Western Piedmont Symphony to Present MASTERWORKS: THE NEW COLOSSUS Next Week

Western Piedmont Symphony (WPS), the professional orchestra of the western foothills of North Carolina, will present MASTERWORKS: THE NEW COLOSSUS featuring guest artist violinist Kinga Augustyn and music composed by Nkeiru Okoye, Erich Korngold, and Peter Boyer on Saturday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. at P.E. Monroe Auditorium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory.

Led by Maestro Matthew Troy, Western Piedmont Symphony will perform works informed by the immigrant and refugee experience. "This evening of transformative music focuses on our shared experience as Americans and will bring our community together through the power of music," noted Maestro Troy.

Voices Shouting Out by 2021 Guggenheim Fellow Nkeiru Okoye was written as a response to the events of 9/11. "I decided not to write the terrorism into my music: the piece would be a celebrative tribute to those of us who keep living," noted Okoye. This piece is a bridge between different cultures to bring people together in celebration of our coming together in times of crisis.

World-renowned violinist Kinga Augustyn, a recently naturalized citizen herself, will join the symphony in Korngold's Concerto for Violin in D major, op.35. Korngold and his wife came to Hollywood in 1935 to escape the rise of fascism in Europe, and he wrote film scores throughout the 1930's and 40's. Without him, we would not have the "Hollywood sound" for film scores that we do today.

The final piece for this concert is sure to move even the most stoic among us. It is a multi-media presentation of Peter Boyer's Ellis Island: The Dream of America. Actors will be portraying seven immigrants who came through Ellis Island between the 1910's-40's while the orchestra plays music inspired by their stories between each. The piece ends with Emma Lazarus' poem, "The New Colossus," which is the inscription at the foot of the Statue of Liberty.

Western Piedmont Symphony MASTERWORKS: THE NEW COLOSSUS is sponsored by Corning Incorporated Foundation, Alex Lee, Inc., the Kenneth K. and Suzanne G. Millholland Endowment Fund, and with generous support from the United Arts Council of Catawba County and the North Carolina Arts Council. Performers in Ellis Island: The Dream of America made possible by a community partnership with Hickory Community Theatre.

Leading up to this Masterworks concert, Western Piedmont Symphony (WPS), and the Catawba Valley Interfaith Council (CVIC), will present a Community Conversation: Welcoming the Stranger about the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States, particularly here in the Catawba Valley. This evening will shed a new light on the stories of the immigrants and refugees in our community by lifting up their stories to the world and encouraging respectful discourse in a Q & A. "This Community Conversation is an important part of the broader message of the upcoming Masterworks performance," added Maestro Troy. This event will be held at the Belk Centrum theatre on Lenoir-Rhyne University's campus, on Thursday, April 13, 7:00 PM. Admission is free.

MASTERWORKS tickets are $25-45; students $5 (17 & under or w/valid student ID). Purchase by visiting wpsymphony.org/tickets, call 828.324.8603, or visit the WPS Box Office, located on the SALT Block at 243 Third Avenue NE, Hickory, NC 28601. Box Office hours are 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mon. - Fri. The P.E. Monroe Auditorium is located on the campus of Lenoir Rhyne-University at 775 6th St. NE, Hickory, NC 28601. Please note: All programs, artists, venues, prices, and dates are subject to change.

Western Piedmont Symphony's 2022-2023 season - Experience the Music. Hear Your Story - expresses human stories and connections evident in each of the works or composers represented. The 58th season concludes with Foothills Pops: Shaken, Not Stirred, The Music of James Bond featuring pianist Thomas Pandolfi and vocalist Jodi Burns on Saturday, May 13. For more information about the Western Piedmont Symphony 2022-2023 season of concerts and events, visit wpsymphony.org.

About Western Piedmont Symphony:

Western Piedmont Symphony (WPS) is the professional orchestra of the western foothills of North Carolina. For 58 years, WPS has enriched and engaged the communities of Western North Carolina through high quality symphonic music with creative, relevant performances and educational opportunities for all ages. Each season, the Symphony presents an inspiring classical Masterworks series, a fun and unique Foothills Pops series, varying ensembles in the Chamber Classics series, two Youth Orchestras, plus education and community engagement programs in the Catawba Valley region, all under the artistic direction of Maestro Matthew Troy. Western Piedmont Symphony is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council and is a funded affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. Business offices are located on the SALT Block at 243 Third Avenue NE, Hickory. Box Office hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mon. - Fri. For more information about Western Piedmont Symphony, call 828-324-8603, visit wpsymphony.org, or email info@wpsymphony.org. Follow Western Piedmont Symphony on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter.

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