Wilmington Symphonic Winds

04/09/2022

Did you know...Petronel ALSO plays percussion?!? (video clip as evidence) Here is the event for Sunday's performance with the WSW: Wilmington Symphonic Winds Featuring Petronel Malan

04/08/2022

Petronel had a great time talking and playing for the students of Eugene Ashley High School and Charles P. Murray Middle School this week. We are so pleased to partner with New Hanover County Schools to bring this phenomenal artist into our local classrooms. Don't miss your chance to see her perform this Sunday at 4:30 PM in UNCW's Kenan Auditorium!

04/07/2022

Wilmington Symphonic Winds presents Gershwin and Friends featuring Petronel Malan - WWAYTV3

We're so excited for Gershwin & Friends to happen in just a few days. Our work for this concert started before the pandemic hit in 2020, and it got rescheduled several times before we could settle on April 10th as THE date. In some ways, it feels surreal that it's actually happening this week, but we can't wait to share it with you on Sunday, April 10th at 4:30 PM!
https://www.wwaytv3.com/wilmington-symphonic-winds-presents-gershwin-and-friends-featuring-petronel-malan/

(Photo: Emmanuel Mitcham)WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Wilmington Symphonic Winds’ is to host their second performance of the 2021-2022 concert season. Thanks to support from the Landfall Foundation, UNCW Presents, UNCW Department of Music, and the aLoft Hotel, the WSW will present Gershwin & Frie...

04/06/2022

Petronel Malan is having a busy week with masterclasses and outreach concerts. We are loving getting to watch her inspire young musicians! She's undoubtedly inspired the adult musicians of the WSW, and we can't wait for you to hear her play with us this Sunday at 4:30 PM.

Petronel Malan’s residency in Wilmington continues…Yesterdays’s highlight was an inspiring masterclass with the UNCW piano studio. Stay tuned for more updates…

04/05/2022

Wilmington Symphonic Winds presents showstopper performance, ‘Gershwin & Friends‘

We are so excited to present Gershwin's massive Piano Concerto in F with Petronel Malan this Sunday at 4:30 PM in UNCW's Kenan Auditorium. If you'd like to obtain tickets in advance, you can reserve them here:
https://uncwarts.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1452&r=5accb7b995764ca99fb82bbb0861ffb5

The Wilmington Symphonic Winds presents ‘Gershwin & Friends‘ featuring triple Grammy-nominated pianist Petronel Malan.

04/04/2022

"Formidable…dizzying…magical.” These words from New York reviewer Harris Goldsmith vividly illustrate pianist Petronel Malan's uniquely captivating style. Indeed, as a multiple GRAMMY® nominee and gold medalist of several international piano competitions, Petronel continues to enthrall audiences worldwide.


Lauded by reviewers as an unmistakably creative force in the classical music industry, Petronel’s critical acclaim culminated in the nomination of three GRAMMY® Awards, including “Best Instrumental Solo Album” for her debut disc Transfigured Bach. Continuing her recordings under Hänssler Classic, Transfigured Mozart (2006) and Transfigured Beethoven (2008) followed to great critical acclaim. Transfigured Tchaikovsky (2012) was awarded "The American Prize of Excellence in the Arts." Transfigured Brahms included the world-premiere recordings of transcriptions by composer Lowell Liebermann.

Petronel maintains a full performance schedule as recitalist, orchestral soloist and chamber musician in major venues throughout the world. After her European debut in Rome, further highlights have included Carnegie Recital Hall, Théâtre du Châtelet & Salle Cortot (Paris), Mozarteum (Salzburg), Liszt Museum (Budapest), Orchestra Hall (Chicago), Alte Handelsbörse (Leipzig), Bass Hall (Fort Worth), as well as the Ravinia, Gilmore & Music in the Mountain Festivals. Petronel has appeared with orchestras such as the St. Petersburg State (Russia), Martinú (Czech Republic), Bucaramanga (Colombia), Batumi (Rep. of Georgia), Sicilian Chamber (Italy), and several others in the US and South Africa, under the batons of Vasily Petrenko, Bernhard Gueller, Karina Canellakis, Dmitry Manilov, Yoshimi Takeda, James Brooks, Hiroki Inagaki, Fuzao Kajima, Daniel Boico, and Clay Couturiax. 


