Program Notes: HMS Pinafore and Drums of the World

GILBERT & SULLIVAN’S H.M.S. PINAFORE

ALBERT BERGERET, conductor NEW YORK GILBERT & SULLIVAN PLAYERS

MEMBERS OF THE COLORADO SYMPHONY CHORUS, MARY LOUISE BURKE, director

Friday, January 20, at 7:30pm

Saturday, January 21, at 7:30pm Boettcher Concert Hall

Albert Bergeret, Artistic Director

H.M.S. PINAFORE or, The Lass That Loved A Sailor

Words by William S. Gilbert Music by Arthur Sullivan

First Performed at the Opera Comique, London, May 25, 1878

Directed & Conducted by Albert Bergeret Costume Design: Gail Wofford

Friday’s concert is dedicated to Lynn & roger ritvo and rob & Kathy KLugman saturday’s concert is dedicated to norma horner & John estes

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B. (First Lord of the Admiralty)

Mills Captain Corcoran (Commanding H.M.S. Pinafore)

Auxier Ralph Rackstraw (Able Seaman)

Cameron Smith Dick Deadeye (Able Seaman) Lance Olds Bill Bobstay (Boatswain’s Mate)

Matthew Wages Bob Becket (Carpenter’s Mate)

David Wannen Josephine (The Captain’s Daughter)

Michelle Seipel Cousin Hebe

Galante

STORY OF THE OPERA

High spirits seem to be the order of the day aboard Her Majesty’s Ship Pinafore, anticipating the visit of Sir Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty. The crew is busy preparing the ship, stopping only to make purchases from Little Buttercup, a peddler, and to exchange compliments with their well-mannered Captain.

The only sad note is struck by Ralph Rackstraw, one of the sailors, who is hopelessly in love with Josephine, the Captain’s daughter. Not only is her social position far above his, but her hand has been promised by her father to Sir Joseph.

When Sir Joseph arrives with his female entourage, professing some decidedly eccentric ideas about naval discipline, Ralph is inspired to press his suit with the lady. At first she refuses him, but when he threatens suicide, she admits her love for him and agrees to elope.

That night, Captain Corcoran learns that he, too, has a secret admirer - Little Buttercup - but he puts her off because of the difference in their positions. Sir Joseph, meanwhile, has come to the conclusion that a similar difference is keeping Josephine from accepting his proposal. He tells her that “love levels all ranks,” which she takes, however, as an endorsement of her love for Ralph.

Her father, upon learning of her true plans, halts the elopement. His furious outburst of “Damme!” is overheard by Sir Joseph, who banishes him to his cabin. Sir Joseph is even more outraged, though, when he hears the reason for the Captain’s anger. He orders Ralph imprisoned, and is about to turn on Josephine when Little Buttercup makes an extraordinary confession: Ralph and the Captain, entrusted to her care as babies, were somehow exchanged!

The improbability of the revelation proves no obstacle to its immediate acceptance by all concerned, and the sailor and the Captain assume each other’s places. Their new stations enable them to marry Josephine and Little Buttercup, and Sir Joseph is claimed by his cousin Hebe.

MUSICAL NUMBERS OVERTURE ACT I

“ WE SAIL THE OCEAN BLUE” (Introduction and Opening Chorus).................................................... Sailors “I’M CALLED LITTLE BUTTERCUP” (Recitative and Aria) Buttercup “BUT TELL ME WHO’S THE YOUTH” (Recitative) .................................................... Buttercup and Boatswain “THE NIGHTINGALE” (Madrigal) Ralph and Chorus of Sailors

“A MAIDEN FAIR TO SEE” (Ballad) ........................................................................... Ralph and Chorus of Sailors “MY GALLANT CREW” (Recitative and Song) ............................. Captain Corcoran and Chorus of Sailors “SIR, YOU ARE SAD” (Recitative) Buttercup and Captain Corcoran “SORRY HER LOT” (Ballad) ......................................................................................................................... Josephine “OVER THE BRIGHT BLUE SEA” (Barcarolle - off stage) ................................. Sir Joseph’s Female Relatives “SIR JOSEPH’S BARGE IS SEEN” ................................... Chorus of Sailors and Sir Joseph’s Female Relatives “NOW GIVE THREE CHEERS” ................................ Captain Corcoran, Sir Joseph, Cousin Hebe, and Chorus “WHEN I WAS A LAD” (Song) Sir Joseph and Chorus “FOR I HOLD THAT ON THE SEAS” ........................Sir Joseph, Cousin Hebe, Female Relatives, and Sailors “A BRITISH TAR” (Glee) ..................................... Ralph, Boatswain, Carpenter’s Mate, and Chorus of Sailors “REFRAIN, AUDACIOUS TAR” (Duet) .................................................................................. Josephine and Ralph “CAN I SURVIVE THIS OVERBEARING” (Finale of Act I) ...................................................................... Ensemble

