The North Carolina Symphony’s 2016 UNC REX Healthcare Summerfest Series continues at Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre this weekend with a phenomenal young artist on Friday and a variety of classical favorites on Saturday. Both concerts will be conducted by Associate Conductor David Glover.
On Friday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m., the first half of the program includes two original works from Joey Alexander’s acclaimed debut album My Favorite Things, as well as “Criss Cross,” by NC-born jazz legend Thelonious Monk, arranged for piano and orchestra; the second half of the program brings the Joey Alexander Trio to the stage, and closes with the orchestra playing George Gershwin’s An American in Paris.
Born in 2003 on the island of Bali in Indonesia, Joey Alexander started playing piano by ear at the age of six, picking out melodies from the works of Thelonious Monk and others; his skill and reputation increased so swiftly that by the age of 10 he was playing at international jazz festivals, taking first prize at the international improvisation contest in Odessa, Ukraine—besting over 200 professional players from 17 countries—and sharing the stage at major gala events in venues including Lincoln Center and the Apollo Theater.
After the release of his debut album in 2015, Joey Alexander became the youngest Grammy® nominee of 2016 and the youngest ever in a jazz category, with nominations for Best Improvised Jazz Solo and Best Instrumental Jazz Album. He performed both at the Grammy® Premiere Ceremony and the live national awards broadcast; in the past month, he played at the White House in a star-studded concert celebrating International Jazz Day.
The Joey Alexander Trio also includes two rising stars of the New York jazz scene: 21-year-old bassist Dan Chmielinski, a student at The Juilliard School’s Jazz Studies program under Wynton Marsalis who has already been on world tour, and drummer Kyle Poole, who moved to New York at 17 and in the five years since has been named one of the 12 best young jazz drummers in the world.
On Friday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m., the North Carolina Symphony will play a program of favorites that includes Vivaldi’s “Spring” from The Four Seasons, featuring violinist Jacqueline Saed Wolborsky, as well as instrumental selections from Bizet’s Carmen, dance music from Grieg, Brahms, and Aaron Copland, and much more.
The North Carolina Symphony’s popular UNC REX Healthcare Summerfest concerts bring great music for relaxed listening to Cary’s Booth Amphitheatre through July 9. While concerts begin at 7:30 p.m., concertgoers may bring picnics, blankets and lawn chairs as early as 5:30 p.m. to enjoy the striking natural surroundings before the music begins. Children 12 and under are admitted free on the lawn, and the Symphony’s Instrument Zoo will be at both this weekend’s concerts, so kids of all ages can experience symphony instruments for themselves.
Summerfest 2016 is presented by UNC REX Healthcare, co-sponsored by First Citizens Bank, and hosted by the Town of Cary. Summerfest Instrument Zoos are sponsored by MetLife Foundation. Media sponsors are Cary Magazine, FOX 50, WRAL.com/TV5, and MIX 101.5/WRAL-FM. This year’s UNC REX Healthcare is also included in VisitRaleigh.com’s “Artify: The Arts in Parks, a convergence of arts organizations celebrating 100 years of parks, the art that happens in them and the art inspired by them.”
Booth Amphitheatre is located at 8003 Regency Parkway in Cary, N.C.
The 11-concert UNC REX Healthcare Summerfest Series offers music lovers a perfect family outing, and once again, concertgoers who display the biggest and boldest culinary skills can win prizes. The Whole Foods Market of Cary Picnic of the Week contest returns for the seventh year. Throughout the summer, groups of concertgoers selected as the most impressive picnickers of that weekend’s concert will receive a $100 gift basket from Whole Foods Market of Cary. Two honorable mentions in the form of $25 gift cards will also be awarded. Select UNC REX Healthcare Summerfest Series concerts also feature other pre-concert activities, including Summerfest Instrument Zoos sponsored by MetLife Foundation for kids of all ages.