Sunday July 16, 2023 | 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.

$20 General Admission | $15 Museum Members

This concert has SOLD OUT. Tickets are required for entry.

Jodi Burns and Thao Nguyen return to BRAHM for an evening of Broadway and Classical vocal duets. Jodi and Thao will make their return to BRAHM after a sold out performance in 2019 where they took the audience on a review of legendary Broadway love songs. This performance is a must see for lovers of stage and song alike.

About the Performance

Wanderer’s Stars: Songs that Illuminate Our Path Toward Home
Jodi Burns, Soprano
Thao Nguyen, Baritone
Natalie Barela, Piano

The tapestries of our existence are woven in song. Lyrics rhythms and melodies guide us, illuminating our paths and providing solace, inspiration, and connection. They evoke memories, feelings and stories that are uniquely ours. We each embody our own big tiny universe, and the songs are the stars in our constellations, their light reflecting who we are. They capture the essence of our individuality, shaping our perspectives and influencing the way we navigate and describe the world.

No matter where we travel, these songs are with us and part of us; they urge us to laugh, to dance, to celebrate and they permit us to grieve.

These songs become a part of our language, expressing the depth and complexity of our relationships, our beliefs, our hopes, dreams, and fears. They make us miss those we’ve lost, and help us to uncover deeper love for those with whom we wander each day.

Wanderer’s Stars is a celebration of the power of the human voice to transcend boundaries, and of the power of song to help us define our sense of home, of who we are. It bridges the gaps between genres -- from the soaring to the vibrant, the polished to the raw --- from Classical to Pop, Musical Theater to folk. Soprano Jodi Burns, Baritone Thao Nguyen and Pianist Natalie Barela invite the audience into an immersive experience of connection and discovery. Pouring their hearts out onstage, illuminating the constellations of their personal tales and creating an unforgettable musical journey for all who listen.

About the Performers

Jodi Burns has been described as singing with a “plush voice and rich expressivity”(The New York Times). In her appearance as Anna Sorenson in Kevin Puts’ Silent Night, (Piedmont Opera), The Winston-Salem Journal notes, “Burns dazzle[s] with her lustrous soprano and bright charisma. The production is elevated whenever she appears on stage." Whether performing in intimate venues or on the opera stage, she appeals to a rich and diverse audience.

In her most recent appearance with Piedmont Opera in March 2019, Jodi gave, “another rather perfect performance”(Opera Lively), and “her Adina was fanciful but honorable… the ascents to the top Bs adroitly managed. Burns delivered the cantabile ‘Chiedi all’aura lusinghiera’ in the duet with Nemorino with dulcet tones…”(Voix des Arts).

Roles include, Anna Sorenson (Silent Night), Adina (The Elixir of Love), Ann Trulove (The Rake's Progress), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Micaela (Carmen), Josephine (H.M.S. Pinafore), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Barbarina (The Marriage of Figaro), the Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), Ida (Die Fledermaus), Maria Stuarda (Maria Stuarda), Mary Turner (Of Thee I Sing, Gershwin) and she has performed time and again with Piedmont Opera, The Princeton Festival, The Opera Theatre of the Rockies, The Mozart Club, The Piedmont Wind Symphony, The Winston-Salem Symphony, Magnolia Baroque Festival, the Carolina Chamber Symphony Players, Carolina Symphony SummerFest, and toured with The North Carolina Symphony.

In summer of 2018 Jodi appeared in a concert series with composer and pianist Ken Frazelle, collaborating on a program of music from his song sets "Appalachian Songbooks I and II" and "Songs from the Rearview Mirror".

A performer with a great deal of range and versatility, Jodi collaborated with The Piedmont Wind Symphony on a concert of her own compositions along with her band Judy Barnes. She duetted with Ben Folds at his 2015 “Home for the Holidays” Concert.

Jodi holds a Masters of Music from the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where studied with Dr. Marilyn Taylor and Jamie Allbritten. BME from The Ohio State University.

Thao Nguyen is a Director/Producer/Actor/Singer who is comfortable on both the operatic and musical theatre stage. He is acclaimed by critics for his "velvety baritone and his ease and grace on stage."

Notable Performances: Off Broadway/Regional- Tropical Angels, Miss Saigon, Shrek, 25th annual..., South Pacific and Pippin in which he was voted "Best Performer in a Musical" BroadwayWorld CT.

As a champion for new music in the classical world, he was delighted to be a part of the premiere of acclaimed composer David Wolfson’s opera
Fortune's Children with Hartford Opera Theater, which is now streaming on BroadwayOnDemand.

