New Mexico Philharmonic Program Book • 2021/22 Season • Volume 10 • No. 6

Page 1

21/22 VOLUME 10 / NO. 6

APR

23

MAY

20

MAY

21

2021/22 SEASON

nmphil.org


STRATEGIES FOR

WISE GIVING The New Mexico Philharmonic Foundation has passed a milestone by achieving about $2 million in assets.

Please be a part of our success and join the McKinnon Family Foundation $250,000 community call-to-match. New Mexico Philharmonic Foundation Inc. PO Box 16422 Albuquerque, NM 87191

nmphilfoundation.org

There are many ways to support the New Mexico Philharmonic and the New Mexico Philharmonic Foundation. We thank our members, donors, volunteers, sponsors, and advertisers for their loyalty and enthusiasm and their help in ensuring the future of symphonic music in New Mexico for years to come. LOOKING TO MAKE SMART DONATIONS? Based on presentations by professional financial advisors, here are some strategies for giving wisely, following recent changes in the tax law. The advisors identified five strategies that make great sense. Here they are in brief: GIVE CASH Whether you itemize deductions or not, it still works well. GIVE APPRECIATED ASSETS This helps you avoid capital gains taxes, will give you a potentially more significant deduction if you itemize, and can reduce concentrated positions in a single company.

SPONSOR

A MUSICIAN

We invite you to engage more deeply with the orchestra and its musicians. This new program comes with wonderful benefits that give you a chance to develop a personal relationship with one of our stellar musicians. Please call to find out the benefits and cost of sponsorship. SPONSOR TODAY

(505) 323-4343

DWAYNE & MARJORIE LONGENBAUGH Principal Viola Sponsorship, Laura Tait Chang

BUNCH GIVING Give double your normal amount every other year to maximize deductions. QUALIFIED CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTION/ REQUIRED MINIMUM DISTRIBUTION If you are required to take an IRA distribution, don’t need the cash, and don’t want the increased taxes, have the distribution sent directly to a qualified charity. HIGH-INCOME YEARS If you are going to have high-income years (for any number of reasons), accelerate your deductions, avoid capital gains, and spread out gifts through a Donor-Advised Fund. BE PROACTIVE! Consult your own financial advisor to help you implement any of these. Please consider applying one or more of these strategies for your extra giving to the NMPhil. PLAN A WISE GIVING STRATEGY

nmphil.org/ways-to-donate


WELCOME LETTER FROM THE

MUSIC DIRECTOR As our season draws to a close, I am reflecting on all we have accomplished together. So many wonderful concerts with many of your favorites, and also some works that are new to all of us. Our first concert after two years of the pandemic. Closing the season with the world premiere of our second commissioned piece. The retirement of some of our most beloved musicians. Welcoming many new musicians to the orchestra. What a season! We already have great things planned for next season, notably a very exciting set of concerts that will continue to bring you the highest quality of performances. And more new orchestra members, more original music, and another set of stellar guest artists. Every day I am inspired by the natural beauty that surrounds us. I feel blessed to live in such a special place, and I continue to be honored to lead your NMPhil. Thank you for all you do to make our orchestra possible.

Roberto Minczuk Music Director In 2017, GRAMMY® Award-winning conductor Roberto Minczuk was appointed Music Director of the New Mexico Philharmonic and of the Theatro Municipal Orchestra of São Paulo. He is also Music Director Laureate of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (Canada) and Conductor Emeritus of the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira (Rio de Janeiro). In Calgary, he recently completed a 10-year tenure as Music Director, becoming the longest-running Music Director in the orchestra’s history. ●

NMPHIL . TABLE OF CONTENTS PROGRAMS

April 23, 2022 Program May 20, 2022 Program May 21, 2002 Program Program Notes

4 5 6 13

ARTISTS

Michelle Cann Roberto Minczuk Hannah Stephens Sam Shepperson Hugh Russell New Mexico Symphonic Chorus Roger Melone

9 9 10 11 11 12 12

YOUR NMPHIL

Foundation Match Challenge Sponsor a Musician Strategies for Wise Giving Letter from the Music Director Orchestra, Staff Board of Directors Donor Circles Thank You Legacy Society Steinway Society NMPhil Foundation Donors & Trustees Sponsors

2 2 2 3 19 19 20 23 23 24 25 27

NEW MEXICO PHILHARMONIC OFFICES

3035 Menaul NE #2 / Albuquerque, NM 87107 ADVERTISE TODAY

Interested in placing an ad in the NMPhil program book? Contact Christine Rancier: (505) 323-4343 / crancier@nmphil.org

read full bio on page 9 CONNECT WITH US

NMPhil Now! nmphil.vhx.tv nmphil.org

The New Mexico Philharmonic

nmphil.org

3


CONCERT PROGRAM .

POPEJOY CLASSICS

Michelle Cann: Price & Gershwin

APR

23

Popejoy Hall

Saturday, April 23, 2022, 6:00 p.m. Michelle Cann piano Roberto Minczuk Music Director

Piano Concerto in One Movement

Florence Price (1887–1953)

Michelle Cann piano

Rhapsody in Blue

George Gershwin (1898–1937) Michelle Cann piano

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

This performance is made possible by: Albuquerque Community Foundation PRE-CONCERT TALK

Sponsored by: Menicucci Insurance Agency Hosted by KHFM’s Alexis Corbin

I N T E R M I S S I O N

Selections from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 I. Montagues and Capulets (Suite No. 2) II. Juliet as a Young Girl (Suite No. 2) IV. Minuet (the Arrival of the Guests) (Suite No. 1) V. Masks (Suite No. 1) VI. Romeo and Juliet (Balcony Scene and Love Dance) (Suite No. 1) VII. Death of Tybalt (Suite No. 1) VII. Romeo at Juliet’s Tomb (Juliet’s Grave) (Suite No. 2)

4

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6

Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953)


CONCERT PROGRAM .

COFFEE CONCERT

Breathtaking Bruckner

MAY

20

Friday, May 20, 2022, 10:45 a.m.

Immanuel Presbyterian Church

Roberto Minczuk Music Director

Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major, “Romantic,” WAB 104 I. Bewegt, nicht zu schnell (With motion, not too fast) II. Andante, quasi allegretto III. Scherzo: Bewegt (With motion)—Trio: Nicht zu schnell (Not too fast) IV. Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell (With motion, but not too fast)

The New Mexico Philharmonic

Anton Bruckner (1824–1896)

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

This performance is made possible by: Meredith Foundation

nmphil.org

5


CONCERT PROGRAM .

THE KAREN MCKINNON SPECIAL CONCERT

Carmina Burana!

MAY

21

Saturday, May 21, 2022, 6:00 p.m.

Popejoy Hall

Hannah Stephens soprano Sam Shepperson tenor Hugh Russell baritone New Mexico Symphonic Chorus/Roger Melone director Roberto Minczuk Music Director

Songs from By Heart

Colin Martin (b. 1993)

Hannah Stephens soprano

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

This performance is made possible by: The McKinnon Family Foundation

I N T E R M I S S I O N PRE-CONCERT TALK

Carmina Burana Carl Orff Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi (1895–1982) III. Cour d’amours 1. O Fortuna 15. Amor volat undique 2. Fortune plango vulnera 16. Dies, nox et omnia I. Primo vere 17. Stetit puella 3. Veris leta facies 18. Circa mea pectora 4. Omnia sol temperat 19. Si puer cum puellula 5. Ecce gratum 20. Veni, veni, venias Uf dem anger 21. In truitina 6. Tanz 22. Tempus est iocundum 7. Floret silva 23. Dulcissime 8. Chramer, gip die varwe mir Blanziflor et Helena 9. Reie 24. Ave formosissima 10. Were diu werlt alle min Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi II. In Taberna 25. O Fortuna 11. Estuans interius 12. Olim lacus colueram 13. Ego sum abbas Cucaniensis 14. In taberna quando sumus

6

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6

Sponsored by: Menicucci Insurance Agency Hosted by KHFM’s Alexis Corbin


CONCERT PROGRAM .

Songs from By Heart On poems by Karen McKinnon Texts by Karen McKinnon “To Each Her Own” Mother clipped two branches—bare sticks, really from woods along the Rio Grande. Tamarisk with eventual feathery rose blossoms, Russian Olive with its silver-green leaves blooming with yellow stars in June. She dug two holes beyond the caliche clay in our front yard and inserted the sticks in the ground. In the spring they both bloomed. Bloomed only for her and her green thumb. In time they grew into massive ten-foot trees. Her rose bushes always survived the winter and she knew just when to prune them so that they arose with Peace, cream colored with sighs of rose on each soft petal. Their thorns never pricked her fingers, not my mother, the Queen of Gardens. Now fifty-five years later the little evergreen tree she dug up from my family’s land in the mountains towers above the house. For my sister’s and my weddings, she wove her ivy into circlets for our bridesmaids’ hair and, naturally, made our bouquets from flowers in her yard. Freesias and Alstroemerias, “Pinks” with their cinnamon scent and her Peace roses. No one would ever dream of planting holly tree in the high desert of Albuquerque, but she did, and they thrived with their Christmas gifts of red berry clusters among their serrated leaves. “Gardening is my yoga,” she used to say. My daughter-in-law gave me three different orchid plants for two birthdays and Mother’s Day once. They did not survive. Too much water or not enough? Too little light or too much? “Oh but you have a gift of words,” my mother consoled me as we picnicked in the yard. “Look up,” she said, “and say what you see.” “The cumulus clouds of summer drifting over a river of words, muddy with life,” I answer. ●

The New Mexico Philharmonic

“Moving My Mother” She used to say, “There’s no rest for the living,” and she was right. She left me in the dwelling of her age with a labor like Psyche’s sifting through the residue of shelf on shelf of every jar she ever washed and dried and kept to feed me with her canned preserves, her saved seeds of marigold, wisteria, hollyhock. I thought it was done, this sorting, wrapping, packing dispensation of my mother’s house, these boxes of buttons, hooks and pins for holding scraps of goods together, keys to lost luggage, deeds and warranties, promissory notes to fix and clean, lists of stacks in storage, all the saved folded sacks and bags stashed in plastic waiting for the future. I can’t bring her back from the underworld where she lives with the demon of dementia. She’s a kept woman now, her mind the missing pieces of luggage, her heart preserved to beat on and on, as day after day in the Alzheimer’s wing she is dressed, fed and turned to no purpose under the sun. Night after night I dream and dream of sorting through enough stuff to find a container big enough to fit the savings of a life she left in my possession. I try one lid after another. I wish I could cover, fold, close it up for good. Last night in my dream she reached out, scattered seeds all over me. ●

nmphil.org

7


CONCERT PROGRAM .

Poet Karen McKinnon was a Poet-inthe-Schools for the National Endowment for the Arts and Poet-in-Residence at the Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico. Karen earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the

University of New Mexico, where she taught creative writing through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. In 2016, she endowed the University of New Mexico Foundation with annual poetry awards for undergraduate students, administered by the English Department. A voracious reader, Karen was always surrounded by the many books she was reading simultaneously, and she would often purposefully moderate the pace at which she read in order to savor the words and not finish too quickly. Karen was a poet of significant acclaim, having published five books of poetry. Her most recent book, By Heart, was published in 2018 and was dedicated to her grandchildren. David Johnson, Emeritus Professor of UNM, memorably noted that there was “nothing coy or tentative” about the poems in By Heart, observing that the individual

N E W

poems produced “a kind of joy in creating a journey through the magic of metaphor and the consolation of nature and memory.” By Heart features Karen’s most famous poem, “Moving My Mother,” which chronicles her mother’s heartbreaking descent into the dehumanizing agony of Alzheimer’s. This poem has struck such a universal chord that the New Mexico Philharmonic, which Karen loved and treasured, decided to honor her by creating an original symphonic work to this poem. The resultant work, Songs from By Heart, also features a symphonic movement set to another of Karen’s poems about her mother, “To Each Her Own.” The world-premiere performance of Songs from By Heart is currently scheduled for May 2022, and her family is absolutely certain that she will be watching from above with ineffable joy. ❤

P R O U D T O B E S U P P O R T I N G T H E M E X I C O P H I L H A R M O N I C

Reserve your table now to receive CHEF MARC’S SPICE RUB!

