Wilmington Symphony Orchestra

05/19/2022

The double bass is so cool, it has 8 names (!!) - contrabass, string bass, bass, bass viol, bass fiddle, bull fiddle, French contrebasse & German Kontrabass.

Though much larger in size, the double bass is part of the violin family, sounding an octave lower than the cello.

FUN FACT: according to the Guinness World Records the largest double bass measured 18 ft 2.7 in tall and 7 ft wide. It was made by Gigezunft Doppleschwand in Switzerland & was completed on October 28, 2006.

Now that's a big bass!!

05/17/2022

Let's talk Season Subscriptions for 2022-2023.

Here's why you should become a Season Subscriber:
1. You'll have early access to tickets before they go on sale to the public.
2. Subscribers get 15% off single-ticket prices, and also receive two single tickets to a Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestras concert at UNCW Kenan Auditorium.
3. There are five concerts included in the subscription package.
4. Get ready to have the best seats in the house because you get first pick at the lowest price for WSO concerts.

How and when to get your subscription:
The purchase of new season subscriptions will open on June 6, 2022 and all current 2021-22 season subscribers can renew their tickets today! https://buff.ly/3FJABnS

05/11/2022

Saturday was such a wonderful night and we're ecstatic to announce some of the concerts for our upcoming 2022/23 season. The season will be conducted by Dr. Steven Errante, featuring exciting performances of legendary masterworks and exceptional compositions deserving of greater recognition.

Our biggest highlights include Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C and Bruch’s Kol Nidrei performed by internationally renowned cellist Amit Peled, Brahm’s Symphony No. 4, and Andrés Martín’s Concerto No. 1 for Bass performed by 2022 Sphinx Competition Winner Kebra-Seyoun Charles.

See more about our 2022-2023 season here - https://buff.ly/3FJABnS

P.S If you're wanting to buy season tickets we'll be sharing when, how and why you should! Look out for that post early next week.

05/10/2022

Lizzo has brought forward the importance of classical music education and how her experience in middle and high school has impacted her as a child and now as a professional musician. Here is Lizzo at this year's Met Gala doing the things for all flute players!!

Classical music is for all ages, genders and races. The orchestra is for everyone!

05/07/2022

Our dress rehearsal for tonight’s concert (May 7th) is in full swing! On the program is:
• Lili Boulanger: D'un matin de printemps
• Debussy: Petite Suite
• Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Overture
• Steven Errante: Azalea Suite (commissioned by the @ncazaleafest )

Concert starts at 7:30pm at @wilsoncentercfcc. Tickets start at $25! Call (910) 362-7999 or visit www.wilmingtonsymphony.org

05/06/2022

As the excitement is ramping up for tomorrow's premiere of our conductor Steven Errante's Azalea Suite and Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture, we want to remind you to get your tickets!!

If you want an idea of what to expect at the concert tomorrow night, read the Conductor's Notes here - https://buff.ly/37rNdTW

The most exciting part is that you'll be able to say you were one of a select few to see the premiere of Steven Errante's Azalea Suite commissioned by the NC Azalea Festival.

05/03/2022

A big congratulations to our 2022 graduating Youth Orchestra Seniors!! We're so excited for their future and the joy they've brought to the WSYO.

We asked what their favorite Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestra memory was and each one included music and friends! We love that!!

If you want to know what their futures hold, click the link in our stories and don't forget to congratulate them in the comments.

Well done to Poppy, Tivonah, Luke, Amaya, Hana, Addie, Samuel, Lennon, Sydney, Alex, Danielle & Gracelynn.

We're so proud of our Seniors!

05/03/2022

We're so happy to introduce you to William Kirkwood, he plays the Tenor & Bass Trombone in the WSO. He plays with the Artistry in Jazz so you'll see him for the pre-concert show in the lobby.

William has been an orchestra member for 38 years, 5 of which have been with the WSO. With both of his parents having a music and theater background, he started playing the trombone in 4th grade!

We asked William what he'd like everyone to know about the WSO and this is what he had to say: "The WSO musicians are very caring about the music they perform. With live music, everyone steps up to perform professionally. The musicians of the WSO are all very friendly. The Wilson Center in Wilmington is a fabulous modern theater with wonderful acoustics that should not be missed to attend a concert."

You still have time to get your tickets for our May 7th concert, and be sure to say hi to William when you see him there.
https://buff.ly/3KnqCpw

04/30/2022

Last month @itsgooz performed in Raleigh and made a slight detour to visit us as well as his fan club! Many of these students attended our January 23rd concert at Wilson Center and were dazzled! Randall performed Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Wilmington Symphony.

We love creating a space for these relationships to grow and blossom. Thanks for supporting us, our guest artists, budding musicians & staff.

