COPLAND & DVOŘÁK SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2021 | 8PM
Filmed and recorded live from Meymandi Concert Hall Woolner Stage Raleigh
The North Carolina Symphony, in grateful acknowledgment of its generous grant-in-aid, performs under the auspices of the State of North Carolina, the Honorable Roy Cooper, Governor.
The North Carolina Symphony gratefully acknowledges financial support from Wake County, the City of Raleigh, and the Town of Cary.
THE MUSIC Will PLAY ON!
PERFORMED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY
STREAMING SERIES
Subscribe to the 7-concert series and save! APPALACHIAN SPRING
SAT, APR 17, 2021 | 8PM
Andrew Grams, conductor Copland: Suite from Appalachian Spring Mozart: Symphony No. 33
SAT, MAY 22, 2021 | 8PM Brett Mitchell, conductor Joan Tower: Chamber Dance Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
SAT, MAY 8, 2021 | 8PM
Aram Demirjian, conductor Augustin Hadelich, violin Beethoven: Violin Concerto
SAT, JUNE 12, 2021 | 8PM Wesley Schulz, conductor Cirque de la Symphonie returns for an all-new program with dazzling feats of strength and grace. Acrobats, aerial flyers, contortionists, and strongmen perform awe-inspiring choreography to orchestral favorites that will thrill audiences of all ages. Concert Sponsor: UNC Health
THE KRUGER BROTHERS
Concert Sponsor: The Cypress of Raleigh
POPS AROUND THE WORLD
SAT, MAY 15, 2021 | 8PM Sarah Hicks, conductor Take a musical journey around the world with guest pops conductor Sarah Hicks and the Symphony—from close-to-home gems like Georgia on My Mind, to music from faraway lands including the Argentinian tangos of Piazzolla, and much more. Concert Sponsor: First Citizens Bank
FILMED AT
919.733.2750
DATES, PROGRAMS, ARTISTS, PRICES, & VENUES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, PENDING CURRENT HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES
This concert has been postponed. Concert Sponsor: First Citizens Bank
AUGUSTIN HADELICH
BEETHOVEN VIOLIN CONCERTO
CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE
CELEBRATE 250 YEARS OF BEETHOVEN
with powerful programs that illuminate his genius.
CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE
SAT, APR 24, 2021 | 8PM Wesley Schulz, conductor Enjoy your Ragtime-era favorites with iconic music by Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton including The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag, and King Porter Stomp.
SARAH HICKS
Concert Sponsor: Penick Village
RAGTIME KINGS
ncsymphony.org
BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 4
RAGTIME KINGS
April 2021–June 2021
COPLAND & DVOŘÁK Saturday, April 10, 2021 | 8pm
Filmed and recorded live from Meymandi Concert Hall Woolner Stage
Raleigh Thomas Wilkins, conductor Samuel Almaguer, clarinet Joseph Peters, host
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Clarinet Concerto Slowly and expressively – Cadenza – Rather fast
Antonín Dvořák Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22 (1841-1904) I. Moderato II. Tempo di valse III. Scherzo: Vivace IV. Larghetto IV. Finale: Allegro vivace
CONCERT SPONSOR
NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY • 3
Thank you to the North Carolina Symphony Society Board of Trustees, the North Carolina Symphony Foundation Board, the North Carolina Symphony Chapter Boards, and the many individuals, businesses, foundations, and community partners who support the North Carolina Symphony through contributions each season. Our performances this season, along with our extensive music education program and community service across the state, are made possible by your support. View North Carolina Symphony board members here and a list of our supporters here.
LEARN MORE
Take a moment to be calm, present, and mindful, with our Musical Meditations series—pairing selections from our audio archives with breathtaking scenes from North Carolina State Parks!
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4 • NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY
SUPPORTED BY
PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
ABOUT THE MUSIC
Clarinet Concerto
Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22
AARON COPLAND
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK
THE STORY:
THE STORY:
• Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto was commissioned in 1947 by jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman, the King of Swing, for $2,000. Goodman maintained exclusivity on performance rights to the work for two years.
