2023 New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra Spring Concert Program Book

YOUT H ORCHESTRA

Spring Concert

Newark → Sunday, May 7, 2023, at 4 pm | Science Park High School

New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra

José Luis Domínguez artistic director, The Anna P. Drago Chair

Terrence Thornhill concert host, assistant conductor & curriculum specialist

Academy Wind Quintet

Megan Newton flute Kayla Wang oboe Kevin Xu clarinet

Sydney Fink bassoon Alexandra Jacobstein horn

PAUL HINDEMITH

Rhythm Class Demonstration

Sasha Ono teaching artist

Kleine Kammermusik Op. 24, No. 2

ANDREW DABCZYNSKI & BOB PHILLIPS Fiddlers Philharmonic

String Ensemble

Naomi Youngstein leader

GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN

Ouverture in D Major, TWV 55:D21

ROWLAND PRITCHARD (arr. Keith Terrett) Three Welsh Chorales

ELENA ROUSSANOVA LUCAS Canzone so o le stelle

AMY CANN Catharsis

Chamber Orchestra

Henry Kao conductor

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Orchestral Suite No. 3

JEAN SIBELIUS Finlandia Op. 26

~Intermission~

Curtland E. Fields Ensemble

Terrence Thornhill conductor

ANTONIO VIVALDI (arr. Todd Parrish) Inverno

Preparatory Violins

Gavin Davies teaching artist

Training Ensemble

Terrence Thornhill conductor

ERIK MORALES What Dreams May Come

CARRIE LANE GRUSELLE Deep River

SUSAN H. DAY Tango D’Amour

Recognition Of 2023 Graduates

Academy Orchestra

José Luis Domínguez conductor

ANTONIN DVOŘÁK

Slavonic Dance, Op. 46, No. 1

SARAH SPITZER River Reel

PYOTR ILYCH TCHAIKOVSKY

Finale from Symphony No. 5, Op. 64

This concert is dedicated to the memory of Anna

Drago

(1934–2022)

New Jersey Symphony Trustee and Amadeus Circle Leader

“Imagine life without music—I know I couldn’t. The New Jersey Symphony has been enriching my life [since the 1970s]. I’ve been a loyal and devoted supporter for all this time, not only because of my love for music, but because I know that this oustanding symphony orchestra is crucial to the vitality of New Jersey—and the quality of life and sense of self-worth of its citizens. . . .” —Anna

Drago

Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of a remarkable woman and friend to the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra—Anna Drago.

Anna gave so much to the Symphony in so many ways—as a trustee, volunteer, educator, advocate, audience member and donor. She was particularly committed to supporting the musicians of the orchestra and the students participating in our education programs.

Over five decades, Anna devoted her time, talents and treasure to a variety of programs, including the Young Artist Auditions student concerto competition and the Central New Jersey Friends of the NJSO volunteer league. Her contributions were recognized when she was named Symphony Volunteer of the Year in 2004. Most recently, Anna made a major commitment to endow the Artistic Director chair of the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra.

This free-spirited, strong-minded, caring, and supportive wife, mother, grandmother, and friend will be deeply missed.

About the artists

José Luis Domínguez is a prominent talent on international orchestral and operatic stages. His conducting is described as “unrivaled, magnificent and with exemplary gesturing” (El Mercurio), and he frequents prominent stages across the globe.

He serves as artistic director of the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra, music director of the Bucks County Symphony Orchestra and as adjunct conducting faculty/artist-inresidence at Temple University-Boyer College of Music. He is a regular guest conductor with the Opéra Saint-Étienne and New Jersey Symphony and is artistic director of the Musical Encounters International Music Festival in La Serena, Chile.

The Library of Congress has selected Domínguez’s Gratias Tibi for physically distanced orchestra and choir, a New Jersey Symphony commission, for inclusion in its collection of works created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other commissions include the ballet La Casa de Los Espíritus (The House of Spirits); Domínguez conducted its acclaimed 2019 premiere at the Municipal de Santiago-Ópera Nacional de Chile with the Ballet de Santiago and Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago. His Concerto for Oboe premiered in 2020 with Jorge Pinzón and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá in Colombia to critical acclaim.