ACT II Entr’acte

“FAIR MOON, TO THEE I SING” (Song) Captain Corcoran “THINGS ARE SELDOM WHAT THEY SEEM” (Duet) ................................ Buttercup and Captain Corcoran “THE HOURS CREEP ON APACE” (Scena) Josephine “NEVER MIND THE WHY AND WHEREFORE” (Trio) ............................. Josephine, Captain, and Sir Joseph “KIND CAPTAIN, I’VE IMPORTANT INFORMATION” (Duet) .............................. Captain and Dick Deadeye “CAREFULLY ON TIPTOE STEALING” Soli and Chorus “FAREWELL, MY OWN!” ................................................................................................................ Octet and Chorus

“A MANY YEARS AGO” (Song) ............................................................................................ Buttercup and Chorus “OH JOY, OH RAPTURE UNFORESEEN!” (Finale of Act II).................................................................. Ensemble

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WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST

DAVID AUXIER (Captain Corcoran) Isaac Asimov Award for Artistic Achievement recipient 201516. Favorite NYGASP roles: Captain Corcoran (Pinafore), Sergeant (Pirates), Pish-Tush (Mikado). Mr. Auxier has been co-director and company choreographer since 2010 and has worked in or on all 13 G&S operas. He conceived and directed the all-new critically acclaimed, reimagined production of The Mikado and the award-winning hit G&S cabaret revue I’ve Got a Little Twist, and wrote the book for NYGASP’s original G&S à la Carte! David is also a MAC Award nominated songwriter and is currently penning an all-original musical. www.davidauxier.com

VICTORIA DEVANY (Cousin Hebe) NYGASP: Mad Margaret (Ruddigore), Pitti-Sing and Peep-Bo (Mikado), Mrs. Partlet (Sorcerer), Edith (Pirates), Inez (Gondoliers); numerous concerts, children’s shows and tours with the company. Other venues performed: Carnegie Hall, Wolf Trap, Resorts International, Westbury Music Fair, and many others. Vicky is married to violinist David Aron Steinberg. Cabaret acts: NYC, NYS and Japan; Berta (Barber of Seville) and Annina (La Traviata); plus non-singing roles. Playwright/ Dramaturg/ Instructor also a proud Isaac Asimov Awardee, and currently performs myriad Shakespearean roles for the NYPL.

SARAH HUTCHISON (Sister Sarah) Proud NYGASP-er both in New York and on tour since 2009! Other recent projects: Tennessee Williams’ Not About Nightingales (Empirical Theatre); various readings at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, and recording projects at Avatar Studios and with Grammy Award-winning sound engineer/producer Mikaelin “Blue” BlueSpruce. She is grateful for her amazing family & friends’ continued love and support. Graduate of Muhlenberg College; proud member of Actors’ Equity and the Patrick Page Studio. “Keep calm and patter on...”

JAMES MILLS (Sir Joseph Porter KCB) is the 2019/2020 recipient of the Isaac Asimov Award for Artistic Achievement. Entire G&S canon onstage with NYGASP for over a decade, as well as stage managing, tech directing, and associate directing. Recently: Lord Chancellor (Iolanthe), Jack Point (Yeomen), John Wellington Wells (Sorcerer), Major-General Stanley (Pirates), Reginald Bunthorne (Patience). A fixture of the NYC Nightlife community, James is co-star and co-creator of the all-new drag musical, The Hell’s Kitchenettes. Proud member of AEA.

LANCE OLDS (Dick Deadeye) NYGASP since 1997. Isaac Asimov Award for Artistic Achievement recipient 2017-18. Credits include Antonio (Gondoliers), Calynx (Utopia, Limited), and Strephon (Iolanthe with Light Opera Company of Salisbury). First National Tour: Footloose. Off-Broadway: Mark Twain’s Blues. Regional: Kennedy Center, Seattle Rep, Weston Playhouse, Ogunquit Playhouse, and St. Michael’s Playhouse. Film/TV: MTV’s Eye Candy, Far From Heaven, principal dancer in Disney’s Enchanted, Stepford Wives, Mona Lisa Smile, and Kate & Leopold.

