WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (October 8, 2019) –Timothy Redmond will take the podium for the very first time as the Winston-Salem Symphony’s new Music Director for the 2019–20 Classics Series season opening concerts: The Rite of Spring. The concerts will take place on Sunday, October 27 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, October 29 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.
“We are extremely excited for Tim to officially raise the baton as our new Music Director for our season opening Classics Series concerts,” said E. Merritt Vale, Winston-Salem Symphony President & CEO. “He has already brought incredible energy and enthusiasm to the Symphony and we can’t wait to share that with the community. I hope to see you in the audience at the Stevens Center. It is going to be a rousing program of music performed by your amazingly talented Winston-Salem Symphony.”
“I am really looking forward to the Rite of Spring concert series in October,” said Redmond. “Not only will it be my first time at the podium in my new role as Music Director, but we also have a truly dynamic music program and I can’t wait to work with the Symphony’s gifted musicians to create a magical experience for the audience. The program moves from Mozart’s transcendent Haffner Symphony to Higdon’s contemporary masterpiece as well as Haydn’s astonishing depiction of the moment before creation. And as if that were not enough, the concerts will end with Stravinsky’s provocative Rite of Spring. I can’t wait to see you in October!”
The Rite of Spring kicks off the Classics season with a program of adrenaline-charged, thrilling music. Famous for inciting a riot at it 1913 premiere due to its revolutionary sound, Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring represents “the mystery and great surge of the creative power of spring.” Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary composer Jennifer Higdon’s Low Brass Concerto has been called a “wonderfully accessible, richly melodic new work—one propelled by exhilarating rhythms, vibrant orchestral color, and an ingenious use of strings, woodwinds and percussion,” (Chicago Sun Times). The Representation of Chaos from Joseph Haydn’s The Creation is a miraculous and stunning musical portrayal of the moment of chaos that precedes God’s creation of the earth. Opening the program is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 35, the Haffner Symphony, a staggering work of energy and invention.
A brass quartet, comprised of members of the Symphony, will perform as guest artists for Higdon’s dramatic piece. Members of the quartet are Brian French and David Wulfeck on the trombone, Erik Salzwedel on the bass trombone, and Matt Ransom on the tuba.
Tickets begin at $24 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 2019–20 Classics Concert and will give attendees a chance to enjoy gourmet dining with a side of engaging conversation with Symphony hosts and guest artists discussing the orchestra world, their experiences, and that week’s concert repertoire. The Music Lovers’ Luncheons will take place at Forsyth Country Club at 3101 Country Club Road in Winston-Salem, except for Friday, November 15, which will be held at Old Town Country Club. The next luncheon is Friday, October 25 from 12–1:30 p.m. This intimate afternoon event will include an enlightening discussion led by new Music Director Timothy Redmond and the members of the brass quartet: Brian French, Matt Ransom, Erik Salzwedel, and David Wulfeck. 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.
Brian French, a native of Greensboro, is the principal trombonist of the Winston-Salem Symphony, and has performed as soloist numerous times beginning with his Classics Series solo debut in February 2002. He is also the principal trombonist of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and previously held principal positions in the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training program of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. French has made regional appearances with many orchestras, including those of Asheville, Charlotte, and Roanoke, the North Carolina Symphony, and the North Carolina Opera as guest trombonist, tenor tubist, and bass trumpeter. His summer festival experience includes the Bravo! Festival in Vail, Colorado and the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan. He received both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Northwestern University, studying with members of the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera orchestras. While in Chicago, French became active as a recitalist and chamber musician, and appeared with the Millar Brass Ensemble, London Brass, and the Storioni Ensemble. He joined the music faculty of Wake Forest University in 2008 having earlier taught at Davidson College.
