Reservation Deadline – February 1st – Tickets available at https://www.barton.edu/cultural-arts/symphony/tickets/
WILSON, N.C. — January 12, 2024 — Celebrate Valentine’s Day in gala fashion with the Barton College/Wilson Symphony Orchestra on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at the 32nd annual “Love the Symphony” concert. Under the direction of conductor Christopher Ellis, this Valentine’s Day concert will showcase the extraordinary talent of soprano soloist Jordan Winslow Gracey.
The event promises to be an evening filled with beautiful music and a delightful menu. The event will begin with a wine and cheese reception at 6:15 p.m., followed by the concert at 7 p.m. in Wilson Gymnasium on the Barton campus. A candlelight buffet dinner will immediately follow the program at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $75 per person, and reservations may be made by reserving tickets online at https://www.barton.edu/cultural-arts/symphony/tickets/ or by contacting Bonnie LoSchiavo at blloschiavo@barton.edu or 252-399-6559. Please note that tables for eight are available by reservation.
The reservation deadline for the event is Thursday, Feb. 1. No tickets will be mailed.
About the Guest Soloist —
Jordan Winslow Gracey, soprano, is a native of Wilson, where her musical and performing passions were born. Growing up, she was an active participant in musical productions with ACT! For Youth and The Playhouse of Wilson. She was also a proud member of Hunt High School’s competitive chorus and vocal ensemble program. She received her bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University and her master’s degree in vocal performance from UNC-Greensboro.
Her operatic roles include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Fiordiligi in Così Fan Tutte, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Sandman in Hansel and Gretel, Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium, Margaret Borden in Lizzie Borden, and Casilda in The Gondoliers. She has sung with Greensboro Opera, Greensboro Light Opera and Song, the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival, Oberlin Conservatory in Italy, and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá, Colombia. In addition to her operatic performances, she has been a soloist for numerous oratorio and concert works, including Bach’s Magnificat, Handel’s Messiah and Dixit Dominus, Schubert’s Mass in G, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, and Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music.
She now lives in Greensboro, where she runs a private music studio, sharing her passion with students of all ages. She and her husband, Derek, have a son, Thomas, and two fun-loving dogs who keep them on their toes.
About the Conductor —
Christopher Ellis began studying the violin at the age of 10 in a public-school classroom in his hometown of Farmville. His early private teachers include Dee Braxton-Pellegrino and Paul Topper. Ellis continued his study with Topper at East Carolina University, and he later earned a Master of Music degree at Florida State University. Ellis has been a member of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and the Tar River Orchestra, and he has performed with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. He has done solo performances with Beaufort County Community Orchestra, New Bern Civic Strings, and the Barton College / Wilson Symphony Orchestra. Ellis teaches privately in Wilson, Rocky Mount, Greenville, and Goldsboro, and he is a violin/viola instructor at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville.
Recently, he performed a recital at Kennedy Family Theatre on the Barton College Campus that included Partita in E Major by Bach and Sonatas K.304 and K.526 for Piano and Violin by Mozart. Ellis has conducted the Beaufort County Community Orchestra since 2005 and has served as concertmaster with the Barton College / Wilson Symphony since 2002.
As this distinguished event’s popularity continues to grow with an ever-increasing number of guest reservations each year, the renovated Wilson Gymnasium on the Barton campus will provide a spacious and elegantly transformed environment to provide the perfect backdrop for sweethearts and friends to enjoy an entertaining program performed by the orchestra.
“Love the Symphony” is sponsored by Truist Financial Corporation.
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