MICHELLE SEIPEL (Josephine) NYGASP company member since 2012, most recently seen as Casilda in The Gondoliers. Credits include Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro (Geneva Light Opera), Frasquita (New York City Opera’s Carmen European tour), and Musetta in La Bohème (St. Petersburg Opera). Other career highlights: the televised Lincoln Center Carousel, Oliver! national tour, Nellie (South Pacific, Asheville Lyric Opera), Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor, Opera Vivente). Originally from Wisconsin, this former actuary earned her MM at the Peabody Conservatory. More at www.michelleseipel.com.

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CAMERON SMITH (Ralph Rackstraw) began his NYGASP career in 2009 with Edwin in Trial by Jury, and has gone on to play Nanki-Poo, Prince Hilarion, The Duke, Ralph Rackstraw, Lord Tolloller, and Leonard Meryll. Operatic credits include Lake George Opera, Tanglewood, and Caramoor. He holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music and SUNY Purchase. When not singing, he enjoys running marathons, playing guitar, and spending time with his awesome family.

ANGELA CHRISTINE SMITH (Little Buttercup) recently appeared as Junon in Orphée aux enfers with Opera Company of Middlebury, and Duchess of Plaza-Toro with Winter Opera Saint Louis. Ms. Smith has completed the G&S canon with NYGASP: Dame Hannah, Katisha, Queen of the Fairies, Little Buttercup, Ruth, Lady Blanche, Lady Jane, Duchess of Plaza-Toro, Baroness von Krakenfeldt and Mrs. Partlet. Ms. Smith is a proud member of NYGASP’s award-winning cabaret show I’ve Got a Little Twist, and a recipient of the Isaac Asimov Award for Artistic Achievement.

MATTHEW WAGES (Bill Bobstay) 2022/2023 Isaac Asimov Award for Artistic Achievement. In addition to Shakespeare, Musical Theatre and Educational Series, Mr. Wages has performed 18 different principal bass and baritone roles with NYGASP since 2015. Dramatis Personae: Pirate King, Pooh-Bah, Lord Mountararat, Giuseppe Palmieri, Sergeant of Police, Sir Despard Murgatroyd, Wilfred Shadbolt, Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre, Florian, Major Murgatroyd, Samuel, Bouncer (Cox & Box), Tare/Poppytop/de Vere (Ages Ago/Mr. Jericho), I’ve Got A Little Twist, Roderic (Ruddygore: Revisited) G&S Festival, U.K. Director and Adapter of Cox and Box, the Film! Numerous independent films and shorts. Traveled to 36 countries. Love to Kenji, Jo Jo & Kento. Keep up to date: MatthewWages.com, FB: The Matthew Wages, IG: @MatthewWages.

DAVID WANNEN (Bob Becket) NYGASP since 2004: favorites include Pirate King (Pirates), Wilfred Shadbolt (Yeomen), Colonel Calverley (Patience), Paramount (Utopia), Pvt. Willis (Iolanthe), Sultan (Rose of Persia), Arac (Princess Ida), Bill Bobstay (H.M.S. Pinafore) and title role in The Mikado. Tours: Beauty and the Beast (Beast u/s), Camelot with the late Robert Goulet (Lancelot u/s); Regional: Nominated Best Featured Actor by Philadelphia Inquirer for Camelot (Media Theater). Producer, 2017 The Mikado; Co-Producer & Original Cast, I’ve Got a Little Twist!; Executive Director, NYGASP. David sends his love to his family: Cole, Sam, Olivia, Jamé!

