DSCC Fall Concert Digital Program Book

Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus Fall Concert

Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

A

Note from Ellie Lin

I HAVE DEDICATED my life to working with choirs because I love seeing people experience and express joy by making music together. It’s even more rewarding when I see singers show respect for others unconditionally and take pride in striving for excellence. What better time to start than when they are young? When I was chosen as a second grader to participate in performing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, the excitement I felt still lingers with me today. That exhilarating choral experience and many others that followed, ignited my passion for music and for teaching. Memories of arriving in the U.S. as a 7th grader without speaking a word of English, finding refuge in my middle school choir in an otherwise scary and unfamiliar environment is still fresh in my mind. I am forever grateful for the kindness my choir director showed me. In addition, music is the universal language that helped me make friends then, and now. I want the Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus to be a place where students from grades 4 to 12 can create such life affirming memories. I want to instill in our students a love for music, build up their confidence, and teach them a sense of teamwork through hands-on learning experiences alongside other talented singers in their age group. Besides proper singing technique, I also plan for music literacy to be incorporated as part of their education. Furthermore, DSCC singers will have the extraordinary opportunity to regularly perform with the worldrenowned Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Nothing can beat firsthand experiences with these best-in-class musicians. It has been widely proven that the impact of music education in developmental learning is beyond music. By creating harmony with other passionate and talented artists at a young age, DSCC singers will find life-long joy in achieving excellence, become compassionate and empathetic individuals who will contribute in the most meaningful ways to their communities throughout their lives.

Interim Artistic Director of the Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus

Upcoming Performances

Winter Concert Sunday, February 26, 2023 | 7:30pm

Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

All Choruses Performing

Spring Concert Sunday, April 30, 2023 | 7:30pm

Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center

All Choruses Performing

Auditions

We are excited to hold auditions for students in 4th – 12th grades on Saturday, December 17, 2022. For more information, please scan the QR code.

Support the Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus

Donations from our supporters help ensure that children may continue their musical growth and work with exceptional directors and ensembles. For more information, please scan the QR code.

Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus Fall Concert

NOV 27 SUN | 7:30PM

DALLAS SYMPHONY

CHILDREN’S CHORUS

Training Choir

JACKSON HILL Conducts ELLIE LIN Piano

ARR. PHYLLIS WOLFE-WHITE Whatcha Gonna Call that Baby?

MUYI AJAGUNNA SOLOIST

ROBYN RANDLE SOLOIST

LILA TRAN SOLOIST

CATHERINE XUEREB SOLOIST

ARR. MICHAEL RYAN Silent Night

ARR. GREG GILPIN Fun, Fun, Fun!

DALLAS SYMPHONY

CHILDREN’S CHORUS Symphonic Voices

ELLIE LIN Conducts

HANS GRIM Piano

EUNICE KEEM Violin

Associate Concertmaster Marcella Poppen Chair

LYDIA UMLAUF Violin

EMILY LEVIN Harp Principal Harp Elsa von Seggern Chair

BRITTEN Hodie Christus Natus est (from A Ceremony of Carols)

BRITTEN This Little Babe (from A Ceremony of Carols)

EMILY LEVIN HARP

Program continued on following page

ELGAR The Snow

EUNICE KEEM VIOLIN LYDIA UMLAUF VIOLIN

JACOB NARVERUD Lunar Lullaby

ARR. PETER J. WILHOUSKY Carol of the Bells (with Mixed Ensemble Trebles)

ARR. KYLE PEDERSON Sing We Now of Christmas BRENT ROSS OBOE

ARR. VICTOR C. JOHNSON African Noel ARR. NORMAN LUBOFF Still, Still, Still ARR. JOHN FREDERICK HUDSON I Saw Three Ships ARR. EMILY CROCKER Do You Hear What I Hear?

