Symphony Chorus

Choral beauty.

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci

Sunday October 25, 2026 5:00 PM

Starting at $28

One hour, no intermission.

"Though human ingenuity may make various inventions, it will never devise any inventions more beautiful, nor more simple, nor more to the purpose than Nature does; because in her inventions nothing is wanting, and nothing is superfluous."

—Leonardo da Vinci

Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus Members of the Winston-Salem Symphony Chris Gilliam Conductor

Jocelyn Hagen The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci 40 minutes

Eric Whitacre Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine 9 minutes

Elaine Hagenberg My Companion 5 minutes

A multimedia experience with full chorus and chamber orchestra. Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks are brought to life through his words and drawings in an unforgettable multimedia concert experience created for choir, orchestra, and video projections.

To complement, Eric Whitacre's brief work poses a simple question: what would it sound like if Leonardo Da Vinci were dreaming? And more specifically, what kind of music would fill the mind of such a genius? Finally, Elaine Hagenberg's "My Companion" serves as a delicate closer, a tender setting of a text by American poet Edith Franklin Wyatt that speaks of companionship and the joys of sharing it as we travel along the road of life.

Pre-Concert Talk

Sunday at 4:00 PM

All audience members are invited to join us in the Judy Voss Jones Fine Arts Center, directly behind Reynolds Auditorium on its west side, for a lively discussion about the music and surrounding context. Local musicologist Dr. Carol Reynolds is your guide—pre-concert talks are free to attend, and occur one hour before any Classics Series concert.

Single tickets to this event go on sale June 1, but you can save your seat with a subscription!

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Sun Oct 25 5:00 PM

Venue

Brendle Recital Hall Scale Fine Arts Center, Wake Forest University 2629 Wake Forest Rd. Winston-Salem, NC 27109

Parking available in campus lots adjacent to Scales Fine Arts Center on the north and east (across the street, aside Wait Chapel) sides of the building.

Directions & Parking

Rideshare and Dining

Chris Gilliam, conductor

A conductor praised for his "precision and clarity," and performances hailed as "enlightened," Chris Gilliam is the Director of Choral Activities at Wake Forest University, director of the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus, the artistic director and conductor for the Winston-Salem Choral Artists, and Director of Music at Highland Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem.

Read more.