BPO 2020-2021 Season: Program Book 4 by Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

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Our popular BPOnDemand video-streamed series rings in the new year! The magical acoustics of Kleinhans Music Hall will continue to be available from our home to your home in 2021 on Tuesday evenings from January through March. These virtual broadcasts will offer more extraordinary opportunities to experience our performers through the up-close-and-personal perspective provided by our state-of-the-art recording technology. And performances will continue to be available on-demand for 30 days following each 7pm Tuesday premiere. If you would like to stream our virtual concert offerings to your computer or mobile device, tickets may be purchased to individual performances at $10 each (plus fees). Or consider one of these cost-saving options:

COMPOSE YOUR OWN PACKAGES for January through March 3 Concerts $33 5 Concerts $46 All 10 Concerts $89

As always, current 20-21 season ticket subscribers receive broadcasts for FREE! CALL (716) 885-5000 OR VISIT BPO.ORG AND SIGN UP TODAY

TABLE OF CONTENTS | JANUARY 19 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FEBRUARY 16 BPO Board of Trustees/BPO Foundation Board Directors

BPO Musician Roster

From the Heart of the Orchestra

Mozart & Tchaikovsky

Ragtime Kings

Dreams, Dances, and Variations

Havana Nights

Sponsor a Musician

Annual Fund

BPO Classics Series January 19

BPO Classics Series January 26

BPO Pops Series February 2

BPO Classics Series February 9

BPO Pops Series February 16

CONTACT Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra 786 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY 14209 bpo.org Kleinhans Music Hall 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo, NY 14201 kleinhansbuffalo.org

BPO Administrative Offices Box Office Box Office Fax Line Kleinhans Music Hall

(716) 885-0331 (716) 885-5000 (716) 885-5064 (716) 883-3560

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR Welcome to 2021 and the winter wonderland of beautiful western New York! As we look forward to a brighter future for Buffalo and our surrounding communities, we pause to reflect on the struggles faced in the previous year, and hope that music has provided a modicum of solace during those times. We are so pleased to be able to continue performing for you through our BPOnDemand series of broadcasts, and the first quarter of the new year brings a wealth of works new to the BPO as well as tried-and-true favorites from our archives. Musician-selected works include a Beethoven sextet and Mendelssohn octet; and JoAnn Falletta conducts Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, last performed in 1975, plus Mozart’s Symphony in A minor, not played on the Kleinhans stage in almost 40 years. Beyond the stage, two recent BPO recordings are creating a buzz in the music world. Our second foray into illuminating the works of Florent Schmitt has met with rave reviews across the globe, and 2,500-plus faithful subscribers joined in the excitement to learn our BPO has garnered three Grammy® Award nominations for its collaboration on Richard Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua. Additionally, our social media platforms are expanding our reach every month through increasing Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channel impressions. Many BPO musicians are continuing to educate the next generation of audiences and performers by participating in our virtual teaching artists program, creating individual presentations that have served over 375 students since November. And our 70 #PlayOnWNY videos have received over 11,000 total views. Above all, we remain committed to returning better and stronger than ever, with a renewed sense of purpose for our musicians, staff, administration, and the orchestra as a whole.

Sincerely,

John R. Yurtchuk Chair, Board of Trustees Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society, Inc.

BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS John R. Yurtchuk, Chair Scott Stenclik, Vice Chair — Chair-Elect

Angelo Fatta, Treasurer Peter Eliopoulos, Secretary

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Cindy Abbott Letro Douglas Bean Jonathan Borden † Janz Castelo † Anne Conable Stephen B. Edge, MD* JoAnn Falletta* Otis N. Glover Amy Habib Rittling Daniel Hart* Jim Hettich

Mark Hodges † Kate Holzemer † James Iglewski William Keefer Ronald Luczak Alex Montante Douglas Moreland Allan C. Ripley* Casimiro D. Rodriguez, Sr. Rev. Melody I. Rutherford Diana Sachs †

Robin G. Schulze, Ph.D Joseph Sedita Brett Shurtliffe † Karen Sperrazza Christine Standish Stephen T. Swift John Zak*

*ex-officio † musician representatives

LIFE MEMBERS Anthony Cassetta Randall Odza Edwin Polokoff

John N. Walsh, III Robert G. Weber

BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA FOUNDATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

John J. Zak, Chair Holly Hejmowski, Treasurer Alexs Spellman, Secretary Michael Munschauer, Special Advisor

Karen Arrison Michael Wurst John Yurtchuk

JOANN FALLETTA MUSIC DIRECTOR Angelo and Carol Fatta Endowed Chair Grammy-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta serves as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Connie and Marc Jacobson Music Director Laureate of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Brevard Music Center and Artistic Adviser to the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra. She is hailed for her work as a conductor, recording artist, audience builder, and champion of American composers. Her recent and upcoming North American guest conducting includes the National Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and Milwaukee Symphony; and further north, the Toronto Symphony and Orchestre metropolitain. Internationally, she has conducted many of the most prominent orchestras in Europe, Asia, and South America. As Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Falletta became the first woman to lead a major American ensemble. Celebrating her 20th anniversary with the Buffalo Philharmonic this past season, she is credited with bringing the orchestra to a new level of national and international prominence. With a discography of almost 120 titles, Falletta is a leading recording artist for Naxos. In 2019, she won her first individual Grammy Award as conductor of the London Symphony in the Best Classical Compendium category for Spiritualist, her fifth world premiere recording of the music of Kenneth Fuchs. Her Naxos recording of John Corigliano’s Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra received two Grammys in 2008. Falletta is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, has served by presidential appointment as a Member of the National Council on the Arts during the Bush and Obama administrations, and is the recipient of many of the most prestigious conducting awards. She has introduced over 500 works by American composers, including well over 100 world premieres. In March 2019, JoAnn was named Performance Today’s Classical Woman of the Year. She received her undergraduate degree from the Mannes School of Music, and her master’s and doctorate degrees from The Juilliard School. When not on the podium, JoAnn enjoys playing classical guitar, writing, cycling, yoga, and is an avid reader.

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR A master of American musical style, John Morris Russell has devoted himself to redefining the American orchestral experience. Now in his fourth year as Principal Pops Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, he follows in the footsteps of Marvin Hamlisch and Doc Severinsen. The wide-range and diversity of his work as a conductor, collaborator and educator continues to reinvigorate the musical scene throughout Buffalo and across the continent. Maestro Russell also serves as conductor of the Cincinnati Pops, one of the world’s most iconic and beloved pops orchestras, with which he has toured both domestically and internationally. His six recordings with The Pops include “American Originals: 1918” which earned a 2020 GRAMMY® Award nomination for Best Classical Compendium. As Music Director of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina, he leads the classical subscription series as well as the prestigious Hilton Head International Piano Competition. As a guest conductor, Mr. Russell has worked with many of the most distinguished orchestras in North America, including The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic as well as the Toronto and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras.

JAMAN E. DUNN

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR

Jaman E. Dunn is an African American orchestral conductor of classical and film music. He currently holds the positions of Assistant Conductor with the Buffalo Philharmonic, and Interim Music Director of the Buffalo Master Chorale. A native of Chicago, IL, he attended The Ohio State University for his undergraduate studies, earning a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance under the study of Dr. C. Andrew Blosser. During his time at Ohio State, Mr. Dunn founded and conducted the Buckeye Philharmonic Orchestra, which is the university’s only completely student run orchestra. Mr. Dunn also earned his Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting, under the instruction of Maestro Bruce Hangen at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee. While at the Boston Conservatory, he led the Conductor’s Orchestra, assisted the Boston Conservatory Orchestra, and conducted the Boston Conservatory Orchestra in Copland’s Billy the Kid. Other conducting activities included forming an ad-hoc orchestra and performing three concerts, premiering pieces on student composer recitals, and conducting the Berklee Boston Conservatory Recording Orchestra. Vocally, Mr. Dunn has performed throughout the Midwest and Northeast in both oratorio and operatic repertoire, including works of Handel, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Verdi, and Orff, among others. In a professional capacity, he hopes to raise awareness for African-American performers in classical music at all levels and in all mediums.

HISTORY OF THE BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA As Buffalo’s cultural ambassador, the Grammy Award-winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under Music Director JoAnn Falletta presents more than 120 Classics, Pops, Rock, Family and Youth concerts each year. After the rise and fall of several forerunners, the BPO was founded in 1935, performing most often at the Elmwood Music Hall, which was located at Elmwood Ave. and Virginia St., and demolished in 1938 as its permanent home, Kleinhans Music Hall, was constructed. During the Great Depression, the orchestra was initially supported by funds from the Works Progress Administration and the Emergency Relief Bureau. Over the decades, the orchestra has matured in stature under outstanding conductors including William Steinberg, Josef Krips, Lukas Foss, Michael Tilson Thomas, Maximiano Valdes, Semyon Bychkov and Julius Rudel. The orchestra has welcomed many distinguished guest performers, such as Isaac Stern, Aaron Copland, Van Cliburn, Igor Stravinsky, Renee Fleming and Yo-Yo Ma. During the tenure of JoAnn Falletta, who has served as music director since 1998, the BPO has rekindled its history of radio broadcasts and recordings, including the release of 51 new CDs. The BPO’s Naxos recording of composer John Corigliano’s “Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan,” won two Grammys. Our recordings are heard on classical radio worldwide.

HISTORY OF KLEINHANS MUSIC HALL Since 1940, the orchestra’s home has been Kleinhans Music Hall, which enjoys an international reputation as one of the finest concert halls in the world due to its superb acoustics. Kleinhans Music Hall was built thanks to the generosity and vision of Edward and Mary Seaton Kleinhans and the stewardship of their charitable dreams by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, and the support of the federal government. The Community Foundation was bequeathed the estates of Mr. and Mrs. Kleinhans, who made their fortune from the clothing store that bore their name, and who died within three months of each other in 1934. The Public Works Administration, an agency of the New Deal, provided crucial funding that made it possible to complete the hall. The Kleinhans, who were music lovers, specified their money was to be used “to erect a suitable music hall…for the use, enjoyment and benefit of the people of the City of Buffalo.” The BPO performed at Kleinhans Music Hall’s official opening on Oct. 12, 1940, under the baton of Franco Autori. Kleinhans Music Hall was designed by the Finnish father-and-son team of Eliel and Eero Saarinen, along with architects F.J. and W.A. Kidd. Kleinhans is known for its combination of graceful structural beauty and extraordinary acoustics. Eliel Saarinen’s aim was to create “an architectural atmosphere…so as to tune the performers and the public alike into a proper mood of performance and receptiveness, respectively.” In 1989, the hall was designated a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation of significance a site or structure can receive. Kleinhans is owned by the City of Buffalo but operated by a separate 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Its Board of Directors is Jeremy Oczek, chair; Stephanie Simeon, secretary and treasurer; Karen Arrison; Cindy Abbott Letro; Peter Eliopoulos ; Tania Werbizky; and city officials including Byron Brown, Mayor of the City of Buffalo, and David Rivera, Niagara District Councilmember.

BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA DIVERSITY COUNCIL The BPO formed the Diversity Council in May 2016, formalizing its longstanding commitment to present diverse programming, to support artists of color, and to engage with every part of the Western New York community in a meaningful way. Comprised of community leaders, BPO staff, and musicians, the Council is helping the BPO to take its place at the vanguard of a national movement to foster greater diversity in the classical music world. As an inaugural step, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra was the first cultural organization to sign Mayor Byron Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Opportunity Pledge in July 2016, affirming our commitment to foster, cultivate, and preserve a culture of diversity, inclusion, fairness, and equality. Since then, the Council has been involved in numerous projects aimed at increasing authentic community connection and access to the BPO for all of Buffalo. This is accomplished through partnerships including the African-American Cultural Center, the Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY, the International Institute, the Buffalo Public Schools, and many others. The BPO is also a proud partner to the nationally-acclaimed Sphinx Organization, founded in 1997 to address the under-representation of people of color in classical music.

JOANN FALLETTA, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Angelo and Carol Fatta Endowed Chair

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL, PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR JAMAN E. DUNN, ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR FIRST VIOLIN

Nikki Chooi concertmaster Amy Glidden assoc. concertmaster Louis P. Ciminelli Family Foundation Endowed Chair Ansgarius Aylward asst. concertmaster Clement Luu* 2nd asst. concertmaster Douglas Cone Deborah Greitzer Diana Sachs Alan Ross Melanie Haas Andrea Blanchard-Cone Loren Silvertrust Hee Sagong

SECOND VIOLIN

Antoine Lefebvre principal Jacqueline Galluzzo assoc. principal Richard Kay Robert Prokes Frances Morgante Amy Licata Dmitry Gerikh Shieh-Jian Tsai Xiaofan Liu Iain Crampton*

VIOLA

Caroline Gilbert principal Anna Shemetyeva assoc. principal Matthew Phillips Kate Holzemer Natalie Piskorsky Janz Castelo

CELLO

Roman Mekinulov principal Jane D. Baird Endowed Chair Feng Hew assoc. principal Nancy Anderson Robert Hausmann David Schmude Amelie Fradette

BASS

Daniel Pendley principal Garman Family Foundation Endowed Chair Brett Shurtliffe assoc. principal Michael Nigrin Edmond Gnekow Jonathan Borden Nicholas Jones Gary Matz

FLUTE

Christine Lynn Bailey principal Linda Greene Natalie Debikey Scanio

Jay Matthews Daniel Sweeley

TRUMPET

Alex Jokipii principal Geoffrey Hardcastle Philip Christner

TROMBONE

Jonathan Lombardo2 principal Timothy Smith

BASS TROMBONE

Filipe Pereira

TUBA

PICCOLO

(vacant)

OBOE

Matthew Bassett principal Dinesh Joseph assistant principal

ENGLISH HORN

Mark Hodges principal Dinesh Joseph

Natalie Debikey Scanio Henry Ward principal Joshua Lauretig Anna Mattix Anna Mattix

CLARINET

William Amsel principal Patti DiLutis Salvatore Andolina

E-FLAT CLARINET

Patti DiLutis

BASS CLARINET AND SAXOPHONE

Salvatore Andolina

BASSOON

Glenn Einschlag principal Hunter Gordon* Martha Malkiewicz

CONTRABASSOON

TIMPANI

PERCUSSION

HARP

Madeline Olson principal

MUSIC LIBRARY

Patricia Kimball (L) principal librarian Travis Hendra acting principal librarian

STAGE MANAGERS

Richard George Master Property Person IATSE Local 10 Charles Gill Assistant Property Person IATSE Local 10

Martha Malkiewicz

FRENCH HORN

Jacek Muzyk principal Kay Koessler Endowed Chair Daniel Kerdelewicz assoc. principal Sheryl Hadeka

Chair dedicated to the memory of Maer Bunis

Chair dedicated to the memory of Scott Parkinson

* Temporary Appointment

(L) Leave of Absence

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Marylouise Nanna 1937 – 2020 For over half a century, Marylouise Nanna graced the stage at Kleinhans Music Hall as a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s first violin section. By the time she retired in December of 2017, she had accrued countless accolades and awards, performed with the BPO on tour in Europe and at Carnegie Hall, and appeared on over 50 recordings. You could say that music was her soulmate. Buffalo born and bred, Marylouise declined a full scholarship to the Eastman School of Music, instead attending Marywood College, then receiving her master’s degree in music from Washington D.C.’s prestigious Catholic University. As a graduate student there in both violin and conducting, she was the first woman to take the podium of the National Symphony Orchestra. Having earned Fulbright and Woodrow Wilson fellowships, she traveled to Italy to study violin and chamber music at Rome’s Academy of St. Cecilia, earning a “Corso di Perfectionamento Certificate,” as well as performance medals from the University of Perugia. While in Italy, the premise of what would become her Viva Vivaldi Music Festival was sparked. Marylouise joined the BPO as first violin in 1966, and spent the next five decades making beautiful music across western New York. In 1974 she founded the Ars Nova Musicians Chamber Orchestra as music director and conductor, created the Vivaldi Festival in 1978, guest conducted the Greater Buffalo Opera Company, conducted the Niagara Falls Philharmonic and Genesee Symphony, and led the Chopin Singing Society, among other accomplishments. A fast friend and consummate professional, Marylouise left a life-long mark on the BPO, and we will miss her warm laughter, quiet faith, and first-class musicianship.

“My life was never based on where you make the music. The important thing is to make the music and do it well, to be professional, honest and sincere, to try to do the best you can. I never look to have my name in lights. If you make good music, that means everything.”

Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 7:00 PM

BPO Classics Series

FROM THE HEART OF THE ORCHESTRA BEETHOVEN Sextet for Horns and String Quartet, Op. 81b I. Allegro con brio II. Adagio III. Rondo; Allegro Hee Sagong, violin Xiaofan Liu, violin Kate Holzemer, viola David Schmude, cello Jacek Muzyk, horn Daniel Kerdelewicz, horn

MENDELSSOHN Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 I. Allegro moderato ma con fuoco II. Andante III. Scherzo - Allegro leggierissimo IV. Presto Nikki Chooi, violin Amy Glidden, violin Clement Luu, violin Antoine Lefebvre, violin Caroline Gilbert, viola Anna Shemetyeva, viola Roman Mekinulov, cello Feng Hew, cello

PROKOFIEV Quintet in G minor, op. 39 I. Tema con variazioni II. Andante energico III. Allegro sostenuto, ma con brio IV. Adagio pesante V. Allegro precipitato, ma non troppo presto VI. Andantino Loren Silvertrust, violin Caroline Gilbert, viola Henry Ward, oboe Will Amsel, clarinet Brett Shurtliffe, bass Program and performers subject to change.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW Happy New Year! As we begin 2021, the musicians of the BPO wanted to present a chamber music concert gift to you as we continue our BPOnDemand series. While we still are not able to be together as a full orchestra, we are excited to put on pieces that we would not normally be performing for a Classics concert. First is Beethoven’s Sextet for two horns and string quartet, written early in Beethoven’s life, and showcases horn virtuosity at its finest. Next up is Mendelssohn’s Octet, also an early composition, at the age of 16. Calling for a double string quartet, the Octet at times sounds orchestral, but each of the eight voices is clear and important, staying true to the ideals of chamber music. Lastly, we go to the circus with Prokofiev’s Quintet, who originally composed this music about circus life for ballet dancers. When the radical score proved to be too difficult for the dancers, Prokofiev turned the work into the Quintet. We hope you enjoy this performance, and we cannot wait to see you in person when we are able.

PROGRAM NOTES

Ludwig van Beethoven (German; 1770-1827)

Sextet for Horns and Quartet, Op. 81b (1795) I. Allegro con brio II. Adagio III. Rondo: Allegro

String

As a gifted pianist, Beethoven left his hometown of Bonn in 1792 for culturally rich Vienna, where he performed and pursued studies in composition with Haydn. The music he composed in this decade is considered a continuation of the classicism of his teacher, and the recently deceased Mozart whom he also admired. While most of the works from the first part of the decade featured him at the keyboard, he expanded his technique with a number of works featuring winds, such as his Sextet for Horns and String Quartet. The origins and exact year of the Sextet are uncertain, but it is often assumed to have been composed in 1795. The complexity of the horn parts may indi-

cate that he had specific performers in mind, but the work was shelved until its publication in 1810. What seems likely is that the work was an exercise to familiarize himself with writing for the instrument. During these formative years, he immersed himself in Mozart’s scores, like the K. 407 Quintet for Horn and Strings, which may have served as a model for Beethoven given their similarities: both are in E-flat major, feature virtuosic horn writing, and are composed in the concertante style, almost as if a concerto in miniature. Unlike the modern valved horn, the natural horn of Beethoven’s time was difficult to master as a performer and composer. This context portrays a brilliant but fledgling mind mastering the techniques of his craft that will be crucial for later masterworks. The work opens with a delightful Allegro con brio. The horns are present immediately, trading impressive punctuating passages, or working in elongated harmony and counterpoint, with material set in the soaring upper range, and occasionally in the bold lower register. Throughout, the strings provide

harmonic and rhythmic context for the soloists, as in the contrasting middle where the soloists sing generously lyrical melodies. The enticing Adagio radiates as an operatic duet amongst the soloists, who combine for yearning lines. The valiantly galloping finale evokes the most fundamental imagery of the horn with impressively leaping horn calls. Even if such devices are cliché, Beethoven uses them to excite and expand the voice of the instrument in clever and wonderful ways.

Felix Mendelssohn (German; 1809-1847)

Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 (1825) I. Allegro moderato ma con fuoco II. Andante III. Scherzo: Allegro leggierissimo IV. Presto Felix Mendelssohn developed into one of the greatest musical minds of his time, responsible for a sizable compositional output relative to his short life (dying at just age 38 in 1847), distinctive for its conservative reverence to the past, all the while establishing the voice of the early Romantic era. With prominent conductorships, he was largely to thank for the re-popularization of Bach, but he also championed other composers of his own time. As a member of a prominent and wealthy family, Felix, whose grandfather was a celebrated Enlightenmentera Jewish scholar, and his father a successful banker, was steeped in an intellectual environment and afforded a top-notch education. While Felix always held dear his Jewish heritage, the

family sought to avoid Europe’s burgeoning anti-Semitism, and converted to Christianity while he was a child. Both he and his sister, Fanny, showed superior musical promise from a young age, excelling as pianists and composers. Before he was a teenager, Mendelssohn was studying the scores of Haydn and Mozart, and composed many works that were performed during private family concerts. Of his early works, the piece most celebrated as a coming to maturity was his 1825 Octet, written when the composer was 16, and received ecstatically by the public upon its premiere. Innovatively scored for double string quartet, Mendelssohn’s Opus 20 Octet in E-flat major has a symphonic thrust in a chamber setting. The work opens with a richly textured accompaniment that energizes a beamingly virtuosic melody, rising as if to portray daybreak. Marked Allegro moderato ma con fuoco, the fiery opening movement is densely packed with a huge array of textures and developmental variety. The largest and most musically substantial movement of the work, it’s a melancholic diversion demonstrating emotional range, brought back to the movement’s youthful energy with a gleaming close. Even the Andante harnesses the energy of the opening. Although lyrical and hushed, the textures remain active and the rhythm flowing. Shifting unpredictably between major and minor, the sentiment is introspectively restless. Mendelssohn’s overflowing imagination keeps the music from remaining static: the textures, accompaniment, and rhythms constantly shift, creating tension and intrigue.