S C A L O I T A L I A N R E S T A U R A N T 3 5 0 0 C E N T R A L A V E S E A L B U Q U E R Q U E N M 8 7 1 0 6 S C A L O A B Q . C O M

8

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6


ARTISTS .

Michelle Cann piano “A compelling, sparkling virtuoso” (Boston Music Intelligencer), pianist Michelle Cann made her orchestral debut at age 14 and has since performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. A champion of the music of Florence Price, Ms. Cann performed the New York City premiere of the composer’s Piano Concerto in One Movement with The Dream Unfinished Orchestra in July 2016 and the Philadelphia premiere with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin in February 2021, which the Philadelphia Inquirer called “exquisite.” She has also performed Price’s works for solo piano and chamber ensemble for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Detroit, and the New World Symphony, among other presenters. Highlights of her 2021/22 season include debut performances with the Atlanta, Detroit, and St. Louis Symphony Orchestras, as well as her Canadian concert debut with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. She also receives the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, and the 2022 Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award. Embracing a dual role as both performer and pedagogue, her season includes teaching residencies at the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival

and the National Conference of the Music Teachers National Association. Ms. Cann regularly appears in recital and as a chamber musician throughout the U.S., China, and South Korea. Notable venues include the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Barbican in London with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Ms. Cann regularly performs duo recitals with her sister, pianist Kimberly Cann; together their “sheer verve and evident passion are something to behold” (Mountain Xpress). Ms. Cann has appeared as cohost and collaborative pianist with NPR’s From the Top, collaborating with actor/conductor Damon Gupton, violinist Leila Josefowicz, and violinist and MacArthur Fellow Vijay Gupta. She has also been featured on WRTI-FM and WHYY-TV in Philadelphia. Her summer festival appearances have included the Taos Chamber Music Festival, Yellow Barn, Perlman Music Program, Music Academy of the West, Geneva Music Festival, and Pianofest in the Hamptons, where she serves as artist-in-residence. Ms. Cann has won top prizes in state, national, and international competitions, including the International Russian Music Piano Competition, the Blount Slawson Young Artists Competition, and the Wideman International Piano Competition. In 2019, she served as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s MAC Music Innovator in recognition of her role as an African-American classical musician who embodies artistry, innovation, and a commitment to education and community engagement. Ms. Cann manifests this commitment through her activities in Philadelphia and as part of touring engagements around the globe. She has served as the director of two children’s choruses in the El Sistemainspired program Play On Philly and was among the first class of ArtistYear fellows at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she worked with community partners City Year, Teach for America, and AmeriCorps to provide arts education and access to

underserved communities in Philadelphia. In 2019, she served on the faculty of the Sphinx Performance Academy during its inaugural year at The Juilliard School. Ms. Cann holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Paul Schenly and Dr. Daniel Shapiro, and an Artist’s Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Robert McDonald. Ms. Cann served as a collaborative staff pianist at the Curtis Institute of Music for several years. She joined the faculty in 2020 as the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies. ●

Roberto Minczuk Music Director In 2017, GRAMMY® Award-winning conductor Roberto Minczuk was appointed Music Director of the New Mexico Philharmonic and of the Theatro Municipal Orchestra of São Paulo. He is also Music Director Laureate of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (Canada) and Conductor Emeritus of the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira (Rio de Janeiro). In Calgary, he recently completed a 10-year tenure as Music Director, becoming the longest-running Music Director in the orchestra’s history. Highlights of Minczuk’s recent seasons include the complete Mahler Symphony Cycle with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra; Bach’s St. John Passion, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7, Beethoven’s Fidelio, Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Verdi’s La traviata, Bernstein’s Mass, and Strauss’s continued on 10

The New Mexico Philharmonic

nmphil.org

9


ARTISTS . continued from 9

Der Rosenkavalier with the Theatro Municipal Orchestra of São Paulo; debuts with the Cincinnati Opera (Mozart’s Don Giovanni), the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and Daejeon Philharmonic in South Korea; and return engagements with the Orchestra National de Lille and the New York City Ballet. In the 2016/2017 season, he made return visits to the Israel Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Teatro Colón Philharmonic and Orchestra Estable of Buenos Aires. A protégé and close colleague of the late Kurt Masur, Minczuk debuted with the New York Philharmonic in 1998, and by 2002 was Associate Conductor, having worked closely with both Kurt Masur and Lorin Maazel. He has since conducted more than 100 orchestras worldwide, including the New York, Los Angeles, Israel, London, Tokyo, Oslo, and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestras; the London, San Francisco, Dallas, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras; and the National Radio (France), Philadelphia, and Cleveland Orchestras, among many others. In March 2006, he led the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s U.S. tour, winning accolades for his leadership of the orchestra in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Until 2010, Minczuk held the post of Music Director and Artistic Director of the Opera and Orchestra of the Theatro Municipal Rio de Janeiro, and, until 2005, he served as Principal Guest Conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, where he previously held the position of Co-Artistic Director. Other previous posts include Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Ribeirão Preto Symphony, Principal Conductor of the Brasília University Symphony, and a six-year tenure as Artistic Director of the Campos do Jordão International Winter Festival. Minczuk’s recording of the complete Bachianas Brasileiras of Hector VillaLobos with the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (BIS label) won the Gramophone Award of Excellence in 2012 for best recording of this repertoire. His other recordings include Danzas Brasileiras, which features rare works by Brazilian composers of the 20th century, and the Complete Symphonic Works of

10

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6

Antonio Carlos Jobim, which won a Latin GRAMMY in 2004 and was nominated for an American GRAMMY in 2006. His three recordings with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra include Rhapsody in Blue: The Best of George Gershwin and Beethoven Symphonies 1, 3, 5, and 8. Other recordings include works by Ravel, Piazzolla, Martin, and Tomasi with the London Philharmonic (released by Naxos), and four recordings with the Academic Orchestra of the Campos do Jordão International Winter Festival, including works by Dvořák, Mussorgsky, and Tchaikovsky. Other projects include a 2010 DVD recording with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, featuring the premiere of Hope: An Oratorio, composed by Jonathan Leshnoff; a 2011 recording with the Odense Symphony of Poul Ruders’s Symphony No. 4, which was featured as a Gramophone Choice in March 2012; and a recording of Tchaikovsky’s Italian Capriccio with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, which accompanied the June 2010 edition of BBC Music Magazine. The Academic Orchestra of the Campos do Jordão Festival was the Carlos Gomes prizewinner for its recording from the 2005 Festival, which also garnered the TIM Award for best classical album. Roberto Minczuk has received numerous awards, including a 2004 Emmy for the program New York City Ballet—Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine 100; a 2001 Martin E. Segal Award that recognizes Lincoln Center’s most promising young artists; and several honors in his native country of Brazil, including two best conductor awards from the São Paulo Association of Art Critics and the coveted title of Cultural Personality of the Year. In 2009, he was awarded the Medal Pedro Ernesto, the highest commendation of the City of Rio de Janeiro, and in 2010, he received the Order of the Ipiranga State Government of São Paulo. In 2017, Minczuk received the Medal of Commander of Arts and Culture from the Brazilian government. A child prodigy, Minczuk was a professional musician by the age of 13. He was admitted into the prestigious Juilliard

School at 14 and by the age of 16, he had joined the Orchestra Municipal de São Paulo as solo horn. During his Juilliard years, he appeared as soloist with the New York Youth Symphony at Carnegie Hall and the New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts series. Upon his graduation in 1987, he became a member of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra at the invitation of Kurt Masur. Returning to Brazil in 1989, he studied conducting with Eleazar de Carvalho and John Neschling. He won several awards as a young horn player, including the Mill Santista Youth Award in 1991 and I Eldorado Music. ●

Hannah Stephens soprano Lyric coloratura soprano Hannah Stephens resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her 6-year-old daughter, Amelia. Miss Stephens sang a stunning Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the New Mexico Philharmonic in 2017. She returned to the orchestra in March 2020 for Mozart’s Great Mass in c minor, and is now overjoyed to be with them once again for Orff’s incredible work Carmina Burana. Hannah’s successes in concert include Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder, Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 2, and Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras. With a voice known for its clarity and precision, she has become a favorite vocalist among several contemporary composers with whom she is now working on various new works. Miss Stephens has the versatility to sing in a variety of styles and is equally at home on the operatic stage. Some


ARTISTS .

past highlights of her operatic career include the roles of the Queen of the Night, Musetta, and Gilda. She has sung with West Bay Opera, Pocket Opera, and Lyric Opera of Weimar. After her debut of Poppea in Handel’s Agrippina with West Edge Opera, critic Victor Cordell for ForAllEvents wrote, “Hannah Stephens’s soprano is light and bright as Poppea. The opera is replete with challenging coloratura and staccato passages for which her voice is particularly effective.” Born in the United Kingdom, Miss Stephens is a dual citizen and received her Master’s degree in vocal performance from Indiana University, studying with Carlos Montané, and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico, studying with Marilyn Tyler. She currently attends the University of New Mexico School of Law. ●

Sam Shepperson tenor Sam Shepperson is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and is currently the director of the Opera Theatre at UNM. Active in opera, oratorio, and art song, he has been a soloist with such groups as the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Fe Symphony, Music in the Mountains, the Orchestra of Santa Fe, the Colorado Opera Festival, Opera Southwest, Emerald City Opera, and the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, and he has performed numerous roles with the UNM Opera Theater as well as the role of Ben Budge in the Santa Fe Opera’s production of The Beggar’s Opera.

