SEATTLE SYMPHONY AND NANCY WILSON, CO-FOUNDER OF THE ROCK BAND HEART, UNITE FOR IMAGINATIVE, CROSS-GENRE SHOW ON JULY 9
WILSON TO PERFORM AT BENAROYA HALL FOR THE SYMPHONY’S THE ESSENTIAL SERIES – TICKETS ON SALE STARTING MAY 10
Seattle, WA — On July 9, rock legend Nancy Wilson joins the Seattle Symphony for a highly anticipated show at Benaroya Hall. The concert is the latest in the Symphony’s exciting lineup for The Essential Series, a cross-genre collaboration between the orchestra and local artists that celebrates the breadth of the Seattle music scene.
Wilson, who co-founded the iconic band Heart in Seattle, rose to global acclaim pioneering the women-fronted rock band. Known for hits like “Barracuda,” “Crazy on You” and “These Dreams,” Wilson now returns to the stage as a soloist, ready to showcase her impressive vocals and revered skills as a guitarist alongside the orchestra, with Douglas F. King Associate Conductor Lee Mills at the podium. Through her independent work, Wilson has nurtured an artistic voice distinct from the Heart sound that has largely defined her decades-long career.
From songs off Wilson’s just-released, debut solo album You and Me to Heart’s classics, the Nancy Wilson of Heart with the Seattle Symphony concert features all-new arrangements created specifically for the show by The Essential Series curator and arranger Andrew Joslyn. Born of the idea that music is an essential form of expression, the series and these original arrangements aim to blend the richness of symphonic music with the artist’s unique voice to create an unexpected soundscape for audiences.
The July 9 concert brings an exciting evening of rock ‘n’ roll to the Benaroya Hall stage for audiences everywhere through a livestreamed concert on Seattle Symphony Live, the Symphony’s streaming platform.
Tickets for the streamed concert are $30 and go on sale May 10; included with each ticket purchase is a digital download of Wilson’s new album, You and Me. Tickets for the digital concert can be purchased at live.seattlesymphony.org. The concert will be viewable to ticketholders for one full week after the initial livestream on Friday, July 9, at 8 p.m. PDT.
A very limited number of VIP tickets for an in-person concert experience are available for the show, with proceeds benefitting the Seattle Symphony. In-person VIP tickets go on sale May 19. For more information, please visit the VIP event page.
NANCY WILSON | GUITAR, VOCALS, MANDOLIN, AUTOHARP, PERCUSSION
Nancy Wilson is revered as an ingenious guitar player and guitar designer as well as a gifted songwriter and lead vocalist. A guitar virtuoso from the age of 9, Nancy — and her sister Ann — lead the multi-platinum group Heart, who have sold over 35 million albums, garnered 10 Top Ten albums, been nominated for four Grammy Awards, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In an era when females in rock ‘n’ roll were scarce, Nancy carved out a place for women to front rock bands and dominate on stage across the globe. Nancy sang Heart’s first #1 hit song, “These Dreams.” As a songwriter, Nancy has co-written a collection of indelible songs that have earned their way into the classic rock canon, including “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You,” “Barracuda,” “Straight On” and more. Nancy recently released a new guitar design called the 'Nancy Wilson Fanatic’ — Wilson’s first Epiphone signature guitar and her second guitar overall with Gibson Brands.
On May 7, 2021 Nancy released her solo debut studio album, You and Me. While most of the tracks on the album are originals, Wilson decided to include a handful of covers by a few of her favorites, including a female perspective of Pearl Jam’s “Daughter,” a stirring turn of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer,” and an ethereal cover of the Cranberries’ “Dreams” featuring Liv Warfield (Prince) from Nancy’s previous band, Roadcase Royale. The remaining eight tracks are originals, mostly acoustic ballads, but there are also some rousing rockers like “Party at the Angel Ballroom” which features a superstar backing band, including Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters. The album ends with a song that captures the full spectrum of loss, love and redemption in one instrumental coda. Titled “4 Edward,” it is Nancy’s tribute to Eddie Van Halen, whose 2020 loss still looms large over the music world.
ANDREW JOSLYN | COMPOSER & ARRANGER
Andrew Joslyn, composer, orchestrator and violinist is an award-winning musical polymath whose passion for collaboration has led him to work with a remarkably diverse group of world-class artists, touring the world, performing, co-writing and arranging music on over 400 songs throughout his career. Along the way he has amassed an extensive list of writing, orchestrating, recording and touring credits that include Macklemore, Kesha, Judy Collins, Leslie Odom Jr., Kygo, ODESZA, K Flay, Chase Rice, Tom Chaplin (Keane), Michael Bolton, Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses), the Seattle Symphony and many others. He currently runs his own production studio in Seattle, has scored several feature-length films, and writes music for artists, labels, podcasts, music licensing houses and commercials. He is also a national trustee for the PNW chapter of the Recording Academy (Grammys) and a local advocate for music and the arts in the Puget Sound region.
LEE MILLS | CONDUCTOR
Associate Conductor of the Seattle Symphony and winner of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award in 2014, 2017 and 2019, Lee Mills is internationally recognized as a passionate, multifaceted and energetic conductor. In his previous position as Resident Conductor of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, he led performances hailed as having a “sonority of unequalled liveliness and quality” (movimento.com), working alongside such artists as Simone Porter, Conrad Tao, Eliane Coelho and the Smetana Trio. Mills has also previously led the National Symphony Orchestra (U.S.), Los Angeles Philharmonic, São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, through his project Vibe Sinfônica, in partnership with nightlife producer The Week Group in São Paulo, Mills has brought classical music to thousands of new listeners.
The League of American Orchestras selected Mills for the 2018 Bruno Walter National Conductors Preview, and in 2017, Mills was selected as a semifinalist in both the Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition and the Opera Royal de Wallonie-Liege International Opera Conducting Competition. Mills received the BSO-Peabody Institute Conducting Fellowship in 2011. He was a conducting fellow at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen during the summers of 2012 and 2013. He received his Graduate Performance Diploma and Artist’s Diploma in Orchestral Conducting at the Peabody Institute and graduated from Whitman College.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Led by Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, the Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has garnered five Grammy Awards, 26 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 730,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts.
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NANCY WILSON OF HEART WITH THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY
THE ESSENTIAL SERIES
Friday, July 9, at 8 p.m.
Lee Mills conductor
Nancy Wilson guitar, vocals, mandolin, autoharp, percussion
Liv Warfield vocals, percussion
Ben Smith drums, percussion
Ryan Waters lead guitar, vocals
Dan Walker keyboard, vocals, accordion
Andy Stoller bass, vocals
Rock icon Nancy Wilson (co-founder of the band Heart) teams up with the Seattle Symphony for a highly anticipated evening of rock ‘n’ roll on the Benaroya Hall stage. The show will include beloved fan favorites like “Barracuda,” “These Dreams” and “Crazy on You” alongside original tracks from her brand-new solo album, You and Me. This is Wilson’s first ever solo album, and it gives her a new platform to nurture a distinctly different artist voice, independent of the Heart sound that has largely defined her decades-long career.
Tickets:
$30 for streamed concert, and includes digital download of You and Me. On sale May 10 at Seattle Symphony Live.
A very limited number of VIP in-person tickets are available, with proceeds benefitting the Seattle Symphony. VIP packages on sale May 19. More information at the VIP event page.
2020–2021 Essential Series Title Sponsor: The John & Ginny Meisenbach Foundation
2020–2021 Season Streaming Sponsor: Scan|Design Foundation by Inger & Jens Bruun
Lee Mills’ position is generously underwritten as the Douglas F. King Associate Conductor