BPO 2022-2023 Season: Program Book 7

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

It often seems as if our season is speeding past, particularly once we announce performances scheduled in the upcoming year. However, there’s so much more music to be enjoyed this Spring, while contemplating the exquisite new offerings programmed to start in September.

On the heels of our successful collaboration with Irish Classical Theatre Company on The Tempest, we’re looking forward to new faces and familiar favorites on stage at Kleinhans this month, as chronicled in this book. Following are magical, musical journeys, a swarm of ‘Bs’ heading our way… Brahms, The Beatles, Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony on the BPOKids series, and more Beethoven, to name just a few of the remaining repertoire. Sprinkled with contemporary new works and outstanding guest artists such as Regina Carter and Norman Krieger, the BPO continues to flourish.

Speaking of flourishing, the 2023-24 Classics season is filled with monumental works kicking off JoAnn Falletta’s 25th season as the BPO’s Music Director, which will culminate in a celebration next year. From Boléro to the anniversary of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and Holst’s The Planets acknowledging Buffalo’s prime position for the pending eclipse, to Rachmaninoff, RomeoandJuliet, and Mahler’s Resurrection, the masterworks on the season are some of JoAnn’s most beloved. No less impressive are the performers helping us celebrate her tenure, including violinists Gil Shaham, Melissa White, and Timothy Chooi joining his brother Nikki on stage, the return of pianists Fabio Bidini, Alexander Malofeev, and Stewart Goodyear, and a spotlight also being shown on several BPO musicians.

Of course, the announcement of Michael Bolton joining the BPO for a holiday special adds to the appeal of our Pops programming. The return of audience favorites Byron Stripling, Jay White performing Neil Diamond, Cirque de la Symphonie, and Michael Cavanaugh’s spot-on interpretation of the music of Elton John, are complemented by the 100th anniversary of Disney in concert, Mexico’s mariachi queen Aida Cuevas, and an homage to jazz legends by Carmen Bradford, to name just a few.

My wife Carolyn and I take a great deal of pride and enjoyment from our affiliation with the BPO, and we encourage you to join our family of season ticket holders to continue supporting the great work and benefits the orchestra provides our community and the region. Happy Spring!

Sincerely,

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

BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA BOARD OF TRUSTEES AS OF JANUARY 1, 2023

OFFICERS

John R. Yurtchuk, Chair

Scott Stenclik, Vice Chair — Chair-Elect

Peter Eliopoulos, Secretary

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Cindy Abbott Letro

Douglas Bean

Jonathan Borden †

Anne Conable

Stephen B. Edge, MD*

JoAnn Falletta*

Daniel Hart*

Jim Hettich

Mark Hodges †

William Keefer

Ronald Luczak

Alex Montante

Allan C. Ripley*

Casimiro D. Rodriguez, Sr.

Rev. Melody I. Rutherford

Diana Sachs †

Robin G. Schulze, Ph.D

Joseph Sedita

Sonny Sonnenstein

Karen Sperrazza

Christine Standish

David Stark

Angelo Fatta, Chair Emeritus

LIFE MEMBERS

Anthony Cassetta

Randall Odza

Edwin Polokoff

JOANN FALLETTA MUSIC DIRECTOR

Multiple Grammy Award-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta serves as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Music Director Laureate of the Virginia Symphony, Principal Guest Conductor of the Brevard Music Center, and Artistic Adviser of the Hawaii Symphony. Recently named as one of the 50 great conductors of all time by Gramophone Magazine and among the top 10 conductors today by David Hurwitz of ClassicsToday.com, she is hailed for her work as a conductor, recording artist, audience builder and champion of American composers.

Rev. Jonathan Staples

Stephen T. Swift

Henry Ward †

John Zak*

As Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Falletta became the first woman to lead a major American ensemble and has been credited with bringing the Philharmonic to an unprecedented level of national and international prominence. The Buffalo Philharmonic has become one of the leading recording orchestras for Naxos, with two Grammy Award-winning recordings.

In Summer 2022, Falletta made her Boston Symphony Orchestra debut at the Tanglewood Music Festival. International highlights for 2022-23 include concerts in Spain, Sweden, Germany, and Croatia. Her recent and upcoming North American guest conducting includes the National Symphony, and the orchestras of Baltimore, Detroit, Nashville, Indianapolis, Houston, Toronto, and Milwaukee. Internationally, she has conducted many of the most prominent orchestras in Europe, Asia, and South America. In the past year, she has led the National Symphony in two PBS televised specials for New Year’s Eve and the 50th Anniversary of the Kennedy Center.

*ex-officio † musician representatives

John N. Walsh III

Robert G. Weber

BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA FOUNDATION

BOARD

OF DIRECTORS

John J. Zak, Chair

Holly Hejmowski, Treasurer

Alexs Spellman, Secretary

Karen Arrison

Michael Munschauer

John Yurtchuk

With a discography of over 120 titles, JoAnn is a leading recording artist for Naxos. She has won two individual Grammy Awards, including the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance as Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic in the world premiere Naxos recording, Richard Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua, and the 2019 Grammy Award as Conductor of the London Symphony for Spiritualistby Kenneth Fuchs. Her Naxos recording of John Corigliano’s Mr.TambourineMan:Seven PoemsofBobDylan with the BPO received two Grammys in 2008 and her 2020 Naxos recording with the BPO of orchestral music of Florent Schmitt received the prestigious Diapason d’Or Award. Falletta is a member of the esteemed 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 150 world premieres. ASCAP has honored her as “a leading force for music of our time.” In 2019, JoAnn was named Performance Today’s first Classical Woman of The Year.

After earning her bachelor’s degree at Mannes, Falletta received master’s and doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School.

For more information, visit www.joannfalletta.com.

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR

A master of American musical style, John Morris Russell has devoted himself to redefining the American orchestral experience. He is in his seventh season as Principal Pops Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Russell made his debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in the fall of 2014, and later that season was named the third conductor to hold the position following in the footsteps of Doc Severinsen and Marvin Hamlisch. Mr. Russell’s concerts at the BPO reflect the diversity of American musical styles: from Classics to Jazz, Hollywood to Broadway, Country&Western to Rhythm&Blues. This season, Mr. Russell conducts Doo Wop, Broadway, and Holiday concerts.

Maestro Russell is also Conductor of the renowned Cincinnati Pops, one of the world’s most iconic and beloved pops orchestras. In his eleventh season, Mr. Russell leads sold-out performances at Cincinnati Music Hall, the Taft Theater, and Riverbend Music Center; additionally, he conducts the orchestra in concerts throughout the Greater Cincinnati region as well as domestic and international tours. Creator of the orchestra’s Classical Roots series, he also conducts the Pops family concert series and the annual USO Tribute Cincinnati Gala. The Cincinnati Pops recorded legacy continues under Mr. Russell’s leadership. He led the Cincinnati Pops on their first-ever Florida tour, and in 2017 he led the orchestra’s sixth tour to Asia including performances in Shanghai and Taipei.

For the last ten seasons, Mr. Russell has served as Music Director of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina, and conductor of the prestigious Hilton Head International Piano Competition. Under his leadership, the HHSO has enjoyed unprecedented artistic growth. Mr. Russell leads the orchestra in masterwork subscription concerts annually.

Between 2001-2012 Maestro Russell served as Music Director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, where he fostered a decade of unprecedented artistic growth. He led the WSO in seventeen national broadcasts on CBC Radio 2, and the orchestra’s first nationally televised production for the CBC series Opening Night, which received the orchestra’s first Gemini Award Nomination. Maestro Russell was named Conductor Laureate of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in 2012.

As a guest conductor, John Morris Russell has worked with many of North America’s most distinguished ensembles. He has served as Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony, Associate Conductor of the Savannah Symphony Orchestra, Director of the Orchestral Program at Vanderbilt University, and Music Director with the College Light Opera Company in Falmouth, Massachusetts. He received a Master of Music degree in conducting from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Williams College in Massachusetts. He has also studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, and the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors in Hancock, Maine.

FERNANDA LASTRA CONDUCTOR DIVERSITY FELLOW

Fernanda Lastra was born in Mar del Plata, Argentina. She is a passionate and creative conductor with an energetic personality which characterizes her artistic and leadership style.

In 2021, Fernanda was selected as a conducting fellow for the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music led by Mtro. Cristian Măcelaru. In 2019, she was a finalist for the Assistant Conductor position at the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, and in 2018 Fernanda was awarded First Prize for the conducting competition held by the Opera de Bauge, France.

Fernanda Lastra’s interests encompass a vast repertoire including symphonic, contemporary and opera works. She has served as assistant conductor in public opera performances, most recently the University of Iowa's 2019 production of Little Women by Mark Adamo.

Fernanda participated in masterclasses with esteemed maestri such as: Larry Rachleff, Marin Alsop, Donald Schleicher, Markand Thakar, Elizabeth Askren, Jac van Steen, Carlo Montanaro, Konstantinos Diminakis, Daizuke Soga, Luis Gorelik, Abel Rocha, Osvaldo Ferreira and Ariel Alonso.

Fernanda Lastra is a passionate advocate for Latin American composers, especially those from Argentina. In June 2020, she created Compositores.AR, a cycle of interviews with Argentinian composers in collaboration with the magazine MúsicaClasicaBA in Buenos Aires.

As a conductor-educator Fernanda served as principal conductor for the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra during 2016-2017, as professor of orchestral activities at El Sistema, Argentina, from 2008-2012 and as music faculty of La Plata University from 2005 to 2016. For four years Fernanda served as musical and artistic director of an instrumental training ensemble she founded in Argentina in 2013. Through this project she fostered community appreciation for classical music, with a broad repertoire and active participation in city festivals and cultural events.

Fernanda Lastra currently serves as Director of Orchestras at Augustana Collegein Rock Island, Illinois, where she leads the symphony and chamber orchestras. She also serves as Assistant Conductor for the University of Iowa symphony orchestra.

