Encore Atlanta July 2009 ASO Verizon by Encore Magazine

July 4, 2009

In tune with great music. Much like a musician spends countless hours perfecting and refining their music, we continually strive to refine our performance. With the latest technology and devices, plus features like V CAST Music and Video, Mobile TV, messaging and more, Verizon Wireless has the perfect arrangement for you.

Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Largest and Most Reliable Wireless Network Select phone & add'l charges req'd for V CAST services. Network details and coverage maps at verizonwireless.com. ÂŠ2009 Veri Verizon izon Wireless. Wi Wireless.

we believe

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Dear Music Lovers,

Welcome

to the second season of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park!

Last summer we explored fresh possibilities of bringing classical music to our new summer home. Together, with your tremendous support, we cultivated new traditions that enriched our musical experiences. We were overjoyed by the warm welcome we received from the greater North Fulton Community, and by the overwhelming response we continue to have about the gorgeous surroundings and acoustics at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Thank you for making our 2008 opening summer an extraordinary experience for us all. This season, in response to your feedback, we are delighted to bring you more of the effervescent musical experiences and traditions we have grown to love. You will continue to hear what ASO musicians and guest artists have to say about each eveningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concert at our Top of the Lawn conversations; text message your questions to guest artists to see and hear the answers during live on-site broadcasts projected on large screens throughout the summer; and join in the fun of themed evenings by dining on specially prepared food and beverages at each concert. Your enthusiasm for our movie-themed fare at Turner Classic Movie Night, world-cuisine offered at our classical concerts, and our gourmet picnic baskets, has encouraged endless creative possibilities for this summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s themed menus! This year, we carry on the traditions we have created together to make every night a unique, magical experience. We are delighted to share Atlanta Symphony Orchestra events with you. Enjoy! Yours in music,

Allison Vulgamore President and Chief Executive Officer Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Encore Atlanta

Robert Spano Music Director

The arts nourish our hearts and imaginations. For that reason and many more, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re proud to support the arts in Atlanta.

Encore Park for the Arts The Legacy Founders Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Robert W. Woodruff Foundation

City of Alpharetta

Fulton County The Estate of Margaret and Board of John A. Conant Bob Reiser Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Atlanta Symphony Orchestra League 2009-2010 Board of Directors Officers Ben F. Johnson, III Chair Vice Chairs Clayton F. Jackson Finance Chair/ Treasurer Jeff Mango Penny McPhee Chilton Davis Varner Allison Vulgamore * Kathleen (Suzy) Wasserman * ASA President Joni Winston Secretary

Directors Pinney L. Allen Joseph R. Bankoff * Jan Bennett Jason A. Bernstein Paul Blackney C. Merrell Calhoun Donald P. Carson Philip Cave Ann W. Cramer Christopher Crommett Cari K. Dawson Carla Fackler Gary P. Fayard Dr. Robert Franklin Paul Garcia Willem-Jan O. Hattink

Jim Henry Edward S. Heys, Jr. Tycho Howle Tad Hutcheson Mrs. Roya Irvani Clayton F. Jackson Ben F. Johnson, III Marsha Sampson Johnson Mark Kistulinec Mike Lang Donna Lee Lucy Lee Meghan H. Magruder Jeff Mango Darrell J. Mays JoAnn McClinton

Penny McPhee Giorgio Medici Charles Moseley Galen Oelkers Victoria Palefsky Leslie Z. Petter Patricia Reid Margaret Conant Reiser Martin Richenhagen John D. Rogers Dennis Sadlowski William Schultz Tom Sherwood John Sibley Hamilton Smith Thurmond Smithgall

Gail R. Starr Mary Rose Taylor Liz Troy Ray Uttenhove Chilton Davis Varner Allison Vulgamore * Rick Walker Mark Wasserman Kathleen (Suzy) Wasserman * John B. White, Jr. Richard S. (Dick) White, Jr. Joni Winston Patrice Wright-Lewis Camille Yow

John S. Hunsinger Aaron J. Johnson Herb Karp Jim Kelley George Lanier Patricia Leake Mrs. William C. Lester

Mrs. J. Erskine Love Carolyn C. McClatchey John W. McIntyre Bertil D. Nordin Dell P. Rearden Joyce Schwob Mrs. Charles A. Smithgall, Jr.

