Festival Napa Valley 2021 Playbill

Page 1

FESTIVAL NAPA VALLEY JULY 16 – 25, 2021

season 15 | restarting the arts



SEASON 15

JULY 2021

TUESDAY, JULY 13

4

WEDNESDAY, JULY 14 9 THURSDAY, JULY 15 11 FRIDAY, JULY 16

16

SATURDAY, JULY 17 33 SUNDAY, JULY 18

36

MONDAY, JULY 19 40 TUESDAY, JULY 20 42 WEDNESDAY, JULY 21 48 THURSDAY, JULY 22

50

FRIDAY, JULY 23 55 SATURDAY, JULY 24

59

SUNDAY, JULY 25 68 BIOGRAPHIES 73 BLACKBURN MUSIC ACADEMY FACULTY

99

MUSIC ACADEMY PARTICIPANTS 100 MANETTI SHREM OPERA PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS

101

DONORS 102 SPONSORS 106 SPECIAL THANKS

108

WINERY PARTNERS 110 HOST FAMILIES & VOLUNTEERS 112 THE TEAM 113 SCHEDULE 114


board of directors executive committee Timothy Blackburn, Chairman

Kathryn Walt Hall

Darioush Khaledi, Founding Chair

Steven Stull, Treasurer

Philanthropist

Proprietor, Darioush Winery

Robin Baggett, Vice Chairman Proprietor, Alpha Omega Winery

Lauren Ackerman

Proprietor, Ackerman Family Vineyards and Ackerman Heritage House

Athena Blackburn Philanthropist

Jean-Charles Boisset

President, Boisset Collection

Antonio Castellucci

Proprietor, HALL Wines President and Founder, Advantage Capital Partners

Roger O. Walther

Chairman, Tusker Corporation

Maggie Oetgen Arts Patron

David Pearson CEO, Opus One

Sabrina Weyeneth Persson

Proprietor, Hess Family Wine Estates

Michael Polenske

Founder, Home Realty Investments

Chairman and Founder, Bespoke Collection & Blackbird Vineyards

Olivia Hsu Decker

Dario Sattui

Leslie Frank

Robert Torres

Owner & Publisher, Haute Living, San Francisico Magazine Proprietor, Frank Family Vineyards

Agustin Huneeus

Proprietor, Huneeus Wines

Richard Kramlich

CEO, Kramlich Investment Group

Larry Maguire

Vice Chairman-President Emeritus, Far Niente

Proprietor, V. Sattui & Castello di Amorosa Principal, Vice Chairman & Director of Trinchero Family Estates

John Trefethen

CEO, Trefethen Family Vineyards

W. Clarke Swanson

Proprietor, Swanson Family Estate

Michael Uytengsu

Proprietor, Tusk Estates

Kenneth Novack

Founding Partner, Schnitzer West

Festival Napa Valley is presented by Napa Valley Festival Association, a nonprofit public benefit corporation.

festival executives Richard Walker President & CEO

Charles Letourneau

Vice President & Artistic Director


OUR 5TH YEAR AS A PROUD MAJOR SPONSOR OF FESTIVAL NAPA VALLEY

ColorZone has served the Napa Valley for over 24 years. COVID-19 Signage

Fleet Signage

Retractables

Banners

Giclee

Trade Show Graphics

Booth Systems

Interior Signage

Vehicle Wraps

Decals

Labels - wine, food, etc.

Wall Coverings

Edge Wraps

Life-Size Coutouts

Window Clings

Exterior Signage

Meeting Signage

Large Format Printing Point of Purchase Displays

Digital UV Cured / Uses Less Energy From 1 to One Million and more Fast Turn Around 15 Minutes from Napa CALL FOR QUOTES OR TO TOUR OUR FACILITY.

4357 Park Road Benicia, CA 94510


T U E S DAY, J U LY 13 , 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

FESTIVAL LIVE! vocal recital Carlos Suárez, Baritone Conor Brereton, Tenor Jacquelyn Matava, Mezzo-Soprano Jonathan Patton, Baritone Jose Maldonado, Baritone Joseph Parrish, Bass-Baritone

Keaton Brown, Baritone Mark Covey, Bass-Baritone Megan Santora, Soprano Natalia Santaliz, Soprano Nathan Savant, Baritone

