2015/16 Season CLASSICAL SERIES
BEETHOVEN’S NINTH Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 16-19, 2016 MICHAEL STERN, conductor KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY CHORUS CHARLES BRUFFY, chorus director CELENA SHAFER, soprano
JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO, mezzo-soprano ROBERT WATSON, tenor DASHON BURTON, bass-baritone
BEETHOVEN
Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt (Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage), Cantata for Chorus and Orchestra, op. 112 Kansas City Symphony Chorus
SHOSTAKOVICH
Symphony No. 2 in B Major, op. 14, “October” In one movement Kansas City Symphony Chorus INTERMISSION
BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, op. 125, “Choral” I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso II. Molto vivace III. Adagio molto e cantabile IV. Presto - Allegro assai - Allegro assai vivace Celena Shafer, soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano Robert Watson, tenor Dashon Burton, bass-baritone Kansas City Symphony Chorus
The 2015/16 season is generously sponsored by
Friday’s night’s concert sponsored by
SHIRLEY and BARNETT C. HELZBERG, JR.
JOHN and CAROL KORNITZER BEBE KEMPER
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NANCY and ROBERT HATCH
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Kansas City Symphony
PROGRAM NOTES by Ken Meltzer
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt (Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage), Cantata for Chorus and Orchestra, op. 112 (1814-15) 8 minutes Mixed chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani and strings.
Beethoven’s As with many artists of his generation, cantata, Ludwig van Beethoven maintained a lifelong Calm Sea and admiration for the immortal German author Prosperous Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Beethoven Voyage, is a composed several works inspired by the setting for writings of Goethe, including numerous chorus and songs, the incidental music to the play orchestra of two Egmont (1809-1810), and the cantata for Goethe poems. chorus and orchestra, Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt (Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage). Beethoven completed the work in 1815. The cantata, published in 1822, bears the composer’s dedication to Goethe. The work features musical settings of two Goethe poems (the same texts that provided the basis for Felix Mendelssohn’s 1828 orchestral overture of the same name). In an 1823 letter to Goethe, Beethoven informed the author: “by reason of their contrasting moods these two poems seemed to me very suitable for the expression of this contrast in music. Recommended Recording BEETHOVEN: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra / David Zinman, conductor Label: Arte Nova Catalog #825850 46 2015/16 Season
Meerestille Tiefe Stille herrscht im Wasser, Ohne Regung ruht das Meer, Und bekümmert sieht der Schiffer Glatte Fläche rings umher. Keine Luft von Keiner Seite! Todesstille fürchterlich! In der ungeheuren Weite Reget keine Welle sich.
Calm Sea Deep stillness reigns on the water, Motionless lies the sea, And the sailor anxiously observes The smooth flatness all around. No air from any side! Awesome, deathly stillness! In the enormous expanse Stirs not a single wave.
Glückliche Fahrt Die Nebel zerreisen, Der Himmel ist helle Und Aeolus löset Das ängstliche Band. Es säuseln die Winde, Es rührt sich der Schiffer. Geschwinde! Geschwinde! Es teilt sich die Welle, Es naht sich die Ferne; Schon seh’ ich das Land!
Prosperous Voyage The mists disperse, The heavens are clear And Aeolus loosens The fearful bond. The winds murmur, The seaman stirs. Quickly! Quickly! The waves part, What is distant now becomes closer; Now I see land!
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
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Kansas City Symphony
PROGRAM NOTES
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Symphony No. 2 in B Major, “To October,” op. 14 (1927) 20 minutes Mixed chorus, piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bell in F-sharp, bass drum, cymbals, glockenspiel, snare drum and strings.