04/23/2022

Come experience our free family concert tomorrow at UNCW's Kenan Auditorium to see the @wilmingtonsymphonyyouth perform. It's the perfect weather for a lunch picnic, family bike ride or walk around the UNCW campus followed by our fun family concert!

Concert starts at 4pm so you'll have time for dinner, bed and bath routine. You can reserve your tickets online (tap the link in our bio or on stories) or get them an hour before the concert on the porch of Kenan Auditorium.

#freefamilyfun #familytime #familyconcert #familyfun #discoverwilmington

04/20/2022

Some exciting news about our May 7th concert: we will have Artistry in Jazz as our Pre-Concert Lobby Entertainment! You'll remember them from our Opening Night concert at Wilson Center at CFCC in 2016.

Fun fact: Bill Kirkwood (one of our trombone players) also plays in Artistry in Jazz so you'll see a familiar face!

The Azalea Suite concert starts at 7:30pm so be sure to get there an hour earlier to experience Artistry in Jazz.

04/19/2022

It's such an honor to have our conductor, Steven Errante, commissioned by the NC Azalea Festival to compose a work inspired by the beautiful flowers for which the work is named.

While composing Dr. Errante perched color photographs of the blooms on his music rack and worked on an adjective describing each. The final movement is inspired by walking into an azalea garden, where the profusion and variety of color is absolutely breathtaking. This musical garden consists of a collage of themes from the previous movements too.

We can't wait to share this magical concert with you on Saturday, May 7. Tickets start at $25 - https://buff.ly/3KnqCpw

04/14/2022

Logan Tamadon is our 2021 Richard R. Deas Young Artists Concerto Competition Junior Division winner!! And he's no average 14 year old freshman.

He will perform Dmitry Kabalevsky's Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 50 with the Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestra at the Free Family Concert on April 24 at Kenan Auditorium UNCW.

Here's a little more about Logan:
He was first introduced to the piano at the age of 4 (!!) with the Suzuki Method, under the instruction of Sarah Hand who is one of our WSO flautists! After being given a grand piano by his late grandfather, at the age of 6, his passion grew exponentially.

Over the past six years, Logan has received top prizes and highest honors at numerous piano competitions including NCMTA district and state competitions, and the CFMTA competition. He is currently studying with Dr. Elizabeth Loparits at UNCW’s Community Music Academy.

In his spare time, he enjoys performing mini piano recitals at the Betty Cameron Women’s and Children’s Hospital, volunteering to play church services at Mt. Lebanon Chapel, and, as a chamber musician. And if that isn't enough, he recently joined a quartet organized through the WSO.

His other interests include chess, snow skiing, playing tennis, as well as competing in Science Fair and Science Olympiad.

Like we said, not your average 14 year old! See this skill, talent and passion on display at the Free Family Concert on April 24.

04/11/2022

Jake Yates

Meet Jake Yates, he's our Orchestra Personnel Manager and you've probably seen him playing the trumpet in our orchestra.

He eats, sleeps and breathes music from his job as band director at Snipes Academy of Arts and Design, to his love for all music genres (we're talking orchestral jazz, pop, rap, country, you name it, Jakes into it) and let's not forget his 22 years of playing the trumpet.

Apart from music, Jake loves a good pizza and beer night and if you love Game of Thrones, he's the person you should speak to. When we asked him which book he'd take to a desert island he said A Song of Ice and Fire book series, ie, Game of Thrones.

P.S. Doesn't Jake's smile and positive energy just make you want to smile? Yup, that's exactly how we feel! Want to know more about Jakes? Read some of the questions we asked here - https://buff.ly/3DORJHR

04/08/2022

We're elated to announce the world premiere of Steven Errante's Azalea Suite! This work was commissioned by the NC Azalea Festival in 2019 and inspired by the beautiful flowers, for which the work is named.

Make sure to get your tickets (from $25) for the premiere on May 7 at Wilson Center. We're excited to share more about Errante's process of composition as well as his Conductor Notes.

Remember to check out the NC Azalea Festival's website to see all that the Festival has to offer this week, until Sunday, April 10!

https://buff.ly/3KnqCpw - You don't want to miss this!

04/07/2022

There's nothing better than seeing families connect over a shared love of music. Sunday's educational concert was one for the books! Our musicians loved seeing all the young, happy faces in the audience and it was a joy seeing the kids have fun with the Orchestra Discovery Zone before the concert.

What was your favorite moment of the day?

04/06/2022

The WSYO's chamber ensembles are so happy to be supporting A Safe Place with a benefit concert on Sunday, April 10. This concert is completely free, however, we will be collecting donations for A Safe Place, so if you would like to show your support for a fellow Wilmington nonprofit organization, that would be wonderful.

The concert is happening at St. James Episcopal Parish at 3pm.

A great way to appreciate the arts & give back to the community.