GIOACHINO ROSSINI (1792-1868) ”Largo al factotum” from Il barbiere di Siviglia (1860) GAETANO DONIZETTI (1797-1848) “Chacun le sait” from La fille du régiment (1840) GIOACHINO ROSSINI (1792-1868) “Come un'ape ne giorni d'Aprile” from La Cenerentola (1817) RICHARD STRAUSS (1864-1949) “Lieben, hassen, hoffen, zagen” from Ariadne auf Naxos (1912) GIACOMO PUCCINI (1858-1924) “Quando m'en vo” from La Boheme (1896) GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901) “Questa o quella” from Rigoletto (1851) GAETANO DONIZETTI (1797-1848) “Come Paride vezzoso” from L’elisir d’amore (1832) ALBERT LORTZING (1801-1851) “Fünftausend taler” from Der Wildschütz (1842) GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901) “Eri tu” from Un ballo in maschera (1859)

4


RICHARD STRAUSS (1864-1949) “Sein wir wieder gut (Komponist's aria)” from Ariadne auf Naxos (1912) GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901) “Come dal ciel precipita” from Macbeth (1847) INTERMISSION LÉO DELIBES (1836-1891) “Flower Duet” from Lakmé (1883) PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) “Amid the Din of the Ball” from 6 Romances, Op. 38 (1878) FRANZ LEHÁR (1870-1948) “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” from Das Land des Lächelns (1929) WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) “La ci darem la mano” from Don Giovanni (1787) GAETANO DONIZETTI (1797-1848) “Venti Scudi” from L’elisir d’amore (1832) ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD (1897-1957) “Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen” from Die tote Stadt (1920) WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) “Soave il vento” from Così fan tutte (1790) RICHARD STRAUSS (1864-1949) “Lieben, hassen, hoffen, zagen” from Ariadne auf Naxos (1912) FEDERICO MORENO TORROBA (1891-1982) “Amor, vida de mi vida” from Maravilla (1941) GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901) “Come dal ciel precipita” from Macbeth (1847) GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901) “Quel vecchio maledivami...Va, non ho niente pari siamo” from Rigoletto (1851)

5


FROST SCHOOL OF MUSIC ALUMNI

Matt Baker

Ever present on the world’s concert stages, Broadway, composing, producing and performing in award-winning recordings and television series, and running the corporate offices of top music companies.

Cristian Măcelaru, GRAMMY®-Winning Conductor

Veronica Swift, Best New Artist and Best Vocal Release in JazzTimes Readers’ Poll

Jorge Mejia, President & CEO for Sony Music Publishing Latin America and US Latin

Joshua Henry, GRAMMY® Award Nominee and Three-time Tony Award Nominee

Where students are built to succeed, thrive, and soar • Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra – Maria Schneider, Artistic Director • GRAMMY®, Billboard, and DownBeat recognized Jazz program • Frost Symphony Orchestra – Gerard Schwarz, Music Director • Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program • Entrepreneurial and Technological skills training • Summer programs in Aspen, Napa, and Salzburg

frost.miami.edu


T U E S DAY, J U LY 13 , 6 PM | C I A AT CO PI A

FESTIVAL LIVE! chamber series Jennifer Grim, Flute David Byrd-Marrow, Horn Michael Sheppard, Piano Bettina Mussumeli, Violin

Geoff Nutall, Violin Laura Hamilton, Violin Jodi Levitz, Viola Christopher Costanza, Cello

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Flute Quartet in D Major, KV 285 (1777-1778) ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD (1897-1957) Suite, Op. 23 for 2 Violins, Cello, Piano left hand (1930) I. Präludium und Fuge. Kräftig und bestimmt JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) Horn Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 40 (1865) I. Andante IV. Allegro con brio

7


FLUTE QUARTET IN D MAJOR, KV 285 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Mozart’s claim that he did not like the flute is certainly not evident in this wonderful work which, of his three works for flute, violin, viola, and cello, is the one that remains a star in his crown and a favorite in the repertoire. From its opening Allegro, with its lovely shock of recognition, through the lyrical Adagio, and to the conclusion of the lively Rondo, we are charmed with its lightness, teased by its dark turns, and satisfied by its excellence.

SUITE FOR TWO VIOLAS, CELLO, AND PIANO LEFT HAND, OP. 23 Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)

Erich Korngold’s early accomplishments include: at ten a Cantata that caused Mahler to pronounce him a genius, at eleven a ballet performed at the Vienna Court Opera, at twelve a piano trio, and at fifteen an orchestral overture which caused Richard Strauss to comment on his firmness of style, sovereignty of form, individuality of expression, and amazing harmonic structure. His early fame peaked at twenty with his world-acclaimed opera Die tote Stadt, but his Piano Quintet followed at a mere twenty-four. The course after that led to Hollywood where he became what is considered to be one of the founders of film music by lending a whole new meaning to the art form. His scores for The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Anthony Adverse (1936) both won Oscars, and the American Film Institute declared Robin Hood the eleventh greatest American film score of all time. Although he became disillusioned with Hollywood, Korngold remained there after 1938 because of Nazi persecution of Jews and became an American citizen in 1943. He died in 1957 and was buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. His fine later works suffered neglect with the rise of Serialism but fortunately are being revisited today with such works as the Op. 23 Suite, the first movement of which we hear on this program.

