2023.24 STARS OF TOMORROW CONCERT

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Audrey G. Baird Stars of Tomorrow Concert

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2024 • BRADLEY SYMPHONY CENTER presents the

Photo by Jonathan Kirn

2024 STARS OF TOMORROW

Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at 7:30 pm Allen-Bradley Hall

Ryan Tani, conductor

Collin Runnoe, cello

Lucy Wu, cello

Zackary Muñoz, flute

Stars of Tomorrow Semi-finalists and Honorable Mentions

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN

Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major, Hob. VIIb:2, Opus 101

I. Allegro moderato

Collin Runnoe, cello

ANTONIN DVOŘÁK

Concerto in B minor for Cello and Orchestra, Opus 104, B. 191

I. Allegro

Lucy Wu, cello

FRANCOIS BORNE/arr. Giancarlo Chiaramello Fantaisie brillante sur Carmen

Zackary Muñoz, flute

INTERMISSION

ANTONIN DVOŘÁK

Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Opus 95, B. 178, “From the New World”

I. Adagio – Allegro Molto

II. Largo

III. Scherzo: Molto vivace

IV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco

Stars of Tomorrow Semi-finalists and Honorable Mentions

RYAN TANI

RYAN TANI is in his first season as assistant conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In 2021, he completed his twoyear tenure as the Orchestral Conducting Fellow for the Yale Philharmonia under Music Director Peter Oundjian, where he was the recipient of the Dean’s Prize for artistic excellence in his graduating class. Committed to meaningful community music-making in the state of Montana, Tani has directed the Bozeman Chamber Orchestra, Bozeman Symphonic Choir, Second String Orchestra, and MSU Symphony Orchestras. He frequently serves as cover conductor for the St. Louis, Colorado, and Bozeman symphonies and also recently served on the faculty at the Montana State University School of Music.

Tani recently concluded his tenure as music director of the Occasional Symphony in Baltimore. A fierce advocate of new music, Tani curated over 20 commissions from Baltimore-based composers during his four-year directorship of OS. As resident conductor of the New Music New Haven series, he has collaborated, under the guidance of Aaron Jay Kernis, with Yale University composition students and faculty.

Tani is also a graduate of the Peabody Institute, where he studied conducting with Marin Alsop and Markand Thakar, and at the University of Southern California, where he studied voice with Gary Glaze. In 2015, he was declared the winner of the ACDA Undergraduate Student Conducting Competition at their national conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition to his studies at Yale and Peabody, Tani has also studied conducting with Larry Rachleff, Donald Schleicher, Gerard Schwarz, Grant Cooper, and José-Luis Novo. Tani currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he can be found in the park with his dog, playing board games with friends and family, in the library with a good book, or in the practice room with his violin.

2024 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS JUDGES

BERNARD ZINCK SUSAN BABINI

French violinist BERNARD ZINCK , known for his “round and opulent tone and his vibrato bringing moments of sheer ecstasy” (The Strad), began his career after winning the 1992 Yehudi Menuhin Trust Award in Paris. His talent and interpretive insight have made him a sought-after musician who has performed extensively in concerts and recitals in Europe, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Haiti, Brazil, South Korea, and Japan. His artistry has been praised in terms such as “impeccable accuracy of pitch” and “formidable technique.” Dr. Zinck is a committed educator and was awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Studio Teaching by the Milwaukee Civic Music Association in 2018. He is currently associate professor of violin and head of strings at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is also the artistic director and founder of the Lakeside Chamber Music Workshop and the chamber festival Musiques et Vignes en Confluence in the Loire Valley, France. Zinck graduated from the Paris Conservatory, winning first prizes in violin and chamber music, The Julliard School as a Fulbright scholar (Bachelor and Master of Music), and Temple University (Doctor of Musical Arts). He wrote his doctoral thesis on the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, his style of violin playing, and eighteenth-century musical aesthetics.