Notable conducting engagements include the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra, Frutillar Musical Weeks at Teatro del Lago, Houston Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, Staatsoper Orchester de Braunschweig in Germany and Symphony Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias in Spain. Domínguez has collaborated with Renée Fleming, Andrés Diaz, Ray Chen, Sergio Tiempo, Ai Nihira, Verónica

Villarroel, Luciana D’Intino, Woo-Yun Kim and Daniel Binelli. He has released critically acclaimed Naxos recordings of his own, The Legend of Joaquín Murieta and the music of Enrique Soro with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile.

A member of the New Jersey Symphony since 1991, violist Henry Kao occasionally also performs with the orchestra as a violinist. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in violin performance from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Raphael Bronstein and Ariana Bronne; he earned a Professional Studies Certificate in viola performance from the Mannes College of Music under Sol Greitzer’s tutelage. He attended both the Manhattan School and the Mannes College as a full scholarship student.

In addition to his activities as a member of the New Jersey Symphony, Kao has performed as principal violist in the New York City Opera’s National Company, as well as several Broadway musicals. Kao was the founding conductor of the Greater Newark Chamber Orchestra, now the Chamber Orchestra of the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra, and he continues to serve in that position today. He has taught masterclasses for Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts summer music program.

Kao teaches privately, coaches chamber music groups and performs both solo and chamber music across the tristate area. Many of Kao’s students have gone on to attend music conservatories, and others have been principals in youth orchestras across New Jersey. Kao considers educating the next generation to be one of his greatest passions in life.

A native of Westchester County, New York, violinist Naomi Youngstein attended the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division and later received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in violin performance from the school. As a student of Burton Kaplan, Youngstein won the school’s concerto competition and the Ravel Academie competition, for which she was awarded a trip to France to attend master classes at the Ravel Academie. While a student at the Manhattan School, she performed with the school’s orchestra (as concertmaster) and the Manhattan Contemporary Ensemble. Youngstein attended the National Repertory Orchestra festival for two seasons; in her second season with the ensemble, she was assistant concertmaster and performed a concerto with the orchestra.

Youngstein is first violinist and assistant personnel manager of the New Jersey Symphony. She serves as leader of the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra String Ensemble, violin coach for the Academy Orchestra and is a mentor and teacher in the Coach-in-Residence Program. She has taught at the Thurnauer School of Music of the Jewish Community Center in Tenafly and at Rutgers Prep School, and she has coached for the New Jersey Youth Symphony. Recently she has led a series of workshops at the Wharton School of Music on “How to Practice.” For several years she has been a chamber music coach and instrumental class leader at the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) summer Chamber Music Institute at Rutgers University, and she is the current treasurer of ASTA NJ. She teaches violin privately at her home studio in West Orange. ***

Terrence Thornhill is the Assistant Conductor & Curriculum Specialist for the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestras, working closely with Artistic Director José Luis Domínguez.

Thornhill also serves as the instrumental music director at Kent Place School in Summit.

Thornhill earned his bachelor’s degree in music education at Montclair State University, studying cello with Nicholas Tzavaras, cellist of the Shanghai Quartet. He received his master’s degree in cello performance from SUNY Purchase College, studying cello with Julia Lichten, cellist of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He also studied conducting with Ken Lam, conductor of the Charleston Symphony and Illinois Symphony Orchestra.

As an educator, Thornhill maintains a diverse private cello studio in the New York metro area, teaching students from young children to adults. In addition to his private studio, He is the conductor of the Varsity Youth Orchestra, JCC String Camerata and Harambee Chamber Orchestra, which is dedicated to performing work by underrepresented composers, specifically composers of color and women, while raising money for community passion projects. Thornhill is an original teaching artist and lead conductor for the Paterson Music Project, an El Sistema program serving over 250 students in Paterson, and the lead conductor at the Opportunity Music Project, which serves El Sistema students in New York City.

Thornhill’s credits include the inaugural John J. Cali School of Music Alumni Achievement Award in 2018. The same year, Thornhill was selected for the faculty at the Youth Orchestras of Los Angeles National El Sistema Festival sponsored by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He also maintains a busy career as a performer, most recently in the Broadway musical Hadestown.

