MOVIE AT THE SYMPHONY
2018/19
2018/19 SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:
MOVIE AT THE SYMPHONY: DISNEY’S MARY POPPINS IN CONCERT COLORADO SYMPHONY CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor Friday March 8, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall Disney’s
MARY POPPINS
(1964) In Concert Live to Film Starring Julie Andrews Dick Van Dyke David Tomlinson Glynis Johns Hermione Baddeley Karen Dotrice Matthew Garber Elsa Lanchester Arthur Treacher Reginald Owen and Ed Wynn Directed by Robert Stevenson Co-Produced by Bill Walsh Music and Lyrics by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman Music Supervised, Arranged, and Conducted by Irwin Kostal Screenplay by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi Based on the “Mary Poppins” books by PL Travers
There will be one intermission during this presentation. Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts. © Disney COLORADO SYMPHONY 2018/19 SEASON PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY: SOUNDINGS
2018/19
PROGRAM 1
MOVIE AT THE SYMPHONY PROGRAM NOTES MARY POPPINS (1964) FILM SYNOPSIS: A magical English nanny, Mary Poppins, arrives at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Banks, facing the park at No. 17, Cherry Tree Lane in London, to the delight of their young children, Jane and Michael. The proper English father is too preoccupied with his responsibility at the bank; the mother, an ardent suffragette, is not really aware that their 2 children, left in the care of one nanny after another, are unhappy and unable to communicate with the parents they truly love. Mary Poppins has come to change all this. She settles into the house, and soon has everyone wrapped around her little finger. Mary, along with her friend Bert and a host of chimney sweeps, teaches the children how to have fun, and in so doing makes the Banks house- hold a happier place. By the time she opens her umbrella and flies off on a beautiful spring evening, the family is united together in the park, flying a kite.
AWARDS: Released in 1964, Mary Poppins garnered 13 Academy Award® nominations and won five Oscars®, two of which the Sherman brothers received for "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and the film's original musical score. The film’s original motion picture soundtrack featured 14 original songs by now-legendary Disney songwriters and composers Richard and Robert Sherman. In 1965, the soundtrack was the #1 album for 14 consecutive weeks on Billboard’s Top 200 Album chart, maintaining the #1 position that year longer than the Beatles (Beatles' 65, Beatles VI, and the Help! soundtrack), Elvis Presley (Roustabout soundtrack), The Rolling Stones (Out of Our Heads) and The Sound of Music soundtrack. The soundtrack won two Grammy® Awards (Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show, Best Recording for Children). ABOUT DISNEY CONCERTS Disney Concerts is the concert production and licensing division of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company. Disney Concerts produces concerts and tours, and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras and presenters on a worldwide basis. Disney Concerts’ concert packages include a variety of formats, such as “live to picture” film concerts and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts, and range from instrumental-only symphonic performances to multimedia productions featuring live vocalists and choir. Current titles include the Star Wars Film Concert Series (Episodes IV-VII), Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Fantasia, Pixar In Concert, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Alice In Wonderland, Frozen, Ratatouille, The Pirates of the Caribbean series (Episodes I-IV), and Silly Symphonies, which last year collectively accounted for over 400 performances in many of the world’s top concert venues, including Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Tokyo Forum, and the Hollywood Bowl. Numerous new concert packages and touring productions from Disney’s portfolio of studios, including Disney’s feature animation and live action studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel, are currently in development.
PROGRAM 2
C O L O R A D O SY M P H O N Y.O R G
MOVIE AT THE SYMPHONY BIOGRAPHY CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor Australian conductor Christopher Dragon is in his fourth season as the Associate Conductor of the Colorado Symphony. For three years he previously 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 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 Josh Pyke and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was released on album by ABC Music and won an ARIA the following year. Dragon’s international guest conducting includes the Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre, the San Diego 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 Arts Festival alongside Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra. Dragon 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 Järvi at the Järvi Summer Festival, Fabio Luisi at the Pacific Music Festival, and conducting pedagogue Jorma Panula.