HORN TRIO IN E-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 40 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Brahms’ love of the horn is evident throughout his works until his late love affair with the clarinet. The Op. 40 Horn Trio was completed 1865 in Lichenthal, near BadenBaden, shortly after the death of his mother. The slow, chorale-like opening Andante hints of the elegiac but soon breaks into a beautiful and passionate Brahmsian song for all three instruments. Almost all dark spirits are dispelled in the final Allegro con brio where the horn comes to full power with its hunting horn calls. Brahms lets loose in the concluding coda with its galloping arpeggios for all three instruments. We are brought to a joyful conclusion with few thoughts of the grave. The work received its premiere on December 5, 1865 in Karlsruhe, Germany, with Brahms himself as pianist. 8


W E D N E S DAY, J U LY 14 , 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

FESTIVAL LIVE! chamber series Jennifer Grim, Flute Jillian Coscio, Flute Max Adler, Oboe Alejandro Dergal, Clarinet Sun Im, Bassoon Peter McFarland, Horn Daniel Seaman, Horn Bobby Gallagher, Trumpet Saori Kataoka, Trumpet

Aden Brooks, Trombone Jordan Crimminger, Bass Trombone Antek Olesik, Percussion Guillermo Ospina, Percussion Jenny Marasti, Percussion Sehee Park, Percussion Maureen Sheehan, Viola Kody Thiessen, Bass

NIGEL WESTLAKE (B. 1958) “Omphalo Centric Lecture” (1984) JAN BACH (1937-2020) Laudes for Brass Quintet (1971) ERWIN SCHULHOFF (1894-1942) Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass (1925) ENDRE SZERVANSZKY (1911-1977) Wind Quintet No. 1 (1953)

9


OMPHALO CENTRIC LECTURE Nigel Westlake (b. 1958)

Nigel Westlake is an Australian composer, musician, and conductor who has received much recognition for his symphonies and film scores. His Op. 1 Omphalo Centric Lecture for percussion quartet is one of the most frequently performed works in the percussion repertoire. It was premiered by the Sydney-based percussion group Synergy.

LAUDES FOR BRASS QUINTET Jan Bach (1937-2020)

Jan Bach was an American composer who taught at the University of Tampa and at Northern Illinois University. His primary performing instrument was the horn, and he was renowned among hornists for his horn pieces. The four movements of Jan Bach’s Laudes for Brass Quintet express a wide variety of moods and tempo changes. The challenging second movement Scherzo, for example, is directed to be played “as fast as possible.” The work is dedicated to the Chicago Brass Quintet.

CONCERTINO

Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942) Despite his essential Czech qualities, Erwin Schulhoff had considerable international influences. He was born in Prague and attended the conservatory there. He continued his studies at the Leipzig Conservatory and the Cologne Conservatory. He also studied with Debussy and Max Reger. The result was a highly sophisticated composer/pianist on the cutting edge of the avant-garde. The Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass is a complex work filled with lovely and nostalgic melodies but also with great intensity and musical challenges. Nostalgia marks the first and third movements, but the second and fourth movements take on a livelier sense with suggestions of Bohemian dance tunes that might remind us of Dvořák.

FÚVÓSÖTÖS: WIND QUINTET NO. 1 Endre Szervánsky (1911-1977)

Hungarian composer Endre Szervánsky studied clarinet at the Budapest Academy of Music and later became a professor of composition there. He was given Israel’s Righteous Among the Nations Award that honors non-Jews who risked there lives to save Jews from the Nazis. Szervánsky’s Wind Quintet No. 1 was one of the first wind quintets to receive public recognition. Composed in 1953, the work reflects the influence of Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók in its use of folk-inspired melodies and peasant rhythmic dance forms. It is one of the most expressive and passionate works for wind quintet.