Mendelssohn would become known for his darkly fleeting scherzos such as the famous G minor Scherzo heard in his Octet. Usually set as a quick minuet, Mendelssohn frames this Scherzo in a skittish 2/4 (two beats to the measure rather than three). Here, he invokes a literary inspiration, from dark moments of Goethe’s Faust, as Faust and Mephistopheles descend into the underworld. Skeletal staccatos punctuate sweepingly heroic lines, and ghastly trilling melodies zip toward a vanishing conclusion. The Presto finale begins with a spitfire fugato: beginning with the lowest register of the cello, a dashing melody is passed up the voices of the growing ensemble, leading to a forceful unison. Mendelssohn honors the past with a showy demonstration of counterpoint, explicitly referencing Handel with a quotation from the “Hallelujah” chorus (“And He Shall Reign”). Throughout, the bold lines are constantly propelled by darting runs that zip toward the monumental work’s gleeful end.

Sergei Prokofiev (Russian; 1891-1953)

Quintet in G minor, Op. 39 (1924) I. Tema con variazioni II. Andante energico III. Allegro sostenuto, ma con brio IV. Adagio pesante V. Allegro precipitato, ma non troppo presto VI. Andantino In the early years of the 20th century, Prokofiev established himself as a Russian firebrand, employing his impressive chops at the keyboard to write

daring, often controversial, modern works. With a desire to branch out into the world of ballet, symphony, and opera, the economic limitations of post-World War I Russia encouraged him in 1918 to seek opportunity in the United States. For years, Prokofiev pursued projects as a composer and performer, but the undulation of his success drew him back to Europe in the 1920s, where he found himself living in Paris much of the time. Although he was celebrated as one of Russia’s top exports, Prokofiev would permanently return to the Soviet Union in 1936 with the expectation of steady work, composing some of his most memorable works such as Peter and the Wolf and the ballet Romeo and Juliet. The Ballet Russe was a Russian ballet company based in Paris, led by Sergei Diaghilev who, in 1915, engaged Prokofiev for the commission of his first complete ballet, Chout (The Buffoon). The genre would become important for Prokofiev later, but his next installment is a little-known work, Trapeze, composed in 1924 while he lived in Paris. Commissioned by a traveling troupe, the small five-member ensemble of musicians included an oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, and double bass, making the resulting composition his first chamber work in five years. While the ballet remains scarcely performed, he recycled the score for his Opus 39 Quintet. Although the combination of instruments makes for a unique ensemble, Prokofiev’s demanding score is imaginative and colorful. Composed in six movements, the opening features mysteriously slithering thematic material, followed by two variations. The first is haunting and nocturnal, while the second is raucous and jagged, ending with return to the opening music.

Both the opening and closing movements are the most substantial and varied, with the central movements acting as miniature character pieces. The second movement is a brooding Andante based on an opening rhythm provided by the bass. The third is a bright Allegro that leaps and bounds, much like the trapeze artists of the original ballet. The Adagio is again nocturnal. The oboe presents an even-rhythmed melody in its dark lower register, with the ensemble providing atmospheric accompaniment, moving at a steady pace toward a moody climax. The fast-paced fifth movement is propelled by brittle colors of plucked strings, forceful punctuations, and angular melodies. The movement ends with a surprising jaunt from the clarinet.

The finale, an Andantino, begins with curious rhythms and searching lines, but is somewhat more lyrical than what preceded. A prickly central trio in a swaying 6/8 picks the motion up, but a bass solo slows the pace back to the movementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opening pace, followed by a brief declamatory conclusion. Chaz Stuart, 2020

Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at 7:00 PM

BPO Classics Series

MOZART & TCHAIKOVSKY JoAnn Falletta, conductor George Li, piano

AARON JAY KERNIS Musica Celestis MOZART Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K.488 I. Allegro II. Adagio

III. Allegro assai

George Li, piano

TCHAIKOVSKY Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48 I. Pezzo in forma di sonatina: Andante non troppo - Allegro moderato II. Valse: Moderato - Tempo di valse III. Elégie: Larghetto elegiaco IV. Finale (Tema Russo): Andante - Allegro con spirito

George Li appears courtesy of Warner Classics You can learn more about this program from JoAnn Falletta’s introduction at bpo.org/musically-speaking Program and performers subject to change.

GEORGE LI, PIANO

Photo by Simon Fowler

Praised by the Washington Post for combining “staggering technical prowess, a sense of command, and depth of expression,” pianist George Li possesses an effortless grace, poised authority, and brilliant virtuosity far beyond his years. Since winning the Silver Medal at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Li has rapidly established a major international reputation and performs regularly with some of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors such as Dudamel, Gaffigan, Gergiev, Gimeno, Honeck, Orozco-Estrada, Petrenko, Robertson, Slatkin, Temirkanov, Tilson Thomas, Long Yu, and Xian Zhang.

Recent and upcoming concerto highlights include performances with the Los Angeles, New York, London, Rotterdam, Oslo, and St. Petersburg Philharmonics; the San Francisco, Tokyo, Frankfurt Radio, Sydney, and Montreal Symphonies; as well as the Philharmonia, DSO Berlin, and Orchestra National de Lyon. In the 2019–20 season, Mr. Li performed with the Baltimore, Fort Worth, and New Jersey symphony orchestras, as well as the Buffalo Philharmonic and National Arts Centre Orchestra. His eight-concert tour of Germany with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra included performances at the Berlin Philharmonie, Philharmonie am Gasteig Munich, and the Stuttgart Liederhalle. He frequently appears with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra, including performances at the Paris Philharmonie, Luxembourg Philharmonie, New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music, Graffenegg Festival, and in various venues throughout Russia. In recital, Li performs at venues including Carnegie Hall, Davies Hall in San Francisco, the Mariinsky Theatre, Elbphilharmonie, Munich’s Gasteig, the Louvre, Seoul Arts Center, Tokyo’s Asahi Hall and Musashino Hall, NCPA Beijing, Shanghai Poly Theater, and Amici della Musica Firenze, as well as appearances at major festivals including the Edinburgh International Festival, Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival, Festival de Pâques in Aix-enProvence Festival, and Montreux Festival. An active chamber musician, Li has performed alongside Benjamin Beilman, Noah Bendix-Balgley, James Ehnes, Daniel Hope, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and Kian Soltani. Li is an exclusive Warner Classics recording artist, with his debut recital album released in October 2017, which was recorded live from the Mariinsky. His second recording for the label features Liszt solo works and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1, which was recorded live with Vasily Petrenko and the London Philharmonic, and was released in October 2019. Li gave his first public performance at Boston’s Steinway Hall at the age of ten, and in 2011 performed for President Obama at the White House in an evening honoring Chancellor Angela Merkel. Among Li’s many prizes, he was the recipient of the 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, a recipient of the 2012 Gilmore Young Artist Award, and the First Prize winner of the 2010 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. He is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the New England Conservatory, continuing to work with Wha Kyung Byun. When not playing piano, George is an avid reader and photographer, as well as a sports fanatic.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

We open our orchestral concert season radiantly - with one of Tchaikovsky’s masterpieces, his Serenade for Strings. Inspired by his profound love of Mozart, Tchaikovsky lavished his greatest writing on the pages of this piece, combining intimacy with exuberance is this virtuosic vehicle for our BPO string section. We pair this with a sublime Mozart Piano Concerto, a youthful work of quiet elegance; a gentle and exquisite piece that eliminates the sounds of the oboes, trumpets, and timpani and highlights the dark luminosity of the clarinets. The piece shows Mozart at his most introspective in an especially poignant second movement that pivots from heartbreak into joy in the finale. George Li makes a very welcome return to the BPO as our soloist. We open the concert with American composer Aaron Jay Kernis in what is perhaps his most beloved work, Musica Celestis. Aaron was inspired by the poetry of the medieval abbess Hildegard von Bingen, and created his own personal musical vision of angels singing without end in heaven

PROGRAM NOTES

Aaron Jay Kernis (American; 1960- )

Musica Celestis (1992) Philadelphia-born composer Aaron Jay Kernis began his musical career as a self-taught pianist and composer. His bicoastal education at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and Yale, exposed him to a variety of major voices in music, shaping his distinct voice as a composer who blends the sonorities and techniques of post-minimalism and post-classicism. He has been awarded early and often, winning BMI student prizes, the Rome Prize in 1983 at just 23 years old, the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for his Second String Quartet, and Grammy® awards in 2019.

Musica Celestis began its life as the second movement of his 1990 String Quartet, which was later arranged for string orchestra and premiered in 1992 by the Sinfonia San Francisco. The

soaring sonorities were inspired by his deep listening to medieval church music, and the vivid imagery calls on an ancient conception of heavenly voices. Kernis specifically cites the mystic 12thcentury composer Hildegard of Bingen as an inspiration here, and harnesses her arcane voice in a modern context. The work opens with suspended crystalline harmonies. A simple, open melody serves as the basis for building variations that ascend skyward toward an ethereal climax. The conclusive coda recalls the heavenly harmonies of the opening.

Wolfgang

Amadeus

(Austrian; 1756-1791)

Mozart

Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488 (1786) I. Allegro II. Adagio III. Allegro assai The 1780s were a happy and fruitful

central movement. Set in a slowly flowing F-sharp minor, it features a dramatic arialike melody with operatic leaps. Again, an intimate mood is created by a piano alone with a light touch, with the orchestra offering occasional color and moments of drama. By contrast, the work’s final movement is an effusive Allegro that buoyantly jaunts from one colorful key to another, propelled by an impressive stream of notes from the soloist.

time for Mozart and his young family. No longer a child prodigy being paraded across Europe by his father, and no longer a young upstart rebelling against his father, he was now living his best life in Austria’s artistic epicenter. Newly married in 1782, he and Constanze began having children, requiring a new, larger (and luxurious) home in Vienna. The funds for his lavish lifestyle came from a series of very well-attended Lenten-season concerts he produced, which featured him as piano soloist debuting a number of newly-composed concertos.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

As Mozart aged—he was now 30, after all—his novelty and the enthusiasm of the Viennese public waned. In 1786, he refocused his attention back to opera with the May premiere of a new work, The Marriage of Figaro, but not without a few final installments of his springtime subscription series concerts, for which he created two more masterpieces of the genre: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488, and No. 24 in C minor, K. 491, both composed in March.

Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48 (1880) I. Pezzo in forma di sonatina: Andante non troppo — Allegro moderato II. Valse: Moderato — Tempo di valse III. Élégie: Larghetto elegiaco IV. Finale (Tema russo): Andante — Allegro con spirito

While K. 491 can be described as dramatic, even monumental, his Concerto No. 23, K. 488, is contrastingly gracious, radiant, even restrained, all elements Mozart typically associated with the key of A major. Here, his orchestra omits the boldness of trumpets and timpani, and replaces his usually bright oboes with the warm affection of clarinets. Beginning typically with an extensive orchestral introduction, the piano enters introspectively, alone at first, and is then united with commentary from the orchestra. Following the moodsetting exposition, the soloist and orchestra engage in a quippy dialogue that leads to an intimate cadenza, and a final brief conclusion. Mozart’s mental shift to the operatic idiom may be on display most in the Concerto’s

(Russian; 1840-1893)

In the 19th century, Russia was far behind the rest of Europe in the field of music, finally opening its first conservatory in Saint Petersburg in 1862. Tchaikovsky was among its first composers, graduating in 1865 having received a formal, Western education. Contemporaneously, a movement led by five Russian composers (branded The Five) was brewing to establish a distinctly nationalistic approach to composition, explicitly rejecting the Western academic approach embraced by the Saint Petersburg Conservatory and its students, and specifically, Tchaikovsky. Despite this opposition, Tchaikovsky was able to harness the history and lessons of Western music to develop a distinctly Russian musical personality that led to success at home and abroad.