WHO’S WHO IN THE COMPANY

ALBERT BERGERET (Founder/Artistic Director/General Manager) Mr. Bergeret is a career-long professional specialist in the works of Gilbert & Sullivan, having performed, staged, conducted and designed every opera in the repertoire over a 40 year period. He has directed G&S productions for university students and residency programs for elementary schools. He has been hailed as “the leading custodian of the G&S classics” by New York Magazine (Peter Davis) and his work as both stage and musical director has been widely acclaimed in the press both in New York and on tour throughout the United States, Canada, and the UK. Mr. Bergeret founded NYGASP in 1974 and has served as Artistic Director/General Manager since its inception. He has conducted and staged all 13 of the works in the G&S canon as well as the company’s smash hit production of George Gershwin’s Of Thee I Sing. He has conducted programs with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Orchestra London in Ontario Canada, Northwest Indiana Symphony and the Erie Philharmonic in a program featuring Metropolitan Opera baritone Robert Goodloe. With

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NYGASP he has also conducted and directed such diverse personalities as Hal Linden, Steve Allen, John Astin, Pat Carroll, Noel Harrison, John Rubenstein, Louis Quilico, Lando Bartolini, and John Reed, O.B.E.

ANNETTE DIELI (Assistant Stage Manager) Credits include crew for Hartford Stage Co., costume assistant at Bronx Opera, Artistic Director of her own puppet company, Assistant stage manager for New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players at City Center and national touring venues. Completed the entire canon of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Stage Manager: A Brand-New World at The Three Act Theater Company, Separate Tables at Out of the Box Theatre Company. Assistant Stage Manager: The End of Hester at New Light Theater Project. Wardrobe for several NYMF productions.

JAMES MILLS (Associate Artistic Director) is a native of New Mexico and a graduate from the UNM Department of Theatre and Dance. He has worked onstage and off with NYGASP for fifteen seasons. Most known for his “patterman” roles, James has stage managed, tech directed, and assistant directed productions for NYGASP, as well as having helmed the many pandemicera digital presentations. James is a stage director for The College Light Opera Company in Falmouth, MA. As a member of the CLOC National Honorary Committee of Alumni, James takes pride in sharing the legacy of Gilbert & Sullivan with students from around the country.

DAVID WANNEN (Executive Director) is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music in vocal performance and holds a post-baccalaureate in business from Columbia University. Mr. Wannen is a veteran of the NYGASP stage and a member of the NYGASP board of directors. Mr. Wannen is producer of the all-new critically-acclaimed production of The Mikado, and co-producer of I’ve Got a Little Twist, NYGASP’s original cabaret. His other responsibilities for NYGASP include fundraising, marketing, board development, and strategic planning. Mr. Wannen is a past president of North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents, recently completing six years of service as an officer of the board. He is the recipient of the 2018 Western Arts Alliance Award for Mentorship and an Association of Performing Arts Professionals Leadership Fellow.

BENJAMIN WEILL (Lighting Designer) is happy to be in his 7th season as resident lighting designer for NYGASP. He is the recipient of the BroadwayWorld New Jersey award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical. He was recently involved in Emma: The Musical and No One Called Ahead, available on StreamingMusicals.com. Other shows include: The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, Fiddler on the Roof, Les Misérables, Ruddigore, South Pacific, …Charlie Brown, Songs for a New World, The Diary of Anne Frank, Into the Woods, Book of Days, The Crucible, Cloud 9, Cyrano de Bergerac.

GAIL J. WOFFORD (Costume Designer/Co-Founder of NYGASP) holds a Masters of Arts in Theatre Arts from Texas Tech University. As resident costume designer, she designed and constructed costumes for The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, Iolanthe, Trial by Jury and other operettas. Gail was Costume Coordinator for N.J. State Opera for 12 years and head of wardrobe for the NY Grand Opera. She has executed projects for WNET, Channel 13, National Tour of Dreamgirls, the film Mission Apollo and worked with numerous opera companies throughout the US.

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An Introduction to H.M.S. Pinafore

by New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players

Artistic Director Albert Bergeret

When the barbs of the satirist’s pen are meant to draw blood, they frequently become dated in short order. One reason for the continued popularity of H.M.S. Pinafore, and the rest of the Gilbert & Sullivan canon, is the lack of malice in its otherwise biting satire.

Gilbert was quite clearly a product and an upholder of the society which he lampoons. H.M.S. Pinafore is a rather trenchant commentary on the injustice of class distinction, overblown nationalism, and petty personal ambition, yet the frothy mix of buffoonery in which this commentary is mixed leaves the listener with both the message and a joy derived from an ability to laugh at one’s own foibles. Of course, Sullivan’s highly memorable settings of each character and group’s signature entrance adds to this sense of delight. In cases such as H.M.S. Pinafore, the satire itself has outlived the object of its parodic thrust. Many of the musical elements which Sullivan drew upon are from obscure bel canto operas. Others, such as the similarity of Buttercup’s revelation to Verdi’s Il Trovatore, remain more familiar. Likewise, Gilbert’s parody of the melodrama staple “switched in infancy” ploy is viewed as a cliché on its own, rather than the ridiculous twist it was intended to be. Don’t try to make the age differences add up logicallythe ending is part of the joke.