DALLAS SYMPHONY CHILDREN’S CHORUS

TRAINING CHOIR

Muyi Ajagunna

Anakha Ajith

Anna Sofia Anderson

Cody James Buen

Olivia Cabrales

Lenna Clemente Brady Comer Hugo D’Alton Jade Davis Virginia Collette Dede Isabella Detz

Santiago Diaz Cameron Douglass Alexandra Dunlap Aaron Gottlieb Saanvi Gunjati Quinn Hopping Jonathan Jin Saanve Kachaeeswaran Michael Li Saamya Malladi Victoria Marquez Mendoz Jyothis Matthew Thanushree Namasivayam Justin Nikolaev Ethan Ocone Neil Pandya Evan Prangnell Elisa Ramirez Robyn Randle Diego Rueda Leal Wolfe Rymer Tia Samanta

Gibson Shurley Nabila Stallman Lila Tran Rhea Vinod Alexa Wagner Lilyann Whaley Eli Wilson

Johanna Grace Worthley Catherine Xuereb Julia Zhang Lucas Zhang

SYMPHONIC VOICES

Samuel Aleman

Miranda Barak Arellano Isabella Armenta Sydney Bonfield Baylee Buen Sydney Carroll Julia Carter Dahnbi Cheung Aishwarya Sara Cijo Zarya Clemente Navya Desai Abhigna Gowda DJ Hamill Lillian Harmeyer Serena Jang Olivia Joseph Tejasvi Kanchanavally Isha Kapoor Barrett Knetsch Katelynn Kowlessar Liliana Kuether Heath Larkin Trinidee Lindsey Violet Lloyd Elaine Lu Samanvitha Mada Alivia Martinez Slone McNutt Courtney Mpita Eva Marie Nelson Iris Nguyen Jubilee Nguyen Arianna Parikh Zahra Rutledge Nicole Sanchez Sabrina Sanchez Kian Sayyid Harper Spellicy Emma Stewart Valentina Tamez Renee Tse Ourania Tsinakis Ianna Wara Idris Wara Chloe Weaver Elim Wong Madison Youngers Katherine Zhang

MIXED ENSEMBLE

Arya Ajith Peter Alamares Maia Anchia Emily Anderson Guru Aroul Mary Berg Jared Chao Isaac Chen Sydney Chien Isabelle Clemente Maria Goretti Correa Jackson Davis Joshua Davis Georgia Grace Dreher Joshua Emmet Nicole Green Ai-Vy Hoang Joanne Jin Jefferson Lee Rabel McNutt Gigi Melucci Isabel Metteauer Chelsea Mpita Marvin Mpita Agustina Victoria Muela Selise Phillips Pratyasha Rath Alex Reich Maryanne Schwalm Maddox Short Aashi Shyam Lainie Siegel Luke Tippetts It’aly Toliver Elisa Vasenden Varsha Vijay Ethan Williams Fay Xu Rose Zhao Annie Zhu

Ellie Lin

Interim Artistic Director of the Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus

Ellie Lin, Interim Artistic Director of the Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus, is the High School Choir Director at High Point Academy, Artistic Director/Conductor of Great Land Choral Society, and a faculty member at Texas Music Conservatory. Lin has been working with children and youth choruses for over 25 years. With the world-renowned Texas Boys Choir, she has served as the Interim Artistic Director, Associate Artistic Director, Conductor, Pianist, and algebra teacher at various times since 1991. Other positions held include Director of the Academy Chorale at Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, Conductor of Pinnacle Choristers, Director of Southwest Christian School High School Choir, Artistic Director/Conductor of Good Earth Singers, Choir Director at Arlington

Chinese Church, and Piano Instructor at University of Charleston in West Virginia. Throughout the years, Lin’s choirs have concertized in Austria, Germany, China, Taiwan, Argentina, and in almost every state in the United States. With Texas Boys Choir, Lin has performed before Presidents, in several CD recordings, on national radio stations, and on TV shows such as CBS This Morning and ABC’s Good Morning America. Furthermore, while Lin was Associate Artistic Director, TBC was invited to perform at national American Choral Directors Association conferences in 2013 and 2017. In October 2017, Lin was nominated on the preliminary ballot for the 60th GRAMMY® Award for Producer of the Year, along with the Texas Boys Choir’s 70th Year CD for the Album of the Year and Best Choral Performance awards. Born in Taiwan, Lin grew up in Westchester County north of New York City. She studied Choral Conducting with Donald Neuen at the Eastman School of Music, where she received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education and Choral Conducting, with a concentration in piano. In addition to conducting, Lin is a popular piano teacher and collaborative pianist. She is a member if ACDA, TMEA, FWMTA, and a certified Chinese interpreter and translator.