T H U R S DAY, J U LY 15, 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

FESTIVAL LIVE! chamber series Aaron Rib, Flute Jillian Coscio, Flute Cassandra Goodwin, Oboe Claire Grellier, Clarinet Melanie Ferrabone, Bassoon Megan Riccio, Horn Bettina Mussumeli, Violin Nathan Hartson, Violin

Rosalyn Weiss, Violin Sandra Bouissou, Violin Yuhao Zhou, Violin Hannah Leigh, Viola Jodi Levitz, Viola Ella Tomko, Cello Sarah Huesman, Cello Christopher Yick, Bass

MAX REGER (1873-1916) Serenade No. 2, Op. 141a (1915) GIOACHINO ROSSINI (1792-1868) String Sonata No. 3 (1804) JEAN FRANÇAIX (1912-1997) Wind Quintet No. 1 (1948) BEDŘICH SMETANA (1824-1884) String Quartet No. 1 “From My Life” (1876)

11


STRING SONATA NO. 3 IN C MAJOR Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)

Rossini, best-known for his 39 operas, also composed six string sonatas in 1804 when was only twelve years old. The bass part included in the sonatas could be attributed to the fact that, at the time, he was living in the home of the amateur double bassist Agostini Triossi. Except for the Sonata No. 3, five of the six sonatas were published 22 years later in 1826 as standard string quartets. An arrangement of the sonatas for wind instruments was published in 1828. The sonatas were not heard again until 1942 when the Ricordi publication of them was rediscovered. In 1954 Rossini’s original score was found in the Library of Congress. We are fortunate today to hear the Sonata No. 3 in its original version with two violins, cello, and bass.

SERENADE NO. 1, OP. 141A Max Reger (1873-1916)

If elusiveness itself can be called a controlling characteristic, then so it is with Reger’s music. In it we are continuously pulled between the restless chromaticism of Wagner and the complex fugues of Bach. At the same time, we feel one foot in the Second Viennese School, one in the Classical tradition of Mozart, and an arm in the Romantic tradition of Brahms. Despite his enormous productivity—over a thousand works—Reger was not always treated kindly by the critics. Yet when we read that one critic called his music “stuffed far too full of notes,” we must recall that the same was said of Mozart. In answer to accusations of a “preoccupation with counterpoint,” we might admit that he treated the form amply but so did most of the great composers. Reger combined his counterpoint with the Classicism of Mozart, the Romantic spirit of Brahms and Wagner, and added to it a breath of Modernism. You will hear examples of this in his Serenade.

WIND QUINTET NO. 1 Jean Français (1912-1997)

French composer, pianist, and orchestrator Jean Français was known for his rich output and lively style. He began composing at the age of six and later studied at the Paris Conservatoire and with Nadia Boulanger who greatly admired him, as did Maurice Ravel. He was also influenced by such notable composers as Emmanuel Chabrier, Igor Stravinsky, and Francis Poulenc. Français’s Wind Quintet of 1948 was composed at the request of the well-known French horn player Louis Courtinat. The composer himself gave an interesting description of the work, calling it “very demanding, permitting the five players to display their virtuosity to the fullest!” He also noted that the original players “had to closet themselves for six months in order to get through it.”

12


STRING QUARTET NO. 1, “FROM MY LIFE” Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884)

Like his fellow countryman Dvořák (1841-1904), Smetana was inspired by Czech folk music but in no way limited by it. In one of his many detailed letters, Smetana commented lavishly on the String Quartet No. 1 which he completed on December 29, 1876. His comments underscore the Quartet’s subtitle, “From My Life,” and confirm that he intended it as a biographical statement. “The first movement,” he said, “depicts my youthful leanings toward art, the Romantic atmosphere, the inexpressible yearning for something I could neither express nor define, and also a kind of warning of my future misfortune.” The “misfortune” was his deafness. Happier times are suggested in the second movement which Smetana called “a quasi-polka.” His hesitant definition might well be based on his going well beyond the notion of folk music in his so-called “polka.” He also commented that the movement “brings to my mind the joyful days of youth when I composed dance tunes and was known everywhere as a passionate lover of dancing.” Indeed, a slower section after the lively opening elicits an image of a dancing couple. The emotional depths of the Largo sostenuto are explained by Smetana’s comment, “The third movement reminds me of the happiness of my first love, the girl who later became my first wife.” Smetana’s passion, in this case, bears the edge of sadness. The bright nature of the last movement’s opening section suggests a happy ending, but, as both the music and Smetana’s life finally reveal, it was not so. The composer commented, “The fourth movement describes the discovery that I could treat national elements in music and my joy in following this path until it was checked by the catastrophe of the onset of my deafness.” Smetana’s sad condition is reflected by a piercing high E played by the first violin suggesting his battle with tinnitus.