W. Rhett Tanner G. Kimbrough Taylor Michael W. Trapp Edus Warren Adair R. White Neil Williams

Azira G. Hill

Dr. James M. Hund

Arthur L. Montgomery

* ex officio

Board of counselors Howell E. Adams, Jr. Mrs. John Aderhold Robert M. Balentine Elinor Breman Dr. John W. Cooledge Bradley Currey, Jr. John Donnell

Jere Drummond Arnoldo Fiedotin Ruth Gershon Charles Ginden John T. Glover Frances B. Graves Dona Humphreys

Life Directors Mrs. Drew Fuller

Mary D. Gellerstedt

Encore Park for the Arts 2009-2010 Board of Directors Joseph R. Bankoff Chair Paul Hogle Secretary Stephen P. Merz Treasurer

Encore Atlanta

Brandon Beach Barrie Davenport Donald F. Fox Alex Gross

Penn Hodge Dona Humphreys Clay Jackson Bruce Kenney Lucy Lee

Mayor Arthur Letchas Mike Nixon Fulton County Commissioner Lynne Riley

Clay Schell Mike Troy Allison Vulgamore

’

Robert Spano, conductor

usic Director Robert Spano, currently in his eighth season as music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, is recognized internationally as one of the most imaginative conductors today. Last season, Mr. Spano conducted and recorded the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Puccini’s La Bohème, the first American recording of the opera since 1956. It was released by Telarc in conjunction with the semi-staged performance he led at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, the Orchestra’s new state-of-the-art 12,000-seat venue in Alpharetta, Ga., where he conducted all of the orchestral concerts in the inaugural season. Since 2001, Mr. Spano has invigorated and expanded the Orchestra’s repertoire while elevating the ensemble to new levels of international prominence and acclaim. The Orchestra and audiences together explore a creative programming mix, recordings and visual enhancements, such as Theater of a Concert, the Orchestra’s continuing exploration of different formats, settings, and enhancements for the musical performance experience (such as the first concert-staged performances of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic in November 2008). The Atlanta School of Composers reflects Mr. Spano and the Orchestra’s commitment to nurturing and championing music through multi-year partnerships defining a new generation of American composers, including Osvaldo Golijov, Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Theofanidis, and Michael Gandolfi. Since the beginning of his tenure, Mr. Spano and the ASO have performed nearly 100 contemporary works (composed since 1950), including seven ASO-commissioned world premieres, two additional world premieres and one U.S. premiere. Mr. Spano continues to expand the discography of the Atlanta Symphony to include the music of Atlanta School of Composers Christopher Theofanidis, Jennifer Higdon and Michael Gandolfi, as well as John Adams, David Del Tredici, Sibelius’s Kullervo, Brahms’s Requiem, a recently released live recording of La Bohème and the Grammy® Award-winning recordings of Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony and Berlioz’s Requiem. Mr. Spano and the ASO also have recently recorded two discs of the music by Atlanta School of Composers Osvaldo Golijov for Deutsche Grammophon: one including Three Songs and Oceana, and the other including the chamber opera Ainadamar, which was awarded two Grammys. In 2008, Robert Spano was named Musical America’s Conductor of the Year.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

he Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, currently in its 64th season, is one of America’s leading orchestras, known for the excellence of its live performances, presentations, renowned choruses and its impressive list of Grammy Awardwinning recordings. With the opening of the 12,000-seat Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park (vzwamp. com) in May 2008, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra became the first U.S. orchestra to annually perform and present in its concert hall and in two amphitheaters. In Summer 2008, the Orchestra celebrated 35 years at the legendary Chastain Park Amphitheater, the award-winning 6,500-seat venue in Atlanta, during the ASO’s annual Delta Classic Chastain concert series (classicchastain.com). The leading cultural organization in the Southeast, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra serves as the cornerstone for artistic development and music education in the region. Under the Creative Partnership of Music Director Robert Spano, Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles, and President and CEO Allison Vulgamore since September 2001, the Orchestra and audiences together explore a creative programming mix, recordings, and visual enhancements, such as the ASO Theater of a Concert, the Orchestra’s continuing exploration of different formats, settings, and enhancements for the musical performance experience. Another example is the Atlanta School of Composers, which reflects Mr. Spano and the Orchestra’s commitment to nurturing and championing music through multi-year partnerships defining a new generation of American composers. During its 31-year history with Telarc, the Orchestra has recorded more than 100 albums, and its recordings have won 26 Grammy Awards in categories including Best Classical Album, Best Orchestral Performance, Best Choral Performance and Best Opera Performance. The ASO Chorus has earned nine Grammy Awards for Best Choral Performance, most recently for the Berlioz Requiem in 2005. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs more than 200 concerts each year to a combined audience of more than a half million in a full schedule of performances which also feature educational and community concerts. A recognized leader and supporter of contemporary American music, the Orchestra recently received the 2007 award for Strongest Commitment to New American Music from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

