The North Carolina Symphony and Music Director Grant Llewellyn will perform in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Southern Pines and Wilmington on the last tour of the 2015-2016 Statewide Classical season with the First Concertmaster of the world-renowned Berlin Philharmonic, Noah Bendix-Balgley, on a program featuring Beethoven’s Violin Concerto.
The first performance will be in Lee Auditorium in Southern Pines on Thursday April 28 at 8:00 pm; concerts in Raleigh’s Meymandi Concert Hall will be on Friday and Saturday, April 29 and 30 at 8:00 pm; Wilmington’s downtown Humanities and Fine Arts Center will host the performance Sunday, May 1 at 7:30 pm; the tour concludes in Chapel Hill’s Memorial Hall on Tuesday, May 2 at 7:30 pm.
This is Mr. Bendix-Balgley’s first series of performances in North Carolina since his appointment in 2014 as Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, widely recognized as among the finest orchestras in the world; he is the first American to win this position.
The artist expresses anticipation at playing with the state’s orchestra: "For me, the Beethoven Concerto is the most perfect violin concerto in the repertoire, a masterpiece that combines structure, beauty, and virtuosity. I am excited to return to my home state of North Carolina to perform the Beethoven with the state's orchestra."
Guest Soloist Noah Bendix-Balgley
Born in Asheville, North Carolina, Noah began playing violin at age 4. At age 9, he played for Lord Yehudi Menuhin in Switzerland. In 2014, he was appointed Concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic. His previous work includes solo recitals, festival appearances, and concerts with orchestras and string quartets in America and Europe; from 2011 until 2015 he served as Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and he will premiere his own Klezmer Violin Concerto with that orchestra in June 2016. He has also played with world-renowned klezmer groups such as Brave Old World, and has taught klezmer violin at workshops in Europe and in the United States. He performs on a Cremonese violin made in 1732 by Carlo Bergonzi.
A New York Times review in November 2015 of Noah Bendix-Balgley performing in recital made special note of his "strong, pure tone and complete assurance." When he played the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the rave review in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said "his playing was beautifully articulate and sand with natural soulfulness." Reviewer Mark Kanny described the performance as "pure Beethoven"—he also noted that "Bendix-Balgley composed his own cadenzas for each of the three movements. They were all fascinating explorations which found fresh changes of harmony, voicing and thematic sequence."
Special events, sponsors and ticket information
Pre-concert events on the tour include talks by local scholars in Raleigh on Saturday, April 30 at 7:00 pm; Wilmington and Chapel Hill performances will each have a pre-concert talk at 6:30 pm. Thursday’s concert in Southern Pines and the Raleigh Concert on Friday will have a “Meet the Artist” event at 6:30 pm.
The North Carolina Symphony is dedicating the April 29 concert in Raleigh to the memory of two members of the Symphony’s Lamar Stringfield Society, long-time subscribers Elizabeth Stoker and Susan Stoker. Smith Anderson is the Concert Sponsor for the April 30 concert in Raleigh.
Tickets to the Chapel Hill and Raleigh performances range from $18 to $56. Student tickets are $10. Tickets for concerts in Southern Pines range from $24 to $49, and Wilmington tickets range from $24 to $56. For more information, visit the North Carolina Symphony’s website at www.ncsymphony.org, or call 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724.
Lee Auditorium in Southern Pines is located at 250 Voit Gilmore Lane on the campus of Pinecrest High School. Meymandi Concert Hall is located in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. South St., in Raleigh. The Humanities and Fine Arts Center is located at 701 N. Third St. in downtown Wilmington, on the campus of Cape Fear Community College. Memorial Hall is located on the University of North Carolina campus in Chapel Hill at 114 East Cameron Avenue.