13



T H U R S DAY, J U LY 15, 1 PM | C I A AT CO PI A

NIA IMANI FR ANKLIN WITH ALDÓ LOPEZ GAVILÁN Nia Imani Franklin, Composer in Residence Aldo López-Gavilán, Piano Selections to be announced from the stage Concert made possible by the generous support of Kenneth and Deborah Novack A Festival Napa Valley Arts for All program

15


F R I DAY, J U LY 16 , 11 A M | B O U C H A I N E V I N E YA R D S

Fiona Khuong-Huu, violin Fiona Khuong-Huu, Violin Julio Elizalde, Piano MANUEL DE FALLA (1876-1946), ARR. FRITZ KREISLER (1875-1962) “Danse Espagnole” (1913, arr. 1926) JOSEF SUK (1874-1935) “Píseň lásky,” Op. 7, No. 1 (“Song of Love,” 1891-1893) EUGÈNE YSAŸE (1858-1931) Sonata No. 5 in G major, Op. 27 (1923) L'Aurore Danse rustique EDVARD GRIEG (1843-1907) Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 13 (1867) Lento doloroso––Poco allegro––Allegro vivace––Presto Allegretto tranquillo Allegro animato JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) Sonatensatz in C minor (1853) SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (1873-1943) “Vocalise” (1915) Concert underwritten by Bouchaine Vineyards, Tatiana and Gerret Copeland, proprietors A Festival Napa Valley Arts for All program 16


DANSE ESPAGNOLE (ARR. FRITZ KREISLER) Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)

Composer and pianist Manuel de Falla was one of Spain’s most important musicians of the 20 th century. His Danse Espagnole is part of his opera La Vida Breve (The Brief Life) which was transcribed for violin and piano by the violin virtuoso and composer Fritz Kreisler. The work contains many aspects we associate with Spanish music such as pizzicatos, dancing rhythms, and a generally passionate spirit.

SONG OF LOVE Josef Suk (1874-1935)

Josef Suk was a Czech composer and violinist who studied under Antonín Dvořák, whose daughter he married. This arrangement for violin and piano was done by his grandson, violin virtuoso Josef A. Suk. The work is a moving and virtuosic six minutes for both violin and piano. It has been widely treated by famous violinists.

VIOLIN SONATA NO. 5 Eugène Ysayë (1858-1931)

Besides his own career as a legendary virtuoso, Belgium-born Eugène Ysaÿe was the teacher of no less monumental figures in the violin world than Josef Gingold and Nathan Milstein. In addition to his career as violin virtuoso and teacher, Ysaÿe excelled as a composer with his best-known work being the six Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27 written in 1923. Each of the sonatas was dedicated to one of Ysaÿe’s contemporaries, with No. 5 to the distinguished violinist Mathieu Crickboom who formed his own string quartet that included the famous cellist Pablo Casals.

VIOLIN SONATA NO. 2 Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)

In his chamber music, Edvard Grieg dispels our traditional notion of Grieg as the quintessential champion of Norwegian Romantic Nationalism. Here is no “Chopin of the North,” as Hans von Bülow called him. When Grieg presented the sonata to his teacher, he proclaimed the work "too Norwegian" and demaded that his next sonata should be less Norwegian. In defiance, Griegclaimed that his next sonata would be even more Norwegian. Thus it is that one of Grieg’s colleagues commented that the Violin Sonata No. 2 is “the gift to the world of a man who has also shivered in the cold mists of night.” We are honored now to have that gift.

SONATENSATZ (SCHERZO FROM THE F-A-E SONATA) FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO, WOO 2 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

Imagine John Adams, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich collaborating to write a violin sonata for Itzhak Perlman. That is similar to what happened when Robert Schumann initiated the idea that he, Brahms, and the lesser-known Albert Dietrich should do just that as a surprise gift for Joseph Joachim, the preeminent violinist of their day and a close friend to all three. From this notion was born the F-A-E Sonata, so named 17


after Joachim’s musical motto frei aber einsam (“free but lonely”). Dietrich wrote the first movement, Schumann the Intermezzo and the final movement, and Brahms the brilliant Scherzo which remains the only movement played regularly today.

VOCALISE

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) In 1909 Rachmaninoff moved to Dresden but spent the summers at Ivanovka, a family estate in Russia. It was there, between 1910 and 1912 that he wrote the Fourteen Songs, Op. 34. The last of the songs, the wordless Vocalise, was written for soprano Antonina Neshdanova of the Moscow Grand Opera where Rachmaninoff had conducted from 1904 to 1906. He revised the work in 1915 and, at the encouragement of Serge Koussevitsky, transcribed it for orchestra in 1916. Today there is hardly a solo instrument for which it has not been transcribed including the piano version we hear on this program. The haunting quality of the work may stem from Rachmaninoff’s fascination with the Dies Irae from the Mass for the Dead. That ancient melody influenced not only the Vocalise but also his first three symphonies, notably the rapturous first movement of the Second Symphony, his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, the Symphonic Dances, and his first two piano sonatas. The melancholy that pervades the work could be seen as reflective of Rachmaninoff’s own sense of musical as well as geographical displacement. As the Second Viennese School was revolutionizing musical thought, he said of his own writing: “I feel like a ghost wandering in a world grown alien. I cannot cast out the old way of writing, and I cannot acquire the new. I have made intense efforts to feel the musical manner of today, but it will not come to me.” Fortunately, the Vocalise did come to him and remains with us as a timeless piece.