His commitment to European music is evident in his 1880 Serenade for Strings. The composition of a Symphony was itself an act detested by The Five for its formal reference to Western idioms, and Tchaikovsky would end up with a total of six in his catalogue. The Serenade’s reduced orchestration alone perhaps disqualified it as being titled as such, but its four-movement design and explicit nod to Tchaikovsky’s favorite composer, Mozart, at least makes this work symphonic in nature. The opening movement attempts to imitate Mozart, albeit with the broader sound of a modern string section. In a Classicallydesigned sonata form, the introductory chorale is lush and emotive, and ends on a hush. What follows is the introduction of the movement’s sentimental opening theme that becomes propelled by quickmoving streams of notes. In juxtaposition, the second theme is a flirtatious excursion of spritely staccato passages. As the movement’s final statement, Tchaikovsky returns dramatically to the opening chorale, ending not with a hush, but an exclamation. In Classical character, the work pivots to a light-hearted dance for its second movement, which Tchaikovsky updates with a fashionable waltz. The dreamy melodies float in the air with the light touch of a constant triple beat accompaniment sure to stir the feet. In moments of levity, the accompaniment drops out, leaving the violins suspended in mid-air alone, only to land on the ground ready to dance again. By contrast, the third movement is a pleadingly titled Élégie, and as a sort of calling card for Tchaikovsky, contains immensely lush harmonies and heartaching melodies. The strings begin softly, climbing together toward melodic peaks. Following this heart-wringing opening,

a lightly plucked rhythm underpins a singing violin melody that duets with the lower strings. As the harmonies morph, tense instability colored by shades of light and dark cause the melodies to crest time and again. A sort of cadenza with the violins alone leads to eerie silence, followed by a poignant return to the opening material. The ensemble climbs one last time, ending with a serene, glassy chord. While the Nationalist composers thumbed their noses at Tchaikovsky’s reverence for Western styles, he in no way sought to abandon the music of his homeland. The final movement embraces that heritage with its incorporation of Russian melodies. A calming introduction helps transition from the emotional third movement. After a brief silence, the jovial fourth movement is underway with distinctly Russian themes that flaunt jubilantly. The material is taken apart and traded amongst the instruments with creative accompaniments, call and response, and contrasts with lyricism, all to create fireworks for the work’s finale. With momentum, the movement rounds the corner, only for Tchaikovsky to drop the hammer: in a broad stroke of genius, the stately Mozartian chorale used to open the Serenade is recalled, and in dramatic fashion, combines with the Russian theme for a powerful conclusion to the work. Without ambiguity, Tchaikovsky makes his stance on music known. A Russian Nationalist, but not an isolationist, he declaratively fuses his love for homeland and affection of great Western art of the past in the final climactic moments of his Serenade. Chaz Stuart, 2020

Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 7:00 PM

BPO Pops Series

RAGTIME KINGS Jeff Tyzik, conductor

Royal Garden Blues Maple Leaf Rag The Entertainer Solace Sunflower Slow Drag Charleston King Porter Stomp Novelette in Fourths Bethena Grandpaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spells St. Louis Blues Black Bottom Stomp

Concert sponsored by

Program and performers subject to change.

JEFF TYZIK, CONDUCTOR GRAMMY Award winner Jeff Tyzik is one of America’s most innovative and sought after pops conductors, recognized for his brilliant arrangements, original programming, and engaging rapport with audiences of all ages. Tyzik holds the Principal Pops Conductor’s podium at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and serves as Principal Pops Conductor of the Detroit Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, and The Florida Orchestra. This season, Tyzik celebrates his 23rd season as Principal Pops Conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Frequently invited as a guest conductor, Tyzik has appeared with over fifty orchestras including the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, Milwaukee Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. As an accomplished composer and arranger, Tyzik has had his compositions recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony, and Doc Severinsen with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. He has also produced and composed theme music for many of the major television networks, and released six of his own albums on Capitol, Polygram and Amherst Records. He produced a GRAMMY Award winning album, The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen, Vol. 1. Tyzik’s subsequent recordings with Severinsen garnered three more GRAMMY nominations. In his twenty-two years with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Tyzik has written over 200 arrangements, orchestrations, and compositions for orchestra. He has also been commissioned to compose original works for orchestra, including a Trombone Concerto, funded by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts and subsequently performed at Carnegie Hall. Tyzik conducted the world premiere of his original work New York Cityscapes with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2010. Tyzik composed a Timpani Concerto, commissioned by the RPO, and also led the RPO in the premiere of his new orchestral suite, “Images: Musical Impressions of an Art Gallery” to rave reviews. In the 2015/16 season, Tyzik premiered his new work “Jazz Concerto for Violin and Orchestra” with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. A native of Hyde Park, New York, Tyzik began his life in music when he first picked up a cornet at age nine, and went on to earn both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Eastman School of Music. While there, he studied composition/arranging with Radio City Music Hall’s Ray Wright and jazz studies with Chuck Mangione. Tyzik subsequently toured with Mangione as lead trumpet and worked on five Mangione recordings as a producer and performer. Committed to performing music of all genres, Tyzik has collaborated with such diverse artists as Megan Hilty, Chris Botti, Matthew Morrison, Wynonna Judd, Tony Bennett, Art Garfunkel, Dawn Upshaw, Marilyn Horne, Arturo Sandoval, The Chieftains, Mark O’Connor, Doc Severinsen, and John Pizzarelli. Tyzik has created numerous original programs that include the greatest music from jazz, classical, Motown, Broadway, film, dance, Latin, and swing. For more information about Jeff Tyzik, please visit www.jefftyzik.com

Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM

BPO Classics Series

DREAMS, DANCES AND VARIATIONS JoAnn Falletta, conductor Randall Goosby, violin

ELLEN TAAFFE ZWILICH

Prologue and Variations

BOLOGNE DE Violin Concerto No. 9 in F major, Op.8, No. 2 SAINT-GEORGES I. Allegro II. Largo III. Rondeau

DEBUSSY

Randall Goosby, violin

Danse sacrée et danse profane for Harp and Orchestra

I. Danse sacrée II. Danse profane MOZART Symphony No. 29 in A major, K.201, 186a I. Allegro moderato II. Andante III. Menuetto: Allegretto – Trio

IV. Allegro con spirito

Randall Goosby records exclusively for Decca Classics You can learn more about this program from JoAnn Falletta’s introduction at bpo.org/musically-speaking Program and performers subject to change.

RANDALL GOOSBY, VIOLIN

for its sheer virtuosity.”

Randall Goosby began violin studies at the age of 7 and made his solo debut with the Jacksonville (FL) Symphony at age 9. At the age of 13, Randall was the youngest participant ever to win the Sphinx Concerto Competition. He is a recipient of Sphinx’s Isaac Stern Award and has made two appearances at Carnegie Hall as part of the organization’s Young Artist Development Program. The New York Times raved that in his Carnegie Hall debut performance of Ysaye Solo Sonata No. 3, he “exerted a masterly level of control and lavished an exquisite tone…his performance won him a deserved standing ovation

Randall has been featured on National Public Radio’s “From the Top,” and he has been honored as a Rising Star of the Stradivari Society. Randall was a prize winner at the 2018 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, leading to his addition to the artist roster of Young Classical Artists Trust in London. As YCAT’s inaugural Robey Artist, in partnership with London Music Masters, Randall mentors and works closely with young musicians in schools around the UK. He is also a recipient of a career advancement grant from the Bagby Foundation. He has spent his summers studying at the Perlman Music Program, Verbier Festival Academy, and Mozarteum Summer Academy, among others. As a soloist, Randall has performed widely throughout the USA, having appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and the New World Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has also given recitals at such venues as the Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Kaufman Center (New York City), and Wigmore Hall (London). In addition to his concerts, Randall shares his love of music through community engagement programs for public schools, children’s hospitals, and music programs across the USA. Through Concerts in Motion, a non-profit organization in New York City, he provides private house concerts for elderly and otherwise homebound patrons. In addition, he gives private virtual performances for COVID-19 patients through Project Music Heals Us. Randall received a full scholarship to The Juilliard School’s Pre-College program and has earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from Juilliard under the tutelage of violinists Itzhak Perlman, Catherine Cho, Laurie Smukler, and Donald Weilerstein. He is now pursuing an Artist Diploma at Juilliard, where he will continue his studies with Mr. Perlman and Ms. Cho. Randall was a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship throughout his collegiate studies at Juilliard. He currently plays on a Guarneri del Gesu (1735) on generous loan from the Stradivari Society. Randall records exclusively for Decca Classics.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The musicians and I present a diverse sonic landscape, from 18th to 20th century. We start with a work written by the great American composer Ellen Zwilich, the first woman to ever win the Pulitzer Prize in music. She wrote Prologue and Variations to celebrate the special expressive qualities of the strings section. (Ellen is a violinist.) We look back to 18th century France to the remarkable composer Joseph Bologne, born in Guadeloupe as the son of a French colonial plantation owner and his Senegalese slave. Taken to Paris to be educated as a gentleman, Bologne proved himself to be one of the most astonishing composers and violinists of his time (often compared to Mozart) and a world class fencing champion as well. Randall Goosby returns to the BPO to perform Bologne’s superb Concerto No. 9 for violin, introducing many of us to this extraordinary and unjustly neglected composer. A jewel of French impressionism, Debussy’s Two Dances (one sacred, one secular) features our string section, including harpist Madeline Olson. We end our concert with a splendid symphony from the 18-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (symphony No. 29), filled with grace, charm, and passion.

PROGRAM NOTES

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (American; 1939- )

Prologue and Variations (1984) Ellen Taaffe Zwilich began her studies as a violinist, but would go on to become the first woman to earn a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from Juilliard in 1975. During her education, she absorbed the demanding styles of her teachers, who were among America’s most celebrated modernists. Her early work embraced these aesthetics, but following the death of her husband Joseph in 1979, her jagged works softened as she sought to communicate more deliberately with the listener. Her 1983 Symphony No. 1 was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, propelling her career into decades of success and accolades. Her 1984 work Prologue and Variations for String Orchestra was commissioned by the Chattanooga Symphony, and bears

her compositional personality and intellect in its brilliant approach to musical development. The foggy Prologue opens with quiet utterances that disappear and reemerge mysteriously. The four variations to follow outline the dramatic arc of the Prologue in a variety of contrasting tempos and moods, beginning with a vigorous Allegro. Transitioning to a frigid Lento, a chaotic Presto, and finally returning to the original tempo, the work is devoted to exposing a wide range of the colorful mysteries of the string orchestra.