• Antonín Dvořák composed his Serenade for Strings in just two weeks, during a very joyous time in his life. He was happily married, and he and his wife had recently welcomed their first son. At age 34, Dvořák felt confident in his success as a composer for the first time in his life and was finally living without fear of poverty, having been awarded a yearly allowance from the Austrian government.
• Copland did not consult with Goodman while he was composing the concerto, but gave him the score to review after it was completed. Goodman felt that some of the technical elements were above his confidence level, and he marked suggestions which Copland then incorporated into the final version. • Premiered by Goodman in 1950, Copland’s concerto is the first American clarinet concerto to enter into the standard repertoire. • Goodman made two recordings of the concerto with Copland conducting; his interpretation is very classical. • The concerto is scored for solo clarinet, strings, harp, and piano. Copland used the double basses and harp to create percussive effects. He wrote, “I did not have a large battery of percussion to achieve jazzy effects, so I used slapping basses and whacking harp sounds to simulate them.”
• Each of the five movements, except for the last, roughly follows A–B–A form. Although the character shifts with each movement, the music is enchanting, elegant, and gracious throughout. • A review from the work’s premiere in Prague in 1876 read: “It would indeed be difficult for us to decide which of the movements would deserve the prize. They are all so interesting in overall thought conception and in thematic work, and also clear in their overall design, that they will surely be received as favorably everywhere as each of them was on this occasion.” LISTEN FOR:
• The concerto is in an unusual form—with two movements rather than three, performed without pause and linked by a cadenza.
• The immediate introduction of the main theme by the second violins and cellos at the beginning of the first movement, Moderato
LISTEN FOR:
• The slight variation to the ending of the “A” section each time it appears in the second movement—first, the “A” section concludes with a melancholy C-sharp minor chord, but when it returns at the end of the movement, it concludes with a brighter C-sharp major chord
• The lyricism of the first movement—one of Copland’s most melodious creations • Hints of Leonard Bernstein’s musical style in the clarinet’s solo cadenza linking the two movements • Latin American jazz themes in the second movement— in particular, Copland referenced a popular Brazilian tune that he heard while in Rio de Janeiro • The elaborate coda at the conclusion of the concerto, ending with a clarinet glissando—or “smear,” in jazz lingo
• The development of the main theme in various tempos and moods in the third movement • In the Larghetto, hints of a theme from the middle section of the previous movement • In the finale, quotations from the main theme of the opening movement
NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY • 5
Thank you to the members of the Lamar Stringfield Society who support the future of your North Carolina Symphony with estate gifts and endowed funds. Their generosity will help the orchestra share the power of music for generations to come.
Want to make music part of your legacy? To learn more about including the Symphony in your estate plans, contact Rebecca Watkins, Director of Major Gifts & Planning Giving, rwatkins@ncsymphony.org or 919.789.5497
Please consider making a gift to the Annual Fund.
Your gift will count toward the 2020/21 State Challenge Grant, multiplying your generosity even more!
Click here to make a gift online or call 919.733.2750 or toll free 877.627.6724. We are re-imagining donor benefits for this unique time, including opportunities to meet our musicians and go behind the scenes virtually. Click here to learn more.
6 • NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY
SUPPORT STATEWIDE SERVICE THROUGH MUSIC
With creativity and innovation, your North Carolina Symphony remains committed to serving our state with inspiring music and meaningful music education programs.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS Thomas Wilkins, conductor Thomas Wilkins is Music Director of the Omaha Symphony and Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. He also serves as the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Artistic Advisor for Education and Community Engagement and holds Indiana University’s Henry A. Upper Chair of Orchestral Conducting. Previously Resident Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and The Florida Orchestra and Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony, he also has served on the music faculties of North Park University (Chicago), the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. He has led orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and The Cleveland Orchestra. He previously conducted the North Carolina Symphony in the 2017 New Year’s Eve concert. In 2018, Thomas was awarded the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award for the Elevation of Music in Society, conferred by the Longy School of Music of Bard College. Other honors include the Virginia Symphony’s Dreamer Award in 2019 and the “Outstanding Artist” award at the Nebraska Governor’s Arts Awards in 2014. His commitment to community has been demonstrated on several boards of directors in Omaha, St. Petersburg, and Tampa Bay. Currently he serves as chairman of the board for the Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund and as national ambassador for the non-profit World Pediatric Project, which provides children throughout Central America and the Caribbean with critical surgical and diagnostic care. A native of Norfolk, Thomas is a graduate of the Shenandoah Conservatory and the New England Conservatory. He and his wife Sheri-Lee are the proud parents of twin daughters, Erica and Nicole.
