WILSON, N.C. — October 24, 2024 — The Barton College/Wilson Symphony Orchestra’s Fall Concert is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 17, at 3 p.m. in the Kennedy Family Theatre on campus.
Conductor and violinist Christopher Ellis will lead the Barton College/Wilson Symphony in a concert of string orchestra music. The program will include Edvard Grieg’s five-movement suite based on 18th-century dances titled “From the time of Holberg.” More commonly known as the Holberg Suite, Grieg composed this work in 1884, for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of humanist and playwright Ludvig Holberg. Also on the program is Antonín Dvořák’s “Serenade for Strings.” Composed in May 1875, the “Serenade for Strings” is one of the composer’s most popular and most frequently performed orchestral works.
Reserving seats in advance is preferred. Tickets for reserved seating are $15 per person or by season ticket. For attendees’ convenience, tickets are available online at https://www.barton.edu/cultural-arts/symphony/barton-wilson-fall-symphony-tickets/. For additional information and to make reservations, contact Bonnie LoSchiavo at blloschiavo@barton.edu or 252-399-6559.
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. He has conducted the Beaufort County Community Orchestra since 2005. Serving as concertmaster with the Barton College/Wilson Symphony from 2002-2023, Ellis was named conductor for the symphony orchestra in 2023.
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