New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra 2022—23 Season

TRAINING ENSEMBLE TERRENCE THORNHILL conductor

PREP VIOLIN

David Alvarez

Joseph Alvarez

Ian Beaton

Gemaiya Easterling

Bryce Mitchell

Gabriela Quintero

James Valenta

VIOLIN 1

Melanie Cuna

Alex Pola

Ashlee Benavides

Joshvict Escamilla

Saiah Pickering

Isabela Salinas-Cavagnaro

Ethan Lai

Ainsley Cook

Matthew Stein

Harper Escalante

Shia Lo-Rhoden

Lucas Moreira

Daniel Rivera

Mit Patel

VIOLIN 2

Mia Soto

Antheia Seaman

Natalia Kendall

Amelia González

Emily Wu

Anais Sakajani

Gifty Ezeanuna

Ammy Peralta

Pamela Inahuazo

VIOLIN 3

Elijah Lee

Eliott Lee

Brandon Suarez

Leah Ferjuste

VIOLA

Mark Perez

Julissa Villanueva

Mateo Baez-Salvador

CELLO

Anaiah Fulton

Gendiyah Easterling

Aysha Peñafiel

Patrick Peñafiel

Manuel Vera

Kiran Matthews

Naomi Akakpo

Orchid Ryals

Ian Cisneros

Jesse Ibiefo BASS

Abraham González

Kenell Jones

Izahiel Tiro

Class of 2023

COACHES: Ming Yang* (violin), Jesus Saenz* (violin), Yoojin Park (violin), Aurora Mendez (violin), Gavin Davies (prep violin), Lia Davies (prep violin), Kamaljit Bhamra-Watson (violin & viola), Michael Stewart* (viola), Nathaniel Williams (viola), Max Oppeltz* (cello), DoYeon Kim (cello), Matthew Kolodzieski (cello), Marty Steinberg (cello), JP Bernabe (bass)

* New Jersey Symphony musician

New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra 2022—23 Season

STRING ENSEMBLE

NAOMI YOUNGSTEIN leader

VIOLIN

Sofia Ahmed

Kyrae Brock

Samuel Brocks

Joseph Campbell

Justin Casco

Jonathan Chen

Alexandra Fan

Alexandra Friedman

Ayla Goore

Sophia Lanao

Juliet Lopez

Madison Manalato

Ethan Quiñones

Jeremias Sánchez

Vania Tueros

COACHES: Sasha Ono (cello & rhythm), Matthew Kolodzieski (cello)

VIOLIN 1

Katherine Liang concertmaster * Andrew Liu associate concertmaster

Thanasi Kontanis assistant concertmaster *

Suri Zhou assistant concertmaster

Marisa Olavarria

Sanaya Mistry

Kimberly Vito

Tara Khurana

Jada Clark

VIOLA

Laila Bhatia

Thandiwe Hintze

Taylor Peavy

Jax Ryals

CELLO

Audrey Meyer

Evelyn Jiménez

Ziran Qu

Class of 2023

CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

HENRY KAO conductor

VIOLIN 2

Anaïs-Skye Clarke-Avignant principal *

Alethea Liu assistant principal *

Gabriel Merchán

Adora Pan

Ayden Dai

Alison Chen

Isabella Marotta

Kaya Oguz

Daniel Lanao

VIOLA

Josephine Marotta principal

Katie Chung assistant principal

Sarah Forde

CELLO

Eden Kim principal

Paxton Nithikasem assistant principal

Hajin Kim

Jarom Anderson

Aditya Arunkumar *

Grace Hemesath

Gracen Hill

Max Lu

Sadie Valencia

BASS

Genevieve Marotta principal

Neil Sánchez-Cruzalegui assistant principal

Class of 2023

* Peer Mentor

COACHES: Ming Yang* (first violin), Lucy Corwin* (second violin), Aurora Mendez (violin), Michael Stewart* (viola), Max Oppeltz* (cello), Marty Steinberg (cello), Alex Jenkins (bass)

