Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: October, 2023

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ASO | IN TUNE

DEAR FRIENDS OF THE ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA,

We’re so glad to welcome you back to Symphony Hall!

The Symphony Hall and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra schedule started with a bang in September with our popular “Movies in Concert” series, video games and jazz standards with the fine musicians of our Orchestra. We welcomed thousands to our inaugural HBCU AccessFest. The Orchestra played concerts for thousands of Atlanta Public School students. And we celebrated the opening of the season with thousands of our friends with an outdoor concert in Piedmont Park on September 30th

Artistically, we are diving into exciting territory as we start the second season with our extraordinary Music Director, Nathalie Stutzmann, fresh from a triumph at the legendary Bayreuth Festival this summer. Already she is making her mark in Atlanta with repertoire that highlights our stellar chorus (just wait until you hear them sing Brahms in early November), and the Orchestra will be recording an album of Dvořák in November for later release on the Warner Classics label.

Later this month (October 25), the sensational violinist Joshua Bell joins the ASO in a program that includes a new work, The Elements, which premiered only a few weeks earlier in New York’s Geffen Hall. This special concert, along with the arrival of the Amjad Ali Khan family for the ASO debut of Samaagam, a sarod concerto (October 19 and 21), makes for an energizing fall filled with surprises for even seasoned classical music fans.

Samaagam is a Punjabi word meaning “gathering,” and we can’t think of a better expression of why we do what we do here at the ASO. Let’s gather together to experience live music. That’s what this is all about.

With gratitude,

Jennifer Barlament, Executive Director

P.S. As you think about ways to deepen your social engagement with the ASO, check out our many affinity groups, especially BRAVO For young professionals and IN UNISON for our LGBTQIA+ community. We’ll see you at Atlanta PRIDE in October, too.

TODD HALL

ASO | NATHALIE STUTZMANN

Nathalie Stutzmann is the Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the second woman in history to lead a major American orchestra. She is also the Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra.

When Nathalie made her spectacular debut at the 2023 Bayreuth Festival leading Wagner’s Tannhäuser, BR Klassik observed having “never experienced such a standing ovation at a pit debut in Bayreuth.” Last season also saw her acclaimed debut at the Metropolitan Opera with productions of both Die Zauberflöte and Don Giovanni that The New York Times declared “the coup of the year.”

During the 23-24 season, she leads the Atlanta Symphony in a West Coast tour and twelve programs spanning some of her favorite core repertoire from Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and Ravel through to the large symphonic forces of Mahler, Strauss and Tchaikovsky, along with a Bruckner festival marking the composer’s 200th anniversary. With The Philadelphia Orchestra, she returns to New York for her

Concerto Recording of the Year ” for her recording of Glière and Mosolov Harp concertos with Xavier de Maistre and her 2022 recording of the complete as “a brilliant collaboration that Nathalie Stutzmann is an exclusive recording artist for Warner Classics/Erato.

As one of today’s most esteemed contraltos, she has made more than 80 recordings and received the most prestigious awards. Recognized for her significant contribution to the arts, Nathalie was named “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur,” France’s highest honor; and “Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” by the French government.

AUDRA MELTON

ASO | LEADERSHIP | 2023/24 Board of Directors

OFFICERS

Patrick Viguerie chair

Janine Brown immediate past chair

Bert Mills treasurer

Angela Evans secretary

DIRECTORS

Phyllis Abramson

Keith Adams

Juliet M. Allan

Susan Antinori

Andrew Bailey

Keith Barnett

Jennifer Barlament*

Paul Blackney

Zachary Boeding*

Janine Brown

Benjamin Q. Brunt

Betsy Camp

S. Wright Caughman, M.D.

Lisa Chang

Susan Clare

Russell Currey

Sheila Lee Davies

Erroll Brown Davis, Jr.

Carlos del Rio, M.D. FIDSA

Lisa DiFrancesco, M.D.

Sloane Drake

Lynn Eden

Yelena Epova

Angela Evans

Craig Frankel

Sally Bogle Gable

Anne Game

Rod Garcia-Escudero

Sally Frost George

Robert Glustrom

Bonnie B. Harris

Charles Harrison

Tad Hutcheson, Jr.

Roya Irvani

Joia Johnson

Chris Kopecky

Susan Antinori vice chair

Lynn Eden vice chair

James Rubright vice chair

Randolph J. Koporc

Carrie Kurlander

James H. Landon

Donna Lee

Sukai Liu

Kevin Lyman

Deborah Marlowe

Shelley McGehee

Arthur Mills IV

Bert Mills

Molly Minnear

Hala Moddelmog*

Anne Morgan

Terence L. Neal

Galen Lee Oelkers

Dr. John Paddock

Margie Painter

Howard D. Palefsky

Barbara N. Paul

BOARD OF COUNSELORS

Doug Reid

James Rubright

William Schultz

Charles Sharbaugh

Fahim Siddiqui

W. Ross Singletary, II

John Sparrow

Elliott Tapp

Brett Tarver

Maria Todorova

S. Patrick Viguerie

Kathy Waller

Chris Webber

John B. White, Jr.

Richard S. White, Jr.

Kevin E. Woods, M.D., M.P.H.

Neil Berman

Rita Bloom

John W. Cooledge, M.D.

John R. Donnell, Jr.

Jere A. Drummond

Carla Fackler

Charles B. Ginden

John T. Glover

Dona Humphreys

Aaron J. Johnson, Jr.

Ben F. Johnson, III

James F. Kelley

Patricia Leake

Karole F. Lloyd

LIFE DIRECTORS

Howell E. Adams, Jr.

*Ex-Officio Board Member

Connie Calhoun

Meghan H. Magruder

Penelope McPhee

Patricia H. Reid

Joyce Schwob

John A Sibley, III

H. Hamilton Smith

G. Kimbrough Taylor, Jr.

Michael W. Trapp

Ray Uttenhove

Chilton Varner

Adair M. White

Sue Sigmon Williams

C. Merrell Calhoun

Azira G. Hill

ASO | 2023/24 Musician Roster

Nathalie Stutzmann music director

The Robert Reid Topping Chair

FIRST VIOLIN

David Coucheron

concertmaster

The Mr. & Mrs. Howard R. Peevy Chair

Justin Bruns associate concertmaster

The Charles McKenzie Taylor Chair

Vacant

assistant concertmaster

Jun-Ching Lin

assistant concertmaster

Anastasia Agapova

acting assistant

concertmaster

Kevin Chen

Carolyn Toll Hancock

The Wells Fargo Chair

John Meisner

Christopher Pulgram

Juan R. Ramírez Hernández

Olga Shpitko

Kenn Wagner

Lisa Wiedman Yancich

Sissi Yuqing Zhang

SECTION VIOLIN ‡

Judith Cox

Raymond Leung

The Carolyn McClatchey Chair

Sanford Salzinger

SECOND VIOLIN

Vacant principal

The Atlanta Symphony Associates Chair

Sou-Chun Su

acting / associate principal

The Frances Cheney Boggs Chair

Jay Christy acting associate / assistantprincipal

Dae Hee Ahn

Robert Anemone

Noriko Konno Clift

David Dillard

Eun Young Jung

Eleanor Kosek

Yaxin Tan

Rachel Ostler

VIOLA

Zhenwei Shi principal

The Edus H. & Harriet H.

Warren Chair

Paul Murphy

associate principal

The Mary & Lawrence Gellerstedt Chair

Catherine Lynn assistant principal

Marian Kent

Yang-Yoon Kim

Yiyin Li

Lachlan McBane

Jessica Oudin

Madeline Sharp

CELLO

Vacant principal

The Miriam & John Conant Chair

Daniel Laufer acting / associate principal

The Livingston Foundation Chair

Karen Freer acting associate / assistant principal

Players in string sections are listed alphabetically

Thomas Carpenter

Joel Dallow

The UPS Foundation Chair

Ray Kim

Isabel Kwon

Nathan Mo

Brad Ritchie

Denielle Wilson

BASS

Joseph McFadden principal

The Marcia & John Donnell Chair

Gloria Jones Allgood associate principal

The Lucy R. & Gary Lee Jr. Chair

Karl Fenner

Michael Kenady

The Jane Little Chair

Michael Kurth

Nicholas Scholefield

Daniel Tosky

FLUTE

Christina Smith principal

The Jill Hertz Chair

The Mabel Dorn Reeder Honorary Chair

Robert Cronin associate principal

C. Todd Skitch

Gina Hughes

PICCOLO

Gina Hughes

William R. Langley

interim associate conductor & conductor of the atlanta symphony youth orchestra

The Zeist Foundation Chair

OBOE

Elizabeth Koch Tiscione principal

The George M. & Corrie Hoyt Brown Chair

Zachary Boeding associate principal

The Kendeda Fund Chair

Samuel Nemec*

Jonathan Gentry

Emily Brebach

ENGLISH HORN

Emily Brebach

CLARINET

Jesse McCandless principal

The Robert Shaw Chair

Ted Gurch*

associate principal

Marci Gurnow

acting associate principal

Alcides Rodriguez

E-FLAT CLARINET

Ted Gurch*

BASS CLARINET

Alcides Rodriguez

BASSOON

Vacant principal

The Abraham J. & Phyllis Katz Foundation Chair

Anthony Georgeson

acting / associate principal

Laura Najarian

Juan de Gomar

CONTRA-BASSOON

Juan de Gomar

Norman Mackenzie director of choruses

The Frannie & Bill Graves Chair

HORN

Ryan Little principal

The Betty Sands Fuller Chair

Jack Bryant

Kimberly Gilman

Bruce Kenney

TRUMPET

Vacant principal

The Madeline & Howell

Adams Chair

Michael Tiscione

acting / associate principal

Anthony Limoncelli*

Mark Maliniak

William Cooper

TROMBONE

Vacant principal

The Terence L. Neal Chair, Honoring his dedication & service to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Nathan Zgonc

acting / associate principal

The Home Depot Veterans Chair

Jason Patrick Robins

BASS TROMBONE

Chance Gompart

Jordan Milek Johnson Fellow

TUBA

Michael Moore principal

The Delta Air Lines Chair

Joshua Williams fellow

Zeist Foundation ASO Fellowship Chair

TIMPANI

Mark Yancich principal

The Walter H. Bunzl Chair

Michael Stubbart

assistant principal

PERCUSSION

Joseph Petrasek principal

The Julie & Arthur Montgomery Chair

Michael Jarrett

assistant principal

The William A. Schwartz Chair

Michael Stubbart

The Connie & Merrell Calhoun Chair

HARP

Elisabeth Remy Johnson principal

The Sally & Carl Gable Chair

KEYBOARD

The Hugh & Jessie Hodgson Memorial Chair

Peter Marshall †

Sharon Berenson †

LIBRARY

Joshua Luty principal

The Marianna & Solon Patterson Chair

Sara Baguyos associate principal librarian

‡ Rotates between sections | * Leave of absence | † Regularly engaged musician

Members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Advisory Council is a group of passionate & engaged individuals who act as both ambassadors & resources for the ASO Board & staff. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra extends heartfelt gratitude to the members listed on this page.