In the mid-1930s, Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s controversial The Symphony, opera, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, incurred in a single the wrath of Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin. movement, Shostakovich attempted to salvage his culminates career (and perhaps his life) with the Fifth with the chorus Symphony, which the composer subtitled proclaiming “A Soviet Artist’s Practical Creative praise of Lenin Reply to Just Criticism.” Stalin and the and the October Soviet authorities were satisfied, at least Revolution. for the time being. But for years, people have debated whether the Fifth, and many of the works that followed, were in fact Shostakovich’s passive-aggressive protests against Stalin and his brutal regime. The 1979 release of the controversial “Testimony: The Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich,” only served to add fuel to this fire. But in 1927, with all of this turmoil years away, Shostakovich was one of the shining young lights among Soviet artists. That year, Shostakovich was commissioned to compose a work in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution. Shostakovich responded with his Symphony No. 2, “To October.” Symphony No. 2 is cast in a single movement, comprising several sections. The opening portions depict, perhaps, the pain and struggles of the Russian people before the Revolution. Frenetic activity resolves to a triumphant outburst, after which 48 2015/16 Season
the mood calms. The cry of a factory whistle (in performance of this work, usually impersonated by the brass), leads to the entrance of the chorus, singing a text by Soviet poet Alexander Bezymensky (1898-1973), in praise of Lenin and the Revolution. The spoken final line resolves to the triumphant final bars. TEXTS and TRANSLATIONS Мы шли, мы просили работы и хлеба, Сердца были сжаты тисками тоски. Заводские трубы тянулися к небу, Как руки, бессильные сжать кулаки. Страшно было имя наших тенет: Молчанье, страданье, гнет. My šli, my prosili raboty i hleba Serca byli sžaty tiskami toski. Zavodskie truby tjanulisja k nebu, Kak ruki, bessil’nyje sžat’ kulaki. Strašno bylo imja naših tenët: Molčanje, stradanje, gnët.
We marched, we asked for labor and bread, Our hearts were gripped in a vice of anguish. Factory pipes reaching for the sky, Like hands unable to clench into a fist. We were afraid to name what ensnared us: Silence, suffering, and oppression.
continued >>
Recommended Recording SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 2 London Symphony Orchestra / Mstislav Rostropovich, conductor Label: Teldec Catalog #90853
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Kansas City Symphony
PROGRAM NOTES by Ken Meltzer
Но громче орудий ворвались в молчанье Слова нашей скорби, слова наших мук. О Ленин! Ты выковал волю страданья, Ты выковал волю мозолистых рук. No gromče orudij vorvalis’ v molčanje Slova našej skor’bi, slova naših muk. O, Lenin! Ty vykoval volju stradanja, Ty vykoval volju mozolistyh ruk. My ponjali, Lenin, čto naša sud’ba Nosit imja: bor’ba!
But louder than gunfire there burst into the silence Words of our torment, words of our suffering. Oh, Lenin! You forged the will of our suffering, You forged the will of calloused hands. We understand, Lenin, that our fate Bears the name: Struggle.
Борьба! Ты вела нас к последнему бою. Борьба! Ты дала нам победу Труда. И этой победы над гнетом и тьмою Никто не отнимет у нас никогда. Пусть каждый в борьбе будет молод и храбр: Ведь имя победы – Октябрь! Bor’ba! Ty vela nas k poslednemu boju, Bor’ba! Ty dala nam pobedu truda.
Struggle! You led us to the final battle. Struggle! You gave us victory through labor. I ètoj pobedy nad gnëtom i t’moju And this victory over oppression and darkness Nikto ne otnimet u nas nikogda. No one will ever take from us. Pust’ každyj v bor’be bydet molod i hrabr. May everyone in the struggle be young and brave: Ved’ imja pobedy – Oktjabr’! And may the name of this victory be – October!
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Октябрь! – это солнца желанного вестник. Октябрь! – это воля восставших веков. Октябрь! – это труд, это радость и песня. Октябрь! – это счастье полей и станков. Вот знамя, вот имя живых поколений: Октябрь, Коммуна и Ленин. Oktjabr’! – Èto solnca želannogo vestnik. Oktjabr’! – Èto volja vosstavših vekov. Oktjabr’! – Èto trud, èto radost’ i pesnja. Oktjabr’! – Èto sčastje polej i stankov. Vot znamja, vot imja živyh pokolenij: Oktjabr’, Kommuna i Lenin!