18


T H U R S DAY, J U LY 16 , 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

FESTIVAL LIVE! chamber series Alejandro Dergal, Clarinet Melanie Ferrabone, Bassoon David Byrd-Marrow, Horn Benjamin Abel, Violin Eliot Roske, Violin Geoff Nutall, Violin João Felipe da Fraga, Violin Jorie Butler Geyer, Violin Michael Eby, Violin Rosalyn Weiss, Violin Sophia Bernitz, Violin

Ethan Durell, Viola Hannah Leigh, Viola Jodi Levitz, Viola Lynn Sue-A-Quan, Viola Maureen Sheehan, Viola Christopher Costanza, Cello Kamila Dotta, Cello Sally Kim, Cello Sarah Huesman, Cello Daniel Chiva-Sanz, Bass

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Septet, Op. 20 (1800) I. Adagio - Allegro con brio VI. Andante con moto alla marcia FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828) String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 (1828) GEORGE ONSLOW (1784-1853) String Quintet in C minor, Op. 38 “The Bullet” (1829) FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 (1825) III. Scherzo: Allegro leggierissimo IV. Presto 19


SEPTET IN E-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 20

ADAGIO; ALLEGRO CON BRIO; ANDANTE CON MOLTO ALL MARCIA

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Beethoven’s Septet gained instant popularity and was subsequently treated with many arrangements and transcriptions. At the beginning of its life in 1799, Beethoven said to his publisher, “This Septet has pleased me greatly,” but by 1815, Carl Czerny reported that Beethoven “could not endure his Septet and grew angry because of the universal applause with which it was received.” Its charms, however, remain obvious. Written in the divertimento form championed by Haydn and Mozart, it is filled with wonderful melodies, a masterful development of themes and variations, and a general cheerfulness belying the troubled time from which it came. By the date of its composition in 1799, Beethoven was well aware of his deafness. In an 1801 letter to his friend Franz Gerhard Wegeler Beethoven admitted: “For the past three years my hearing has been growing constantly weaker... For two years now I have ceased to attend any social function for I cannot bring myself to tell people, I am deaf.” The first movement Adagio contains two of Beethoven’s imprints: the slow introduction and the use of repeated notes as a motto. The second movement Adagio is filled with beautiful and well-developed melodies.

STRING QUINTET IN C MAJOR, D. 956 ALLEGRO MA NON TROPPO

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

To explain Schubert is to explain a miracle, and we should attempt it only with the reminder that he said of himself: “It sometimes seems to me as if I did not belong to this world at all.” Indeed, he belonged to it so briefly that the size and impact of his output are astonishing. The impact of Schubert’s work is no less astonishing than its size. Although he received little recognition within his lifetime, his works represent a profound development in music history. Schubert managed to culminate a period of music and forge another. Within the strictures of Classical form, he explored the Romantic spirit in a way foreign even to Beethoven. While the C Major Quintet is unquestionably absolute music, its date of composition, shortly before Schubert’s death on November 18, 1828, cannot help but reflect Schubert’s state of mind. Serious illness had already warned him of death, and surely this is heard in the opening theme of the first movement, Allegro ma non troppo, and in the anguish of its development. The movement, the longest of the four, seems to enter out of nowhere but quickly grows intense as the lyrical turns exclamatory. A dramatic descending scale gives warning of darker matters. Thus, we have the opposing sense of darkness and light that persists throughout the movement. It is almost as if Schubert is struggling with himself—a struggle based on the reality of his imminent death just weeks away. In typical Schubertian fashion, however, he transcends his anguish in the second theme of the first movement with a song of incredible loveliness for the two cellos. An ascending arpeggio leads to an almost joyful statement by all five strings. Schubert returns, however, to the poignant opening melody and renews his sense of struggle. A following high mood suggests a happy ending until a final exclamation leads to a closing statement that hints of tragedy. 20


As with most of Schubert’s work, the Cello Quintet was turned down for publication and was not heard in public until 1850. It was finally published in 1853, a quarter of a century after Schubert’s death.