* New Jersey Symphony musician

New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra 2022—23 Season

ACADEMY ORCHESTRA

JOSÉ LUIS DOMÍNGUEZ artistic director & conductor, The Anna P. Drago Chair

VIOLIN 1

Timothy Shi concertmaster *

Allison Lee associate concertmaster

Sarah Spitzer assistant concertmaster

Evan Nguyen assistant concertmaster

Olive Wang *

Annie Jiang

Paige Wang *

Gael Barker

Jun Furukawa

Mirella Richard

Felix Liu *

Hafsa Balki

VIOLIN 2

Heidi Tsai principal

Tara Shivakumar assistant principal

Ameya Srinivasan

Sophie Lu

Samantha Huerta

Caroleena Fernández-Chousal

Christabella Leung

Vivian Zhang

Audrey Hirsh

VIOLIN

Adhithi Arun

Lauren Nguyen

Kevin Yang

Pauline Tsui *

VIOLA

Job Campbell principal

Jose Landauro assistant principal

Rachael Díaz

Vihaan Agarwal

Jake Li

Anirudh Khandrika

CELLO

Annamaria Witek principal

Andrew Ikemoto assistant principal

Kenny Yang

Norah Wang

Justeen Valere

Kevin Wei

Ethan Kim

Ryan Lu

BASS

Isabella Francisco principal *

Michael Forde

Giovanni Lombardo

FLUTE

Megan Newton

Annika Moon

Niharika Wangikar

Cheryl Yang

Leah Lu

OBOE

Kayla Wang

Christina Nicolau

Kevin Moon

Olivia Manchand

Chloe Chung *

CLARINET

Timothy Lien

Kevin Xu

Alexa Glassner

BASSOON

Sydney Fink

FRENCH HORN

Alexandra Jacobstein

TRUMPET

Nathan Lee

Michael Minenna

TROMBONE

Aiden Lu *

PERCUSSION

Matthew Klapowitz

Aidan Reilly

Victor Merchán artist intern

Class of 2023

* Peer Mentor

COACHES: Naomi Youngstein* (violin), Jesus Saenz* (violin), Martin Andersen* (viola), Fran Rowell* (cello), Tom Forletti (bass), Kathleen Nester* (flute), Robert Ingliss* (oboe), Andy Adelson* (oboe), Andy Lamy* (clarinet), Robert Wagner* (bassoon), Andrea Menousek* (French horn), Garth Greenup* (trumpet), Derek Fenstermacher* (low brass), Wes Krygsman (low brass), Gregory LaRosa* (timpani & percussion)

* New Jersey Symphony musician

The New Jersey Symphony is grateful to the following donors for their generous support of our education and community engagement programs in the 2022–2023 season:

Youth Orchestra

BD

Susan J. Cantor - in memory of Anne Lieberson

Linda W. Dujack

Estate of Eleanor H. English

Drs. Mark Fulcomer and Marcia Sass - in memory of Blanche R. Sass

Hartman Family Fund - in honor of Naomi Youngstein and Izia Weyman

Marjorie Bunnell Charitable Fund

Merck Foundation

M&T Bank

Turrell Fund

Victoria Foundation

Frank Yoon

Diane C. Young MD and Philip Crowley

Training Ensemble

Frank & Lydia Bergen Foundation

Broadridge Foundation

Kenneth and Susan Fahrenholtz

Curtland E. Fields

The Harold I. and Faye B. Liss Foundation

Verizon

Special Thanks

The John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University

Anthony Mazzocchi

Phil Clifford

Taylor Goodson

Kyle Ritenauer

Tomoko Fujita

Science Park High School

Darleen L. Gearhart

Mario Banks

Brian Washington

About the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra

The New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra Orchestra gives qualified middle- and high-school students— especially Black and Latino youth in the Greater Newark area—unparalleled opportunities to achieve personal and musical excellence. Weekly coaching by Symphony musicians and a supportive peer-to-peer environment provides quality learning and performing experiences and builds a unique culture of collaboration. The achievements of this program and its impact on the lives of these young musicians have received national recognition from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

Youth Orchestra brings together students of all skill levels who share a passion for music. There are four performing ensembles that are sequential in level, creating a pathway for students to flourish and grow under the guidance of the Symphony’s expert faculty. Students in Academy Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, String Ensemble and Training Ensemble perform two full concerts each year and participate in masterclasses and workshops with renowned guest artists. In addition to great music making, benefits of the program include individualized instruction and musicianship training, volunteer opportunities, additional performance opportunities for advanced students and complimentary tickets to select Symphony concerts.

