Conductor & Music Director
 Maestro Charles Jones Evans
In his 13th season as Music Director/Conductor, Maestro Charles Jones
Evans has established a new standard of excellence for the Long Bay
Symphony. He brings a wealth of musical experience to the area having held
conducting positions with numerous professional orchestras and music
festivals including the Eastern Philharmonic (Greensboro, NC), the Memphis
Symphony, the Mississippi Symphony and the Eastman Philharmonia (Rochester,
NY). As guest conductor, he has been featured on the podium with
organizations such as the Richmond (VA), North Carolina, Virginia and
Arkansas Symphonies and the Memphis Ballet as well as ensembles in Boston,
Cleveland, Dallas, Spokane, Santa Barbara and other cities across the U.S.
In Europe, he has recently made guest appearances with the Oradea and
Giurgiu Philharmonic Orchestras of Romania and has worked with conservatory
orchestras in Bucharest and other cities. Maestro Evans' orchestral
performances have been broadcast frequently on National Public Radio.
Critics have praised Evans' conducting as "exuberant", describing him as
an "elegant, enraptured performer" (Norfolk, VA) and a "solid and polished
conductor" (Little Rock, AR). A champion of twentieth-century music, he has
conducted several world premieres in addition to numerous modern concert,
dance and operatic works. His performance of William Schuman's Credendum was
praised as "straight ahead, no-nonsense" with "meaty, nicely calculated
climaxes and unflagging energy" (Greensboro, NC). The Memphis Commercial
Appeal stated that his rendering of the music of Ives, Schoenberg and others
"reaffirmed his status as a key interpreter of Modernism."
Maestro Evans has an equally extensive background in the traditional and
popular idioms. In addition to performing with major pops artists such as
Judy Collins and Maureen McGovern, he has created a wide variety of
programs, including highly acclaimed "Rock 'n Roll" and "Gospel" pops
concerts for which he has written many of his own orchestral arrangements.
Evans conducting training has included a fellowship under eminent
American composer/conductor Gunther Schuller at the Festival at Sandpoint,
as well as a fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival. He has also studied
under Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman, Boris Goldovsky and David Effron. In
1991, he was one of four Americans selected to compete in the Antonio
Pedrotti International Conducting Competition in Italy. In 2000, he was
invited to participate in the Wiener Musikseminar at Vienna's Universität
für Musik and Darstellende Kunst, where he was awarded second prize in
performance. Evans holds a B.M. degree from the Cleveland Institute of
Music, a M.M. from Southern Methodist University and a Doctor of Musical
Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music.
In addition to his activities with the Long Bay Symphony, Maestro Evans
serves as Artist-in-Residence at Coastal Carolina University and as Music
Director of the Pine Bluff (AR) Symphony Orchestra.
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