An active film/tv/commercial actor, you can catch him in Marvel's She-Hulk available on Disney+ and in the feature film "Nemesis Eterna" coming in 2024, along with many national commercials.

He is represented by The Brock Agency for Film/TV/Commercial. A graduate of UNC School of the Arts, Thao is currently based in Winston Salem, where he maintains a private voice studio. You can follow him on all social media @‌thetaoofThao and http://www.thaotnguyen.com
for further information.

Presented by Music Carolina

Sponsored by Bill and Judy Watson

Miles Hoffman, viola & Reiko Uchida, piano: Two Virtuosos, One Vision

Internationally renowned violist and celebrated NPR commentator Miles Hoffman joins forces with the brilliant pianist Reiko Uchida for a program featuring the music of Bach, Schumann, and Brahms.

"Hoffman was at his best when the music assumed the eloquence of a passionate, pleading human voice. The rich tone of his instrument was modulated so delicately at times that it almost seemed about to form words.” – The Washington Post

“Ms. Uchida’s playing was refined and exquisite.” – The New York Times

Our concert series brings touring artists for intimate performances in the museum. Programs range from classical to old-time, traditional Appalachian to jazz - with something for all ages. Our concert series runs monthly from June to September, as well as special events.

Concerts are on Sundays from 4 p.m. until approximately 6 p.m. They take place in our intimate Atrium, which seats 60 guests. Seating is first come, first served and the museum opens at 1 p.m. on Sundays during the summer. Each concert will have a brief intermission.

Ticket Info

Advance Purchase: $13, members, students, seniors, military, EBT cardholders / $18 all others

Day of Show: $15, members, students, seniors, military, EBT cardholders / $20 all others
*Day of show tickets only available at the BRAHM front desk. Call us at (828) 295-9099.**

About the Performers

MILES HOFFMAN is the founder and violist of the American Chamber Players, with whom he regularly tours the United States, and the Virginia I. Norman Distinguished Visiting Professor of Chamber Music at the Schwob School of Music, in Columbus, Georgia. He has appeared as viola soloist with orchestras all across the country, and his solo performances on YouTube have received well over a half million views. His radio modules, A Minute with Miles, are a daily feature of South Carolina Public Radio, other networks around the country, and NPR Podcasts, and as classical music commentator for NPR’s flagship news program, Morning Edition, he is regularly heard by a national audience of some 14 million people. His musical commentary, “Coming to Terms,” was a weekly favorite throughout the United States from 1989 to 2002 on NPR’s Performance Today, and his book, The NPR Classical Music Companion: An Essential Guide for Enlightened Listening, first published in 1997, is now in its tenth printing from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. He has written articles for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the Wilson Quarterly. A distinguished teacher and clinician, and former dean of the Petrie School of Music at Converse College, Mr. Hoffman has presented countless master classes, workshops, children’s programs, and other educational programs at schools, colleges, and conservatories around the country, and he has been a featured lecturer and keynote speaker for orchestras, chamber music series, festivals, and various professional organizations and conferences. He is a graduate of Yale University and the Juilliard School, and in 2003 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Centenary College of Louisiana in recognition of his achievements as a performer and educator.

First Prize winner of the Joanna Hodges Piano Competition and the Zinetti International Competition, pianist REIKO UCHIDA made her New York solo debut in 2001 at Carnegie's Weill Hall under the auspices of the Abby Whiteside Foundation. She has appeared as soloist with many American orchestras and has performed solo and chamber music concerts in distinguished venues in the United States, Japan, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Finland, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. Her festival appearances include Spoleto, Tanglewood, Santa Fe, and Marlboro. As a chamber musician, Ms. Uchida was one of the first pianists selected for Chamber Music Society Two, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's program for outstanding emerging artists. In addition to her recital performances with Miles Hoffman, she has been the recital partner for Jennifer Koh, Thomas Meglioranza, Jaime Laredo, and Sharon Robinson, with whom she performed the complete works of Beethoven for cello and piano. She has appeared often as a guest artist with the American Chamber Players, and she has also collaborated with the Borromeo and the Tokyo String Quartets. She is currently a member of the Laurel Trio and a member of the Moebius Ensemble, a group specializing in contemporary music and in residence at Columbia University. Ms. Uchida began studying the piano at the age of four, and when still a child she performed with her friend Anne Akiko Meyers on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. She holds a Bachelor's degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Claude Frank and Leon Fleisher, and a Master's degree from the Mannes College of Music, where her principal teacher was Edward Aldwell. She currently resides in New York City, where she is an associate faculty member at Columbia University.

This concert is made possible through the generosity of Louis Gottlieb, Bill & Judy Watson, and Ed Kelly.

