Gardner-Webb Orchestra and Guests Present ‘Heroes and Hope’

Program Features Soloists, Special Performances and Narration by University President Dr. William M. Downs

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—The Gardner-Webb Department of Music presents the University Orchestra in concert on Monday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. in Dover Theatre. The program includes featured guests, GWU President Dr. William M. Downs, pianist Dr. Cynthia Clyburn Swicegood, the Crest High School Chamber Orchestra and Director Peter Strickland, a 1997 alumnus. Soloists include violinist William Norton and cellist Ethan Edmondson, performing in Matthew Riley’s arrangement of “Greensleeves.”

Dr. Patricia Sparti selected the music for the evening. She is in her 23rd year of serving as the director of Orchestral Activities, professor of music and principal conductor for the University Orchestra. “‘Heroes and Hope’ is the theme of the concert,” Sparti noted. “We are so thrilled to have Dr. Downs, narrate the Copland ‘Lincoln Portrait,’ Cindy Swicegood play Rachmaninoff, and Peter Strickland and the Crest Chamber Orchestra with us.”

“Lincoln Portrait” was commissioned by conductor Andre Kostelanetz during World War II. He asked Copland to compose a musical portrait of a great American figure. The composer chose Abraham Lincoln and used the 16th president’s own words from letters and speeches for the narration. According to the New York Philharmonic archives, a few of the famous narrators for the piece have been Walter Cronkite, Carl Sandburg, Henry Fonda, and even Copland himself.

Swicegood currently teaches private piano students at Wofford College, and serves as a collaborative artist for the choral area. Strickland began his career in the Cleveland County School System in 1997 as the founding director of the Burns and Crest Middle School orchestra programs. He founded the Crest High Orchestra program in 1999 and the Electronic Music/Recording program in 2006. He was selected as the North Carolina Western Regional Orchestra Director of the Year in 2017. He is certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

The program also includes “Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius, and “Fiesta de Navidad” and “Go Tell it on the Mountain” by Dan Goeller. The evening will end with “Satchmo! A Tribute to Louis Armstrong,” arranged by Ted Rickets. The medley features “A Wonderful World,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “St. Louis Blues,” and “Hello, Dolly.”

Admission is $10 for general public; free to all students regardless of school with student ID, and free for GWU faculty and staff. Donations to benefit GWU orchestra will also be received.

Auxiliary aids will be made available to persons with disabilities upon request 10 working days prior to the event.  Please call 704-406-4270 or email [email protected] with your request.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.