Increasingly recognized for her “arresting performances” (The Philadelphia Inquirer) and “honestly self-revealing playing” (The Broad Street Review), cellist SUSAN BABINI has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Of her recent East Coast première-performance of Aaron Jay Kernis’s Colored Field for Cello and Orchestra with Symphony in C, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that “she was a beacon of clarity with a lean sound and a stoic emotional reserve...the performance was everything it could be.” Babini has been presented by Artists International and the Violoncello Society of New York and has appeared in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. In 2005, she appeared as both guest principal cellist and soloist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, performing Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante under Roy Goodman. She is a winner of Astral Artists’s 2007 National Auditions, and as a winner of the San Francisco Conservatory’s concerto competition, she performed Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo with the Conservatory Orchestra. Susan Babini received both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, as well as a graduate diploma from The Juilliard School, where she was a teaching assistant for Bonnie Hampton.

2024 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS JUDGES

SONORA SLOCUM

Appointed principal flute of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 2012 at the age of 22, “SONORA SLOCUM has wonderful resonance and a delightfully relaxed vibrato. It’s easy to love such vocal playing, and any orchestra is blessed to have her big sound.” (American Record Guide 169).

Slocum has performed with orchestras around the country, including guest principal flute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra on flute and piccolo. Her collaborations as guest principal include touring and audio recordings with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, as well as visual recordings with the Philharmonia Orchestra of New York at Lincoln Center.

A regular soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony, Slocum is recognized for her “pure, sparkling sound” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Slocum’s performances of Carl Nielsen’s Flute Concerto with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Johnson City Symphony earned her critical acclaim. “Slocum takes in vast quantities of air and spins it into gold. Hers is a dynamic range that whispers clearly and coherently and grows without tearing at the edges. Slocum has a HUGE sound...and a wizard’s bag resplendent with technical prowess and musical freshness. Slocum played with full-blooded intensity, convincing artistry, and astonishingly, she did it from memory.” (William Barnewitz, Urban Milwaukee)

Born into a musical family, Slocum grew up in New York City, where she attended The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Divisions. Slocum holds a bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and master’s degree in orchestral performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She attended the Music Academy of the West, as well as the Aspen and Pacific Music Festivals. Slocum studied with principal flutists Jeffrey Khaner, Robert Langevin, and Bart Feller, among many others.

AUDREY G. BAIRD (1922-2017)

Audrey Baird’s impact upon the Milwaukee Symphony and other Milwaukee area performing arts groups was significant. She chaired her first committee for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra League as ticket drive chairwoman for her suburb of Wauwatosa in the late 1950s and served as MSO League President from 1965 – 1967. She became an honorary director of the League Board in 1990, having also served on the board as an active member (1973 – 1990). Additionally, she served as president of the Women’s Council of American Symphony Orchestra League (now the Volunteer Council of the League of American Orchestras) from 1973 – 1975, which created the Audrey Baird Ticket Sales Award in her name, honoring her legendary ability to train and inspire volunteers. In 1981, she joined the MSO administrative staff as director of audience development. Her lasting contributions, dedication, and spirit are honored annually by the Audrey G. Baird Stars of Tomorrow competition and auditions.

When Baird received the Gold Baton at the League of American Orchestra’s conference in 1996, the presenter noted: “Audrey’s work as a volunteer leader, marketer, lecturer, and consultant has left a lasting mark on orchestra fund raising and ticket sales. She is the First Lady of volunteer ticket sales, whose unmatched skills and irresistible enthusiasm have multiplied audiences for orchestras everywhere.”

