Program Notes: ABBA, Vienna Boys, Bernadette Peters

SPOTLIGHT 2022/23

DANCING QUEEN – A TRIBUTE TO ABBA WITH RAJATON CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor RAJATON

Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall

Arr. KIISKI

ABBA: Medley

Arr. KUUSISTO Dancing Queen / Money, Money, Money / One of Us

Arr. LEPOLA Head Over Heels (a cappella)

Arr. KIISKI S. O. S.

Arr. VÄNSKÄ Take A Chance On Me

Arr. KIISKI Chiquitita

Arr. KIISKI Mamma Mia

— INTERMISSION —

Arr. KUUSISTO People Need Love: An ABBA Symphonic Medley

Arr. KUUSISTO When All Is Said And Done

Arr. KIISKI Knowing Me, Knowing You

Arr. CHYDENIUS Fernando (a cappella)

Arr. VÄNSKÄ Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

Arr. KUUSISTO Does Your Mother Know / The Winner Takes It All / Thank You For The Music

CONCERT RUN TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES WITH NO INTERMISSION

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

Thursday’s ConCerT is dediCaTed To FirsTBank

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

SPOTLIGHT BIOGRAPHIES

CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor

Australian conductor Christopher Dragon is the Resident Conductor of the Colorado Symphony and Music Director of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra. He joined the Colorado Symphony in the 2015/2016 Season as Associate Conductor – a position he held for four years. For three years prior, Dragon held the position of Assistant Conductor with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to work closely with Principal Conductor Asher Fisch.

Dragon has a versatile portfolio ranging from live-to-picture performances of Nightmare Before Christmas, Jurassic Park and Mary Poppins, a wide variety of collaborations with artists such as The Flaming Lips, Cynthia Erivo and Wynton Marsalis, to standard and contemporary orchestral repertoire such as Danny Elfman’s Violin Concerto, Eleven Eleven, all areas of which he has become highly sought after. Christopher has become known for his charisma, high energy and affinity for a good costume, consistently delivering unforgettable performances that has made him an audience favourite.

Recent season highlights include his subscription series debut with the San Diego Symphony, performances of Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton with Danny Elfman reprising the role of Jack Skellington and the historic Colorado Symphony performances with the Wu-Tang Clan at Red Rocks and the Mission Ballroom. Dragon’s upcoming debuts include concerts with the San Francisco Symphony and the Utah Symphony.

Christopher works regularly in Australia and has guest conducted the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and West Australian Symphony Orchestras. His 2015 debut performance at the Sydney Opera House with John Pyke and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was released on album by ABC Music and won an ARIA the following year. Christopher’s other guest conducting includes Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

He has also conducted at numerous festivals including the Breckenridge and Bangalow Music Festivals, with both resulting in immediate re-invitations. At the beginning of 2016 Dragon conducted Wynton Marsalis’ Swing Symphony as part of the Perth International Art Festival alongside Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Christopher began his conducting studies in 2011 and was a member of the prestigious Symphony Services International Conductor Development Program in Australia under the guidance of course director Christopher Seaman. He has also studied with numerous distinguished conductors including Leonid Grin, Paavo and Neeme Jarvi at the Jarvi Summer Festival, Fabio Luisi at the Pacific Music Festival and conducting pedagogue Jorma Panula.

SPOTLIGHT BIOGRAPHIES

RAJATON

The Finnish word Rajaton translates as "boundless" – a word that so accurately describes the way this six-voice a cappella ensemble approaches music. Regularly performing around a hundred concerts and workshops each year, Rajaton exposes their audiences to the kind of diversity of repertoire, singing style, and stage presentation that has made them a phenomenon on the world stage.

Performing at concert halls, jazz and choral festivals, and with various orchestras, this distinct group of musicians approaches all styles of music with the same level of commitment and integrity, making it difficult to imagine an audience that they could not inspire, or a type of music they could not make their own. In their native Finland, Rajaton is a bona fide pop phenomenon, successfully bridging the gap that often exists between classical and mainstream convention. Rajaton has released 18 different albums. In 2022, Rajaton celebrates 25 years of music-making with one double platinum, three platinum and eight gold records in Finland under their belt.