SOUNDINGS
2018/19
PROGRAM 3
SYMPHONY POPS
2018/19
2018/19 SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:
FACE VOCAL BAND WITH THE COLORADO SYMPHONY COLORADO SYMPHONY SCOTT O'NEILL, conductor FACE VOCAL BAND Saturday, March 9, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall
“Sounds of Silence” / “Hey You”
“No Roots”
Simon and Garfunkle / Pink Floyd
Alice Merton
“Harder to Breathe”
“Jesse's Girl” / “Stacy's Mom”
Maroon 5
Rick Springfield / Fountains of Wayne
“Focus on Your Rap Game”
“Feeling Good”
Face Original
Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse
“So Happy Together”
“Kiss from a Rose”
The Turtles
Seal
“Happier”
80s Pop Medley
Marshmellow & Bastille
Various
“House of the Rising Sun” / Colorado Symphony Feature
Leonard Cohen
“Hallelujah”
American Folk Song
“The Devil Wen't Down to Boulder” Charlie Daniels Band
“Baba Yetu” Christopher Tin
— INTERMISSION — Saturday's Concert is Gratefully Dedicated to Stonebridge Companies PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY
PROGRAM 4
C O L O R A D O SY M P H O N Y.O R G
SYMPHONY POPS BIOGRAPHIES SCOTT O’NEIL, conductor As a conductor, Scott O’Neil recently completed a nine-year tenure as Resident Conductor with the Colorado Symphony in Denver. During his time there he performed with some of the classical world’s elite soloists, such as Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Pinchas Zukerman, Lang Lang, Van Cliburn, Christopher O’Riley, Cameron Carpenter and Sharon Isbin, as well as leaders in the larger musical world, such as Steve Vai, Chris Botti, Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, Tracy Silverman, Eileen Ivers, Sarah McLachlan, Ben Folds, Ingrid Michaelson, Amos Lee, Rufus Wainwright, Gregory Alan Isakov, Devotchka, The Lumineers, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Susan Egan and Will Chase. Mr. O’Neil has also created and developed an extensive series of concerts, entitled Inside the Score, which combine art, entertainment and enlightenment to engage audiences in explorations of a wide variety of music and ideas. Under the umbrella of Inside the Scorefall a number of sub-series, including biography (Letters from Mozart, The Best of Beethoven, Brahms: A Life in Music, Rachmaninoff: From Tragedy to Triumph), individual masterpieces (Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony – This I Believe!, Eroica!, Beethoven’s Fifth, Stravinsky’s Petrushka, Debussy’s La mer, the “The Debussy Code”) and a cross-genre concert – Shuffle – which includes everything from Bach, Elgar, and Prokofiev to Metheny, Björk, and Philip Glass, as well as a feature concert with cross-over artist Kip Winger. (Once the front man for the band Winger, he now composes “classical” music reminiscent of Honegger and Messiaen.) In this vein, O’Neil has also presented Masterworks programs with “cross-over” elements, notably featuring Victor Wooten, performing the premiere of his own Bass Whispererconcerto, co-written with Conni Ellisor. Mr. O’Neil’s engaging manner in addressing audiences has led to extensive speaking engagements, including a TED-talk on music he composed for Arrow Electronics. As an arranger/orchestrator, Mr. O’Neil has created and orchestrated numerous works for the Colorado Symphony (Arrow: Five Years Out! – an original composition, Pat Metheny’s “The First Circle” as well as Minuano, Björk’s Overture, “107 Steps” and “New World,” a live version of Philip Glass’s Changing Opinions); he has also written orchestrations for Ingrid Michaelson, Eileen Ivers and Bela Fleck. Scott O’Neil continues to guest conduct and to lead his own ensemble, the Rosetta Music Society, in Denver, creating new, innovative programming and constantly seeking to draw wider audiences to live performances of music from Bach to today’s cutting-edge artists.