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October! – The herald of the awaited dawn. October! – The freedom of rebellious ages. October! – It is labor, joy, and song. October! – This is happiness in the fields, and at the work benches. This is our banner, and the name of our generation: October, the Commune and Lenin. 8/14/15 3:49 PM Page 1
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PROGRAM NOTES by Ken Meltzer
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, op. 125, “Choral” (1824) 65 minutes Soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists, mixed chorus, piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle and strings.
Beethoven’s Ninth and final Symphony (“Choral”) represents, on a number of levels, a summit of the composer’s artistic life. The Ninth is by far the most epic of Beethoven’s symphonies, both in terms of length and performing forces. The revolutionary introduction of vocal soloists and chorus in the finale was a bold masterstroke that forever expanded the potential of symphonic expression. Beethoven composed the Ninth Symphony during a period between the The revolutionary spring of 1823 and January 1824. As late as introduction of the summer of 1823, Beethoven considered vocal soloists ending his Symphony in traditional fashion and chorus with a purely instrumental fourth movement. into the finale Even after he made the final decision (performing the to employ Schiller’s text, the question “Ode to Joy”) remained of how to effect the appropriate forever changed transition to this new and daring path. the potential for And then one day (according to the symphonic form composer’s friend and biographer, Anton and expression. Schindler), Beethoven exclaimed: “I’ve got it, I’ve got it.” Beethoven had sketched the following words: “Let us sing the song of the immortal Schiller.” This text was to be performed by the basses of the chorus, with the soprano then presenting Schiller’s Ode. Beethoven ultimately modified the above text to read: “O friends, no more these sounds! Let us sing songs that are more cheerful and full of joy!” Both these lines, and the beginning of Schiller’s Ode, are given to the solo bass vocalist. The premiere of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony took place 52 2015/16 Season
at the Vienna Kärnthnerthor Theater on May 7, 1824. By this stage of Beethoven’s life, the composer’s hearing had deteriorated to such an extent that conducting the performance was out of the question. Instead, Ignaz Umlauf led the premiere. But all the while, Beethoven was at Umlauf ’s side, attempting to direct the tempos for the various movements. At the conclusion of the performance, the audience erupted with a spirited ovation. Karoline Unger was the contralto soloist at the premiere of the Beethoven Ninth. More than four decades later, she met with the British music writer, Sir George Grove, who related her description of the premiere: The master, though placed in the midst of this confluence of music, heard nothing of it at all and was not even sensible of the applause of the audience at the end of his great work, but continued standing with his back to the audience, and beating the time, till Fräulein Unger, who
Kansas City Symphony
PROGRAM NOTES by Ken Meltzer
had sung the contralto part, turned him, or induced him to turn round and face the people, who were still clapping their hands, and giving way to the greatest demonstrations of pleasure. His turning round, and the sudden conviction thereby forced upon everybody that he had not done so before, because he could not hear what was going on, acted like an electric shock on all present, and a volcanic explosion of sympathy and admiration followed, which was repeated again and again, and seemed as if it would never end. The Ninth Symphony is in four movements. The first (Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso) opens with the furtive introduction of a two-note descending motif (pairs of descending notes provide the thematic nucleus for much of the Ninth Symphony), soon thundered fortissimo by the orchestra. The winds also hint at the immortal “Ode to Joy” theme with a dolce ascending and descending theme. The movement proceeds to a fierce resolution, capped by a final statement of the opening theme. The scherzo (Molto vivace; Presto; Molto vivace) appears as the Symphony’s second (rather than the traditional third) movement. Once again, a descending two-note motif introduced at the outset provides the thematic nucleus. In the central trio, the winds introduce a flowing theme that is another precursor to the “Ode to Joy” melody. The beautiful slow-tempo third movement (Adagio molto e cantabile) is based upon two themes, both derived from the descending two-note motif. In the finale (Presto) the principal themes from the first three movements return, only to be rejected in turn by the orchestra. Finally, the orchestra plays the immortal “Ode to Joy” melody. The bass heralds the entrance of the vocal soloists and chorus. A series of variations on the melody culminate in the orchestra’s prestissimo race to the finish. Recommended Recording BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9 Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Reiner, conductor Label: RCA Victor Gold Seal Catalog #61795 54 2015/16 Season
TEXTS and TRANSLATIONS O Freunde, nicht diese Töne! Sondern lasst uns angenehmere anstimmen und freudenvollere!
