Festival City Symphony - America Reflected

AMERICA REFLECTED Carter Simmons, Music Director April 21, 2021

Milwaukee

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Festival City Symphony

Carter Simmons, Music Director presents

“AMERICA REFLECTED” Wednesday, April 21, 2021 7:00 PM The Harris Theater Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts

AARON COPLAND Letter from Home (1900-1990)

JESSIE MONTGOMERY (b. 1981)

Coincident Dances

HOWARD HANSON Symphony no. 2, op. 30, “Romantic” (1896-1981) I. Adagio – Allegro moderato

II. Andante con tenerezza

III. Allegro con brio

America Reflected

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C A R T E R S I M M O N S , M U S I C D I R E C TO R Festival City Symphony Music Director, Carter Simmons, is a long-time member of Milwaukee’s close-knit arts community. The well-known Artistic Director of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) has served for 25 years with the organization that has nurtured, challenged, and inspired young people since 1956. During his association with MYSO, the organization has grown to serve 6,000 students and received recognition as an awardee of the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, the nation’s highest honor for out-of-school arts and humanities programs.

Mr. Simmons has been invited to work with the Milwaukee Ballet, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Starry Nights Orchestra featuring artists of Milwaukee’s Florentine Opera, and the Wisconsin Philharmonic among other orchestras. He has conducted the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra throughout China, most notably in Beijing’s Forbidden City Concert Hall, and also in Orchestra Hall in Chicago’s Symphony Center. He has also accompanied the orchestra for its performances in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Valencia’s Palau de la Música, Prague’s Dvořák Hall, Budapest’s Béla Bartók National Concert Hall, in Argentina and Uruguay, and the Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philharmonic.

F C S S TA F F A N D B OA R D O F D I R E C TO R S Chief Executive Officer................................................................................................ Franklyn Esenberg Music Director..................................................................................................................... Carter Simmons Music Director Emeritus.......................................................................................................Monte Perkins Operations Director............................................................................................................... Brandon Yahn Personnel Manager.........................................................................................................Kathryn Krubsack Children’s Program Notes Host......................................................................................... Lynn Roginske Librarian..................................................................................................................Julie Bamberger Roubik Assistant Librarians....................................................................................... Robert and Martha Kriefall Board of Directors Franklyn Esenberg, Chairman of the Board Charlane O’Rourke, Interim Executive Officer/Assistant Financial Officer Dr. Patricia Ellis Sharie Garcia Bethany Perkins

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Festival City Symphony

T H A N K S TO O U R S P O N S O R S Festival City Symphony would like to take this opportunity to thank its sponsors, without whom these programs would not take place.

through in-kind contribution

Festival City Symphony is a member organization of Association of Wisconsin Symphony Orchestras, the Creative Alliance, VISIT Milwaukee, an affiliate member of UPAF, and a program partner at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. FCS made the Business Journal’s “Book of Lists” 2002 – 2007, 2010, and 2012.

F E S T I VA L C I T Y S Y M P H O N Y FIRST VIOLIN Pamela Simmons Concertmaster Kris Gorecki Ass’t Concertmaster JoAnn Haasler Marvin Suson Tatiana Migliaccio Mary Stryck Kristian Brusubardis Andrea Buchta SECOND VIOLIN Ellen Willman Principal Laurie Asch Juanita Groff Melissa Mann Cheryl Fuchs Tassia Hughes John Emanuelson Karen Frink VIOLA Olga Tuzhilkov Principal Jenna Dick Julie Bamberger Roubik Korinthia Klein CELLO Stefan Kartman Principal Beth Woodward Viktor Brusubardis Paul Gronquist Marti Kriefall

BASS Charles Grosz Principal Kate Krueger Barry Paul Clark Steve Rindt Larry Tresp FLUTE Tatiana Pearson Principal Sabrina Raber PICCOLO Olivia Dobbs OBOE Suzanne Geoffrey Principal Heather Guadagnino ENGLISH HORN Jennifer Bryan CLARINET Orlando Pimentel Principal William Pietsch BASSOON Andrew Jackson Principal Steven Whitney CONTRABASSOON Carol Rosing

HORN Brandon Yahn Principal Nancy Cline Kathryn Krubsack Sue Beekman TRUMPET Gerry Keene Principal Bill Dick Brett Murphey TROMBONE Jacob Tomasicyk Principal Mark Hoelscher BASS TROMBONE Matthew Walker TUBA Serena Voltz Principal TIMPANI Robert Koszewski PERCUSSION Robert Kriefall Principal Terry Smirl Colin O’Day HARP Rebecca Royce Principal America Reflected

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P R O G R A M N O T E S B Y R O G E R R U G G E R I © 2 0 21 Aaron Copland b. November 14, 1900; Brooklyn, NY d. December 2, 1990; New York City Letter From Home In 1944, radio’s “Blue Network” established a “creative music fund” to commission “streamlined works, or symphonettes,” to be performed by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra on the Philco Radio Hour. Those engaged were a who’s-who of that era in American music; included were Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein, Roy Harris, Richard Rodgers, Morton Gould, Peter De Rose, Erich Korngold, Victor Young, Ferde Grofé and Aaron Copland. The concept was to generate a new work for each week, beginning in July of 1944.

