MUSIC FOR STRINGS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021
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.
SAMUEL ALMAGUER
PERFORMED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY
STREAMING SERIES
February 2021–June 2021
APPALACHIAN SPRING
SAT, APR 17, 2021 | 8PM
Timothy Myers, conductor Karen Strittmatter Galvin, violin Erin Zehngut, violin Elgar: Introduction and Allegro Walker: Lyric for Strings Philip Glass: Echorus Grieg: Holberg Suite
Andrew Grams, conductor Copland: Suite from Appalachian Spring Mozart: Symphony No. 33
TCHAIKOVSKY SERENADE
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.
Concert Sponsor: Galloway Ridge
RAGTIME KINGS
SAT, APR 24, 2021 | 8PM
Concert Sponsor: Penick Village
CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE
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.
BEETHOVEN VIOLIN CONCERTO
SAT, MAY 8, 2021 | 8PM
Aram Demirjian, conductor Augustin Hadelich, violin Beethoven: Violin Concerto
SAT, MAR 27, 2021 | 8PM Joseph Peters, conductor Relive your favorite classical music moments in film history, including music from Amadeus, Harry Potter, Platoon, The Lord of the Rings, The Godfather, Psycho, and more! Concert Sponsor: UNC Health
COPLAND & DVOŘÁK
SAT, APR 10, 2021 | 8PM
Thomas Wilkins, conductor Samuel Almaguer, clarinet Copland: Clarinet Concerto Dvořák: Serenade for Strings
Concert Sponsor: The Cypress of Raleigh
Concert Sponsor: UNC Health
POPS AROUND THE WORLD
February 20, 2021 concert has been postponed.
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-tohome gems like Georgia on My Mind, to music from faraway lands including the Argentinian tangos of Piazzolla, and much more.
CELEBRATE 250 YEARS OF BEETHOVEN
with powerful programs that illuminate his genius.
FILMED AT
919.733.2750
DATES, PROGRAMS, ARTISTS, PRICES, & VENUES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, PENDING CURRENT HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES
Concert Sponsor: First Citizens Bank
MUSIC FROM THE MOVIES
Concert Sponsor: First Citizens Bank
Concert Sponsor: Galloway Ridge
THE KRUGER BROTHERS
CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE
MUSIC FROM THE MOVIES
ncsymphony.org
SAT, MAY 22, 2021 | 8PM Brett Mitchell, conductor Joan Tower: Chamber Dance Beethoven: Symphony No. 4
SARAH HICKS
SAT, MAR 13, 2021 | 8PM Andrew Grams, conductor Jessie Montgomery: Banner Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings Johann Strauss, Jr. and Joseph Strauss: Pizzicato Polka
BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 4
THOMAS WILKINS
MUSIC FOR STRINGS
SAT, FEB 27, 2021 | 8PM
AUGUSTIN HADELICH
THE MUSIC Will PLAY ON!
MUSIC FOR STRINGS Saturday, February 27, 2021 | 8pm
Filmed and recorded live from Meymandi Concert Hall Woolner Stage
Raleigh Timothy Myers, conductor Karen Strittmatter Galvin, violin Erin Zehngut, violin Joseph Peters, host
Edward Elgar Introduction and Allegro, Op. 47 (1857-1934)
George Walker (1922-2018)
Lyric for Strings
Philip Glass Echorus (b. 1937) Karen Strittmatter Galvin, violin Erin Zehngut, violin Edvard Grieg Holberg Suite, Op. 40 (1843-1907) I. Prelude II. Sarabande III. Gavotte and Musette IV. Air V. Rigaudon Echorus for Two Solo Violins and String Orchestra by Philip Glass © 1994 Dunvagen Music Publishers Inc. Used by Permission.
