in the pop arena. His work on Broadway has garnered a Drama Desk Award and Tony nominations for the acclaimed revivals of Children of a Lesser God, Fences, and A Raisin in the Sun. His screen credits include original music composed for: Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks starring Oprah Winfrey, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. Ma Rainey is the Netflix film adaptation of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson’s play, produced by Denzel Washington. For more information, please visit branfordmarsalis.com.
American conductor Stephen Mulligan recently concluded his tenure as Associate Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Mulligan served as a Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the 2018–19 season, leading the orchestra on the Toyota Symphonies for Youth series and assisting Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen, and guest conductors Lionel Bringuier, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Zubin Mehta, and Michael Tilson Thomas. In the 2021–22 season, Mulligan debuts with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony, Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, and the Lakes Area Music Festival. During the 2017–18 season, his first with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Mulligan stepped in on short notice for three classical subscription programs over the course of six weeks, working with mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and pianists Jorge Federico Osorio and Behzod Abduraimov to critical acclaim. Mulligan is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. From 2014–16, Mulligan served as assistant conductor of the Winston-Salem Symphony and music director of the Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestras Program. In the summer of 2015, after winning the Aspen Conducting Prize, he served as the Assistant Conductor of the Aspen Music Festival. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Mulligan began his music studies with his father Gregory, former concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony and current violinist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He studied conducting at Yale University with Toshiyuki Shimada; at the Peabody Institute with Gustav Meier, Markand Thakar, and Marin Alsop; and at the Aspen Music Festival and School with Robert Spano. For more information, please visit stephenmulligan.com.
This concert and the Winston-Salem Symphony are supported by Season Presenting Sponsors Truist and Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A.; 75th Season Sponsor Mrs. Betty Myers Howell; Symphony Unbound/Etherbound Sponsors Chris & Mike Morykwas; and Guest Conductor Sponsor Two Men and a Truck; as well as the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County and the North Carolina Arts Council.
About the Winston-Salem Symphony
Proud to be one of the Southeast’s most highly regarded regional orchestras, the Winston-Salem Symphony will celebrate its 75th anniversary across 2022. The Symphony inspires listeners of all ages throughout North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad with a variety of concerts, education programs, and community engagement initiatives each year.
The Symphony’s 2021–22 performance season includes the Classics Series, showcasing virtuoso guest artists, orchestral masterworks, and recent compositions by living composers; The Music that Pops Series, including crowd-favorites Steep Canyon Rangers and a celebration of film music; and the Ignite Family Series, which is an interactive experience created for the whole family.
The Symphony is supported by Season Presenting Sponsors Truist and Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A.; 75th Anniversary Sponsor Betty Myers Howell; Symphony Unbound/Etherbound Presenting Sponsors Chris and Mike Morykwas; the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, the North Carolina Arts Council, and other dedicated sponsors. Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at wssymphony.org or by calling the Symphony Box Office at 336-464-0145.
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