Piedmont Wind Symphony Presents Pictures at an Exhibition with Film

Piedmont Wind Symphony Presents Pictures at an Exhibition with Film

A multi-sensory concert experience blending music, film, and urgent storytelling

Piedmont Wind Symphony, under the direction of Artistic Director and Conductor Mark A. Norman, will present Pictures at an Exhibition with Film on Friday, May 1, 2026 at 7:30 PM in Brendle Recital Hall.

This powerful program bridges sound, imagery, and contemporary themes, transforming the traditional concert experience into an immersive artistic journey. The evening’s centerpiece, Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, will be brought to life with film, offering audiences a vivid, multi-sensory exploration of music and visual art.

The program also features The Bird-While by Gala Flagello, a 2024 finalist in the Sousa-ABA Ostwald Composition Contest. This innovative concerto for flute, clarinet, violin, and cello draws inspiration from Keith Taylor’s poem Acolytes in the Bird-While, exploring the beauty of Michigan’s ecosystems alongside the urgent realities of climate change.

The performance will showcase an extraordinary quartet of guest artists from "The President's Own" United States Marine Band:

Master Gunnery Sgt. Elisabeth Plunk, flute

Flutist Master Gunnery Sergeant Elisabeth Plunk of Moline, Ill., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in June 2004, was named assistant principal in 2009, co-principal in 2015 and principal in January 2020.

Master Gunnery Sgt. Plunk began her musical instruction at age 6. Upon graduating in 1997 from Moline High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory in 2001, and in 2003 received a master’s degree in music from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Her flute instructors included Randolph Bowman, the principal flute of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Jeanne Baxtresser, the principal flute of the New York Philharmonic.

Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Master Gunnery Sgt. Plunk performed with the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh and as guest principal flute with the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra) in São Paulo, Brazil.

Master Gunnery Sgt. Plunk performs with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and across the country during the band’s annual concert tour. She has also conducted training sessions at the Marine Corps Forces Reserve Band in New Orleans, the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Band in California, and the Parris Island Marine Band.

Gunnery Sgt. Kristin Bowers, clarinet

Assistant Principal Clarinetist Gunnery Sergeant Kristin Bowers of Downers Grove, Ill., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in May 2017. She was appointed to assistant principal in July 2023.

Gunnery Sgt. Bowers began her musical training on clarinet at age 10. After graduating in 2002 from Downers Grove North High School, she attended Indiana University in Bloomington where she earned a bachelor’s degree in clarinet performance in 2006 and studied with Howard Klug. In 2008, she earned master’s degree in clarinet performance from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and studied with Steve Cohen of Northwestern and Lawrie Bloom of the Chicago Symphony.

Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Gunnery Sgt. Bowers performed with the South Bend Symphony in Indiana and served as principal clarinet in the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C., from 2011-17.

Gunnery Sgt. Bowers performs with the Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra at the White House, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and across the country during the band’s annual concert tour.

Gunnery Sgt. Sara Matayoshi, Violin

Violinist Gunnery Sergeant Sara Matayoshi of Richmond, Ill., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Chamber Orchestra in June 2018.

Gunnery Sgt. Matayoshi began her musical instruction at age 6. Upon attending Richmond-Burton Community High School, she earned a bachelor’s degree in music in 2007 from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where she studied with Gerardo Ribeiro. In 2011, she earned her master’s degree in violin performance from the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Mass., where she studied with Laura Bossert. Staff Sgt. Matayoshi has also studied with the late Vartan Manoogian, former concertmaster of L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, Switzerland, and teacher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Gunnery Sgt. Matayoshi performed as a core violinist in the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in Tennessee from 2011-16 and as principal second violin with the National Philharmonic in North Bethesda, Md., from 2017-18. She has also performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Des Moines Metro Opera in Iowa, the Madison Symphony Orchestra in Wisconsin, and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. In addition, Staff Sgt. Matayoshi was the violinist of the Iris Piano Trio, a trio in residence at Charles E. Smith Life Communities in Rockville, Md.

With the orchestra, Gunnery Sgt. Matayoshi performs regularly at White House State Dinners, receptions, and other functions and appears with the Marine Chamber Orchestra in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

Gunnery Sgt. Clayton Vaughn, Cello

Cellist Gunnery Sergeant Clayton Vaughn of Meridian, Miss., joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in June 2018. He was appointed principal cello and cello section leader in 2025. 

Gunnery Sgt. Vaughn began his musical training on cello at age 11. After graduating in 2002 from Meridian High School, he attended the University of Louisville in Kentucky, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in cello performance in 2006 and studied with Paul York. He earned a master’s degree in cello performance in 2009 from the Cleveland Institute of Music in Ohio where he studied with Dr. Melissa Kraut and Stephen Geber from the Cleveland Orchestra. In 2012 he earned a doctorate in cello performance from the University of Colorado in Boulder where he studied with Andras Fejer of the Takacs Quartet and Judith Glyde.

Prior to joining “The President’s Own,” Gunnery Sgt. Vaughn performed with Des Moines Metro Opera during the summer seasons of 2014-17, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in Birmingham from 2014-18 and the Omaha Symphony in Nebraska from 2013-14, while also freelancing and teaching privately. In addition he has participated in the following summer music festivals: Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Mass., 2012-13; the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colo., 2011; the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Calif., 2010; and Meadowmount in Westport, N.Y., 2008.

Gunnery Sgt. Vaughn performs regularly at the White House for State Dinners, receptions, and other White House functions, and throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

Together with Piedmont Wind Symphony, these distinguished musicians will bring Flagello’s work to life with exceptional virtuosity and expressive depth.

The concert opens with Molly on the Shore by Percy Grainger, a vibrant and rhythmically inventive setting of an Irish folk tune that highlights Grainger’s distinctive approach to melody and texture.

Tickets: Tickets range from $27 to $64 and are available now at pwsymphony.org/pictures 

Concert Details: Pictures at an Exhibition with film | May 1 2026 | 7:30PM | Brendle Recital Hall

About Piedmont Wind Symphony

Founded in 1989, Piedmont Wind Symphony has been at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of classical music. As one of the few non-military professional wind symphonies in the United States, the symphony is committed to innovating and evolving wind ensemble music. Through its dedication to artistic excellence and creative programming, Piedmont Wind Symphony continues to make wind music relevant and inspiring, engaging audiences across the Winston-Salem and Forsyth County community and beyond.

Media Contact:

For press inquiries or more information about the concert, please contact:

Brianna Cantwell

Executive Director

336.995.0464

cantwellb@pwsymphony.org

pwsymphony.org