Tenor John Wesley Wright is SSO Guest Performer
SALISBURY, MD--- Award-winning operatic tenor John Wesley Wright joins the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra at Salisbury University (SSO) during its annual Mid-Winter Concert Saturday, February 11, in Holloway Hall Auditorium, singing selections ranging from Handel arias to African-American spirituals.
In addition to Wright’s performances with the orchestra, he offers free workshops and rehearsals as SU’s week-long artist-in-residence in celebration of African-American History Month. The public is invited to:
Tuesday, February 7, at 12:30 p.m. in Fulton Hall Room 112, vocalists learning from the trained singer during a vocal master class.
Wednesday, Feburary 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Holloway Hall Auditorium, a performance titled “Singing in the African-American Tradition.”
Thursday, February 9, at 12:30 p.m. in Fulton Hall Room 112, a public rehearsal of Russ Podgorsek’s Songs for Tenor and Cello.
Currently, Wright is artist-in-residence, vocal instructor and co-director of the opera workshop at the University of Dayton in Ohio. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including prizes from the International MacAllister Awards and the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, and the National Federation of Music Clubs. In March 2000 legendary singer William Warfield presented him with the gold medal first prize at the American Traditions Competition in Savannah, GA, which included a $10,000 award. He enjoys recital and oratorio work and has performed abroad including a televised concert for the Belgian Royal Family at the Royal Palace of Belgium.
Wright is in his third year as vocal consultant and instructor for the Music Arts Center in Cincinnati. He holds a Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music from Maryville College.
In addition to Wright’s collaborations, which also include “Onaway” from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, the orchestra performs three movements of Grieg's Symphonic Dances, as well as the complete Bizet L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1.
The concert begins with a tribute to the late Charles “Chuck” Fulton, who, with his wife, Martha, founded Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts at SU.
Admission is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, $5 for children 12 and under and SU ID holders. A family ticket package, admitting two adults and two children, is available for $45. For advance tickets visit the SU Bookstore Web site at salisbury.collegestoreonline.com (click “SU Box Office”).
For more information call 410-548-5587 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu. "