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ABOUT THE MUSIC
Introduction and Allegro, Op. 47 EDWARD ELGAR THE STORY:
• Classical music in England at the beginning of the 20th century was experiencing a rebirth, with outstanding works being composed by Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Benjamin Britten—arguably the country’s most famous composers since Handel. • Elgar was asked to compose a work for the newly established London Symphony Orchestra, to highlight their extraordinary string musicians. August Jaeger, the dedicatee of “Nimrod” from Elgar’s “Enigma” Variations, made the request. • In a nod to the Baroque, the orchestra is broken up into a string quartet and a larger string orchestra. This is reminiscent of the concerto grosso which sets a small group of musicians against a larger ensemble. • Beyond the string quartet, Elgar divides the string orchestra even further. Within each instrument section, there are often two or three separate parts being played simultaneously. In other words, though there are only four types of instruments on stage (violin, viola, cello, and double bass) there are often more than a dozen musical lines happening simultaneously! LISTEN FOR:
• The beautiful melody first played by the solo violist, which Elgar refers to as “the Welsh tune”—it came to him while on holiday in Cardiganshire where he overheard Welsh folksongs being sung • The way in which the different musical voices interact as they enter one at a time in the massive fugue of the brisk Allegro section
Lyric for Strings GEORGE WALKER THE STORY:
• As a student, George Walker won the Philadelphia Youth Auditions and performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting. • Walker was a trailblazer: He was the first Black American to graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music and to earn a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music. In 1996, he became the first Black American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his work for voice and orchestra, Lilacs. • His career spanned seven decades and his music has been performed by every major orchestra in the United States.
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• Lyric for Strings was written after the passing of Walker’s grandmother and is dedicated to her. • Originally the slow movement of Walker’s First String Quartet, an early name for this work was Lament. The melody is simultaneously mournful and radiant. LISTEN FOR: • The stillness of the opening, which gradually layers each voice in the string orchestra to create a beautiful F-sharp major chord • The main melody, formed by a conversation that weaves through the first violins, second violins, and violas • The powerful climax in the middle of the work, achieved through accented, heavy chords in alternation between the violins and lower strings
Echorus PHILIP GLASS THE STORY:
• A genre-defying artist, Glass has collaborated with diverse artists such as David Bowie, Twyla Tharp, and Allen Ginsberg. • Echorus is scored for two solo violins and string orchestra, and was written for violinists Edna Michell and Yehudi Menuhin. • The title derives from the word “echo.” • This music falls into the category of minimalism, a genre that Glass is credited with evolving. However, Glass does not care for the term “minimalism” and prefers to describe his music as having “repetitive structures.” LISTEN FOR: • A soft, regular pulsating rhythm from the solo violins that persists throughout the work—this sound world is a hallmark of the music of Philip Glass • Underneath the music from the solo violins, a descending line in the violas that repeats—this is reminiscent of the chaconne, a popular form of composition in the Baroque, in which variations were spun on top of a repeating bass line • The A–B–A structure—in the middle section, the solo violins play more long tones while the string orchestra accompanies with louder, driving quarter notes • The abrupt ending, which seems to suggest that the music might otherwise continue without pause into eternity
Holberg Suite, Op. 40 EDVARD GRIEG THE STORY:
• Grieg found his calling as a Romantic nationalist composer—much of his music is inspired by Norway’s geography and culture. He most frequently wrote for piano and voice. • In 1884, Grieg was asked by the town of Bergen, his hometown, to compose music for the 200th anniversary of the birth of the poet-dramatist Ludvig Holberg, who also lived in Bergen for a time. Grieg composed a cantata for male chorus as well as piano suite which he later orchestrated as a suite for strings—and which became known as the Holberg Suite.
• The stately three-beat meter of the Sarabande, a Spanishinspired dance • The low strings invoking the sound of bagpipes in the middle section of the elegant third movement • A switch from G major to G minor in the fourth movement, Air—a brief stop in melancholy • The breakneck speed of the final movement, Rigaudon, featuring solo violin and solo viola—think Norwegian fiddling!
