Winter Orchestra Concert, December 2021

SHAKER HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL ORCHESTRAS present a

Winter Concert

7:30 p.m.

Monday, December 13, 2021 Shaker Heights High School Large Auditorium Donna Jelen, Conductor

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Program String Orchestra Carmen Suite............................ Georges Bizet, arr. Todd Parish I. Aragonaise II. Habanera Rhosymedre........................................ Ralph Vaughan Williams, arr. Douglas E. Wagner Sanseneon................................................................Robert S. Frost

Chamber Orchestra Concerto for Two Violins in d minor...Johann Sebastian Bach, . arr. William Zinn I. Vivace Concerto in c minor...........................................Henri Casadesus I. Allegro molto ma maestoso Concerto for Two Cellos in g minor................. Antonio Vivaldi I. Allegro The Elephant (from Carnival of the Animals)...................Camille Saint-Saëns, arr. Willliam Rich Serenade for Strings, op. 48............. Pyotor Ilyich Tchaikovsky I. Andante ma non troppo - Allegro moderato - Adante ma non troppo 2

String Orchestra Violin 1 Simon BrueningWright Beau Gingerich Kai Hairston Harrison Lauritsen, Concertmaster Nadiyah Marshall Amir Midgett Nate Milgram Thomas Okoben Katie Rusnak Zara Troupe Sofia Zucca Violin 2 Miranda Burrell Katie Escobedo Will Gainford Abby Haffke Hannah Hanley Jack Lamb

Vivian Megenhardt* Elliot Miller Chris’Shawn Robinson Del Sanders Benjamin Wu Viola Larae Alexander John Butler David Hackney Ingrid Holda Carter Marston Julius Maximo* Angel Rosales Allen Seats Kameron Walls Cello Kaleigh Armstrong Seth Fields

KEY * - Principal

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Annika Gulani Rayne James Adrien Kirkpatrick Sophie Marblestone Sanaa Miller Christian Mosley Amara Nickerson Lain Patton Ciarra Price Robin Ritley Kaia Sharma Patrick Smith Kiran Warrier* Bass Will Berick Michael Better Roberto BigioGonzalez Samayah Bradley Adam Diaz*

Chamber Orchestra Violin I Lizzy Huang, Concertmaster Emily Boron Annestelle Hipwell James Rhodes Linnea Koops Nico Moulthrop Duncan Lockwood Nora von der Heydt Tomas Halldorsson Helen Zhu Maria Pitas Violin II Eva Xiao * Veronika Weyer Asha Jha

Carmen JoachimsmeyerGordon Alex Markland Laila Christian Liat Browner Rahil Rizvi Annabel Coxon Delilah Burton Ryan Stewart Sophie Grimes Viola Talia Proweller * Derich Plaxico Catherine Bachovchin Taye Ziv

KEY * - Principal

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Cello Avery Maytin * Matthew Huang Amelia Proweller Nichele Abeyesundere Sam Grube Ruth Wilson Ashlyn Inouye Nathan Ballman Anna Helwig Lukas Verhage Cole Lauritsen Jacob Zeng Inaemi Doibo Sophia Rose Bass Jonathan Jacques * Johnathan Kallergis

String Orchestra Program Notes Carmen Suite: The first piece performed by String Orchestra tonight is a selection of music from George Bizet’s opera Carmen.

Carmen was first performed in Paris in 1875, where its breaking of conventions shocked and scandalized its first audiences. (Bizet died suddenly after the 33rd performance, unaware that his work would survive this initial response and achieve international acclaim within the following ten years.) The opera is set in southern Spain and tells the story of the downfall of Don Jose, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery Carmen. The opera’s depictions of proletarian life, immorality, and lawlessness, along with the tragic death of the main character on stage, broke new ground in French opera and were highly controversial.

Carmen has since become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the classical canon; in particular, the Habanera from Act 1 is one of the best known of all operatic arias.

Rhosymedre: Rarely does a work of such exceptional beauty leave such a lasting impression on the classical music world as has been the case for close to a century with Vaughan William’s Rhosymedre, Number 2 of his Three Preludes for organ. The title refers to a quaint village in northeast Wales where John David Edwards, the writer of the original hymn tune, lived and worked as a vicar for some time. The prelude has been arranged for other instruments or combinations of instruments, including string orchestra, wind ensemble, solo piano, piano duet, clarinet choir and even four recorders. The composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams, is one of the most prominent British classical composers of all time. He is credited with bringing a new voice to British Classical 5

String Orchestra Program Notes cont. music, one that was largely free from what previously were strong German influences. After a brief introduction, the hymn tune is presented twice, once by violas and cellos combined and followed closely by first violins. Juxtaposed with the solemn and tranquil chorale tune is another melodic landscape of swirling eighth notes and intricate counterpoint among the sections of the orchestra.

Students in String Orchestra have described this music as relaxing, tranquil, and smooth.

Sanseneon: A Shaker Orchestra favorite, Sanseneon was commissioned by the Ohio Music Education Association District II Teachers and Junior High Festival Committee for a special orchestra festival performance on March 4, 2000. The title is a portmanteau of the names of the counties represented at the festival: Sandusky, Seneca, Erie, and Huron. Students enjoy this piece because of its strong melodies and catchy groove, while Ms. Jelen appreciates how it teaches students to shift and play those ever-elusive Eb’s with confidence.

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Chamber Orchestra Program Notes This evening’s Chamber Orchestra lineup begins with four pieces originally meant to be played by soloists with orchestral accompaniment. While solo concerto performances are inarguably a milestone for any young musician, we decided to take this opportunity for all of our students to learn these solo parts, effectively featuring every member of the orchestra.

Chamber Orchestra will begin with the opening movement of Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins - the “Bach Double.” A warhorse of the baroque violin repertoire, the Bach Double consists of a chatty and at times combative dialogue between dueling violin sections, with the viola, cello and bass parts joining in on the fun with their own cheeky commentary.

Next we will perform the opening movement of the Casadesus Viola Concerto in c minor. This piece has spurious origins; it was long attributed to J.C. Bach (one of J.S. Bach’s composer sons) but is now believed to have been penned by Henri Casadesus “in the style of J.C. Bach.” Regardless of its parentage, this piece is a fantastic showcase for our powerhouse viola section.

We follow the Casadesus/J.C. Bach with the opening movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos. Once our cellos get settled into their Vivaldi seating, you will see the left side of the section perform the Cello I part while the right side performs Cello II. Unlike the Bach Double, these parts hold hands both rhythmically and harmonically, and while there is the occasional crosstalk, the energy here is more cooperative than competitive.

The next piece is a very clever arrangement of The Elephant from 7

Chamber Orchestra Program Notes cont.

Carnival of the Animals. Camille Saint-Saens wrote this piece as a “bit of fun,” never intending for it to be widely or even publicly performed. Published posthumously (as specified in his will), the Carnival of the Animals quickly became one of Saint-Saens’ best-known works. In The Elephant, he takes bits of high-pitched melodies from Mendelssohn and Berlioz and orchestrates the remix for the lowest instrument in the orchestra.

Chamber Orchestra closes the program tonight with the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. Unlike the previous four works, this piece is being performed this evening exactly as written. It is typically performed with a conductor, but our students decided that they would rather perform tonight as a true chamber orchestra: no conductor, with all tempos and cues led by section leaders and performed collaboratively. While the Serenade is a purely instrumental work, the students have been encouraged by Ms. Jelen to think of it as ballet music, since almost every composition of Tchaikovsky could easily be choreographed (and indeed this one was choreographed, famously, by George Balanchine).

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2021-22 CALENDAR *all dates and events are tentative

Pre-Tour Concert and Meeting March 21, 2022, 6:30 p.m.

SHHS Large Auditorium Choir and Orchestra Tour to Spain March 23-31, 2022 Spring Orchestra Concert May 13, 2022, 7:30 p.m.

SHHS Large Auditorium Choir & Chamber Orchestra Banquet & Senior Showcase Concert May 23, 2021, 6 p.m.

SHHS Large Auditorium & Lower Cafeteria

Stay connected with the Shaker Schools!

For news and updates, visit www.shaker.org Follow the District: For Shaker Schools @shakerschools @shaker_schools

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Spotlight on the Violin Section

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Shaker Schools Foundation • SSF was the first foundation in Ohio to support a public school system when it launched in 1981.

• SSF covers what tax dollars cannot, enriching and expanding opportunities for learning — in and beyond classrooms.

• SSF raises and distributes funds for academics, arts, athletics, student opportunity assistance, technology and co-curriculars.

Through the generous support of individual donors, community partners and grants from corporations and foundations, we are able to make a difference in the lives of all Shaker students at every grade level throughout the Shaker Heights City School District.

For more information, or to donate online, visit SSF’s website at shakerschoolsfoundation.org.

Acknowledgments The Shaker Orchestras would like to extend special thanks to: Chuck Tisdale for his valuable stage expertise CHORD (Choir and Orchestra Devotees), for their enthusiastic and generous support The Madeline and Dennis Block Fund The Shaker Schools Foundation Eric Juli and the entire SHHS administrative team The Shaker choir and band faculty, for being supportive, collegial, and inspiring All parents and private teachers of Shaker Orchestra students – you have made this performance possible!