Victor C. Johnson

DSCC Mixed Ensemble Conductor

Victor C. Johnson, Mixed Ensemble Conductor, is a native of Dallas, Texas, and the School Choral Editor for Sing!, the educational publishing division of Choristers Guild. A prolific composer and arranger, he has over 350 choral works, vocal solo books, and keyboard collections currently in print. Prior to his position at Choristers Guild, from 2000-2018, Victor was a choral director at Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts (FWAFA). At FWAFA, Victor directed the Academy Singers, Academy Men’s Choir and was the Artistic Director of the Singing Girls of Texas and Children’s Choir of Texas.

Victor is in demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician for music educators and students throughout the United States. He has conducted All-State and Regional Honor choirs in the US and Canada. His own choirs have performed at the

Texas Music Educators Association Convention in 2011 and 2014 as well as the American Choral Directors Association-Southwest Division conference in March 2016. His professional affiliations include: ACDA, TMEA, NAME, TCDA, ASCAP, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Inc.

Jackson Hill

DSCC Training Choir Conductor

Jackson Hill, Training Choir Conductor, is a committed advocate for children being actively involved in music and recognizes the immense value it brings to their lives. He has spent the past seven years serving as a choir director, six of those with the Children’s Choir of Texas out of the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts. His ensembles regularly collaborate with music organizations throughout DFW and continually receive superior ranking at local music festivals. In 2020 he was named “Young Director

of Distinction” by the Texas Choral Directors Association. His choirs have been invited to perform at the Southwest conference of the American Choral Directors Association in 2020 and the National Conference in 2021, and his singers will perform at the 2023 conference of the Texas Music Educators Association.

Jackson received his Bachelor of Music from UT Arlington in 2014 and his Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from Texas State University in 2021. He believes the best educators strive to remain students their entire lives.

he’s been a collaborative pianist for over thirty years.

Cory is a music educator and choral director in Fort Worth and also maintains an active performance schedule throughout North Texas. In addition to his directing and accompanying, he enjoys arranging for choir, piano and handbells. When not in the classroom or performing, Cory works within the music ministry of his church and enjoys road trips, the autumnal holidays, winter sports and collecting Texas historical memorabilia.

Cory Curvin

DSCC

Cory Curvin, Mixed Ensemble

Assistant Conductor, had his public performance premiere at the age of six with his piano rendition of “I’m A Little Teapot”, complete with choreography. A native of Mississippi,

Hans Grim

DSCC

Hans Grim, Symphonic

Assistant Conductor, is the head choir director for Alvarado High School. He is a vocalist, pianist, and conductor in the DFW area having played or conducted over 50 musical theatre productions in almost every major

theatre in this region as well as multiple times for the national tour of Mamma Mia and an east coast tour. As a collaborative pianist, he has played for TMEA region concerts, TCDA clinics, multiple high school and college choir concerts, and musical theatre showcases and cabarets. He is a frequent collaborator with Ellie Lin, most notably performing in 16 cities across mainland China as a guest pianist for the Texas Boys Choir under her direction. He is currently working on his Master of Music Education at Tarleton State University. He is married to local actress and teacher, Mary Gilbreath Grim. Together they have three talented children, Max, Rose, and Maddie.

DSCC Volunteers

We would like to thank all our parent volunteers who so generously provide support for our rehearsals and performances.

Kami Anderson*

Antoinette Martinez

Ramya Aroul

Joseph Martinez

Heather Bonfield

Rubin Mathew

Jessica Carter

Toby Prangnell

Patrick Dunlap

Martha Schwalm

Dean Harmeyer*

Pat Sherwood

Carlene Kowlessar

Selena Short

Brian Larkin

Courtney Spellicy

Jessica Larkin

Angelica Leal Ventura

CaTrina Lindsey

Alexis Williams

*Lead Chaperones

DSO Musicians

Eunice Keem Associate Concertmaster Marcella Poppen Chair

Lydia Umlauf Violin

Brent Ross Oboe Daniel Florio Associate Principal Percussion

Emily Levin Principal Harp Elsa von Seggern Chair

Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus Debut

The DSCC performed for the first time on October 22, 2022 in The Way of the Rain. Some of our singers have shared their thoughts about this momentous occasion:

“The Way of the Rain was an amazing concert and experience to be a part of. It was an honor to read my poem at the start of the show!! The Meyerson was super big and cool, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra sounded GREAT!”