Fernanda earned two bachelor's degrees from La Plata University in orchestral and choral conducting, and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from Penn State University. She is trained in piano and viola. Fernanda is currently completing doctoral studies in orchestral conducting at The University of Iowa under the mentorship of Dr. William LaRue Jones, Prof. David Becker and Dr. Mélisse Brunet.

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, Renée 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; Karen Arrison, vice chair; Stephanie Simeon, secretary and treasurer; Cindy Abbott Letro; Peter Eliopoulos; Tania Werbizky; and city officials including Byron Brown, Mayor of the City of Buffalo, and David Rivera, Niagara District Council member.

JOANN FALLETTA, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Angelo and Carol Fatta Endowed Chair

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL, PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR

FERNANDA LASTRA, CONDUCTOR DIVERSITY FELLOW

FIRST VIOLIN

Nikki Chooi concertmaster

Amy Glidden assoc. concertmaster

LouisP.CiminelliFamily Foundation Endowed Chair

Ansgarius Aylward asst. concertmaster

Xiaofan Liu 2nd asst. concertmaster**

Douglas Cone

Deborah Greitzer

Diana Sachs

Alan Ross

Andrea Blanchard-Cone

Loren Silvertrust

Hee Sagong

SECOND VIOLIN

Antoine Lefebvre principal

Jacqueline Galluzzo assoc. principal

Richard Kay

Robert Prokes

Frances Morgante

Shieh-Jian Tsai

Iain Crampton**

Cindy Lin**

Nadejda Nigrin**

Mari Jones**

Jonathan Hwang**

VIOLA

Caroline Gilbert principal

Anna Shemetyeva assoc. principal

Matthew Phillips

Kate Holzemer

Natalie Piskorsky

Janz Castelo

Joshua Lohner

CELLO

Roman Mekinulov principal

Jane D. Baird Endowed Chair

Feng Hew assoc. principal

Nancy Anderson

Robert Hausmann 2

David Schmude

Amelie Fradette

Philo Lee

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 Bailey Davis principal

Linda Greene

Natalie Debikey Scanio

PICCOLO

Natalie Debikey Scanio

OBOE

Henry Ward principal

Joshua Lauretig

Anna Mattix

ENGLISH HORN

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

Doron Laznow

CONTRABASSOON (vacant)

FRENCH HORN

Jacek Muzyk principal

Kay Koessler Endowed Chair

Daniel Kerdelewicz assoc. principal

Sheryl Hadeka (L)

Joseph Alberico*

Jay Matthews

Daniel Sweeley

TRUMPET

Alex Jokipii principal

Geoffrey Hardcastle

Philip Christner

TROMBONE

Jonathan Lombardo1 principal

Timothy Smith

BASS TROMBONE

Filipe Pereira

TUBA

Seth Rawleigh principal

TIMPANI

Matthew Bassett principal

Dinesh Joseph assistant principal

PERCUSSION

Mark Hodges principal

Dinesh Joseph

HARP

Madeline Olson principal

MUSIC LIBRARY

Travis Hendra principal librarian

Erin Vander Wyst assistant librarian

STAGE MANAGERS

Charles Gill

Interim Master property person IATSE Local 10

1 Chair dedicated to the memory of Scott Parkinson

2 Chair dedicated to the memory of Maer Bunis

* One Year Appointment

** Temporary Appointment

(L) Leave of Absence

WELCOME TO THE ORCHESTRA’S NEWEST MEMBERS!

SETH RAWLEIGH, PRINCIPAL TUBA

Seth Rawleigh joined the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2022 after having spent nearly a decade living, studying, and performing in Switzerland. He moved to Switzerland to study tuba with Anne Jelle Visser at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). While at the ZHdK, he completed his Master of Music Performance: Orchestra and his Master of Music Specialized Performance: Solo. In the following years, he completed four additional performance certificates, also with Anne Jelle. During his time in Zurich, Seth completed two internships playing with the Bern Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of Biel Solothurn. Additionally, he worked regularly with many of the orchestras and operas in Switzerland while also performing often as a soloist and chamber musician. When possible, he returned to the U.S. to perform with orchestras such as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Before moving to Switzerland, Seth completed his bachelor’s degree with W. Craig Sutherland at Roberts Wesleyan College in 2013. While growing up in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, he studied with Matthew K. Brown and Jonathan R. Hinkson. Although he has lived in many different places, his father’s family is from Western New York, where many family members still reside – this makes living in Buffalo feel like returning home.

Notes from Seth

Favorite composer: Richard Wagner

Favorite orchestral piece: Wagner’s Lohengrin

Favorite music genre to listen to: No favorite genre – there are great works in most of them!

Tuba piece recommendation: Roland Szentpáli’s Tuba Concerto

PHILO LEE, CELLO

Known for his "sensitive use of dynamics and a rich, singing tone," Philo Lee has served as principal cellist in orchestras such as the Allentown Symphony, Delaware Symphony, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Currently, Philo performs as both a member of the BPO and the principal cellist of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra.

Some of Philo’s notable solo engagements include performances with the Adelphi Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, with which he performed Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations and cello concertos by Dvořák, Elgar, and Haydn. He has also performed many chamber works with friends and colleagues throughout the United States and Asia. As an educator, Philo enjoys teaching cellists of all age ranges and skill levels from young children to adults. In previous summers he has also served as a member of the cello faculty at ArtsAhimsa Music Festival.

Philo Lee holds degrees from the Yale School of Music, the Juilliard School, and the Manhattan School of Music. His past teachers include Brook Beazley Cyzewski, William Stokking, Ann Alton, Andre Emelianoff, Aldo Parisot, Natasha Brofsky, and Alan Stepansky.

Notes from Philo

Favorite composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Favorite orchestral piece: Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2

Favorite music genres to listen to: 90s/00s Pop, Rock, and Indie Cello piece recommendation: Dvořák’s “Silent Woods”

DORON LAZNOW, BASSOON JOSHUA LOHNER, VIOLA

Doron Laznow joined the BPO as Second Bassoonist in 2022. Doron has performed as a soloist, orchestral, and chamber music player on stages across North America, Europe, and Israel. He has played with numerous orchestras and ensembles including the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and the Israel Contemporary Players. He won the 2017 Aspen Music Festival Woodwind Competition, and the 2016 Kfar Saba Woodwind Competition.

Originally from Jerusalem, Israel, Doron received his Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he attended as a William Curtis Bok fellow. He received his Master of Music from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas, where he was awarded the Larry Slezak prize and the Mary Louise Embry Estill scholarship. Additionally, he received the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music Orchestral Excellence Award and the America-Israel Culture Foundation Excellency scholarship. Doron studied with Daniel Matsukawa, Benjamin Kamins, and Richard Paley. In his spare time, Doron enjoys hiking, reading, and exploring the city. He also has a passion for composing and arranging music.

Notes from Doron

Favorite composers: J.S. Bach, Mozart, R. Schumann and John Williams

Favorite orchestral pieces: Mozart’s Requiem and Stravinsky’s RiteofSpring

Favorite music genres to listen to: Besides Classical, I love Jazz and Rock! Bassoon piece recommendation: Saint-Saëns’ Sonata for Bassoon and Piano

Violist Joshua Lohner joined the BPO in 2022, and enjoys an active and multifaceted life as a performer. He has performed with various orchestras in New York and Pennsylvania, including the Rochester Philharmonic, the Harrisburg Symphony, and the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. Joshua holds a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah. His education also included a year of studying abroad at the Netherlands’ Rotterdam Conservatory.

As a chamber musician, Joshua is a founding member of the Maven Piano Quartet, and a former member of the Alloro String Quartet. He performs often, and has recorded with the Syracuse Society for New Music as a soloist and chamber musician. Originally from Utah, Joshua now calls Western New York home, and enjoys getting to know the natural landscape of the area – whether on a snowboard, skis, a kayak, or with his dog Hugo.

Notes from Joshua

Favorite composer: J.S. Bach

Favorite orchestral piece: Berlioz’s SymphonieFantastique

Favorite music genres to listen to: Classical and 90s Alternative Viola piece recommendation: Hindemith’s Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 11 No. 4

Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 7:30 PM

Sunday, March 5, 2023 at 2:30 PM

Classics Series

BEETHOVEN’S EIGHTH

Josep Caballé Domenech, conductor

Michelle Cann, piano

Fate Now Conquers

Piano Concerto in One Movement

Michelle Cann, piano

Burleske in D minor for Piano and Orchestra

Michelle Cann, piano

INTERMISSION

BEETHOVEN

Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93

I. Allegro vivace con brio

II. Allegretto scherzando

III. Tempo di menuetto

IV. Allegro vivace

Introducing Musician’s Nightcap! After Saturday’s concert, join members of the orchestra on the lower level for conversation and complimentary refreshments, hosted by BPO double bassist Jonathan Borden.

Patrons are asked to turn off all electronic devices. The use of cameras and recording devices is strictly prohibited.

CARLOS SIMON

PRICE R. STRAUSS

JOSEP CABALLÉ DOMENECH, GUEST CONDUCTOR MICHELLE CANN, PIANO

Josep Caballé Domenech is in his twelfth season as Music Director of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and has been Chief Conductor of the Moritzburg Festival Orchestra since 2018. He has also held the positions of General Director of the Halle Opera and Staatskapelle, Artistic Director of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Norköping Symphony.

As a guest conductor, Caballé Domenech has conducted a prominent list of orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Bayerischen Rundfunk, Bamberg Symphony, DSO Berlin, Czech Philharmonic, Tonkünstler Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, and the Symphony Orchestras of Baltimore, Houston, San Antonio, Tucson, and Fort Worth. In Spain he has conducted the National Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, RTVE Orchestra, Principado of Asturias Symphony Orchestra, and orchestras of Granada, Extremadura, Valencia, Navarra, Tenerife, and Galicia.

Renowned for his career in the operatic field, Caballé Domenech has led productions at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Staatsoper Berlin, Hamburg Staatsoper, Halle Opera, State Opera Stuttgart, Dresden Semperoper, Theater an der Wien, Volksoper in Vienna, Komische Oper in Berlin, Capitol du Toulouse, Theater Royal du Versailles, San Carlo di Napoli, ABAO-Bilbao Opera, Sao Carlos in Lisbon, Beijing National Opera, Teatro Mayor, and Teatro Colón in Bogotá.