Encore Atlanta

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park

4th of July

All-American Celebration Saturday, July 4, 2009, 8 pm Bridget-Michaele Reischl, Conductor The United States Army Chorus SFC Neil Ewachiw, Baritone John Stafford Smith (1750-1836) (Arr. Walter Damrosch) The Star-Spangled Banner Morton Gould (1913-1996) American Salute (1943) Aaron Copland (1900-1990) Hoe-Down, from Rodeo (1942) Arr. Ralph Herman Big Band Sounds John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) Washington Post March (1889) George Gershwin (1898-1937) (arr. Robert Russell Bennett) Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture (1943) Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) Finale from the Overture to William Tell (1829)

INTERMISSION Samuel Augustus Ward (1847-1903) America, the Beautiful (1882) Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981) (arr. Marty Gold) Georgia On My Mind (1930) Irving Berlin (1888-1989) (arr. Jim Kessler) God Bless America (1939) SFC Neil Ewachiw, Baritone Chorus Selections Camptown Races My Country ‘Tis of Thee Soon Ah Will Be Done John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) (arr. Aubrey Winter) Semper Fidelis March (1888) Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910) (arr. Peter J. Wilhousky) Battle Hymn of the Republic (1861) Arr. Michael Brown Service Medley Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) 1812 Overture, Opus 49 (Ouverture solennelle) (1880) Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication

Notes on the program by Ken Meltzer

Morton Gould

was born in Queens, New York, on December 10, 1913, and died in Orlando, Florida, on February 21, 1996. Approximate performance time is five minutes.

American Salute (1943)

orn to Viennese and Russian immigrant parents in Queens, New York, Morton Gould demonstrated remarkable musical abilities before his fifth year. Gould attended the Institute of Musical Arts (now The Juilliard School) where he studied piano and composition. G. Schirmer issued Gould’s first published opus, Three Conservative Sketches, when the composer was only fifteen. With the onset of the Great Depression, Morton Gould left high school in order to help his family. He worked in Vaudeville as a pianist, arranger and accompanist. In 1934 at the age of 21, Morton Gould became music director of a weekly radio program of light orchestral music broadcast by WOR and the Mutual Network. This exposure served to launch his influential career as a composer, conductor, arranger and teacher. Morton Gould’s compositions embrace a wide variety of media, including television, cinema, the concert hall and ballet. His American Salute reflects the composer’s lifelong interest in adapting familiar American melodies for the concert stage. American Salute begins with a rousing fanfare, which serves to introduce the well-known 1863 Civil War tune, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” attributed to the Boston Irish-born bandmaster Patrick Gilmore. American Salute proceeds as a brilliant orchestral fantasia on this melody, demonstrating throughout Gould’s unerring sense of orchestral colors and infectious rhythmic vitality. A joyous outburst concludes this brief tour-de-force.

Aaron Copland

was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 14, 1900, and died in North Tarrytown, New York, on December 2, 1990. The first performance of Rodeo took place at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York on October 16, 1942. Approximate performance time is three minutes.

Hoe-Down, from Rodeo (1942)

he son of Eastern European immigrants, Aaron Copland rose from humble beginnings to become America’s most beloved composer of concert music. As Copland later recalled: I was born on a street in Brooklyn that can only be described as drab. It had none of the garish color of the ghetto, none of the charm of an old New England thoroughfare, or even the rawness of a pioneer street ... It probably resembled one of the outer districts of lower middle-class London.

