Salon Solos to Showcase Virtuosic Wind Music at Körner’s Folly

Piedmont Wind Symphony, under the direction of Artistic Director and Conductor Mark A. Norman, presents Salon Solos, an intimate chamber music experience featuring wind and piano repertoire inspired by the golden age of salon performance. The concert will take place on May 19, 2026, with performances at 6:00 PM and 7:15 PM at Cupid’s Park Theatre at Körner’s Folly.

Salon Solos transports audiences to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when virtuosic soloists and intimate salon performances captivated audiences across Europe and the United States. The program highlights the expressive lyricism, technical brilliance, and evolving musical styles that defined a transformative era for wind instruments and piano.

The performance features guest artists Taiki Azuma (saxophone), Steve Sutton (cornet), Benjamin Burson (percussion), and Karen Rice (piano), each presenting works that reflect the stylistic shift from Romantic-era salon music to the emerging sounds of early American popular music, including ragtime and early jazz influences.

Early selections evoke the elegance of 19th-century parlor music and operatic transcriptions, while later works showcase the rise of American band traditions, including virtuosic solo writing popularized during the era of John Philip Sousa. The program also explores the saxophone’s growing prominence and the expanding palette of tone color and rhythm that defined early 20th-century musical innovation.

Together, these works offer a vivid portrait of a musical world in transition—where Romantic tradition met modern American sound. Performed in an intimate setting, Salon Solos invites audiences to experience the artistry, intimacy, and innovation of salon music as it might have been heard over a century ago.

Taiki Azuma is a woodwind performer and educator serving on the faculty at Catawba College, High Point University, Wake Forest University, Lenoir-Rhyne University, and Fayetteville State University. He is Principal Saxophonist of the Piedmont Wind Symphony and holds the section oboe chair with the Carolina Philharmonic. Azuma has performed with ensembles including the North Carolina Symphony, EMF Festival Orchestra, Fayetteville Symphony, Western Piedmont Symphony, and others, with appearances at Carnegie Hall and major national conferences. An active soloist and chamber musician, he has premiered numerous works and performs with ensembles including the Ren Duo and Sirocco Reed Quintet. He has presented research nationally on the connection between body and sound and serves as Overseas Representative for BREATHTAKING Co., Ltd., promoting musician wellness and ergonomics. He holds degrees from the University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University, and UNC Greensboro, with additional study in Japan at the Hamamatsu International Wind Academy.

Steve Sutton is E-flat Soprano Cornet of the North Carolina Brass Band and Principal Trumpet of Piedmont Wind Symphony. He holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and serves as Head Music Instructor at the Academy of Music and Arts of the Salvation Army.

Benjamin Burson is a fourth-year student at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, studying percussion under Dr. Ksenija Komljenović. A passionate orchestral performer and recording artist, he is a Piedmont Wind Symphony Fellow and is active in audio and video production projects throughout the Winston-Salem area.

Dr. Karen M. Rice is Associate Professor of Music at Winston-Salem State University. A solo and collaborative pianist with a D.M.A. and M.M. from UNC Greensboro, she has performed with orchestras including the Wilmington Symphony and Montgomery Symphony Orchestra and has presented research nationally and internationally on piano repertoire and intersectionality in music.

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For more information, visit www.pwsymphony.org or kornersfolly.org  or follow Piedmont Wind Symphony and Körner’s Folly on social media. / @pwsymphony.org Piedmont Wind Symphony | / @kornersfolly Körner’s Folly 

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.

About Körner’s Folly

Körner’s Folly is a nationally significant historic house museum in Kernersville, North Carolina, built in 1880 by artist and designer Jule Körner. Operated by the Körner’s Folly Foundation, the site offers year-round tours, programs, and events that connect visitors with local history, art, architecture, and community traditions.