– Serena Jang (6th grade)

“I was very proud to sing with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and be in the presence of the great actor Robert Redford.”

– Valentina Tamez (8th grade)

“Our first concert was a truly transformative experience! The atmosphere made me feel nervous and invigorated at the same time.”

– Barrett Knetsch (8th grade)

“I absolutely loved this concert! It was so amazing to be singing with a professional orchestra and to have so many people watching us! The music was beautiful, and I loved practicing it and singing it. I am super excited for our next concert!”

– Violet Lloyd (5th grade)

“I felt very accomplished that we were able to pull off our first concert. When I was singing my solo, I figured that staring at a wall and singing to it was less nervewracking than I expected. My family is very impressed with our choir for singing such a long piece.”

– Elim Wong (6th grade)

“I really enjoyed being able to perform with the orchestra and see a little bit into how it works. I felt very happy/excited throughout the concert, and my parents both really enjoyed the performance. The Meyerson was very pretty and not only did I enjoy performing there, I also loved just being there.”

– Eva Marie Nelson (7th grade)

“My family loved it, and I did too. Even when we had to stand for an hour and thirty minutes with no breaks. I would totally do this again!! The Dallas Symphony Orchestra slays!”

– Baylee Buen (7th grade)

“I think singing with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra was an amazing experience and I’m so proud to have been a part of it. Although my feet hurt a lot afterwards.”

– Chloe Weaver (6th grade)

“It was a wonderful experience and we had a great time. I am so excited for our next performance.”

– Idris Wara (8th grade)

“Something that I enjoyed was harmonizing with the orchestra. I also felt happy because this was our first DSCC concert.”

– Tejasvi Kanchanavally (7th grade)

“My grandma said that we sounded like angels. I loved singing with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and in the Meyerson. Thank you!”

– Julia Carter (4th grade)

“It was very exciting to be singing with the DSO and the other parts of the DSCC. I made new friends that are in high school and friends that are in my grade. This experience was very new to me, but I loved it!”

– Ianna Wara (6th grade)

“My dad loved our singing, and my mom was excited that I was finally singing with the orchestra. I hope I can keep enjoying this every year from now on.”

– Zarya Clemente (7th grade)

“It was fun to sing for the public. I was proud, happy, and totally intrigued by it all.”

– Miranda Barak Arellano (7th grade)

“I think we sounded really good! I liked how professional we were on the stage and how we had so many people watching us. I also thought the orchestra sounded really good.”

– Katherine Zhang (7th grade)

“This piece was beautiful and I loved the melody. Everyone tried their best! My family and the others are shocked by our talent of singing very high notes (don’t get offended altos).”

– Elaine Lu (7th grade)

“I felt very inspired while the music was playing, and during Robert Redford’s speech. It was very moving and beautiful, and I felt much joy.”

– Lillian Harmeyer (5th grade)

“I really liked the music. Also, I was able to see Robert Redford.”

– Samuel Aleman (6th grade)

“I thought it was very good because I don’t usually sing with that many people watching. So it was a great opportunity to show what we have learned.”

– DJ Hamill (5th grade)

“It was a surreal experience unlike anything I have done before. It was truly amazing to watch the piece come to life.”