2024 AUDREY G. BAIRD STARS OF TOMORROW SOLOISTS

COLLIN RUNNOE

COLLIN RUNNOE , a junior at Whitefish Bay High School, has played the cello for 11 years. He studies with Scott Cook at the Cello Institute of Milwaukee and is the first chair cellist in the Institute’s cello ensemble, I Cellisti. This summer, Collin will embark on a South American tour as a cellist in the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) with conductor Marin Alsop. Prior to the tour, Collin will spend two weeks in New York rehearsing with the orchestra, culminating in a performance at Carnegie Hall. Collin was the first-place winner of the 2024 Civic Music Association of Milwaukee’s High School Competition and was a participant in Civic Music Association’s Showcase Recital in 2023. He also won Honorable Mention in the MSO’s Stars of Tomorrow in 2022 and 2023 and sat principal cello in the orchestra at the 2023 Stars of Tomorrow concert. Collin plays in a piano trio, which is coached by several MSO musicians, in the Advanced Chamber Music Institute at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. He has participated in the Wisconsin School Music Association’s Solo and Ensemble Festival for six years, winning the Exemplary Performance Award in 2022 and 2023. This year also marks his sixth year as a member of WSMA’s Honor Orchestra. Collin has played in master classes with Mindy Park, Angela East, and Orli Shaham. He is currently co-principal cellist of the Whitefish Bay High School Orchestra, recently played in the pit orchestra for the school’s production of Newsies, and will play a senior solo with the orchestra in 2025. He also enjoys playing in the University Community Orchestra and the University Community String Orchestra.

LUCY WU , 15, is a Merit Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. She began cello studies at age seven and studies with Dr. Stefan Kartman. Since her solo orchestral debut at age 10 with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, she has soloed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. Lucy won the 2024 Enkor International Music Competition, the 2024 DePaul National Concerto Competition, the 2023 Chippewa Valley Symphony Young Artist Competition, the 2023 Chicago International Music Competition, the 2019 and 2020 MYSO Concerto Competition, and was a finalist in the 2023 Bolz Young Artist Competition, which was broadcast live on PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio. She has also won scholarships from the Schubert Club Competition (2022, 2023, 2024) and the Civic Music Competition (2024). She has worked with renowned cellists, including Paul Katz, Hans Jensen, Guy Johnston, Melissa Kraut, Alan Rafferty, and Stephen Balderston, among others. Lucy also enjoys playing chamber music at the Academy. She currently plays in Quartet Meraviglia, which won the 2024 MYA Chicago National Chamber Music Competition, was a finalist in the 2024 Rembrandt Chamber Music Competition, and will be competing in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition quarterfinals and Saint Paul String Quartet Competition finals. In 2023, as a member of the Luminos Piano Trio, she advanced to the Fischoff semifinals and was featured on WFMT Introductions. Lucy is a sophomore at Whitefish Bay High School, where she is co-principal of the chamber orchestra, VP of Music Club, debate team captain, and Tower Times reporter. This summer, she will attend the Bowdoin International Music Festival.

ZACKARY MUÑOZ

ZACKARY “ZACK” MU Ñ OZ is a high school senior who attends the online program of Wisconsin Connections Academy. Zack discovered his passion for classical music early and has been playing the flute for the past seven years. In that short time, he has proven himself an extremely talented musician, earning the position of principal flute in Senior Symphony and the title of concertmaster of the Chamber Flute Ensemble. In 2021, Zack won the Concerto Competition for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) Chamber Flute Ensemble. He was one of the chosen winners for the 2022 Civic Music High School Competition as well as performs in the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) State Honors Orchestra in Madison, Wisconsin.

In the summer of 2023, Zack had the exclusive opportunity to tour Europe with MYSO and the honor of playing principal flute at the world-renowned Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He has earned several gold medals through the WSMA Solo and Ensemble festivals, as well as an exemplary soloist award. Zack also had the privilege of performing in masterclasses for Stephanie Mortimore and Conor Nelson. Zack studies flute with Carol Meves.

2024 YOUNG ARTISTS

SOLOISTS

Each of tonight’s soloists received a $1,000 scholarship presented by Forte to further their music education. One soloist selected by the judges as having performed exceptionally well receives an additional $1,000 award. The remaining two soloists each receive a $250 scholarship award.

