The sounds of music from Frédéric Chopin, renowned Polish composer and virtuoso pianist, filled the air. At the same time, abstract art images were displayed overhead in conjunction with the first 10 nocturne compositions.
The rapt crowd of more than 100 was not listening to a concert at the Stephens Center; instead the audience was sitting in the Atrium of the Wake Forest Biotech Place in the Innovation Quarter.
The concert was a preview of more to come: Night Music Part 2 will be held on February 28, 2014, and the Chopin Birthday Festival Celebration on March 1, 2014. Musicians from Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University and other partners will celebrate the composer with live Chopin piano music, and other artistic expressions.
The evening represented more than just a night of music and art, but was as much about the collaboration inside the Innovation Quarter. American pianist Pamela Howland initiated a meeting with Lindsey Yarborough, manager of public activities for the Innovation Quarter, about holding a concert in the space. The conversation became collaboration and a concert.
In addition to cultural programming, the Innovation Quarter offers educational and social programs open to the public. “We are re-familiarizing the community with this area of east Winston-Salem,” said Yarborough. “These programs serve not only to promote tenant interaction and engagement, but facilitate increased awareness and participation from the greater Triad communities.”
What makes such programming even more exciting is the cost—all events are free.