Latest highlights include the Teatro Real’s concert with Bryn Terfel, a collaboration with Lang Lang and the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, a concert with Yo-Yo Ma at the 90th Anniversary of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, a benefit concert with the Moritzburg Festival Orchestra at the Berlin Philharmonie, and a concert at the Palau de la Música Barcelona for UNICEF.

His recent season includes concerts with the Dresdner Festspiel Orchestra, Moritzburg Festival Orchestra, Niederrheinischer Symphoniker, Philharmonisches Orchester der Hansestadt Lübeck, Memphis and Portland Symphonies, Principado of Asturias Symphony Orchestra, RTVE, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Sczcezin Philharmonic Orchestra, Dortmunder Philharmoniker, and performances of Carmen in Puerto Rico and Ariadne auf Naxos in Bogotá.

Lauded as “technically fearless with...an enormous, rich sound” (LaScena Musicale), pianist Michelle Cann made her orchestral debut at age fourteen and has since performed as a soloist with prominent orchestras such as the Atlanta and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Ms. Cann’s 2022-23 season includes an appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, return engagements with the Cincinnati and New Jersey symphonies, and debut performances with the Baltimore, National, New World, Seattle, and Utah symphonies. She makes her debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Youth Symphony and performs recitals in New Orleans, Little Rock, Sarasota, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.

A champion of the music of Florence Price, Ms. Cann performed the New York City premiere of the composer’s Piano Concerto in One Movement with The Dream Unfinished Orchestra in July 2016 and the Philadelphia premiere with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Yannick NézetSéguin in February 2021, which the PhiladelphiaInquirer called “exquisite.” She has also performed Price’s works for solo piano and chamber ensemble for prestigious presenters such as Caramoor, Chamber Music Detroit, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, San Francisco Performances, and Washington Performing Arts.

Ms. Cann is the recipient of the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, and the 2022 Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award. Embracing a dual role as performer and pedagogue, Ms. Cann frequently teaches master classes and leads residencies. She has served on the juries of the Cleveland International Piano Competition and at the Music Academy of the West. She has also appeared as co-host and collaborative pianist with NPR’s FromTheTop. Ms. Cann studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music, where she serves on the piano faculty as the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Buffalo Philharmonic welcomes our guest conductor, Josep Caballé Domenech, in his Buffalo debut. The Maestro brings a collection of wonderful works, from favorites like Beethoven's high-spirited Symphony No. 8 and Strauss’ Burleske, to intriguing new discoveries by Carlos Simon and Florence Price. Michelle Cann is our dazzling soloist in the Price and Strauss. Welcome, Josep and Michelle!

PROGRAM NOTES

Carlos Simon (American; b. 1986)

FateNowConquers

Composed 2020; Duration: 5 minutes

First performance of this work by the BPO. Atlanta native Carlos Simon is Composer in Residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and is celebrated for his personal brand of neo-romanticism, informed by gospel and jazz. Regarding his 2020 work FateNowConquers, Simon has written the following:

“Using the beautifully fluid harmonic structure of the 2nd movement of Beethoven’s 7th symphony, I have composed musical gestures that are representative of the unpredictable ways of fate. Jolting stabs coupled with an agitated groove with every persona. Frenzied arpeggios in the strings that morph into an ambiguous cloud of free-flowing running passages depicts the uncertainty of life that hovers over us.

We know that Beethoven strived to overcome many obstacles in his life and documented his aspirations to prevail, despite his ailments. Whatever the specific reason for including this particularly profound passage from the Iliad, in the end, it seems that Beethoven relinquished to fate. Fate now conquers.”

Florence Price (American; 1887-1953)

Piano Concerto in One Movement

Composed 1934; Duration: 18 minutes

First performance of this work by the BPO. In 1934, Florence Price was at the keyboard premiering her Piano Concerto in One Movement. She began her journey some thirty years earlier—remarkable for a young African American woman of fourteen years—traveling from her Little Rock, Arkansas home to Boston, where she studied piano at the New England Conservatory. Composition professors took her under their wing, and she launched a groundbreaking career that would produce over 300 works.

She returned to Arkansas and married an attorney, but the dangers of the Jim Crow South led the two to move their family to Chicago, where she studied, taught, and composed, making her a key figure in the Chicago Black Renaissance. The couple’s split caused financial hardships for Price, but persistence led to her first symphony’s inclusion on a Chicago Symphony program devoted to Black music as part of the 1933 World’s Fair. This was the first performance of a symphony composed by an African American woman by a major orchestra.

Immediately following was a concert wholly devoted to Price’s music, in which she performed her new piano concerto. A repeat performance was given soon after by her friend and student Margaret Bonds. The work—and the original score—was lost to time until the Center for Black Music Research funded composer Trevor Weston’s efforts to combine early manuscripts for a faithful orchestration and repremiere in 2011.

Although the work is titled “Concerto in One Movement”, it is composed in three distinct sections. Price’s writing style harnesses a late Romantic harmonic language with a distinctly American perspective in its use of spiritual, gospel, and blues-inspired melodies. The dramatic moderato opens with call and response melodies in the winds, interrupted by a boldly chromatic cadenza. The haunting adagio bears the influence of jazz. The finale draws from the “Juba Dance,” which was performed by enslaved people in America’s plantations for centuries, and is notable for its um-pa bass, syncopated rhythms, stomping, and clapping.

Richard Strauss (German; 1864-1949)

Burleske in D minor for Piano and Orchestra

Composed 1886; Duration: 19 minutes

First BPO performance: October 20-21, 1984 (Lee Luvisi, piano; Julius Rudel, conductor)

Last BPO performance: December 1-2, 2001 (Emmanuel Ax, piano; JoAnn Falletta, conductor)

As a 21-year-old, Strauss was still influenced by his father Franz, a horn player with conservative music tastes. Strauss also maintained loyalty to his mentor, pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow, who had appointed him his assistant conduc-

tor at the Meiningen Court Orchestra. A reverence for conservative classicism epitomized by Brahms was prioritized by Strauss’ influencers, but he was forwardthinking and would soon find himself breaking from tradition and leading the vanguard of music.

Although Strauss would be a futurist in the model of Wagner and Liszt, his father’s shadow and his mentor’s preferences moderated his temperament. His progressive vision would be unleashed with the 1889 futuristic Don Juan, but his early works retained a Brahmsian influence, as with his ScherzoinDminor, composed for von Bülow. While the single-movement work was composed in a classically structured Sonata-Allegro form and opened with Brahms-inspired melodic writing, it veers toward an angularity that von Bülow thought unplayable nonsense.

Strauss was considerate of his mentor’s opinion, setting the work aside for four years. By the time he was ready to revisit it for its 1890 premiere, DonJuan had made waves two years earlier. Strauss retitled the work Burleske in keeping with his brand as a modern tone poem composer, and incorporated some revisions at the suggestion of a new performer and dedicatee, Eugen d’Albert, who premiered the work alongside Strauss’ groundbreaking Death andTransfiguration.

Ludwig van Beethoven (German; 1770-1827)

Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93

I. Allegro vivace con brio

II. Allegretto scherzando

III. Tempo di menuetto

IV. Allegro vivace

Composed 1812; Duration: 27 minutes

First BPO performance: November 16, 1948 (William Steinberg, conductor)

Last BPO performance: November 13-14, 2009 (JoAnn Falletta, conductor)

Beethoven’s monumental symphonic achievements paint him as a stern character obsessed with fate, consumed with world affairs, and debilitated by an encroaching deafness. But to isolate from his portfolio the heroic Third, fateful Fifth, sweeping Seventh, and colossal Ninth is to disregard Beethoven’s humanity. The overlooked Fourth is elegant and sunny, whereas the “Pastoral” Sixth is a comforting idyll. Beethoven’s disgust at Napoleon’s aggressive imperialism is well-documented, and the Seventh came in 1812 as Napoleon prepared his armies for the Russian campaign. That symphony is thought to have exposed his feelings on Napoleon. Vast and energetic, it was his most progressive symphony to date.

He set forth on the Eighth almost immediately after the Seventh. The work’s brevity and humor acted for Beethoven as something of a palate cleanser, but puzzled critics and colleagues who expected a bolder sequel. Beethoven adored both works, but one anecdote provides insight: his student Carl Czerny famously asked why it wasn’t liked as much as the Seventh, to which Beethoven replied, “because it is so much better.” The work stands out as a testament to the composer’s too-often overlooked wit and levity, and adds nuance to our understanding of Beethoven.

Out of the gate, the first movement alternates between bombast and quietude. The zooming triple meter offers flowing melodies and off-kilter rhythms. Beethoven’s iconic motivic manipulation is on display in the moody development

that reaches a zenith upon a return to the opening. The movement’s brashness is betrayed in the extensive coda that ends with a wink.

The scherzando is canonically believed to be a wistful jest of the newly introduced metronome by his brief business partner Johann Maelzel. The consistent staccato rhythms with clever diversions that berate or ignore the infuriating device add color to the story, but the movement may also have been a parody of his beloved mentor Haydn’s “Clock” Symphony.

The symphony omits a slow movement altogether and proceeds to a minuet, which had otherwise lost popularity in favor of his scherzo third movements. Its inclusion is an homage to the past, but its heavy-footed accents and trumpet and timpani calls add some silliness to the form. The lyrical trio is not without jest for its odd orchestration: the bass section plucks away as horns duet with an unusually high clarinet.

The lengthy finale is an energetic affair experimenting with bold contrasts. The quiet opening becomes brash and uncontrolled, but abrupt mood and key changes dislodge the movement in surprising ways. It should not go unnoticed that the timpani is innovatively tuned in octaves cleverly paired with a bassoon. The coda is recognized for its genius – not just for its length. The intrusive C# that has been recurring throughout the movement returns as a pivot to a domineering F# minor, then an unprepared return to the triumphant F major. The conclusion of the symphony is a reiteration of the F major tonic with repeated blows, verging on the absurd, achieving a joyous triumph.

