August 1st, 2024 at 7:30pm
Fine Arts Building, Interlochen Center for the Arts
Alex Gemeinhardt, Conductor
Program:
W. A. Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat Major, KV. 495 (1786)
I. Allegro moderato
Sam Bangert, Horn
II. Romance (Andante cantabile)
Jaksen Vargas, Horn
III. Rondo (Allegro Vivace)
Ben Shugart, Horn
Edward Elgar: Serenade for Strings in E Minor, Op. 20 (1892)
II. Larghetto
The audience is requested to remain seated during the playing of the Interlochen Theme
Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat
Major, KV. 495 was his last completed Horn
Concerto to be published. This brilliant concerto opens with a bright tutti section, before introducing the famous theme in the violins, echoed by the solo Horn and Oboe a few bars later. The final movement, the Rondo, opens with a hunting horn call.
Elgar’s Serenade for Strings in E Minor, Op. 20 was the first of Elgar's compositions with which he was pleased after the premiere. In a letter to a friend, Elgar writes: "I like 'em (the first thing I ever did)."
Although we are only playing the second movement tonight, I encourage you all to listen to the piece’s entirety. The second movement opens with a brief introduction, before introducing the beautiful main theme. In the 1906 book Elgar, Ernest Newman calls the main theme "a long and flexible melody sung by the first violins … one of the finest and most sustained that ever came from Elgar's pen: the expression is very tense and penetrating, and the underlying emotion really comes from the depths of the musical nature.
Violin 1:
1. Costantino Negri da Oleggio +
2. Vittoria Pugina +
3. Nichole Aye
4. Carmen DeAtley-Rosales
5. Eva Koshy
Violin 2:
1. Christopher Zhu ^
2. Momica Lu
3. Asher Gannod
4. Chloe Yan
5. Lio Itaya
Viola:
1. Dana Wang ^
2. Brook Lin
Cello:
1. Juliet Diaz ^
2. Maggie Liu
3. Liam Burk
4. Gudrun Campbell
Bass:
1. Sam Moon ^
2. Mia Bayardo
Oboe:
1. Joe Mitchell ^
2. Leo Egen
Bassoon:
1. Damián Yahel Carrasco
Alvarado ^
Horn:
1. Sidney Smiley ^
2. Lauren Herman
+ Denotes Concertmasters ^ Denotes Principal Chair
Alex Gemeinhardt is a rising Senior in High School at Professional Children’s School in New York City. He began the Violin at age 3, and is in his second summer performing with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, and his 7th summer attending Interlochen Summer Camp overall. Previously he spent summers at Interlochen studying Acting as an Junior and Film as an Intermediate. In New York, he played in the InterSchool Orchestra and studies violin at the School for Strings with Allen Lieb. He started his studies in conducting at the New York Youth Symphony in 2023 with Andrew J. Kim.
Sam Bangert is an aspiring horn player from Austin Texas. He loves chamber music and has competed in the Fischoff international chamber music competition as well as many regional events. In his free time he enjoys biking, working out, and volunteer work. This fall he will be attending Northwestern University to study horn performance under Gail Williams and Jon Boen. 4
Jaksen Vargas is a dedicated musician currently attending Valor North Austin. He’s spending his second summer at Interlochen Arts Camp. Jaksen Vargas has achieved significant milestones in their musical journey, including acceptance into the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra (GDYO), Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), and Brevard Music Center. Throughout his high school years, Jaksen Vargas has consistently advanced through the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) process, showcasing their talent and dedication to music. His accomplishments include performing at the prestigious Midwest Clinic. Currently a rising junior, Jaksen Vargas continues to pursue his passion for music with unwavering determination and enthusiasm.
Ben Shugart is a horn player in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. He is a member of the World youth Symphony Orchestra and the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, and studies under David Heyde of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Outside of Horn, he enjoys playing piano, drawing, and composition.
I’d like to thank a couple people that made this performance possible:
- Nicholas Clark, who helped me reserve the spaces for the rehearsals and the performance.
- Andrew Kim, whom I study with at New York Youth Symphony, coached me through the rehearsals, taught me everything there is to know about rehearsing and programing an entire concert, and has taught be to be the best musician I can be.
- My Parents, for their constant support and guidance throughout this entire process.
- And finally, all the Musicians, and our Three Soloists, who have put up with me the past couple weeks, putting together this fantastic concert!
Thank you all for joining us, and we hope you enjoy!