Zackary Muñoz, flute, Greenfield

Collin Runnoe, cello, Whitefish Bay

Lucy Wu, cello, Whitefish Bay

SEMI-FINALISTS

Lydia Morency, oboe, Germantown

Indre Raghavan, violin, Verona

Nolan Schwartz, flute, Oregon

Sal Stein, violin, Mequon

Sonya Wilhelm, viola, Wales

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Ethan Chen, violin, New Berlin

Cordelia Momo Frederickson, violin, Brookfield

Gavin Hansen, bassoon, Waukesha

Hans Hemann, violin, Shorewood

Benyamin Kim, violin, Mequon

Ava Larsen, cello, Pewaukee

Marisa Lehner, flute, Sussex

Benjamin Levin, double bass, Mequon

Gabrielle Peck, cello, Waterford

Felix Pipal, cello, Mequon

Owen Ruck, trombone, Waukesha

Oliver Runnoe, cello, Whitefish Bay

Rylee Stelpflug, cello, Milwaukee

Jay Suthan, violin, Menomonee Falls

Jenny Wang, violin, Neenah

Hunter Weakly, flute, Watertown

Faith Weigand, bassoon, Racine

The following Honorable Mention students are unable to perform with us this evening, but we wish to acknowledge their achievements in the 2024 Stars of Tomorrow Competition:

Vivian Cucu, viola, Milwaukee

Grace Huang, violin, Fitchburg

Sophia Jiang, violin, Madison

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A project of Forte and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Audrey G. Baird Stars of Tomorrow Competition is an annual statewide competition for high school string, woodwind, brass, and percussion musicians. Three winners receive scholarship awards and the opportunity to perform as soloists with the MSO.

Semi-finalist and honorable mention winners receive the honor of appearing as orchestral musicians with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In preparation for the concert, these students participate in workshops presented by MSO musicians.

The 2024 competition was held on February 17 at the First Congregational Church in Wauwatosa. We thank all the volunteers and judges, and especially event chair, Jessica Pihart, for ensuring that the auditions were smooth and successful.

2024 Stars of Tomorrow Competition

Jessica Pihart, chair

Audition Judges

Christine Annin, Madison Freed, Dietrich Hemann, Madeleine Kabat, Elliott Lee, Erin Pipal Semi-final

Round Judges

Jeanyi Kim, Robert Levine, Katherine Young Steele

Workshop Clinicians

Timothy Klabunde, Heather Zinninger

THANK YOU

Tonight’s concert is named in honor of Audrey G. Baird (1922-2017), founder of the Stars of Tomorrow Competition (formerly called the Young Artist Auditions). The MSO and Forte thank Audrey for her legacy of passionate and constant support of music education and creating opportunities for young musicians. Thank you to the First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa for providing a welcoming and effective space for the Stars of Tomorrow Auditions, and a resounding thank you to all the Forte members and volunteers for your continued effort and support of this program. It is truly appreciated. Thank you to all of the student musicians who participated in the 2024 Stars of Tomorrow Competition, their teachers, pianists, and families.

The MSO thanks the following funders for their generous annual support that makes Stars of Tomorrow programming possible: United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), Herzfeld Foundation, Hearst Foundations, Westbury Bank, Townsend Foundation, Educators Credit Union, and the Eleanor N. Wilson and Irene Edelstein Memorial Funds as administered by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. Stars of Tomorrow is supported in part by grants from the Milwaukee Arts Board and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin. Additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and Milwaukee County Arts Fund CAMPAC.

2023.24 SEASON

KEN-DAVID MASUR

Music Director, Polly and Bill Van Dyke Music Director Chair

EDO DE WAART

Music Director Laureate

RYAN TANI

Assistant Conductor

CHERYL FRAZES HILL

Chorus Director, Margaret Hawkins Chorus Director Chair

TIMOTHY J. BENSON

Assistant Chorus Director

FIRST VIOLIN

Jinwoo Lee, Concertmaster, Charles and Marie Caestecker Concertmaster Chair

Ilana Setapen, First Associate Concertmaster

Jeanyi Kim, Associate Concertmaster

Alexander Ayers

Yuka Kadota

Elliot Lee**

Ji-Yeon Lee

Dylana Leung

Kyung Ah Oh

Lijia Phang

Yuanhui Fiona Zheng

SECOND VIOLIN

Jennifer Startt, Principal, Andrea and Woodrow Leung Second Violin Chair

Timothy Klabunde, Assistant Principal (2nd Chair)

