WILSON, N.C. — March 31, 2023 — Barton College/Wilson Symphony Orchestra’s 2022-2023 season
will conclude with its Spring Concert on Sunday, April 16, at 5 p.m. in the Kennedy Family Theatre on
campus.
With guest conductor Christopher Ellis leading the symphony orchestra, the spring concert will feature
two Joseph Haydn symphonies. Symphony No. 6, nicknamed “Morning,” was Haydn’s first symphony
composed after joining the Esterházy court. The symphony features extensive solo passages across the
various instruments of the orchestral ensemble. The concert will also include Haydn’s Symphony No. 49.
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 —
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.
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