Following a wildly popular Symphony Unbound concert for which she was curator, conductor, featured composer, and vocalist, Nia Imani Franklin makes her subscription series debut in a program that includes favorites from the Great American Songbook and highlights two of her passions: gospel and rhythm & blues. Winston-Salem’s own—and 2019 Miss America—Nia Imani Franklin is a thrilling performer. You won’t want to miss this concert!

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Nia Imani Franklin

R.J. Reynolds High School

Prepare to be transported to enchanting realms of romance and legend in this captivating finale to the 2023-24 Classics Series. The journey begins with the Chevalier’s evocative melodies from L’amant anonyme (The Anonymous Lover), the only surviving opera by Joseph Bologne. You are then invited to take a tragic tour of the underworld in Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice Suite, born of his surreal and heartbreaking opera, and the concert reaches its magical conclusion with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Immerse yourself in the sensory pleasure of the orchestra’s sound and let the imaginative melodies take you away as they animate the tales from The One Thousand and One Nights.

Scheherazade

Hear all four of our talented Youth Orchestras Program ensembles in their year-end concert!

Spring Finale

In 1824, audiences experienced Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for the first time, and our musical world was forever transformed. Join us in commemorating the 200th Anniversary of this iconic masterpiece as the orchestra and chorus bring the glorious “Ode to Joy” to life. Immerse yourself in the transcendent beauty and message of unity in this immortal work as we explore why Beethoven’s music continues to resonate with music lovers worldwide.

The Ninth

Wait Chapel

The Winston-Salem Symphony, guest vocalists, and the fan-favorite Jeans ‘n Classics band come together to celebrate the supergroup’s decades of hits, including “Rhiannon,” “Say You Love Me,” “Little Lies,” “Landslide” and more.

The Music of Fleetwood Mac

Our annual, admission-free showcase features a large orchestra led by Youth Symphony members paired with their professional counterparts in the Winston-Salem Symphony, plus exciting concerto performances by today’s rising stars. And as is tradition, the concert begins with the world premiere performance of a new work by a young local composer. It is a wonderful late-winter family experience not to be missed!

Concert for Community

An offering on the advent of spring from three of our Youth Orchestras ensembles, including music by Vivaldi, Wagner, Astor Piazolla, popular contemporary composer Doug Spata, and Winston-Salem’s own Margaret Sandresky.

Youth Philharmonic, Chamber Sinfonia, & Premiere Strings

Genre-defying bassist and composer Edgar Meyer bridges the worlds of classical and bluegrass music to shine a new light on American music. The only bassist to ever be awarded a MacArthur ‘genius’ grant, his diverse lineup of musical collaborators includes Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, and Béla Fleck. Meyer joins the Winston-Salem Symphony to perform his own Concerto for Double Bass and Giovanni Bottesini’s Concerto No. 2.

Jessie Montgomery’s Strum likewise salutes American folk music, creating a mesmerizing groove through the plucking of strings, and Dvořák’s groundbreaking Symphony No. 9 masterfully fuses European classical traditions with the rich rhythms and melodies of the American landscape.

Edgar Meyer + The New World

Join the Winston-Salem Symphony for a special one-night-only performance with country and bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs. The 15-time GRAMMY® winner is joined by the incomparable pickers of Kentucky Thunder and the Winston-Salem Symphony for an unforgettable evening of music.

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

“My old friend, the sea,” Debussy once said. “It is always endless and beautiful. It is really the thing in nature which best puts you in your place.” In the composer’s ever popular La Mer, the orchestra paints a vivid sonic portrait of the ocean’s vast beauty and mystery. GRAMMY®-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano joins forces with the Winston-Salem Symphony for a spellbinding performance of Doug Cuomo’s a raft, the sky, the wild sea, a concerto that combines improvisation and gripping melodies to depict the perilous journey of those seeking refuge and hope on the open water. Finally, lose yourself in the intoxicating waves of rhythm in Ravel’s La Valse, as the orchestra whirls you through a mesmerizing dance of light and shadow.

Enchanted Waters

The WSS Youth Philharmonic, comprised of 65 talented middle- and high-school musicians from our Youth Orchestras Program, present a program of holiday favorites as part of the Moravian Music Foundation’s Christmas Fest at Salem College! Enjoy familiar classics including Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring and moments from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, as well as popular treats such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Leroy Anderson’s A Christmas Festival and Sleigh Ride.

Youth Philharmonic Holiday Concert

Salem College

Handel’s Messiah is one of the most celebrated oratorios of all time. The glorious “Hallelujah” chorus, tenderly expressive arias, and the majestic choruses have been drawing crowds since the composition was premiered in 1742. Let Handel’s melodies lift your spirit and fill your heart this Christmas season as Music Director Michelle Merrill invites you to rediscover the magic of this enduring work.

Handel’s Messiah

Get into the holiday spirit with the beloved comedy classic Home Alone. Accompanied by your Winston-Salem Symphony and Symphony Chorus, renowned composer John Williams’ charming and delightful score comes to life as it is performed live to the film. Join Macaulay Culkin as he shines in the role of Kevin McCallister, the resourceful 8-year-old boy who must defend his home from two bumbling thieves. Home Alone is a holiday treat that promises laughter and joy for the entire family.

Home Alone In Concert

All four ensembles of the WSS Youth Orchestras program get their performance season off to a start in this inspiring autumn concert.

Youth Orchestras Fall Extravaganza

We invite you to explore the colors and textures of the orchestra in Luster by acclaimed composer and UNCSA faculty member Jared Miller and to feel the deeply emotive strains of Rachmaninoff’s renowned Piano Concerto No. 2. Pianist Michelle Cann has been heralded as a “compelling, sparkling virtuoso” (Boston Intelligencer), and her interpretation of this iconic and powerful composition will draw you in with its haunting opening theme and keep you on the edge of your seat as it soars to its climax.

Majestic Rachmaninoff & Shostakovich

In October of 1998, Matthew Shepard, a young, gay student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie was kidnapped, severely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in a lonely field under a blanket of stars. Five days later, when Matt passed away, the world was watching. Craig Hella Johnson has responded with his first concert-length work, Considering Matthew Shepard.

This three-part fusion oratorio speaks with a fresh and bold voice, incorporating a variety of musical styles seamlessly woven into a unified whole, setting texts by poets including Hildegard of Bingen, Lesléa Newman, Michael Dennis Browne, and Rumi alongside passages from Matthew’s personal journal, interviews with his parents, and newspaper reports.

Considering Matthew Shepard

Wake Forest University

Michelle Merrill takes the podium for her debut concert as Music Director, leading the Winston-Salem Symphony through a captivating program celebrating Bernstein and Brahms.

Experience the mesmerizing artistry of violinist Kristin Lee as the rising star takes center stage to perform Brahms’s timeless Violin Concerto. The evening reaches its pinnacle as you are swept away by the iconic rhythms and electrifying energy of Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Opening the program is Dvořák’s Carnival Overture, a boisterous and festive work fitting this celebratory occasion.

Winston-Salem Symphony

May 11, 2024

Nia Imani Franklin

4 - 5 May, 2024

Scheherazade

Apr 30, 2024

Spring Finale

13 - 14 Apr, 2024

The Ninth

Apr 6, 2024

The Music of Fleetwood Mac

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