WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (May 2, 2018) – The Winston-Salem Symphony’s Youth Orchestras Program will hold its final concert of the 2017–2018 Season on Monday, May 21 at 7 p.m. The Premiere Strings, led by Dr. Ryane Dunnagan, the Youth Philharmonic Orchestras, led by Margaret Rehder, and the Winston-Salem Youth Symphony, under the baton of Maestra Jessica Morel, will perform at the Stevens Center of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts at 405 West Fourth Street in downtown Winston-Salem. The concert is free and open to the public.
“The entire Youth Orchestras Program has shown tremendous growth this year,” said Maestra Morel. “We are very excited to show the culmination of our hard work in our May concert. The students in this program are extremely dedicated to their craft and come to rehearsals ready to make music. It is an absolute joy to be one of the conductors of this program.”
At the May 21st concert, the Winston-Salem Youth Symphony will perform Frank Proto’s Carmen Fantasy for Double Bass and Orchestra, with Isaac Present as bass soloist, as well as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 (“Little Russian”). The Youth Philharmonic, conducted by Margaret Rehder, will perform a medley of Louis Armstrong songs, Strauss’s Redetsky March, and Ponchielli’s Dance of the Hours, among other selections. The Premiere Strings, conducted by Dr. Ryane Dunnagan and Rachel Holmes, will perform “Over the Rainbow”, Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”, “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes, and music from the film UP.
Maestra Morel took the Youth Symphony on tour to Washington, DC in early April. “The Youth Symphony performed two very successful concerts of patriotic music during our tour,” said Maestra Morel. “One performance was in the beautiful open space at Union Station, which drew a large audience, and the other was on stage at a Veteran’s Retirement Home. While they were there, students also visited the Newseum, a Smithsonian museum of their choice, the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress, and many memorials during the full bloom of the cherry-blossom trees. It was a trip that was both fun and educational, and the students had a great time!”
The Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestras program will be holding auditions for the 2018–2019 season in June and August at R. J. Reynolds High School at 301 N. Hawthorne Road, in Winston-Salem. Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion musicians must audition in June, Strings can audition in June or August. June auditions for Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion, and Strings will be held Friday, June 1 from 4–8 p.m.; Saturday, June 2 from 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; and Sunday June 3 from 1–5 p.m. August auditions for Strings only, will be held Saturday, Aug. 25 from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 26 from 1–5 p.m. For more information, please visit www.wssyo.org/audition.
About the Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestras
The Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestras is part of the Winston-Salem Symphony and includes about 130 student musicians. The Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestras are currently comprised of two full orchestras and a string orchestra for aspiring musicians in the first through twelfth grades: the Premiere Strings, led by Dr. Ryane Dunnagan, is a strings ensemble for young musicians; the Youth Philharmonic, led by Margaret Rehder, is a full orchestra for intermediate level students; and the Youth Symphony, led by Jessica Morel, is a full orchestra for advanced students. Both full orchestras consist of 50 to 75 members and perform several public concerts annually as well as occasional concerts for special audiences. For more information, visit wssyo.org.
About the Winston-Salem Symphony
The Winston-Salem Symphony, one of the Southeast’s most highly regarded regional orchestras, began its 71st season, which is Music Director Robert Moody’s Farewell Season, in September 2017. Under the baton of Maestro Moody, the season includes the Classics and Kicked-Back Classics series, 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. 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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