Copland’s formative musical training took place in his native New York, where he studied piano and composition and gained inspiration from the great performers who appeared at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. At the age of twenty, Copland journeyed to Paris where he worked with the legendary teacher, Nadia Boulanger. While in Europe, Copland was greatly impressed by the nationalist music of Russian composers Modest Mussorgsky and Igor Stravinsky. Upon his return to the United States in the early 1920s, Copland decided that he would attempt to create a parallel genre; that is, to compose music “that would immediately be recognized as American in character,” noting “(t)his desire to be ‘American’ was symptomatic of the period.” Indeed, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue premiered in 1924. Copland wrote several compositions that employed American folk subjects and/or melodies, including Billy the Kid (1938), the Lincoln Portrait (1942), Appalachian Spring (1944) and his arrangements of Old American Songs (1950, 1952). The ballet Rodeo is another well-known Copland “American” work. Copland composed Rodeo at the request of Agnes de Mille, who danced the lead female role in the world premiere, presented by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House on October 16, 1942. The ballet’s scenario depicts a Saturday afternoon rodeo, as well the dance that follows in the evening. This concert features the lively Hoe-Down, music that gained even wider fame after its inclusion in beef commercials!

10 Encore Atlanta

George Gershwin

was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 26, 1898, and died in Hollywood, California, on July 11, 1937. The first performance of Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture, took place at Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 5, 1943, with Fritz Reiner conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Approximate performance time is sixteen minutes.

Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture (1943) (arr. Robert Russell Bennett)

eorge Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, perhaps the greatest of all American operas, is based upon the novel, Porgy, by Du Bose Heyward, as well as the subsequent play by Heyward and his wife Dorothy. Du Bose Heyward and George Gershwin’s brother, Ira, wrote the opera’s libretto. The world premiere of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess took place in Boston on September 30, 1935. After the Boston premiere, Porgy and Bess moved to New York, where it opened on October 10, 1935. The opera met with critical resistance, and closed after 124 performances, incurring a huge financial loss. Still, George Gershwin did not lose faith in what he called his “labor of love.” “It is not the few knowing ones whose opinions make any work of art great,” Gershwin said, “it is the judgment of the great mass that finally decides.” Today, George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess is recognized as a masterpiece — a brilliant synthesis of traditional opera, Broadway, jazz, and folk music. The music has become a mainstay not only of the opera house, but of our popular culture as well. Fritz Reiner, Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1938-1948, commissioned Robert Russell Bennett to compose an orchestral synthesis of music from Porgy and Bess, including such favorites as “Summertime,” “I Got Plenty of Nothin’,” “Bess, You is My Woman Now” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” Reiner and the Pittsburgh Symphony gave the first performance of Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture on February 5, 1943, and made the world premiere recording two years later.

Gioachino Rossini

was born in Pesaro, Italy, on February 29, 1792, and died in Passy, France, on November 13, 1868. The first performance of William Tell took place at the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris, France, on August 3, 1829. Approximate performance time is four minutes.

Finale from the Overture to William Tell (1829)

ioachino Rossini’s final opera, Guillaume Tell (William Tell), is based upon a play by Friedrich Schiller. William Tell takes place in 14th-century Switzerland, and tells the story of the victory of the Swiss over their Habsburg oppressors.

William Tell earned the praise of such demanding and revolutionary composers as Hector Berlioz and Richard Wagner. Nevertheless, opera companies did not always respect the work’s integrity. After the opera’s premiere in Paris in 1829, William Tell was often presented in severely abridged versions that censored the opera’s revolutionary message. Once, Rossini was strolling the streets of Paris and met Louis Véron, director of the Opéra. Véron informed Rossini that his company would perform Act II of William Tell that very evening. The composer responded, “All of it?” When William Tell premiered in 1829, Rossini was thirty-seven. Rossini spent the remaining 39 years of his life enjoying the company of friends and composing many salon pieces he affectionately referred to as “Sins of My Old Age.” In an 1866 letter to composer Giovanni Pacini, Rossini expressed no regrets about his early retirement from opera: “such a presentiment is not given to everyone; God granted it to me and I bless him for it every hour.” This concert features the concluding portion of Rossini’s Overture to William Tell, one of the most famous orchestral excerpts in all of opera. Trumpet fanfares herald the triumphant final section. The music, known to many for its association with The Lone Ranger, still generates tremendous excitement on its own terms.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

was born in Kamsko-Votkinsk, Russia, on May 7, 1840, and died in St. Petersburg, Russia, on November 6, 1893. The first performance of the 1812 Overture took place in Moscow, Russia, on August 20, 1882, with Ippolit Altani, conducting. Approximate performance time is twelve minutes.

1812 Overture, Opus 49 (Ouverture solennelle) (1880)

n June of 1880, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky received a letter from his publisher, Jurgenson, informing him of a new commission. The eminent Russian musician Nikolai Rubinstein had been appointed to head the musical section of the Exhibition Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 11

of Industry and Arts, scheduled to take place in Moscow in 1881. Jurgenson told Tchaikovsky that Rubinstein wanted a new work that could take one of three forms: (1) an overture to open the exhibition, or (2) (an overture) for the Tsar’s silver jubilee, or (3) a cantata in whatever form you like, but with a hint of church music which most certainly be Orthodox, for the opening of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Of course you’ll be paid. The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour served to commemorate the events of 1812, when Napoleon’s forces were forced to retreat from Moscow. Tchaikovsky showed absolutely no enthusiasm for the project. And so, on September 30, Rubinstein contacted Tchaikovsky directly: “You will understand without any compliments that your composition would be dearer and more precious to me than all the others. It’s not an order but a great favor to me—.” Tchaikovsky reluctantly agreed to Rubinstein’s request, and decided to compose an orchestral work for the consecration of the Cathedral. He began sketching the 1812 Overture on October 12, completing the orchestration on November 19. As he told his patroness, Nadezhda von Meck: “The overture will be very loud and noisy, but I wrote it with no warm feeling of love, and therefore there will probably be no artistic merits in it.” The Exhibition of Industry and Arts was delayed for a year. And so, the premiere of the 1812 Overture took place in Moscow on August 20, 1882, with Ippolit Altani conducting. Tchaikovsky was often harshly critical of his own music. And of course, audiences have disagreed with the composer’s assessment of the 1812 Overture, according it the status of, perhaps, Tchaikovsky’s most popular composition. Despite Tchaikovsky’s reservations, the 1812 Overture continues to thrill audiences. It has long maintained a favored presence at large, open-air events, where the work’s spectacular elements may be heard to greatest effect. The 1812 Overture opens with a slow introduction (Largo), featuring a gorgeous setting for two violas and a quartet of cellos, singing the Russian Orthodox chant, Save us, O Lord. In the agitated central portion of the work, the conflict with Napoleon’s forces is depicted by the interaction of the Marseillaise with Russian melodies. In the stirring final measures, triumphant statements of the Orthodox chant, Russian folk melodies, and the anthem, God Preserve the Tsar portray the Russian victory.

Bridget-Michaele Reischl, conductor

ridget-Michaele Reischl is music director of the Oberlin Orchestras and associate professor of conducting at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She recently led the Oberlin Conservatory Symphony Orchestra in its Walt Disney Concert Hall debut in January 2009, and took the orchestra on a concert tour of China in 2005-06. A recording from that tour, The Oberlin Orchestra in China, was released in 2007 on the Oberlin Music label. Since becoming the first American to win Italy’s Antonio Pedrotti International Conducting Bridget-Michaele Competition in 1995, Reischl has been an active guest conductor throughout the U.S. and internaReischl tionally, appearing with such orchestras as the Atlanta and Milwaukee Symphonies and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. She is also music director of the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra in Green Bay, Wis., a position she has held since 2001. From 1992 to 2004, she was music director of the Lawrence Symphony Orchestra and associate professor of conducting at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wis. She is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. As a student of Robert Spano (a 1983 Oberlin graduate), she continued her studies as a conducting fellow at both the Aspen and the Tanglewood Music Festivals, where she worked with Seiji Ozawa, Murray Sidlin and David Zinman (also an Oberlin graduate, Class of 1958). Reischl has recorded on the Velut Luna, CRI and Sea Breeze Record Company labels. Reischl conducts Oberlin 21, a string orchestra comprising 21 exceptional young artists from the Oberlin Conservatory, on the Telarc release Air, a new recording of works by Debussy and Takemitsu that features internationally acclaimed harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, assistant professor of Harp at Oberlin. In the summer of 2008, she conducted Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro in Arezzo, Italy, as part of the Oberlin in Italy program. She has been a member of the faculty at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music since 2005.

The U.S. Army Chorus

n 1956, The U.S. Army Chorus was established as the vocal counterpart of The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” and is one of the nation’s only professional, all male choruses.

From its inception, The U.S. Army Chorus has established and maintained a reputation of excellence in the performance of male choral literature. Beyond the traditional military music and patriotic standards, the repertoire of the Army Chorus covers a broad spectrum which includes pop, Broadway, folk and classical music.