Soprano Jodi Burns and baritone Thao Nguyen bring vocal virtuosity in a sultry summer duet that will cover everything from Opera to Broadway.

Our concert series brings touring artists for intimate performances in the museum. Programs range from classical to old-time, traditional Appalachian to jazz - with something for all ages. Our concert series runs monthly from June to September, as well as special events.

Concerts are on Sundays from 4 p.m. until approximately 6 p.m. They take place in our intimate Atrium, which seats 60 guests. Seating is first come, first served and the museum opens at 1 p.m. on Sundays during the summer. Each concert will have a brief intermission.

Ticket Info

Advance Purchase: $13, members, students, seniors, military, EBT cardholders / $18 all others

Day of Show: $15, members, students, seniors, military, EBT cardholders / $20 all others
*Day of show tickets only available at the BRAHM front desk. Call us at (828) 295-9099.**

About the Performers

Jodi Burns has been described as singing with a “plush voice and rich expressivity”(The New York Times). In her appearance in the Southeastern premiere of Kevin Puts’ Silent Night, (Piedmont Opera),The Winston-Salem Journal noted, “Burns dazzled with her lustrous soprano and bright charisma. The production is elevated whenever she appears on stage." Whether performing in intimate venues or on the opera stage, she appeals to a rich and diverse audience.

Her most recent appearance was playing Adina in Piedmont Opera's production of Donizetti's, "The Elixir of Love."

She appeared at BRAHM in the summer of 2018 in collaboration with composer Ken Frazelle, singing a concert of music from his "Appalachian Songbooks 1&2" and "Songs from the Rearview Mirror".

Other roles include, Ann Trulove (The Rake's Progress) and Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) with The Princeton Festival, Micaela (Carmen), Josephine (H.M.S. Pinafore), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Barbarina (The Marriage of Figaro), the Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), and Ida (Die Fledermaus) with Piedmont Opera and conductor Jamie Allbritten, and Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi) with Opera Theatre of the Rockies, Mary Turner (Carolina Chamber Symphony Players, Of Thee I Sing, Gershwin).

Jodi sings frequently with the Winston-Salem Symphony, The North Carolina Symphony, and The Piedmont Wind Symphony, including with PWS a concert of her own compositions along with her band Judy Barnes. She also had the pleasure of singing with the PWS and Ben Folds at his 2015 “Home for the Holidays” Concert.

Jodi holds a Masters of Music from UNCSA where studied with Dr. Marilyn Taylor. BME from The Ohio State University. She teaches voice and piano at the UNCSA Community Music School and in her home in Winston-Salem.

Thao Nguyen is acclaimed for his "velvety baritone and his ease and grace on stage." At home on the classical and contemporary stage and a proud graduate of UNC School of the Arts, Mr. Nguyen has performed with many companies on the east coast including Connecticut Opera, Playhouse on Park, Piedmont Opera, Mountain Theatre, Lees McRae Theatre and Temple Theatre. A champion of new works, his 2019 season included debuting a new operatic work in Washington, D.C. Abie's Chinese Rose for Harbin Opera. In the spring he will rejoin the Moramus Chorale in Winston Salem as their bass soloist in Ernst Wolf’s Easter Cantata and Faure's Requiem and will perform in Piedmont Opera's The Elixir of Love. Also active on film and TV, Mr. Nguyen is represented by The Brock Agency for Film/TV/Commercial. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @thetaoofThao and www.thaotnguyen.com for further information.

BRAHM welcomes Tim McWilliams & William Ritter to our 2019 Summer Concert Series for an evening of old-time tunes.

About the Performers

Tim McWilliams & William Ritter met in Boone, NC while both were attending Appalachian State University, pursuing their M.A. in Appalachian Music. While they picked together all of the time in the High Country, they did not start performing together until 2019. When you see and hear Tim McWilliams and William Ritter playing together, one thing is immediately clear: They are having a heck of a good time. Tim's flatpicking and bluesy vocals blend with William's harmonies and old-time infused fiddling to offer up a distinctive and infectiously fun sound. Their shows feature classic fiddle tunes, bluegrass, and lots of music by their heroes: Doc Watson, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Tim O'Brien, Norman Blake, and others.

Tim McWilliams is an accomplished flat-picking and finger-style guitarist, embodying the diverse roots music traditions of Western North Carolina. Since 2014, he has performed full-time as the guitarist, banjoist, songwriter, and vocalist with his group, Redleg Husky, as well as a solo artist. In 2017, he received an endorsement for Larrivee Guitars and performed more than 250 shows on stages throughout the greater Southeast. In 2018, Redleg Husky released their new album, "Don't Be Bashful," and performed at many notable regional festivals including LEAF, Fall for Greenville, and the Downtown Asheville Independence Day Celebration alongside acclaimed bluegrass guitarist Larry Keel.