Ever seeking new artistic challenges, the group has grown immeasurably through collaborations with other a cappella artists, as well as productions with film directors and choreographers. But it is perhaps their deep passion for choral art, their generosity of spirit and their sheer enjoyment of singing that has won the hearts and acclaim of audiences and critics everywhere. Their energy – infectious; their ability to entertain and inspire – Rajaton!

The voice is boundless.

SPOTLIGHT 2022/23

COLORADO SYMPHONY PRESENTS: VIENNA BOYS CHOIR TOGETHER

OLIVER STECH, conductor

Friday, November 11, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall

PURCELL

Come, Ye Sons of Art Birthday Ode for Queen Mary II, Z323 Words ascribed to Nahum Tate

HASSLER Cantate Domino (Sing to the Lord) Motet for four voices a cappella

BACH Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt (No one could overcome Death) Versus 2, from Canata BWV 4

Words: Martin Luther

MOZART Mi lagnerò tacendo (I languish in silence), Words: Pietro Metastasio Notturno K. 437 from “Siroe”

HAYDN Abendlied zu Gott (Evening song for God), Hob. XXVc: 9

Words: Christian Fürchtegott Gellert

Solo to be announced from stage

SCHUBERT Widerspruch (Contradiction), D. 86

Words: Johann Gabriel Seidl

KODÁLY

CASALS

EŠENVALDS

Esti dal (Evening song)

Nigra sum sed formosa (I am black and beautiful)

Words: Song of Songs 1:4

O salutaris hostia (O saving sacrifice)

Arr. Rolo Dilworth Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho

Words: Thomas Aquinas

— INTERMISSION —

SPOTLIGHT 2022/23

LIONDEV Kaval sviri (A Kaval flute plays) Arr. Tanya Parvanova

FOLK SONG FROM THE Vem kan segla förutan vind ÅLAND ISLANDS (Who can sail without wind?) Arr. Gerald Wirth

SECUNDA/ZEITLIN

Dona, Dona (Dos kelbl) (Hargail Version) from the musical “Esterke” ©EMI Mills Music Inc. By kind permission of EMI Music Publishing Germany GmbH

YRADIER La Paloma (The Dove). Arr. Gerald Wirth

JOCULAR SONG FROM SERBIA Niška banja (The hot springs of Niš)

WHALING SHANTY FROM Wellerman NEW ZEALAND (Soon may the Wellerman come) Arr. Gerald Wirth

LOVE SONG FROM CARINTHIA Wann du durchgehst durch’s Tal Arr. Gerald Wirth (When you walk through the valley)

DANCE FROM MÜHLVIERTEL Es gibt schene Wasserl Arr. Gerald Wirth (There are beautiful waters)

SIECZYŃSKI Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume Arr. Gerald Wirth (Vienna, City of My Dreams), Op. 1

STRAUSS Feuerfest! (Fireproof!), Op. 269 Arr. Gerald Wirth Words: Rudolf Effenberger / Elke Wirth

STRAUSS II Wiener Blut (Viennese spirits), Op. 354 Arr. Helmuth Froschauer

CONCERT RUN TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR AND 50 MINUTES WITH A 20 MINUTE INTERMISSION

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

SPOTLIGHT BIOGRAPHIES

OLIVER STECH, conductor

Oliver Stech became choirmaster of the Vienna Boys Choir in 2011. He has led the choir in numerous concerts, and on tours of Europe, Asia, South America, and the USA.

Oliver is responsible for the boys’ repertoire; he conducts choir and solo rehearsals and prepares the boys for the sung services in Vienna’s Imperial Chapel. In addition, he trains the boys for productions at Vienna’s two opera houses, and for performances with conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Franz Welser-Möst, or Simone Young. Appearances on radio and television, sound recordings and film shoots are part of the choir’s routine. Oliver conducted the boys on the set of Curt Faudon’s films “Songs for Mary” (2013) and “Good Shepherds” (2017) – in Palestine, Italy, and Austria.

Oliver Stech was born in Waidhofen/Ybbs, Lower Austria. As a child, he received piano and singing lessons. He went on to study romance languages at the University of Vienna and piano, voice, conducting, and music paedagogy at the University of Music, focussing on choral and ensemble conducting. He has founded and led a number of choirs, and has himself appeared publicly, both as a tenor soloist and as a choir member. In 2009, Oliver Stech was appointed assistant to Heinz Ferlesch, the artistic director of the Vienna Singakademie – the resident choir of Vienna’s Konzerthaus. In 2010, he became a lecturer at the University of Music in Vienna. As of 2019, he has also been working with Chorus Juventus, the youth chorus of the Vienna Boys Choir.

