The Carolina Philharmonic will perform a Concerto Extravaganza on Sunday, May 23 at 4 p.m. at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.05-19-10-carolina-philharmonic.gif

“This is the end of our 2009-2010 season fi nale,” said David Michael Wolff, conductor and artistic director of Carolina Philharmonic. “We have a number of concertos we will be performing.”

Wolff added that the concert features music by Koussevitsky, Bartok, Bach and Ewazen.

Wolff is an avid linguist, fl uent in fi ve languages, and is a sought after coach of international opera stars and aspiring concert pianists. He made his orchestral debut as piano soloist at the age of 12, and has won numerous prizes in international competitions including grand prize in the Naomi Management International Competition in New York City. Wolff is the author of a new book, Zen and the Art of Piano.

Wolff, regular guest artist at Carnegie Hall and other major venues throughout the world, launched the West Side Chamber Orchestra, serving Fayetteville, Southern Pines and Greenville, N.C., in January 2009, with a debut performances on Feb. 28th and March 1st in Fayetteville and Southern Pines.

The entire ensemble then joined forces with Wolff’s New York orchestra, the Manhattan Chamber Philharmonic, on April 4, 2009, making its shared debut in Carnegie Hall.

After a whirlwind first season, the group incorporated as a non-profi t and in the process changed its name to Carolina Philharmonic. Although it remains a chamber orchestra, the Carolina Philharmonic has a decidedly more local fl avor and leaves open the possibility of metamorphosis in the future.

“We strive to show the unity of musical expression through solo performances, small chamber groups, small and large chamber orchestra formations, as well as occasional expansions to a full symphonic orchestra,” noted Wolff.

Also, historically, the term philharmonic did not refer to a large musical ensemble, but rather simply to making music together.

“We just got invited back to Carnegie Hall,” said Wolff. “We will perform on March 3, 2011, and we are real excited about this.”

Wolff added that they have a Chamber Music Series and the performances are in Fayetteville, Pinehurst, and other North Carolina locations. Next season six concerts are planned for Fayetteville.

“The joy of the musicians and the audience is when the concert people come up to me smiling and crying,” said Wolff. “These are people who do not like concerts but loved the show and plan on coming back to see another show.”

“We do not sell tickets in Fayetteville, we just have a donation basket,” said Wolff.

“I want to open this event to the public and not have anyone stay away because they feel like they cannot afford it.”

For more information call 687-4746 or visit the Web site at www.carolinaphil.org.