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (French; 1745-1799)

Violin Concerto No. 9 in G major, Op. 8, No. 2 (1777?) I. Allegro II. Largo III. Rondeau

With an aptitude and expertise in a variety of fields, Joseph Bologne is marked as a uniquely intriguing historical figure, made all the more fascinating in the context of 18th century Europe as a man of mixed race. Born in Guadalupe in 1745, his father, George Bologne de Saint-Georges, was a wealthy white landowner, and his mother, Anne Nanon, was an African slave who served as George’s maid. Despite the horrific reality of slavery, George made efforts to afford his son a legitimate life. Joseph could not legally inherit his father’s nobility, but he did informally receive his title, de SaintGeorges, and from a young age was given the opportunity to excel in a number of upper-class skills, including academics, sport, and music. Legally considered mulatto, many official doors were closed to Bologne, but he was opportunistic and ambitious. His formative years were in Paris, where he studied horsemanship and excelled at competitive fencing, leading him to an early military career where he became an officer in the King’s bodyguard, granting him the title Chevalier. As a gentleman of the upper class, he would spend years in London and Paris hobnobbing with royalty who celebrated him as a world-class fencer. During the French Revolution, he was made colonel of a new regiment comprised only of men of color, the first of its kind in Europe, known affectionately as Légion St. Georges. The origin of his musicianship is littleknown, but his virtuosity as a violinist was obvious to the musical establishment and public. Beginning in his twenties, he performed as a member, soloist, and conductor in composer FrançoisJoseph Gossec’s orchestra. His compositions were numerous, and included symphonies, violin concertos, sonatas, and string quartets. He also dabbled in op-

era, and for a period, was the music director of the private theater of a prominent Duke’s wife where he premiered his well-received opera, La Chasse. Of the Chevalier’s body of instrumental work, eight concertantes, two symphonies, and more than a dozen concertos were composed in an eight-year span during the 1770s while working with the Concert des Amateurs. Formerly Gossec’s orchestra, under Bologne’s direction the ensemble was considered one of the best in Paris. It was here that Bologne composed his Opus 8 pair of Violin Concertos, to be performed with its composer featured as the virtuosic soloist. Opus 8, No. 2 in G major, often listed as his ninth Concerto, is a fine example of the elegantly neat aesthetic of 18th century classicism. The opening Allegro begins with an orchestral introduction of a stately theme that opens with deliberate octave leaps, followed by forcefully strong gestures, all propelled by a persistent accompaniment. A genteel second theme floats lyrically. The opening material is repeated by the soloist, who diverges with exquisite melodies and lavish deviations, spinning extravagant arpeggios and runs. Quite a departure from the bright opening, the central Largo begins as a dark G minor plea. A major-keyed respite invites hopefulness, but a return to the cold minor-keyed mood leads to a yearning cadenza. The brooding Largo welcomes a sunny Rondeau for the work’s finale. The direct melodies of the opening material invite a call-andresponse dialogue amongst the orchestra. This material is heard three times, with athletic excursions from the soloist between. Bologne’s concerto in its entirety is an exquisite demonstration of fashionable orchestral composition of

his time, while exposing a wide range of affections and an immense skill level with the instrument. Today’s reexamination of him and his works is most welcome.

Claude Debussy (French; 1862-1918)

Danse sacrée et danse profane (1904) I. Danse sacrée II. Danse profane Claude Debussy’s unorthodox approach to the piano, coupled with his revolutionary orchestrations, made him an instigator of new musical ideas. Ignoring contemporary and academic musical fashion, he drew from the arcane past and the colors and imagery of symbolist poetry, forging an altogether new approach to music making. His disregard of institutions led him to abandon forms like the symphony and concerto, but he did write some works that featured a soloist, as with his 1904 Danse sacrée et danse profane for harp and strings. The Parisian instrument manufacturing company Pleyel approached Debussy to compose a new work to showcase an innovative harp that now allowed the performer a full chromatic range. While the innovative, yet flawed, instrument did not catch on, modern harps are able to perform Debussy’s new work. Its two contrasting sections juxtapose the moods of the sacred and secular. Danse sacrée channels the austerity of imagined church music, beginning with a kind of chant, with the harp echoing with ethereal chords that move parallel to the melody. Not literally church music, Debussy’s dreamy textures atmospherically evoke some fictional sacred ceremony of

his imagination. Danse profane—here, “profane” can be interpreted as secular—also creates a fanciful dance that lilts as if a waltz. The harp spins melodies as the strings billow with colorful support. The soloist plucks rousing chords in a dramatic climax that leads to sweeping waves, then a winking goodbye.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Austrian; 1756-1791)

Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201/186a (1774) I. Allegro moderato II. Andante III. Menuetto: Allegretto — Trio IV. Allegro con spirito Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s father Leopold had bold musical ambitions for his son. Leopold was himself an accomplished violinist, teacher, and composer, and projected his own ambitions onto his children, Wolfgang and his older sister Maria Anna, who benefitted from both natural gifts and a musical pedigree. Showcasing the talents of his young family, Leopold spent years parading his children throughout Europe, who were celebrated as prodigies. The younger Mozart had a bright future. His skills at the keyboard and as a violinist afforded him important career opportunities that would facilitate his most important gifts as a composer, but throughout his life, he dealt with the inevitable struggle between paternal appeasement and independent success. By the time he was a teenager, Mozart had seen Europe’s major cultural epicenters and their offerings, and would spend time living in Paris, Vienna, and Prague.

His eventual return to Salzburg, the place of his birth, was unbearable, yet crucial to his coming to age. His first employment in Salzburg was as a court musician from 1773-77, and while his salary was predictably low for a first job, he had the freedom to compose a lot of music for his friends to play, which was vital to his early maturation as a composer. It was quite an accomplishment then, at age 18 (1774), to compose his twentyninth Symphony. Such a large early body of work indicates that Mozart had already developed sophisticated refinement of technique and personality, but through a historical lens, Symphony No. 29 reveals a transition to his own unique voice as a composer. Here, we can see his restless ambition in the symphonic idiom. Mozart forgoes the typical grandiloquent opening for his Symphony No. 29, and yet the statement is bold. The work omits introduction, instead beginning quietly—almost sneakily—with the first theme, defined by an unforgettable octave descent, that then rises stepwise with eager anticipation. The theme is repeated ecstatically with the voices in canon. The opening drama is contrasted by the second, pleasing melody that leads to clever dialogues amongst the musical lines. Throughout, Mozart’s youthful

wit is on display as the animated voices of the ensemble spin these themes with ingenious abandon. Mozart’s soft sensuality can be heard in the slow movement, as sentimental melodies move steadily forward with a nocturnal hue. The whole of the intensely intimate Andante seems to portray private moments of delight and affection. Even the third movement, a modestly dancing Menuetto, holds dear the quietude of the previous movement, even if only for a moment. Forceful interjections from the winds interrupt the softly pleasing lines of the violins, and a central trio recalls languid melodies returning to the cheeky dance. Throughout the Symphony, Mozart peers around one imaginative corner after another. The sophisticated opening, the sentimental Andante, and the clever Menuetto, all require a dazzling finale. Here, Mozart delivers a satisfying jaunt marked by elated melodies that dart upward, raucous horn calls, and surprising diversions. The spirited finale brilliantly captures Mozart’s budding fire and concludes an enormously satisfying and original symphonic statement. Chaz Stuart, 2020

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Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 7:00 PM

BPO Pops Series

HAVANA NIGHTS Jeff Tyzik, conductor Camille Zamora, soprano Mambo Kings Richard DeLaney, piano Wilfredo Colรณn, percussion John Viavattine, saxophone Hector Diaz, bass Tony Padilla, percussion

Andalucia El Choclo

Vuelvo al sur Camille Zamora, soprano

Arieta Camille Zamora, soprano

Tango de la menegilda Camille Zamora, soprano

Melodia Mambo Kings, vocals

Marinera Mambo Kings, vocals

Danzon Mambo Kings, vocals

Blue Mambo Mambo Kings, vocals Program and performers subject to change.

CAMILLE ZAMORA, SOPRANO In collaboration with artists ranging from Yo-Yo Ma to Sting, Soprano Camille Zamora has garnered acclaim for her “dramatic and nuanced” (The New York Times) interpretations of repertoire ranging from Mozart to tango. She is known for her “dignity and glowing sound” (The New York Times) in “luminous, transcendently lyrical” performances (Opera News) that “combine gentility and emotional fire” (The Houston Chronicle). Hailed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and NBC Latino as a leading interpreter of classical Spanish song, Camille has performed on five continents, in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to Zimbabwe’s Harare International Festival, and in live broadcasts on PBS, Deutsche Radio, and the BBC. She has headlined with ensembles including London Symphony Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, and St. Louis Symphony in works ranging from Bach to Bernstein to boleros. Her recent albums, If the night grows dark and The Last Sorcerer, debuted in Billboard's Classical Top Ten, and her recording of Hindemith’s opera The Long Christmas Dinner topped The New York Times’ Classical Playlist and was one of Opera News’ Best Recordings of the Year. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Camille is the Co-Founder of Sing for Hope, a leading “arts peace corps” that presents initiatives, such as NYC’s Sing for Hope Pianos, that make the arts accessible to all. Camille has performed at the US Capitol and The United Nations, been honored with a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Recognition and a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Award, and been named one of CNN’s Most Intriguing People.

MAMBO KINGS, VOCALS Together since 1995, Mambo Kings are enjoying great success as Upstate New York’s foremost Latin jazz ensemble, and have rapidly earned a national reputation for their explosive blend of Afro Cuban rhythms and jazz improvisation. Since their orchestral debut in 1997 with the Rochester Philharmonic and Conductor Jeff Tyzik, Mambo Kings have appeared at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and in Pops concerts with orchestras in Baltimore, Vancouver, Detroit, Dallas, Naples (FL) and Portland (OR), among many others, performing original compositions and arrangements by pianist Richard DeLaney.

As a quintet, Mambo Kings have appeared as featured soloists at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Fest, the Music in The Mountains Festival in Colorado, the Lewiston (NY) Jazz Fest, and the Big Sky Arts Fest in Bozeman, MT. 2017 included return performances with the Vancouver (BC) and Dallas Symphony Orchestras. The 2018 season featured shows with the Spokane and Louisville Symphonies, the Rochester Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony. The 2019 season featured performances with the Alabama Symphony, a sold-out concert with the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago and a show with the Des Moines Symphony. Musical Director Richard DeLaney, a native of Lima, Peru, has been active as a jazz pianist, arranger and composer in Rochester since earning a Master’s Degree from the Eastman School of Music in 1978. He has written and performed music for film, television, the stage and the concert hall. He has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic and the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, as well as with Paquito D’Rivera, Bobby Sanabria and numerous bandleaders in Rochester. Richard joined the piano faculty of the Hochstein School of Music in 1985 and has directed the school’s Jazz Ensemble Program since 2001. He is currently coaching two student jazz ensembles. He received the Faculty Service Award in 1996 Percussionist Wilfredo (Freddy) Colón (drums, timbales, bongos) has performed with Aretha Franklin, Tito Puente, Soneros Del Barrio, Johnny Rivera, El Cano and Paquito Acosta. He has taught percussion at the Eastman School of Music’s Community Education Division and is much in demand as a percussion clinician in the Rochester area Saxophonist John Viavattine has been an accomplished woodwind specialist in Rochester for many years. John has toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, including a memorable performance in Washington, D.C. at President Reagan’s 1980 Inaugural Ball. John has also performed with Chuck and Gap Mangione, Jeff Tyzik and the Rochester Philharmonic, The Temptations, Ray Charles, Patti Page, Connie Francis, Vic Damone and Lou Rawls. Bassist Hector Diaz has been playing with bands in the Western New York area since the age of thirteen. He has performed with Ismael Miranda, Hector Tricoche, “El Cano” Estremera, Paquito Acosta, Zafra Negra, Luisito Rosario, Wendell Rivera and Johnny Rivera. While in the Army, Hector toured with an All Soldiers show throughout Army bases in South Korea Percussionist Tony Padilla (congas) was born and raised in Rochester. A self-taught percussionist, he began playing at age 12 and has been performing professionally since the age of 14. Tony has played with such artists as Paquito De Rivera, Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine, Arturo Sandoval, Jerry Gonzalez, Lou Gramm, The Maelstrom Percussion Ensemble and The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 1983, Tony has been conducting clinics/workshops throughout United States, including The Eastman School of Music, The New York State Teachers Music Association, The Percussive Arts Society, and a variety of colleges and high schools.