Samuel Almaguer, clarinet The Mr. and Mrs. J. Christopher Walker, II Chair A native of San Antonio, Samuel Almaguer is Principal Clarinet of the North Carolina Symphony and previously played second clarinet with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician, he most recently was a member of Incontri Musicali in Spoleto, Italy. His performances have been broadcast on WGBH Boston, WUNC, and on local television in Los Angeles. At a young age he was featured on National Public Radio’s From the Top with pianist Christopher O’Riley. Samuel’s appearances with the North Carolina Symphony as a featured artist include performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in 2018 for concerts in Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, and New Bern. He has also been featured as a guest artist with the Festival of Contemporary Music at Tanglewood and Wild Up! in Los Angeles. He received his undergraduate degree at The Colburn School in Los Angeles and attended Rice University for graduate studies. While in school, he was a fellow at both the Tanglewood Music Center and Music Academy of the West. His primary teachers include Yehuda Gilad, Richie Hawley, and Ilya Shterenberg. He was a 2013 Vandoren Emerging Artist. Joseph Peters, host Joseph Peters has been North Carolina Symphony Associate Principal Oboe and English Horn since 2018, and previously held Principal Oboe chairs with the Minnesota Orchestra and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. To his role as host for this season’s streaming concerts, Joseph brings a great love for teaching and communication. He has also conducted the Symphony twice, most recently for last month’s Music From the Movies concert.
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ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL Grant Llewellyn, Music Director Laureate The Maxine and Benjamin Swalin Chair
Janet Gayer Hall
Wesley Schulz, Associate Conductor The Lucy Moore Ruffin Chair
Anton Shelepov
VIOLIN I Brian Reagin, Concertmaster The Annabelle Lundy Fetterman Chair Dovid Friedlander, Associate Concertmaster** The Assad Meymandi and Family Chair Karen Strittmatter Galvin, Associate Concertmaster* To Be Filled, Assistant Concertmaster The Anne Heartt Gregory Chair
Oskar Ozolinch
Jeanine Wynton VIOLA Samuel Gold, Principal The Florence Spinks and Charles Jacob Cate and Alma Yondorf and Sylvan Hirschberg Chair Kurt Tseng, Associate Principal The Betty Ellen Madry Chair To Be Filled, Assistant Principal Petra Berényi
DOUBLE BASS Leonid Finkelshteyn, Principal The Martha and Peyton Woodson Chair Robert K. Anderson, Associate Principal The Dr. and Mrs. Preston H. Gada Chair Craig Brown The Mark W. McClure Foundation Chair Erik Dyke The Harllee H. and Pauline G. Jobe Chair Bruce Ridge The John C. and Margaret P. Parker Chair FLUTE Anne Whaley Laney, Principal The Mr. and Mrs. George M. Stephens Chair
Robert Anemone**
Paul Malcolm
Emily Rist Glover The Jessie Wyatt Ethridge Chair
Christine Martin
Mary E. Boone, Assistant Principal The Dr. and Mrs. Shaler Stidham, Jr. Chair
Amy Mason The J. Sidney Kirk Chair
Elizabeth Anderton Lunsford The Jack and Sing Boddie Chair
Paul Goldsberry The Richard and Joy Cook Chair So Yun Kim The Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. Chair Marilyn Kouba The Phyllis (“Pat”) Conrad Wells Chair Eric McCracken The James C. Byrd and Family Chair Maria Meyer The Tom and Mary Mac Bradshaw Chair Eileen Wynne The Harvey At-Large Chair Erin Zehngut The J. Felix Arnold Chair VIOLIN II Jacqueline Saed Wolborsky, Principal The Nancy Finch Wallace Chair