Oh friends, no more these sounds! Let us sing songs that are more cheerful and full of joy!
Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder, Was die Mode streng geteilt; Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.
Joy, lovely divine spark, Daughter of Elysium, With fiery rapture, We approach your sanctuary! Your magic reunites, What stern custom separated; All men shall be brothers, Under your gentle wings. continued >>
Kansas City Symphony
PROGRAM NOTES by Ken Meltzer
Wem der grosse Wurf gelungen, Eines Freundes Freund zu sein, Wer ein holdes Weib errungen, Mische seinen Jubel ein! Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund! Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle Weinend sich aus diesem Bund.
Whoever has enjoyed the great fortune Of being a friend to a friend, Whoever has won a dear wife, Join in our chorus of jubilation! Yes, even if he has but one soul On this earth to call his own! And whoever has not, let him steal away Tearfully and alone.
Freude trinken alle Wesen An den Brüsten der Natur; Alle Guten, alle Bösen Folgen ihrer Rosenspur. Küsse gab sie uns und Reben, Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod; Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben, Und der Cherub steht vor Gott!
Every creature drinks joy At nature’s breast. Everyone, good and bad Follows in her rosy path. She gave us kisses and the fruit of the vine, And a friend, faithful until death; Even the worm can feel contentment, And the cherub stands before God!
Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen Durch des Himmels prächt’gen Plan, Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn, Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.
Gladly, as His suns fly Through the mighty path of heaven, So, brothers, run your course, Joyfully, like a hero on his conquest.
Seid umschlungen, Millionen! Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt! Brüder! Über’m Sternenzelt Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen. Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen? Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt? Such’ ihn überm Sternenzelt! Über Sternen muss er wohnen.
Be embraced, you millions! This kiss is for all the world! Brother! Above this tent of stars There must dwell a loving Father. Do you kneel, you millions? Do you sense your Creator, world? Seek him above in the tent of stars! Above the stars he must dwell.
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Kansas City Symphony
About CELENA SHAFER, soprano
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Photo by Ryan Thompson.
SOPRANO CELENA SHAFER HAS GARNERED ACCLAIM FOR HER SILVERY voice, fearlessly committed acting and phenomenal technique. She spends much of her time on the concert stage and has appeared with orchestras in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and worked with leading conductors such as Christoph von Dohnányi, Alan Gilbert, Bernard Labadie, Robert Spano, Nicholas McGegan, Kent Nagano, Donald Runnicles, Michael Tilson Thomas, David Robertson and Sir Andrew Davis. During the 2015-16 season, she appeared at the Britt Festival in Oregon for Carmina burana led by Teddy Abrams and repeated the work with the Columbus Symphony and Rossen Milanov for their opening concerts. She performed Baroque arias with the Alabama Symphony led by Gary Wedow, Handel’s Messiah with the New Jersey Symphony and Jacques Lacombe, and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the Phoenix Symphony and Tito Muñoz. A beloved artist in her home state of Utah, Shafer has a long relationship with the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera (USUO) where she served as artist-in-residence for the 2014-15 season with the Symphony. She returned this season for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and a New Year’s gala concert as well as performances and a recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, all led by music director Thierry Fischer. Since first appearing with the USUO as a high school student, Shafer has returned to perform numerous operatic roles, including Constanze in The Abduction from the Seraglio, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Gilda in Rigoletto, Norina in Don Pasquale, Lisette in La Rondine, Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Adele in Die Fledermaus. Her work on the concert stage includes Mahler symphonies No. 2 and 4, Brahms’ German Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat and cantata Jauchzet Gott in Allen Landen, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Poulenc’s Gloria, and several concerts of chamber music with conductors such as Bernard Labadie, Raymond Leppard and former music director Keith Lockhart. Shafer received her master’s degree from the University of MissouriKansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance.She previously appeared with the Kansas City Symphony in Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, led by Nicholas McGegan, and in Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy.”
Kansas City Symphony
About JENNIFER JOHNSON CANO, mezzo-soprano
Photo by Lisa Mazzucco.
A NATURALLY GIFTED SINGER NOTED FOR HER PROFOUND ARTISTRY, commanding stage presence and engaging personality, Jennifer Johnson Cano is a 2012 Richard Tucker Career Grant and 2014 George London Award winner. She joined The Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera in 2008 and made her Met debut in 2009-2010. As First Prize winner of the 2009 Young Concert Artist International Auditions, she gave stunning recital debuts with her husband Christopher Cano at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Kimmel Center. Cano has appeared with such esteemed orchestras as the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Utah symphonies and Orchestra of St. Luke’s. She has worked with an impressive array of conductors, such as James Levine, Manfred Honeck, Marin Alsop, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Sir Andrew Davis. This season, Cano bows as Emilia in Otello at The Metropolitan Opera, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Arizona Opera and Orfeo with Des Moines Metro Opera. Orchestral engagements include Verdi’s Requiem with Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Messiah with Cleveland Orchestra and Cincinnati Symphony, Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with Minnesota Orchestra and Kansas City Symphony, and Enrique Granados’s symphonic tone poem, Dante, and Brahms’s Alto Rhapsody with Monterey Symphony. As a recitalist, Cano debuts at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center performing Brahms’s Zwei Gesänge, appears at Houston Da Camera Society with Thomas Sauer (piano) and Colin Carr (cello), and performs with Christopher Cano at the Morgan Library in New York City and for Electric Earth Concerts in Peterborough, N.H. Summer festival appearances included Dido at Saratoga Opera, Carmen at the Savannah Voice Festival and a recital at Boston’s Outside the Box Festival. In 2014, she released her debut recital recording, “Unaffected: Live from the Savannah Voice Festival.”
Read program notes or listen to podcasts at kcsymphony.org.
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Kansas City Symphony
About ROBERT WATSON, tenor
TENOR ROBERT WATSON, A NATIVE OF KANSAS CITY, MADE HIS professional debut as a noble in Wagner’s Lohengrin with San Francisco Opera (SFO) and later returned to SFO to create the role of Henry Cox in the world premiere of Picker’s Dolores Claiborne. Watson has been a two-time Filene Young Artist at Wolf Trap Opera where he portrayed Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly with the National Symphony Orchestra, Bégearss in Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, the title character in Milhaud’s Le pauvre matelot, and Remendado in Carmen. Other operatic roles performed include The Male Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia, Nika Magadoff in Menotti’s The Consul, Spoletta in Tosca, and Nissan in the world premiere of Enemies, A Love Story. Watson appeared as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mannes Center and Filene Center, and in Verdi’s Requiem with the Florence Symphony Orchestra. He also has performed in recital with pianist Steven Blier and appeared in concert at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. Watson has won awards in the Opera Index and Irene Dalis competitions. He is a two-time recipient of a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation and a Catherine Filene Shouse Education Career Grant. He is a two-time Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions regional finalist. Watson is currently a Young Artist at Palm Beach Opera. Next year, he joins Deutsche Oper Berlin. Watson is an alumnus of the Merola Opera Program, the Opera Santa Barbara Studio and the Zajick Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. He attended the San Francisco Conservatory and is a graduate of Oklahoma City University Bass School of Music.
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About DASHON BURTON, bass-baritone
THE 2015-16 SEASON FOR BASS-BARITONE DASHON BURTON INCLUDES performances of the title role in Elijah, two subscription weeks of Belshazzar’s Feast with the Charleston Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem in a return to Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society, Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Baltimore Symphony and the Bach Society of St. Louis, and the role of Jesus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival in Berea, Ohio. In December, he sang Handel’s Messiah with the New Jersey Symphony, Boston Baroque and the Kansas City Symphony, where he will return in June 2016 for performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony under the baton of Music Director Michael Stern. Burton capped off last season singing Bach’s Mass in B Minor at the Bethlehem Bach Festival, Messiah with I Solisti in Italy, Bach cantatas at the Cincinnati May Festival, and the bass arias in the St. Matthew Passion at the Spoleto USA Festival. This past summer, he appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra to open the Blossom Music Festival in a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. Burton also spent several weeks at the Carmel Bach Festival singing the role of Jesus in the St. John Passion and Sarastro in Mozart’s Magic Flute. In recent seasons, Burton debuted with the Cleveland Orchestra in Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen led by Franz Welser-Möst; also with Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society in their production of Handel’s Samson. He has toured Europe in Bach’s St. John Passion with Christoph Pregardien’s Le Concert de Lorraine, and he sang the role of Jupiter in Les Talents Lyrique’s production of Castor and Pollux with Christoph Rousset in Toulouse, France. In addition to his work in early music, Burton is an avid performer of new music and has premiered works by Edie Hill and William Brittelle. He is a founding member of the chamber ensemble Roomful of Teeth with which he tours internationally. Devoted to performing new compositions using the fullest possible range of vocal techniques, the group received a Grammy ® Award for “Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance” in 2013. Burton earned his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and his master’s degree from Yale University.
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Kansas City Symphony
About KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY CHORUS
CHARLES BRUFFY, chorus director PATRICE SOLLENBERGER, assistant chorus director DAN VELICER, accompanist CINDY SULLIVAN, president JAN WIBERG, librarian THE KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY CHORUS, LED BY GRAMMY® AWARD-WINNING Chorus Director Charles Bruffy, is a 160-voice ensemble that continues its long tradition of excellence serving as “the choral voice of the Kansas City Symphony.” The Symphony Chorus has been offering quality choral music to the greater Kansas City metropolitan area since the early 1960s, first as the Mendelssohn Choir and then as the Civic Chorus. After the creation of the Kansas City Symphony, the Symphony Chorus assumed its current name and role as the Symphony’s “choral voice” in 1988. Before the appointment of Chorus Director Charles Bruffy in 2008, the Symphony Chorus worked under the direction of choral conductors Eph Ehly and Arnold Epley. The Symphony Chorus has represented Kansas City in five concert tours, including performances in New York City, Boston, the Berkshires, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Mexico where it performed with the Mexico City Symphony. The Symphony Chorus women recorded Holst’s The Planets with the Kansas City Symphony in January 2015. The Kansas City Symphony Chorus musicians are all volunteers from the region’s extensive musical community selected through rigorous auditions. Members have rich backgrounds in both music education and performance, and are engaged as soloists and conductors in schools, churches and venues throughout the region. 62 2015/16 Season
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About CHARLES BRUFFY, chorus director ONE OF THE MOST ADMIRED CHORAL CONDUCTORS IN THE UNITED States, Grammy ® Award-winner Charles Bruffy began his career as a tenor soloist, performing with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers in recordings as well as concerts in France and at Carnegie Hall. Shaw encouraged his development as a conductor, and in 1996 he was invited by American Public Media’s “Performance Today” to help celebrate Shaw’s 80th birthday with an on-air tribute. In 1999, The New York Times named him as the late, great conductor’s potential heir. Bruffy has been chorus director for the Kansas City Symphony Chorus since 2008, artistic director of the Kansas City Chorale since 1988 and the Phoenix Chorale since 1999, as well as the director of music at Rolling Hills Church since 1994. He conducts workshops and clinics across the U.S., including teaching at the Westminster Choir College Summer Conducting Institute since 2006. In the summer of 2013, Bruffy was involved with The Anúna International Choral Summer School in Dublin, Ireland, and in 2014 conducted the Kansas City Chorale in a performance at the Association of Canadian Choral Communities convention in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Bruffy is a member of the advisory boards of the Atlanta Young Singers of Callenwolde and WomenSing in the San Francisco Bay area, and he has served on the board of Chorus America for seven years. Bruffy is renowned for his fresh and passionate interpretations of standards of the choral repertoire and for championing new music. He has commissioned and premiered works by composers such as Ola Gjeilo, Matthew Harris, Anne Kilstofte, Libby Larsen, Zhou Long, Michael McGlynn, Cecilia McDowall, Stephen Paulus, Stephen Sametz, Philip Stopford, Steven Stucky, Joan Szymko, Eric Whitacre and Chen Yi. Under his supervision, the Roger Dean Company, a division of the Lorenz Corporation, publishes a choral series specializing in music for professional ensembles and sophisticated high school and college choirs. Bruffy’s eclectic discography includes six recordings with Nimbus Records and seven recordings with Chandos Records. His latest Grammy®-winning album, Rachmaninoff ’s “All-Night Vigil,” was released in January 2015. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has recognized five of these recordings with a total of 12 Grammy® nominations and five Grammy® wins, most recently in 2015 for Best Choral Performance for “All-Night Vigil” featuring the Kansas City and Phoenix Chorales.