SPOTLIGHT ON SPONSORS

The BPO is proud to partner with Calspan and grateful for their generous support. Calspan is an innovative leader in simulation, testing, training, and technology services for the aerospace and transportation communities. The BPO and Calspan’s values work hand in hand: we both seek inclusiveness, value individuals for their diverse backgrounds, styles, and ideas, and view different opinions as opportunities to improve our work. We strive for excellence, listen with a sincere intent to understand, and move our organizations forward with candor and transparency. Both Calspan and the BPO value innovation by seeking out challenging opportunities, encouraging input, and working to pioneer meaningful activities that enhance our organizations and community at large. Inclusiveness, Accountability and Innovation are Calspan’s guiding principles and the BPO is extremely grateful for their passion and dedication to music in our community.

The Buffalo Philharmonic has been very fortunate for the longtime support from Uniland Development Company and the Montante family. Uniland is a full-service commercial real estate development firm with broad experience across many product types and related services. Since founding a single warehouse in 1974, Uniland has developed over 16 million square feet throughout the Buffalo and Rochester markets. Uniland is passionate about advancing workplace diversity and inclusion, as reflected in their work with community outreach programs and initiatives designed to advance educational opportunities as well as attract and develop minorities and women within the construction industry and the broader WNY workforce. Uniland has been the lead corporate sponsor of the BPO’s Diversity Council, a group comprised of community leaders, BPO staff and musicians since its inception in 2016. The BPO’s Diversity Council is leading the way in a national movement to foster greater diversity in the classical music world. Uniland’s work is based on values that the BPO also strives to achieve: Integrity, Professionalism, Excellence, Innovation, Customer Focus, and Team Focus. Both the BPO and Uniland have a history rooted in this community and are fortunate to work on projects and programs that will better our community and our neighbors. Uniland’s goal is to enhance the quality of life in the communities where they serve through their time, talent, and treasure; the BPO is honored to work with them to achieve our like-minded vision.

SPONSOR A MUSICIAN Nikki Chooi, concertmaster Sponsored by Clement and Karen Arrison

Natalie Piskorsky, viola

Sponsored by Dr. Patricia and Burt Notarius*

Ansgarius Aylward, assistant concertmaster

Matthew Phillips, viola

Douglas Cone, first violin

Kate Holzemer, viola

Sponsored Anonymously Sponsored by Bradford Lewis, Ph.D.

Diana Sachs, first violin

Sponsored by Dennis P. Quinn

Salvatore Andolina, clarinet/saxophone

Jennifer Dowdell, in memory of Charles and Nancy Dowdell

To learn more about the Sponsor a Musician program, please contact Guy Tomassi at (716) 242-7821 or gtomassi@bpo.org.

* deceased

ANNUAL FUND

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges contributions received from the following individuals and foundations who gave $500 and above through August 31, 2020. While the thousands upon thousands of donors whose gifts ranged from $1 to $499 are too numerous to list here, we gratefully acknowledge those additional individuals, groups, companies and foundations who give to us so generously.

MILLONZI SOCIETY $150,000+

Maestro’s Circle $10,000-$24,999

Concertmaster’s Circle $5,000-$9,999

The Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation Carol and Angelo Fatta The John R. Oishei Foundation John & Carolyn Yurtchuk

Anonymous (2) Sue Fay Allen & Carl Klingenschmitt Joan and Peter Andrews Family Foundation The Baird Foundation Mr. Charles Balbach The Better Buffalo Fund at the CFGB Anthony & Barbara Cassetta Carmela M. Colucci Arthur W. & Elaine I. Cryer Donald MacDavid Charitable Trust Bob & Doris Drago Ms. JoAnn Falletta & Mr. Robert Alemany Robert J. & Martha B. Fierle Foundation Patricia & William Frederick George and Bodil Gellman Grigg Lewis Foundation Mrs. Amy Habib-Rittling and Mr. Mark Rittling Carlos and Elizabeth Heath Foundation Mr. and Mrs. George G. Herbert Dr. and Mrs. Curtis F. Holmes Hooper Family Foundation Bonnie and Nick Hopkins Mr. Philip H. Hubbell, in memory of Jayne T. Hubbell Bruce and Gail Johnstone Mrs. Ellen T. Koessler Dr. Bradford Lewis, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Carl J. Montante, Sr. Mr.* and Mrs. Reginald B. Newman II J. Warren Perry & Charles Donald Perry Memorial Fund Mr.* and Mrs. George F. Phillips, Jr. Adam Rome and Robin Schulze Roy and Ruth Seibel Family Foundation Scott R. and Rachel C. Stenclik Steve and Nicole Swift The Vincent and Harriet Palisano Foundation Jim and Michal Wadsworth Jack Walsh, in memory of Connie Walsh The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation

Anonymous (5) Mrs. Vanda Albera James and Linda Beardi James M. Beardsley & Ellen M. Gibson Mr. Joseph F. Casey Donald F. & Barbara L. Newman Family Foundation Jennifer Dowdell, in memory of Charles and Nancy Dowdell Sally and Don Dussing Peter & Maria Eliopoulos Lynne Marie Finn Judith Fisher Edward N Giannino, Jr. Joe & Lynne Giroux Ms. Sarah C. Goodyear Ms. Constance A. Greco Dr. Elisabeth Zausmer and Dr. Angel A. Gutierrez Daniel & Barbara Hart David and Eva Herer David and Lucinda Hohn John J. and Maureen O. Hurley Drs. Clement and Margot Ip Linda Johnson Michael & Marilee Keller Mr. and Mrs.* Philip Kadet The Linton Foundation Lorinda McAndrew Voelkle Foundation Charles & Judith Manzella Sandra and Dennis McCarthy Frances L. Morrison Mrs. Sheila M. Nancollas Mr. and Mrs. James D. Newman Patricia Notarius/ Premier Group Marie and Jay Novello, in memory of Don and Eileen Brutvan Douglas & Laurette* Oak Oliver G. & Sarah Sloan Bauman Fund for the Arts Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Polokoff Mr. Dennis P. Quinn Robert and Nancy Warner Memorial Fund at the FJP Joseph & Carole Sedita

$50,000-$149,999 Anonymous (1) Mr. Brent Baird Brian and Barbara Baird Mark Chason & Mariana Botero Chason Louis P. Ciminelli Family Foundation Cullen Foundation The Walter Schmid Family Foundation Charitable Trust

$25,000-$49,999 Cindy Abbott Letro & Francis Letro Clement & Karen Arrison Mr. Bruce C. Baird & Mrs. Susan O’Connor-Baird The Robert and Patricia Colby Foundation First Niagara Bank Foundation Montgomery Family Foundation Svetla and Doug Moreland Mulroy Family Foundation Christine Standish & Chris Wilk Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds at CFGB

Ms. Georgeann W. Redman Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Renner David & Joan Rogers Dr. Annie Schapiro Ken Schmieder and Nancy Julian* Ronald Frank & Anne Schneider Dr. Gilbert Schulenberg Ms. Betty J. Schultz Encore Circle Dr. Maxine Seller Simple Gifts Fund $2,500-$4,999 Dr. Joyce E. Siriann Anonymous (7) Diane & Sonny Sonnenstein Dr. and Mrs. Fred and Bonnie Albrecht Ronald L Struzik Monica Angle & Samuel D. Magavern III Dr. Joseph R. Takats, III Douglas Bean and Elisa Kreiner Garin Tomaszewski Joanne Castellani & Michael Nicholas & Nicole Tzetzo Andriaccio Barry & Donna Winnick Ms. Elizabeth G. Clark Gregory and Donna Yungbluth Ms. Anne E. Conable John and Deanna Zak Conable Family Foundation at the CFGB Michael Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ambrosio Bravo Circle Alan Dozoretz $1,000-$2,499 Ms. Ruth Irene Dwigans Cynthia Swain and Stephen Edge Anonymous (5) Marion S. Fay Morton & Natalie Abramson Mrs. Marta Fernandez Kenneth & Maura Africano Frederick S. & Phyllis W. Pierce JoAnne Alderfer Family Fund Burtram W. & Ellen Anderson Dr. Samuel Goodloe, Jr. Liz & John Angelbeck Drs. James Grunebaum & Penelope Ann Holland Cohn Endowment Fund Prentice at the FJP Dave & Katie Hayes Arts Services Initiative of Western Dr. Barbara W. Henderson New York Inc. Philip M. and Marion Henderson Rita Argen Auerbach Martha & Tom Hyde Reverend James M. Augustyn Mr. James and Mrs. Diana Iglewski Mary L. and Ronald E* Banks Robert and Hana Jacobi Mr. Steve Earnhart and Mrs. Jennifer Joseph & Anna Gartner Foundation Barbee Edwin M. Johnston, Jr. Mr. William P. Keefer Drs. Kevin and Elizabeth Barlog Dwight King & Leslie Duggleby Patricia S. Beagle Susan B. Lee Thomas R Beecher Jr Steve & Sandy Levinthal Ann N. Bonte Mr. Ron Luczak and Michael Boland The Reverend* and Mrs. Peter Sr. Beatrice Manzella Bridgford William and Jane Mathias Gary & Willow Brost Mr.* and Mrs. Sheldon E. Merritt John & Diane Burkholder Denise and Ron* Rezabek Dr. and Mrs. John L. Butsch Michael and Lorrie Munschauer Cheryl I. Christie Mr. and Mrs. Sanford M. Nobel Ms. Rosemary Christoff Dolan in Dr. Thomas Nochajski memory of Gerald Christoff, Mrs. Michelle Parrish composer and pianist Mary Jane and Walter Pawlowski Dr. Sebastian and Mrs. Marilyn Ciancio Mr. Paul J. Polokoff Nan & Will* Clarkson Mrs. Susan A. Potter Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Priselac, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Michael E. Cohen Lowell and Ellen Shaw Stephen and Monica Spaulding Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Sperrazza Gary and Katharina Szakmary The Frank G. Raichle Foundation Martha and John Welte Robert and Judith Wetter

Elizabeth B. Conant* and Camille Cox Mr. and Mrs. David Croen Peter S. and Elizabeth H. Curtis Beverly Davies Adrian F. Dedecker III and Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker James & Mary Frances Derby Tony & Kathy Diina Wendy Diina Duane and Nancy DiPirro Joan M. Doerr Richard and Cornelia Dopkins Ellen & Victor* Doyno Patricia K Duffner Edward G Eberl Elsie P. & Lucius B. McCowan Private Charitable Foundation Ms. Mary A. Ferguson Mr. and Mrs. Kim A. Ferullo Joyce E. Fink Dr. Mildred J. Fischle Mr. and Mrs. Michael Flaherty Jr. Thomas & Grace Flanagan Ilene and Peter Fleischmann Mrs. Beth Fleming Robert and Ruth Fleming Ms. Margaret A. Frainier Eileen & Laurence Franz Mr. and Mrs. David Fried Sue Gardner Garrison Wealth Management Gerald and Jody Lippes Ms. Dolores S. Gernatt Mr. and Ms. James G. Hanley Golden and Goldman Philanthropic Fund Ms. Carol A. Golder Dr. Susan Graham and Dr. Jon C. Kucera Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Greene Mr. and Mrs. William A. Greenman Adrienne Tworek-Gryta and Matt Gryta Joan Hetzelt Hanifin Memorial Fund at CFGB Mr. and Mrs. Van N. Harwood, Jr. Michele O. Heffernan & John J. Cordes Richard and Lynn Hirsch Monte Hoffman and Niscah Koessler Mr. Paul A. Hojnacki Mr. and Mrs. John K. Howell Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hunt Mrs. Alice Jacobs Mrs. Pamela R. Jacobs Thomas and Deborah Jasinski Craig & Deborah Johnston