The New Mexico Philharmonic

For several years, Sam toured a production for the Santa Fe Opera outreach program. His opera résumé includes such roles as Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Pedrillo in The Abduction from the Seraglio, Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Leo in Regina, Lindoro in L’italiana in Algeri, Camille in The Merry Widow, Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Dr. Caius in Falstaff, and Little Bat in Susannah. His oratorio résumé includes Judas in Judas Maccabeus, Samson in Samson, tenor soloist in Carmina Burana, Florentino in Cantata Criolla, and standard repertoire such as Messiah, Elijah, The Seasons, Mozart’s Requiem, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. He has appeared under the baton of Margaret Hillis, Neal Stulberg, William Kirschke, John Crosby, Donald Neuen, Stewart Robertson, Michael Butterman, Guillermo Figueroa, Anthony Barrese, and Jorge Pérez-Gómez. In summer 1995, he made his international debut as tenor soloist in Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass with the Symphony of the Americas. In 2012, he made his Lincoln Center debut in New York as tenor soloist in René Clausen’s Requiem. ●

Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Danish Radio Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Orchestre Métropolitain (Montréal), Cincinnati Symphony, and Kansas City Symphony, among many others. He has been honored to work with many eminent conductors, including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Jaap van Zweden, Charles Dutoit, Leonard Slatkin, Manfred Honeck, Edo de Waart, Kent Nagano, Donald Runnicles, Steuart Bedford, Michael Christie, Hans Graf, Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Rossen Milanov. Operatically, he has been featured in productions at Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Atlanta Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Arizona Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Vancouver Opera, Calgary Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Manitoba Opera, the Wexford Festival, and AngersNantes Opera. Hugh has been featured in recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and in many appearances with the New York Festival of Song. As a pianist, he has been featured in performance with Stephanie Blythe at a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Seattle Opera and has also been featured in performance with Christine Brewer for Illinois Humanities. In the current season, Hugh has been featured in performances with pianist Craig Terry and in The Merry Widow with Calgary Opera. He will return to North Carolina Opera to perform Papageno in Die Zauberflöte and will also return to the New Mexico Philharmonic and the Sun Valley Music Festival to perform his signature work, Orff’s Carmina Burana. ●

Hugh Russell baritone Baritone Hugh Russell has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, National Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Milwaukee

nmphil.org

11


ARTISTS .

approximately 16 are professional musicians working in music-related fields, 34 hold degrees in music, and seven maintain private teaching studios. All of the singers have studied voice, are currently studying voice, or play an instrument. Some travel from as far as Santa Fe and Socorro to sing in the chorus. ●

New Mexico Symphonic Chorus The 2021/2022 season marks the 49th anniversary of this highly select, allvolunteer chorus and its 11th season with the name New Mexico Symphonic Chorus. Under Roger Melone’s direction since 1983, the chorus, formerly known as the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra Chorus, has gained national renown. In 1999, the chorus received the Albuquerque Arts Alliance Bravo Award for Excellence in Musical Performance for its 1998 performances of Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. In 2006, Christopher Seaman, music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, invited the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra Chorus to perform Mozart’s Requiem with his orchestra at the 2006 Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. Accolades from the audience, conductor, and orchestra were overwhelming, leading to return engagements in 2007, 2008, and 2011 to perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Local artistic collaborations include Verdi’s Aida in 2015 and Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers in 2014, both with Opera Southwest; Holiday Festival of Voices at Popejoy Hall in 2013 and 2014 with the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program; and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” with the New Mexico Philharmonic in 2012. The volunteer members of the chorus are a diverse group. Among the singers,

12

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6

Roger Melone director Music director of the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus, Roger Melone was previously Resident Conductor and Chorus Director of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra (NMSO). Since arriving in Albuquerque in 1983, Melone has brought national acclaim to the NMSO Chorus, now known as the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus. Under Melone’s direction, the NMSO Chorus performed at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. Mr. Melone led the chorus to triumphant performances, first with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006 and then in 2007 and 2008 with the Philadelphia Orchestra. As Resident Conductor of the NMSO, Mr. Melone conducted subscription, tour, pops, and children’s concerts. The NMSO Chorus received the Albuquerque Arts Alliance Bravo Award for Music Excellence for its 1998 performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast. In 1994, Mr. Melone was awarded the prestigious Albuquerque Arts Alliance Bravo Award for excellence in the arts. He continues to develop the talents of the New Mexico Symphonic

Chorus, whose performances have been described as “stunning” and “riveting” by national critics. Prior to his tenure at the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Melone held similar posts with the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra. He attended Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he studied with Ronald Shirey. He then studied with B.R. Henson at Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, Texas. In San Francisco, Mr. Melone studied Baroque performance practices and harpsichord with Laurette Goldberg. ●


PROGRAM NOTES .

Program Notes DAVID B. LEVY

Florence Price

Piano Concerto in One Movement (1934) African-American composer, organist, pianist, and educator Florence Beatrice Price (née Smith) was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on April 9, 1887, and died in Chicago, Illinois, on June 3, 1953. Active as a composer and performer in the worlds of symphonic and commercial music, Price is also renowned for her choral and solo vocal compositions. Her settings of spirituals were performed by some of the 20th century’s greatest singers, including Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price. She was also the first African-American woman to have a symphonic work performed by a major American orchestra when Frederick Stock led the premiere of her Symphony No. 1 in e minor with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in June 1933. Much of Price’s music remained unpublished until after her death, but since 1918 G. Schirmer acquired the rights to her works, and more recent scholarship has led to ever-more frequent performances of her music. Her Piano Concerto in One Movement dates from 1932-34 and was given its first performance by the composer as soloist in Chicago in 1934. Its original orchestration, recently restored and published, calls for flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, bassoon, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, timpani, percussion, and strings. Antonín Dvořák, while in the United States in the early 20th century, admonished American composers to look for their essence in the roots of Native and African-American music. This advice began to bear fruit in the 1930s as two prominent Black composers, William Grant Still and Florence Price, began to rise to prominence. The fact that the latter was a woman made her achievements, and challenges, all the more impressive. Born in the American South, Price sought to escape racism by moving from Little

Price’s gift for melody is everywhere present, combined with brilliant virtuosity. Rock and Atlanta to the friendlier climes of Chicago. Her extraordinary contribution to the classical repertory reflects, in her own soulful manner, the powerful late-romantic style of Dvořák’s music, as exhibited in the Czech master’s popular Symphony in e minor (“From the New World”) mixed with the authentic voice of African-American culture—a beautiful example of cross-pollination. Price’s only piano concerto (she also composed two violin concertos) is in three connected sections that are performed without interruption. The first movement’s gently probing opening theme breathes the world of the spiritual before blossoming into a lush romantic idiom reminiscent of the grand piano concertos of Chopin and Liszt. Price’s gift for melody is everywhere present, combined with brilliant virtuosity. The second section is the concerto’s slow “movement” and is filled with many poignant melodies. The finale, as is the case with her Symphony No. 1, is in the style of a juba—a lively African-American dance idiom commonly the property of enslaved workers on Southern plantations. The juba is also known as the hambone, and in its original usage included clapping of hands and slapping of body parts. In the case of Price’s Concerto, it makes for a joyous ending to a remarkable composition deserving of a more prominent place in the concerto repertory. ●

George Gershwin

Rhapsody in Blue (1924) George Gershwin was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 26, 1898, and died in Hollywood, California, on July 11, 1937. While his career began as a song plugger in New York City’s Tin Pan Alley,

he went on to great success on Broadway in the concert hall. His most important stage work was the opera Porgy and Bess, which remains in the repertory of opera companies and which enjoys occasional revivals on Broadway. Rhapsody in Blue was composed in 1924, the same year in which he wrote his Concerto in F to fulfill a commission by the band leader Paul Whiteman. The original orchestra version (“theater orchestra”) was made by Ferde Grofé. The full orchestra version appeared in print in 1942. The “original” version had its premiere on February 12, 1924, in New York City’s Aeolian Hall, with Whiteman leading his band and the composer serving as soloist. The full orchestral version is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 alto saxophones, tenor saxophone, 3 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, banjo, and strings. A trill on a low F in the clarinet is followed by a 17-note rising scale in the key of B-flat major. Ross Gorman, the clarinetist in Paul Whiteman’s band, however, either by accident or on purpose, turned the upper part of the scale into a slow and sexy glissando, thus creating one of the most famous openings in the entire history of music. Accident or no, the composer loved it, and it has remained indelibly stamped on the imagination as the signal of Americana in the “Roaring ’20s.” Popular culture took over almost immediately, and who among us can now separate Rhapsody in Blue from one of America’s largest airlines? George Gershwin was already a rising star in the musical world when Paul Whiteman, encouraged by an earlier attempt to bring together classical music and jazz on the same program, approached the young composer to produce a concerto-like piece. Whiteman had been impressed by continued on 14

The New Mexico Philharmonic

nmphil.org

13


PROGRAM NOTES . continued from 13

Gershwin when the two collaborated on Scandals of 1922. After first refusing the commission, Gershwin relented and agreed to contribute to Whiteman’s “experimental concert.” The composer gives us a glimpse of what was on his mind in an explanation given in 1931 to his biographer, Isaac Goldberg: It was on the train [to Boston], with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer—I frequently hear music in the very heart of noise … And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper—the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance. Gershwin’s original title for the work was American Rhapsody but was changed at the suggestion of his brother, Ira. While chastised by “serious” newspaper critics as lacking in form, the work became popular with audiences almost immediately. The premiere of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue on February 12, 1924, in New York’s Aeolian Hall was an event that attracted attention from Tin Pan Alley to Carnegie Hall. Representatives of the latter venue who attended the concert were violinists Fritz Kreisler, Mischa Elman, and Jascha Heifetz. Sergei Rachmaninoff was there, as were conductors Wilem

Mengelberg, Leopold Stokowski, and Walter Damrosch. The latter figure was so taken with the work that he offered Gershwin a commission for a concerto for piano and orchestra. ●

LORI NEWMAN

Sergei Prokofiev Born 1891, Sontsovka, Yekaterinoslav district, Ukraine Died 1953, Moscow, Soviet Union

Selections from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 (1935–1936) William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been the inspiration for numerous works in several genres, including art, music, opera, ballet, musical theatre, and film. The most successful ballet is by Sergei Prokofiev, although Prokofiev’s version was nearly destined for failure due to several missteps—some within Prokofiev’s control and some not. Prokofiev began formal education at the age of 11 with the composer Reinhold Glière. While Prokofiev appreciated Glière’s tutelage, he would later write that he felt his teacher was too conservative in his lessons, and taught him “square” phrasing and traditional modulatory patterns. At the urging of the composer Alexander Glazunov, Prokofiev enrolled in the St. Petersburg Conservatory at the age of 12. His early style of composition was considered radical, atonal, and avantgarde, experimenting with polytonality, dissonance, high chromaticism, and

“I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness.” —George Gershwin

14

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6

irregular time signatures. He graduated from the Conservatory with relatively average marks, mainly because he treated his time there as wasteful and boring. Despite this, Prokofiev had made a name for himself as a composer of the future before he was 20 years old. His first big break came when the music publisher Boris P. Jurgenson signed a contract with the young composer in 1911. The contract allowed him to tour internationally and in 1913, he traveled to Paris and London where he was introduced to Sergei Diaghilev and the famed Ballets Russes. He wrote several short ballets for Diaghilev, with varying degrees of success, but the experience of working with the balletic master would have a profound impact years later when he would begin Romeo and Juliet. In 1918, Prokofiev left Russia, partially due to his fear of the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War and their implications, and partially because he felt his music was too experimental to have lasting success in an increasingly stifling political climate. Prokofiev arrived in New York in early September 1918. Life in America was not all Prokofiev had hoped for. He found brief initial success, possibly due to people’s curiosity more than anything else, but he seemed to constantly be compared with, and in the shadow of, other Russian exiles, most notably Sergei Rachmaninoff. His one big success in the States was the commission of his opera The Love for Three Oranges. The premiere was delayed and the opera took so much time to compose that Prokofiev found it difficult to take on other endeavors and to financially support himself. Prokofiev decided living in America full time was not for him, and he began a period of going back and forth between Europe and America until 1922 when he moved back to Europe. Prokofiev spent the years 1922–1936 composing and living throughout Europe. All the while he was composing and succeeding in Western Europe, he continued to maintain ties to the Soviet Union. He toured there and began weighing his options for a possible return. He had decided to pursue a simpler


PROGRAM NOTES .

