C.F. Kip Winger’s career started with a bang. He began touring as a bass player with rock legend Alice Cooper and went on to perform and record with rock legends Alan Parsons, Roger Daltry, and Bob Dylan. London’s Classic Rock Magazine called him “one of the most gifted composers and arrangers in the rock genre.”

Indeed, working with Kip Winger has been a joy and inspiration for the musicians of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Harkening back to our first rehearsals for his 2010 composition Ghosts for SF Ballet, to our recent recording sessions and 40th Anniversary Concert, the orchestra has enjoyed a front row glimpse of Winger’s artistry, creativity, and commitment.

Now, with much anticipation, we announce the May 27, 2016 release date (details below) for his debut classical album performed by the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, with Martin West conducting. The album features Winger’s Ghosts, A Parting Grace, and Conversations with Nijinsky.

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Conversations With Nijinsky

Hailed as “a winner” by San Francisco Bay Area music critic Joseph Gold, Conversations With Nijinsky has also unequivocally earned the acclaim of the daughter of the renowned ballet dancer, Vaslav Nijinsky. Upon hearing the piece, Dame Tamara Nijinsky said:

“Kip Winger has captured my father’s heart and soul. Many have been inspired by Nijinsky in words and dance, but no one, until now, in music. Nijinsky was inspired by music he heard, and now, Kip Winger, reminds us of Nijinsky’s genius, with his work.”

In the words of the composer:

“This piece is my interpretation of an imaginary musical dialogue with this incredibly gifted historical figure. Universally cited as one of the greatest male dancers of the 20th century, Nijinsky was celebrated for his virtuosity, for the depth and intensity of his characterizations, and for his legendary, gravity-defying leaps.

“In 1909, Sergei Diaghilev commissioned Nijinsky to choreograph numerous works for the Ballet Russes in Paris — including The Rite of Spring and The Afternoon of a Faun — that extended the limits of traditional ballet. Yet in 1919, at the age of 29, Nijinsky’s career suddenly ended when he suffered a nervous breakdown and was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

“As I read Nijinsky’s diaries, I imagined all the ways that Nijinsky could have fulfilled his artistic expression through dance had his career not ended abruptly due to his illness. In that sense, Conversations With Nijinsky was conceived as the possible accompaniment to this great artist’s ‘unseen’ dances.” — C.F. Kip Winger

A Parting Grace 

Through deep reverence and respect for one another, the piece imagines how two lovers might converse about the pain of their inevitable separation.

Ghosts

From Kip Winger’s acclaimed 2010 collaboration with Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, Ghosts was described by the SF Chronicle as a rapturously lyrical orchestral score.

Now available for an exclusive pre-sale offer:

—  Visit Kip Winger’s official website – http://www.kipwinger.com  (There, you can pre-order this new classical CD (signed by Kip) and receive a download of his exclusive new acoustic version of So Long China from Winger’s Better Days Comin’ album. Offer expires May 27, 2016 (Download code will be delivered with CD).

—  Also on iTunes –  http://apple.co/1SWVKt0.

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More About Kip Winger

After establishing his hugely successful, eponymous band — which sold millions of albums and earned six Top-40 radio singles — Kip Winger turned his attention back to his first love: classical concert music and dance.

Winger studied composition with Richard Danielpour, Michael Kurek and Richard Hermann, among others. His music has been commissioned and performed by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Oregon’s Sun River Music Festival, the Tucson Symphony, and the San Francisco Ballet.

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