Karen Jarvis Benoy and Suzanne Joseph Mr. Charles J. Kaars Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth R. Kahn Ms. Jennifer Kartychak Dr. Kathleen Keenan-Takagi Joseph M. Kelly Ms. Shirley Keppel Rosalind & Michael Kochmanski Carol & John* Kociela Mr. and Mrs. Jean Pierre A. Koenig Ken & Paula Koessler Bob & Liz Kolken Kenneth A. and Gretchen P. Krackow Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Kresse RisĂŠ & Kevin* Kulick Dr.* and Mrs. C. Frederick Kurtz Dr. John Leddy and Dr. Carmen Alvarez Catherine & Matt Lincoln Mr. Warren Lippa James* and Linda Mabry Judy Marine Ms. Linda Marsh Randy and Diana Martinusek Ms. Elaine Mackensen May Mr. George L. Mayers Stephen McCabe and Gretchen Wylegala McLain Foundation Mr. and Mrs. John R. McClester Ms. Barbara Mellerski-Farkas David and Gail Miller Ms. Pennie C. Hoage Mitchell Family Philanthropic Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Michael and Alex Montante Robert Moskowitz and Mary McGorray Anne Moot Ms. Susan Morgenstern Ms. Sharon F. Mortin Murak & Associates, LLC Dr. Michael F. Noe Mr. and Mrs. Randall M. Odza Judith Parkinson Lois & Tom Pause Dr. & Mrs. Philip Penepent, Jr. Richard & Karen Penfold Erin Peradotto Mr. Mark J. Peszko & Mr. David Schopp Gregory Photiadis and Sandy Chelnov Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Plyler Henry & Patty Porter Katherine Powell and Ann K. Wittowsky

Dr. Igor and Dr. Martina Puzanov Ted and Mary Ann Pyrak Peter & Nancy Rabinowitz Ms. Elaine Ragusa Corinne & Victor Rice Foundation Al & Cindy Ripley Mary Anne Rokitka Thomas J. Rolle and Deborah A. Henning Rose H. and Leonard H. Frank Community Endowment Fund Mr. Philip Rumore Maureen W. & Dr. Richard J. Saab William and Elizabeth Savino Susan and Jeffrey Schwartz Mr. Michael B. Sexton and Dr. Sandra Sexton Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shappee Dr. Mary Ellen Shaughnessy Mr. and Mrs. John W. Sherman Charles E. and Penelope R. Shuman Philanthropic Fund Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Sperrazza Mr. Gerould R. Stange Ruth & Ted Steegmann Alma and Malcolm Strachan Mr. and Mrs. David G. Strachan Dr. Donald G. Symer, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Symons Susan & John Thomas Mr. Jeffrey J. Thompson Mr. and Ms John C. Thompson Ann M. Bisantz and Albert H. Titus Hon. and Mrs. Paul A. Tokasz Mark Travers Dr. & Mrs. Raymond C. Vaughan Janet D. Vine Ms. Therese M. Vita Ms. Suzanne J. Voltz Nellie B. Warner Endowment Fund Mr. William Weiss Dr. and Mrs. Richard A. Wiesen William & Ida Christie Fund for Music Wayne* and Janet Wisbaum Paul M. Wos Arden and Julie Wrisley The Yadzinski Family Cynthia Zane & Stephen Mazurak Mr. Paul Zarembka Ms. Barbara M. Ziegler Dr. Gregory Castiglia & Dr. Valerie Zingapan Drs. Bill Ziter & Cathy Gogan C. Richard and Joyce T. Zobel

Crescendo $500-$999 Anonymous (1) Ms. Gail Adema Eileen M. & Erik S. Anderson Mr. and Mrs. Teo Balbach Bradford Banks Karen A. Barbee Mr. Richard C. Batt Henry E. and Susan W. Beamer Endowment Fund at CFGB Mr. Donald M. Behr Benjamin and Lila Obletz Endowment Fund Ms. Elizabeth S. Bennett and Ms. Marietta T. Lorenzo Ms. Linda M. Betzer Peg Beyer Alice F. Bird Derek & Laura Brann Mr. James A. Brophy, Jr. Bruce and Jill Brown Mr. & Mrs. William Brucker Ms. Bette J. Brunish R. R. Bujnicki Mr. & Mrs. David Bullions Dr. Barbara B. Bunker Tim and MaryLou Butler Joseph and Susan Cardamone Janet M. Casagrande Jerry* & Barbara Castiglia William Catto Miss Victoria A. Christopher Emmy Lou Churchill Ruth C. Cisek Collins Charitable Foundation Bob and Susan Conklin John and Patricia Connolly Mrs. Donanne S. Coovert Andrea and Don Copley Dr. and Mrs. Harold G. Corwin, Jr. Thomas and Elizabeth Cowley Dr. and Mrs. John Coyne Ms. Ellen J. Daly Ian Danic Mr. and Mrs. Walter Dannhauser Roger and Roberta Dayer Dr. Juan F. de Rosas Jonathan Dewald Julie Klotzbach and Gary Diamond Mrs. Carol Donley Miriam & Peter Dow Mr. David T. Duff

Mr. Edward Eardley Amy P. Early M.D. Dr. Marla Eglowstein Dr. Sanford H. Eisen Mr. and Mrs. Warren E. Emblidge, Jr. Joan Michael Eschner Mr. Francis E. Evans Mr. and Mrs. James S. Fanning Denise Ferkey and Jeffrey Swaluk Mrs. Judith Ferrentino Michael R. Fiels & Mary T. Ricotta Edward J. Fine Dawn & John Fischer Dr. Peter Fletcher The Honorable Leslie G. Foschio Howard and Laurie Foster Patricia B. Frey, Ed.D Rick Friend John Fudyma Rev. David M. Gallivan Theodore & Joan* Geier Jeffrey & Norma Gentner Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth T. Glaser Mr. Otis Glover George and Cecelia Grasser Mark and Lora Grinder Marjorie K Hamilton Martha Haseley David Hays Dr. and Mrs. Reid R. Heffner, Jr. Ms. Sharon M. Heim and Mr. David Wahl Carla J. Hengerer Dr. Theodore Herman and Ms. Judith Ann Cohen Ms. Olive Marie Hewett Nancy Higgins Dr. & Mrs. Ralph W. Hinds, III James & Eileen Hoffman Mr. Raymond and Mrs. Virginia Hohl Duncan C. Hollinger Michael Huber Yasushi Innami Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Jacobs William & Genevieve James Mrs. Cathleen Jeffers JFF Labs David & Joan Kernan Mr. and Mrs. William Johnson Drs. Richard and Barbara Jurasek Dr. Faye Justicia-Linde Theresa Kazmierczak Kathie A. Keller Milton Kicklighter Verna & Richard Kieffer

Mr. and Mrs. Scott King Douglas and Nancy Kirkpatrick Juliet E. Kline Robert and Barbara Klocke Mr. and Mrs. Paul C. Koppmann Deborah Raiken & Charles Korn Daniel Kosman Nicholas and Lusyd Kourides Leslie and Jim Kramer Joan Kuhn Drs. Jeffery Lackner and Ann Marie Carosella Mr. and Dr. John M. Laping Paul and Jane Lehman Fern & Joel Levin Dr. and Mrs. Harold J. Levy Dorothy M. Lien Drs. David B. and Madeline A. Lillie Howard and Lorna Lippes Joel & Andree Lippes Dr. Thomas & Donna Lombardo Mr. and Mrs. Donald C. Lubick Ms. Donna J. Ludwig Ms. Maria Malaniak Robert Martino Jean McGarry and James F. Cunning Claire Miller McGowan Louise McGrath Michael and Lucille Melton Dr. and Mrs. Franklin H. Meyer Dr. and Mrs. Donald E. Miller Mr. John E. Milner Dr. and Mrs. Herman S. Mogavero, Jr. Robert and Nancy Morey Sandra G. Morrison Gary and Carolyn Mucci Russell A. Newbert Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Nice Philip Nicolai and Mary Louis Hill Christa* and Jim Nolan Howard & Karen Noonan Susan D. Nusbaum Tim O’Brien Fund at the FJC Bernard & Linda O’Donnell Ann C. Pappalardo Laurence & Sylvia Paul Mr. Robert S. Petersen Keith & Beth Podgorny James and Nancy Poole Dr. and Mrs. Kevin Pranikoff John & Betty Preble Joseph and Pamela Priest Charles and Joanne Privitera Ms. Carol Dean Privitera

Scott Propeack and Heidi Freedman Patrick J. Rankin Mr. Alex J. Ratkowski Martha J. Reddout Randolph & Cathy Ritz Mrs. Susan C. Robinson Revs. Melody and Rodney Rutherford Mr. and Mrs. W. Scott Schaefer Dr William Scheider Mr. and Mrs. Roger L. Schintzius Mr. and Mrs. John H. Schlegel Paul & Peggy Schulz Eleanor Scott Miss Louise E. Seereiter Mary Anne Seifert Henry & Tricia Semmelhack Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence D. Seymour Alexander Shrader Mr. and Mrs. Roger T. Sieracki Edward & Elizabeth Simmons Mr. Jeremy Smith Lynne G. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Sodaro Mr. Brad Stahlka Dr. Rabie N. Stephan and Dr. Eugena B. Stephan James and Karen Stephenson Stephen Still Mr. Edwin F. Stohrer, Jr. Marilyn & Irving Sultz Mr and Mrs. Dennis Szymkowiak Mr. Ronald G. and Mrs. Margaret N. Talboys Dr. & Mrs. Thomas B. Tomasi Mr. Guido A. Tomassi Lyle & Phil Toohey Sheila Trossman Dr. and Mrs. Stephen J. Turkovich John H. Twist, D.D.S. Mary K. Twist Chris and Kathy Tzetzo Charitable Fund Susan & Ron Uba Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Van Nortwick Mr. William Vosteen Ms. Marlene A. Werner Bud and Sandy Whistler Pierre Williot MD Quinn & Jewell Wright Ms. Kelly Ann Wright The Yadzinski Family Mr.* and Mrs. James C. Yuhnke Mr. Bryan Zielenieski

TRIBUTE REGISTRY

You can celebrate a significant occasion, remember a loved one, or recognize someone special with an honor or memorial gift to the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. These gifts were received between November 15 and December 15, 2020.