After accepting the commission, Copland sketched his new piece, Letter From Home, in Cambridge during the spring of 1944. He took it with him on a sojourn to Tepoztlán (near Mexico City) during that summer. Copland later wrote: “The title of my seven-minute piece was not meant to be taken too literally—I meant only to convey the emotion that might naturally be awakened in the recipient by reading a letter from home.”

Paul Whiteman led his orchestra through Copland’s score in a broadcast of October 18, 1944. Hans Heinsheimer, the composer’s publisher, reported to Copland: “[Whiteman] never removed his cigar during rehearsals and never took his nose out of the score for an instant.”

Copland subsequently revised this evocative music (the radio orchestra version had five saxes), changing the orchestration. The Cleveland Orchestra and George Szell performed this version on February 27 and March 1, 1947. The composer again revamped his score in 1962.

Jessie Montgomery b. December 8, 1981; New York City Coincident Dances Composed in 2018 for the Chicago Sinfonietta, Coincident Dances is a vital potpourri of international dance elements that one might hear while walking on the streets of New York City. Begun by an athletic double bass solo, the dances reveal themselves, one after another, then ultimately diminishing to silence. This music was premiered and recorded by the Chicago Sinfonietta and its Music Director, Mei-Ann Chen.

Born and raised in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Jessie Montgomery began violin lessons at age four. “I feel very connected to European classical music because of the way I have learned to play the violin. The actual physical resonance of the instrument speaks to that language beautifully, and I think that tradition is so rich.” Encouraged to improvise, she soon blossomed into compositional avenues. She majored in violin performance at the Juilliard School, then performed with the Providence String Quartet and the Catalyst 6

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Festival City Symphony

P R O G R A M N O T E S B Y R O G E R R U G G E R I © 2 0 21

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Quartet. During her early years Montgomery was also a contest winner, performer and teacher with The Sphinx Organization, a non-profit nurturer of Black and Latino classical musicians. In the fall of 2020, Montgomery joined the faculty of the College of Performing Arts and Mannes School of Music, working particularly with musicians who identify as performer/composer/improvisers.

Howard Hanson b. October 28, 1896; Wahoo, NE d. February 26, 1981; Rochester, NY Symphony No. 2, (“Romantic”), Opus 30 Among the most prominent and influential figures in American music, Howard Hanson enjoyed a long career as a composer, conductor and educator. Although Dr. Hanson did a great deal to encourage new directions in musical thought, he himself remained a traditionalist, preferring to write music that “comes from the heart and is a direct expression of my own emotional reactions.” The recipient of the Prix de Rome in 1921 (he was the first American prizewinner to take residency in Rome), thirty honorary doctorates, and world-wide recognition, Hanson lived in active retirement from 1964 until the end of his life, following four decades as the avuncular director of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

Of Swedish ancestry, Hanson had a penchant for the creation of rather Nordic dark moods, melancholy themes, modal harmonies and dramatic climaxes; some were fond of calling him “the American Sibelius.” Upon one critic’s labeling of his Third Symphony as “Sibelian bilge,” Hanson retorted with characteristic wit: “No, that’s the Second.” Enthusiastic public response generally helped Hanson to take derisive comments in stride.

Among Hanson’s most popular works is his “Romantic” Symphony, commissioned by Koussevitzky for the fiftieth anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra: it was first performed by them in Boston on November 28, 1930. At that time, Hanson commented: “The symphony represents for me my escape from the rather bitter type of modern musical realism which occupies so large a place in contemporary thought. Much contemporary music seems to me to be showing a tendency to become entirely too cerebral. I do not believe that music is primarily a matter of the intellect, but rather a manifestation of the emotions. I have, therefore, aimed in this symphony to create a work that was young in spirit, lyrical and romantic in temperament, and simple and direct in expression.”

These words stirred such a controversy that Hanson later explained: “That statement launched a musical bomb at the time, for…the 1920s marked the heyday of the atonalists and any composer under seventy-five who wrote an undisguised triad was considered a traitor to the cause.… I also added to my worries the job of explaining a few thousand times what I meant by ‘romantic.’ My guess is that I didn’t quite know what I did mean, except that it was a convenient red-flag word at that time.… I believe that there are essentially two types of music, warm-blooded music and cold-blooded music, and every possible admixture of the two. The Romantic is definitely warm-blooded music.…”

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P R O G R A M N O T E S B Y R O G E R R U G G E R I © 2 0 21

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This symphony, the second of five, is dedicated to Rush Rhees, the president of the University of Rochester who initially invited Hanson to become founding director of the Eastman School.