Chaz Stuart, 2023

Friday, March 10, 2023 at 7:30 PM

BPO Rock Presented By JEFFERSON STARSHIP

Tim Berens, conductor Jefferson Starship

arr. Tim Berens

Volunteers Fanfare

Ride The Tiger

Find Your Way Back Count On Me

Lather

What Are We Waiting For?

Miracles

INTERMISSION

Fast Buck Freddie

Today

Let's Get Together

Solo Piece

White Rabbit Solo Piece

Jane Somebody To Love

Patrons are asked to turn off all electronic devices. The use of cameras and recording devices is strictly prohibited.

JEFFERSON STARSHIP

Jefferson Starship rose from the ashes of another legendary San Francisco band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Jefferson Airplane. Founder Paul Kantner knew that combining powerful creative forces, personalities, and talents could create something far greater than the sum of its parts. Between 1974 and 1984, Jefferson Starship released eight gold and platinum albums and twenty hit singles, sold out concerts worldwide, and lived out legendary rock and roll escapades. Kantner said, "Jefferson Starship was my creation...and it has this nice fluidity about it that allows any number of people to come in and do things with whatever Jefferson Starship is."

Today's Jefferson Starship remains dedicated to breathing new life into the living catalog of the Jeffersonian legacy: going to the edge, pushing the sonic boundaries, and staying true to the original spirit of the music. The band features original and historic members David Freiberg (also a founder of San Francisco luminary band, Quicksilver Messenger Service) and drummer Donny Baldwin, along with longtime members Chris Smith on keyboards and synth bass, Jude Gold on lead guitar, and GRAMMY® Nominee Cathy Richardson anchoring the female lead vocal spot made famous by the inimitable Grace Slick (who invited her to sing in her place as Jefferson Airplane accepted their Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 GRAMMY® Merit Awards Concert).

The band keeps a hectic touring schedule bolstered by several recent TV appearances including “My Music: 60s Pop, Rock and Soul” on PBS, and “Live with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra” on AXS Network. The Freiberg-penned 1979 hit “Jane” is the theme song for the Netflix original series, “Wet, Hot American Summer”. In 2014-15, the band played a series of free concerts for American veterans and was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the US Department of Defense. Jefferson Starship has traveled the world playing in 20 countries across the globe over the last several years. The music that defined a generation and spanned decades is alive and well and more relevant than ever in pop culture – songs such as “Volunteers,” “White Rabbit,” “Wooden Ships,” “Somebody to Love,” “Today, Miracles,” “Count on Me,” “Fast Buck Freddie,” “Jane,” and “Find Your Way Back” continue to reverberate throughout the collective consciousness today.

TIM BERENS, GUEST CONDUCTOR

A veteran of the orchestral pops world with more than 35 years of playing and arranging professionally, Tim Berens began his career as the guitarist for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. In the 1990s, he began arranging for the Cincinnati Pops. Soon, his arrangements caught the ears of others and he received commissions from artists, conductors, and orchestras across the country.

Tim’s arrangements are performed hundreds of times per year in venues from The Kennedy Center to the Hollywood Bowl, have been recorded on many CDs and television specials, and are regularly streamed online. As of January 1, 2023, he has written 325+ arrangements for orchestra, and his works have been performed on four continents.

Tim’s education includes a Bachelor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance from CCM, and a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from OSU. Tim was the guitarist for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra from 1983 until 2021, playing thousands of services including CD recordings, television shows, tours, and concerts.

Tim's most nerve-wracking performance took place in 1974. Not even the duet he performed with Kristin Chenoweth center stage at Carnegie Hall induced more gut-wrenching performance anxiety than when his band, Holy Terror, performed SmokeontheWaterin the 1974 Van Buren Junior High School Talent Show.

The Berens Pops Library was founded to publish Tim’s pops arrangements and compositions. Tim is an avid chess player, a good husband, a bad golfer, and can repair his own lawnmower.

Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 7:30 PM

BPO Pops Series POPS GOES TOTALLY 80S

Stuart Chafetz, conductor

Nicole Parker, vocals

Aaron Finley, vocals

ProgramToBeAnnouncedFromTheStage

This evening’s performance and post-party are presented by This evening’s guest artists are sponsored by

Patrons are asked to turn off all electronic devices. The use of cameras and recording devices is strictly prohibited.

STUART CHAFETZ, GUEST CONDUCTOR

Stuart Chafetz is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Columbus Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor of the Chautauqua and Marin Symphonies. Chafetz, a conductor celebrated for his dynamic and engaging podium presence, is increasingly in demand with orchestras across the continent, and takes the podium this season for appearances in Detroit, Fort Worth, Naples, Buffalo, North Carolina, and Seattle. He enjoys a special relationship with The Phoenix Symphony where he leads multiple programs annually.

Chafetz has had the privilege to work with renowned artists including Leslie Odom, Jr., En Vogue, Kenny G, David Foster and Catherine McPhee, The O'Jays, Chris Botti, 2 Cellos, Hanson, Rick Springfield, Michael Bolton, Kool & The Gang, Jefferson Starship, America, Little River Band, Brian McKnight, Roberta Flack, George Benson, Richard Chamberlain, The Chieftains, Jennifer Holliday, John Denver, Marvin Hamlisch, Thomas Hampson, Wynonna Judd, Jim Nabors, Randy Newman, Jon Kimura Parker and Bernadette Peters.

He previously held posts as Resident Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Associate Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. As principal timpanist of the Honolulu Symphony for twenty years, Chafetz would also conduct the annual Nutcracker performances with Ballet Hawaii and principals from the American Ballet Theatre. It was during that time that Chafetz led numerous concerts with the Maui Symphony and Pops. He has led numerous Spring Ballet productions at the world-renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

When not on the podium, Chafetz makes his home near San Francisco, CA, with his wife Ann Krinitsky. Chafetz holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music.

NICOLE PARKER, VOCALS

Nicole Parker is best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the Broadway production and National Tour of Wicked. Nicole’s other Broadway credits include Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me and The People in the Picture with Donna Murphy. Regionally, Nicole played Juliet in The SecondCity'sRomeoandJulietMusicalat Chicago Shakespeare Theater, for which she received a Jeff Award nomination. She also appeared as Rosemary in How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying at Reprise Theater, and Pamina in TheMagicFlute at the Falcon Theater. For six years, Nicole was also a cast member and contributing writer on Fox's MADtv. For two years, Nicole was a performer and writer for Boom Chicago, an all American sketch and improvisation theater in Amsterdam. Nicole’s film credits include Funny People, as well as the short films Weathered and SittingBabies. This year she was featured as a guest star on the mock game show Bunkon IFC, as well as on ABC in Trust Us With Your Life, an improvisation show from the creators of Whose Line Is It Anyway? She is also a founding member of Waterwell, a non-profit theater company in New York.

A frequent soloist with orchestras around the country, recent and upcoming performances include The Philly Pops, Houston Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, Pueblo Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Sarasota Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, North Carolina Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Hamilton Philharmonic, and Fresno Philharmonic.

AARON FINLEY, VOCALS

Born and raised in Montana, Aaron C. Finley’s career has spanned from coast to coast as a professional actor and singer. Educated at Pacific Lutheran University in Seattle, he quickly became a top-tier talent in the Pacific Northwest, appearing in productions of Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus/Judas), Rent (Roger), Fiddler on the Roof (Perchik), Hairspray (Link Larkin), It Shoulda Been You (Greg Madison) and TheGypsyKing (Drago). Among his other regional roles, Aaron originated the role of Billy in the new musical Diner, based on the Barry Levinson film, with music and lyrics by Sheryl Crow and direction by Kathleen Marshall.

Aaron made his Broadway debut in 2013, starring as Drew Boley in Rock of Ages. In 2015, he took over the role of leading man Brian Howard in It Shoulda Been You, directed by David Hyde Pierce. Among his other work in New York, he participated in a lab production of George Takei’s new musical, Allegiance. In the fall of 2016, Aaron took over the role of Charlie Price in KinkyBoots. He has been performing programs celebrating the music of the 1980s and the hits of Phil Collins across North America. Currently, Aaron can be seen in the smash hit MoulinRouge on Broadway.

Aaron loves mountain biking, skiing, golf, basketball, and all things outdoors. He currently resides in Montclair, NJ with his family.

Friday, March 17, 2023 at 10:30 AM

Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 7:30 PM

Classics Series

MENDELSSOHN’S VIOLIN

JoAnn Falletta, conductor

Sandy Cameron, violin

KODÁLY MENDELSSOHN

Dances of Galánta

Concerto in E minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 64

I. Allegro molto appassionato

II. Andante

III. Allegretto non troppo

- Allegro molto vivace

Sandy Cameron, violin

INTERMISSION

DVOŘÁK

Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70

I. Allegro maestoso

II. Poco adagio

III. Scherzo: Vivace

IV. Finale: Allegro

Learn about this program from the conductor and guest artist at Musically Speaking, one hour prior to the start of Saturday’s concert.

Patrons are asked to turn off all electronic devices. The use of cameras and recording devices is strictly prohibited.

The Coffee Concert Series is presented by

SANDY CAMERON, VIOLIN

Declared “brilliant” by the Washington Post, violinist Sandy Cameron is one of the most strikingly unique artists of her generation. Since her debut at the age of 12 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, Ms. Cameron has performed extensively as a soloist throughout the world.

Ms. Cameron has been recognized on stages worldwide and in a variety of settings. The White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Adelaide Festival of the Arts in Australia are among of a number of unique performance experiences Ms. Cameron has had. She has appeared at venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany, and the Sydney Opera House. Ms. Cameron has collaborated with numerous orchestras, including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Kirov Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Virginia Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, and the Tokyo Philharmonic.