12 Encore Atlanta

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The Army Chorus performs often at the White House and in support of functions hosted by the State Department and Department of Defense. The Chorus participated in the dedication of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the George W. Bush Presidential Library. The Chorus is a standard feature at events for each presidential inauguration, and has been featured in official ceremonies and special events at the U.S. Capitol. World leaders, such as Queen Elizabeth II, the Princess of Thailand, former British Prime Minister John Major, former Soviet The U.S. Army Chorus President Mikhail Gorbachev and President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, have all been serenaded by the Army Chorus during state visits. These visiting dignitaries are often greeted in their native tongues, as the Chorus is able to sing in more than 26 languages. The U.S. Army Chorus regularly appears with the National Symphony Orchestra in televised Memorial Day and Independence Day performances from the U.S. Capitol. The group has been featured on many well-known stages, including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall. The Chorus has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, the Grant Park Symphony (Chicago), and was featured during weekly radio and television broadcasts of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The Army Chorus was personally requested to perform for the private interment services of former Presidents Ronald Reagan in 2004 and Gerald R. Ford in early 2007. The group also was featured at the official state dinner held in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s historic visit to the U.S. in 2007. The men of the Army Chorus, most of whom hold advanced degrees in music, are selected from among the nation’s finest musicians. In 2006, the group celebrated its 50th Anniversary which was marked with concerts that included a reunion of past members, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in music education and as soloists on Broadway and opera stages around the world. The group most recently appeared with the ASO during the 2008 July 4th concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park. The use of cameras or recording devices during the concert is strictly prohibited. Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta is the preferred hotel of the ASO. Trucks provided by Ryder Truck Rental, Inc. Promotional support provided by WSB-AM and Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Summer Concert Calendar July

11 8pm July

25 8pm August

1 8:30pm

August

15 8pm

Star Wars and More

Mei-Ann Chen, conductor

Strauss:Also sprach Zarathustra • Williams:Star Wars suite • HOLST:The Planets Journey into space courtesy of Gustav Holst and the spectacular visual imagery from NASA voyages!

Beethoven Blockbusters

Hugh Wolff, conductor • Juho Pohjonen, piano

Beethoven:Leonore Overture No. 3 • Piano Concerto No. 3 • Symphony No. 7 Hugh Wolff gets to the heart of Beethoven through a pair of pathbreaking works.

Rodgers & Hammerstein at the Movies Turner Classic Movies Night

Richard Kaufman, conductor • Robert Osborne, host

Come alive to The Sound of Music and other landmark musicals created by the storied partnership of Rodgers and Hammerstein!

Rising Stars

Ilyich Rivas, conductor • Elena Urioste, violin

Verdi:Vespri overture • Mendelssohn:Violin Concerto • Tchaikovsky:Symphony No. 4 Phenomenal 16-year-old Venezuelan conductor Ilyich Rivas makes his major American orchestra debut.

Tickets available NOW at the box office, Ticketmaster.com & 1.800.745.3000 Also available at all Ticketmaster outlets including Publix Super Markets. PLEASE NOTE: Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park offers a fine assortment of beverages and food items. Picnic baskets, bottles, cans and coolers are not allowed in the park. All ticket prices include parking, venue fee and sales tax. Convenience charges apply on all transactions. Make it a Group! 404.733.4848

14 Encore Atlanta

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Robert Spano, Music Director The Robert Reid Topping Chair *

Donald Runnicles, Principal Guest Conductor The Neil and Sue Williams Chair *

Jere Flint, Staff Conductor; Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra The Zeist Foundation Chair *

Norman Mackenzie, Director of Choruses The Frannie and Bill Graves Chair

Mei-Ann Chen, Assistant Conductor, League of american orchestras Conducting Fellow FIRST VIOLIN William Pu Associate/Acting Concertmaster

The Charles McKenzie Taylor Chair *

Justin Bruns

Assistant Concertmaster The Mary and Cherry Emerson Chair

Jun-Ching Lin

Assistant Concertmaster

Carolyn Toll Hancock

The AGL Resources Chair

Martha Reaves Head John Meisner Alice Anderson Oglesby Lorentz Ottzen Christopher Pulgram Carol Ramirez Juan Ramirez Olga Shpitko Denise Berginson Smith Kenn Wagner Lisa Wiedman Yancich SECOND VIOLIN David Arenz

Principal The Atlanta Symphony Associates Chair *

Sou-Chun Su

Associate Principal The Frances Cheney Boggs Chair *

Jay Christy

Assistant Principal

Eleanor Arenz Sharon Berenson David Braitberg Noriko Konno Clift Judith Cox David Dillard Raymond Leung Ruth Ann Little Thomas O’Donnell Ronda Respess Sanford Salzinger Frank Walton

VIOLA Reid Harris

Principal The Edus H. and Harriet H. Warren Chair *

Paul Murphy

Associate Principal The Mary and Lawrence Gellerstedt Chair *

Wesley Collins Robert Jones Marian Kent Yang-Yoon Kim• Catherine Lynn Lachlan McBane Heidi Nitchie Ardath Weck CELLO Christopher Rex

Principal The Miriam and John Conant Chair *

Daniel Laufer

Associate Principal The Livingston Foundation Chair

Karen Freer

Assistant Principal

Dona Vellek Klein

Assistant Principal Emeritus

Joel Dallow Jere Flint Larry LeMaster Brad Ritchie Davin Rubicz• Paul Warner BASS Ralph Jones

OBOE Elizabeth Koch

Principal The George M. and Corrie Hoyt Brown Chair *

TROMBONE Colin Williams

Principal The First Union Chair

Stephen Wilson

Associate Principal The Patsy and Jere Drummond Chair

Yvonne Powers Peterson

Bill Thomas George Curran

Deborah Workman Patrick McFarland

BASS TROMBONE George Curran

ENGLISH HORN Patrick McFarland

TUBA Michael Moore

Associate Principal

CLARINET Laura Ardan

Principal The Robert Shaw Chair *

Principal The Georgia-Pacific Chair

TIMPANI Mark Yancich

Ted Gurch

Principal The Walter H. Bunzl Chair *

William Rappaport

William Wilder

Associate Principal The Lucent Technologies Chair

Alcides Rodriguez E-FLAT CLARINET Ted Gurch BASS CLARINET Alcides Rodriguez BASSOON Carl Nitchie

Principal The Walter L. “Buz” Carr, III Chair

Elizabeth Burkhardt Associate Principal

Laura Najarian

Assistant Principal

PERCUSSION Thomas Sherwood Principal The Julie and Arthur Montgomery Chair *

William Wilder Assistant Principal Charles Settle** HARP Elisabeth Remy Johnson Principal The Delta Air Lines Chair

KEYBOARD

Principal The Marcia and John Donnell Chair *

The Pricewaterhouse Coopers Chair

Juan de Gomar

Gloria Jones

The Hugh and Jessie Hodgson Memorial Chair *

CONTRABASSOON Juan de Gomar

Peter Marshall † Beverly Gilbert † Sharon Berenson

Associate Principal

Jane Little

Assistant Principal Emeritus

Joseph Conyers• Michael Kenady Michael Kurth Douglas Sommer Thomas Thoreson FLUTE Christina Smith

Principal The Jill Hertz Chair *

Robert Cronin

Associate Principal

Paul Brittan

The Georgia Power Foundation Chair

Carl David Hall

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PICCOLO Carl David Hall

HORN Brice Andrus

Principal The Sandra and John Glover Chair

LIBRARY Rebecca Beavers Principal

Susan Welty

Steven Sherrill

Thomas Witte Richard Deane

John Wildermuth

Associate Principal

Assistant

TheUPS Community Service Chair

Bruce Kenney TRUMPET Thomas Hooten

Principal The Madeline and Howell Adams Chair* * Chair named in perpetuity • New this season Kevin Lyons **Leave of absence Associate Principal † Regularly engaged musician Joseph Walthall The SunTrust Bank Chair Players in string sections are listed alphabetically. Michael Tiscione

Meet the Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

ere’s a handy Who’s Who of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra players, so you can say hello the next time you spot one out and about at the amphitheatre. As Associate Principal Cellist Daniel Laufer says, “I enjoy getting to know our patrons.”

18 Encore Atlanta

20 Encore Atlanta

$10 off the purchase of two entrĂŠes*

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Creativity with Passion

2355 Mansell Rd. Alpharetta, GA 30022 (770) 650-6400 www.thedineratnorthpoint.com * This offer is not valid with any other offers or specials. $10 off the purchase of two entrĂŠes is only valid the evening of the Atlanta Symphony show. Ticket stub must be provided.

22 Encore Atlanta

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A Taste of the City in the Suburbs

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Kozmo Gastro Pub 11890 Douglas Road Johns Creek, GA 30005 tel 678 526 6094 Monday - Thursday 11:30am to 11:00pm Satu Friday + Saturday 11:30am to 12:00pm Bar open to 2am kozmogastropub.com

Dinner & a Concert with the ASO

for as little as $38 per person!

Enjoy a great night out and save on concert tickets and dining! Each conveniently located restaurant listed below will feature a fine, three-course dinner prior to performances by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Make your plans now.

July

4th of July All-American celebration!

4 8pm

Bridget Reischl, conductor • The U.S. Army Chorus A spectacular fireworks show tops off a concert of beloved Classical Americana!

July

Star Wars and More

11 8pm July

25 8pm August

1 8:30pm

August

15 8:30pm

Mei-Ann Chen, conductor Strauss:Also sprach Zarathustra • Williams:Star Wars suite • HOLST:The Planets Journey into space courtesy of “The Planets” and the spectacular visual imagery from NASA voyages!

Beethoven Blockbusters

Hugh Wolff, conductor • Juho Pohjonen, piano Beethoven:Leonore Overture No. 3 • Piano Concerto No. 3 • Symphony No. 7 Hugh Wolff gets to the heart of Beethoven through a pair of pathbreaking works.

Rodgers & Hammerstein at the Movies

Turner Classic Movies Night • Richard Kaufman, conductor • Robert Osborne, host Come alive to The Sound of Music and other landmark musicals created by the storied partnership of Rodgers and Hammerstein!

Rising Stars

Ilyich Rivas, conductor • Elena Urioste, violin The phenomenal 16-year-old Venezuelan conductor Ilyich Rivas makes his major American orchestra debut.

Contact Russell Wheeler 404.733.4807 • russell.wheeler@woodruffcenter.org For complete Dinner and a Concert details please visit www.atlantasymphony.org/dinnerandconcert

Shhh. Sounds like applause The Coca-Cola Company proudly supports

Atlanta’s Arts Community

“ A Dream Come True”

The ASO’s inaugural season at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre provided a rush of excitement for new audiences throughout North Fulton County By Karl Schnittke

ate on the evening of May 10, 2008, well after the grand opening concert had ended and the audience, musicians and most of the staff had headed home, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Music Director Robert Spano proclaimed loudly to the remaining handful of colleagues and friends that “Tonight was one of the greatest nights of my life.” The ASO’s new summer home at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta was in fact one of the greatest nights in the Orchestra’s 64-year history. Mr. Spano led an unforgettable performance, featuring Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, the finale of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, and the Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture, with a cast of hundreds including the Orchestra’s Chorus, Youth Orchestra, and two marching bands from Alpharetta and Milton high schools.

26 Encore Atlanta

Table seating for patrons was a popular feature and will be available for all ASO concerts this season.

H I G H

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART ATLANTA

Monet Water Lilies

Claude Monetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s garden. Now in your own backyard.

Purchase tickets at High.org or call 404-733-HIGH.

Monet Water Lilies is a collaboration between The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

The exhibitions and programs of the MoMA Series are made possible by

Planning Partner

Experience Monetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Water Lilies in an intimate exhibition that includes a breathtaking 42-foot-wide painting â&#x20AC;&#x201D;one of the largest outside of France.

Also on view Richard Misrach: On the Beach

Through August 23, 2009

WOODRUFF ARTS CENTER | 1280 PEACHTREE STREET, N.E. | MEMBERS ALWAYS FREE

Claude Monet (French, 1840â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1926), Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond (detail), ca. 1920, oil on canvas, The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund. ÂŠ The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA/Art Resource, NY.

The Rich Foundation

A ThAnk you To The people who mAde EncorE Park hAppen:

Âą-USICAL COMPOSITIONS IT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED DO NOT INHABIT CERTAIN COUNTRIES CERTAIN MUSEUMS LIKE PAINTINGS AND STATUES 4HE -OZART 1UINTET IS NOT SHUT UP IN 3ALZBURG ) HAVE IT IN MY POCKET Â˛ â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Henri Rabaud