STRING QUINTET NO. 15 IN C MINOR, OP. 38, “THE BULLET” George Onslow (1784-1853)

George Onslow, born of an English father and a French mother, was a prolific composer and held in high regard by such notables as Beethoven and Schubert. Onslow was well-known as a composer for string quintets that included a scoring for two cellos. This is in opposition to other composers such Mozart and Beethoven who scored them for two violins, two violas, but only one cello. As noted above, Schubert’s Quintet included two cellos but had not been heard by the time of Onslow’s work. Since 1984, the bicentennial of Onslow’s birth, his music continues to be rediscovered and performed with some regularity. A unique quality of Onslow’s music, which you will hear in “The Bullet,” is his merging of operatic qualities and chamber music into one form.

OCTET IN E-FLAT MAJOR, OP. 20 Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

There is nothing in Mendelssohn’s famous Octet that suggests the work of a sixteenyear-old. Yet by that age Mendelssohn had miraculously achieved the originality, freshness, Romanticism, and compositional maturity that infuse the Octet. Mendelssohn considered it the favorite of all his works. “I had a most wonderful time in the writing of it,” he commented. That genius should sit so easily on a sixteen-year old is a musical wonder surpassing even the early accomplishments of Mozart and Schubert. How ironic that Hitler suppressed Mendelssohn’s music in the dark days of World War II and that musicologist Alfred Einstein chose to resurrect it in his important publication of 1941, Greatness in Music. Composed in 1825 for one of the weekly Sunday morning musicales in Mendelssohn’s lavish home, the Octet remains today a consummate treasure of the chamber repertoire. The ease and joy with which the Octet was written, however, should not obscure its brilliant compositional technique or the virtuosic demands it makes on the performers. While Mendelssohn’s chamber music outpouring—the wonderful string quartets and piano trios in particular—are some of his greatest achievements, this work is powerfully orchestral in its effect, evidenced most clearly by the concerto-like demands on the first violin. The vigorous first movement is contrasted by the touching Andante before we are thrown into the famous Scherzo. It has been said that Mendelssohn wrote the Scherzo on one try without corrections, a plausible assumption indicated by its freshness, originality, and inventiveness. Inspired by the “Walpurgis-Nacht” of Goethe’s Faust and played staccato and pianissimo from start to finish, the movement is the breathtaking jewel of the work. The unmitigated joyfulness of the Octet concludes with a fugue which is yet another tribute to Mendelssohn’s compositional genius.

21


Charles Krug Winery, Napa Valley’s original winery, and the Peter Mondavi Sr. family are thrilled to bring live performances through Festival Napa Valley back to wine country. Visit us for an historical tour, educational wine experiences, and elite hospitality. Visit charleskrug.com for reservations. Open Daily 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2800 Main Street, St. Helena, CA 94574 FB + IG: @CharlesKrugWinery | 707.967.2229


F R I DAY, J U LY 16 , 6 :3 0 PM | C H A R LE S K R U G

OPENING NIGHT

WITH LISETTE OROPESA Lisette Oropesa, Soprano Curt Pajer, Piano GIOACHINO ROSSINI (1792-1868) ”Una voce poca fa” from Il barbiere di Siviglia (1860) “L’invito” from Soirées musicales (1835) GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901) “Merci, jeunes amies” from Les vêpres Siciliennes (1855) GEORGES BIZET (1838-1895) “Ouvre ton coeur” (1859) WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) “Deh vieni, non tardar” from Le nozze di Figaro (1786) CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918) "Clair de lune" (1890) GABRIEL FAURÉ (1845-1924) "Clair de lune" (1887) “Au bord de l’eau” (1875) “Après un rêve” (1878) GIACOMO PUCCINI (1858-1924) “Chi il bel sogno” from La rondine (1917) GAETANO DONIZETTI (1797-1848) “Il faut partir” from La fille du régiment (1840) JULES MASSENET (1842-1912) “Je marche sur tous les chemins” from Manon (1884) Concert is dedicated to the memory of Ann Getty. Lisette Oropesa appears as part of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Vocal Arts Series. 23


“UNA VOCE POCO FA” FROM IL BARBIERE DI SIVGLIA Gioacchimo Rossini (1792-1868)

Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Sivglia (The Barber of Seville) is a comic opera in two acts with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. It is considered to be Rossini’s masterpiece and was premiered in 1816 in Rome. It remains a popular work today. The aria “Una voce poco fa” (A voice a little while ago) occurs in Act I as Rosina is reading a love letter from Lindora.

Una voce poco fa qui nel cor mi risuonò; il mio cor ferito è già, e Lindor fu che il piagò. Sì, Lindoro mio sarà; lo giurai, la vincerò. Il tutor ricuserà, io l’ingegno aguzzerò. Alla fin s’accheterà e contenta io resterò. Sì, Lindoro mio sarà; lo giurai, la vincerò. Io sono docile, son rispettosa, sono obbediente, dolce, amorosa; mi lascio reggere, mi fo guidar. Ma se mi toccano dov’è il mio debole sarò una vipera e cento trappole prima di cedere farò giocar.