The most noteworthy and truly rewarding experience in Ms. Cameron’s career as a concert soloist is her performance of Danny Elfman's Violin Concerto, "Eleven Eleven". Mr. Elfman wrote this concerto for Ms. Cameron, and she had the great pleasure and honor of presenting the world premiere with conductor John Mauceri at the Prague Proms in June 2017. It was received with great success, and Ms. Cameron continues to enjoy performing the piece for audiences worldwide. Other special stage appearances include her partnership with Marco Beltrami on Bach by Beltrami, as well as performances for Cirque du Soleil, Tan Dun’s Martial Arts Trilogy, and Danny Elfman's Music from the Films of Tim Burton. Ms. Cameron is also featured in performances with renowned jazz trumpeter-composer Chris Botti, with whom she has toured globally. Additionally, Ms. Cameron has written and performed her own musical arrangements for a number of productions at the Hollywood Bowl, including Disney's The Nightmare Before Christmas Live in Concert, Disney's The Little Mermaid Live in Concert, WillyWonkaandtheChocolateFactoryLiveinConcert, and Disney’s BeautyandtheBeastLiveinConcert.

Versatile in her abilities as an artist, Ms. Cameron also enjoys musical engagements off the stage. In 2018, she recorded the Elfman Violin Concerto with Maestro Mauceri and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, now available on Sony Classical. Recently, she was featured as a soloist on John Powell’s score for the film, Call of the Wild, and Bear McCreary’s score for the film, The Professor and The Madman. Ms. Cameron can also be heard on soundtracks to Cirque Du Soleil’s IRIS, the video games Call of Duty: Vanguard and Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, the History Channel’s Houdini, and more.

The outstanding violin used by Ms. Cameron, crafted by Pietro Guarnerius of Venice, c. 1735, is on extended loan through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society® of Chicago.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

This week the BPO presents three romantic jewels, from three very different places. Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 is the composer's loving portrait of his Czech homeland, brimming with dance rhythms and folk melodies – considered by many to be his ultimate symphonic masterpiece. Mendelssohn's perfect violin concerto is a sweet breeze of early Romantic fragrance, and will be brilliantly played by soloist Sandy Cameron. Our opening Kodály work brings out a unique sound from the orchestra, as the composer recreates the Romani band from his Hungarian hometown. After the concerts the musicians will pack up their instruments and head down to Florida to play this beautiful program in Sarasota and Vero Beach!

PROGRAM NOTES

Zoltán Kodály (Hungarian; 1882-1967)

DancesofGalánta

Composed 1933; Duration: 15 minutes

First BPO performance: April 28-29, 1989 (Richard Buckley, conductor)

Last BPO performance: April 21-22, 2017 (JoAnn Falletta, conductor)

In a Hungarian tradition dating to the 18th century, the verbunkos was a dance characterized by a two-part form, beginning slow, then moving to an impressive fast section with syncopated and dotted rhythms. Zoltán Kodály, whose name is often associated with the music education method of his invention, began his career traveling to remote Eastern European villages with Béla Bartók to record and study folk music. This pioneering approach to ethnomusicology led him to incorporate these idioms into the music of the concert hall with such works as his 1933 Dances of Galánta.

Originally used as a military recruiting tool, the verbunkos style was popularized by the Romani people of the Galanta region of Slovakia, where Kodály lived for a time. Composed in five sections, Dances of Galánta honors the verbunkos with a slow opening featuring a Roma-influenced im-

provisatory clarinet cadenza, followed by a stately militant response from the strings. Pastoral woodwind melodies alternate with vigorous dancing music with impressive streams of notes. Commissioned by the Budapest Philharmonic Society, Kodály synthesized his field research with publications of Romani music dating to the early 1800s, from which the composer sourced many of the melodies for his new work.

Felix Mendelssohn

(German; 1809-1847)

Concerto in E minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 64

I. Allegro molto appassionato

II. Andante

III. Allegretto non troppo

– Allegro molto vivace

Composed 1845; Duration: 27 minutes

First BPO performance: January 23, 1945 (Mischa Elman, violin; Franco Autori, conductor)

Last BPO performance: December 2-3, 2017 (Arnaud Sussmann, violin; André Raphel, conductor)

Born in 1809 to a prominent Hamburg banking family, Felix Mendelssohn was

given access to the best musical education available beginning at a young age. Throughout his formative years, he had access to numerous resources, and while he excelled as a pianist, the transition to composition and conducting was easy. His myriad international connections facilitated a constantly busy schedule, and in 1835 he took a position as the music director of Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Orchestra, a position he held until his death twelve years later.

As a conductor, Mendelssohn did not disdain the innovation of his peers, happily programming their music; but as a composer, his musical outlook was largely reverential to the past. Not often associated with the vanguard of progress, he pursued subtle innovations, cementing his legacy with Romantic-era workhorses like his E minor Violin Concerto he composed in collaboration with the Gewandhaus Orchestra’s concertmaster, Ferdinand David.

David was appointed as the lead violinist upon Mendelssohn’s arrival to Leipzig’s top orchestra, as their friendship dated back to childhood. The new concerto was conceived in 1838, but Mendelssohn’s oppressive schedule dragged the project on for six years, during which time the two communicated frequently, with David providing expansive valuable technical feedback to the composer.

For years, Mendelssohn was haunted by a melody that finally made its way into the opening movement of his concerto. Peculiar in its abandonment of the traditional orchestral introduction, the work begins with the soloist immediately introducing the opening Allegro’s theme, but the orchestra takes over after the violin deviates with brutally difficult exposed passages. A contrasting G major theme calms the waters, but only briefly. A complex develop-

ment leads to a grand cadenza, followed by an orchestral Presto.

The three movements of the concerto are connected without breaks, and the opening movement concludes with a sustained pitch in the bassoon that leads to a songlike Andante. The serene C major theme is juxtaposed by an A minor middle section where the soloist is called upon to provide an undulating accompaniment and melody simultaneously. After an ornamented return to C major, a brief minor-keyed Allegretto diversion leads to the finale. As the brass announce the arrival of the A major finale, the soloist playfully interjects, and finally presents the high-spirited theme that is spun throughout the finale. The violinist fills the movement with spritely exuberance, defying the minor-keyed opening until the final E major chord.

Mendelssohn had completed an earlier Violin Concerto in D minor when he was only 14, but it was not performed until 1952. Ferdinand David was gifted this manuscript upon Mendelssohn’s death, only two years after David had premiered the E minor concerto in 1845. The collaborative relationship between performer and composer produced a reliably steadfast work, beloved by audiences and performers beyond its premiere.

Antonín Dvořák (Czech; 1841-1904)

Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70

I. Allegro maestoso

II. Poco adagio

III. Scherzo: Vivace

IV. Finale: Allegro

Composed 1885; Duration: 38 minutes

First BPO performance: January 12 & 14, 1969 (Walter Susskind, conductor)

Last BPO performance: December 3-4, 2016 (Krzysztof Penderecki, conductor)

Dvořák was a struggling, provincial Czech composer when his 1877 submission to the Austrian Prize caught the attention of Johannes Brahms, who would help his career by opening doors to performers and publishers. The appeal of Dvořák’s music was the collision of his strong sense of Western—even Brahmsian—technique and idiom, while incorporating a distinctly patriotic Czech musical voice. Neither foreign nor cliché, audiences appreciated his effective brand of nationalism. His flourishing career would take him to America, but in the 1880s he was especially beloved by British audiences, leading the London Philharmonic Society to commission him for a new symphony.

Political turmoil and ethnic tensions faced by the Czechs was distant and irrelevant for British audiences, but the affliction of Austro-Hungarian rule was a very real barrier for Dvořák and his fellow Czech nationals. The aspirational democratic movement spurred by the French Revolution took hold when an 1879 election gave power to culturally Czech peoples who were otherwise relegated to secondclass status. The first theme of his new symphony was inspired by the patriotism of his fellow countrymen, when a train carried Czechs from Hungary to Prague for a concert and political demonstration.

Dvořák experienced a degree of racism when the premiere of his Sixth Symphony had to be moved from Vienna to Prague, and again after the successful London premiere of his Seventh Symphony, when his German publisher attempted to underpay

him and insisted his Germanized name, Anton, be printed on the score. Ultimately Dvořák won out, both with his publisher and in history, as the Seventh is celebrated as one of the most celebrated symphonic achievements.

The symphony emerges from a grim quiet as low strings present the ominous first theme, which flows into a punctuative motif that returns sometimes questioning, other times declarative. In contrast, a second theme is pastoral and comforting. The movement jostles between bucolic ambiance and diabolical fervor until the energy is spent and only melodic fragments remain.

The recent death of his mother inspired the elegiac poise of the second movement. The nostalgically folksy chorale opening morphs into a lyrical outpouring, colored by moments of internalized sorrow and dramatic outbursts.

The scherzo is Czech through and through, recalling his gripping Slavonic Dances. The buoyant dance is carried by punchy rhythms and a stern melody. The trio is characteristically pastoral, picturesquely adorned with birdsong and horn calls.

The aggressive finale is a masterpiece in symphonic drama, opening on a mysterious scene and growing with exotic melodies. Clever diversions offer inviting respites with changes in textural and tonal scenery, but the march toward a brutal climax is met with a galloping build of momentum, culminating in victoriously majorkeyed sonorities.

Chaz Stuart, 2023

Friday, March 24, 2023 at 7:30 PM

JOHN WILLIAMS, COMPOSER

John Williams

Star Wars Film Concert Series

StarWars:TheEmpireStrikesBack

Feature Film with Orchestra

Starring

Mark Hamill

Harrison Ford

Carrie Fisher

Billy Dee Williams

Anthony Daniels

Co-Starring

David Prowse as Darth Vader

Kenny Baker as R2-D2

Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca

Frank Oz as Yoda

Directed by Irvin Kershner

Produced by Gary Kurtz

Screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan

Story by George Lucas

Executive Producer

George Lucas

Music by John Williams

THERE WILL BE ONE INTERMISSION

Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts in association with 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm Ltd., and Warner/Chappell Music. All rights reserved.

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack available at Disneymusicemporium.com

Patrons are asked to turn off all electronic devices. The use of cameras and recording devices is strictly prohibited.

In a career spanning more than six decades, John Williams has become one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and for the concert stage. He has served as music director and laureate conductor of one of the country’s treasured musical institutions, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and he maintains thriving artistic relationships with many of the world’s great orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mr. Williams has received a variety of prestigious awards, including the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Olympic Order, and numerous Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. He remains one of our nation’s most distinguished and contributive musical voices.

Mr. Williams has composed the music and served as music director for more than one hundred films. His nearly 50-year artistic partnership with director Steven Spielberg has resulted in many of Hollywood’s most acclaimed and successful films, including Schindler’s List, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones films, Saving Private Ryan, Amistad, Munich, Hook, Catch Me If You Can, Minority Report, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Empire of the Sun, The Adventures of TinTin, War Horse, The BFG and Lincoln. Their latest collaboration, The Post, was released in December of 2017. Mr. Williams composed the scores for all nine Star Wars films, the first three Harry Potter films, Superman, JFK, BornontheFourthofJuly, Memoirs of a Geisha, FarandAway, The Accidental Tourist, Home Alone, Nixon, The Patriot, Angela’s Ashes, Seven Years in Tibet, The Witches of Eastwick, Rosewood, Sleepers, Sabrina, Presumed Innocent, The Cowboys, The Reivers and Goodbye, Mr. Chips among many others. He has worked with many legendary directors, including Alfred Hitchcock, William Wyler and Robert Altman. In 1971, he adapted the score for the film version of Fiddler on the Roof, for which he composed original violin cadenzas for renowned virtuoso Isaac Stern. He has appeared on recordings as pianist and conductor with Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Jessye Norman, and others. Mr. Williams has received five Academy Awards and fifty-two Oscar nominations, making him the Academy’s most-nominated living person and the second-most nominated person in the history of the Oscars. His most recent nomination was for the film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He also has received seven British Academy Awards (BAFTA), twenty-five Grammys, four Golden Globes, five Emmys, and numerous gold and platinum records.

Born and raised in New York, Mr. Williams moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1948, where he studied composition with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. After service in the Air Force, he returned to New York to attend the Juilliard School, where he studied piano with Madame Rosina Lhevinne. While in New York, he also worked as a jazz pianist in nightclubs. He returned to Los Angeles and began his career in the film industry, working with a number of accomplished composers including Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Newman, and Franz Waxman. He went on to write music for more than 200 television films for the groundbreaking, early anthology series Alcoa Theatre, Kraft Television Theatre, Chrysler Theatre and Playhouse 90. His more recent contributions to television music include the well-known theme for NBC Nightly News (“The Mission”), the theme for what has become network television’s longestrunning series, NBC’s Meet the Press, and a new theme for the prestigious PBS arts showcase Great Performances.

In addition to his activity in film and television, Mr. Williams has composed numerous works for the concert stage, among them two symphonies, and concertos for flute, violin, clarinet, viola, oboe and tuba. His cello concerto was commissioned by the Boston Symphony

Ron Spigelman, conductor

Orchestra and premiered by Yo-Yo Ma at Tanglewood in 1994. Mr. Williams also has filled commissions by several of the world’s leading orchestras, including a bassoon concerto for the New York Philharmonic entitled “The Five Sacred Trees,” a trumpet concerto for the Cleveland Orchestra, and a horn concerto for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. “Seven for Luck”, a seven-piece song cycle for soprano and orchestra based on the texts of former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove, was premiered by the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood in 1998. At the opening concert of their 2009/2010 season, James Levine led the Boston Symphony in the premiere of Mr. Williams’ “On Willows and Birches,” a new concerto for harp and orchestra.

In January 1980, Mr. Williams was named nineteenth music director of the Boston Pops Orchestra, succeeding the legendary Arthur Fiedler. He currently holds the title of Boston Pops Laureate Conductor which he assumed following his retirement in December 1993, after fourteen highly successful seasons. He also holds the title of Artist-in-Residence at Tanglewood.

One of America’s best known and most distinctive artistic voices, Mr. Williams has composed music for many important cultural and commemorative events. “Liberty Fanfare” was composed for the rededication of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. “American Journey,” written to celebrate the new millennium and to accompany the retrospective film The Unfinished Journey by director Steven Spielberg, was premiered at the “America’s Millennium” concert in Washington, D.C. on New Year’s Eve, 1999. His orchestral work “Soundings” was performed at the celebratory opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. In the world of sport, he has contributed musical themes for the 1984, 1988, and 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, and the 1987 International Summer Games of the Special Olympics. In 2006, Mr. Williams composed the theme for NBC’s presentation of SundayNightFootball

Mr. Williams holds honorary degrees from twenty-two American universities, including Harvard University, The Juilliard School, Boston College, Northeastern University, Tufts University, Boston University, the New England Conservatory of Music, the University of Massachusetts at Boston, The Eastman School of Music, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the University of Southern California. He is a recipient of the 2009 National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States Government. In 2020, Mr. Williams received Spain’s prestigious Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts, as well as the Gold Medal from the Royal Philharmonic Society in the UK. In 2016, he received the 44th Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute – the first composer in history to receive this honor. In 2003, he received the Olympic Order, the IOC’s highest honor, for his contributions to the Olympic movement. He served as the Grand Marshal of the 2004 Rose Parade in Pasadena and was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in December of that year. Mr. Williams was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2009, and in January of that same year he composed and arranged “Air and Simple Gifts” especially for the first inaugural ceremony of President Barack Obama. In 2018, he received the Trustees Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

(January 27, 2020)

RON SPIGELMAN, GUEST CONDUCTOR

A native of Australia, conductor Ron Spigelman is an honors graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London. He was Associate Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra from 2001-2004, and before that with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. He has been Music Director of the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, the San Angelo Symphony, the Texas Chamber Orchestra, Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MO) and the Lake Placid Sinfonietta (NY), where he is now Conductor Emeritus. He is currently Pops Conductor of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as guest conductor with many orchestras in the U.S. including the Dallas, St. Louis, San Antonio, Phoenix, Virginia and North Carolina Symphonies, the Louisiana, Rochester, and Naples Philharmonics, and in Australia, the Adelaide, Queensland, West Australian and Sydney Symphony Orchestras as well as the West Australian Opera and the Australian Youth Orchestra.

A champion of new music, he has conducted over 30 world premieres. He was James Conlon’s assistant conductor at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition four times. Guest artists he has accompanied include Horacio Gutierrez, Sharon Isbin, Rachel Barton Pine, and Richard Stoltzman, in addition to Pops artists including Marvin Hamlisch, Peter Paul and Mary, James Taylor, Audra McDonald, Ben Folds, Kenny G, Jason Alexander, Audra McDonald, Asleep at the Wheel, Hanson, and many others.

In 2017 for the centennial season of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, he was the producer and conductor of a CD recording which includes the world premiere recording of Sylvan by Michael Torke, commissioned for the centennial. Two career highlights were the world premiere performance of Pegasus by Lowell Liebermann with the Dallas Symphony in 2001, and in 2004, his Carnegie Hall debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic.

He has conducted live film scores for Pirates of the Caribbean, Fantasia, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Wizard of Oz, Passion of Joan of Arc, and Ben-Hur, and recently added Star Wars, Home Alone, Nightmare Before Christmas, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Ron’s principal instrument study was the trumpet. As a soloist he performed with several British orchestras and at music festivals in the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Italy.

Ron lives in Tulsa, OK with his wife Laura, who is a member of the Tulsa Symphony (viola), and with two of their combined six children.

STAR WARS FILM CONCERT SERIES PRODUCTION CREDITS

President, Disney Music Group

Ken Bunt

SVP/GM, Disney Concerts

Chip McLean

Supervising

Technical Director

Alex Levy – Epilogue Media

Film Preparation

Ramiro Belgardt

Business Affairs, Lucasfilm

Rhonda Hjort

Chris Holm

For Booking Inquiries:

Emily.Yoon@TeamWass.com

Music Preparation

Mark Graham

Matthew Voogt

Joann Kane Music Service

Disney Music Library Operations, Disney Concerts

Brannon Fells

Royd Haston

Marketing & Publicity

Lisa Linares

Rebecca Armour

Maria Kleinman

VP, Disney Concerts

Gina Lorscheider

Business Affairs, Disney Concerts

Darryl Franklin

Leigh Zeichick

Phil Woods

Elena Contreras

Addison Granillo

Business Affairs, Warner-Chappell

Scott McDowell

SPONSOR A MUSICIAN

Nikki Chooi, concertmaster

Sponsored by Clement and Karen Arrison

Ansgarius Aylward, assistant concertmaster

Sponsored Anonymously

Douglas Cone, first violin

Sponsored by Bradford Lewis

Alan Ross, first violin

Sponsored by Anthony J.* and Carmela M. Colucci

Loren Silvertrust, first violin

Sponsored by Mrs. George F. Phillips, Jr.

Andrea Blanchard-Cone, first violin

Sponsored by Drs. Clement and Margot Ip

Diana Sachs, first violin

Sponsored by Dr. Richard Saab & Maureen Wilson Saab

Antoine Lefebvre, principal second violin

Sponsored by Ronald Frank* and Anne Schneider

Jacqueline Galluzzo, associate principal second violin

Sponsored by Sandra and Dennis McCarthy

Xiaofan Liu, 2nd assistant concertmaster

Sponsored by Michael D'Ambrosio

Robert Prokes, second violin

Sponsored by Ansie Baird

Caroline Gilbert, principal viola

Sponsored by Bruce and Gail Johnstone

Anna Shemetyeva, associate principal viola

Sponsored by Christine Standish & Chris Wilk

Natalie Piskorsky, viola

Sponsored by Dr. Patricia and Burt* Notarius

Matthew Phillips, viola

Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. George G. Herbert

Kate Holzemer, viola

Sponsored by Ms. Cindy Abbott

Letro and Mr. Francis M. Letro

Janz Castelo, viola

Sponsored by Anthony J. and Barbara Cassetta

Feng Hew, associate principal cello

Sponsored by Kenneth Schmieder, in loving memory of Nancy L. Julian

Nancy Anderson, cello

Sponsored by Stephen Still and Terrie Tucker

Robert Hausmann, cello

Sponsored by Sally and Donald Dussing

David Schmude, cello

Sponsored by Jim and Michal Wadsworth

Amelie Fradette, cello

Sponsored by Ms. Cindy Abbott Letro and Mr. Francis M. Letro

Brett Shurtliffe, associate principal bass

Sponsored by Mr. Bruce C. Baird and Mrs. Susan O’Connor-Baird

Jonathan Borden, bass

Sponsored by Edward N. Giannino, Jr.

Christine Bailey Davis, flute

Sponsored by Sue Fay and Carl

Henry Ward, principal oboe

Sponsored by Bob and Judy Wetter

Joshua Lauretig, oboe

Sponsored by Sonny & Diane Sonnenstein

Anna Mattix, oboe/English horn

Sponsored by Bonnie and Nick Hopkins

William Amsel, principal clarinet

Sponsored by Dr. Gilbert Schulenberg

Patti DiLutis, clarinet

Sponsored by Dennis P. Quinn

Salvatore Andolina, clarinet/saxophone

Sponsored by Jennifer Dowdell, in memory of Charles and Nancy Dowdell

Glenn Einschlag, principal bassoon

Sponsored by Barbara B. Bunker

Daniel Kerdelewicz, associate principal, French horn

Sponsored by Gretchen Wylegala and Stephen McCabe

Jay Matthews, French horn

Sponsored by Philip H. Hubbell, in loving memory of Jayne T. Hubbell

Sheryl Hadeka, French horn

Sponsored by Linda Johnson & Sanford Eisen

Alex Jokipii, principal trumpet

Sponsored by Jennifer Dowdell, in memory of Charles and Nancy Dowdell

Philip Christner, trumpet

Sponsored by Frank and Wilma Cipolla

Jonathan Lombardo, principal trombone

Sponsored by Nicole and Stephen Swift

Timothy Smith, trombone

Sponsored by Arthur W. and Elaine I. Cryer

Filipe Pereira, bass trombone

Sponsored by Constance A. Greco

Matthew Bassett, principal timpani

Sponsored by Bonnie and Nick Hopkins

Mark Hodges, principal percussion

Sponsored by Vanda and Paul Albera

Dinesh Joseph, percussion

Sponsored by Lynne Marie Finn, on behalf of Broadleaf Results

Madeline Olson, principal harp

Sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Curtis F. Holmes

* deceased

ANNUAL FUND

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges contributions received from the following individuals and foundations who gave $500 and above through January 17, 2023. 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+

The Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation

Carol & Angelo Fatta

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation

John & Carolyn Yurtchuk

$50,000-$149,999

Anonymous

Mr. Brent Baird

Brian and Barbara Baird

Mark Chason & Mariana Botero Chason

The Robert and Patricia Colby Foundation

Cullen Foundation

Carlos and Elizabeth Heath Foundation

Wilfred and Joan Larson Fund

Mulroy Family Foundation

Christine Standish & Chris Wilk

Stephen Still & Terrie Tucker

$25,000-$49,999

Clement & Karen Arrison

Mr. Bruce C. Baird & Mrs. Susan O’Connor-Baird

Mr. Charles Balbach

Bob* and Doris Drago

Mr. Philip H. Hubbell

The Montgomery Family Foundation

The Walter Schmid Family Foundation Charitable Trust

Roy and Ruth Seibel Family Foundation

Steve and Nicole Swift

Mr. Gerald K. Thomas

Maestro’s Circle

$10,000-$24,999

Anonymous (3)

Cindy Abbott Letro and Francis Letro

Vanda & Paul Albera

Sue Fay Allen & Carl Klingenschmitt

The Baird Foundation

Oliver G. & Sarah Sloan Bauman Fund for the Arts

The Better Buffalo Fund at the CFGB

Gary & Willow Brost

Anthony & Barbara Cassetta

Frank and Wilma Cipolla

Arthur W. & Elaine I. Cryer

Ms. JoAnn Falletta & Mr. Robert

Alemany

Robert J. & Martha B. Fierle Foundation

Judith Fisher

Patricia & William Frederick

George and Bodil Gellman

Mr. and Mrs. George G. Herbert

Hooper Legacy Foundation

Bonnie & Nick Hopkins

Clement and Margot Ip

Bruce and Gail Johnstone

Roberta & Michael Joseph

Mrs. Ellen T. Koessler

Bradford Lewis

Donald MacDavid Charitable Trust

Mr.* and Mrs. Reginald B. Newman II

The Vincent and Harriet Palisano Foundation

Mr.* and Mrs. George F. Phillips, Jr.

Gilbert Schulenberg

Robin Schulze and Adam Rome

Joseph & Carole Sedita

Lowell and Ellen Shaw

Sonny & Diane Sonnenstein

David M. Stark & Cynthia Baird Stark

Scott R. and Rachel C. Stenclik

Gary and Katharina Szakmary

Jack Walsh, in memory of Connie Walsh

Bob & Judy Wetter

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds at CFGB

Concertmaster’s Circle

$5,000-$9,999

Anonymous (2)

Ansie Baird

James and Linda Beardi

James M. Beardsley & Ellen M. Gibson

Dr. Barbara Bunker

Mr. Joseph F. Casey

Conable Family Foundation

Sally and Don Dussing

Stephen Edge and Cynthia Swain

Peter & Maria Eliopoulos

Lynne Marie Finn

Edward N. Giannino Jr.

E. Joseph and Lynne Giroux

Sarah Goodyear

Ms. Constance A. Greco

Barbara & Daniel Hart

Philip & Marion Henderson

John J. and Maureen O. Hurley

Robert and Hana Jacobi

Linda Johnson & Sanford Eisen

Edwin M. Johnston, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs.* Philip Kadet – The Linton Foundation

Michael & Marilee Keller

Paul Lazarus

Warren P. Lippa & David Zawistowski

Mr. Ron Luczak and Mr. Michael Boland

Charles & Judith Manzella

Stephen McCabe and Gretchen

Wylegala

E. Dennis and Sandra McCarthy

Mr. and Mrs. James D. Newman

Patricia Drown Notarius

Marie and Jay Novello

Douglas & Laurette* Oak

Michelle & Gerald Parrish

Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Polokoff

Patricia Prentice & James Grunebaum

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Priselac, Jr.

Mr. Dennis P. Quinn

David & Joan Rogers

Dr. Richard J. Saab & Maureen Wilson

Saab

Ronald Frank* & Anne Schneider

Simple Gifts Fund

Monica and Stephen Spaulding

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Sperrazza

The Honorable Erin Peradotto Terhaar and Mr. George Terhaar

Mr. and Mrs. John C. Thompson

Tyberg Musical Legacy Fund at FJP

Lorinda McAndrew Voelkle Foundation

Robert and Nancy Warner Memorial Fund at the FJP

Mrs. Martha Welte

Bud and Sandy Whistler

Dr. Elisabeth Zausmer and Dr. Angel A. Gutierrez

Encore Circle

$2,500-$4,999

Anonymous (2)

Dr. and Mrs. Fred and Bonnie Albrecht

Douglas Bean and Elisa Kreiner

To learn more about the Sponsor a Musician program, please contact Jacqueline Chagnon at (716) 242-7829 or jchagnon@bpo.org.

Michael D’Ambrosio

Wendy Diina

Ann N. Bonte

Joanne Castellani & Michael Andriaccio

Alma Owen Strachan

Joan R. Strachan

Mr. William & Ms. Kathaginia

Sullivan

Marilyn & Irving Sultz

Mr. Ronald G. and Mrs.

Margaret N. Talboys

Dr. Thomas B. & Barbara Tomasi

Dr. Garin Tomaszewski

Ms. Sylvia Tourbaf

Sheila Trossman

Chris and Kathy Tzetzo

Charitable Fund

TRIBUTE REGISTRY

Susan & Ron Uba

Dr.* and Mrs. Rocco C.

Venuto

Ms. Suzanne J. Voltz

Mr. William Vosteen

Mr. Rudolph Vrbsky

Karen Wehn

Ms. Marlene A. Werner

Mr. and Mrs. K. Wiedenhaupt

Dr. Ann K. Wittkowski & Katherine Powell

The Yadzinski Family

* deceased

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 29, 2022 and January 17, 2023.

In Honor of

Jonathan Borden

Edward N. Giannino Jr.

Jackie Chagnon

Megan Sorenson & Mark Roetzer, Jr.

JoAnn Falletta

Rev. Charles Slisz

JoAnn Falletta and Robert Alemany

Linda Grant

In Memory of

Frank and Melanie Chamberlain & Edwin and Marilou Munschauer

Michael and Lorrie Munschauer

Maksym Sugorovskiy

Daniel J. Cantor

Bob Borden

Elizabeth Borden

Jerry Castiglia

Barbara Castiglia

Curtis Clark

John & Patricia Clark

Kate Danforth Anonymous

Walter Dannhauser

Rosemary Dannhauser

Robert Drago

Doris Drago

John Esty

Patty & Tom Symons

Mrs. Mary Jane Guyette

Mrs. Joan Schwenk

The Fox Family

Lynn & JoAnn Spees

Kate and Collin Geweke

Sherry and Tom Knowles

Dan Hart

Marcia and Ezra Zubrow

Nancy Higgins

Marge and Rich Higgins

Alex Jokipii

Nancy and John Boulden

Anna & Michael Kemp

Dr. William L. Scheider

Rev. John Leising

Msgr. Fred Leising

Geraldine McMahon Meghan and Phil McMahon

April N.M. Baskin, Chair

John Bargnesi

John J. Gilmour

Christopher D. Greene

Roger Simon

Drs. Robert and Alice Rosenthal

Henry Ward Margaret Stika-Walsh

Howard J. Johnson, Jr.

Michael H. Kooshoian

James Malczewski

Timothy Meyers

John J. MIlls

Frank J. Todaro

Jeanne M. Vinal

Virginia Kirkpatrick

Elizabeth Lockwood

Gunnell

Robert J. Kresse

Thaddeus Kresse

Jane Larcom

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ciszak

Paul and Joan Lazarus

Paul R. Lazarus, Jr.