John Bian, Assistant Principal (3rd Chair)

Glenn Asch

Lisa Johnson Fuller

Paul Hauer

Hyewon Kim

Alexandra Switala**

Mary Terranova

VIOLA

Robert Levine, Principal, Richard O. and Judith A. Wagner Family Principal Viola Chair

Georgi Dimitrov, Assistant Principal (2nd Chair), Friends of Janet F. Ruggeri Viola Chair

Samantha Rodriguez, Assistant Principal (3rd Chair)

Alejandro Duque, Acting Assistant Principal (3rd Chair)

Elizabeth Breslin

Nathan Hackett

Erin H. Pipal

Helen Reich

CELLO

Susan Babini, Principal, Dorothea C. Mayer Cello Chair

Nicholas Mariscal, Assistant Principal*

Shinae Ra, Acting Assistant Principal (2nd Chair)

Scott Tisdel, Associate Principal Emeritus Madeleine Kabat

Peter Szczepanek

Peter J. Thomas

Adrien Zitoun

BASS

Jon McCullough-Benner, Principal, Donald B. Abert Bass Chair*

Andrew Raciti, Acting Principal

Nash Tomey, Acting Assistant Principal (2nd Chair)

Brittany Conrad

Teddy Gabrieledes**

Peter Hatch*

Paris Myers

HARP

Julia Coronelli, Principal, Walter Schroeder Harp Chair

FLUTE

Sonora Slocum, Principal, Margaret and Roy Butter Flute Chair

Heather Zinninger, Assistant Principal

Jennifer Bouton Schaub

PICCOLO

Jennifer Bouton Schaub

OBOE

Katherine Young Steele, Principal, Milwaukee Symphony League Oboe Chair

Kevin Pearl, Assistant Principal

Margaret Butler

ENGLISH HORN

Margaret Butler, Philip and Beatrice Blank English Horn Chair in memoriam to John Martin

CLARINET

Todd Levy, Principal, Franklyn Esenberg Clarinet Chair

Benjamin Adler, Assistant Principal, Donald and Ruth P. Taylor Assistant Principal Clarinet Chair*

Taylor Eiffert*

Madison Freed**

E-FLAT CLARINET

Benjamin Adler*

BASS CLARINET

Taylor Eiffert*

Madison Freed**

BASSOON

Catherine Van Handel, Principal, Muriel C. and John D. Silbar Family Bassoon Chair

Rudi Heinrich, Assistant Principal

Beth W. Giacobassi

CONTRABASSOON

Beth W. Giacobassi

HORN

Matthew Annin, Principal, Krause Family French Horn Chair

Krystof Pipal, Associate Principal

Dietrich Hemann, Andy Nunemaker French Horn Chair

Darcy Hamlin

Kelsey Williams**

TRUMPET

Matthew Ernst, Principal, Walter L. Robb Family Trumpet Chair

David Cohen, Associate Principal, Martin J. Krebs Associate Principal Trumpet Chair

TROMBONE

Megumi Kanda, Principal, Marjorie Tiefenthaler Trombone Chair

Kirk Ferguson, Assistant Principal

BASS TROMBONE

John Thevenet, Richard M. Kimball Bass Trombone Chair

TUBA

Robyn Black, Principal, John and Judith Simonitsch Tuba Chair

TIMPANI

Dean Borghesani, Principal

Chris Riggs, Assistant Principal

PERCUSSION

Robert Klieger, Principal

Chris Riggs

PIANO

Melitta S. Pick Endowed Piano Chair

PERSONNEL MANAGER

Françoise Moquin, Director of Orchestra Personnel

LIBRARIAN

Paul Beck, Principal Librarian, Anonymous

Donor, Principal Librarian Chair

Matthew Geise, Assistant Librarian and Media Archivist

PRODUCTION

Tristan Wallace, Production Manager/Live Audio

* Leave of absence 2023.24 season

** Acting member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra 2023.24 Season