Ms. Malan’s career was launched following five gold medals in 2000 at international piano competitions throughout the United States. These included the Louise McMahon, Missouri Southern, Los Angeles Liszt “Budapest Concert” and Hilton Head International Piano Competitions. She also garnered the grand prize in the Web Concert Hall Competition (2000) and gold medals in the Grace Welsh Piano Competition and the Young Texas Artist Award.


Born in South Africa, Petronel began lessons with her mother at age four, continuing with Adolph Hallis, Joseph Stanford and Albie van Schalkwyk. She debuted with the Johannesburg Symphony at age ten and subsequently won all major national competitions, before moving to the United States. Petronel completed both her graduate degrees at the University of North Texas. Her teachers included Steven de Groote, Ralph Votapek and Joseph Banowetz and intensive coaching sessions from American legend Earl Wild.

Although residing in the United States, Ms. Malan continues strong ties to her native South Africa. She received the “Rapport/City Press Prestige Award” as one of the “10 Most Inspirational Women in South Africa,” and has appeared on magazine covers, fashion spreads and even as picture-clues in crossword puzzles. She was awarded both a KKNK Kanna and a KykNET Fiesta awards for her live performances in South Africa. Apart from a love for vintage gowns, Ms. Malan’s stage wardrobe is designed by foremost South African designers. A frequent speaker and promoter of classical music in schools, scholarships in her name are awarded to promising young musicians.

04/02/2022

She’s here! Petronel Malan arrived this week and started her WSW/UNCW residency with musical outreach at Wallace-Rose Hill High School. We are so happy to partner with the Wallace-Rose Hill Friends of the Arts to offer accessible musical programming to young listeners. Be on the lookout for more community engagements this week!

03/29/2022

The Wilmington Symphonic Winds’ second performance of the 2021-22 Concert Season will be nothing short of a SHOWSTOPPER! Thanks to generous support from the Landfall Foundation, UNCW Presents, and the UNCW Department of Music, the WSW will present Gershwin & Friends, featuring triple GRAMMY®-nominated pianist Petronel Malan in a performance of George Gershwin’s monumental Concerto in F.

The first half of the program will include works by other American composers spanning over 125 years! Originally for organ, this arrangement of Charles Ives’ Variations on America will bring a smile to the most stoic of faces. African American composer, William Grant Still, paints vivid portraits of scenes from the Mississippi Delta in his work From the Delta. Finally, the WSW will perform a heartfelt work entitled Finding Rothko by Emmy®-winning and GRAMMY®-nominated composer Adam Schoenberg.

Admission for this concert is FREE! We will happily accept donations to support future programming. Tickets may be obtained via UNCW Arts or on the day of the event at the UNCW Kenan Auditorium Box Office beginning at 3:30 pm. Tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis.

02/21/2022

Wilmington Symphonic Winds concert RISE draws large crowd - WWAYTV3

It has been a whirlwind of a weekend! We are so thankful for everyone who came out to support us as we came back to the stage for the first time in two years. Special thanks to our guest artists Alexis Raeana, Stephen Luck, and Paul Murtha for sharing their incredible talents with us and with our audience. Well done!
https://www.wwaytv3.com/wilmington-symphonic-winds-concert-rise-draws-large-crowd/

The Wilmington Symphonic Winds held a free concert on Saturday, welcoming back community members. The collective is returning after a hiatus due to the pandemic.

