Winston-Salem Symphony, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Land Ho!, and Guitarist William Tyler

Winston-Salem Symphony and Bob Moody

This weekend, Winston-Salem Symphony Music Director Robert Moody ends his 10^th anniversary season with a concert featuring Gustav Mahler's powerful First Symphony. Moody says he's most proud of what the symphony's musicians, staff and board members, and volunteers have accomplished during his tenure there to make the orchestra the success story it has become.

They've extended the orchestra's reach with pops concerts, Kicked Back Classics and Handel's Messiah series, and Discovery Series concerts for kids. They've also brought the Youth Orchestra into the fold, expanding the number of youth orchestras, and offering free community concerts. Robert is quick to point out that all of this was accomplished while keeping the orchestra in the black. He says there's also more to do, but he's feeling pretty good about things, including the inclusion of the first work on the final program of the season: Gustav Mahler's Symphony Number 1 The Titan.

Season finale concerts are this Saturday and Tuesday nights at 7:30 at the Stevens Center, and Sunday afternoon at 3pm. The Saturday performance is part of the Kicked Back Classics Series presented in a more informal atmosphere. After the show concert-goers are invited to join Maestro Moody, guest artists and members of the orchestra for Brews with Bob at Graze across Cherry Street in the Marriott. 

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Twin City Stage Presents Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Twin City Stage concludes its 80th season with an audience favorite. Vonya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is currently the most produced play in the country, and Triad audiences have the opportunity to find out why, when Twin City Stage's production opens this evening.

The hilarious play, written by Christopher Durang, won the 2013 Tony for Best Play (among many other awards) and is loosely based on the works of Anton Chekov. The original Broadway cast included David Hyde Pierce, Kristine Nielson, Sigourney Weaver, and UNCSA's own Billy Magnussen.

Helping to bring this version to life are actors Mark Flora as Vanya and Janice Lovett as Sonia. They joined Bethany in the studio to perform a scene from the play. Director Jim McKeny introduces it.

Performances of Twin City Stage's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike run this weekend and June 4th through the 7th. Thursday through Saturday shows are at 8pm and Sunday matinees are at 2pm. 

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Land Ho!

The majestic landscapes of Iceland form the unexpected backdrop of the new film Land Ho! It's a story about two men in their 70s, who go on an odd-couple style jaunt through the cities & countryside of Iceland. It's a buddy comedy, and also a touching exploration of friendships, and how they evolve through the years.

The film was co-written and co-directed by Martha Stephens & Aaron Katz. The two met 12 years ago at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where they were studying film.

Land Ho! is screening in Winston-Salem starting September 5th.  You can check out times here.   

Eddie Garcia spoke with Martha Stephens, one half of the Land Ho! Directing writing duo, and they began by talking about her UNCSA experience.

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William Tyler

Growing up in Nashville Tennessee, William Tyler was raised by a father who wrote songs for the likes of Eddie Rabbit, and a mother who called Alex Chilton of Big Star a friend. 

He spent his early 20s playing as a sideman with the band Lambchop, and along the way he also strummed alongside Bonnie Prince Billy and Silver Jews.

As a solo guitarist, William Tyler uses the instrument as a wide angle lens. His music evokes images of America's panoramic past, and the unsettling path taken from the 1950s to the present. His guitar playing is nimble, but not showy. His use of effects is a component, but never a crutch. He uses open tunings and infuses elements of drone, psychedelia and pure experimentalism, but his music remains wholly accessible.

When Eddie spoke with William he was sitting on a porch in Durham, North Carolina, a day before he took the stage at Baldwin Auditorium, to kick off a series of concerts celebrating 25 years of Merge Records.