musical scheme that was less harsh and experimental and wondered if the style he envisioned for himself could fit in with the Soviet Union’s political ideals. Prokofiev returned to the Soviet Union in 1936 and remained there for the rest of his life. In 1934 while Prokofiev was still splitting his time between Moscow and Paris, he received a commission for a full-length ballet from the Kirov Theater in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). The composer decided he would choose a lyrical subject matter, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. For reasons unknown, the Kirov backed out of its contract; it is suggested this was due to political pressure to purge composers considered avant-garde from their repertoire. In 1935, the Bolshoi Ballet picked up the contract but later backed out, claiming the music was impossible to dance to. It is also believed that the Bolshoi vehemently disagreed with Prokofiev’s ending of the work—he originally had written a happy ending to one of the most tragic and famous works in history. He explains in his autobiography: There was quite a fuss at the time about our attempts to give Romeo and Juliet a happy ending—in the last act Romeo arrives a minute earlier, finds Juliet alive and everything ends well. The reasons for this bit of barbarism were purely choreographic: living people can dance, the dying cannot … But what really caused me to change my mind about the whole thing was a remark someone made to me about the ballet: “Strictly speaking, your music does not express any real joy at the end.” That was quite true. After several conferences with the choreographers, it was found that the tragic ending could be expressed in the dance and in due time the music for that ending was written. He changed the ending for the premiere in 1938, which finally, and quietly, premiered in Brno, Czechoslovakia. With the future of his Romeo and Juliet uncertain, Prokofiev created two orchestral suites and ten piano works from the score. (A third orchestral suite was later extracted.) Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet saw its Russian premiere at the Kirov Theater on

“There was quite a fuss at the time about our attempts to give Romeo and Juliet a happy ending …” —Sergei Prokofiev January 11, 1940. The production was fraught with difficulty. Prokofiev and the choreographer, Leonid Lavrosky, were at constant odds with each other, and the dancers complained that they didn’t understand how to dance to Prokofiev’s music. Lavrosky, without Prokofiev’s permission or knowledge, added music to the ballet and reorchestrated some sections so that the dancers could more easily hear their cues. Despite these issues, the performance was both a commercial and critical success. The Bolshoi programmed the work in 1946, and it has remained one of the most popular ballets in the repertoire and one of Prokofiev’s most enduring successes. ●

DAVID B. LEVY

Anton Bruckner

Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major, “Romantic,” WAB 104 (1874) Austrian composer Anton Bruckner was born in Ansfelden, near Linz, on September 4, 1824, and died in Vienna on October 11, 1896. A near contemporary of Johannes Brahms, Bruckner emerged as one of the most important AustroGerman composers and teachers during the second half of the 19th century. A skilled organist whose repertory he enriched, his most important compositions were in the realms of symphonies and sacred music. He is considered a lateRomantic extension of the legacy of Beethoven and Schubert. The influence of

Richard Wagner may be discerned in his orchestrations and harmonic vocabulary. As a teacher at the Conservatory of Music in Vienna, Bruckner was an inspiration to many young composers, including the young Gustav Mahler. His Symphony No. 4 was first conceived in 1874 and was revised by the composer between January 1878 and June 1880. This version was first performed by the Vienna Philharmonic on February 20, 1881. Despite further revisions by Bruckner and others, the 1878/80 version is the one most frequently used. The composer dedicated the symphony to Constantin Prince Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, a figure who played an important role in the development of Vienna’s famous Ringstrasse. Johann Strauss Jr. dedicated his popular waltz Tales from the Vienna Woods to this nobleman. The work is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, and strings. Nearly all of Anton Bruckner’s music is suffused with, and reflective of, his deep immersion in the Catholic faith. The seriousness of purpose stems in part from his upbringing, of course, but also his work as organist, teacher, and choirmaster for the boys’ choir at St. Florian in Upper Austria from 1845 to 1855 and his permanent to the most important musical post in the ecclesiastical world of Linz, a position he held until 1868. His move to Vienna in that same year was sparked by his appointment as Professor of Counterpoint and Harmony at the Music Conservatory of the Austrian capital city. It was during this last phase of his career that the composer of sacred choral and organ music turned his attention more fully continued on 16

The New Mexico Philharmonic

nmphil.org

15


PROGRAM NOTES . continued from 15

to the composition of symphonies. His country manners never fit in comfortably with the sophisticated world of the Vienna of his day, but, as the famous conductor Wilhelm Fürtwängler said to a meeting of the German Bruckner Society in 1939, “Bruckner did not work for the present; in his art he thought only of eternity, and he created for eternity. In this way, he became the most misunderstood of the great musicians.” Bruckner was supremely unconfident as a composer of symphonies, as witnessed by his numerous revisions. The shadows under which he worked were those of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (first performed in the same year as Bruckner’s birth) and the overpowering music of Richard Wagner. The fact that some of his pupils, most prominent among them being Gustav Mahler and Hugo Wolf, became avid champions of Bruckner the symphonist, helped buoy his reputation as symphonist, but, excepting a few works, his symphonies have never enjoyed the popularity of those by Brahms and Mahler. The Fourth Symphony has proven to be Bruckner’s most frequently performed work. Its sound world is unique. Throughout his career, Bruckner excelled as an organist, and it should come as no surprise that his approach to orchestration reflects this. Each section of his orchestra is treated as if he were unleashing a rank of pipes—one for winds, a different set of pipes for brass, and yet another for strings. As such, his music often takes on the character of a carefully chiseled

sculpture, now of granite, now of softer stuff. Bruckner’s sense of religious piety and mysticism was ever mindful that he was born in the same year that witnessed the completion and first performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Like the barely perceptible quiet rustling that begins the first movement of Beethoven’s last symphony, Bruckner’s first movement follows suit. Beethoven’s opening also begins with broken fragments of an idea that soon explodes into a mighty first theme. Bruckner also draws the ear’s attention to a noble thematic idea in the solo horn, which is soon picked up by the winds. This is followed by yet another arresting idea— one of the composer’s signature traits—a rhythmic figure comprising two notes followed by a triplet. All of these ideas combine to build toward a magnificent climax, before the first movement moves on to new thematic ideas. There have been some hints of a vague “program” for the entire symphony and each of its movements based upon communications from Bruckner himself. None of them, however, shed much light on the music and its “meaning.” The second movement begins as a funereal march in c minor. Its opening section gives ample room for the cello and viola sections of the orchestra to spin out Schubertian-inspired melodies, as well as a “chorale” theme reflecting Bruckner’s deep religiosity. Cast loosely in sonata form, the recapitulation leads to a majestic climax before receding to its

“Bruckner did not work for the present; in his art he thought only of eternity, and he created for eternity. In this way, he became the most misunderstood of the great musicians.” —Wilhelm Fürtwängler

16

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6

hushed ending. The third movement is a fine example of a Brucknerian scherzo, the kind of movement in which he excelled as a symphonist. This one, with its wonderful horn calls, clearly evokes the world of the hunt—a signature idiom in Romantic German culture and economy. Notice once again Bruckner’s favorite duple-followedby-triplet rhythmic figure. The middle section (Trio) is a lovely and graceful Ländler, a folk dance popular among Austrians (think of Maria and Captain von Trapp dancing in one of the scenes in The Sound of Music). The symphony’s finale, a movement with which the composer struggled mightily, presents the listener with a bit of a conundrum when trying to understand its sonic architecture. Rather than following logical patterns, the music presents a succession of events, now mysterious, now powerful, now gently lyrical. What does become clear is that Bruckner is drawing upon motivic ideas presented in all three of the movements that precede it. As to be expected, the symphony ends in a blaze of glory. ●

COLIN MARTIN

Colin Martin

Songs from By Heart (2018) Scored for soprano solo, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 2 horns, timpani, percussion (playing whip, suspended cymbal, tubular bells, vibraphone, glockenspiel, xylophone, marimba, and rain stick), celesta, and strings.

Poet Karen McKinnon’s connections to the New Mexico arts community run deep. An alumna of UNM, she produced several collections of poetry, and in 2016 endowed the UNM Creative Writing department to administer a Creative Writing Poetry competition for UNM undergraduates. The texts from Songs from By Heart come from her most recent anthology of poetry, By Heart, which was published in 2018. By Heart is described as “a collection of poems that transform ordinary moments into something greater, and follow family history into mystery and


PROGRAM NOTES .

wisdom. Through the passing of seasons and the blossoming and fading of flowers, there is always the consolation of nature and memory.” The two texts used in this piece, “To Each Her Own” and “Moving My Mother,” both explore McKinnon’s relationship with her mother. “To Each Her Own” is a nostalgic look at a woman in her prime, full of intelligence, life, and skill, focusing in particular on her aptitude for gardening. “Moving My Mother” is a much darker poem, as the voice shifts from the past into the present, and the speaker discusses the fallout from her mother’s battle with the “demon of dementia.” In setting these two poems, I used the contrast of tonality and atonality to present this conflict between nostalgia and present tragedy. The piece is set in one continuous movement, with no pause between the poems. “To Each Her Own” is tonal and features nearly no dissonance at all. There are frequent modulations between keys in order to evoke the different colors and moods the poem brings out—joy, reverence, and the colors of flowers, all against the backdrop of nostalgia. After this, a brief, purely orchestral interlude brings a slow dissolution of tonality. Things become murkier, less grounded, and unstable. This is a depiction of her mother’s declining mental state, and her loss of a sense of reality. The music suddenly explodes into a frenzy, leading us into “Moving My Mother,” which begins frantically as the speaker attempts to make order of her mother’s house. The major reveal of her condition, and her battle with dementia, then comes through the most dissonant, dramatic music in the piece. Calm is somewhat restored but always with a sense of tension and being ungrounded. The piece ends in a dreamscape, scored with the solo voice over a background of celesta and violins, then bass and marimba, before ultimately giving way to a rain stick, evoking the scattering of seeds at the end of the poem that brilliantly ties the two poems together. I would like to thank the New Mexico Philharmonic for offering me this commission, and to Karen for allowing me to set her lovely words. ●

Through the passing of seasons and the blossoming and fading of flowers, there is always the consolation of nature and memory. CHARLES GREENWELL

Carf Orff Born on July 10, 1895, in Munich, Germany Died March 29, 1982, in Munich, Germany

Carmina Burana Scored for STB soloists, two adult choirs, one boys’ choir, 3 flutes, 2 piccolos, 3 oboes, English horn, 3 clarinets, Eb clarinet, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, 2 pianos, celesta, percussion, and strings.