– Madison Youngers (8th grade)

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Kim Noltemy

Ross Perot President & CEO

Nishi Badhwar

Olga & Yuri Anshelevich

Manager of Orchestra Personnel

Nicole Mendyka

Assistant Personnel Manager

Quin Phillips

Executive Assistant to President & CEO

EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION + SOCIAL IMPACT

Glyne A. Griffith II, DBA, CDP, CSR

Vice President of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion + Social Impact

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS + EDUCATION

Katie McGuinness

Wildenthal Families Vice

President of Artistic Operations

Ashley Alarcon

Young Musicians Manager

Tom Brekhus

Senior Production + Pops Concerts Manager

Jen Guzmán

Thomas & Roberta Corbett

Director of Education

Sarah Hatler

Education Manager

Stephanie Izaguirre

Young Musicians Coordinator

Carolyn Jabr

Young Strings Manager

Emma Jensen

Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus Site Coordinator

Todd Joiner Senior Manager of Artistic Administration

Nathan Lutz

Director of Operations + Education Programs

Michael Lysinger Chorus Administrator

Paula Olsen

Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus Artistic Manager

Micah Ringham

Dallas Symphony Children’s Chorus Operations Manager

Ben Spagnuolo

Artistic Operations Coordinator

Roberto Zambrano

Artistic Director to the Young Musicians Program

COMMUNICATIONS + MEDIA

Denise McGovern

Vice President of Communications + Media

Sidney Hopkins Communications + Media Manager

Analiese White Communications + Media Coordinator

DEVELOPMENT

James Leffler

Vice President of Development Tab Boyles

Director of Event Planning

Jon Ediger

Corporate Relations Coordinator

Tanner Garrett

Manager of Individual Giving Lilian E. Godsey

Manager of Donor Stewardship

Kim Koenig

Events Coordinator

Whitney MacDonald

Major Gifts Officer

Toni Miller, CAP®

Director of Individual Giving

Alex Small

Individual Giving Coordinator

Alisa Stone

Development Operations Coordinator

Mark Valenzuela

Development + Board Coordinator

Alma Delia Vega, CAPM®

Director of Development Operations + Analytics

Sarah Whitling

Director of Institutional Giving

VOLUNTEER SERVICES

Allison Brodnax

Director of Volunteer Services

Maliska Haba

Manager of Volunteer Services

FINANCE

Drew Cameron

Chief Financial Officer

Cecilia Rauschuber

Accounts Payable Coordinator

Julie Ribeca

Accounting Administrator

Deanie Sewell Controller

Danesha Voss

Senior Staff Accountant

Heather Yeager

Senior Manager Budgeting + Financial Analysis

COMMUNITY RELATIONS, FACILITIES + HUMAN RESOURCES

Debi Peña

Chief Administrative Officer

Carl Baines

Desktop + Systems Administrator

Celia Barshop

Director of Meyerson Sales + Operations

Velyncia Caldwell

Senior Lighting Technician

Jaz Clayborne

Security Supervisor

Cameron Conyer

Audio Video Specialist

Amanda Cook

Payroll + Human Resources Manager

Suré Eloff

Human Resources + Community Liaison

Avery Gauthier

Audio Technician

Visit dallassymphony.org for employment opportunities.

Kimberly Koniecki

Senior Manager of Meyerson Sales + Operations

David Lane

Director of IT

Lamar Livingston Director of Technical Operations

Shawn Mahan

Lead House Manager

Emily McCall Supply + Facilities Coordinator

Kyra McGuirk Recruiting & HR Specialist

Marissa Mediati

Event Operations Manager

Grant Ostergard

Lighting/Audio Technician

Andrew Polansky

Lighting Technician

Judith Washington Data Quality Associate

Roger Willis

Assistant House Manager

Adrian Zeigler Security Manager

MARKETING + GUEST SERVICES

Kim Burgan

Vice President of Sales + Marketing

Liz Akop

Group Sales Representative

Kathryn Barrett Shop Manager and Buyer

Jenna Buckley Marketing Associate

Eric Burleson Concert Associate

Elisa Campos

Ticketing Operations Manager

Mallory Coulter Director of Digital Marketing

Carla Ewing Guest Services Manager

Corri Greene Graphic Designer

Leigh Hopkins Senior Manager of Digital Marketing

Eric Landrum

Senior Manager of Partner + Experiential Marketing

Alex Moffitt

Guest Services Coordinator

Vanessa Nates

Marketing Associate

Danielle Reeves Lead Graphic Designer

Sabrina Siggers Group Sales Representative

Paul Torres

Guest Services Manager

Jena Tunnell Director of Ticketing + Guest Services

Adam Wallman Manager of Marketing Research + Analytics

Stephanie Watson Guest Services Coordinator