Commission Opportunity

Concerto for Blues and Classical Guitars

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is seeking co-commissioners for a groundbreaking Concerto for Blues and Classical Guitars by composer Chris Brubeck.

To join the commissioning consortium and play the work in the 2023-2024 or 2024-2025 seasons, contact the Memphis Symphony Orchestra at info@MemphisSymphony.org.

Named Sponsor and right to perform in 23-24 or 24-25 Seasons    
$5,000

Program in 23-24 or 24-25 Seasons
$1,000

Learn more about the artists.

  • Chris Brubeck

    composer

    Grammy-nominated composer Chris Brubeck continues to distinguish himself as an innovative performer and composer.  An award-winning composer, he is clearly tuned into the pulse of contemporary music.  John von Rhein, music critic for The Chicago Tribune, calls Chris:  “a composer with a real flair for lyrical melody–a 21st Century Lenny Bernstein.”

  • Vasti Jackson

    blues guitar

    World renowned guitarist, and vocalist, Mississippi living blues legend, Cultural ambassador, 2012 Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame inductee, and 2015 Albert King Lifetime Guitar Award recipient, Vasti Jackson is a powerful force in the world of music! With more than forty three years as a professional musician. As an artist, Vasti is known for sweat-drenched, soul-ripping live performances marked by some of the most stunning, and innovative guitar playing today.

  • Thomas Flippin

    classical guitar

    Thomas Flippin is an original and versatile voice in the world of contemporary music. Whether premiering new works with his pioneering classical guitar ensemble, Duo Noire; performing avant-garde art songs on the theorbo as part of Alicia Hall Moran’s Motown Project; playing otherworldly electric guitar in Heartbeat Opera’s The Extinctionist; or plucking the banjo in the American Repertory Theater’s The Black Clown, Flippin’s playing has been hailed as "lovely" (New York Times), and "spectacularly precise" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).