The German composer and educator Carl Orff came to international prominence in 1937 with the first performances of his scenic cantata Carmina Burana; so much so, in fact, that the work has tended to overshadow virtually everything else that he wrote. With this work, he established a new kind of “total theater” in which words, music, dance, scenery, and costumes were integrated to produce an overwhelming effect. In doing so, he called upon aspects of two earlier forms of theatrical expression, namely classical Greek tragedy and Italian Baroque opera. At the time, Orff had more in common with conservative trends in German culture than with the progressive thinking of the Weimar years. Instead of following the trend to avant-garde musical revolution, he studied earlier musical forms and styles, mainly late Renaissance and Baroque composers, and used them to create his own unique musical language. He was also influenced by his contemporary Bertolt Brecht, with whom he shared a passion for percussion. (Brecht, a controversial and influential poet, in collaboration with composer Kurt Weill, created another

famous and popular German stage work of the 1930s, namely The Threepenny Opera.) Returning to the past was quite common in conservative circles at the time, and Germans often made pilgrimages to sites of past cultural and political greatness. It was in this context that Orff came across the inspiration for his most famous and most frequently performed work. In 1934, Orff first saw a book of medieval poetry that had originally been published in 1847 and that was based on a manuscript collection discovered in 1803 in the Bavarian Abbey of Benediktbeuern. It is from that 1847 edition that the title Carmina Burana comes, which simply means Songs of Beuern. The manuscript contained more than 200 songs and poems written in medieval Latin and Middle High German and a combination of the two, dating mostly from the 11th and 12th centuries, with some from the 13th century, covering a wide range of subject matter from religion to criticism of the decline in moral standards of the clergy and people in authority to very ribald and sensuous expressions of eating, drinking, and lovemaking. In short, these remarkable poems, which are still very fresh and appealing, cover just about every aspect of human existence: church, state, society, and the individual, and cover humanity in all of its moods. Scholars believe the poems came from England, France, Spain, Italy, and Central Europe, and the fact that so many of them were in Latin gave them wide currency at the time. (It must be explained that the Carmina Burana were written by people for whom Latin was an acquired language: as a result, there is frequently a kind of vague wordiness and sometimes even misuse of the words that must have continued on 18

The New Mexico Philharmonic

nmphil.org

17


PROGRAM NOTES . continued from 17

been difficult for even contemporary people to understand.) Some of the poems have authors listed, among them Philippe Abelard who was Chancellor of the University of Paris, but the majority of them are anonymous, having most likely been written by a peripatetic group called the Goliards, consisting of students, teachers, unfrocked priests, runaway monks, clerics, wandering scholars, and intellectuals. An interesting feature of European life in the late Middle Ages was the ease with which these scholars and students and assorted hangers-on went from one university town to another, and there seems to have been a large group of such people in temporary residence in such towns in both their native countries and elsewhere. These vagrants traveled through France, Germany, and England, earning their way with satirical, critical, and often ribald songs in lilting but frequently unidiomatic Latin. Orff was so taken by what he read that he instantly began to set some of the words to music, and in a matter of a few weeks’ time the entire work was basically composed. In setting the texts, Orff created what he called a scenic cantata consisting of a succession of tableaux showing how fortune governs the affairs of man. Following the first performances of the work in June of 1937 in Frankfurt, Orff told his publisher in effect to discard everything he had written up to that time, and as he put it, “My collected works now begin with Carmina Burana.” Although the first performances were stage works involving dance, choreography, visual designs, and other stage action, the cantata is now presented more often than not in concert form. The composer’s subtitle for the work is “Secular songs for soloists and chorus, accompanied by instruments and magic images.” For the record, this ultimately became the first of a trilogy of such pieces collectively entitled Trionfi, or Triumphs. The other two are Catulli Carmina (Songs of Catullus) and Trionfo di Afrodite (The Triumph of Aphrodite). In these works, particularly the first two, Orff was influenced by late Renaissance and early Baroque composers, including Claudio Monteverdi and William Byrd, and the primary musical element is rhythm.

18

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6

Orff told his publisher in effect to discard everything he had written up to that time, and as he put it, “My collected works now begin with Carmina Burana.” Overall, the music gives the impression of being rhythmically straightforward and simple, but often the meter changes freely from one measure to the next. The first performance was given in Frankfurt in June of 1937, followed by several other productions elsewhere in Germany. The Nazi regime was initially nervous about the blatantly erotic tone of some of the poems, but because of the cantata’s immense popularity, the authorities eventually embraced the work, and it became the most famous piece of music composed in Germany at the time. The popularity of the cantata continued to grow after the war, and by the 1960s Carmina Burana was firmly established as part of the international classical repertoire. That initial production had as a centerpiece a large wheel, symbolic of the wheel of fortune constantly turning, bringing good and bad luck to mankind indiscriminately, and the cantata as a whole may be looked upon as a parable of human life exposed to the whims of fate and at the mercy of the eternal laws of change. The work begins and ends with the famous chorus Fortuna imperatrix mundi (Fortune, Empress of the World), the two statements of which frame the three main sections of the piece that deal with Man’s encounter with Nature (particularly Nature reawakening in spring); Man’s encounter with the gifts of Nature (among them the joys of wine); and Man’s encounter with Love in all forms. Man is pictured here in a hard, unsentimental light, a point of view which is very much in keeping with the anti-Romantic stance of the work. There are 24 numbers in the cantata, and the musical forms underlying the words are

quite simple and basic and almost always repetitive. The harmonies utilized are also very traditional and tonal, and much of the time the music is propelled by powerful, driving rhythms. The orchestra, which includes a large percussion section and two pianos, replaces the normal Romantic tone coloration with big blocks of brilliant sound, very often resembling a gigantic pipe organ. The second section of the work, entitled In taberna (In the Tavern), is where the truly original theatrical material begins, and the orchestration here is striking. Carmina Burana continues to be a favorite with audiences everywhere, appealing as it does to the most fundamental musical instincts. ●


NMPHIL .

New Mexico Philharmonic

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Maureen Baca

The Musicians FIRST VIOLIN Krzysztof Zimowski

Karen McKinnon Concertmaster Chair

David Felberg +

Associate Concertmaster

Ana María Quintero Muñoz ++ Associate Concertmaster

Sarah Tasker

Assistant Concertmaster

Laura Steiner Joan Wang Juliana Huestis Steve Ognacevic Kerri Lay + Brad Richards Barbara Barber ++ Barbara Rivers Nicolle Maniaci Barbara Scalf Morris SECOND VIOLIN Gabriela Fogo •+ Rafael Marzagão •++ Carol Swift •• Julanie Lee Anthony Templeton Liana Austin Eric Sewell Lidija Peno-Kelly Sheila McLay Heather MacArthur VIOLA Laura Chang • Kimberly Fredenburgh •• Allegra Askew Christine Rancier Virginia Lawrence Willy Sucre + Joan Hinterbichler Lisa DiCarlo

CELLO Amy Huzjak • Jonathan Flaksman ••++ Carla Lehmeier-Tatum Dana Winograd David Schepps Lisa Collins BASS Jean-Luc Matton • Mark Tatum •• Katherine Olszowka Terry Pruitt Frank Murry FLUTE Valerie Potter • Sara Tutland Jiyoun Hur ••• PICCOLO Sara Tutland OBOE Kevin Vigneau • Amanda Talley ENGLISH HORN Melissa Peña ••• CLARINET Marianne Shifrin • Lori Lovato •• Timothy Skinner

BASSOON Stefanie Przybylska • Denise Turner HORN Peter Erb • Allison Tutton Katelyn Lewis ••• TRUMPET John Marchiando • Brynn Marchiando ••• Tristan Frank TROMBONE Aaron Zalkind • Byron Herrington BASS TROMBONE David Tall TUBA Richard White •+ Justin Gruber •++ TIMPANI Micah Harrow • PERCUSSION Jeff Cornelius • Kenneth Dean Emily Cornelius

President

Al Stotts

Vice President

David Peterson Secretary

Kory Hoggan Treasurer

Joel Baca Ruth Bitsui David Campbell Thomas Domme Fritz Eberle Jeffrey Romero Edward Rose, MD Terrence Sloan Rachael Speegle Marian Tanau Tatiana Vetrinskaya Michael Wallace ADVISORY BOARD Thomas C. Bird Lee Blaugrund Clarke Cagle Roland Gerencer, MD Heinz Schmitt William Wiley

HARP Matthew Tutsky •

E-FLAT CLARINET Lori Lovato BASS CLARINET Timothy Skinner

Principal • Assistant Principal •• Associate Principal ••• Assistant •••• Leave + One-year position ++

STAFF Marian Tanau

Allison Tutton

Jess Bess

Roberto Minczuk

Eric Sewell

Mary Montaño

Christine Rancier

Leif Atchley

Joan Olkowski

Matt Hart

Nancy Pressley-Naimark

Lori Newman

Executive Director Music Director

Director of Business Management Production Manager

Dasa Silhova

Personnel Manager

Principal Librarian Assistant Librarian Assistant Librarian Director of Community Relations & Office Manager

Front of the House Manager Grants Manager

Design & Marketing Editor

Crystal Reiter

Assistant Office Manager

The New Mexico Philharmonic

nmphil.org

19


DONOR CIRCLES .

Donor Circles Thank You for Joining a Circle BENEFACTOR CIRCLE Donation of $50,000 +

Albuquerque Community Foundation Anonymous Lee Blaugrund Marian Ausherman Chavez Trust City of Albuquerque The Karen McKinnon Fund The McKinnon Family Foundation The Meredith Foundation BEETHOVEN CIRCLE

Donation of $25,000–$49,999

The Computing Center Inc., Maureen & Stephen Baca Bob & Greta Dean Eugenia & Charles Eberle New Mexico Philharmonic Foundation MOZART CIRCLE

Donation of $10,000–$24,999

Albuquerque Community Foundation, NDB & CEB Fund Meg Aldridge Anonymous Bernalillo County Commission George & Sibilla Boerigter Deborah Borders Art Gardenswartz & Sonya Priestly David Gay Keith Gilbert Mary Herring Holmans USA, LLC, Anthony D. Trujillo Dal & Pat Jensen Walter & Allene Kleweno Dwayne & Marjorie Longenbaugh The Honorable & Mrs. James A. Parker Cynthia Phillips & Thomas Martin Real Time Solutions, Inc Rio Rancho Kiwanis Foundation Sandia Foundation, Hugh & Helen Woodward Fund Terrence Sloan, in honor of Ronald Bronitsky’s Grandfather United Way Community Fund Dr. Dean Yannias BRAHMS CIRCLE

Donation of $5000–$9999

Albuquerque Community Foundation, The Ties Fund

20

Carl & Linda Alongi Paula & William Bradley Bob & Fran Fosnaugh Hancock Family Foundation Jonathan & Ellin Hewes Robert & Elisa Hufnagel Chris & Karen Jones Christine Kilroy Harry & Betsey Linneman ListenUp Menicucci Insurance Agency Karl & Marion Mueller New Mexico Arts George & Mary Novotny Scott Obenshain Bob & Bonnie Paine Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union Melissa & Al Stotts Richard Vandongen The Verdes Foundation Kathleen & David Waymire Diane Chalmers Wiley & William Wiley Lance Woodworth John Wronosky & Lynn Asbury Janet Youngberg CHOPIN CIRCLE

Donation of $3500–$4999

Anonymous Anonymous Mary Baca Nancy M. Berg The Cates Team/RBC Wealth Management Richard & Margaret Cronin French Funerals & Cremations Gerald Gold A. Elizabeth Gordon Bill & Carolyn Hallett Ed & Nancy Naimark David & Audrey Northrop Charles Olguin Gary & Carol Overturf Robertson & Sons Violin Shop Edward Rose Marian & Jennifer Tanau GRACE THOMPSON CIRCLE Donation of $1933–$3499

Anonymous Joel & Sandra Baca Thomas Bird & Brooke Tully Ann Boland, in memory of Dr. W. Robert Boland Ronald Bronitsky, MD, in honor of Anastasiya Naplekova, Hedwig Bronitsky, & Robert Alexander Clarke & Mary Cagle Edwin Case, in memory of Deborah Case Century Bank

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6

Daniel & Brigid Conklin, in memory of Dr. C.B. Conklin Thomas & Martha Domme Fritz Eberle & Lynn Johnson David & Ellen Evans Firestone Family Foundation First United Methodist Church, Kaemper Music Series Frank & Christine Fredenburgh Roland Gerencer, MD Charles & Judith Gibbon Jean & Bob Gough Helen Grevey Stephen & Aida Ramos Heath Rosalyn Hurley Sue Johnson & Jim Zabilski Bonnie & Hank Kelly Bruce A. Larson, in memory of The Rev. Samuel L. Hall Michael & Roberta Lavin Tyler M. Mason Edel & Thomas Mayer Foundation Jon McCorkell & Dianne Cress Bob & Susan McGuire Jan Mitchell Moss-Adams LLP Music Guild of New Mexico & Jackie McGehee Young Artists’ Competition for Piano & Strings Ruth & Charles Needham Tom & Lili O’Malley, in memory of Karen McKinnon Jerald & Cindi Parker Dick & Marythelma Ransom Deborah Ridley & Richard S. Nenoff Jacquelyn Robins Jay Rodman & Wendy Wilkins Ellen Ann Ryan Albert Seargeant Vernon & Susannah Smith Dorothy Stermer & Stacy Sacco Betty & Luke Vortman Endowment BACH CIRCLE