SOUNDINGS
2018/19
PROGRAM 5
SYMPHONY POPS BIOGRAPHIES FACE VOCAL BAND Face Vocal Band is an internationally acclaimed all-vocal rock band from Boulder, Colorado who have been captivating audiences for over a decade with their infectious energy punctuated by an endearing love of performance. “Blending modern popular tunes with complex harmonies, brilliant beat-box rhythms and superb singing... Face take their audience on a musical journey and it’s fantastic fun.” (FringeReview.co.uk) Performing over 100 shows per year around the world, the band has also competed on the hit NBC series The Sing-Off, headlined at Edinburgh, Scotland’s prestigious Festival Fringe, and has opened for legendary performers such as Jon Bon Jovi, Barenaked Ladies, Jay Leno, The Wailers, 38 Special, Manhattan Transfer, Rick Springfield, and Culture Club & Boy George. Back home in Colorado, Face continues to be voted “Best Local Band/Musician” by numerous publications and audience awards (2017 Boulder Weekly, 2016 Denver A-List, 2015 Yellow Scene Magazine), and regularly performs for packed audiences in iconic venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Paramount Theatre, Swallow Hill, Boulder Theater, Soiled Dove Underground, and the Denver Bronco’s Mile High Stadium. Critics and fans world-wide describe Face as “a true American heartland sound.” (Recorded A Cappella Review Board) “[Face] communicates with a directness and warmth – perhaps America at its best.” (Norbbottens Kuriren) “Soulful singing stands out above the crowd.” (FringeReview.co.uk)
S TAY
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COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG PROGRAM 6
C O L O R A D O SY M P H O N Y.O R G
FAMILY
2018/19
2018/19 SEASON PRESENTING SPONSORS:
PETER AND THE WOLF FEATURING MAGIC CIRCLE MIME CO. COLORADO SYMPHONY CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor MAGIC CIRCLE MIME CO.
Sunday, March 10, 2019, at 2:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall
SUPPÉ
Overture to Light Cavalry
PROKOFIEV
Peter and the Wolf
Sunday's Concert is Gratefully Dedicated to Dr. Susan B. Rifkin & KUSA 9News | TEGNA Foundation PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY SOUNDINGS
2018/19
PROGRAM 7
FAMILY BIOGRAPHIES CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor Australian conductor Christopher Dragon is in his fourth season as the Associate Conductor of the Colorado Symphony. For three years he previously 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 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 Josh Pyke and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was released on album by ABC Music and won an ARIA the following year. Dragon’s international guest conducting includes the Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre, the San Diego 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 Arts Festival alongside Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra. Dragon 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 Järvi at the Järvi Summer Festival, Fabio Luisi at the Pacific Music Festival, and conducting pedagogue Jorma Panula.
PHOTO: DAVID WATANABE
ABOUT MAGIC CIRCLE MIME CO. Magic Circle Mime Co. is regarded as one of today’s premier family attractions. Their highly acclaimed performances, which unite the concert orchestra with visual theater, are consistently praised for imaginative and innovative content. Magic Circle Mime Company performs with virtually every major orchestra in North America and has performed on numerous occasions with the Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Montreal, Saint Louis, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg; the Cleveland Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra; and on more than half a dozen occasions at The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts with the National Symphony Orchestra. 2014 also marked their fourth appearance at the National Arts Centre of Canada. Magic Circle Mime Company also has a growing reputation outside North America. In the Pacific Rim and Far East they have performed at festivals and with major orchestras in Australia, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan. Appearances include the Beijing Music Festival, Shanghai International Children’s Festival, Taiwan International Children’s Festival, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, West Australia Symphony Orchestra, and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. They made their European debut with the Palau de la Música de Valencia in April of 2007 leading to return engagements in Spain in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013. In 2012 they performed in South America for the first time with Orquesta Filarmonica de Bogota. Magic Circle Mime Company is the creative partnership of Maggie Petersen and Douglas MacIntyre. Both artists have backgrounds in theatre and instrumental music, and have utilized that training to create their highly regarded programs. Their newest production, “Orchestra from Planet X,” explores the many influences that helped create the music of the New World. PROGRAM 8
C O L O R A D O SY M P H O N Y.O R G