Bend It
McGuire Wood & Bissette is proud to sponsor the final concert of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra’s season. This season has been an interesting one in that each concert was an audition for the ASO’s new music director and conductor.
The candidate for tomorrow’s concert Bend It is Jacomo Barios. Barios has earned a reputation for versatility, superb musicianship, and creative ingenuity. He is currently the Amarillo Symphony’s music director and conductor, as well as co-founder and artistic director for Miami’s Nu Deco Ensemble, an eclectic chamber orchestra reimagined for the 21st century. Recent highlights include debuts with the National, Atlanta, Houston, Grand Rapids, and Sarasota symphony orchestras. Bairos is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory’s distinguished Orchestral Conducting Program and the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen.
He writes, “I am thrilled to bring an eclectic program of my favorite genre-bending composers and works to Asheville! As we celebrate Bernstein’s centennial year, we honor the ultimate genre-bending composer who fused jazz, Broadway and classical traditions into a truly authentic American voice. Some of Sam Hyken’s biggest influences were composers and artists like Gershwin, Michael Jackson, Bill Conti, and Quincy Jones. Sam’s take on Vivaldi’s masterpiece has influences of jazz, ’70s film noir, and even hip-hop, while also keeping one eye on the Baroque. While Brahms’ reimagining of Hungarian Dances may be some of the first genre-bending music in the classical world, it is his deep symphonies that stir the soul and transform the heart in magical and powerful ways.”
ASO President of the Board of Directors and MWB Attorney Doris Loomis attended the dress rehearsal and made this comment “I heard the Vivaldi arrangement last night. It will appeal to everyone and will make those who haven’t been to many concerts to want to come.”