02/19/2022

The Wilmington Symphonic Winds presents RISE this weekend

Did you get to hear our very own Dominic Talanca talking about Rise to WHQR Public Media's Cheril Lee on yesterday's Allegro? If you missed it, here's the link to the interview:
https://www.whqr.org/2022-02-18/the-wilmington-symphonic-winds-presents-rise-this-weekend

The Wilmington Symphonic Winds will present its long-awaited program, RISE this weekend. Classical HQR’s Cheril Lee has more.

02/18/2022

Wilmington Symphonic Winds presents "Rise"

Did you know that tomorrow's concert will be live-streamed? Whether you feel more comfortable watching virtually or in person, we hope that you'll join us for Rise at 4:30 PM!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik-_s1ZB1oA

Dominic Talanca, conductorPaul Murtha, guest conductorAlexis Raeana, singerStephen Luck, trumpet

02/17/2022

Want another sneak peek? Today, we're giving you a glimpse of trumpeter Stephen Luck playing the Hellcat Concerto by Paul Murtha. Have you reserved your tickets yet for Rise, at Kenan Auditorium, this Saturday at 4:30 PM?

02/16/2022

👀Sneak Peek👀 We're so ready to collaborate with Alexis Raeana this Saturday, February 19th at 4:30 PM. This is a concert you don't want to miss!

02/15/2022

UNCW Arts | Ticketing - Wilmington Symphonic Winds - Rise

Want to avoid waiting in line for Rise on February 19th? You can now reserve your free ticket online through Kenan's box office by clicking the link below:

Founded in 2014, the Wilmington Symphonic Winds (WSW) is a symphonic band active in the Cape Fear region of North & South Carolina. Striving to be a resource to our community, the ensemble’s mission is to provide educational outreach as well as memorable performances of the highest quality wind ba...

02/10/2022

Our final introduction for Rise is trumpeter Stephen Luck.
Stephen serves as the Principal Trumpet of The Wilmington Symphony Orchestra. He joined the WSO in 2017 and was appointed Principal in 2019. Steve is a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While at Curtis he studied under the Principal Trumpet of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Frank Kaderabek. Other teachers include Glenn Dodson and Vince Penzarella. Steve served as Principal Trumpet of The United States Military Academy Band at West Point, NY (The West Point Band) from 1984-2010. Steve moved south with his wife Amy from the New York area in 2015 and has enjoyed living in Wilmington, NC immensely. Steve also is Principal Trumpet of The Wilmington Symphonic Winds and is a member of The Long Bay Symphony in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He is an active soloist, performer, and teacher.

02/09/2022

Today, we'd like to introduce you to our guest conductor for Rise, composer and arranger, Paul Murtha. Paul is a native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania where he studied jazz arranging with John Morris and music theory with Richard Napolitan.

In 1983, Paul earned a B.S. degree in Music Education (with a minor in Jazz Studies) from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. While at Duquesne, Paul studied jazz arranging with John Wilson and orchestration with Joseph Wilcox Jenkins.

A versatile composer-arranger, Paul is at ease in both professional and educational circles and is in constant demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician. Paul has written music for acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, Patti LaBelle, Kathy Mattea, Lou Rawls, Kenny Loggins, and Ken Burn’s “Music of the Civil War." He has also written extensively for some of the top college and high school marching bands in the country.

Paul’s work with the National Symphony Orchestra includes arrangements for artists such as Trace Adkins, Jordin Sparks, Gloria Estefan, Gladys Knight, Huey Lewis and the News, The Four Tops, The Beach Boys, The Temptations, The Blues Brothers, and Five For Fighting for nationally televised events including “A Capitol Fourth” and the “National Memorial Day Concert.”

In December of 2016 Paul’s “A Swingin’ Nutcracker”, a ninety-minute work for full symphony orchestra, was premiered by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

From 1990 to 1996, Paul served as the Chief Arranger at the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, NY. He served on the arranging staff of The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own”, in Washington, D.C., from 1996 to 2001 and then served as that band’s Chief Arranger from 2001 to 2016.