Donation of $1000–$1932

Leah Albers & Thomas Roberts Albuquerque Community Foundation, Peggy CavettWalden & Professor Jerrold Walden Fund for Art & Music Grant Teresa Apple & Richard Zabell Jonathan & Deborah Armerding Benevity Fund Lawrence & Deborah Blank James Botros & Jeremy Wirths Robert Bower & Kathryn Fry Drs. Kathleen L. Butler & M. Steven Shackley John Crawford & Carolyn Quinn

Robert & Mary Custer James & Teresa Edens Susan Evatt, in memory of R. Nim Evatt Richard & Virginia Feddersen David Foster Helen Fuller Ralph Garza George F. Gibbs Peter Gould Roger & Katherine Hammond Harris Hartz, in memory of Dr. Larry Lubar Donna Hill Hal Hudson, in memory of Carolyn Hudson Stephanie & David Kauffman Steve & Elisa Kephart, in honor of Richard White & the Low Brass Judith Levey Marcia Lubar, in memory of Larry Lubar Myra & Richard Lynch Linda S. Marshall Kathy & John Matter Ranne B. Miller & Margo J. McCormick Miller Stratvert, P.A. Robert Milne & Ann DeHart, in memory of Clare Dreyer Mark Moll David & Alice Monet National Christian Foundation Southwest New Mexico School of Music, Tatiana Vetrinskaya James O’Neill & Ellen Bayard Joyce & Pierce Ostrander Stuart & Janice Paster Dr. Barry & Roberta Ramo Sandra P. & AFLt/Col (r.) Clifford E. Richardson III, in loving memory of Priscilla L. & Clifford E. Richardson Jr. & Josephine A. & Angelo “A.J.” Asciolla Joan Robins & Denise Wheeler The Rodey Law Firm Ruth Ronan Dr. Harvey Ruskin Bruce & Sandra Seligman Barbara Servis Janet & Michael Sjulin David & Heather Spader David E. Stinchcomb, in memory of Ann Stinchcomb Jane & Doug Swift Fund for Art & Education Tamara Tomasson Margaret Vining Michael Wallace Eugene & Barbara Wasylenki Peter & Judy Basen Weinreb


DONOR CIRCLES .

Robert & Trudie White Bill & Janislee Wiese David & Evy Worledge CONCERTMASTER CIRCLE Donation of $500–$999

Joe Alcorn & Sylvia Wittels Dennis Alexander Anonymous Anonymous Richard & Linda Avery Daniel Balik Jan Bandrofchak & Cleveland Sharp Hugh & Margaret Bell, in memory of Joan Allen Richard & Maria Berry Michael Blackledge, in memory of our colleague Robert O. Woods, from the Last Thursday Book Club of Albuquerque Monica Boehmer, in memory of Leonie Boehmer Rod & Genelia Boenig Mike Boice Walt & Celia Bolic Marie Brown-Wagner Michael & Cheryl Bustamante, in memory of Cheryl B. Hall Butterfield’s Jewelers David & Shelly Campbell Camille Carstens Stephanie & Bert Coxe Michael Dexter Leonard & Patricia Duda Thomas Dyble Martha Egan Jane & Michael Flax Diane Fleming, in memory of Robert Fleming Denise Fligner & Terry Edwards Howard & Debra Friedman Dennis & Opal Lee Gill Drs. Robert & Maria Goldstein Yvonne Gorbett Marcia Gordon Berto & Barbara Gorham Lauro Guaderrama Kathleen Hammar Harris Jewelers Martha S. Hoyt Robin Jackson Photography Steve Kemp Robert & Toni Kingsley Marlin Kipp Herbert & Shelley Koffler Noel & Meredith Kopald Christina Kreuz Stephanie & Kenneth Kuzio Drew Lamprich Nick & Susan Landers Mildred Langston Donald & Margaret Lenk Thomas & Donna Lockner Dr. Ronald & Ellen Loehman

C. Everett & Jackie McGehee Cary & Eve Morrow Michael & Judy Muldawer Mark Napolin Lynne Newton Richard & Susan Perry John Provine Barbara Rivers Patrica Rodgers & Harry Stumpf, in memory of Blossom Kite Anjella Schick Howard & Marian Schreyer Frederick & Susan Sherman Ronald Shettlesworth William E. Snead Sarah Stevens-Miles Charles Stillwell Phyllis Taylor & Bruce Thomson Marie Weingardt Carl G. & Janet V. Weis PRINCIPALS CIRCLE Donation of $125–$499

Marsha Adams Gerald Alldredge Amazon Smile Anderson Organizing Systems John & Polly Arango Leonard & Stephanie Armstrong Janice J. Arrott David Baca Sally Bachofer Douglas Bailey Olive Baker-Brown Nicole Banks Harold & Patricia Baskin Edie Beck Michael Bencoe Gay & Stan Betzer Elaine Bleiweis & Karen Hudson, in memory of Blossom Kite Kelly Block James & Ann Bresson Douglas Brosveen Terry Brownell & Alpha Russell Nancy Brunson Marcia Bumkens Caliber’s Safe Store Carol Callaway Dante & Judith Cantrill Robert E. & Shirley Case Roscoe Champion Gregory & Karen Chase Olinda Chavez Lance & Kathy Chilton Sharon Christensen Beth Clark Paul & Linda Cochran Jane & Kenneth Cole Donna Collins Lloyd Colson III Henry & Ettajane Conant Marcia Congdon Susan Conway Jasha Cultreri

Stephen & Stefani Czuchlewski Paul & Kathleen Deblassie Ronald & Faye Detry Raymond & Anne Doberneck Carl & Joanne Donsbach Reverend Suzanne & Bill Ebel Gary Echert Michael & Laurel Edenburn Jeffrey Edgar The Eichel Family Charitable Fund Richard & Mildred Elrick Jay Ven Eman Jackie Ericksen David & Frankie Ewing Peggy Favour Helen Feinberg Heidi Fleischmann & James Scott William & Cheryl Foote Joseph Freedman & Susan Timmons Maureen Fry Thomas & Linda Grace Paul & Marcia Greenbaum Justin M. & Blanche G. Griffin Stanley & Sara Griffith Mina Jane Grothey Robert & Elene Gusch Ruth Haas Herman Haase Lee & Thais Haines Ron & Nancy Halbgewachs Leila Hall, in memory of Samuel Hall Debbie Hammack Bennett A. Hammer Joan Harris Darren Hayden Patricia Henning & Anthony Lazzaro Pamelia Hilty (Snow Blossom Gift Fund) Laura Hoberg Toppin & Robert Hodge Ulton & Jean Hodgin Kiernan Holliday Bernhard E. Holzapfel Nancy Kay Horton Janet Humann Bryan “Lance” & Debrah Hurt Christopher & Venessa Johnson Nancy Joste Robert & Mary Julyan Carol Kaemper John & Mechthild Kahrs Norty & Summers Kalishman Thomas & Greta Keleher Ann King Gerald Kiuttu & Candace Brower Phil Krehbiel Jennifer C. Kruger Woody & Nandini Kuehn Karen Kupper Jae-Won & Juliane Lee

Susan Lentz Robert Lindeman & Judith Brown Lindeman John Linder & Margaret Chaffey William & Norma Lock Gebhard Long Daniel Lopez & Linda Vigil Lopez Suzanne Lubar & Marcos Gonzales, in memory of Larry B. Lubar Joan M. Lucas Ruth Luckasson & Dr. Larry Davis, in memory of Dr. Alfred Watts Robert Lynn & Janet Braziel The Man’s Hat Shop Jim & Helen Marquez Jeffrey Marr Carolyn Martinez Sallie McCarthy Roger & Kathleen McClellan Martha Ann Miller & Henry Pocock Jim Mills & Peggy Sanchez Mills Louis & Deborah Moench Robert & Phyllis Moore Jim & Penny Morris Lynne Mostoller & Kathryn McKnight, in honor of Richard White Mr. Tux Betsy Nichols Rebecca Okun John & MacKenzie Ordorica Patrick Ortiz, in memory of Karen McKinnon Del Packwood & Barbara Reeback Michelle Pent Elizabeth Perkett Lang Ha Pham & Hy Tran Judi Pitch Placitas Artists Series James Porcher Dan & Billie Pyzel Jane Rael Jerry & Christine Rancier Ray Reeder Robert Reinke Tim Renk Lee Reynis & David Stryker Erika Rimson & David Bernstein Peggy Rodriguez John & Faye Rogers Catalin Roman Glenn & Amy Rosenbaum Carole Ross Sofya Rubinchik John Salas Carey Salaz Santa Fe Opera Sarafian’s Oriental Rugs Christine Sauer John & Karen Schlue Laura Scholfield continued on 22

The New Mexico Philharmonic

nmphil.org

21


DONOR CIRCLES . continued from 21 Kendra Scott Marc Scudamore & Brigitte Schimek Meryl & Ron Segel, in honor of Joan Zucker’s retirement Daniel & Barbara Shapiro R.J. & Katherine Simonson Carol Smith Steven & Keri Sobolik Karen Soutar Sport Systems David & Jane Tallant Natalia Tikhovidova Craig Timm & James Wilterding Laurence Titman True Rest Float Spa Leonard & Mary Joan Truesdell Arthur Vall-Spinosa & Sandra Louise Nunn Vara Winery & Distillery John Vittal & Deborah Ham Wolfgang & Carol Wawersik Lawrence Wells Margaret Wente Jeffrey West Tad & Kay West Marybeth White Kris Williams Dot Wortman Paula Wynnyckyj Andrea Yannone Peng Yu, in honor of Steve & Maureen Baca Tony Zancanella Diana Zavitz, in memory of Pat & Ray Harwick FRIENDS OF THE PHILHARMONIC Donation of $25–$124

David & Elizabeth Adams Natalie Adolphi & Andrew McDowell Dr. Fran A’Hern-Smith Jeffrey Allen Mel & Hilaria Alper Jo Anne Altrichter & Robin Tawney Freda Anderson Jerry & Jo Marie Anderson Anonymous Jackie Baca & Ken Genco Thomas J. & Helen K. Baca Harper Baird Adam Banks Therese Barts Elizabeth Bayne Susan Beard Judy Bearden-Love Kirk & Debra Benton Mark & Beth Berger Barry Berkson Marianne Berwick Karen Bielinski-Richardson

22

Nancy & Cliff Blaugrund, in honor of Judge Parker on his birthday Thomas & Suzanne Blazier William Blumenthal David & Sheila Bogost Henry Botts J.M. Bowers & B.J. Fisher Samuel Brandt Carolyn Brown Hank & Miriam Burhans Elizabeth Burki Robert & Marylyn Burridge Douglas & Ann Calderwood Luana Carey, in honor of Carolyn Quinn & John Crawford CarMax James Carroll Joseph Cella Laura Chang Cheesecake Factory Barry Clark James & Pauline Clements James & Joan Cole Randall & Valerie Cole Amy Couch John & Katherine Cunningham Marjorie Cypress & Philip Jameson The Daily Grind Hubert Davis Merrick & Leigh Ann Dean Kurt & Yvonne Deshayes Stephen R. Donaldson James & Julie Drennan Barbara Druxman, in memory of Dr. Larry Lubar Michael & Jana Druxman Jeff & Karen Duray Helene Eckrich Bradley Ellingboe Robert & Dolores Engstrom Jane Farris, in honor of Brent & Maria Stevens John Adam Farris Howard Fegan Ella J. Fenoglio Irene Fertik David Fillmore Mary Filosi Sally Fish Joy Fishel-Eaton James Fisk Rabbi Arthur Flicker Blake & Liz Forbes Walter & Beverly Forman Greg & Jeanne Frye-Mason Eric & Cristi Furman Jonathan & Julia Gallegos Yolanda Garcia Mary Day Gauer Walter Gerstle Ronald Goldsmith The Golf Mart