For the premiere of this work, Hanson provided the following analysis: The work is in three movements: The first (Adagio; Allegro moderato) begins with an atmospheric indication in the woodwinds, joined first by the horns, then the strings, and finally the brass choir, and then subsiding. The principal theme is announced Allegro moderato, by four horns, with an accompaniment of strings and woodwinds, and is imitated in turns by the trumpets, woodwinds, and strings. An episodic theme appears quietly in the oboe and then in the solo horn. A transition leads into the subordinate theme, Lento, with the theme itself in the strings and a countersubject in the solo horn. “[This well-known theme has long served as the sonic logo of upper Michigan’s Interlochen Center for the Arts.]

“The development section now follows, with the principal theme announced in a changed mood by the English horn and developed through the orchestra. The episodic theme, influenced by the principal theme, also takes an important part in this section. The climax of the development section leads directly to the return of the principal theme in the original key by the trumpets. This is followed in turn by the episodic theme, now in the clarinets, and then in the first horn, with canonic imitation in the oboe. The subordinate theme then follows, and the movement concludes quietly in a short coda.

“The second movement (Andante con tenerezza) begins with its principal theme, announced by the woodwinds, with a sustained string accompaniment. The interlude in the brass, taken from the introduction of the first movement and interrupted by florid passages in the woodwinds, develops into the subordinate theme which is taken from the horn solo in the first movement. A transition, again interrupted by a florid woodwind passage, leads into a restatement of the principal theme of the movement.

“The third movement (I) begins with a vigorous accompaniment figure in strings and woodwinds, the principal theme of the movement—reminiscent of the first movement— entering in the four horns and later repeated in the basses. The subordinate theme, Molto meno mosso, is announced first by the cellos and then taken up by the English horn, the development of which leads into the middle section Piu mosso.

“This section begins with a pizzicato accompaniment in the violas, cellos, and basses, over which is announced a horn call. This call is taken up by the trombones and leads into a fanfare first in the trumpets, then in the horns and woodwinds, and then again in the trumpets and the woodwinds. The climax of this fanfare comes with the announcement of the principal theme of the first movement by the trumpets, against the fanfare rhythm in the woodwinds. The development of this theme leads into a final statement of the subordinate theme of the first movement, fortissimo. A brief coda of this material leads to a final fanfare and the end of the symphony.”

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Festival City Symphony

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Festival City Symphony

UPCOMING PROGR A MS

“Why We Love the Orchestra” Pajama Jamboree Concert Wednesday, May 5, 2021 7:00-8:00pm The Harris Theater Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts 3270 Mitchell Park Dr Brookfield, WI 53045

PJs aren’t required but are always welcome! Join Festival City Symphony’s long-standing Pajama Jamboree concert tradition on Wednesday, May 5 at 7pm at the Wilson Center as the orchestra performs music perfect for young and not-so-young concert-goers alike!

Music Director Carter Simmons and student MC Abigail Hanna will host as Festival City Symphony performs lively and beautiful music all about “Why We Love the Orchestra!”

Both physically-distanced assigned seating and virtual attendance options are available for this hour-long program, and tickets are FREE with a suggested donation of $10/person.

Geared towards children and their families, Festival City Symphony’s Pajama Jamboree concerts include narration to educate children about the music and instruments of the orchestra. Casual dress is encouraged, including pajamas, teddy bears, and blankets!

Pajama Jamborees are best suited for children in K4 through fifth grade.

ABOUT THE ORCHESTR A AND UPCOMING PROGR A MS Festival City Symphony has been a significant member of the Milwaukee-area arts community for nearly 100 years. Formerly known as the Milwaukee Civic Symphony Orchestra, Festival City Symphony is Milwaukee’s oldest performing symphony orchestra.

Its mission is to extend the reach of classical music in the Milwaukee-area community by presenting free and affordable concerts in formats that embrace people of all ages.

Striving to attract new audiences to live classical music performances, the orchestra’s collaborative programs often incorporate local arts or educational organizations, Milwaukee-based performers and artists, and children’s performing groups. Composed of professional musicians from around the Milwaukee area, FCS member musicians serve as instructors in many of Milwaukee’s universities, public and private schools, and private lesson studios.

For information about upcoming FCS performances, to learn more about the orchestra, or to make a donation, please visit festivalcitysymphony.org or follow Festival City Symphony on Facebook.

(262) 853-6085 | festivalcitysymphony.org | Follow FCS on Facebook!

America Reflected

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