People of Prominence Toni Tronu

Toni Tronu is helping people go beyond the “dust of everyday life” by providing access to art from all over the country. She owns The Visual Index in downtown Winston-Salem. Toni is a cultivator of art, and her undying support for artists from all walks of life is boundless.

Toni was the proud recipient of the 2021 NCAEA Friend of the Arts Award and the WSFC Arts Council’s 2021 R. Philip Hanes, Jr. Young Leader Award. She has even teamed up with her husband to create an original musical project called Lady Gold Van.

Toni was invited to share her story with us.

Tell us about where this love of art all began.

I was always interested in artistic endeavors. I was big into music and photography. I grew up around artistic and creative people. My mother and father were small business owners of a bookstore and a tile and granite company that was in the family for 100 years in Florida. My parents taught me how to monetize creativity. They were savvy businesspeople. I morphed my interests from an internship in the art world to art management. I met some amazing people, and I have always loved to connect with others. I knew one day I would open an art shop and leverage all the business skills I had acquired.

What made you believe you could be an entrepreneur in the art world?

I passionately believed that I could build a business that focused on the artists I loved. I saw that what I loved about art could be a viable business with all the skills I had been given by my parents. Honestly, I got bored with what I was doing just managing and interning and wanted something more for myself. I felt like I was mastering the various stages of building on my brewing ideas for my own art shop. I knew that my idea of representing artists from all 50 states could work. I just wanted to reach out, connect and truly represent a wide array of artists from even outside of North Carolina.

What advice would you give to burgeoning artists?

Do not saturate a particular market. Get your work out there in a variety of places. I would also say that local artists should attend Art

Crush, which is what the Arts District of Winston-Salem (ADWS) hosts on Trade Street every third Friday of the month to highlight artists. Be vulnerable. Be true. Be sure to meet all the gallery owners and really know them and what they do.

What are your favorite types of interactions with customers at Visual Index?

I have learned to never judge a book by the proverbial cover. As an art dealer, you can never look at someone and prejudge. You can never just stand back and say to yourself, “Oh, that person would never buy anything here.” People from all varying backgrounds adore art, and if it means something to them, they will buy it! I even love that some parents buy art each year for their children as a special gift that they will always cherish as something different and personal.

What does art mean to you?

Art means emotion and happiness to me. It means community pulls together but also pulls apart over art. Art is a powerful force that has more control than anyone would think. I noticed that people came here to my gallery to heal during COVID. People gathered to peruse the labor of love put into each of these works.

Who would you nominate for our People of Prominence series?

Taja Seafus who is the talented President of the DOSE Artist Collective here locally. She tirelessly works to provide opportunities for local creatives to share, collaborate and promote their work. She has continually blown my mind as someone so young and so impactful. She is an uplifting presence in the local artistic community. She really is a creative pioneer.

For more information, visit visualindex.co.

There’s a new face on stage with the Winston-Salem Symphony, and Music Director Michelle Merrill couldn’t be more excited with her role – and it’s infinite possibilities! She’s the first female conductor for the symphony, and with that, the only female music director in the Carolinas.

“During my audition week back in May, I had a few audience members come up to say they had never had the chance to see a woman on the podium before,” Michelle explains.

She also attended a P.L.A.Y. music class during that week (Piedmont Learning Academy for Youth) – one filled with only girls.

“ They were ecstatic that I was also a girl and in the running to be the music director. ‘I hope you get it,’ one girl said. ‘Yes! Girl power!’ chimed in another. There is something to be said for all of this, and for the empowerment it brings – and I can’t wait to go back to visit the class of young aspiring string players, so they can see their desires realized!”

While she’s honored to be the first woman in the Carolinas to have this title and be on the podium as the symphony enters its 76th season, Michelle’s greatest hope – first and foremost – is for the music to shine through.

“ That is at the heart of what I’m meant to do!” she adds.

With an impressive background in conducting and a passion for bringing music to life, Michelle’s musical journey began with the piano, while growing up in small-town Canton, located in eastern Texas. Recognizing their daughter’s talent, her parents gave her a Casio keyboard, which led to an upright piano. But, Michelle switched instruments after being inspired by her older sister’s saxophone playing. Interestingly, this became a unique aspect of her identity as a musician and conductor, since the saxophone is not traditionally featured in orchestras.

Michelle followed her passion with undergraduate studies at Southern Methodist University, and later returned to SMU for her graduate studies in conducting. There, she met her husband, now the principal percussionist in the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida, and they have two sons, Davis (nearly six years old) and Emmett (19 months).

Michelle happily shares that she’s found amazing enthusiasm for the arts here in Winston-Salem – both for music and other genres.

“ There’s an infectious energy as you walk around downtown in the arts district or as you hang out in a local coffee shop,” she says. “People crave culture. People desire community. I feel the symphony is the merging point for those two wants. There’s also a trend to think outside the box to find ways to meet people where they are and to inspire them in ways that make them want to come see what the symphony has to offer in the concert hall. I love that!”

Speaking of location, most of the Winston-Salem Symphony concerts this year will take place at Reynolds Auditorium, as the Stevens Center will be undergoing construction. The first concerts of Michelle’s inaugural season are planned for September 23rd and 24th, with a program featuring Brahms Violin Concerto, where guest artist Kristen Lee will also make her Winston-Salem debut. This season will feature works from Tchaikovsky, Debussy and Beethoven, with guest artists including Michelle Cann, Edgar Meyer and Joe Lovano. The Pops season will include Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, The Music of Fleetwood Mac and Nia Imani Franklin returning with an evening of gospel and R&B. The annual “A Carolina Christmas” will continue this year when the symphony plays live with the classic holiday film “Home Alone.” Subscriptions are now available for the season, and single ticket sales begin August 1, 2023.

Known for exhibiting a natural ease and confidence in her conducting, Michelle believes this orchestra has the power to inspire every person who walks through the door, from all walks of life in the community.

“I am incredibly excited to be a part of the symphony’s mission to bring music to life!” she says.

For Winston-Salem Symphony ticket information, call the box office at 336.464.0145, or email boxoffice@ wssymphony.org. Box office hours are Tuesday through Friday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Ticket sales and will-call are available at the venue one hour prior to each performance.

2023-2024 Season

Welcome Music Director Michelle Merrill!