WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Durham Armory, 201 Foster St.
ADMISSION: Tickets are $30 (main floor, with dessert buffet), $15 balcony (dessert buffet not included). Children 6 and under are admitted free. For tickets, call (919) 491-6576
ON THE WEB: www.durhamsymphony.org.
By Cliff Bellamy
cbellamy@heraldsun.com; 419-6744
DURHAM -- The Durham Symphony's Holiday Pops Concert is one of the city's established holiday traditions. Friday's concert will have a mix of the familiar and the new.
Among the familiar elements are the sing-along, the silent auction, an array of desserts from local bakeries, and the raffle for one of four painted violins. The orchestra will perform excerpts from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite." The Hillandale Children's Chorus, directed by Dena Byers, will perform several arrangements of holiday songs with the orchestra.
This year also is the first time William Henry Curry, who became the symphony's third music director and conductor this year, will lead the concert.
For many symphony patrons and fans, the December concert has become a way to begin their holiday season, said Kelly Kovalesky, general manager of the symphony. The concert also is a major fundraiser for the organization, she said.
One of the fundraisers, the painted violin raffle, has a new twist this year. For the past four years, the symphony has raised money by having local artists paint violins that are no longer played. For the first time this year, the symphony has sold raffle tickets online, which has broadened the symphony's reach, with "sales all over the country," Kovalesky said.
One draw is a violin by tattoo artist Guy Aitchison, titled "Organic Violin." Aitchison is a nationally known tattoo artist who wrote the book "Reinventing the Tattoo." His mom also plays flute in the orchestra, Kovalesky said. His following has increased ticket sales, particularly for his painted violin, Kovalesky said.
Other artists and the names of their painted violins are Paula MacLeod ("Sofi's First Art Project"), Kathryn DeMarco ("The Symphony Must Contain everything") and Emily Weinstein (untitled).
Painted violin raffle tickets are still on sale online (www.durhamsymphony.org), and also may be purchased at the concert. Concertgoers can buy a ticket for each violin. Winners of the raffle will be announced at the end of the concert.