• The suite is inspired by the Baroque—the era in which Holberg lived—drawing upon dance forms such as the sarabande, rigaudon, and gavotte. LISTEN FOR:
• Great swells of energy and fast-moving scales tumbling headlong from beginning to end in the first movement, Prelude
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.
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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.
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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 Timothy Myers, conductor Internationally acclaimed for his eloquence, energy, and command on the podium, Timothy Myers is driven by a wide breadth of repertoire and projects. This season, he became Principal Conductor of Austin Opera, where he has served as Artistic Advisor since 2018. His Austin tenure begins in March with a concert featuring Isabel Leonard, filmed for broadcast on PBS and international digital release, and a production of Tosca at the Circuit of the Americas amphiteater. Also this season, he builds on his long-time relationships with two institutions, filming David T. Little’s opera Vinkensport at Houston Grand Opera and conducting a subscription concert with the North Carolina Symphony, where he previously conducted 2016 concerts in Raleigh and Chapel Hill featuring Bach and Handel. In opera, highlights of recent seasons include debuts at the Santa Fe Opera and the Wexford Festival Opera, the world premiere of Joel Puckett’s The Fix at Minnesota Opera, and a new production of West Side Story at Houston Grand Opera. A protégé of Lorin Maazel, Timothy’s symphonic work has led him to work with orchestras including the American, Jerusalem, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Portland, Toledo, and Chautauqua symphony orchestras, as well as the Malaysian, Johannesburg, and Brooklyn philharmonic orchestras. From 2009 to 2018, he served as the Artistic and Music Director of North Carolina Opera. In the fall of 2020, he joined the Program for Leadership Development at the Harvard Business School, with an emphasis in innovation and strategy. Karen Strittmatter Galvin, violin Currently serving as North Carolina Symphony Acting Associate Concertmaster, Karen Strittmatter Galvin joined the orchestra as Assistant Concertmaster in 2007. She is also founder and curator of New Music Raleigh, a cuttingedge ensemble dedicated to performing the works of living composers. During the summer, she serves as an artist faculty member at Brevard Music Center where she teaches talented high school and college musicians.
Prince of Clouds for concerts in Raleigh, Wilmington, and Chapel Hill. Erin Zehngut, violin The J. Felix Arnold Chair Violinist Erin Zehngut joined the first violin section of the North Carolina Symphony in 2016. Before moving to North Carolina, she was a fellow with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. In her time there, she appeared as Concertmaster and Principal Second Violin, performed in chamber music projects, and was active in the symphony’s Community Engagement program. She taught and performed in Medellín, Colombia, for the Academia Filarmónica de Medellín; and also traveled to Meyrin, Switzerland, as the U.S. representative for a concert commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Nuclear Research Institute CERN. She has also performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, which she joined on its historic tour to Cuba. During the summers, she has served on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina, and also performs at the Lakes Area Music Festival in Minnesota. Erin earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. While in Cleveland, she performed with groups including the Canton Symphony Orchestra and Columbus Symphony Orchestra. She was also featured as a soloist with the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. When she’s not playing the violin, she loves to explore the outdoors, and enjoys running and playing tennis. 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. Please find bios for orchestra personnel performing on this evening’s concert linked on the following page.
Committed to the arts in her community, Karen has served on the board of the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild (now Chamber Music Raleigh), has taught at the University of North Carolina, maintains an active private teaching studio, and has performed and recorded with local rock bands. She has also performed during past summers with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and served as Associate Concertmaster of the Colorado Music Festival. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Karen began her musical training at the age of five after seeing the violin for the first time while watching Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. She received a bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland. Karen has been a frequent soloist with NCS, most recently performing with Jacqueline Saed Wolborsky on Anna Clyne’s NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY • 7
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?
Tag us in your posts! @ncsymphony #ncsymphony #TheMusicWillPlayOn NORTH CAROLINA SYMPHONY • 9
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
BENEFACTORS
PARTNERS
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