Harold Levy

Dr. Sanford Levy

Olga Lockwood

Elizabeth Lockwood

Gunnell

Mr. C. Richard Myers

Mr. & Mrs. Wallace R. Goodman

Mary & Donald Ogilvie

Mrs. Teresa Redmond

Norman Ossenberg

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Yerger

Scott Parkinson

James A. Gorton & Gretchen Van Hoesen

Dr. Martin E. Plaut

Ms. Suzi Plaut

JoAnne P. Poch, PhD

Mr. Joel M. Poch

Marian B. Scribner

Linda D. Scribner

John Smeadala Anonymous

Bonita J. Stafford

Mr. Philip Stafford

Elaine Riek

Beverly Davies

Margaret and Dennis McManus

Anonymous

Dr. and Mrs. Rubè

Mary Lou Rubè

Harry N. Taylor

Dave & Marilyn Kurzawa

Albert Thompson

Freddie M. Thompson

Robert “Bob” Thornton

Ms. Mary Ann Fuszara

Laura Torrico

James and Gloria Paul

Mary Twist

John H. Twist, D.D.S

Anthony & Rose Vento Marlene Vento

Angelo Volpe

Ray & Judy Volpe

Edward Yadzinski

John and Annette

Friedrichs

Mr. David Thomas

The Yadzinski Family

Christopher and Benjamin

Rev. David & Mary Ann Young

Check out YOUR Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra online!

The New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature

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.

Anonymous (4)

Elizabeth & John Angelbeck

Rita Argen Auerbach

Charles Balbach

Jennifer Barbee

Douglas Bean & Elisa Kreiner

Donald M. Behr & Samuel E. Lolinger*

David Bender

Mrs. Peter W. Bridgford

James A. Brophy, in memory of Mutsuo Tomita

Anthony J. Cassetta

The Joanne Castellani and Michael Andriaccio Charitable Trust

Barbara Castiglia

Gerard and Rachel Catalano

Cheryl I. Christie

Victoria A. Christopher

In honor of JoAnn Falletta and Donald McCrorey

Dr. Sebastian* and Mrs. Marilyn

Ciancio

Louis & Ann Louise Ciminelli

Ms. Elizabeth G. Clark

Mrs. George Cohn

Anne Conable

Ellen Todd Cooper

Rev. Raymond G. Corbin

Marilyn R. Cornelius

Dr. Sharon F. Cramer and Mr. Leslie R. Morris*

in honor of the BPO Viola Section

Sandra B. Cumming

Beverly Davies

Mrs. Roberta Dayer

Tim DiCarlo

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

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society Inc. Endowment Fund

Philip & Joyce Celniker Fund

Irwin H. Cheskin Fund at the CFGB

Mildred Bork Conners & Joseph E. Conners Fund

Grace Neff Daniels Memorial

Mr.* and Mrs. Anthony N. Diina

Ellen & Victor* Doyno

Sarah & Donald Dussing

Angelo & Carol Fatta

Judith & John* Fisher

Marjorie* and William Gardner

Edward N. Giannino, Jr.

Mr. George Eagan Ginther

Ms. Constance A. Greco

Susan J. Grelick

Peter Hall & M.E. O'Leary

Mr. & Mrs. George G. Herbert

Monte & Cheryl* Hoffman

Philip H. Hubbell

in memory of Jayne T. Hubbell

John J. and Maureen O. Hurley

Martha & Tom Hyde

Paul A. Imbert

Robert and Hana Jacobi

Bruce and Gail Johnstone

Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth R. Kahn

Nathan Kahn

in honor of JoAnn Falletta, Dan Hart, and the BPO Musicians

Theresa Kazmierczak

Kathleen Keenan-Takagi

Dwight E. King & Leslie Duggleby

The Herbert & Ella Knight

Family Charitable Fund

Rosalind and Michael Kochmanski

Dr. Merrily Kuhn and Mr. James Kulwicki

Ruth F. Lansing

Steve & Sandy Levinthal

Bradford Lewis, PhD

Gerald & Barbara Lipa

Francie D. & Joel N. Lippman

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

Mary Louise Olmsted Fund

Sandra and Dennis McCarthy

Michael and Lorrie Munschauer

Donna & Leo Nalbach

Rev. Russell A. Newbert

Drs. Howard & Karen Noonan

Robert & Marion North Fund

Mr.* and Mrs. George F. Phillips, Jr.

Edwin Polokoff

Susan Potter

Dr. Penelope Prentice

Dennis Quinn

Virginia Ann Quinn

John and Susan Rowles

Paul and Gerda Sanio

Kenneth Schmieder,

In memory of Nancy L. Julian

Gilbert Schulenberg

Betty J. Schultz

Catherine F. Schweitzer

Joseph and Carole Sedita

Roger & Joan Simon

Mr. Robert B. Skerker

Dennis M. Smolarek

Monica and Steve Spaulding

David D. Stout & Janet E. Popp Stout

Sue W. Strauss

Nancy B. Thomas

Mrs. Lilia Tomchinsky

Therese M. Vita

Jim and Michal Wadsworth, as trustees of the Mulroy, Heath and Colby Foundations

Ms. Deborah L. Williams

Wayne* & Janet Wisbaum

*deceased

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 Jacqueline Chagnon (716) 242-7829 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

Daniel Hart

President & Executive Director

Diana Martinusek

Executive Assistant

Development

Jennifer Barbee

Associate Executive Director & VicePresident,Development

Mindy Takacs

AssociateDirectorofDevelopment

Eli Campbell

AnnualFund&GrantsManager

Jacqueline Chagnon

DonorRelationsManager

Taylor Heaphy

DevelopmentandDatabase

Administrator

Carson Mannino

SpecialEventsandProject Coordinator

Jordan Walker

DevelopmentAssistant

Luke Borkowski

KleinhansCapitalCampaign

Coordinator

Education and Community Engagement

Robin Parkinson, Vice President, Education & Community Engagement

Rachael Pudlewski

EducationManager

Finance

Kevin James Vice President, Finance & Administration

Nicole M. Bodemer

Director of Finance

Jacqueline Henry

Finance/AccountsPayableAssociate

Cassandra Haffner

Payroll&HR/BenefitsAdministrator

Marilyn Miller

Finance Assistant

Marketing

Travis Estes

VicePresident,Marketing& Communications

AndréeRenée Simpson

MarketingManager

Kelcie Hanaka

DigitalMarketingManager

Cary Michael Trout

DesignServices&Branding Manager

Simone Viola

Marketing&Communications

Assistant Operations

Jonathan Parrish

Vice President, Artistic &OrchestraOperations

Connor Schloop

DirectorofOperations

Corinna Scozzaro

AudienceServicesManager

Conn Sullivan

Operations Assistant

Ally Jindra

Operations&PersonnelAssistant

Sales and Patron Services

Adam Cady Director of Patron Services

Laura Papit

AssistantManagerofPatron Services

Patron Services Representatives

Anne Boucher

Bethany Erhardt

Karen Kohlhagen

Tioga Simpson-Worthington

Amy Sturmer

Kleinhans Music Hall Staff

Brian Seibel

Event Manager

Reneé Radzavich

BuildingServicesManager

Michael Cassidy ChiefEngineer

Dennis Nawojski

Concessions Manager

Lucas Parks

Parking&Set-UpSupervisor

PATRON INFORMATION

WHAT TO KNOW AT THE BPO

• Kleinhans Music Hall will open 90 minutes before a concert’s scheduled start, or earlier depending on pre-concert activities.

• Special assistance in the areas of parking, seating, and hearing will be accommodated to the best of our ability. Please contact the Box Office ahead of your visit.

-Options are available for patrons using mobility aids or requesting a wheelchair accessible location and accompanying companion seating.

-Hearing Assistance Devices are available at the coat check.

-Please note: there is no elevator to the balcony level.

• It is strictly forbidden to record, photograph, or film during a performance in the Main Auditorium. Photography is permitted in the hall before and after concerts.

• Late arrivals will be seated at the first suitable break or at intermission. Late seating may not be in the purchased section.

• Security staff is available at all times, and an EMT is on site for all concerts and performances. Please notify an usher or staff member if there is a medical or security need.

• Kleinhans Music Hall maintains a smoke-free environment.

• All programs and artists are subject to change without notice.

• Sorry, no refunds or exchanges on single ticket purchases.

Shuttle Service and BPO Preferred Restaurants

BPO Parking at Kleinhans $8 evening and Sunday performances; $5 Coffee concerts.

FREE Park and Ride Shuttle (SELECT Saturdays)

Shuttle service begins at 6pm and ends 30 minutes after the conclusion of the concert.

• D’Youville College Lot D, 430 West Avenue between Connecticut & Porter Ave, 14213 (SELECT Saturday performances only)

• BPO Clement House Lot, 786 Delaware Avenue corner of Summer Street, 14209 (SELECT Saturday performances only)

Shuttle service is only available for SELECT dates. Please join our email club at bpo.org or call the Box Office for updated information.

SALVATORE’S SYMPHONY SHUTTLE Saturday Nights $15 per person, leaving promptly at 6:30pm from the rear of the lot near the water tower, 6461 Transit Rd. and Genesee St. in Depew. Call the reservation hotline at (716) 885-5000 and select “shuttle” option to reserve your place, or reserve online at bpo.org

MARCATO by Oliver’s at Kleinhans Music Hall

A new concept for fine dining on Kleinhans Lower Level. For more information or to make reservations, call (716) 877-9662.

SALVATORE’S ITALIAN GARDENS

6461 Transit Rd. and Genesee St. in Depew. Call (716) 683-7990 for dinner reservations. Dinner and shuttle sold separately.

PROGRAM BOOK PRODUCED BY

PRESIDENT & CEO Sharon Levite

PUBLISHER/CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER Barbara E. Macks

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Sabrina Kahwaty

MANAGING EDITOR Donna Hoke

VP/ADMINISTRATIVE & FINANCE Michele Ferguson

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jean-Pierre Thimot

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Joshua Flanigan Kim Miers | Nicholas Vitello

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Rachel Kaznica | Taramarie Mitravich buffalospree.com 716-972-2250