North Carolina Symphony to Perform Original Work to Commemorate the Return of the U.S. Open to Pinehurst

North Carolina Symphony to Perform Original Work to Commemorate the Return of the U.S. Open to Pinehurst

Sketches from Pinehurst World Premiere Set for April 28

RALEIGH, N.C., April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of the return of the U.S. Open to Pinehurst this June, the North Carolina Symphony will premiere an original composition, Sketches from Pinehurst, by North Carolina Symphony bass trombonist Terry Mizesko. The music traces Pinehurst's humble beginnings from a desolate town stripped bare by logging companies and its transformation into the golf mecca it is today. Sketches from Pinehurst will debut Thursday, April 28 in Southern Pines, just two miles from the famed Pinehurst No. 2 course, where the 2005 U.S. Open will be played June 16-19.

Sketches from Pinehurst was composed to capture the spirit and history of Pinehurst. Composer Terry Mizesko and the symphony's General Manager and Vice President for Artistic Operations Scott Freck first developed the idea for the composition, and made a pilgrimage to Pinehurst last spring.

"While visiting Pinehurst, I thought about the similarities between playing golf and playing a musical instrument," says Terry. "Both require patience, practice, and control. You have to will yourself to harness your adrenaline."

The North Carolina native kept those similarities in mind while writing the five-movement composition. The first movement titled The Dream, depicts the vision of breathing new life into the bleak landscape of the North Carolina Sandhills. The subsequent two movements build in energy and intensity as Pinehurst emerges as a luxury golf destination. The fourth movement, Rumble on the Back Nine, captures the frustrations of the nation's best golfers as they tackled the infamous Pinehurst No. 2 course during the 1999 U.S. Open. The final movement is a tribute to 1999 U.S. Open winner Payne Stewart who died tragically in a plane accident the following year.

"Terry has done a fantastic job of capturing the heart and emotion of Pinehurst," says North Carolina Symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn. "The music evokes vivid images of lush fairways, hushed crowds waiting in anticipation, and Payne Stewart proudly holding the winner's trophy."

Following the premiere, the symphony will return to its home in Raleigh's spectacular Meymandi Concert Hall for performances April 29-30. This summer the North Carolina Symphony will tour the state performing the composition, and culminate with a pre-tournament performance on June 15 at the U.S. Open Gala in Pinehurst.

The North Carolina Symphony is a full-time, professional orchestra with 65 dedicated members and is under the artistic leadership of Music Director Grant Llewellyn. The symphony performs approximately 60 concerts a year and travels extensively throughout the state. The North Carolina Symphony has also appeared at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Orchestra Hall in Chicago. For more information visit http://www.ncsymphony.org/ .

Source: The North Carolina Symphony

CONTACT: Andrea Moody, +1-919-313-4816, moodya@fleishman.com, for the North Carolina Symphony

Web site: http://www.ncsymphony.org/

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