Youth Orchestra annually serves more than 200 students from 11 counties across northern and central New Jersey. Students who play orchestral instruments can apply for membership in the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra. For more information, visit njsymphony.org/youthorchestra

Photo: Fred Stucker

About the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra

Chamber Music opportunities for students include: The Anne Lieberson Ensemble, a string quartet coached by Symphony violist Martin Andersen, named in honor of a devoted music lover, violinist and teacher; The Academy Wind Quintet, newly-formed in 2022—23 under the direction of Symphony principal bassoonist Robert Wagner; and The Curtland E. Fields Ensemble, featuring students in the Training Ensemble and String Ensemble playing side-by-side with Peer Mentors and Symphony coaches.

The 2022—23 Anne Lieberson Ensemble includes Allison Lee and Timothy Shi (violins), Vihaan Agarwal (viola) and Annamaria Witek (cello).

***

Peer Mentors provide encouragement and support to students in the Training Ensemble. Volunteers from Academy Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra assist coaches and conductors in classes and rehearsals. Mentors are an integral part of the learning environment, and they receive community service credit for their volunteer hours. ***

The Henry Lewis Concerto Competition was named in honor of the 2015 induction of former New Jersey Symphony Music Director Henry Lewis into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame. Lewis broke racial barriers in the music world as the first African-American music director of a major American orchestra when he was appointed by the Symphony (1968-76). During his tenure, Lewis brought the Symphony into a new era of highprofile musical activity and community engagement. The Youth Orchestra continues Lewis’ legacy by providing members of Academy Orchestra with opportunities to perform as featured soloists. The 2023 winner, clarinetist Timothy Lien, will perform in this summer’s New Jersey Symphony Parks Concerts.

Board of Trustees

Ann D. Borowiec, Co-Chair

Robert C. Garrett, Co-Chair

Craig Silliman, Vice Chair

Christopher Petermann, Vice Chair/Treasurer

Carmen A. Corrales, Secretary

Dr. Victor Parsonnet, Chairman Emeritus

Norman D. Slonaker, Immediate Past Co-Chair

Gabriel van Aalst, President & CEO

Joseph Accardo

Martin Andersen*

Audrey Bartner

Robert Beylickjian

Heather R. Boshak

Linda M. Bowden

New Jersey Symphony

Richard Byrd

Mindy A. Cohen

Thomas Comiskey

Evan Delgado

JoAnna Farrer*

Curtland E. Fields

Deborah J. Frazier

Sue Henderson, Ph.D.

David R. Huber

Ruth C. Lipper

Dr. James F. List

Yin Long

Martin Melilli

Michelle Merchant

Elin Heine Mueller

Dimitri Nakhamkin

Kathleen Nester*

Samir Pandiri

Marjorie Perry

Warren K. Racusin

Michael Richards

Adriana Rosin*

Lawrence Rutkowski

Marcia Sass

Susan Shiff

Stephen Sichak, Jr. David Southorn*

Donald E. Strangfeld

Cecilia Sweeney

Jessica Trenti

Margarita Wallach

Lisa Webber

Lisa Martinez Wolmart

Ming Yang*

Diane C. Young, M.D.

Edward D. Zinbarg

Life Trustees

Albert D. Angel, Vice Chair Emeritus

Dr. Victor J. Bauer

John Campbell

Barbara Bell Coleman

R. John Forrest

James R. Gillen

Scott A. Kobler, Esq.

William J. Marino

Willard D. Nielsen

Dr. Algernon A. Phillips Jr.

Russell Prince

Charlotte Tanenbaum

Robert C. Waggoner

Josh S. Weston

Honorary Trustee

Gov. Thomas H. Kean

*Member of the orchestra serving on the Board of Trustees

Photo: Rob Davidson Media

New Jersey Symphony Family Series presented by The Horizon Foundation for New