T H E S I X T Y- S I X T H S E A S O N NEW BEGINNINGS
D E N V E R P H I L H A R MO N I C .O R G
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013 –1 4 OCTOBER 4
DECEMBER 20
Lawrence Golan, conductor Daniel Morris, bass trombone Boyer: New Beginnings Brubeck: Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 “New World”
Adam Flatt, guest conductor Marcia Ragonetti, mezzo-soprano Rimsky-Korsakov: Suite from The Snow Maiden Prokofiev: Troika from Lt. Kije Suite Kuzma: “Against the winter wind” World premiere performance Handel: Messiah “But who may abide the day of his coming” Hayen: Maltese Winter Holiday favorites and sing-alongs
NEW BEGINNINGS
NOVEMBER 15
INAUSPICIOUS BEGINNINGS Lawrence Golan, conductor James Buswell, violin Beethoven: Fidelio Overture Barber: Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor
Concerts begin at 7:30 pm at
NOELS & NEW YEAR
FEBRUARY 14 YOUNG LOVE
Lawrence Golan, conductor Linda Wang, violin Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty Suite Chen and He: The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2
KPOF Hall, 1340 Sherman Street, Denver, CO 80203.
APRIL 4
NEW FORMATIONS & MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAINS
Lawrence Golan, conductor Joshua Sawicki, piano Mussorgsky/Rimsky-Korsakov: Night on Bald Mountain d’Indy: Symphony on a French Mountain Air Hovhaness: Mysterious Mountain; Symphony No. 2 Nytch: Formations; Symphony No. 1 Denver premiere performance, co-commissioned by the DPO
MAY 22
NEW FRONTIERS
Lawrence Golan, conductor Daugherty: Krypton Hovhaness: Celestial Fantasy Holst: The Planets
Tickets available at the door or online at denverphilharmonic.org
DEAR FRIENDS AND SUPP Welcome to a season of New Beginnings, brimming with fresh and exciting music! As this is my inaugural season as Music Director of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, I thought it fitting that each concert of the 2013–14 Season feature music relating in one way or another to “new beginnings.” The October season opener begins with Peter Boyer’s cheerful New Beginnings. DPO bass trombonist Daniel Morris performs
November’s concert features pieces with Inauspicious
Beginnings. Each was a real struggle for the composer, with suc-
Brubeck’s Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra, a piece
cesses only coming later. All three pieces are now staples of the
that caused a stir in the classical music world with its jazzy
classical music repertoire and audience favorites: Beethoven’s
influences. To close out the concert, it’s Dvorak’s Symphony
Fidelio Overture; Barber’s Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s
No. 9, nicknamed “New World” because the composer wrote
Symphony No. 5. The great violinist James Buswell will be our
it during his time in the U.S. This piece is considered the
guest soloist for the Barber concerto.
first great symphony about America and includes themes and inspirations from African American spirituals and Native American music.
In December it’s Noels & New Year conducted by former Music Director Adam Flatt. The first half will focus on classical music that evokes the holiday season and the start of the New Year
PORTERS, including the Suite from The Snow Maiden by Rimsky-Korsakov, Maltese Winter by Hayen, Troika from Lt. Kije Suite by Prokofiev and the world premiere performance of John Kuzma’s “Against the winter wind.” The second half of the concert is filled with your holiday favorites and sing-alongs. Colorado opera diva Marcia Ragonetti performs. Young Love is our valentine to the community on February 14. DU violin professor Linda Wang performs Chen and He’s The
Butterfly Lovers, a violin concerto with an overall style adapted from traditional Chinese Opera. The one-movement concerto has three sections — Falling in Love, Refusing to Marry and Metamorphosis. Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Suite and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2 book-end this evening of “lovers” music. In April the focus is quintessential Colorado, New Formations
& Mysterious Mountains. Award-winning pianist Joshua Sawicki will perform Symphony on a French Mountain Air by d’Indy.