2023/24 CHAIRS

Jane Morrison advisory council chair

Justin Im internal connections task force co-chair

Robert Lewis, Jr. internal connections task force co-chair

Frances Root patron experience task force chair

Eleina Raines

diversity & community connections task force co-chair

Otis Threatt

diversity & community connections task force co-chair

MEMBERS

Dr. Marshall & Stephanie Abes

Krystal Ahn

Paul & Melody Aldo

Kristi & Aadu Allpere

Evelyn Babey

Asad & Sakina Bashey

Herschel Beazley

Meredith W. Bell

Carol Brantley & David Webster

Tracey Chu

Donald & Barbara Defoe

Paul & Susan Dimmick

Bernadette Drankoski

John & Catherine Dyer

Mary Ann Flinn

Bruce Flower

John Fuller

Tucker Green

Caroline Hofland

Justin Im

Baxter Jones & Jiong Yan

Jon Kamenear

Brian & Ann Kimsey

Jason & Michelle Kroh

Scott Lampert

Dr. Fulton Lewis III & Mr. Neal Rhoney

Robert Lewis, Jr.

Eunice Luke

Erin Marshall

Pam Martin

Belinda Massafra

Erica McVicker

Berthe & Shapour

Mobasser

Bert Mobley

Caroline & Phil Moïse

Sue Morgan

Jane Morrison

Gary Noble

Regina Olchowski

Bethani Oppenheimer

Chris Owes

Ralph Paulk

Fay & Ann Pearce

Eliza Quigley

Eleina Raines

Vicki Riedel

Felicia Rives

Frances A. Root

Tiffany & Rich Rosetti

Thomas & Lynne Saylor

Beverly & Milton Shlapak

Suzanne Shull

Baker Smith

Cindy Smith

Peter & Kristi Stathopoulos

Tom & Ani Steele

Kimberly Strong

Stephen & Sonia Swartz

George & Amy Taylor

Bob & Dede Thompson

Otis Threatt Jr.

Cathy Toren

Roxanne Varzi

Robert & Amy Vassey

Juliana Vincenzino

Nanette Wenger

Christopher Wilbanks

Kiki Wilson

Taylor Winn

Camille Yow

For more information about becoming an Advisory Council member, please contact Cheri Snyder at cheri.snyder@atlantasymphony.org or 404.733.4904.

GLEN RODGERSON, DEVOTED ASO USHER:  He was always dancing

Glen Rodgerson, who died in 2019, was a beloved ASO usher and an allaround bon vivant. A Vietnam veteran who lived in Brookhaven, Glen was a loyal volunteer, for decades one of the Orchestra’s most devoted ushers. Even in his last decade, as he battled cancer and a stroke, he would arrive at Symphony Hall ready to go to work.

“We are especially grateful for our fantastic volunteer ushers like Glen,” Executive Director Jennifer Barlament wrote. “They transform their love of the ASO into action, creating a welcoming and comfortable environment for seasoned concertgoers as well as firsttimers. Everything we do at the ASO is possible because of volunteers.”

Glen had a wide range of interests, from animal rescue to the Highland Games. And dancing: “He was always dancing.” According to his friend and frequent dance partner Amy Krafchick (also an ASO Usher), he belonged to dance groups ranging from the Hotlanta Squares (an LGBTQ square dance club) to English Country Dance Atlanta.

“When we were ushering at the Fox, we used to get in trouble for dancing during the performances,” Amy confessed. And ASO’s Jesse Pace remembers glancing across the hall during a concert to see Glen dancing away in the niche by his door.

Glen loved the ASO. He especially loved the music of the violin, and ASO Concertmaster David Coucheron was one of his heroes. At his death, Glen honored the Orchestra with a bequest. His generosity will ensure that future generations can dance to the music of the ASO.   Become a member of the Henry Sopkin Circle by making a planned gift to the Orchestra.

Pairing East & West Creates

By Holly Hanchey

Rudyard Kipling wrote in his poem The Ballad of East and West, “Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,” but he never had the chance to hear Samaagam, a concerto for sarod and orchestra written by Amjad

Ali Khan, Master of the Sarod.

In Sanskrit, “samaagam” means a gathering, confluence, or a coming together of people and ideas. The sarod is a fretless stringed instrument from India, and this concerto combines two musical traditions that seem wildly different — Indian and Western classical music.

According to ASO Vice President of Artistic Development, Gaetan Le Divelec, programming the piece in the ASO’s 2023-2024 season was an easy decision. “When I came to Atlanta it was really clear to me that I was joining an institution that was, first of all, adventurous with programming, but also had an interest in fostering diversity and inclusion in classical music,” he said. “So for me it became obvious that this would be one of the works that would achieve that. It was the reason for deciding to program it in the first place.”

Le Divelec was for many years Khan’s manager and was influential in the development of the concerto. Khan composed the piece in 2010 and premiered it with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

AMJAD ALI KHAN

“For me, a collaboration is a metaphor for the possibilities that can blossom when a community comes together to create action through the power of the many working together,” Khan said. “The Samaagam Sarod Concerto carries a similar message. It is an irresistible model for what is possible when different musical cultures and genres come together with a purpose.”

One of the biggest challenges to arranging a union between Indian and Western classical music is the notation, or in this case, the lack thereof. Indian classical music is an entirely oral tradition, passed from guru to student through repetitive learning, a back and forth during lessons where the guru plays a phrase and the student repeats it back.

“It needed a little bit of help,” Le Divelec said. “You have on the one hand an Indian composer who operates in an oral tradition, and then on the other hand when you’re thinking about creating a concerto with a Western orchestra, you need a score so that the musicians of the orchestra know what to play and the conductor knows what to conduct.”

“It’s always felt to me that the two brought together could do something fascinating, and it does,” Le Divelec said. “It’s a unique opportunity for people who are in the world of Western classical music to access Indian classical and vice versa. That’s the ideal outcome, for those two audiences to get a glimpse of the other tradition.”

One element of the Indian classical music tradition are ragas. Ragas are melodic frameworks for improvisation and the basis of all composition. According to Khan, “Ragas are discovered, not created! Indian Ragas are designed to be played at different times of the day, and different seasons of the year. The majority of the ragas in Samaagam are evening or night-time ragas.” Samaagam is not only a confluence of Indian and Western music, but a gathering of ragas normally played individually, not in concert with each other. The sarod, with its 17 to 25 strings, is a relatively new instrument and its origin only dates back to the middle of the nineteenth century.

Amjad Ali Khan is the sixth generation of his family to play the sarod. His sons, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, are also sarod players and will perform Samaagam with him in Atlanta. “I cannot remember a particular day that I was initiated into the world of music. It was a part of me from as early as I can remember,” said Khan. “For my father Haafiz Ali Khan, there was no question of a life outside music. Life itself was music and music was life. And so I

came to inherit from him the legacy of five generations of musicians as naturally as a bird taking to the air.”

Serving as his sons’ father and teacher, Khan raised them in a similar fashion, incorporating music from their earliest days. “In a family where music is a way of life and is basic to life, the training starts from the moment a child is born. I remember when Amaan was born and the first time I held him, I sang into his ear. Similarly, on Ayaan’s arrival two years later, I did the same. In essence, the training started from that point on.”

Those years of training and performing together show in the performance style of the family,” said Le Divelec. “Musically, his style, and it’s the style that he has passed on to his sons, it’s incredibly poetic. Lyrical, but also in certain passages incredibly virtuosic. But I think where Amjad and his sons stand out is the poetic quality and the lyricism. They are descendants of generations of masters of this instrument, the sarod, and he is the reference for that instrument in the world. There is no one else of that kind of level.”

“Over the years, as a father and as a guru, I have a very unique equation with Amaan and likewise with Ayaan,” said Khan. “When there is a group concert, we three perform together most of the time. Our trio conveys the message of an old heritage — legacy, tradition of old-world culture and most of all, the message of sharing, adjusting and collectively making a beautiful painting or a bouquet of flowers!”

Samaagam will be performed Thursday and Saturday, October 19th and 21st at 8:00pm by Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash, Ayaan Ali Bangash, percussionist Shane Shanahan, and conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya.

ASO | SEASON SPONSORS

We are deeply grateful to the following leadership donors whose generous support has made the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's season possible.

Concerts of Thursday, October 5, 2023 8:00pm

Saturday, October 7, 2023

8:00pm

NATHALIE STUTZMANN, conductor

XAVIER DE MAISTRE, harp

Thursday’s concert is dedicated to SALLY & CARL GABLE in honor of their 60 years of support to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)

Overture to The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 (1890) 4 MINS

Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24 (1878)

5 MINS

ALEKSANDR VASIL’YEVICH MOSOLOV (1900–1973)

Harp Concerto (1939) 33 MINS

I. Sostenuto

II. Nocturne

III. Gavotte

IV. Toccata

Xavier de Maistre, harp

INTERMISSION

PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893)

20 MINS

Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36 (1878) 45 MINS

I. Andante sostenuto

II. Andantino in modo di canzona

III. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato

IV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco

Saturday’s concert is dedicated in memory of SHEILA TSCHINKEL for her passionate support of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

The use of cameras or recording devices during the concert is strictly prohibited. Please be kind to those around you and silence your mobile phone and other hand-held devices.

by Noel Morris Program Annotator

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

When Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a boy, the idea of going to music school and becoming a professional musician was not a thing. He spent nine years at the School of Jurisprudence in St. Petersburg and took a job as a clerk at the Ministry of Justice. As a civil servant, the twenty-something Tchaikovsky leaped into the St. Petersburg nightlife. Conceivably, he might have squandered his talents as an urban socialite if it hadn’t been for two brothers named Rubinstein.

As kids, Anton and Nikolai Rubinstein showed remarkable ability at the piano, and their parents arranged for them to study in Western Europe. They returned to Russia as adults, where Anton founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1862. Nikolai founded the Moscow Conservatory in 1866.

Tchaikovsky graduated from the first class in St. Petersburg and taught the first class in Moscow. His move to Moscow allowed him to settle down and write music. Soon, he produced his First Symphony and began work on an opera.

Through the 1870s, Tchaikovsky ascended the ranks. Musicians wanted to perform his music, and audiences wanted to hear it. But—always—he had his detractors, and that affected him. He fell into a pattern of loving his ability to express himself through music while hating his works after the fact. Socially, he remained close to his siblings and traveled extensively. At the same time, he dallied with various lovers until 1877, when he announced his intention to marry.

Antonina Milyukova had met the composer through a mutual friend and eventually wrote Tchaikovsky a letter professing her love. It stirred in him some long-held notions of duty to family and society.

“I went one evening to my future wife and told her frankly that I could not love her but that I would be a devoted and grateful friend.” Thus, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky got engaged three days after their first meeting.

With the wedding set for July 18, 1877, he left Antonina behind and headed to his sister’s estate in Ukraine. Absent from his bride-to-be, he mused about how “peaceful and happy” his new life would be. And perhaps it was lucky that he did because he sat down to write the opera Eugene Onegin.

This anticipation of domestic tranquility shows his more pragmatic

side. Just six months before, he had fallen for Josef Kotek, a gifted violin student at the Moscow Conservatory, and the composer wrote about it in words worthy of daytime television.

“My only need,” said the composer, “is for him to know that I love him endlessly.” Marriage to Antonina proved disastrous. Despite endless speculation, we only know that he didn’t marry for love. The two were practically strangers. Josef Kotek, likely an exlover, stood as a witness. After three weeks, Tchaikovsky couldn’t bear to be in the same room with his bride and spiraled into panic and depression. He left her for the rest of the summer.

He returned to his sister’s estate in Ukraine, where he orchestrated parts of the Fourth Symphony. In the fall, he returned to his wife for two weeks before declaring the marriage unworkable. At the same time, he developed an intense bond with another woman.

Overture to The Queen of Spades, Op. 68

This overture is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani and strings.

“I’m depressed,” Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Modest. “Most likely, it’s homesickness—the desire to be at home.” But his itinerant life had left him without one. He was a victim of his own success, traveling from city to city, conducting his works and making public appearances. Having spent his free time as a guest at various estates, he longed to own a little house and a garden. In February 1890, he wrote to his friend Yuliya Shpazhinskaya from Florence, Italy.

“You know how in the first half of this winter, I had to strain my strength unnaturally, constantly wandering between St. Petersburg and Moscow, spending the whole day now at a rehearsal, now at a concert, straining all my strength and abilities to the utmost degree. It all ended with me going from fatigue to utter stupefaction and becoming afraid of something nasty, like madness or even worse. On the other hand, I gradually began to feel an urgent need to take up, in the form of recreation, my real business, that is, writing.”

Two months later, he sent her an update: he’d written The Queen of Spades.

“I had completely lost my appetite, sleep, cheerful state of mind, in a word, all the attributes of health,” he wrote. “But I accomplished a simple feat, that is, in seven weeks, I wrote a big opera.”

These are the first ASO performances

Tchaikovsky turned to the great Russian writer Alexander Pushkin for source material. It started with his brother Modest Tchaikovsky, who wrote a libretto on the subject for the composer Nikolai Klenovsky. Eventually, Klenovsky backed out, and Pyotr Ilyich took up the project.

Pushkin’s tale offers lots of themes that have currency today—young lovers, greed, a ghost, and a gambling addiction. For the composer, the male lead, Hermann, possesses many attractive qualities despite serious flaws (murder, deception, obsessive behavior).

“When I got to the death of Hermann and this concluding chorus, I was so sorry for Hermann that I began to sob,” Tchaikovsky beamed. “This crying lasted a terribly long time and transformed itself into a mild hysteria of a very pleasant nature.”

The Queen of Spades debuted in St. Petersburg in December of 1890. Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24

First and most recent ASO performances: December 14–17, 1978

Sung Kwak, conductor

This polonaise is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani and strings.

Eugene Onegin still surprises audiences for what it’s not: there’s no melodrama; it’s not exotic. It’s not a spectacle, nor is it action-packed.

“How glad I am to be free of Egyptian princesses, pharaohs, poisonings, and stilted effects of all kinds,” the composer quipped. For Tchaikovsky, this was an opportunity to “convey through music everyday, simple, universally human emotions, far removed from anything tragic or theatrical.”

By 1877, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was among the most celebrated composers in the world. He lived under a spotlight, which (not unlike today) generated lots of opinions. In this instance, he ignored them. Shaking off pressures from administrators, impresarios and well-meaning busybodies, he simply wrote what he wanted.

Eugene Onegin was a tale known by everyone in Tchaikovsky’s universe—a classic written in verse by Alexander Pushkin and first experienced as a serial novel between 1825 and 1832. Because the story deals with the internal struggles (which are admittedly tricky to show onstage), Tchaikovsky backed away from calling it an opera, instead calling it “lyrical scenes.”

Eugene Onegin is Tchaikovsky’s private rebellion against the theater scene as he knew it. Instead of bowing to the demands of directors

and impresarios, he staged its first performance in an environment he could control: the Moscow Conservatory.

Psychologically, the opera aligned with events in the composer’s life. The story’s heroine, Tatiana, is a serious and bookish girl who falls in love with the title character. Famously, she stays up one night to compose a love letter (the famous letter scene) and sends it to Onegin. He dismisses the overture and breaks her heart, only to regret it later.

Tchaikovsky composed the opera during his brief engagement to Antonina Milyukova, an admirer who had written him just such a letter. Three days after their meeting, the composer popped the question and left town to visit his sister. There, at a rural estate in Ukraine, he wrote Eugene Onegin, basking in the noble spirit of the young, idealistic opera character. It’s easy to see how a girl of his imagination might become conflated with the one who was waiting to marry him back in Moscow.

In the opera, Tchaikovsky’s famous polonaise opens Act III, a grand ball that takes place years after the letter scene. From across the room, Onegin spies Tatiana, now a poised society lady and wife of a prince. Finally, Onegin realizes he’s made a tragic and irreversible mistake.

Harp Concerto

In addition to the solo harp, this concerto is scored for two flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani and strings.

On YouTube, there’s a video of Metallica and a symphony orchestra playing a song called “The Iron Foundry.” The music is crunchy and brutal, simulating the sound of heavy machinery. It is the most famous piece written by Alexander Mosolov. Mosolov was a futurist, a renowned member of the Russian avant-garde through the 1920s, when artists broke with the past and pushed boundaries of aesthetics in search of modern expression. Such artistic freedom wouldn’t last.

In 1932, the Soviet Union, under Joseph Stalin, issued guidelines for Soviet literature, which then spilled into other modes of artistic expression. According to Andrei Zhdanov, Chief of the Central Committee’s Propaganda Department, “Socialist Realism demands of the artist the truthful, historically concrete representation of reality in its revolutionary development. Moreover, the truthfulness and historical concreteness of the

These are the first ASO performances.

artistic representation of reality must be linked with the task of ideological development and education of workers in the spirit of socialism.”

What was, in essence, a jumble of words confused artists and officials to tragic effect. With Zhdanov’s proclamation came a series of apparatchiks and dilettantes tasked with enforcing compliance; a great purge of artists and intellectuals followed. Mosolov dodged the bullet—but barely.

Mosolov was born in Kyiv but moved to Moscow at age 3 with his family. Although he lost his father at 5, his home life was stimulating and cosmopolitan. His mother was a professional singer who moved in artistic circles and married a painter. He grew up speaking Russian, German and French and often made trips to Europe, at least until the advent of World War I.

When the Bolsheviks came to power, Mosolov volunteered for the Red Army’s First Cavalry Regiment and was twice decorated. By 1921, he displayed symptoms of PTSD and returned to civilian life. He enrolled at the Moscow Conservatory to study with Nikolai Myaskovsky and Reinhold Glière.

In the 1930s, Mosolov developed an interest in folk music and took trips to Central Asia to collect folksongs (so far, so good, as far as the Soviet arbiters were concerned). But then he got a little too creative. Using the folk melodies as a foundation, he layered them with a more complex, polytonal texture and ran afoul of Party officials. He wrote a letter to Stalin, asking for leniency, and did more folksong collecting as a form of rehabilitation. But the noose tightened when he got into a bar fight in 1936. On November 4, 1937, he was arrested as a counter-revolutionary and sentenced to eight years in a gulag. Off he went until July of 1938, when Glière and Myaskovsky successfully interceded. With his sentence reduced to five years of exile, Mosolov altered his musical style, taking a sharp turn away from the radicalism of his youth.

He wrote his Harp Concerto in 1939 as a “response” to the lushly Romantic harp concerto composed by his former teacher Reinhold Glière. At the time, Mosolov’s piece received only a partial performance. It sat on a shelf for another 80 years until the official premiere in 2019.

Harpist Xavier de Maistre and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann recorded both the Mosolov and Glière concertos for Sony Classics.

Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36

Symphony No. 4 is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion and strings.

First ASO performance: January 30, 1949

Henry Sopkin, conductor

Most recent

ASO performances: March 7-9, 2019

Mother of 11 children, Nadezhda von Meck stood by her husband for richer and for poorer (he started off poor and built a railroad empire). He died in 1876. Now in control of a considerable fortune, Nadezhda pursued things that struck her fancy—Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky being one of them. The violinist Josef Kotek arranged an introduction, and she and the composer became pen pals. Taking special care never to meet face-to-face, the two developed a deeply personal and gratifying friendship. She became his muse and benefactress (and a great source of letters for future music historians). With her financial support, Tchaikovsky soon quit teaching and focused on composition.

Henrik Nánási, conductor

He composed his Fourth Symphony before, during and after his belly flop into marital discord.

“[I have been] engrossed in a symphony, which I began to write during the winter,” he declared to von Meck. “I find that now my nerves are frayed and irritable when I am distracted from the symphony, which progresses with some difficulty.”

On June 8, a few days after he got engaged, he wrote to von Meck, “The symphony is finished, i.e., in outline. By the end of the summer, it should be scored.” Through June, he broke away from the piece to write his opera Eugene Onegin. Later that summer, he returned to the symphony while exiled from his new wife and grew closer to the woman he would never meet.

“Our symphony is progressing a little,” he wrote to her. “I will take particular care when orchestrating the first movement— it is very long and complicated, yet it is also, in my opinion, the best movement. The remaining three are much simpler and orchestrating them will be very enjoyable. The Scherzo employs a new orchestral effect, which I have designed myself”— referencing the pizzicato (plucked strings) movement.

In February of 1878, Nikolai Rubinstein conducted the symphony’s world premiere. Afterward, von Meck begged the composer to tell her the story behind the music. His response was effusive.

He referred to the introduction as the “seed of the whole symphony …. This is Fate: this is that fateful force that prevents the impulse toward happiness from attaining its goal, which jealously ensures that peace and happiness shall not be complete and unclouded, which hangs above the head like the sword of Damocles, unwaveringly, constantly poisoning the soul. It is an invincible force that can never be overcome—merely endured, hopelessly.”

In Tchaikovsky’s words, the symphony progresses through life’s ups and downs until the finale, where he comes to terms with Fate: “If within yourself you find no reasons for joy, then look at others. Go out among the people. See how they can enjoy themselves, surrendering themselves wholeheartedly to joyful feelings.”

XAVIER DE MAISTRE, HARP

Xavier de Maistre is one of today’s leading harpists and a profoundly creative musician. As a fierce champion of his instrument, he has broadened the harp repertoire, commissioning new work from composers. He also creates transcriptions of important instrumental repertoire. This musical vision has led him to work with conductors including Sir André Previn, Sir Simon Rattle, Riccardo Muti, Daniele Gatti, Philippe Jordan, James Gaffigan, and Daniel Harding. He has been invited by orchestras such as Chicago, Montreal, City of Birmingham, NHK, Swedish and Finnish Radio Symphony orchestras; Los Angeles, London, St Petersburg, Oslo and China Philharmonic orchestras; Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. In his native France he has worked with Orchestre de Paris, the national orchestras of France and Lyon; and recitals in Paris and Lille operas, among other places. Parallel to his orchestral concerts, de Maistre is passionate about chamber music and regularly puts together original recital projects. In 2020 he started a new collaboration with tenor Rolando Villazón, with whom he records a project of South American folk songs for Deutsche Grammophon.

De Maistre has been an exclusive Sony Music artist since 2008, when he recorded his first album,  Nuit d’Etoiles, dedicated to Debussy, winning an Echo Klassik Award as Instrumentalist of the Year. Further releases included  Hommage à Haydn (2009),  Aranjuez (2010) and  Notte Veneziana (2012), featuring significant Baroque repertoire. He has taught at Musikhochschule in Hamburg since 2001.

NIKOLAJ LUND

Concerts of Thursday, October 19, 2023

8:00 PM

Saturday, October 21, 2023

8:00 PM

LIDIYA YANKOVSKAYA, conductor

AMJAD ALI KHAN, sarod

AMAAN ALI BANGASH, sarod

AYAAN ALI BANGASH, sarod

SHANE SHANAHAN, percussion

This program is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts

GABRIELA LENA FRANK (b. 1972)

Elegía Andina (Andean Elegy) (2000) 11 MINS

AMJAD ALI KHAN (b. 1945)

Samaagam (2008) 45 MINS

Amjad Ali Khan, sarod

Amaan Ali Bangash, sarod

Ayaan Ali Bangash, sarod

Shane Shanahan, percussion

INTERMISSION 20 MINS

SERGEI PROKOFIEV (1891–1953)

Selections from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 (1938)

32 MINS

The Montagues and the Capulets (Suite 2, No. 1)

Juliet, the Young Girl (Suite 2, No. 2)

Balcony Scene (Suite 1, No. 6)

Morning Dance (Suite 3, No. 2)

Romeo at Juliet’s Grave (Suite 2, No. 7)

Romeo Resolves to Avenge Mercutio’s Death  (Act 2 Finale)

Cortège with Tybalt’s Body (Act 2 Finale)

The use of cameras or recording devices during the concert is strictly prohibited. Please be kind to those around you and silence your mobile phone and other hand-held devices.

Elegía Andina (Andean Elegy)

Elegía Andina is scored for two flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, percussion and strings.

Gabriela Lena Frank

by Noel Morris Program Annotator

First and most recent ASO performance: June 3, 2021

Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor

Included in the Washington Post’s list of the 35 most significant women composers in history (August, 2017), identity has always been at the center of composer/pianist Gabriela Lena Frank’s music. Born in Berkeley, California (September, 1972), to a mother of mixed Peruvian/Chinese ancestry and a father of Lithuanian/Jewish descent, Frank explores her multicultural heritage most ardently through her compositions. Inspired by the works of Bela Bartók and Alberto Ginastera, Frank is something of a musical anthropologist. She has traveled extensively throughout South America and her pieces often reflect and refract her studies of Latin American folklore, incorporating poetry, mythology, and native musical styles into a Western classical framework that is uniquely her own.

From the composer:

Elegía Andina for Orchestra (2000) is dedicated to my older brother, Marcos Gabriel Frank. As children of a multicultural marriage (our father being Lithuanian-Jewish and our mother being Chinese-Peruvian-Spanish), our early days were filled with Chinese stir-fry cuisine, Andean nursery songs, and frequent visits from our New York-bred Jewish cousins. As a young piano student, my repertoire included not only my own compositions that carried overtones from Peruvian folk music but also rags of Scott Joplin and minuets by the sons of Bach. It is probably inevitable then that as a composer and pianist today, I continue to thrive on multiculturalism.

Elegía Andina (Andean Elegy) is one of my first written-down compositions to explore what it means to be of several ethnic persuasions, of several minds. It uses stylistic elements of Peruvian arca/ira zampoña panpipes (double-row panpipes, each row with its own tuning) to paint an elegiac picture of my questions. The flute part was particularly conceived with this in mind but was also inspired by the technical and musical mastery of Floyd Hebert, principal flutist of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. In addition, as already mentioned, I can think of none better to dedicate this work to than to “Babo,” my big brother — for whom Perú still waits.

Samaagam

In addition to three solo sarods, Samaagam is scored for two flutes (one doubling alto flute), two clarinets, two bassoons, percussion and strings.

Samaagam comes from a Sanskrit word meaning confluence or flowing together. The aim of this work is to preserve the essence of both Indian and Western traditions so that they can flow into each other without artistic compromise. Amjad Ali Khan used the orchestration of Indian ensemble music in the pre-Bollywood era as inspiration and looked back to the ancient (i.e. pre-equal-temperament) Western tradition incorporating elements which, because of their antiquity, do not violate the rules of Indian music. The aim is through this process to joyfully explore the common musical “DNA” of both traditions.

Amjad Ali Khan has remarked: “every raga has a soul, and every musical note is the sound of God.” In Samaagam, 12 different ragas are presented. Some will make only a fleeting appearance; others will be explored for longer.

Samaagam is structured in three sections:

I. Ganesh Kalyan — Subhalakshmi — Swar Samir

II. Medley of Ragas: Maarva — Durga — Malkauns — Kaushik Dhwani — Kalavati — Basant Megh

III. Khamaj — Bhupali — Bhairavi

The ragas in the first section were all conceived and developed by Amjad Ali Khan, who feels that these ragas have been invoked rather than created.

His sons Amaan and Ayaan have written:

“New faces (ragas) come to his mind and ask him their names; as they have no names, Abba names them and they become new ragas. Listening to most of Abba’s ragas, one feels that they are traditional ragas which were born thousands of years ago, but for some reason, not discovered.”

Ganesh Kalyan made its first appearance at the Ganesh Festival in Pune in 1992. In Indian mythology, Ganesh, the elephant god, is the remover of obstacles and bringer of good luck. Also first presented in 1992, Subhalakshmi is a tribute to Mrs Subhalakshmi Khan, Amjad Ali Khan’s wife. Swar Samir, played here with a seven beat time cycle, made its first appearance in 1964, at the Harballabh Music Festival in the Punjab. It is inspired by two traditional ragas: Raga Rageshri and Raga Joge.

These are the first ASO performances.

The Medley of Ragas features 7 traditional ragas in quick succession and features a concertante group from within the orchestra in solo and group improvisation. Indian Ragas are designed to be played at different times of the day, and different seasons of the year. The majority of the ragas in Samaagam are evening or night-time ragas, however Maarva, which opens the medley, was originally conceived to be played at sunset, and Megh, which closes the medley during the rainy season. If performed expertly enough, it is said to induce rain!

The closing section initially explores the popular and sensual Raga Khamaj, which is said to “turn the flower red with passion.” This is followed by a glimpse of Raga Bhupali described as a woman “in expectation of her lover, nervously putting on her bracelets and moving hither and thither like a swing.” Samaagam finishes with an exploration of Raga Bhairavi. Bhairavi is perhaps the most popular raga in Indian music. It is traditionally a morning raga, played at the conclusion of an all-night concert. Due to its popularity (and the contemporary lack of nocturnal musical marathons!) it is accepted that Bhairavi can be performed at any time of the day or night. —David Murphy

Selections from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64

These selections from Romeo and Juliet are scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, cornet, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, piano, celeste and strings.

First ASO performances: April 10–13, 1980

Louis Lane, conductor

Most recent ASO performances: January 9–11, 2020

Robert Spano, conductor

“There was quite a fuss at the time about our attempts to give Romeo and Juliet a happy ending,” the composer recalled in 1941. Quite a fuss indeed. Sergei Prokofiev’s foray into literary blasphemy was too much for Soviet leadership. They compelled him to change his piece, and the world was none the wiser.

Decades later, Princeton scholar Simon Morrison stumbled upon a yellowed packet of papers at the Russian state archives. He recognized the composer’s handwriting and realized it was a manuscript of the famous ballet—a record of Prokofiev’s intentions before censors got a hold of it. And, yes, in the original version, the young lovers escape tragedy.

“It’s not triumphant,” according to American choreographer Mark Morris, who premiered the original version in 2008. “I’m implying they’re a constellation; they’re eternal. They’re not dead but gone.”

The saga of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet would make for an excellent

screenplay. As the story goes, he was living in the West and returned to the Soviet Union just as Stalin was preparing to murder millions of people. One wonders why.

In the early days of the Bolshevik regime, the revolutionariesturned-statesmen desired legitimacy on the world stage. As they labored to invent a new form of government, they zeroed in on the importance of soft power—gaining leverage through economic or cultural assets. Already, Russia’s best composers were living in the West. Rachmaninov had gone into exile. Stravinsky was the toast of Paris. Only Prokofiev was unsettled. Living in Europe, he struggled to gain footing as a composer. His music, which was edgy and experimental, fell flat at the box office. Out of necessity, he supported his family as a pianist—living out of a suitcase with little time for composition.

In 1924, he took a most unexpected turn. He became a Christian Scientist. With this new-found philosophy on life came a shift toward the more tuneful style of Peter and the Wolf (1936). According to biographer Simon Morrison, it also explained the happy ending in Romeo and Juliet.

“The fantastic energies in their relationship remained unaffected by potions and daggers,” Morrison wrote.

To Russian authorities, the composer was more matter-of-fact: “Living people can dance, the dying cannot.”

Just as Prokofiev embraced a new approach to music, Joseph Stalin decided to lure him back. Over ten years, Moscow courted the composer with concerts, unrestricted East-West access, a handsome apartment and commissions to write music.

Eventually, they issued an ultimatum: return to Russia or get stopped at the border and kiss Romeo and other projects goodbye. And so, in early 1936, Sergei Prokofiev and his wife, Lina, liquidated their Paris apartment and moved the family to Moscow.

It had been a little over a year since the assassination of Sergei Kirov (likely by Stalin’s henchmen); the Communist Party purged its numbers, and thousands faced arrest and execution. Despite enormous social upheaval, Romeo and Juliet bounced between the Kirov and Bolshoi ballet companies. In 1934, Vladimir Mutnikh, the head of the Bolshoi, invited the composer to work on his score at Polenovo, the summer getaway of the Bolshoi Theater. After a season of tennis and swimming, Prokofiev workshopped his score in Moscow, but authorities demurred. Objections to the unconventional ending began

WIKIMEDIA

to bubble to the surface, and the Bolshoi postponed the performance. In 1937, Vladimir Mutnikh, the Bolshoi director, was arrested and shot; Romeo and Juliet disappeared from the schedule. In 1938, Party officials seized the composer’s travel documents, preventing him from attending a partial premiere in Brno, Czechoslovakia. Finally, on January 11, 1940, the Kirov Ballet danced the world premiere. Critics raved, and authorities presented the composer with the Stalin Prize. He never again traveled to the West.

LIDIYA YANKOVSKAYA, CONDUCTOR

Lidiya Yankovskaya is a fiercely committed advocate for Slavic masterpieces, operatic rarities, and contemporary works on the leading edge of classical music. She has conducted more than 40 world premieres, including 17 operas, and her strength as a visionary collaborator has guided new perspectives on staged and symphonic repertoire from Carmen and Queen of Spades to Price and Prokofiev. Since her appointment as Music Director of the Chicago Opera Theater in 2017, Ms. Yankovskaya has led many Chicago premieres of recent works.

On the concert stage, recent engagements include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields with Bang on a Can All-Stars and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street at Carnegie Hall. Ms. Yankovskaya has recently conducted operatic productions at the Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Wolf Trap Opera, Washington National Opera and the Glimmerglass Festival. Ms. Yankovskaya is Founder and Artistic Director of the Refugee Orchestra Project, which proclaims the cultural and societal relevance of refugees through music, and has brought that message to hundreds of thousands of listeners around the world.

AMJAD ALI KHAN, SAROD

He was all of 6 years old when Amjad Ali Khan gave his first recital of Sarod and today he shoulders the sixth generation of inheritance in this legendary lineage. After his debut, the career path of this musical legend took the speed of light, and on its way, the Indian classical music scene was witness to regular and scintillating bursts of Raga supernovas. He is a recipient of the UNESCO Award, Padma Vibhushan (Highest Indian civilian award), and UNICEF’s National Ambassadorship. In 1995, Mr. Khan awarded the Gandhi UNESCO Medal in Paris for his composition “Bapukauns.” In 2003, the maestro received “Commander of the Order of Arts and letters” from the French Government and the Fukuoka Cultural Grand Prize in Japan in 2004.

He has been a visiting professor at Stanford University, Indiana University, York University, Washington University, Stony Brook, North Eastern and New Mexico University.

TODD ROSENBERG

On the ninth anniversary of 9/11, Amjad Ali Khan gave a Peace Concert at the United Nations in New York in the presence of the UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon.

He has been a regular performer at the Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Kennedy Center, Sanctuary Hall (First Indian performer), House of Commons, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Chicago Symphony Center, Palais beaux-arts, Mozart Hall in Frankfurt, St. James Palace and the Opera House in Australia.

In 2008, his concerto for Sarod, Samaagam, premiered with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, which was the latest embodiment of his unique ability to give new form to the purity and discipline of the Indian classical music tradition. In 2009, Mr. Khan was nominated for a Grammy award in the Best Traditional World Music Album category. “Samaagam” was released worldwide in April 2011 on Harmonia Mundi’s World Village label.

In 2014, Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash performed at the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, Norway on as well as the Nobel Peace Prize Concert along with the lineup of Queen Latifa, Steven Tyler, Nuno Bettencourt and Laura Mvula.

The UN Day Concert 2018 featured Sarod virtuoso Amjad Ali Khan, accompanied by his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, and the Refugee Orchestra Project conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya, Conductor.

AMAAN ALI BANGASH, SAROD

Amaan Ali Bangash is the eldest son and disciple of the Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan and grandson of Haafiz Ali Khan.  He belongs to the seventh generation in an unbroken chain of the Senia Bangash School.  He was initiated by his father into the fine art of Sarod playing and gave his first public performance at age eight. Amaan’s musical style is marked by its precision in tunefulness, bold and resonant strokes, along with tradition and continuity of Indian Classical Music. Amaan’s performances have evoked creditable applause. Today, Amaan is considered one of the finest Sarod players in the world and has obtained a very special place for himself among music enthusiasts across continents. He is an inspiration for the younger generation of musicians. He continues to enchant audiences with his virtuosity, sheer brilliance and charismatic stage presence.

AYAAN ALI BANGASH, SAROD

Ayaan Ali Bangash represents the seventh generation of a musical lineage known as the Senia Bangash School. The younger son and disciple of the Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan, Ayaan stepped into the world of music and the Sarod, at a very early age, with confidence, clarity, consistency and technical mastery all of which he learnt at his father’s knees. Ayaan gave his solo debut when he was eight years old and has been performing concerts in India and abroad since then. He has also assisted his illustrious father at concerts all over the world. His approach, vision and versatility make him an icon for the youth in the music industry. His contribution in making the Sarod a cross-over instrument in a variety of genres has projected him as an artist of high repute.

Amaan Ali Bangash & Ayaan Ali Bangash joined Gwen Stefani, Jon Bon Jovi for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee and multiGRAMMY Award-winning musician Joe Walsh’s Vetsaid Charity Concert in December 2020. Amaan and Ayaan joined together with their father Amjad Ali Khan with Joe Walsh for a 3 song EP named ‘Prayers’ as a tribute to doctors and frontline workers during the pandemic.

SHANE SHANAHAN, PERCUSSION

Shane Shanahan has combined his studies of drumming traditions from around the world with his background in jazz, rock and Western art music to create his own unique, highly sought-after style. Since 2000, he has been touring around the globe performing with Yo-Yo Ma as a founding member of the genre-defying, Grammy® Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble and served as CoArtistic Director (2017-2020) and Learning Programs Advisor (2012-2020) for the organization.

In addition to his playing, his arrangements and compositions are featured on several of the group’s recordings and he can be heard and seen on Mr. Ma’s Grammy® Award-winning holiday CD/DVD release, Songs of Joy And Peace. Shane has performed and/or recorded with Bobby McFerrin, Aretha Franklin, James Taylor, Philip Glass, Alison Krauss, Deep Purple, and Chaka Khan, among others.

Shane’s dynamic performances have brought people to their feet in the greatest concert halls of the world, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Concertgebouw, Santory Hall, Disney Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl. He has also performed twice for President

and First Lady Obama, once at the White House and once at the Kennedy Center Honors.

A strong believer in the transformative power of education, Shane frequently presents workshops and clinics at the world’s leading universities, including Princeton, Harvard, Cornell, The Eastman School of Music, Juilliard, and the University of Michigan.

For the last several years Shane has been engaged in intensive work with students of all ages at the Lame Deer School on an Indian American Reservation in Montana.

Concert of Wednesday, October 25, 2023

8:00 PM

PETER OUNDJIAN, conductor

JOSHUA BELL, violin

BEDŘICH SMETANA (1824–1884)

“Vltava” (The Moldau) from Má vlast

(My Fatherland) (1874)

MAX BRUCH (1838–1920)

Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 (1866)

I. Vorspiel: Allegro moderato

II. Adagio

III. Finale: Allegro energico

Joshua Bell, violin

INTERMISSION

Selections from The Elements (2019–2023)

Kevin Puts (b. 1972): Earth

Edgar Meyer (b. 1960): Water

13 MINS

25 MINS

20 MINS

25 MINS

This concert is dedicated to RON & SUSAN ANTINORI in honor of their extraordinary support of the 2022/23 Annual Fund and The Robert Spano Fund for New Music.

Jake Heggie (b. 1961): Fire

Joshua Bell, violin

NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844–1908)

Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34 (1887)

I. Alborada

II. Variazioni

III. Alborada

IV. Scena e Canto gitano

V. Fandango asturiano

16 MINS

The use of cameras or recording devices during the concert is strictly prohibited. Please be kind to those around you and silence your mobile phone and other hand-held devices.

“Vltava” (The Moldau) from Má vlast (My Fatherland)  “Vltava” is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp and strings.

by Noel Morris Program Annotator

First ASO performances:

November 20–21, 1958

Thor Johnson, conductor

Most recent ASO performances:

November 11–13, 2010

Bedřich Smetana was born in a Czech village east of Prague in 1824, which says a lot about his identity. His parents named him Friedrich or “Fritz.” They spoke German in the home and sent their children to German-speaking schools—all thanks to the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, when Bohemian forces fell to the Habsburg emperor, Ferdinand II.

Hugh Wolff, conductor

From then on, the Czech nation endured a systematic program to scrub them of their language and cultural identity. Effectively, the Austrians eradicated Protestantism and established German as the official language. With the forced assimilation of middle- and upperclass people, imperial authorities destroyed tens of thousands of books. But the rural folk kept the Czech language alive.

Smetana attended high school in Prague, where he became friends with future leaders of the Czech National Revival. During the failed Prague Uprising of 1848, Smetana manned a barricade on the Charles Bridge over the Vltava and wrote rousing patriotic anthems to inspire his comrades. Part of a growing nationalist movement, he changed his name to Bedřich, the Czech form of Friedrich, and began learning his native tongue.

Hands down, “The Moldau” is his most popular orchestral piece. Though most of us know it by its German name, it is “The Vltava” in Czech, the river where Smetana climbed the barricade in 1848. The music’s inspiration came during an 1867 trek with a man named Mořic Anger, who conveyed the story to another friend who published the account:

Great and unforgettable was the impression made on Smetana by our outing to Čenek’s sawmill in Hirschenstein, where the Křemelná joins the River Vydra. It was there that the first ideas for his majestic symphonic poem Vltava were born and took shape.

Smetana provided a program note for his piece:

The composition depicts the course of the river, from its beginnings where two brooks, one cold, the other warm, join a stream, running through forests and meadows and a lovely countryside where merry feasts are celebrated; water-sprites dance in the moonlight; on nearby rocks can be seen the outline of ruined castles, proudly soaring into

the sky. The river swirls through St. John Rapids and flows in a broad stream towards Prague. It passes Vyšehrad rock and disappears majestically into the distance.

Smetana annotated his score with signposts along the river’s course:

I. “The source of the Vltava” - Bar 1 - In 6/8, flutes evoke water trickling down from Hirschenstein, a mountain peak in the Bavarian Forest in modern-day Austria.

II. “Hunt in the woods” - Bar 80 - The river grows into a broad waterway. The horns and trumpets evoke the sound of hunting horns.

III. “Country wedding” - Bar 122 - The music drops into 2/4 for a spirited country dance.

IV. “Moonlight Dance of the Nymphs” - Bar 185 - the harp joins muted strings as they intone a slow, shimmering melody beneath the fluttering of flutes and clarinets.

V. “St. John’s Rapids” - Bar 271 - Timpani rolls and blaring brass conjure a treacherous stretch of whitewater. This section of the Vltava is now part of the Štěchovice Reservoir, constructed during WWII.

VI. “The Broad Flow of the Vltava” - Bar 333 - The original melody returns, now fast and furious, suggesting the untamed nature of a mighty river.

VII. “Motive of the “Vyšehrad” - Bar 359 - We reach the Czech capital of Prague. Smetana quotes a melody from his own tone poem Vyšehrad, depicting the medieval castle overlooking the Vltava.

In 1874, Bedřich Smetana began to experience hearing loss due to syphilis, which would later claim his sanity and his life. Within a few months, he was deaf. That same year, he began work on Má vlast (My Fatherland), a tribute to the Czech nationalist cause. Without the benefit of his hearing, he worked on the project until 1879, producing six tone poems based on the Czech identity: Vyšehrad (The High Castle), Šárka (a warrior maiden of Czech folklore), Z českých luhů a hájů (From Bohemia’s Woods and Fields), Tábor (a historic village in South Bohemia) and Blaník (a mountain and prominent site in Czech folklore). Vltava (The Moldau) is the second of the six works.

Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26

In addition to the solo violin, this concerto is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings.

Music insiders refer to this piece as “the Bruch Violin Concerto.” It is a mainstay for violin soloists and a perennial audience

favorite; however, the fact that it’s known as the Bruch Violin Concerto speaks volumes about something that became a serious bone of contention for its composer: Bruch wrote three violin concertos, not one.

First ASO performance: March 3, 1953

Henry Sopkin, conductor

Robert Harrison, violin

In a letter to the publisher Fritz Simrock, he wrote: “Nothing compares to the laziness, stupidity and dullness of many German violinists. Every fortnight another one comes to me wanting to play the first concerto. I have now become rude; and have told them: ‘I cannot listen to this concerto any more—did I perhaps write just this one? Go away and once and for all play the other concertos, which are just as good, if not better.’”

Most recent ASO performance: May 21, 2022

Nicola Luisotti, conductor

Itzhak Perlman, violin

During his lifetime, Bruch was an important conductor, choral composer, and professor of music. He premiered his First Symphony at the age of 14 and wrote at least some of the material that would go into the Violin Concerto while still a teenager. He started to compose the Concerto in 1864, and conducted a premiere in 1866, but was dissatisfied with it. By then, he had caught the attention of the famous violinist Joseph Joachim, who helped him make revisions. In 1868, Joachim played the premiere of the piece as we know it today.

By the age of 30, Bruch had a huge hit on his hands and probably expected to grow into a life as an esteemed composer. But nothing he wrote compared to the popularity of his Violin Concerto No. 1. A century after his death, Bruch has been spared the fate of the one-hitwonder by two delightful, if not quite as popular works: the Scottish Fantasy, based on Scottish folk song, and Kol Nidrei, based on sacred Hebrew melodies.

Selections from The Elements

These are the first ASO performances.

The Elements is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, piano and strings.

I’m so excited to have the opportunity to premiere my new commissions project, The Elements. The idea for this unique endeavor was born during the early moments of the pandemic, and the work consists of five distinct pieces, each written by composers I greatly admire—Jake Heggie (“Fire”), Jennifer Higdon (“Air”), Edgar Meyer (“Water”), Jessie Montgomery (“Space”) and Kevin Puts (“Earth,” “Earth (reprise and finale)”). The process of working

Capriccio espagnol is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes (one doubling English horn), two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp and strings.

Before we had Beats headphones and stereo systems, people wanting music in the home played instruments. As a result, the world produced many high-caliber amateur musicians—the pool from which the St. Petersburg Conservatory recruited its composition professor in 1871. At the time, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was a naval officer who had fallen into a group of amateur composers, the “Russian Five.” Like a writers’ group, his friends offered pointers and encouragement. They were not academics.

“[I] did not even know the names … of chords,” he confessed. “It is shameful not to know such things and to learn of their existence from one’s own pupils.” Not one to back away from a challenge, “Rimsky,” who’d taken private music lessons from a young age, hit pause on composition and began intensive studies in harmony and counterpoint. He wrote dozens of exercises and sent his work to Tchaikovsky for corrections. (Tchaikovsky had been a member of the first graduating class.) As a military officer, Rimsky then became the inspector of naval bands and immersed himself in the intricacies of the different instruments. And so it went; the Conservatory’s composition professor taught himself.

Rimsky-Korsakov’s musical language is fundamentally Russian. While part of his family came from a long line of government officials and military brass (including one who was lovers with Catherine the Great), his grandmothers came from peasant stock, so to speak. They brought folk music into the home, while a neighboring monastery exposed him to Orthodox chant. At 12, when he enrolled in the naval academy in St. Petersburg, Rimsky attended operas by Rossini, Meyerbeer, and his musical hero, Mikhail Glinka, the father of Russian opera.

It was Glinka who first ventured into Spanish music. His opera Ruslan and Lyudmila had just flopped during its initial run. At about the same time, his marriage fell apart, and Glinka left town. Settling in Spain, he traveled the countryside collecting Spanish folksongs and noting the distinctive character of each region. Soon, he issued a series of Spanish-style compositions. A generation later, Rimsky-Korsakov followed Glinka’s footsteps and produced his Iberian homage,

WIKIPEDIA

These are the first ASO performances.

Capriccio espangol

Initially, Rimsky thought he’d write a showpiece for violin and orchestra. But other solo instruments crept into his imagination. He awarded the first solo to the clarinet. Then the violin takes a quick turn before the French and English horns rise to the top. The flutes, trumpets, oboe, cello, percussion, and trombones get their spot in the sun. (Given the technical demands of this piece, a number of these solos appear in orchestra auditions.) Ultimately, Capriccio espagnol spotlights the brilliant orchestral colorist who wrote it.

Rimsky-Korsakov based the work on Spanish folk music. The opening Alborada comes from Asturias in Northern Spain. Part of “Green Spain,” this wet, temperate coastal climate supports lush landscapes. Asturian natives trace their heritage to pre-Roman Celtic tribes who settled there. To this day, bagpipes are a popular folk instrument in Northern Spain. Traditionally, the Alborada is a wake-up call played at dawn on celebration days—hence the vigorous opening. In Capriccio espagnol, the Alborada comes repeatedly, interspersed with other folk songs, including a Roma melody and a fandango.

Rimsky-Korsakov composed Capriccio espagnol in 1887. His book Principles of Orchestration became essential reading for generations of composition students.

ASO | SUPPORT

TheAtlanta Symphony Orchestra continues to prosper thanks to the support of our generous patrons. The list below recognizes the donors who have made contributions since June 1, 2022. Their extraordinary generosity provides the foundation for this world-class institution.

$1,000,000+ A Friend of the Symphony∞

$100,000+

A Friend of the Symphony

1180 Peachtree

The Molly Blank Fund of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation∞

The Coca-Cola Company

Sheila L. & Jonathan J. Davies

$75,000+

Alston & Bird LLP

The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation∞

$50,000+

Accenture LLP

City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs

Ms. Lynn Eden

$35,000+

Mr. & Mrs. Paul J. Blackney Cox Enterprises, Inc.

Sally* & Larry Davis

$25,000+

Farideh & Al Azadi Foundation∞

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Bailey

Jennifer Barlament & Kenneth Potsic

Janine Brown & Alex J. Simmons, Jr.

Connie & Merrell Calhoun

John W. Cooledge

The Jim Cox, Jr. Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Erroll B. Davis, Jr.∞

Jeannette Guarner, MD & Carlos del Rio, MD

Delta Air Lines

Lettie Pate Evans Foundation∞

Barney M. Franklin & Hugh W.

Burke Charitable Fund

Georgia Power Company

The Halle Foundation

The Home Depot Foundation

The Antinori Foundation

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation

Chick-fil-A

Emerald Gate Charitable Trust

Emory Healthcare

Ms. Angela L. Evans∞

The Gable Foundation

Georgia Council for the Arts

The Roy & Janet Dorsey Foundation

John D. Fuller

Fulton County Arts & Culture

Anne Morgan & Jim Kelley

Mr. Richard H. Delay & Dr. Francine D. Dykes∞

Paulette Eastman & Becky Pryor Anderson*∞

Ms. Marina Fahim°

Dick & Anne Game°

Sally & Walter George

The Graves Foundation

Bonnie & Jay Harris

League of American Orchestras

Donna Lee & Howard Ehni

The Livingston Foundation, Inc.

The Marcus Foundation, Inc.∞

Invesco QQQ

Abraham J. & Phyllis

Katz Foundation∞

Charles Loridans Foundation, Inc.

Amy W. Norman

Charitable Foundation

The Zeist Foundation, Inc.

Cadence Bank

PNC

Graphic Packaging

KPMG

Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP

Slumgullion Charitable Fund

Truist

National Endowment for the Arts

Sally & Pete Parsonson∞

Patty & Doug Reid

Mary & Jim Rubright

Patrick & Susie Viguerie

Massey Charitable Trust

John & Linda Matthews∞

John R. Paddock, Ph.D. & Karen M. Schwartz, Ph.D.

Victoria & Howard Palefsky

Porsche Cars North America Inc.

Publix Super Markets Charities, Inc.

Bill & Rachel Schultz°

June & John Scott∞

Troutman Pepper

Kathy Waller & Kenneth Goggins

Mr.* & Mrs. Edus H. Warren, Jr.

Ann Marie & John B. White, Jr.°∞

$17,500+

Mr. Keith Adams & Ms. Kerry Heyward°

Affairs to Remember

John & Juliet Allan

Aspire Media

Benjamin Q. Brunt

Ms. Elizabeth W. Camp

Wright & Alison Caughman

Ms. Lisa V. Chang

Choate Bridges Foundation

Cari K. Dawson & John M. Sparrow

Maria & Rodrigo Garcia-Escudero

Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Harrison

Ms. Joia M. Johnson

Mr. & Mrs. Randolph J. Koporc

The Ray M. & Mary Elizabeth

Lee Foundation, Inc.

Mr. & Dr. Kevin Lyman

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Mills IV

Moore Colson, CPAs & Bert & Carmen Mills

Terence L. & Jeanne Perrine Neal°

Lynn & Galen Oelkers

Ms. Margaret Painter∞

Martha M. Pentecost

Joyce & Henry Schwob

Mr. Fahim Siddiqui & Ms. Shazia Fahim

Ross & Sally Singletary

Carolyn C. Thorsen∞

The Mark & Evelyn

Trammell Foundation

Universal Music Group-Task Force for Meaningful Change

John & Ray Uttenhove

Mrs. Sue S. Williams

$15,000+

Phyllis Abramson, Ph. D.

Madeline* & Howell E. Adams, Jr.

Aadu & Kristi Allpere°

Aprio

Mr. Keith Barnett

Mr. David Boatwright

Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Clare°

Russell Currey & Amy Durrell

Lisa DiFrancesco, MD &

Darlene Nicosia

Eleanor & Charles Edmondson

Ms. Yelena Epova

Fifth Third Bank

Craig Frankel & Jana Eplan

Georgia-Pacific

Mr. Max M. Gilstrap

Pam & Robert Glustrom

Hudgens Family Foundation

Roya & Bahman Irvani

Jamestown Properties

James H. Landon

Mr. Sukai Liu & Dr. Ginger J. Chen

Ms. Deborah A. Marlowe & Dr. Clint Lawrence

John F. & Marilyn M. McMullan

Ms. Molly Minnear

New Music, USA

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Paul

Mr. Edward Potter & Ms. Regina Olchowski°

Ms. Cathleen Quigley

Charlie & Donna Sharbaugh

Beverly & Milton Shlapak

Mr. John A. Sibley, III

Dr. Steven & Lynne Steindel°

Elliott & Elaine Tapp°

Ms. Brett A. Tarver

Judith & Mark K. Taylor

Carol & Ramon Tomé Family Fund

Mr. & Mrs. Benny Varzi

Adair & Dick White

Drs. Kevin & Kalinda Woods

$10,000+

A Friend of the Symphony (3)

AAA Parking

Paul & Melody Aldo∞

Mr. & Mrs. Calvin R. Allen

Julie & Jim* Balloun

Mr. & Mrs. Gerald R. Benjamin

Kelley O. & Neil H. Berman

Rita & Herschel Bloom

Bloomberg Philanthropies

The Boston Consulting Group

The Breman Foundation, Inc.

Lisa & Russ Butner

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas C. Chubb III

Mr. & Mrs. Chris Collier

Colliers International

Costco Wholesale Corporation

Peter & Vivian de Kok

Donald & Barbara Defoe°

Marcia & John Donnell

Mr. & Mrs. John C. Dyer

Eversheds Sutherland

Dr. & Mrs. Leroy Fass

In Memory of Betty Sands Fuller

The Robert Hall Gunn, Jr., Fund

Google

Hamilton Capital Partners, Llc

The Hertz Family Foundation, Inc.

Clay & Jane Jackson

Ann A. & Ben F. Johnson III°

James Kieffer

Stephen & Carolyn Knight

La Fête du Rosé

Dr. & Mrs. Scott I. Lampert

The Sartain Lanier

Family Foundation

Pat & Nolan Leake

Dr. Fulton D. Lewis III & S. Neal Rhoney

Meghan & Clarke Magruder

Merrill Lynch Capital Markets

Caroline & Phil Moïse

Moore, Colson & Company, P.C.

Gretchen Nagy & Allan Sandlin

∞

Leadership Council

We salute these extraordinary donors who have signed pledge commitments to continue their support for three years or more.

For information about giving to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Annual Fund, please contact William Keene at 404.733.4839 or william.keene@ atlantasymphony.org.

°We are grateful to these donors for taking the extra time to acquire matching gifts from their employers. *Deceased

ASO | SUPPORT (cont.)

Mr. Kenneth M. Neighbors & Ms. Valdoreas May

The Norfolk Southern Corporation

Margaret H. Petersen

David F. & Maxine A.* Rock

Thomas & Lynne Saylor

The Simmons Foundation

John & Yee-Wan Stevens

Mr. & Mrs. Edward W.

Stroetz, Jr.

Stephen & Sonia Swartz

Mr. G. Kimbrough Taylor & Ms. Triska Drake

George & Amy Taylor∞

Mr. Paul E. Viera & Ms. Gail O’Neill

Dr. & Mrs. James O. Wells, Jr.

Kiki Wilson

$7,500+

Jack & Helga Beam∞

Karen & Rod Bunn

Patricia & William Buss∞

Mark Coan & Family

Ms. Diane Durgin

Sally W. Hawkins

Grace Ihrig°

Ann & Brian Kimsey

Jason & Michelle Kroh

Mr. Robert M. Lewis, Jr.

Elvira & Jay Mannelly

Berthe & Shapour Mobasser

Mrs. Kay Adams* & Mr. Ralph Paulk°

Hamilton & Mason Smith

Tom & Ani Steele

Ms. Juliana T. Vincenzino

Drs. Jonne & Paul Walter

Mr. David J. Worley & Ms. Bernadette Drankoski

Camille W. Yow

$5,000+

A Friend of the Symphony(3)

Dr. & Mrs. Marshall Abes

Azalea City Chapter of Links

Dr. Evelyn R. Babey

Lisa & Joe Bankoff

Asad Bashey

Herschel Beazley

Meredith Bell

Dr. & Mrs. Jerome B.

Blumenthal

Mrs. Sidney W. Boozer

Carol Brantley & David Webster

Margo Brinton & Eldon Park

Jacqueline A. & Joseph E. Brown, Jr.

Judith D. Bullock

CBH International, Inc

John Champion & Penelope Malone

Mr. & Mrs. Miles R. Cook

William & Patricia Cook

Carol Comstock & Jim Davis

Janet & John Costello

Dillon Production Services

Mr. & Mrs. Paul H. Dimmick

Xavier Duralde & Mary Barrett

Dieter Elsner & Othene Munson

Robert S. Elster Foundation

Dr. & Mrs. Carl D. Fackler

Ellen & Howard Feinsand

Mr. & Mrs. William A. Flinn

Bruce W. & Avery C. Flower∞

Mr. David L. Forbes

Marty & John Gillin°

Mary* & Charles Ginden

Mr. & Mrs. Richard Goodsell∞

Melanie & Tucker Green

Martha Reaves Head

Azira G. Hill

Tad & Janin Hutcheson

Mr. Justin Im & Dr. Nakyoung Nam

Aaron & Joyce Johnson

Mr. & Mrs. Baxter Jones

Mr. Jonathan Kamenear

Paul* & Rosthema Kastin

Mr. Charles R. Kowal

Ms. Eunice Luke

Dr. & Mrs. Ellis L. Malone

Ms. Erin M. Marshall

Mr. & Mrs.

Christopher D. Martin

Belinda & Gino Massafra

The Fred & Sue McGehee

Family Charitable Fund

Ed & Linda McGinn°

Ms. Erica McVicker

Mr. Bert Mobley

Mr. Cesar Moreno & Mr. Greg Heathcock

Sue Morgan∞

Jane Morrison∞

Music Matters

Mr. Thomas Nightingale

Ms. Bethani Oppenheimer

Mr. & Mrs. Edmund F.

Pearce, Jr.°

The Hellen Plummer

Charitable Foundation, Inc.

Dr. & Mrs. John P. Pooler

John H. Rains

Mr. & Mrs. Joel F. Reeves

Cammie & John Rice

Vicki & Joe Riedel

Ms. Felicia Rives

Betsy & Lee Robinson

Ms. Frances A. Root

Mr. & Ms. Joseph A.

Roseborough

Tiffany & Rich Rosetti∞

John T. Ruff

Katherine Scott

Mallie Sharafat

Suzanne Shull

Gerald & Nancy Silverboard

Baker & Debby Smith

Ms. Cynthia Smith

Dr. K. Douglas Smith

Mr. & Mrs.

Peter Stathopoulos

In memory of Elizabeth

B. Stephens by Powell, Preston & Sally∞

Dede & Bob Thompson

Mr. & Mrs. Peter Toren

Trapp Family

Burton Trimble

Chilton & Morgan* Varner

Amy & Robert Vassey

Alan & Marcia Watt

Mr. Nathan Watt

Ruthie Watts

Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Welch

Dr. Nanette K. Wenger

Suzanne B. Wilner

Mr. & Mrs. M. Beattie Wood

$3,500+

A Friend of the Symphony(2)

Drs. Jay & Martin

Beard-Coles

Mr. John Blatz

Ms. Johanna Brookner

Mr. & Mrs. Dennis M. Chorba

Liz & Charlie Cohn°

Ned Cone & Nadeen Green

Jean & Jerry Cooper

Mr. Ramsey Fahs

Mr. & Mrs. Louis Gump

Deedee & Marc* Hamburger

Barbara M. Hund

Cameron Jackson°

Mr. W. F. & Dr. Janice Johnston

Wolfgang* & Mariana Laufer

Ari & Fara Levine°

Deborah & William Liss°

Martha & Reynolds

McClatchey

In Memory of Dr. Frank S. Pittman III

Ms. Kathy Powell

Leonard Reed

Mrs. Susan H. Reinach

S.A. Robinson

Mr. David Roemer

Dr. & Mrs. Rein Saral

Donna Schwartz

Ms. Martha Solano

Mr. & Mrs. Art Waldrop

Mr. & Mrs. Rhys T. Wilson

Ms. Sonia Witkowski

$2,000+

A Friend of the Symphony(2)

2492 Fund

Mr. & Dr. Paul Akbar

Mr. James L. Anderson

Ms. Debra Atkins & Ms. Mary Ann Wayne

The Atlanta Music Club

Anthony Barbagallo & Kristen Fowks∞

Ms. Susan Bass & Mr. Tom Bradford

Dr. Laura Beaty

Bell Family Foundation for Hope Inc

Susan & Jack Bertram

Catherine Binns & Jim Honkisz*

Leon & Joy Borchers

Andrew & Elissa Bower°

Martha S. Brewer

Harriet Evans Brock

Dr. Aubrey Bush & Dr. Carol Bush

Mr. & Mrs. Walter K. Canipe

Betty Fuller Case

Mr. James Cobb

Coenen-Johnson

Foundation

Susan S. Cofer

Malcolm & Ann Cole

Ralph & Rita Connell

Matt & Kate Cook

Mrs. Nancy Cooke

Mary Carole Cooney & Henry R. Bauer, Jr.

Ms. Elizabeth Wiggs Cooper & Mr. Larry Cooper

R. Carter & Marjorie A.

Crittenden Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Paul M. Cushing

Dr. & Mrs. F. Thomas Daly, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Kyle Dasher

Priscilla Davis

Delta Community

Credit Union

Mr. & Mrs. Graham Dorian

Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Edge

Diana Einterz

Erica Endicott & Chris Heisel

Mr. & Mrs. Taylor Fairman

Mr. & Mrs. Paul G. Farnham

Mr. & Mrs. Massoud Fatemi

Dr. Karen A. Foster

Annie Frazer & Jen Horvath

Ms. Elizabeth C. French

Gaby Family Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Sebastien Galtier

Raj & Jyoti Gandhi

Family Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. C. Ben Garren

Sandra & John Glover

Mrs. Janet D. Goldstein

Mr. & Mrs. Daniel P. Griffin

Richard & Debbie Griffiths

Mr. & Mrs. George Gunderson

Phil & Lisa Hartley

Mr. & Mrs. Steve Hauser°

Mr. & Mrs. John Hellriegel

Ms. Elizabeth Hendrick

Ms. Ann Herrera & Ms. Mary M. Goodwin

Mr. Kenneth & Ms. Colleen Hey

Sarah & Harvey Hill, Jr.°

Laurie House Hopkins & John D. Hopkins

James & Bridget Horgan°

Ms. & Mr. Carli Huband

Richard & Linda Hubert

Dona & Bill Humphreys

International Women’s

Forum

Nancy & John Janet

Ms. Rebecca Jarvis

Mrs. Gail Johnson

Patron Leadership (PAL) Committee

We give special thanks to this dedicated group of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra donorvolunteers for their commitment to each year’s annual support initiatives:

Cecile M. Jones

Lana M. Jordan

William L. & Sally S. Jorden

Teresa M. Joyce, Ph.D

Mona & Gilbert Kelly°

Mr. Lewis King

Mr. & Mrs. Theodore J. Lavallee, Sr.

Lillian Balentine Law

Mr. & Mrs. Chris Le

Mr. & Mrs. J. David Lifsey

Jun-Ching Lin & Helen Porter

Azy Lotfi & Max Lotfi

Dr. Marcus Marr

Mrs. Sam Massell

Dr. & Mrs. Douglas Mattox

In Memory of Pam McAllister

Mr. & Mrs. James McClatchey

Birgit & David McQueen

Anna & Hays Mershon

Mr. & Mrs.

Thomas B. Mimms, Jr.

Mrs. Pat Mitchell & Mr. Scott Seydel

Mr. Charles Morn

Janice & Tom Munsterman∞

Melanie & Allan Nelkin

Agnes V. Nelson

Gary R. Noble, MD & Joanne Heckman

Donald S. Orr & Marcia K. Knight

Mr. & Mrs.

Solon P. Patterson

Mr. & Mrs.