PHOTO: LUKAS BECK

PHOTO: LUKAS BECK

SPOTLIGHT BIOGRAPHIES

VIENNA BOYS CHOIR

The Vienna Boys Choir is one of the most famous choirs in the world, and one of its oldest: Boys have been singing at Vienna’s Imperial Chapel at least since 1296. In 1498, Emperor Maximilian I. moved his court to Vienna to establish the Chapel Imperial there, and the Vienna Boys Choir. Over the centuries, the court attracted musicians like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Anton Bruckner; Joseph Haydn, Michael Haydn, and Franz Schubert were themselves choirboys. Until 1918, the boys sang exclusively for the court.

In 1924, the Choir was reestablished as a private, non-profit organization.

Today, the Vienna Boys Choir maintains its own campus, with a primary school, a middle school, and a senior high school programme. The middle school is attended by 100 boy choristers between the ages of nine and fourteen. The boys are divided into four choirs. Each group spends ten weeks of the school year on tour. Between them, the choirs give around 300 concerts each year, attended by almost half a million spectators around the world. Since 1924, 2750 choristers have sung over 1000 tours in 100 different countries.

On Sundays, one of the Choirs performs with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the State Opera Chorus in Vienna’s Imperial Chapel, as it has done for the past 524 years.

The Choir performs with major orchestras, conducted by the likes of Joana Mallwitz, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Christian Thielemann, Simone Young. A highlight are appearances at the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert and at the Salzburg Festival. Since their first recording in 1907, the boys have recorded 377 shellacks, LPs, and CDs. Numerous films and documentaries attest to the Choir’s international appeal.

In 2004, the Vienna Girls Choir was founded to give girls the same musical education and the same musical experiences. 30 girls are enrolled in this program today.

In 2009, the Choir teamed up with the Vienna Konzerthaus and Caritas Vienna to found “Superar” to provide children in and around the city with access to music; since then, the Choir regularly join Superar in concerts.

300 boys and girls attend the Choir’s Schools. A third of the students go on to become music professionals. The Vienna Boys Choir is a registered charity; its singing tradition is listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in Austria.

Professor Gerald Wirth, himself a former choirboy, is the President and Artistic Director.

Hotel Residenz Palais Coburg is the Vienna Boys Choir general sponsor. www.viennaboyschoir.net

Exclusive Tour Management: Opus 3 Artists, 470 Park Avenue South, 9th Floor North, New York, NY 10016 www.opus3artists.com

AN EVENING WITH BERNADETTE PETERS AND YOUR COLORADO SYMPHONY

BERNADETTE PETERS, vocalist CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor (see bio on Program II)

Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall

Program to be announced from stage

CONCERT RUN TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES WITH NO INTERMISSION

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

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

SPOTLIGHT BIOGRAPHY

BERNADETTE PETERS, vocalist

Bernadette Peters has dazzled audiences and critics throughout her illustrious seven-decade career. As a world-renown artist her awardwinning performances have spanned live-theatre, film, television, concerts and recordings. She has garnered critical acclaim for her diverse talents earning numerous top honors and awards.

A three-time Tony Award recipient Bernadette is often described as “Broadway’s Leading Lady,” having starred in notable memorable theatrical performances, including Stephen Sondheim’s and Andrew Lloyd Weber’s seminal musical productions.

Bernadette is an accomplished New York Times best-selling author and acclaimed philanthropist gaining world-wide recognition for her passion helping people and animals across the globe.

Theatre: Broadway, London and Beyond

Bernadette is one of Broadway’s most respected and talented artists. Her iconic performances have earned the respect and love of audiences during her 40+ year star-studded career. As one of Broadway’s perennial leading ladies, she is the recipient of three Tony Awards, multiple Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, along with other countless awards.

Her latest Broadway credit was her starring role as Dolly Gallagher Levi in the hit musical, Hello, Dolly!. Other recent theater credits include City Center’s Encores! Production, A BED A CHAIR: A New York Love Affair featuring music by Stephen Sondheim and orchestrations by Wynton Marsalis and on Broadway, in Stephen Sondheim’s Follies and A Little Night Music.

In 2012, Bernadette received the Isabelle Stevenson Special Tony Award. The award acknowledges an individual in the theatre community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations.

Bernadette received her seventh Tony Award nomination for her electrifying portrayal of Momma Rose in Sam Mendes’ record-breaking Broadway revival of Gypsy, and her brilliant performance was captured on the Grammy award-winning Gypsy cast recording. “Bernadette Peters is a revelation!” Ben Brantley of The New York Times declared of her star turn in the show. Bernadette’s Angel Records CD, Sondheim, Etc., Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall (The Rest of It), features never-before-released highlights from her historic 1996 highly anticipated solo debut at Carnegie Hall. The concert was a benefit for Gay Men’s Health Crisis. This performance was repeated for Bernadette Peters in Concert, her London solo debut at Royal Festival Hall, which later was telecast on PBS.

Bernadette received both the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for her critically acclaimed performance in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical Song and Dance. In June 1999, she earned her second Tony Award, her third Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for her portrayal of Annie Oakley in one of Broadway’s most popular musicals, the Tony Award-winning

SPOTLIGHT BIOGRAPHY

Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun.

Bernadette also received Tony nominations for her work in the 1992 musical The Goodbye Girl; Stephen Sondheim’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Sunday in the Park With George; the Jerry Herman/Gower Champion ode to the movies, Mack and Mabel; and the Leonard Bernstein/ Comden and Green musical On The Town. In addition to these honors, Bernadette earned a Drama Desk nomination for her memorable portrayal of the Witch in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods.

Bernadette made her Broadway debut in 1967 in Johnny No-Trump, and in 1968 starred opposite Joel Grey in the musical George M!, earning a Theatre World Award, the youngest recipient ever, for her memorable portrayal of Josie Cohan. That same year, she received a Drama Desk Award for her show stopping performance in the smash hit off-Broadway musical Dames at Sea, and quickly became one of the most sought-after stars in musical theatre.

Television

Bernadette starring roles on numerous television productions have attracted a loyal following of fans on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Apple-TV and other streaming platforms. She has received critical acclaim and awards for her memorable performances.

Bernadette recently guest-starred on the NBC-TV series, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” for which she earned a Primetime Emmy Award Nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. The popular series was also made into a TV movie musical titled “Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas” for The Roku Channel. Other recent TV appearances include “The CW’s “Katy Keene”; CBS All Access’ “The Good Fight”; and Amazon Prime’s Golden Globe winning series, “Mozart in the Jungle”. She recently completed production on the new Apple TV series, “High Desert”, scheduled to be released early 2023.

Other television credits include the hit NBC-TV series SMASH; Lifetime-TV movie, “Living Proof” opposite Harry Connick, Jr.; a guest starring role in the two-hour season premiere of the ABC-TV hit series, “Grey’s Anatomy”; and a recurring role on the popular TV series, “Ugly Betty”. She has appeared in several performing arts specials such as PBS’ “Evening at Pops” and “The Kennedy Center Honors” to early appearances in variety shows such as “The Carol Burnett Show” and an Emmy-nominated performance on “The Muppet Show”. She appeared in the star-studded “Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall” and also played an opera diva-on-the-verge-of-anervous-breakdown in Terrence McNally’s “The Last Mile”, both for PBS’ highly acclaimed Great Performances series. Other television credits include PBS’ “Hey Mr. Producer!: the Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh” and the ABC-TV special “Quincy Jones: the First 50 Years”

Bernadette received an Emmy nomination for her performance in the FOX-TV hit series “Ally McBeal”. She portrayed the wicked stepmother in “Cinderella” with Brandy and Whitney Houston, and also starred in “The Odyssey” starring Armand Assante, “David, Fall From Grace” and “The Last Best Year” with Mary Tyler Moore. She also appeared in the Showtime movie “Bobbie’s Girl” (Daytime Emmy nomination) and “Prince Charming”, a TNT movie co-starring Martin Short and Christina Applegate.

SPOTLIGHT BIOGRAPHY

Film

A performer of amazing versatility, Bernadette has lit up the silver screen in over 30 films throughout her distinguished career. Her recent film credits include, a surprise appearance in the popular Jonathan Larson biopic, “tick, tick…BOOM!” and in the romcom film, “The Broken Hearts Gallery”.