LAWRENCE GOLAN, MUSIC DIRECTOR
In addition, the orchestra will play Mysterious Mountain by Hovhaness and Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky (which you may recognize from Disney’s Fantasia). The concert ends with a premiere performance of Boulder composer Jeffrey
Nytch’s Formations, a work inspired by the impressive geology of the Rocky Mountain region. The galactic extravaganza New Frontiers closes out the season in May. This all-orchestral concert features three pieces about outer space: Daugherty’s Krypton, Hovhaness’ Celestial Fantasy and Holst’s spectacular showpiece The Planets. I am delighted to be working with the talented and energetic musicians of the DPO and look forward to getting to know you, the orchestra’s dedicated and treasured audience, throughout the season! Sincerely,
LAWRENCE GOLAN Music Director, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra
OUR
H ISTO RY With its 2013–14 Season, the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) celebrates 66 years of providing high-quality symphonic concerts and outreach. Our orchestra was founded in 1948 as the Denver Businessmen’s Orchestra by Dr. Antonia Brico, the first woman to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic. The two major issues driving establishment of the orchestra were a need for affordable classical music concerts in the Denver area and the need for an organization that would nurture, develop and showcase the talents of classically trained musicians, many of whom had relocated to Denver following World War II. The orchestra quickly became known for its ambitious collaborations and performances. In 1968, to honor its founder, the name of the orchestra was changed to the Brico Symphony, and the tradition of musical excellence and community service continued.
Following Antonia’s retirement in 1986, the orchestra selected
renamed the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra in 2004. Horst re-
Julius Glaihengauz as its second Music Director. Julius was a
mained Music Director/Conductor through the 2008–09 Season,
talented Russian immigrant who recently graduated from the
after which he was appointed the orchestra’s first Conductor
Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Under his new leadership, the name
Laureate.
of the orchestra was changed to the Centennial Philharmonic and performed for eleven seasons, followed by a season under
Adam Flatt was appointed the orchestra’s fourth Music Director/
interim director Kirk Smith.
Conductor in June 2010. Adam’s dynamic and inspiring leadership over the next three years further increased the artistic
In 1999 Dr. Horst Buchholz, Professor of Music at the University
quality of the orchestra.
of Denver and an acclaimed musician and conductor, was selected as the orchestra’s new Music Director. This began a period
In spring of 2013, award-winning conductor Dr. Lawrence Golan
of growth and success that continues today. To more accurately
was selected as our orchestra’s fifth Music Director. Lawrence
reflect our Denver roots, the Centennial Philharmonic was
first led the DPO as a guest conductor in November 2009.
LAWRENCE GOLAN MUSIC DIRECTOR, CONDUCTOR
The 2013–14 season marks the beginning of Lawrence’s tenure as Music Director of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra. It is also his first year as Principal Conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic in South Korea. He continues as Music Director of the Yakima Symphony Orchestra in Washington State and the Lamont Symphony Orchestra & Opera Theatre at the University of Denver. Lawrence has garnered considerable international recognition for his work as a conductor. He has won nine ASCAP Awards, five Global Music Awards, three American Prize awards, three Downbeat Magazine Awards, and two Prestige Music Awards. Lawrence guest conducts professional orchestras, opera, and ballet companies in the U.S. and around the world. A native of Chicago, Lawrence holds degrees in both conducting and violin performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music. Following in the footsteps of his father Joseph Golan, longtime Principal Second Violinist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence was Concertmaster of the Portland Symphony Orchestra for 11 years and has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony. Lawrence and his wife Cecilia have been married since 2003. They have two wonderful children, Giovanna and Joseph.
KORNEL THOMAS ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR
Kornel was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in Budapest where he began his musical education studying the violin, piano and composition. He majored in composition at the St. Stephen King Music Conservatory and High School. He holds a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. For the past three summers, Kornel has attended the prestigious Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestral Musicians with the Quimby Family Foundation Scholarship. In 2013, he was a semi-finalist at the Sao Luiz Teatro Municipal and the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa Young Conductors Competition, and he had his debut in the Vienna Musikverein with the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna in 2012. Kornel was selected as music director for the 2010 Opera Project of the Media Composers from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. From 2004–2006, he served as Assistant Conductor of the St. Stephen King Youth Symphony Orchestra. And in 2006, Kornel won second prize at the Bela Bartok Hungarian National Competition in Composition. In addition to the DPO, Kornel is also the assistant conductor and orchestral manager of the Lamont Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theater in Denver. He lives in Denver where he is also pursuing an Artistic Diploma in Orchestral Conducting.
DANIEL MORRIS, BASS TROMBONE NEW BEGINNINGS, OCTOBER 4
Daniel began playing trombone at age 11 in sixth grade in Fruita, Colo., switching to bass trombone his freshman year of high school. He gained valuable experience while playing in varied ensembles, including jazz, concert, marching, youth orchestras, and musicals. After a four-year scholastic break, Daniel began studies at Colorado Mesa University working on trombone performance degree. His studies at CMU afforded him the chance to play in master classes and performances with many guest artists, including Dr. Eric Ewazen, The Memphis Brass Quintet, Dr. Robert Spring, Lisa Pegher, Patrick Sheridan, The Brubeck Brothers Quartet, Dr. Brian Bowman, Larry Zalkind, Dr. John Tuinstra, and The Boston Brass Quintet. Daniel is currently principal bass trombone for the Denver Philharmonic, principal trombone of The Loveland Orchestra, and the principal bass trombone of the Colorado Mahlerfest orchestra. When he is not practicing, performing, or driving to rehearsals, Daniel enjoys hiking and biking with his wife Emily.
JAMES BUSWELL, VIOLIN
INAUSPICIOUS BEGINNINGS, NOVEMBER 15 James has performed as a solo violinist with virtually all of the major orchestras in North America, and throughout Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia. His regular professional activities also include solo and chamber music recitals, conducting, teaching, lecturing, and writing. James is well known for championing new music, including neglected masterpieces from the 20th century. On the Naxos label, he recorded award-winning CDs of the Samuel Barber concerto — which he will be performing with the DPO November 15 — and the concerti of Walter Piston and received a Grammy nomination for his recording of the Samuel Barber violin concerto. World premiere performances include works by Charles Wuorinen, Donald Erb, Ned Rorem, Leon Kirchner, John Harbison, and Yehudi Wyner. James’ early training was at the Juilliard School where he was a pupil of Ivan Galamian, and he continued his studies at Harvard University where he majored in Renaissance Art. He and his wife, cellist, Carol Ou, reside in Boston where he is Professor of Violin at New England Conservatory.
MARCIA RAGONETTI, MEZZO-SOPRANO NOELS & NEW YEAR, DECEMBER 20
Marcia is recognized as one of the Rocky Mountain region’s most celebrated singing actresses, hailed by critics as a “perfectly splendid mezzo.” She has been associated with Opera Colorado since its inception in 1982, having performed over 20 leading and featured roles including the gala inauguration of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, followed by its acclaimed production of Carmen. She has also appeared frequently with Central City Opera, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, summer festivals in Vail, Chautauqua-Boulder and Crested Butte as well as with the San Antonio and Utah Symphonies. Last year she portrayed Maria Callas in the virtuoso speaking role in Terrence McNally’s Master Class, for which she earned a “Best Diva 2012” award from Westword and a Denver “Henry” nomination for “Best Actress in a Play.” Last season she sang Desiree in A Little Night Music with Opera Theatre of the Rockies, Katisha in The Mikado with the University of Wyoming, and in August 2013, Augusta Tabor in The Ballad of Baby Doe with Opera Fort Collins. She was most recently seen with Opera Colorado as Gertrude in Romeo et Juliette. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Cornell University with degrees in English literature and psycholinguistics.
