Byrnes Auditorium
Grand Reopening Celebration
April 4-9
It’s time to celebrate the grand reopening of one of Winthrop’s most beloved performance
spaces and one of the largest venues in the Charlotte metropolitan region. Offline
for five years for renovations, Byrnes’ reopening has been met with elation by Winthrop
music students and the public who are excited to be experiencing the uncommon grandeur
of this space like no other in Rock Hill and York County.
Funded by the state, Winthrop, and by insurance settlement funds, the renovation project
neared final completion in late fall 2024, and Winthrop welcomed community and campus
visitors in December 2024. Improvements to the space include a new elevator from the
lobby to the second floor, restroom expansion, accessibility features, plaster repair/new
paint, new stage rigging, flooring and curtain, and much more.
Come and experience performances by renowned musicians in a space like no other during
the grand reopening celebration. The events are sure to hit all of the right notes!
Check the parking information online as you plan your visit, due to many events scheduled during this week.
Schedule of Events
All events are free and open to the public. We do ask that you register in advance for each event.
World-renowned Trumpeter Vince DiMartino with performances by the Wind Symphony and
Jazz Ensemble
DiMartino is one of the country’s most sought after trumpet performers and is equally
known as a jazz artist, having played lead and solo trumpet in the Lionel Hampton
Band and with the Chuck Mangione band. The night will also include performances by
the Wind Symphony, which consists of 35-45 of the finest wind and percussion players
at Winthrop, and the Jazz Ensemble, which consists of trumpets, trombones, saxophones
and a rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass and drums). The jazz ensemble plays a wide
range of jazz styles such as swing, traditional New Orleans, funk, fusion, Latin and
modern jazz.
Winthrop Chorale & Collegiate Choir Concert Featuring a 70-member Alumni Choir and
the D.B. Johnson Memorial Organ
The Chorale, the principal choir among the ensembles in the Department of Music, consists
of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, more than half of whom are music
majors and minors. It is one of the oldest student organizations in Winthrop's history.
The Collegiate Choir is open to all interested students and its repertoire is taken
from all periods of musical history. Both groups are under the direction of Dr. Jeremy
Mims, director of choral activities.
Carolinas Wind Orchestra & Alumni Band Concert Featuring the D.B. Johnson Memorial
Organ
The Carolinas Wind Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Lorrie Crochet, is an internationally
recognized group dedicated to the performance of advanced wind literature. The afternoon
performance also will include the first Alumni Band Concert which will give former
music students an opportunity to play in Byrnes Auditorium. The Carolinas Wind Orchestra
will perform Alfred Reed’s Alleluia! Laudamus Te: A Celebration Hymn for Winds, Percussion, and Organ with accompaniment from the David Bancroft Johnson Memorial Organ. This will be the
first time audience members will have the chance to hear the majestic organ since
it was dismantled and professionally cleaned off site during the Byrnes renovation
project.
*Interested in participating in this historical event? Click here to participate in the Alumni Band Concert!
Winthrop Symphony Orchestra Concert
*Finale event
The Winthrop Symphony Orchestra (WSO) under the direction of Dr. Elisa Koehler makes
their debut in Byrnes Auditorium featuring Dr. Matthew Manwarren performing on the
Winthrop Organ in Remo Giazotto’s beloved Adagio on Themes of Tomaso Albinoni (commonly
known as the “Albinoni Adagio”). Winthrop sophomore and WSO Concertmaster Cece Trower
is also a featured soloist in that piece. Other works on the program include Grieg’s
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Schubert’s Symphony No. 5, and the world premiere of Mother’s
Petunias composed by Winthrop graduate Madison Bush (’22).