Other film credits include, “The Jerk” with Steve Martin, “The Longest Yard” with Burt Reynolds, “Silent Movie” with Mel Brooks, “Annie” with Carol Burnett, “Pink Cadillac” with Clint Eastwood, “Slaves of New York” with Mercedes Ruehl, Woody Allen’s “Alice” with Mia Farrow, “Impromptu” with Hugh Grant and Mandy Patinkin, “It Runs in the Family”, starring opposite Kirk and Michael Douglas, “Coming Up Roses” with Rachel Brosnahan and her memorable performance in “Pennies From Heaven” for which she earned a Golden Globe Award.

Concerts

Bernadette live musical performances regularly attract large adoring audiences in many of world’s most famous concert venues. Her shows are also often broadcast on television further reaching her global fan base.

Bernadette’s Angel Records CD, Sondheim, Etc., Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall (The Rest of It), features never-before-released highlights from her historic 1996 highly acclaimed solo debut at Carnegie Hall. The concert was a benefit for Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

This performance was repeated for Bernadette Peters in Concert, her London solo debut at Royal Festival Hall, which later was telecast on PBS.

Recordings

Bernadette has recorded six solo albums, several of which received Grammy nominations. She has also been featured on numerous Grammy-award winning Broadway cast albums, including Gypsy and Annie Get Your Gun.

Bernadette recorded the original title song for the 1998 feature film “Barney’s Great Adventure: The Movie”, written by famed Tony Award-winning Broadway composer Jerry Herman She can also be heard as the voice of “Sophie” in the feature film “Anastasia”, as “Angelique” in the special home video “Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Christmas”, as Sue in “The Land Before Time: The Great Longneck Migration”, and the voice of Rita the Cat in the popular Steven Spielberg animated program, “Animaniacs”.

Bernadette’s six solo albums include: Sondheim, Etc., Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall (The Rest of It); Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers & Hammerstein (Grammy Nomination); Sondheim Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live At Carnegie Hall (Grammy Nomination); I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (Grammy Nomination); Bernadette Peters; and Now Playing.

SPOTLIGHT BIOGRAPHY

Philanthropy

Bernadette has long been recognized and honored by countless esteemed organizations for her charitable work on behalf of those in need and animal protection. Her many awards are a true reflection of her humanity giving back to help make our world a better place.

During her memorable career, she has been recognized and honored by a wide spectrum of well-regarded organizations, including: The Animal Medical Center, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Manhattan Theatre Club, Theatre World Awards, the Drama League, New Dramatists, New York Women in Communications, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, The Actors Fund, The Police Athletic League (PAL), the City of New York, the Theatre Hall of Fame. Other honors include Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year and the Sarah Siddons Actress of the Year Award, among others.

Broadway Barks

Bernadette, co-founded, with her close friend, Mary Tyler Moore, Broadway Barks, a non-profit that supports animal rescue groups and informs and educates the public on the plight of homeless animals. The organization has grown internationally and now benefits over 40 animal shelters and rescue groups around the world.

In November 2009, Bernadette performed a special one-night-only concert at New York City’s Minskoff Theatre, “Bernadette Peters: A Special Concert for Broadway Barks Because Broadway Cares”, which benefitted both Broadway Barks and Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. The taped concert was recently streamed during the pandemic and raised in total over $800,000.

Bernadette devotes her time and talents to numerous events that benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS, in addition to her “pet project” Broadway Barks.

Award-winning Author

Bernadette became a New York Times Best Selling Author when her debut children’s book, “Broadway Barks” made this celebrated list. The book package includes a CD recording of an original song written and sung by the author. Her second children’s book, “Stella is a Star” features another group of her original songs. Proceeds from the sale of her books, including her third, “Stella and Charlie: Friends Forever”, all benefit the Broadway Barks program.

An Early Beginning to Stardom

A native of Ozone Park, New York, Peters began her performing career at the age of 3 with appearances on “Juvenile Jury”, the classic TV game show “Name That Tune”, and “The Horn & Hardart Children’s Hour”. She made her theatrical debut in This is Goggle, starring James Daly and Kim Hunter, directed by the legendary Otto Preminger. Still in her teens, she appeared in The Most Happy Fella and The Penny Friend and performed in the national touring company of Gypsy.

Bernadette resides in New York City and Los Angeles with her rescue dogs, Charlie and Rosalia.