JOHN KUZMA, COMPOSER NOELS & NEW YEAR, DECEMBER 20
John began playing and writing music in sixth grade, at first self-taught and later studying organ privately and piano at the Cincinnati Conservatory. He attended the Eastman School of Music as an organ performance major and graduated with distinction in 1968. As a Fulbright scholar he studied Baroque music in Copenhagen, Denmark, returning to the U.S. for graduate studies at the University of Illinois. In December 2012, the DPO performed the world premiere of John’s holiday compisition “Noels for Harp and Orchestra.” Many professional and regional orchestras have performed his work including the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 1993, he composed and arranged music for Pope John Paul II’s Denver visit at World Youth Day; his cantata “A Balm in Gilead” was performed at Carnegie Hall in 2002; and John’s commissioned composition “Circles of O” was performed at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in collaboration with noted installation artist Ann Hamilton. In collaboration with librettist Thomas H. Troeger, John completed a full-length opera, An Island of Sand. He was a 1999 Colorado Council on the Arts Music Composition Fellow, and has been Minister of Music at Denver’s Montview Presbyterian Church since 1987. John lives in Denver with his wife, Bess.
LINDA WANG, VIOLIN YOUNG LOVE, FEBRUARY 14
Since her debut with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic at the age of 9, Linda has performed as soloist with countless orchestras throughout the U.S. and all over the world. Linda’s solo engagements have taken her to Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam’s Beurs van Berlage and the Berlin Schauspielhaus. Domestic and international audiences have seen Linda’s televised performances on PBS, Arts and Entertainment, Germany’s ZDF and Japan’s NHK, while radio broadcasts include NPR’s “Performance Today, WQXR (NYC), WFMT (Chicago), KMozart and KKGO (L.A.), MDR (Germany), Leipzig Rundfunk and Deutschland Radio, Berlin. A native of New York City, Linda studied at The Juilliard School the Colburn School and the University of Southern California. Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, she pursued advanced studies at the famed Salzburg Mozarteum. Her principal teachers have been Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, Alice Schoenfeld and Ruggiero Ricci. A dedicated teacher herself, Linda is Associate Professor of Violin at University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and is currently on the Fulbright Specialists Roster for teaching at overseas institutions.
JOSHUA SAWICKI, PIANO
NEW FORMATIONS & MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAINS, APRIL 4 Joshua was born and raised in Connecticut where he began piano lessons at age 4. During high school, he studied at the Hartt School of Music and won awards in various piano competitions. Since then, Joshua has studied at the Royal College of Music (London), Boston University, University of South Florida, the Aspen Music Festival, the Chautauqua International Piano Festival, and is currently an Artist Diploma candidate at Denver University, where he studies with New York-based pianist Steven Mayer. He has recently performed in Denver; Aspen; Tampa; Novi Sad, Serbia; Paris, France; Utrecht, Netherlands; and Cambridge, Mass. Besides performing, Joshua is an avid teacher. While in Tampa, he taught piano at the University of South Florida, at the Tampa Piano Academy and at the Patel Conservatory. Currently he teaches privately in Denver and at the Colorado Music Quest in Centennial. Joshua’s major teachers include Rebecca Penneys, Steven Mayer, John O’Conor, and Svetozar Ivanov.
JEFFREY NYTCH, COMPOSER
NEW FORMATIONS & MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAINS, APRIL 4 Jeffrey has built a diverse career as a composer, teacher, performer, arts administrator, and consultant. He has also run a small business, co-founded a nonprofit service organization in Houston, performed a wide range of repertoire as a vocalist, and served five years as Managing Director of The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, one of the nation’s premiere new music ensembles. In 2009 he joined the faculty of The University of Colorado-Boulder, where he serves as Director of The Entrepreneurship Center for Music. Jeffrey earned his Bachelor’s degree from Franklin & Marshall College and Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Since then, his compositions have been performed throughout the United States and Europe by many major artists, and he has released several recordings on the MMC and Koch International Labels. In addition to teaching, composing and performing, Jeffrey maintains a career as an organizational and programming consultant to music schools and arts groups.
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D E N V E R P H I L H A R MO N I C .O R G