Thank you for joining us at the Durham Symphony’s Winter Pops at the Armory concert, conducted by Music Director William Henry Curry
This program was a wonderful way to kick off the holidays! This highly popular and long-standing Triangle event for the whole family included the traditional sing-along, classical works, holiday music from Leroy Anderson, and three selections from Tchaikovsky’s Christmas ballet The Nutcracker. Soprano Alissa Roca joined the DSO for selections from Handel’s Messiah. And we were honored once again to have student musicians from United Strings of Color play with us on Christmas Overture, a piece by Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
The Durham Symphony was also excited to announce the creation of our Conducting Fellows Program and to welcome Donovan Polk as the first young professional appointed to this position!
Donovan made his conducting debut with us at this Winter Pops concert. He conducted Christmas Overture by the great 20th century Afro-British Composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. You welcomed this remarkably gifted young professional into our musical family! Read more about Donovan here.
Many of you took free photos with Santa starting at 6:00 pm! And everyone enjoyed a dessert buffet and hot cocoa bar at intermission!
Winter Pops at the Armory was an evening filled with joy, laughter, and the true essence of the holiday season.
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About our Soloist: Praised for her ethereal coloratura and clear, powerful, expressive voice, Lyric Coloratura Soprano Alissa Roca enjoys performing in a variety of styles ranging from Baroque to Contemporary and everything in between. She has worked as a soloist with the Dallas Symphony, The Dallas Winds, Opera on the James, Opera Fayetteville, the Meadows Symphony, The Miami Bach Society, Voices of Change, The University of Texas New Music Ensemble, Duke University, and Mallarme Music, and spent three years starring in the Dallas Opera’s touring productions of Mozart’s Bastien and Bastienne and Offenbach’s Pepito. She is also the proud founder and Artistic Director of Paradox Opera in The Triangle.
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The United Strings of Color was started in Raleigh, NC, as a project to address racial disparity in classical music through music education and community engagement. United Strings of Color began as a single outreach string quartet uniquely comprised of African American musicians, self-named and created in 2018. The organization currently sponsors three chamber ensembles. Visit: Music Education | UnitedStringsofColor | Raleigh
About the Durham Symphony:
Founded in 1976 as one of the Triangle’s first community orchestras, the Durham Symphony Orchestra (DSO), has evolved into an auditioned professional group offering affordably priced or free concerts in a wide variety of community spaces. Concert programs range from Baroque to contemporary plus the best of Broadway, Jazz, and Hollywood selections. The orchestra regularly features works by American composers, composers of color, and women plus a diverse array of guest artists. The DSO has presented many premieres by gifted local and regional composers. Educational and mentorship programs are also vital to its work. The DSO performs often with young musicians and is committed to demonstrating that the joy of orchestral music belongs to everyone as a natural part of community life.In 2009, conductor/composer William Henry Curry was named Music Director of the DSO, becoming the first African American music director of a symphony in the South and greatly enriching the DSO mission with his exceptional experience in education, outreach, and diverse programming. He was already well known and appreciated throughout our state and far beyond.
For 20 years, Maestro Curry was Resident Conductor and Summerfest Artistic Director of the North Carolina Symphony. His engagements have also included the Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Detroit, and Atlanta Symphonies as well as the Israel Chamber Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Thailand, and the National Orchestra of Taiwan. Mr. Curry has held Resident Conductor posts with the Baltimore Symphony, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra and has served as Associate Conductor of the Indianapolis and Atlanta Symphonies. His Eulogy for a Dream, a work for speaker and orchestra using excerpts from the speeches of Martin Luther King, was suggested to him by King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, and has been performed by orchestras around the world.
Here in Durham, Maestro Curry has delivered from the first on his commitment to make great orchestral music accessible to all—showcasing the classics while celebrating our diverse community and the eclecticism of American music itself. Maestro Curry was recently appointed by Governor Roy Cooper to the board of the North Carolina Arts council. In November, Governor Cooper will honor him with our state’s highest civilian award, the North Carolina Award, for his significant contributions to the state and nation in the field of Fine Arts.