Matt Ransom is in his 25th season as principal tuba of the Winston-Salem Symphony. He is also principal tuba with the Greensboro Symphony and has performed with numerous orchestras across the southeast including the North Carolina Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Augusta Symphony, Carolina Chamber Symphony, and the Long Bay Symphony in Myrtle Beach, SC. Ransom has also performed in Italy, France, Holland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Switzerland as tubist with the North Carolina School of the Arts International Music Program Orchestra. An avid chamber music enthusiast, Ransom is tubist with Carolina Brass, a Greensboro-based quintet dedicated to arts education, innovative programming, and good humor in formal and informal settings. The group has given master classes and performances across the United States and has released five recordings on the Summit Records label. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a Master of Music degree from Appalachian State University. Outside of music, Ransome is the Digital Preservation Strategist for University Libraries at Appalachian State University as a member of the Digital Scholarship and Initiatives team. He is a certified Digital Archives Specialist and holds a Master of Library and Information Studies degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Erik Salzwedel has been the Bass Trombonist of the Winston-Salem and Greensboro Symphonies since 1986 and has toured and performed with the North Carolina Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Camel City Jazz Orchestra, Halcyon Brass Quartet (founding member), the Wachovia Brass Collegium (founder), and many other ensembles all over North Carolina. He has had the privilege of performing with Leonard Bernstein, Itzhak Perlman, André Watts, Renee Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Dan & Chris Brubeck, Ray Charles, the Moody Blues, Glen Campbell, and Bob Hope, to name a very few. He is a prolific composer and arranger, primarily of music for trombone and organ, but also for brass and handbell ensembles. Salzwedel holds degrees from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) (Music ‘84), Stony Brook University SUNY (Music ’86), and Forsyth Technical Community College (Accounting ‘13). Before joining the staff of the Moravian Music Foundation as Business Manager, Salzwedel was Manager of Corporate and Foundation Relations for UNCSA; Executive Director of Arts United for Davidson County (Lexington); Director of Education for the Winston-Salem Symphony; and Production Manager/Librarian for the Greensboro Symphony.
Winston-Salem Symphony second trombonist, David Wulfeck, is the newest member of the low brass section, having joined the orchestra seven years ago after many years as a regular guest musician. Wulfeck is also a member of the Greensboro Symphony and the Carolina Brass, for whom he regularly transcribes and arranges music. Earlier in life, he was the winner of numerous solo competitions, and his performance opportunities have taken him to Canada, Korea, and nearly every state in the United States. Wulfeck has served as principal trombonist with the Corpus Christi, Cheyenne, and Owensboro Symphonies and has performed with the Charlotte Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Greeley Philharmonic, Denver Brass, and San Antonio Brass. He plays frequently with the North Carolina Symphony. Wulfeck was formerly Instructor of Trombone at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Ozark Christian College and is currently on the music faculties of Gardner-Webb University, Greensboro College, and Shaw University. He holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the University of Northern Colorado and Ozark Christian College, and did doctoral studies at Indiana University. In his spare time, Wulfeck enjoys playing guitar and is a singer/songwriter.
This concert and the Winston-Salem Symphony are sponsored by Season Presenting Sponsors Bell, Davis, & Pitt, P.A. and BB&T; Redmond’s Inaugural Season Sponsor Mrs. Charles M. Howell; Redmond’s Inaugural Concert Sponsor Hendrick Bryant Nerhood Sanders & Otis LLP; Symphony Unbound Sponsors Chris & Mike Morykwas; 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, begins its 73rd season in October 2019. 2019–20 will be Timothy Redmond’s inaugural season as Music Director and will include Classics Series concerts featuring renowned guest artists such as Kenny Broberg, Béla Fleck, Rachel Barton Pine, and more. In addition, the season will include a Pops series featuring the Indigo Girls on stage with the Symphony as well as the music of John Williams and a tribute to Tom Petty. A Carolina Christmas returns with special guest artists with North Carolina roots including Laurelyn Dossett. The annual performance of Handel’s Messiah returns along with the Concert for Community featuring Winston-Salem Symphony and Youth Symphony musicians, four youth orchestra ensembles, and a multitude of educational and community engagement programs, including 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.; Redmond’s Inaugural Season Sponsor Mrs. Charles M. Howell; Symphony Unbound Sponsors Chris and Mike Morykwas; 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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