The band Winger and their frontman, Kip Winger, are best known for their 1988 hit “Seventeen.” But the heavy metal frontman has in recent years traded in the stacks of amplifiers for an acoustic guitar, and has turned a childhood love of ballet into a second career as a composer.
His album, “Conversations With Nijinsky,” which includes music written for the San Francisco Ballet, was released this summer and quickly went to No. 1 on the Billboard Traditional Classical Albums chart.
“Early in my days, even in Winger, I left what I would call ‘breadcrumbs’ of classical music,” Winger says, referring to the various musical flourishes in his band’s discography such as the use of string quartets. “I feel very proud that I went from just talking about it to actually doing it.”
Winger began taking ballet classes at 16 when his then-girlfriend took it up.
“When I went into the studio,” he recalls, “I saw all these people holding their legs up over their heads and I heard this amazing music coming out and saw how athletic it was and thought ‘this is for me.’”
“Ballet did lead the way and it’s a thing I always wanted to write music for,” Winger explains.
That chance came about through a meeting with choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, who liked Winger’s compositions and asked him to write him something longer.
“And then one day in my inbox, I get an email from Chris Wheeldon saying ‘I’d love to use this for San Francisco Ballet,’” he remembers. “It was absolutely surreal! Like, ‘oh, by the way, I love this music and you’re going right to the top!’”
Winger still tours, performing his band’s music as a solo acoustic act. Finding himself planted in two musical worlds, Winger has helped introduce new audiences to classical.
“My rock fans come up at my shows and say ‘I love this album!’” he says. “So I get to help educate the rock fans about classical music.”
Kip Winger’s album, “Conversations with Nijinsky,” recorded with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra led by Martin West, is out now on VBI Classic Recordings.
9(MDAxODM0MDY4MDEyMTY4NDA3MzI3YjkzMw004))
