Salem Symphonic Winds will conclude their 50th Anniversary Season by performing Johan de Meij's Symphony No. 5 - RETURN TO MIDDLE EARTH. The performance will include a collaboration with Festival Chorale Oregon and feature soprano Kurleen George. The program will be presented on Sunday, June 15 at 3 pm in Rose Auditorium at South Salem High School.

The concert will also feature flute soloist Pippa Randolph in the Concerto for Flute and Wind Orchestra by Mike Mower. Mower combined the virtuosic demands of the soloist with jazz elements in the writing for the band. The resulting concerto provides a stunning challenge for the soloist and an entertaining musical ride for the audience.

Kurleen George - Soprano Soloist

Kurleen George is passionate about sharing music through performing and teaching. She sings opera, musical theater, pop, R&B and music of her Caribbean heritage (calypso, reggae and soca). Most recently, she has performed roles with Broadway Rose Theater Company (Beautiful: The Carol King Musical), The Shedd Institute (Evynn Hollens Contemporary Songbook Project) and Cosmic Tomato Studios (film: Invisible Cities). Kurleen is honored to be performing with Salem Symphonic Winds again, and she is grateful to John Skelton and the members of the group for having her back. She received a bachelor’s degree in music performance from Western Oregon University and a master’s degree in teaching from Oregon State University. Kurleen also studied opera at The American Institute of Musical Studies, in Austria. Kurleen teaches music and choir in the Salem Keizer School District and she owns Elevated Singing LLC, teaching private voice lessons, seminars and singing workshops.

Pippa Randolph - Flute Soloist

Pippa has been a member of the Salem Symphonic Winds since 2003, playing flute and piccolo. She teaches a private flute studio and freelances in Salem and Portland. Since 2020, she has taught general music and choir at Gubser Elementary in Keizer, OR.

Pippa and her husband, Brett Randolph, Associate Director of Bands at Sprague High School, have five musically inclined children. Their Randolph Family Band enjoys performing Brett’s challenging arrangements.

Pippa was drawn to the Mower Flute Concerto, commissioned by American university flute professors, for its jazzy elements. British composer Mike Mower, known for his jazz works, created a fun and challenging piece. Pippa discovered it on James Galway’s CD “Tango Del Fuego,” featuring Mower’s “Sonata Latino.” She wanted to introduce something new and enjoyable from the flute repertoire for local audiences.