HERE AT 946. JUST ABOUT THE WINSTON SALEM SYMPHONY IS PRESENTING ITS CONCERT FOR A FOR THE COMMUNITY THIS SATURDAY. THE ANNUAL CONCERT IS FREE, AND IT FEATURES A MUCH LARGER THAN NORMAL ORCHESTRA AS WHAT THEY TELL US, CONSISTING OF YOUNGER MUSICIANS PLAYING ALONGSIDE THE PROFESSIONALS. SO WE ARE JOINED THIS MORNING BY MICHELLE MERRILL, THE MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY, TO TELL US MORE. GOOD MORNING MICHELLE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. GOOD MORNING. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. ABSOLUTELY. SO THIS CONCERT IS THE END OF THE RECENT PETER PARROTT YOUTH TALENT SEARCH. YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT FINDING THAT YOUNGER TALENT. SURE. SO FOR THE PETERBOROUGH YOUTH TALENT SEARCH. AND HE USED TO BE A MUSIC DIRECTOR FOR THE WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY. HE REALLY WANTED TO PUT TOGETHER SOMETHING WHERE WE COULD FIND LOCAL TALENT. AND SO FROM ALL OVER THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, KIDS COME TOGETHER IN NOVEMBER, THEY GO THROUGH AN AUDITION ROUND, AND THEN FINALLY ARE SELECTED. AND THEN BACK IN JANUARY, THOSE FINALISTS CAME TOGETHER TO PLAY FOR THE JUDGES AND THEN THOSE JUDGES PICKED TWO FANTASTIC WINNERS, ONE FROM A YOUNGER CATEGORY. JACQUELINE LOO, WHO IS GOING TO PLAY A PART OF A MOZART PIANO CONCERTO. AND THEN OUR UPPER DIVISION WINNER, GAVIN HARDY, WHO IS A DOUBLE BASSIST. AND ANYONE THAT MIGHT HAVE SEEN OUR CONCERT THIS PAST WEEKEND WITH EDGAR MEYER GET A DOUBLE DOSE OF BASS, DOUBLE BASS IF YOU WILL, FROM LAST WEEK TO THIS WEEKEND. WELL, THANK YOU FOR TELLING US ABOUT THOSE WINNERS AND WHO WAS SELECTED. NOW WE KNOW THE YOUTH SYMPHONY MEMBERS ARE JOINING FOR THIS CONCERT. SO, UM, IT MORE OR LESS MAYBE CHALLENGING CONDUCTING A LARGER ORCHESTRA. IS IT, UM, HARDER OR EASIER, I GUESS I’LL SAY, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE’S JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH, PARTLY BECAUSE THE STUDENTS ARE SO EXCITED AND REALLY, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF A SIDE BY SIDE. YOU MIGHT EVEN CALL IT THE MAJOR MINOR OR ORCHESTRA, BECAUSE YOU GET ACTUALLY A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN SITTING RIGHT BESIDE OUR YOUTH ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS, SOME THAT HAVE NEVER GOTTEN TO PLAY WITH THE ORCHESTRA BEFORE, SOME THAT HAVE MAYBE DONE IT IN YEARS PAST, BUT IT’S REALLY IT’S GOT JUST A LOT OF EXCITEMENT THAT’S COMING WITH IT, BECAUSE THE PROFESSIONALS ARE GETTING TO REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN THEY WERE THAT THAT AGE AND GETTING TO DO THINGS. THAT WAS SOMETHING THEY WANTED TO DO FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. AND THE YOUNG ONES ARE GETTING TO SEE, YOU KNOW, THEIR IDOLS AND THEIR TEACHERS AND GETTING TO PLAY NEXT TO THEM. SO THERE’S REALLY IT’S FOR A LOT OF OUR MUSICIANS THAT’S IN THE WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY. IT’S THEIR FAVORITE CONCERT OF THE YEAR BECAUSE THEY’RE GETTING TO BE THERE AND HELP, HELP THE NEXT GENERATION. THAT MENTORSHIP MUST MEAN SO MUCH TO THEM ON BOTH ENDS OF THIS. SO YOU JUST MENTIONED SOME OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SELECTED FROM THAT TALENT SEARCH. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE SELECTED? AND ALSO HOW THEY’RE BEING FEATURED? OF COURSE. SO JACQUELINE LOO, SHE IS A YOUNG PIANIST AND SHE IS GOING TO PLAY. SHE’S FROM NORTH CAROLINA. SHE’S BEEN STUDYING SINCE THE AGE OF SIX AND HAS BEEN DOING ALL SORTS OF NUMEROUS COMPETITIONS. BUT SHE WON OUR LOWER DIVISION WINNER. SHE’S GOING TO PLAY A LITTLE BIT OF THE MOZART PIANO CONCERTO NUMBER 26, AND THEN GAVIN HARDY, A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR WHO IS CURRENTLY STUDYING AT THE SCHOOL OF THE ARTS, IS GOING TO BE PLAYING DOUBLE BASS AND A NEWER COMPOSITION FOR DOUBLE BASS WITH THE ORCHESTRA AND HE’S ALREADY LOOKING AT AT GRAD SCHOOL, AT SCHOOLS OF WHERE TO GO, JUILLIARD. CURTIS RICE UNIVERSITY. SO HE’S DEFINITELY THEY’RE BOTH DEFINITELY ONES TO WATCH, BUT HE’S ONE THAT WE’RE NOT GOING TO GET TO STICK ON FOR MUCH LONGER HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA. SO THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO COME AND SEE HIM. YEAH, EXACTLY. GOOD POINT. SO EXCITING FOR THEM. NOW MICHELLE, THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME CONDUCTING THE CONCERT FOR COMMUNITY. WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? FOR ME, I WORKED WITH YOUTH ORCHESTRAS BEFORE, BUT THIS WILL REALLY BE A SPECIAL TIME, UM, ESPECIALLY HERE IN WINSTON-SALEM, JUST TO SEE BOTH GROUPS COME TOGETHER. I’VE GOTTEN TO WORK WITH THE LARGER ORCHESTRA. OUR WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY, MANY MONTHS NOW. I’VE HAD ONE REHEARSAL WITH THE YOUTH ORCHESTRA, BUT TO GET TO PUT THOSE TWO TOGETHER AGAIN FOR ME IS REALLY SPECIAL. TO SEE THE THE SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP KEEP THE YOUNG LEARNING FROM THE OLDER PLAYERS, THE OLDER PLAYERS GETTING INSPIRATION FROM THE YOUNGER PLAYERS. AND FOR ME, THAT’S THE THING I’M MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO REALLY QUICKLY. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WANT TO HIT ON FOR THE REST OF THIS SEASON? FOR THE WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY, YOU WANT TO LET PEOPLE IN OUR AREA KNOW ABOUT? SURE. WE’VE GOT FLEETWOOD, THE MUSIC OF FLEETWOOD MAC COMING UP. WE’VE GOT A HUGE CELEBRATION OF BEETHOVEN’S MUSIC, THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NUMBER NINE, WHICH IS THE BIG CHORAL WORK. AND WE’LL FEATURE OUR WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY CHORUS. WE’RE ALSO GOING TO BE DOING SCHEHERAZADE AND A COUPLE OF NEW PIECES AT OUR MAY CONCERT, AND THEN ALSO NEW IMANI FRANKLIN IS GOING TO BE DOING OUR FINAL POPS CONCERT OF THE YEAR, WHICH IS JUST GOING TO BE A MESH OF ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT STYLES. GOSPEL, JAZZ, AMERICAN SONGBOOK, AND EVEN SOME CLASSICAL. SO MUCH LOOK FORWARD TO. GREAT TO HAVE YOU, AS ALWAYS, ON OUR SHOW, MICHELLE. THANK YOU AND FOR EVERYONE AT HOME. THE WINSTON-SALEM SYMPHONY’S CONCERT FOR COMMUNITY IS THIS SATURDAY, MARCH 9TH AT 3 P.M. IT IS BEING HELD AT THE WAITE CHAPEL ON WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY’S CAMPUS AGAIN, THE CONCERT IS FREE, BUT AN RSVP AHEAD OF TIME IS ENCOURAGED AND WE’RE GOI