Sandra Schwarcz The Samuel H. and Anne Latham Johnson Viola Chair CELLO Bonnie Thron, Principal The Herman and Marga Roberg Chair Elizabeth Beilman, Associate Principal The Sarah Carlyle Herbert Dorroh Chair Peng Li, Assistant Principal Anonymously Endowed Yewon Ahn Anonymously Endowed Sunrise Kim The William Charles Rankin Chair David Meyer The Nell Hirschberg Chair
PICCOLO Elizabeth Anderton Lunsford The Jean Dunn Williams Chair OBOE Melanie Wilsden, Principal The Hardison and Stoltze Chair Joseph Peters, Associate Principal The Lizette T. Dunham Chair Sandra Posch The Clarence and Alice Aycock Poe Chair ENGLISH HORN Joseph Peters The Bruce and Margaret King Chair
To Be Filled, Associate Principal The Blanche Martin Shaw Chair
Lisa Howard Shaughnessy The Sara Wilson Hodgkins Chair
CLARINET Samuel Almaguer, Principal The Mr. and Mrs. J. Christopher Walker, II Chair
David Kilbride, Assistant Principal
Nathaniel Yaffe The Secretary of Cultural Resources Betty Ray McCain Chair
To Be Filled, Assistant Principal The Kathryn Powell and Green Flavie Cooper Chair
Qi Cao
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BASSOON Aaron Apaza, Principal The Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald S. Hudson Chair Wenmin Zhang, Assistant Principal The Beethoven Chair FRENCH HORN Rebekah Daley, Principal The Mary T. McCurdy Chair Kimberly Van Pelt, Associate Principal The James Marion Poyner Chair Christopher Caudill The Roger Colson and Bobbi Lyon Hackett Chair Rachel Niketopoulos The Paul R. Villard and Gabriel Wolf Chair To Be Filled The Mary Susan Kirk Fulghum Chair TRUMPET Paul Randall, Principal The George Smedes Poyner Chair To Be Filled, Associate Principal The Henry and Martha Zaytoun and Family Chair Don Eagle Anonymously Endowed
TROMBONE John Ilika, Principal The Thomas Warwick Steed, Jr. Family Chair Jonathan Randazzo, Assistant Principal The Frances Armour Bryant Chair BASS TROMBONE Matthew Neff Anonymously Endowed TUBA Seth Horner, Principal The Governor and Mrs. James G. Martin, Jr. Chair HARP Anita Burroughs-Price Vonda Darr TIMPANI Colin Hartnett, Principal The Patricia R., Steven T. and George F. Hackney III Chair PERCUSSION Richard Motylinski, Principal The Margery and Earl Johnson, Jr. Chair Rajesh Prasad, Assistant Principal The Abram and Frances Pascher Kanof Chair
SHARE YOUR SYMPHONY EXPERIENCE
ORGAN To Be Filled The Albert and Susan Jenkins and Family Organ Chair LIBRARY Stephanie Wilson, Principal The Mary Colvert and Banks C. Talley Chair *Acting position **Leave of absence Named musician chairs are made possible through very meaningful gifts to the Symphony’s endowment. As such, these donor families are also members of the Lamar Stringfield Society. Learn more. All string players rotate stands on a periodic basis in each section with the exception of titled players: Principals, Associate Principals, and Assistant Principals. The North Carolina Symphony is a member of the League of American Orchestras and the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians. The North Carolina Master Chorale is the Resident Chorus of the North Carolina Symphony. The North Carolina Symphony Foundation gratefully acknowledges the generous gift of the Lupot violin from Arnold and Zena Lerman.
Show us how you’re spending Symphony night! Are you hosting a “watch party” with the family? Enjoying dinner with a friend beforehand? Mixing a special cocktail to accompany the music? Snuggled up with a pet as you listen?
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CORPORATE SUPPORT 2020/21 SEASON The North Carolina Symphony is grateful for the generous support of the many corporations across the state that have partnered with us to sustain and advance the mission of the orchestra. With their help, the music WILL play on.
SUSTAINERS
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PARTNERS
10 • NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY