WILSON, N.C. — November 10, 2022 — Barton College/Wilson Symphony Orchestra’s 2022-2023 season will open with its Fall Concert on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 5 p.m. in the Kennedy Family Theatre on campus.
Guest conductor and violinist Christopher Ellis will lead the Barton College/Wilson Symphony in a concert featuring pianist Dexter Ruffin performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major.
Additional selections in the concert will include Mozart’s Symphony No. 20 in D major, and Adagio in E major for Violin and Orchestra.
Reserving seats in advance is preferred. Tickets for reserved seating are $10 per person or by season ticket. For additional information and to make reservations, contact Bonnie LoSchiavo at blloschiavo@barton.edu or 252-399-6559.
About the Guest 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 Coastal that included Partita in E Major by Bach and Sonata No. 10 for Piano and Violin by Beethoven. Ellis has conducted the Beaufort County Community Orchestra since 2005 and has served as concertmaster with the Barton College / Wilson Symphony since 2002.
About the Guest Musician —
A native of Wilson, Dexter Ruffin taught himself to play the piano by ear at the age of nine. His remarkable talent was soon discovered, and he received professional training by Nancy Ping-Robbins of Wilson, Dr. Henry Doskey of the East Carolina University School of Music, and Eric Larsen at the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Piano Performance. Ruffin attained his master’s degree from ECU in 2020. Ruffin received the “Student of the Year” Award in 2002, presented by the community of Wilson. And, in 2006, he won the North Carolina School of the Arts Concerto Competition, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Well-read and attuned to music history and the history of piano playing, Ruffin has a broad understanding and deep appreciation for the art. Ruffin notes that his music education connects him to the great composers and pianists of the past. He finds their contributions an endless source of inspiration. Ruffin currently serves as Minister of Music at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church and teaches as an adjunct instructor at Barton College.
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