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Kansas City Symphony
CHORUS ROSTER Charles Bruffy, Chorus Director Patrice Sollenberger, Assistant Chorus Director Dan Velicer, Accompanist Cindy Sullivan, President Jan Wiberg, Librarian SOPRANO Christine Baehr Angela Broaddus Elizabeth Brockhoff Kelsey Brown Amy Burback Kimberly Chain Holly Chase Skye Clements Christie Cody Brenda Dunham Hannah Dykstra Judith Evnen Kim Gear Bethany Glendenning Holly Hacking Katherine Hale Karen E. Hall Erica Hazelton Kate Howell Rita Hrenchir Nancy Lacy Kristy Lambert Marsha Lawrence Zenia Lee
18 2015/16 Season
Kathy Leeper Marie Lerner-Sexton Mari Levi Lindsey Marts Sarah Meyer Maria Milazzo Kathryn Nicolaus Keri Olson Meghan Pesely Sara Register Deborah Roach Gretchen Rohrs Donna Schnorf Willems Kathy Stayton Sheree Stoppel Rebecca Tuttle Constance VanEngen Sharlynn Verner Annie Walsh Laura Wittmer
ALTO Lori Allen Beth Allin Lynne Beebe Melinda Bennett Joyce Bibens Bobbi Caggianelli Jan Cohick Sonja Coombes Emily Crouch June Farson Michelle Gibbs Athena Gillespie Page Gravely Julia Heriford Bettye Hubbard Christina Kesler Karen Kesler Lori LeVine Leona Martin Heidi Meadows Svetlana Mitchell Karla Morgan-Massia Virginia Payne Jan Petrowski Melissa Rausch Lee Anne Rogers Tarah Shields Maggie Sneed Karen Spalding Cindy Sullivan Johanna Telke Paulette Thompson Sara Treffer Tatyana Voronin Julie Watson Marsha Wells Jan Wiberg
TENOR Matt Aberle Leon Barnes Tim Braselton Loren Bridge Paul Buechter Kit Doyle Phil Dunham Emerson Hartzler JP Helder Brandon Hottman Cliff Hubbard Jere Kimmel Kyle Leeser Lyle Linder Aaron Lukken Joseph Neal Ryan Patrick Tyler Pierce Jonathan Plummer Brandon Preece Jeff Preuss Austin Reed Robert Ritter Ward Russell Aaron Sansgaard Jeff Stegner David Sutherland Alan Taliercio Travis Toebben Sheldon Vogt Jeff Williams Jared Williams Timm Yamnitz Craig Zernickow
BASS Doug Allen Brett Anderson Jason Bridges Tom Burchett Robert Dothage James R. Duncan David Fast Bill Featherston Lee Finch Richard T. Gill Kevin Hershberger David Hess Daniel Hockman Bill Lacy Art Lafex Hale Lentz Dave Lockett Donald Milligan Christopher Newsom Patrick Orlich John Pinkston Joe Potter Jerry Radek Roger Randall David Reid Ed Roberts John Ross Larry Sneegas Robert Stepanich James Stephens Rick Stephenson John Thiessen Greg Toplikar Keith Tucker Ken VanEngen Theo Voudouris Andre Weibel Ron Williams James Wood