In Memory of Robert Barrett Mr. and Mrs. George H. Ruffles Cheryl St George & John Calleri Ms. Judith Strade Adolph Bassanello Faith Marie Bassanello Anne Boise-Lobl Henry Lobl Don and Eileen Brutvan Marie and Jay Novello Anne Cavalcoli Nancy Sullivan Curtis Clark John & Patricia Clark Joseph Cosgrove Patti Cosgrove Robert and Julia Dion Anonymous

Tricia Kennedy Mr. and Mrs. Patrick J. Kennedy

John Ricca Joan Ricca

Robert Kresse Daniel Hart

Jeannette Sciolino Chester Lane & Marianne Sciolino

Thomas P. La Penna Concetta M. LaPenna Richard Lee Nancy Lee Gloria Maulucci Carol Maulucci Gary S. Manka Ms. Maureen Wittmann Mark Mendel Fero and Nancy Sadeghian Michael Monnier Ms. Michele Beal

Dr. John L. Sheard Ms. Suzanne SheardWalsh Joseph Slowik Mrs. Judith Slowik June Hards Smith Mrs. Orrah M. Wicks Suzanne Taeger Paul & Marilyn Koukal Sally Teibel Ms. JoAnn M. Hilburger Louis Tuminno William Noel

Kenneth Gerstle Mary Ann Gerstle

Marylouise Nanna Ms. Virginia Bradley Mr. and Mrs. David Croen Carol Kociela Claire Miller McGowan Suzanne B. Taub Barbara M. Wier

Joan Geier Mrs. Gloria B. Lumsden

Deborah Natalizia Mr. Sanford Levin

Jeanne Vilardo Mr. Frederick & Mrs. Mary Fadel

Marion Goodyear Mr. and Mrs. Steve Gurney

James Patrick Ms. Anne Straney

Patricia Weber Mr. & Mrs. Dean & Patricia Burgstahler

Gary Grant Mrs. Elaine Grant

Martin Plaut Alison Beebe Arshad

Robert R. Johnson Maxine K. Johnson

Joanne Poch Mr. Joel M. Poch

Edward Yadzinski Commonwealth Technology Ms. Janet Dingman Daniel Hart RisĂŠ Kulick The Yadzinski Family

Cynthia K Doolittle Nicholas and Lusyd Kourides

Luigi Tomassi Mr. Guido A. Tomassi Dr. Judith VanLiew Barbara & Charles Paganelli

In Honor of JoAnn Falletta and the musicians of the BPO Ms. Christye Peterson and Mr. Peter J. Grogan

Joan Lazarus Katie and Patrick Gaglione

Florence A. Doran Ms. Carol Mahon

Ethel Kirkpatrick and Charlotte Joy Joan P. Kirkpatrick Musicians of American Federation James Wadsworth of Musicians Local 93 Ms. Mary Wadsworth E Joseph and Lynne Giroux

Fred and Christina Lenz Donald E. Lewis Funeral Home

Nancy Higgins Margaret B Higgins

JoAnn Falletta Mr. Phillip L. Nones

JoAnn Falletta & Daniel Hart Nathan Kahn

Daniel Hart David and Lucinda Hohn

BPO Musicians and Staff Karen Jarvis Douglas and Susan Coogan Ms. Nancy C. Ryan

JoAnn Falletta and Robert Alemany Alex Jokipii Nancy and John Boulden Linda B. Grant

April N.M. Baskin, Chair Lisa Chimera John J. Gilmour Kevin R. Hardwick Howard J. Johnson, Jr. Joseph C. Lorigo Timothy Meyers John J. MIlls Edward A. Rath, III Frank J. Todaro Jeanne M. Vinal

GOVERNMENT

Council Member Joel Feroleto; Mitch Nowakowski; Christopher Scanlon; David Rivera; Crystal Peoples-Stokes; and Ulysees Wingo, Sr.

The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature

Check out YOUR Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra online!

Advertise with us todaywe have your platform!

(716) 972-2250 buffalospree.com

PLANNED GIVING

Musical Heritage Society

We are pleased to list the current members herein because they have realized the importance of “the gift that keeps giving.” Each of these individuals or couples have made provisions for a contribution to the BPO in their estate plans and while there are many different methods, the most common is by adding the BPO as a beneficiary in one’s will. Rev. Russell A. Newbert Sarah & Donald Dussing Anonymous (4) Drs. Howard & Karen Noonan Jeanne C. Eaton* Charlotte C. Acer Robert & Marion North Fund Angelo & Carol Fatta Elizabeth & John Angelbeck George F. Phillips, Jr.* Marion Fay Rita Argen Auerbach Mrs. Frederick S. Pierce Dr. Mildred J. Fischle Charles Balbach Edwin Polokoff Judith & John* Fisher Jennifer Barbee Susan Potter Donald M. Behr & Samuel E. Lolinger* Marjorie* and William Gardner Dennis Quinn Richard E. Garman* The Reverend and Virginia Ann Quinn Edward N. Giannino, Jr. Mrs. Peter W. Bridgford Evelyn Joyce Ramsdell Mr. George Eagan Ginther James A. Brophy & Fraser B. Drew* Sally Rohrdanz* Mr. & Mrs. Byron R. Goldman Daniel R. Burch Sylvia L. Rosen Ms. Constance A. Greco Anthony J. Cassetta John and Susan Rowles Susan J. Grelick The Joanne Castellani and Nancy E. Ryther* Michael Andriaccio Charitable Trust Gordon & Gretchen Gross Paul and Gerda Sanio Peter Hall & M.E. O'Leary Barbara & Jerry* Castiglia Kenneth Schmieder, Marion Hanson Gerard and Rachel Catalano In memory of Nancy L. Julian Margaret W. Henry Cheryl I. Christie Glibert Schulenberg Mr. & Mrs. George G. Herbert Ida Christie* Betty J. Schultz Monte & Cheryl* Hoffman Victoria A. Christopher Catherine F. Schweitzer Mrs. L. Nelson Hopkins, Jr.* In honor of JoAnn Falletta and Joseph and Carole Sedita Philip H. Hubbell Donald McCrorey Roger & Joan Simon Dr. Sebastian and Mrs. Marilyn Ciancio in memory of Jayne T. Hubbell Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Skerker Paul A. Imbert Louis & Ann Louise Ciminelli Dennis M. Smolarek Bruce and Gail Johnstone Ms. Elizabeth G. Clark Jane Snowden* Theresa Kazmierczak Mr.* & Mrs. William M. Clarkson Monica and Steve Spaulding Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth R. Kahn Mary E. Clemesha* Harriet Stewart* Kathleen Keenan-Takagi Ruth Cohan* David D. Stout & The Herbert & Ella Knight Mrs. George Cohn Janet E. Popp Stout Family Charitable Fund Anne Conable Gerald R. Strauss Rosalind and Michael Kochmanski Dr. Elizabeth Conant Dr. Merrily Kuhn and Mr. James Kulwicki Sue W. Strauss Ellen Todd Cooper Cecelia Tachok* Norma Jean Lamb Rev. Raymond G. Corbin Nancy B. Thomas Eric E. & Ruth F. Lansing Marilyn R. Cornelius Therese M. Vita Mr. & Mrs.* Wilfred J. Larson Dr. Sharon F. Cramer and Jim and Michal Wadsworth, Kalista S. Lehrer* Mr. Leslie R. Morris* as trustees of the Mulroy, Steve & Sandy Levinthal in honor of the BPO Viola Section Heath and Colby Foundations Bradford Lewis, PhD Sandra B. Cumming Dr. Bernard D. Wakefield* Gerald & Barbara Lipa Beverly Davies Mrs. Robert Warner* Francie D. & Joel N. Lippman Clarence Davis, Jr.* Marjorie W. Watson Marie Marshall* Mrs. Roberta Dayer Dorothy Westhafer Mr.* & Mrs. J. A. Mattern Tim DiCarlo Wayne* & Janet Wisbaum Sandra and Dennis McCarthy Mr. and Mrs. Anthony N. Diina Elizabeth Ann Withrow Michael and Lorrie Munschauer Charles* & Nancy* Dowdell Mr.* and Mrs.* J. Milton Zeckhauser Donna & Leo Nalbach Ellen & Victor* Doyno *deceased

Trusts

Anonymous AJL Fund Lawrence M. Appleby Fund at the CFGB Cameron Baird Fund Benderson BPO Endowment Fund Virgil A. and Margaret L. Black Memorial Fund Philip & Joyce Celniker Fund Irwin H. Cheskin Fund at the CFGB Mildred Bork Conners & Joseph E. Conners Fund Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society Inc. Endowment Fund Grace Neff Daniels Memorial Anne Catt Filer Fund at the CFGB

Howard F. Gondree Fund Joan Hetzelt Hanifin Memorial Fund D. Bruce and Gail Johnstone Fund at the CFGB The Herbert & Ella Knight Family Charitable Fund John and Carol Kociela Fund at the CFGB Janet K. Larkin & John D. Larkin III Fund Albert H. Laub Bequest Donald I. MacDavid Charitable Trust Marie A. Marshall Fund MPZ Endowment Fund Benjamin and Lila Obletz Endowment Fund Mary Louise Olmsted Fund

Susan Harvey Prentis Fund Margaret Frank Rofot Charitable Lead Trust Natalie Kubera Roth Fund Martin and Barbara Schechtman Charitable Remainder Unitrust William Kenneth Schmitt Fund Dr. & Mrs. Roy E. Seibel Philanthropic Fund Joseph and Loretta Swart Fund Nellie B. Warner Endowment Fund Charlotte Potter Whitcher Trust

To ensure your wishes are carried on for the BPO for generations to come, you may call Guy Tomassi (716) 242-7821 for more information. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra endorses the LEAVE A LEGACY® WESTERN NEW YORK program, an initiative of the WNY Planned Giving Consortium and a public awareness campaign of the National Committee on Planned Giving.

BPO ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Administration

Marketing

President & Executive Director

Diana Martinusek

Vice President, Marketing & Communications

Development

Kelcie Hanaka

Associate Executive Director & Vice President, Development

Cary Michael Trout

Daniel Hart

Executive Assistant

Jennifer Barbee Wendy Diina

Vice President, Corporate Relations & Special Projects

Katie Bates Johnson Annual Fund Manager

Holly Johnson

Grant and Corporate Relations Coordinator

Guy Tomassi

Major and Planned Gifts Officer

Education and Community Engagement Robin Parkinson,

Vice President, Education & Community Engagement

Finance

Kevin James

Vice President, Finance & Administration

Patron Services Representatives

Patrick O’Herron

Jess Berner Anne Boucher Bethany Erhardt Scott Kurchak Amanda Paruta

AndréeRenée Simpson Marketing Manager

Digital Marketing Manager

Kleinhans Music Hall Staff

Graphic Designer/Consultant

Operations

Nicole Murray

Building Services Assistant

Alison Bolton

Michael Cassidy

Vice President, Artistic & Orchestra Operations

Interim Assistant Chief Engineer

Brian Seibel

Dennis Nawojski

Connor Schloop

Alister Bouvart

Concessions Manager

Event Manager

Parking & Set Up Supervisor

Associate Manager of Artistic and Orchestra Operations

Al Rabin

Audience Services Manager

Sales and Patron Services Adam Cady

Senior Manager of Patron Services

Rachael Pudlewski

Box Office Assistant Manager/ Education Coordinator

Nicole M. Bodemer

Associate Director of Finance

Jacqueline Henry

Finance/Accounts Payable Associate

Susan Hill

Payroll and HR/ Benefits Administrator

PROGRAM BOOK PRODUCED BY

Sharon Levite Barbara E. Macks ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Elizabeth Licata VP/ADMINISTRATIVE & FINANCE Michele Ferguson CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jean-Pierre Thimot PRESIDENT & CEO

PUBLISHER/CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

“Embrace seasons past... begin life anew!”

410 Mill St., Williamsville 716.632.3000 www.park-creek.com

PRINTING BY ZENGER GROUP SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Joshua Flanigan | Kim Miers Adam Van Schoonhoven | Nicholas Vitello

buffalospree.com | 716-972-2250

You Deserve the RedShirt Treatment. And a Thank You.

#1 Member Satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in New York Our members mean a lot to us, and helping you get and stay healthy is what drives us every day. As Western New York’s local health plan, we’re also committed to supporting our community however we can. We’ve been providing the RedShirt Treatment for 40 years now, and we look forward to many more.

For J.D. Power 2020 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards