Variations on America

Saturday, September 26

Pre-concert Talk at 6:30pm; Concert begins at 7:30pm

Sullivan MS Auditorium

Christopher James Lees, Conductor

Byron Johns, Horn

Ives: Variations on America

Bernstein: Overture to West Side Story

Cassarubios: Herencia

Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1

RHSO opens its 9th season with an Americana program that combines Charles Ives’ inventive “Variations on America,” with Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story, along with Spanish-American composer Andrea Cassarubios’ elegant and haunting original work for strings, titled “Herencia” or “Heritage.” Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Horn, Byron Johns, adds dazzling beauty in Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 1.

Byron Johns, Horn

Byron Johns was born and raised in the Gulf Coast city of Venice, Florida. He earned undergraduate degrees in horn performance and choral music education from the Florida State University where he studied with Kevin Reid, James Wilson and Michelle Stebleton. He earned a masters degree in horn performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music while studying with Peter Kurau. In September 2014, Byron joined the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra as a member of the horn section. He won the CSO Principal Horn audition in the fall of 2019 after serving for a year as Acting Principal. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Byron held positions with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rochester Chamber Orchestra. He has performed as a guest with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Naple Philharmonic Orchestra and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Johns has a passion for education and serves on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has also held teaching positions with the Volusia County Public Schools and the Eastman Community Music School. When he is not performing or teaching, Byron enjoys fishing, hunting and spending time with his family.