Despite the theme of social injustice, no revolution occurs here - the status of the characters is changed to fit the order rather than the other way around. Note that the villain, Dick Deadeye, is the only one to speak reasonably about the behavior of sailors involved in military activities (“when people have to obey other people’s orders, equality’s out of the question”). It is also interesting to note that Deadeye joins in the final refrain of “Oh joy, oh rapture unforeseen”, because, after all, he was right all along and the proper relationships within class structures have been maintained!

H.M.S. Pinafore is a model of theatrical brevity, and much of its charm derives therefrom. Each group or individual is introduced with a catchy tune and/or sequence. Then a single element of dramatic tension (the marriage of Josephine without her father’s consent) is introduced and quickly resolved by role reversal. When New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players undertook a “Reader’s Digest Version” of the show as a joke, the essence of the plot was easily acted out in less than one minute!

The audience does not need to know that Sir Joseph was a specific parody of a book seller made First Lord of the Admiralty, nor the history of the British navy, nor the exact customs of Victorian society - the types of human nature are depicted simply and straightforwardly. It is no wonder that H.M.S. Pinafore was an immediate hit on both sides of the Atlantic and established its creators’ reputation throughout the English-speaking world! Gilbert & Sullivan never obtained international copyrights, but it is documented that as many as five different unauthorized versions of the show were running in New York City alone at one point in time.

H.M.S. Pinafore launched not only Gilbert & Sullivan but also the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, which performed the G&S canon for over 100 years. As the first great G&S success story, one can point to this work, with its union of popular musical hall and more elite operatic elements, as the true father of musical theatre as we know it. Its descendants have been going back and forth across the Atlantic ever since.

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About New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players

Now in its forty-eighth year of operation, New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGASP) is America’s preeminent professional Gilbert & Sullivan repertory ensemble. Under the dynamic leadership of Artistic Director Albert Bergeret, who has been hailed as “the leading custodian of the G&S classics” by New York Magazine, NYGASP has created its own special niche in the cultural mosaic of New York City and the nation. Since its founding in 1974, the company has presented over 2,500 performances of the G&S masterpieces throughout the United States, Canada, and the U.K. captivating audiences of all ages.

Mr. Bergeret’s vision for his company’s mission is clear: to build and maintain an ensemble of professional repertory singers, actors, dancers, and musicians dedicated to bringing quality performances of the Gilbert & Sullivan masterpieces to as wide an audience as possible. To do so he has developed a unique blend of creative spontaneity and classical precision which is neither revisionist in nature nor mired in the rigidity of the more typical view of “tradition”. NYGASP’’s productions are charged with contemporary energy while retaining that traditional respect for the shows themselves which is so important to Gilbert & Sullivan enthusiasts. The use of elaborate, but relevant, choreography and movement is a particularly important element. Where possible, topical references from the nineteenth century are updated when the original intent would be lost on a modern musical theatre audience, but without disturbing the shape or scope of the material as written. Gilbert’s satire of human foibles and sophisticated wit remain intact, while Sullivan’s evocative scores, which need no revision at all, are given the full range of vocal and orchestral color for which they call.

The company has in its repertory thirteen different complete G&S operettas (cast, orchestra and crew of 50-80 people), special versions of the most popular operettas designed for children’s audiences, and a variety of charming concert programs created especially for NYGASP’s “Wand’ring Minstrels” ensemble.

The company’s recognition and stature continue to grow. In January of 2002 the company mounted its first triumphant season at New York’s venerable City Center, playing 3 of its most popular productions to over 20,000 G&S enthusiasts in 3 weeks. NYGASP has now played a total of 9 seasons on the City Center stage.

NYGASP’s annual New York season has included performances at the Peter Norton Symphony Space on Manhattan’s Upper West Side since 1978. NYGASP is performing at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College for its 48th Season. Productions include The Gondoliers, H.M.S. Pinafore, and I’ve Got A Little Twist.

The company’s celebrated ensemble of G&S experts, developed by introducing new singers each year from New York’s immense pool of vocal and theatrical talent, has collaborated with such guest artists as world-renowned G&S exponent the late John Reed, O.B.E. in numerous comic baritone roles, Tony winner John Rubinstein and Frank Gorshin both as King Gama in Princess Ida, John Astin as Sir Joseph in H.M.S. Pinafore, Hal Linden and Noel Harrison as the Major General in The Pirates of Penzance, Pat Carroll as Little Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore, and Steve Allen as The Mikado.

The company has also produced a unique cabaret act. I’ve Got a Little Twist, created and directed by NYGASP principal David Auxier-Loyola, won a 2010 Bistro Award, is currently touring throughout the country, and appeared on Lincoln Center’s 2011 Atrium series. “Take Gilbert & Sullivan, add a TWIST of Broadway, and stir!” is Twist’s recipe. Highlighting Musical Theatre’s roots in Gilbert & Sullivan, the show is entertaining for all ages.

Touring activities continue throughout the year, frequently featuring productions from the New York season. In June 2010 NYGASP was part of the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Gettysburg, PA. The company returned in August 2014 to the International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival in Harrogate, England. NYGASP’s 2023 tours bring the company to venues throughout the Midwest, South, and West.

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MARY LOUISE BURKE, principal associate director, Colorado Symphony Chorus

Mary Louise Burke is in her 29th season as Principal Associate Director of the Colorado Symphony Chorus. In addition to assisting Chorus Director Duain Wolfe, she also prepares the chorus for various Colorado Symphony pops concerts and special projects, including Too Hot to Handel. In the summer of 2022, she conducted the Symphony chorus on their concert tour of Austria. She has worked as the Associate Director of the Colorado Children’s Chorale, participating in hundreds of concerts and dozens of the Chorale’s regional, national and international tours. She was also Vocal Director of the Children’s Chorale, where she provided specialized vocal coaching and opera preparation. With an expertise in vocal technique, Burke frequently conducts seminars in vocal and choral techniques for area church and community choirs. She is the Vocal Advisor at Montview Presbyterian Church and has taught classes in Find Your Authentic Voice at the University of Denver. She has a Doctorate in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado.

COLORADO SYMPHONY CHORUS

The 2022/23 Colorado Symphony concert season marks the 39th season of the Colorado Symphony Chorus. Founded in 1984 by Duain Wolfe at the request of Gaetano Delogu, then the Music Director of the Symphony, the chorus has grown into a nationally respected ensemble. This outstanding chorus of volunteers joins the Colorado Symphony for numerous performances each year, to repeated critical acclaim.

The Chorus has performed at noted music festivals in the Rocky Mountain region, including the Colorado Music Festival, the Grand Teton Music Festival, and the Bravo! Vail Music Festival, where it has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony, under conductors Alan Gilbert, Hans Graf, Jaap van Zweden, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Fabio Luisi. For over twenty five years, the Chorus was featured at the world-renowned Aspen Music Festival, performing many great masterworks under the baton of conductors Lawrence Foster, James Levine, Murry Sidlin, Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman, and Robert Spano.

Among the eight recordings the Colorado Symphony Chorus has made is a NAXOS release of Roy Harris’s Symphony No. 4. The Chorus is also featured on a Hyperion release of the Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem and Stephen Hough’s Missa Mirabilis. Most recently, the Colorado Symphony and Chorus released a world-premiere recording of William Hill’s The Raven.

In 2009, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the chorus, Duain Wolfe conducted the chorus on a three-country, two-week concert tour of Europe, presenting the Verdi Requiem in Budapest, Vienna, Litomysl and Prague; in 2016 the chorus returned to Europe for concerts in Paris, Strasbourg and Munich featuring the Fauré Requiem. In the summer of 2022, the Chorus toured Austria, performing to great acclaim in Vienna, Graz and Salzburg.

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COLORADO SYMPHONY CHORUS

Duain Wolfe, Founding Director and Conductor

Mary Louise Burke, Principal Associate Director and Conductor

Taylor Martin, Associate Director and Conductor

Jared Joseph, Conducting Intern

Hsiao-Ling Lin and ShaoChun Tsai Schneider, pianists

Eric Israelson, Chorus Manager/Librarian

Barbara Porter, Associate Chorus Manager

SOPRANO

René Atchison

Ruth Coberly

Sarah Coberly

Suzanne Collins

Gracie Ewert

Jenifer Gile

Susan Graber

Alaina Headrick

Erin Hittle

Alicia Irigoyen

Lindsey Kermgard Jean O’Nan

Barb Porter

Lori Ropa Rebecca Wise

ALTO

Jayne Conrad

Kerry Cote

Martha Cox

Gabriella Groom

Sheri Haxton

Christine Kaminske

Andrea LeBaron Joanna Maltzahn

Jill Parsons

Kimberly Pflug Kathi Rudolph Mary Thayer

Sue von Roedern Benita Wandel Joanie Zisler

TENOR

James Carlson

Dusty Davies

Jack Dinkel

Roger Fuehrer

John Gale David Hodel Ken Kolm

Todd McCracken

Tom Milligan Miguel Rangel Jerry Sims PJ Stohlmann

BASS

Bob Friedlander

Matthew Gray

Tim Griffin

Chris Grossman

Eric Israelson

Tom Jirak

Jared Joseph Greg Morrison Gene Nuccio

Tom Potter Josh Richards Russ Skillings

DRUMS OF THE WORLD

PERCUSSIONISTS OF THE COLORADO SYMPHONY

Sunday, January 22, 2023 at 2:30pm Boettcher Concert Hall

BILL DOUGLAS Rock Etude #7 Arr. MIKE UDOW

EMMA O’HALLORAN SHELL

DANNY ELFMAN Percussion Quartet, Mvt. 1

ROBERT MARINO 8 on 3 and 9 on 2

MICHAEL LAURELLO Spine

RICH O’MEARA Hands

I. working hands/body II. idle hands/mind III. older hands/spirit

ECKHARD KOPETZKI Le chant du serpent

JOSEITO FERNANDEZ Guantanamera Arr. STEVE HEARN

Traditional Chopsticks

JOE TOMPKINS Trio

SERGIO MENDES Mas Que Nada

MICHAEL JACKSON Billie Jean

CONCERT RUN TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 75 MINUTES WITH NO MINUTE INTERMISSION

FIRST TIME TO THE SYMPHONY? SEE PAGE 7 OF THIS PROGRAM FOR FAQ’S TO MAKE YOUR EXPERIENCE GREAT!

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

FAMILY BIOGRAPHIES

JOHN

KINZIE,

principal percussion

John Kinzie joined the Colorado Symphony as Principal Percussionist in 1985. He was previously the Principal Percussionist with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. In 1996, he became the head of the percussion division at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.

John Kinzie was born in Pittsburgh and began his musical studies on the piano at the age of five. When band was introduced in the schools, he quickly switched to the drums. He received scholarships to the University of Toledo and the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Robert Bell, Richard Weiner and Paul Yancich. Prior to joining the Colorado Symphony as Principal Percussionist in 1985, he was Principal Percussionist with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, a position he won at the age of 19.

John has appeared with Strings in the Mountains, The National Repertory Orchestra, and the Grand Teton music festivals, and has been a featured soloist with the Toledo Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, Yale School of Music, Grand Teton Music Festival, and the Colorado Symphony on numerous occasions. He also performs with the Colorado Symphony chamber group “Once Upon a Time,” a group formed to inspire the imaginations of young schoolchildren and to excite them about music. In 1996, he became the head of the percussion division of the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, where he teaches percussion and timpani performance as well as percussion ensemble, master classes, and percussion pedagogy and repertoire. In his spare time, he enjoys golf, skiing, and hanging out with his wife, Colorado Symphony violinist Karen Kinzie, and their four sons, Ryan, Karl, Grant, and Reid.

STEVE HEARN, assistant principal timpani

Assistant principal timpani/section percussion with the Colorado Symphony, Steve Hearn is also a founding member of the Lumos Percussion Group and the former principal timpanist of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. Hearn previously held the position as Percussionist/Timpanist in the U.S. Army Field Band.

Assistant principal timpani/section percussion with the Colorado Symphony, Steve Hearn is also a founding member of the Lumos Percussion Group and the former principal timpanist of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. He has appeared with the Strings in the Mountains, Grand Teton, and Cabrillo music festivals and has been a featured concerto soloist with the Colorado Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, among others. He has performed at several Percussive Arts Society International Conventions as a featured soloist and chamber musician. Similarly, he was a percussionist in the Colorado premiere of Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun’s Water Passion after S. Matthew.

Hearn previously held the position as Percussionist/Timpanist in the U.S. Army Field Band, Washington, D.C., where he toured the 48 continental states performing concerts with the

FAMILY BIOGRAPHIES

Concert Band and Chorus. As an orchestral musician, he served as principal timpanist during the Nashville Symphony Orchestra’s national tour with Amy Grant/Vince Gil, and has appeared as principal timpanist of the Kamerorkest “Continuo” Rotterdam, Holland, the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, and the Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as principal percussionist with the European Mozart Festival Orchestra in Krakow, Poland, and as a percussionist with the Dutch Theater Production of The West Side Story. Similarly, he has performed with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Santa Fe. In addition, he worked in the Music Business Industry where he served for seven years as the Concert/Adams Percussion Marketing Manager at Pearl Drum Corporation.

Active as an educator, chamber musician, and drum set specialist, he was the assistant to Robert van Sice at Rotterdam’s Conservatory of Music and was the Director of Percussion Studies at New Mexico State University. He has performed recitals and chamber music in Holland, Belgium, Illinois, Colorado, New Mexico, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., as well as given master classes in nearly all 50 states. As a drum set specialist, he has performed various styles of jazz and rock throughout the Chicago area with the Ramesdell Jazz Quintet and the pop/rock group The Others.

Hearn received a Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the University of New Mexico, a Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance from New Mexico State University, and the prestigious Artist Performing Diploma from Rotterdam’s Conservatory, The Netherlands.

Hearn is an active artist/educator for Adams Musical Instruments, Zildjian Cymbals, Freer Percussion Products, TheBoxKit.com, and Evans Drumheads. He also enjoys running, hiking, biking, and ice hockey. Learn more at hearndrum.com.

MICHAEL VAN WIRT, percussion

Percussionist Michael Van Wirt has established himself as a professional performer and educator in Colorado and elsewhere. In addition to his appointment as Section Percussionist in the Colorado Symphony, Michael has performed with the Houston Symphony and was a New World Symphony Fellow during the 2014- 2015 season.

Michael was also a member of Seraphic Fire’s Firebird Chamber Orchestra, serving as timpanist from 2012-2015. He is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival, Colorado College Summer Music Festival, and the Alan Abel Summer Percussion Seminar.

Michael has performed across the United States and abroad. He has studied in Denmark at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, in Japan at the Nagoya Institute for the Arts, and performed in Australia and New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal. He also studied the music of Trinidad with steel-pan master Tom Miller. Michael was a founding member of Miller’s band “Pan Nation” and performed with the group throughout Colorado and the Midwest.

FAMILY BIOGRAPHIES

Michael studied percussion at the University of Denver, where he received his Bachelors of Music under Professor John Kinzie. He attended the University of Miami under Matt Strauss and Svet Stoyanov and obtained his Masters Degree in music in 2012. As an educator, Michael has taught at the Lamont School of Music Summer Academy, the Colorado College Summer Music Festival, and is Artist-in-Residence at the University of Northern Colorado.

MICHAEL TETREAULT, percussion

Michael Tetreault holds a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY and a Master of Music Degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK. Michael is currently a member of seven professional orchestras in the Rocky Mountain region and is also part of the percussion faculty at the University of Colorado (Boulder). Michael has performed domestically and abroad with many ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Toronto Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Utah Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Roomful of Teeth, Quattro Mani and Alarm Will Sound among many others.

ELIZABETH VAN WIRT, percussion

Elizabeth Van Wirt performs regularly as an orchestral percussionist, chamber musician, and soloist. Recent engagements include the Colorado Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, Grand Teton Music Festival, and Colorado Music Festival. Elizabeth was the 3rd prize laureate of the prestigious Universal Marimba Competition 2011 in Belgium. She is recorded as a soloist on Ney Rosauro’s disc Early Mallet Works and featured on the 2016 album Onyx released by the Society of Composers, Inc. In addition to her varied performance career, she has maintained a schedule of teaching private lessons and in classroom settings. Elizabeth currently teaches Applied Percussion at Regis University in Denver. She holds two degrees from the University of Miami Frost School of Music and a Masters Degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Elizabeth lives in Denver, Colorado, and is a proud Yamaha and Vic Firth Artist.