Jonathan K. Peterson

Linda Matthews chair

Kristi Allpere

Helga Beam

Bill Buss

Pat Buss

Kristen Fowks

Deedee Hamburger

Judy Hellriegel

Ponce de Leon Music Store

Mr. & Ms.

Douglas R. Powell

Sharon & David Schachter°

Drs. Bess Schoen & Andrew Muir

Drs. Lawrence & Rachel Schonberger

Nick & Annie Shreiber

Helga Hazelrig Siegel

Diana Silverman

Jeanne S. & S. James Simpson

The Society, Inc

The Alex & Betty Smith Donor-Advised Endowment Fund

Anne-Marie Sparrow

Peggy & Jerry Stapleton

James & Shari Steinberg

Richard M. Stormont*

Dr. & Mrs. John P. Straetmans

Beth & Edward Sugarman

Kay R Summers

Tegna Foundation

Ms. Linda F. Terry

Dr. Brenda G. Turner

Vogel Family Foundation

Dr. James L. Waits

Mr. Charles D. Wattles & Ms. Rosemary C. Willey

David & Martha West

Russell F. Winch & Mark B. Elberfeld

Zaban Foundation, Inc.

Herbert* & Grace Zwerner

Nancy Janet

Belinda Massafra

Sally Parsonson

June Scott

Milt Shlapak

Jonne Walter

Marcia Watt

°We are grateful to these donors for taking the extra time to acquire matching gifts from their employers. *Deceased

HENRY SOPKIN CIRCLE

Named for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s founding Music Director, the HENRY SOPKIN CIRCLE celebrates cherished individuals and families who have made a planned gift to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. These special donors preserve the Orchestra’s foundation and ensure success for future generations.

A Friend of the Symphony (22)

Madeline* & Howell E. Adams, Jr.

Mr.* & Mrs.* John E. Aderhold

Mr. & Mrs. Paul Aldo

Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Antinori

Dr. & Mrs. William Bauer

Helga Beam

Mr. Charles D. Belcher *

Neil H. Berman

Susan & Jack Bertram

Mr.* & Mrs.* Karl A. Bevins

The Estate of Donald S. & Joyce Bickers

Ms. Page Bishop*

Mr.* & Mrs.* Sol Blaine

John Blatz

Rita & Herschel Bloom

The Estate of Mrs.

Gilbert H. Boggs, Jr.

W. Moses Bond

Mr.* & Mrs. Robert C. Boozer

Elinor A. Breman*

Carol J. Brown

James C. Buggs*

Mr. & Mrs.* Richard H. Burgin

Hugh W. Burke*

Mr. & Mrs. William Buss

Wilber W. Caldwell

Mr. & Mrs. C. Merrell Calhoun

Cynthia & Donald Carson

Mrs. Jane Celler*

Lenore Cicchese*

Margie & Pierce Cline

Dr. & Mrs. Grady S. Clinkscales, Jr.

Suzanne W. Cole Sullivan

Robert Boston Colgin

Mrs. Mary Frances Evans Comstock*

Miriam* & John A.* Conant

Dr. John W. Cooledge

Mr. & Mrs. William R. Cummickel

Bob* & Verdery* Cunningham

Mr. Richard H. Delay & Dr. Francine D. Dykes

John R. Donnell

Dixon W. Driggs*

Pamela Johnson Drummond

Mrs. Kathryn E. Duggleby

Catherine Warren Dukehart*

Ms. Diane Durgin

Arnold & Sylvia Eaves

Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Edge

Geoffrey G. Eichholz*

Elizabeth Etoll

Mr. Doyle Faler

Brien P. Faucett

Dr. Emile T. Fisher*

Moniqua N Fladger

Mr. & Mrs. Bruce W. Flower

A. D. Frazier, Jr.

Nola Frink*

Betty* & Drew* Fuller

Sally & Carl Gable

William & Carolyn Gaik

Dr. John W. Gamwell*

Mr.* & Mrs.* L.L. Gellerstedt, Jr.

Ruth Gershon & Sandy Cohn

Micheline & Bob Gerson

Max Gilstrap

Mr. & Mrs. John T. Glover

Mrs. David Goldwasser

Robert Hall Gunn, Jr. Fund

Billie & Sig Guthman

Betty G.* & Joseph* F. Haas

James & Virginia Hale

Ms. Alice Ann Hamilton

Dr. Charles H. Hamilton*

Sally & Paul* Hawkins

John* & Martha Head

Ms. Jeannie Hearn*

Barbara & John Henigbaum

Jill* & Jennings* Hertz

Mr. Albert L. Hibbard

Richard E. Hodges

Mr.* & Mrs. Charles K.

Holmes, Jr.

Mr.* & Mrs.* Fred A. Hoyt, Jr.

Jim* & Barbara Hund

Clayton F. Jackson

Mary B. James

Nancy Janet

Mr. Calvert Johnson & Mr. Kenneth Dutter

deForest F. Jurkiewicz*

Herb* & Hazel Karp

Anne Morgan & Jim Kelley

Bob Kinsey

James W.* & Mary Ellen*

Kitchell

Paul Kniepkamp, Jr.

Vivian & Peter de Kok

Miss Florence Kopleff*

Mr. Robert Lamy

James H. Landon

Ouida Hayes Lanier

Lucy Russell Lee* & Gary Lee, Jr.

Ione & John Lee

Mr. Larry M. LeMaster

Mr.* & Mrs.* William C. Lester

Liz & Jay* Levine

Robert M. Lewis, Jr.

Carroll & Ruth Liller

Ms. Joanne Lincoln*

Jane Little*

Mrs. J. Erskine Love, Jr.*

Nell Galt & Will D. Magruder

K Maier

John W. Markham*

Mrs. Ann B. Martin

Linda & John Matthews

Mr. Michael A. McDowell, Jr.

Dr. Michael S. McGarry

Richard & Shirley McGinnis

John & Clodagh Miller

Ms. Vera Milner

Mrs. Gene Morse*

Ms. Janice Murphy*

Mr. & Mrs. Bertil D. Nordin

Mrs. Amy W. Norman*

Galen Oelkers

Roger B. Orloff

Barbara D. Orloff

Dr. Bernard* & Sandra Palay

Sally & Pete Parsonson

James L. Paulk

Ralph & Kay* Paulk

Dan R. Payne

Bill Perkins

Mrs. Lela May Perry*

Mr.* & Mrs. Rezin E. Pidgeon, Jr.

Janet M. Pierce*

Reverend Neal P. Ponder, Jr.

Dr. John B. Pugh

William L.* & Lucia Fairlie*

Pulgram

Ms. Judy L. Reed*

Carl J. Reith*

Mr. Philip A. Rhodes

Vicki J. & Joe A. Riedel

Helen & John Rieser

Dr. Shirley E. Rivers*

David F. & Maxine A.* Rock

Glen Rogerson*

Tiffany & Richard Rosetti

Mr.* & Mrs.* Martin H. Sauser

Bob & Mary Martha Scarr

Mr. Paul S. Scharff & Ms. Polly G. Fraser

Dr. Barbara S. Schlefman

Bill & Rachel Schultz

Mrs. Joan C. Schweitzer

June & John Scott

Edward G. Scruggs*

Dr. & Mrs. George P. Sessions

Mr. W. G. Shaefer, Jr.

Charles H. Siegel*

Mr. & Mrs. H. Hamilton Smith

Mrs. Lessie B. Smithgall*

Ms. Margo Sommers

Elliott Sopkin

Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel

Mr. Daniel D. Stanley

Gail & Loren Starr

Peter James Stelling*

Ms. Barbara Stewart

Beth & Edward Sugarman

C. Mack* & Mary Rose* Taylor

Isabel Thomson*

Jennings Thompson IV

Margaret* & Randolph* Thrower

Kenneth & Kathleen Tice

Mr. H. Burton Trimble, Jr.

Mr. Steven R. Tunnell

Mr. & Mrs. John B. Uttenhove

Mary E. Van Valkenburgh

Mrs. Anise C. Wallace

Mr. Robert Wardle, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. John B. White, Jr.

Adair & Dick White

Mr. Hubert H. Whitlow, Jr.*

Sue & Neil* Williams

Mrs. Frank L. Wilson, Jr.

Mrs. Elin M. Winn

Ms. Joni Winston

George & Camille Wright

Mr.* & Mrs.* Charles R. Yates

EXECUTIVE

Jennifer Barlament executive director

Alvinetta Cooksey executive & finance assistant

Dautri Erwin executive assistant

Emily Fritz-Endres executive management fellow

ARTISTIC

Gaetan Le Divelec vice president, artistic planning

Hannah Davis

choral artistic administrator

RaSheed Lemon aso artist liaison

Ebner Sobalvarro artistic administrator

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Sarah Grant senior director of education

Ryan Walks

talent development program manager

Elena Gagon coordinator of education & community engagement

Elizabeth Graiser manager of operations & asyo

OPERATIONS

Victoria Moore

interim general manager

Paul Barrett

senior production stage manager

Sara Baguyos

associate principal librarian

Richard Carvlin

stage manager

Kelly Edwards

director of operations

Renee Hagelberg manager of orchestra personnel

Joshua Luty principal librarian

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Ashley Mirakian vice president, marketing & communications

Delle Beganie content & production manager

Leah Branstetter director of digital content

Meredith Chapple marketing coordinator

Adam Fenton director of multimedia technology

Will Strawn director of marketing, live

Caitlin Buckers marketing manager, live

Lisa Eng creative services manager, live

Mia Jones-Walker marketing manager

Camille McClain director of marketing & communications

Rob Phipps director of creative services

Bob Scarr

archivist & research coordinator

Madisyn Willis marketing manager

SALES & REVENUE MANAGEMENT

Russell Wheeler

vice president, sales & revenue management

Nancy James front of house supervisor

Erin Jones

director of sales & audience development

Jesse Pace

senior manager of ticketing & patron experience

Dennis Quinlan manager, business insights & analytics

Robin Smith patron services & season ticket associate

Jake Van Valkenburg sales coordinator

Milo McGehee guest services coordinator

Anna Caldwell guest services associate ATLANTA SYMPHONY HALL LIVE

Nicole Panunti

vice president, atlanta symphony hall live

Michelle Hannaford associate director of events & hospitality

Christine Lawrence associate director of guest services

Jessi Lestelle event manager

Michael Tamucci

associate director of performance management, atlanta symphony hall live

Dan Nesspor

ticketing manager, atlanta symphony hall live

Liza Palmer event manager

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Susan Ambo

executive vice president & cfo

Kimberly Hielsberg vice president of finance

Brandi Hoyos

director of diversity, equity & inclusion

April Satterfield controller

Brandi Reed staff accountant DEVELOPMENT

Grace Sipusic vice president of development

Cheri Snyder senior director of development

William Keene director of annual giving

James Paulk

senior annual giving officer

Renee Contreras associate director, development communications

Esther Kim development associate, major gifts

Dana Parness

manager of individual giving & prospect research

Sharveace Cameron senior development associate

Sarah Wilson development operations associate

Jennifer Tinker manager of corporate partnerships