William is a native of Bakersville, NC, and an alum of Western Carolina University. He graduated with a degree in Technical Theatre, but spent most of his time in school studying the musical folk traditions of Western North Carolina. Recently, William received his MA in Appalachian Culture and Music from Appalachian State University. William plays banjo, fiddle, guitar, and other "string-ed things." He is particularly interested in old apple trees and mountain humor--ever eager to swap lies, half-truths, jokes, and seeds.

Andrew "Finn the Fiddler" Magill will take the audience on a musical journey from the Emerald Isle to the Blue Ridge Mountains. This performance is sure to be as entertaining as it will be educational, we will get to hear how some of our favorite tunes have developed over time and through different playing styles.

About the Performer

Raised in an Irish musical household, Andrew “Finn the Fiddler” Magill grew up studying with many of the world’s best traditional American and Irish fiddlers at The Swannanoa Gathering music workshops in Asheville, North Carolina. At age 18, his debut album Drive & Lift (John Doyle, John Skelton, Will MacMorran) was featured on NPR and his 2016 two-disc project Roots and Branches debuted at #46 on the Folk DJ charts. Says grammy-winner Americana artist Tim O’Brien:
“He has learned from and now plays with the best in the genre. On Branches you can hear a new musical voice emerging. I’m gonna keep listening for Finn Magill.”

Finn has built his career on Irish music, having worked with many musicians including John Doyle, Open the Door for Three, and The Paul McKenna Band. Between these collaborations and others he has performed at Milwaukee Irish Fest, Celtic Connections, Olympia Hall in Paris, France, and Disneyworld. He currently has a duo with Irish multi-instrumentalist Dave Curley which performs the festival circuit and concerts all over the U.S.

In 2014 Finn moved to Rio de Janeiro to study Brazilian choro music. He soon founded choro quartet O Finno which the city of Rio de Janeiro featured in its Viva o Talento series. In 2016, Finn founded Brazilian Strings Trio, a trio with fellow American violinist Ted Falcon and Brazilian guitarist Nando Duarte and in 2017 founded Canta, Violino! a Brazilian jazz fusion project, the album of which was released on Ropeadope Records in 2018. Writes Brazilian percussion legend Airto Moreira of Chick Corea and Miles Davis:

“Its nice to see fresh, young musicians carrying on the traditions of Brazilian music. Finn Magill displays a love and authenticity that can fool you into thinking he is from Brazil. His style is playful and light, yet soulful and passionate. Congratulations!”

In Canta, Violino! Magill merges his folk background and more than fifteen years of jazz study with a deep passion for Brazilian music and contemporary instrumental composition. Complementing a busy solo touring schedule, Magill is an on-call fiddle player/violinist with several singers from the acoustic americana to swing idioms.

Native American flutist and storyteller Matthew Tooni will deliver two performances at BRAHM on Saturday, April 6th. There will be a 30-minute children’s program at 11 am, followed by a craft and then a 45-minute all-ages performance at 2 pm. The performances will include traditional songs and folklore of the Eastern Band of Cherokee as well as some of Tooni’s original compositions.

Tooni is a virtuoso flutist and a master storyteller, this event is a must see!

The performances are free and open to the public and presented by the Watauga Arts Council and BRAHM.

About the Performer

Matthew Tooni grew up on the Qualla Boundary, the tribal lands of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, and continues to live there in the Painttown community. His brother John Tooni, and their parents Carolyn and Larch Tooni, share Matthew’s interest in and appreciation for Cherokee traditional culture. The brothers became cast members of Unto These Hills, the famous outdoor historical drama performed for generations on the Qualla Boundary. He played traditional Cherokee flute in the play, and delivered his lines in the Cherokee language.

Tooni recorded an album, Through Their Eyes, Vol. 1, in 2017, and was subsequently nominated for a NAMMY (Native American Music Award) for Flutist of the Year. He performed at the National Folk Festival in Greensboro in the fall of 2017. Tooni is also a member of the Medicine Lake Traditional Dancers, a heritage dance group descended from the Raven Rock Dancers, founded in the 1980s by Walker Calhoun.

Speaking in 2017 to the Cherokee One Feather, Matthew Tooni described the role of music in his life. “My music is something that has become very important to me. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true. I have found an exceedingly great amount of inspiration from my culture. I believe that it helps me to express what I feel about that particular subject. Everything that comes from our hearts is genuine inspiration. That’s what my music is to me.”