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6

Lois Gonzales Stephen Ray Goode Great Harvest Bakery Alfred & Patricia Green Ginger Grossetete Kevin & Teresa Grunewald Birgitta Gustafson, in honor of Richard White J. Michele Guttmann Fletcher & Laura Hahn Kerry L. Harmon William & Janet Harrington Noah Harris Matt Hart John & Diane Hawley Jo Ellen Head Drew Henry Cynthia Heredia Nancy Hill Heidi Hilland Glenn & Susan Hinchcliffe Fred Hindel Kory & Roseann Hoggan, CPA Thomas & Mary Ann Horan Stanley & Helen Hordes Ralph & Gay Nell Huybrechts James & Kristin Jackson Jenica Jacobi Jerry & Diane Janicke Gwenellen Janov Michael & Sandra Jerome Robert & Nanette Jurgensen Joyce Kaser Julia Kavet Janet & Michael Keller, in memory of Blossom Kite Margaret Keller Nancy Kelley Fern Kelly Bill Kent J. Dianne Keyson M.J. Kircher Barbara Kite, in memory of Blossom Kite Ralph & Heather Kiuttu Barbara Kleinfeld, in memory of Karen McKinnon John & Gretchen Kryda Mark Kunzman Molly Lannon LeRoy Lehr & Veronica Reed Marc Limmany Carl & Sheila Litsinger Mariana Lopez Laurence & Patricia Loucks Sam Lucero & Ron Lahti Bob & Maureen Luna, in memory of Robert O. Woods Morgan MacFadden Frank Maher James & Marilyn Mallinson Ronald & Monica Manginell Nicolle Maniaci & John Witiuk Frederic & Joan March

Salvatore T. Martino John & Alice Massey Jean-Luc Matton Brian McDonald David & Jane McGuire Judith W. Mead Joyce Mendel, in memory of Robert O. Woods Kathleen Miller Natalie Miller Robert F. Miller Phillip Mitchell, in memory of Beatriz Mitchell Dr. William Moffatt Letitia Morris Shirley Morrison Baker H. Morrow & Joann Strathman Karen Mosier & Phillip Freeman Peter Mostachetti Brian Mulrey Nambé Napoli Coffee Albert & Shanna Narath Bruce & Ruth Nelson Geri Newton Candace & Frank Norris Ruth Okeefe Ooh! Aah! Jewelry Joseph Opuszenski William Owen Eric Parker Mark & Diane Parshall Howard Paul Honorine Payne PayPal Giving Fund Brian Pendley PF Chang’s Barbara Pierce Helen Priest Mary Raje David & Tracey Raymo Kerry Renshaw George & Sheila Richmond Margaret Roberts Gerald & Gloria Robinson Gwenn Robinson, MD & Dwight Burney III, MD Jeff & Marin Robinson Judith Roderick Christopher Rosol Dick & Mary Ruddy Aubree Russell Robert & Mary Sabatini John Sale & Deborah Dobransky Evelyn E. & Gerhard L. Salinger Katherine Saltzstein Warren Saur Savoy Bar & Grill Peggy Schey David & Marian Schifani Sheila Schiferl Seasons 52 Season’s Rotisserie & Grill


DONOR CIRCLES .

Laurel Sharp & David Smukler Arthur & Colleen Sheinberg Dasa Silhova Beverly Simmons Norbert F. Siska Matthew & Diane Sloves Joseph Smith Kirk Smith Smith’s Community Rewards Catherine Smith-Hartwig Cynthia Sontag Allen & Jean Ann Spalt Linda Srote, in memory of Karen McKinnon Philip & Lois Ann Stanton Lauren Starosta Theodore & Imogen Stein Frances Steinbach Luis & Patricia Stelzner Elizabeth C. Stevens Stone Age Climbing Gym John & Patricia Stover Arthur Stuart Gary & Rosalie Swanson Jeffrey & Georgeann Taylor Dr. Steven Tolber & Louise Campbell-Tolber Valerie Tomberlin Jacqueline Tommelein John Tondl Marian Towne John & Karen Trever Jorge Tristani Linda Trowbridge Robert Walston Caren Waters Elaine Watson Dale A. Webster Kevin & Laurel Welch Charles & Linda White Leslie White Roland & Wendy Wiele Robert & Amy Wilkins Margaret Wolak & Angelo Tomedi Kenneth Wright Kari Young Kenneth & Barbara Zaslow Charles & Nancy Zimmerman Michael & Anne Zwolinski 4/3/2022

Thank You for Your Generous Support

Legacy Society

Volunteers, Expertise, Services, & Equipment

Your continued support makes this possible. The Legacy Society represents people who have provided long-lasting support to the New Mexico Philharmonic through wills, retirement plans, estates, and life income plans. If you included the NMPhil in your planned giving and your name is not listed, please contact (505) 323-4343 to let us know to include you.

The New Mexico Philharmonic would like to thank the following people for their support and in-kind donations of volunteer time, expertise, services, product, and equipment. CITY & COUNTY APPRECIATION Mayor Tim Keller & the City of Albuquerque Trudy Jones & the Albuquerque City Council The Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners Dr. Shelle Sanchez & the Albuquerque Cultural Services Department Hakim Bellamy & the Albuquerque Cultural Services Department Amanda Colburn & the Bernalillo County Special Projects BUSINESS & ORGANIZATION APPRECIATION Immanuel Presbyterian Church The New Mexico Philharmonic Foundation The Albuquerque Community Foundation INDIVIDUAL APPRECIATION Lee Blaugrund & Tanager Properties Management Ian McKinnon & The McKinnon Family Foundation Alexis Corbin Billy Brown Anne Eisfeller Drew Henry Chris Kershner Jim Key Jackie McGehee Barbara Rivers Brad Richards Emily Steinbach Brent Stevens VOLUNTEERS HOSTING VISITING MUSICIANS Don & Cheryl Barker Graham Bartlett Mike & Blanche Griffin Ron Moya Steve Sandager 4/3/2022

Giving for the future

Jo Anne Altrichter & Robin Tawney Maureen & Stephen Baca Evelyn Patricia Barbier Nancy Berg Sally A. Berg Thomas C. Bird & Brooke E. Tully Edison & Ruth Bitsui Eugenia & Charles Eberle Bob & Jean Gough Peter Gregory Ruth B. Haas Howard A. Jenkins Walter & Allene Kleweno Louise Laval Julianne Louise Lockwood Dr. & Mrs. Larry Lubar Joann & Scott MacKenzie Thomas J. Mahler Cynthia Phillips & Thomas Martin George Richmond Eugene Rinchik Barbara Rivers Terrance Sloan Jeanne & Sid Steinberg William Sullivan Dean Tooley Betty Vortman Maryann Wasiolek William A. Wiley Dot & Don Wortman 4/3/2022

continued on 23

The New Mexico Philharmonic

nmphil.org

23


THANK YOU .

Steinway Society

Steinway Society

Piano Fund

Members

Steinway Society members make dedicated donations for current and future purchases and maintenance of our Steinway & Sons Grand Piano Model D. Since the New Mexico Philharmonic’s birth in 2011, we have had to rely on rented pianos. They have been inconsistent and at the end of the 2018/19 season, it was clear that the NMPhil needed a new, reliable piano to feature great pianists. We were able to fulfill this dream recently when we received a very generous low-interest loan to purchase the piano. Thanks to donations already received from Steinway Society members, the amount that the NMPhil now owes is less than half of the loan. Please consider joining the Steinway Society at the donor level that is best for you and be part of your New Mexico Philharmonic by helping us to produce excellence through our music.

HOROWITZ LEVEL

Donation of $20,000–$50,000

Cliff & Nancy Blaugrund Lee Blaugrund Charles & Eugenia Eberle Roland Gerencer, MD WHITE KEYS LEVEL

Donation of $6000–$19,999

Dal & Pat Jensen Diane & William Wiley Dr. Dean Yannias BLACK KEYS LEVEL

HOROWITZ LEVEL

$20,000–$50,000

• • • • • • •

Special short video presented before one concert at Popejoy Hall Two annual private dinners with artist(s) of choice Donor Lounge access One annual private dinner with Roberto Minczuk, Olga Kern, or other pianists Special mention in the Program Book Steinway Society section Special annual reception for all Steinway Society donors Engraved Steinway piano key with the name of the donor to be displayed in the lobby at NMPhil concerts featuring piano soloists • Name engraved somewhere inside the piano with date, etc. WHITE KEYS LEVEL

$6000–$19,999

• • • • •

Donor Lounge access One annual private dinner with Roberto Minczuk, Olga Kern, or other pianists Special mention in the Program Book Steinway Society section Special annual reception for all Steinway Society donors Engraved Steinway piano key with the name of the donor to be displayed in the lobby at NMPhil concerts featuring piano soloists • Name engraved somewhere inside the piano with date, etc. BLACK KEYS LEVEL

$2000–$5999

• Invitation to three Donor Lounge receptions during concerts • One private dinner every other year with Roberto Minczuk, Olga Kern, or other pianists • Special mention in the Program Book Steinway Society section • Special annual reception for all Steinway Society donors • Engraved Steinway piano key with the name of the donor to be displayed in the lobby at NMPhil concerts featuring piano soloists • Name engraved somewhere inside the piano with date, etc. PEDAL LEVEL

$500–$1999

• Invitation to one Donor Lounge reception during a concert • Special mention in the Program Book Steinway Society section • Special annual reception for all Steinway Society donors PIANO FRIENDS LEVEL

• Special mention in the Program Book Steinway Society section • Special annual reception for all Steinway Society donors

24

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6

$50–$499

Donation of $2000–$5999

Meg Aldridge Carl & Linda Alongi Joel & Sandra Baca Stephen & Maureen Baca William & Paula Bradley Clark & Mary Cagle Phillip & Christine Custer Art Gardenswartz & Sonya Priestly Robert & Jean Gough Helen Grevey Bill & Carolyn Hallett Stephen & Aida Heath Michael & Roberta Lavin Dwayne & Marj Longenbaugh Jan Elizabeth Mitchell Jacquelyn Robins Jay Rodman & Wendy Wilkins Albert Seargeant III, in memory of Ann Seargeant Terry Sloan PEDAL LEVEL

Donation of $500–$1999

Ronald Bronitsky Michael & Cheryl Bustamante, in memory of Cheryl B. Hall Richard & Peg Cronin Mr. & Mrs. Robert Duff Custer David Foster Peter Gould Jonathan & Ellin Hewes Robert & Toni Kingsley Dr. Herb & Shelley Koffler Tyler M. Mason Jon McCorkell & Dianne Cress Bob & Susan McGuire David & Audrey Northrop James P. O’Neill & Ellen Bayard Gary & Carol Overturf Ruth Ronan Ed Rose Marian & Howard Schreyer Bruce & Sandra Seligman Frederick & Susan Sherman David & Heather Spader Al & Melissa Stotts


THANK YOU .

PIANO FRIENDS LEVEL Donation of $50–$499

Fran A’Hern-Smith Joe Alcorn & Sylvia Wittels Dennis Alexander Anonymous Judy Bearden-Love Karen Bielinski-Richardson David & Sheila Bogost Robert Bower & Kathryn Fry Dante & Judie Cantrill Camille Carstens Olinda Chavez Beth L. Clark Henry & Ettajane Conant John & Katie Cunningham Marjorie Cypress & Philip Jameson Thomas & Martha Domme Martin J. Doviak Robert B. Engstrom Jackie Ericksen David Fillmore Blake & Liz Forbes George & Karen Gibbs Ginger Grossetete Elene & Robert Gusch Kerry L. Harmon Jo Ellen Head Heidi Hilland Glenn & Susan Hinchcliffe Bryan “Lance” & Debrah Hurt Nancy Joste Julia Kavet M.J. Kircher Ralph & Heather Kiuttu Larry W. Langford Susan Lentz Claire Lissance Morgan MacFadden James & Marilyn Mallinson Nicholle Maniaci & John Witiuk Martha Ann Miller & Henry Pocock Robert & Phyllis Moore Cary & Evelyn Morrow Edward & Nancy Naimark Geri Newton Bob & Bonnie Paine James Porcher Dan & Billie Pyzel Mary Raje Ray A. Reeder Judith Roderick Dick & Mary Ruddy John Sale & Deborah Dobransky Katherine Saltzstein Laurel Sharp & David Smukler Catherine Smith-Hartwig Cynthia Sontag Frances Steinbach Linda Trowbridge

Kevin & Laurel Welch Jeffrey West Charles & Linda White Roland & Wendy Wiele Diane Zavitz, in memory of Pat & Ray Harwick Linda R. Zipp, MD 4/3/2022

New Mexico Philharmonic Foundation DONORS & TRUSTEES The McKinnon Family Foundation Lee Blaugrund Charles, Trustee, & Eugenia Eberle Barbara Rivers, Trustee Robert & Frances Fosnaugh Thomas Martin, Trustee, & Cynthia Phillips Stephen, Trustee, & Maureen Baca Estate of Marian Ausherman Chavez Dr. Dean Yannias William E. Cates Mary Baca (aka Betty) Christine Kilroy Keith Gilbert Ann & Robert Boland Thomas & Edel Mayer Robert Milne David Northrop John & Karen Schlue Susan Spaven Tyler M. Mason Jerald Parker Richard VanDongen Roland Gerencer Jonathan Hewes George Thomas Richard Zabell & Teresa Apple Scott Obenshain Sydney (Al) & Melissa Stotts Marian & Jennifer Tanau Charles & Judith Gibbon Alice J. Wolfsberg Scott & Carol Schaffer Joel & Sandra Baca Dorothy M. Barbo Henry & Jennifer Bohnhoff Clarke & Mary Cagle Kenneth Conwell II Bob & Greta Dean Howard & Debra Friedman Robert & Jean Gough Justin Griffin Mike & Blanche Griffin Mary Herring Elisa Kephart Alan Lebeck Sonnet & Ian McKinnon James O’Neill W. Pierce & Joyce Ostrander Clifford Richardson III Jacquelyn Robins Jay Rodman & Wendy Wilkins John Rogers Heinz & Barbara Schmitt Michael & Janet Sjulin Peter & Judy Weinreb

Jim Zabilski & Sue Johnson Marlin E. Kipp Thomas & Greta Keleher Susanne Brown Michael Dexter Thomas M. Domme Martha Egan David Espey John Homko Frances Koenig Letitia Morris Michael & Judy Muldawer Ken & Diane Reese Jeff Romero Nancy Scheer Neda Turner Michael Wallace Thomas & Ann Wood Anonymous Maria Stevens John & Julie Kallenbach Kay F. Richards Stan & Gay Betzer Kenneth & Jane Cole Leonard Duda Mary E. Lebeck Robert & Judy Lindeman Martha A. Miller Betsy Nichols Lee Reynis Warren & Rosemary Saur John & Patricia Stover Leonard & Stephanie Armstrong Robert Bower & Kathryn Fry Christopher Calder & Betsey Swan Judith & Thomas Christopher Fran DiMarco Dr. Lauro G. Guaderrama Lawrence & Anne Jones Karen Lanin Geri Newton Edward Rose Christine Sauer James Sharp & Janice Bandrofchak Rae Lee Siporin Bruce Thompson & Phyllis Taylor Lawrence & Katherine Anderson Douglas & Dianne Bailey Edie Beck Jeffrey Bridges A.J. Carson Thomas & Elizabeth Dodson Harry & June Ettinger Helen Feinberg Carl Glenn Guist Fletcher & Laura Hahn Robert & Linda Malseed Robert & Rebecca Parker Elizabeth Perkett Shelley Roberts Thomas Roberts & Leah Albers Gruia-Catalin Roman Donald & Carol Tallman continued on 26

The New Mexico Philharmonic

nmphil.org

25


DONOR CIRCLES . continued from 25 Peter & Mary Tannen Rosario Fiallos James & Ann Breeson Carl & Jeannette Keim Andrea Kilbury Linda McNiel Albert & Shanna Narath David & Cynthia Nartonis Ray Reeder Charles & Ruth Snell Henry & Ettajane Conant Nancy Hill Daniel T. O’Shea Charles & Linda White Dal Jensen Charlotte McLeod David Peterson 505 Southwest Auto Ninon Adams David Baca Mark & Beth Berger Charleen Bishop John Bowers & B.J. Fisher Eric R. Brock & Mae S. Yee Camille Carstens Joseph Cella Robert Chamberlin Dennis Chavez Development Corp Olinda Chavez Helene Chenier Hugh & Kathleen Church James Cole Barbara L. Daniels Drina Denham Jerry & Susan Dickinson Vicky Estrada-Bustillo Alfred & Patricia Green Peter Gregory Karen Halderson Samuel & Laila Hall Herman Haase Jo Ellen Head Kiernan Holliday Michael & Sandra Jerome Robert H. & Mary D. Julyan Julia Kavet Henry Kelly Robert & Toni Kingsley Walter & Allene Kleweno, in memory of Pegg Macy Gerald Knorovsky L.D. & Karen Linford Betty Max Logan Douglas Madison Elizabeth Davis Marra Salvatore Martino Donald McQuarie Dr. William Moffatt James B. & Mary Ann Moreno Cary & Evelyn Morrow Karen Mosier David & Marilyn Novat Richard & Dolly O’Leary

26

Maureen Oakes Eric P. Parker Michael Pierson & Jane Ferris Karla Puariea Russell & Elizabeth Raskob George & Sheila Richmond Margaret E. Roberts Matthew Roberts Judith Roderick Marian Schreyer Drs M. Steven Shackley & Kathleen L. Butler Joseph Shepherd & Julie Dunleavy Lillian Snyder Julianne Stangel Ronald T. Taylor Marta Terlecki Betty Tichich Marvin & Patricia Tillery Robert Tillotson Jorge Tristani (President, Denis Chavez Development) Harold & Darlene Van Winkle Lana Wagner Dale Webster Kevin & Laurel Welch Liza White Marc & Valerie Woodward Diana Zavitz Michael & Jeanine Zenge Linda R. Zipp MD Jeffrey G. Allen Marilyn Bowman Stephen & Merilyn Fish Lorraine B. Gordon Hareendra & Sanjani Kulasinghe David C. McGuire Jr. William & Cynthia Warren John Vittal Margaret Lieberman Judith Anderson Marcia Congdon Genevieve Davidge Winnie Devore Karen Duray Jackie Ericksen John & Nancy Garth Allison Gentile Andrea Granger Fred & Joan Hart Edgarton (E.R.) Haskin, Jr. Theresa Homisak Stephanie Kauffman Basil Korin Frederic & Joan March Cristina Pereyra Luana Ramsey J. Sapon & Allison Gentile Michael & Lisa Scherlacher John & Sherry Schwitz Beverly Simmons Alexandra Steen Kathleen Stratmoen

2021/22 Season / Volume 10 / No. 6

Dean Tooley Kenneth Wright Kenneth & Barbara Zaslow Andrew & Lisa Zawadzki Peter & Ann Ziegler Mary J. Zimmerman Alvin Zuckert Dante & Judie Cantrill Lori Johnson Douglas Cheney Martha Corley Barbara Killian Gary Mazaroff Theodore & Sue Bradigan-Trujillo Christopher Behl Mary Compton Henry Daise Arthur Flicker Andrew McDowell & Natalie Adolphi Claude Morelli Noel Pugach Bonnie Renfro Elizabeth Stevens Arthur Alpert Stanley & Helen Hordes Edward & Carol Ann Dzienis Bob Crain Denise Fligner & Terry Edwards Stephen Schoderbek Krys & Phil Custer Deborah Peacock & Nathan Korn Rita Leard Carol Diggelman Paul Isaacson Sarah Barlow Martin & Ursula Frick Robert & Phyllis Moore Gary & Nina Thayer Sharon Moynahan & Gerald Moore Jeffrey West Ina Miller Bruce Miller Julie Kaved Jeffery & Jane Lawrence Dolores Teubner Ronald & Sara Friederich Elen Feinberg Volti Subito Productions Melbourn & Dorothy Bernstein 4/3/2022


NMPHIL .

Sponsors & Grants

The concerts of the New Mexico Philharmonic are supported in part by the City of Albuquerque Department of Cultural Services, the Bernalillo County, and the Albuquerque Community Foundation.

Sound Applause

Albuquerque Community Foundation albuquerquefoundation.org

Hotel Andaluz hotelandaluz.com

Bernalillo County bernco.gov

Century Bank mycenturybank.com

City of Albuquerque cabq.gov

Computing Center Inc. cciofabq.com

D’Addario Foundation daddariofoundation.org

French Funerals & Cremations frenchfunerals.com

Gardenswartz Realty

Haverland Carter Lifestyle Group

Holmans USA holmans.com

Hunt Family Foundation huntfamilyfoundation.com

John Moore Associates johnmoore.com

Keleher & McLeod keleher-law.com

Menicucci Insurance Agency mianm.com

Meredith Foundation

Moss Adams mossadams.com

Music Guild of New Mexico musicguildofnewmexico.org

New Mexico Arts nmarts.org

New Mexico Gas Company nmgco.com

Olga Kern International Piano Competition olgakerncompetition.org

RBC Wealth Management rbcwealthmanagement.com

Sandia Foundation sandiafoundation.org

Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union slfcu.org

Scalo Italian Restaurant scaloabq.com

United Way of Central New Mexico uwcnm.org

Urban Enhancement Trust Fund cabq.gov/uetf

The Verdes Foundation verdesfoundation.org

GARDENSWARTZ REALTY

SUPPORT YOUR NMPHIL Interested in becoming a sponsor of the NMPhil? Call Today! (505) 323-4343.

The New Mexico Philharmonic

nmphil.org

27


Affordable to buy, affordable to own. Decision made. With a Certified Pre-Owned Mercedes-Benz, driving the car of your dreams is a lot closer than you think. Each of our Certified Pre-Owned vehicles undergoes a rigorous inspection process, and now, get added confidence with our new unlimited mileage warranty, delivering continued assurance for up to three years.* Plus, enjoy three months’ SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Visit us today for exceptional offers.

Proud Sponsor of New Mexico Philharmonic Alameda & Pan American (505) 821-4000 • mercedesabq.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.