A voice has just echoed here into my heart my heart is already wounded and it was Lindoro who shot. Yes, Lindoro will be mine I’ve swore it, I’ll win. The tutor will refuse, I‘ll sharpen my mind finally he’ll accept, and happy I’ll rest. Yes, Lindoro will be mine I’ve swore it, I’ll win. I’m gentle, respectful I’m obedient, sweet, loving I let be ruled, I let be guided But if they touch where my weak spot is I’ll be a viper and a hundred traps before giving up I’ll make them fall.

“L’INVITO” FROM SOIR MUSICALES Gioacchimo Rossini (1792-1868)

Vieni, o Ruggiero, la tua Eloisa da te divisa non puo restar: alle mie lacrime già rispondevi, vieni, ricevi il mio pregar.

Come Ruggiero, your Eloisa Cannot stay separated from you: You’ve already responded to my tears, Come and grant my request.

Vieni, o bell’angelo, vien, mio diletto, sovra il mio petto vieni a posar! Senti se palpita, se amor t’invita... vieni, mia vita, vieni, fammi spirar ...

Come, beautiful angel, come, my delight, Here on my bosom come to rest! Feel my throbbing heart, when love invites you, Come my life, come, make me die! 24


“MERCI, JEUNES AMIES” FROM LES VÊPRES SICILIENNES Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Before being married to Henri, Hélène sings of her great joy in a dance-like fashion that is more akin to a Spanish bolero than a siciliana. At the same time, her joy has been tempered because she has discovered that their wedding bells will be the signal for the Sicilian uprising and massacre of the French.

Mercè, dilette amiche di quel leggiadri fior; Il caro dono è imagine del vostro bel candor! Oh, fortunato il vincol che mi prepara amore. Se voi recate pronube, voti felici al core. Mercè del don! Ah si! Ah, si! Caro sogno, o dolce ebbrezza! D’ignoto amor mi balza il cor! Soave un’aura già respiro che tutti I sensi inebbriò. Oh, piagge di Sicilia, risplenda un di seren. Assai vendette orribili ti laceraro il sen! Di speme colma e immemore di quanto il cor soffri. Il giorno del mio giubilo sia di tue gloria il di. Gradisco il don di questi fior Ah, si! Ah, si! O caro sogno, o dolce ebbrezza! D’ignoto amor mi balza il cor! Soave un’aura già respiro che tutti I sensi inebbriò. Io già respiro che tutti I sensi inebbriò. Inebbriò! D’ignoto amor mi balza il cor! Il cor, balza il cor che tutti I sensi inebbriò.

Thank you, beloved friends, for these charming flowers; The lovely gift is a reflection of your heartfelt sincerity! Oh, welcome is the bond that awaits me through love. If you will bring me bridesmaids, happy vows will fill my heart. Thanks for the gift! (repeat) Ah, yes! Ah, yes! Dearest dream, oh, sweet intoxication! My heart leaps at this new love! Already I breathe a soft air that makes all my senses reel. Oh, my Sicilian homeland, a tranquil day shines bright. Too much dreadful vengeance tears at your wounded heart! Be filled with hope, forget the pain of all you have endured. May the day of my rejoicing be the day of your glory, too. I welcome the gift of these flowers Ah, yes! Ah, yes! Dearest dream, oh, sweet intoxication! My heart leaps at this unknown love! Already I breathe a gentle air that makes all my senses reel. Already I breathe an air that makes all my senses reel. My senses reel! My heart leaps at this unknown love! My heart leaps with joy, and all my senses reel.

25


“OUVRE TON COEUR” (OPEN YOUR HEART) FROM IVAN IV Georges Bizet (1838-1875)

Bizet’s Ivan IV is an opera in five acts with a libretto by François-Hippolyte Leroy and Henri Trianon. “Ouvre ton Coeur” was originally a bolero in B minor for soprano in the opera Vasco de Gama composed in 1860 but was later included in Act II of Ivan IV. In 1869, the words were slightly altered by Henri Trianon but later restored in the collection, Seize Melodies, where the chorus is omitted.

Darkness has closed the eyes of day, will you, fair one, be true to your word? Open your heart to my love. Open your heart to my ardour, young angel, that a dream may charm your sleep – I wish to recover my soul, as a flower unfolds to the sun!

L’ombre a fermé les yeux du jour. Belle, me tiendras-tu parole? Ouvre ton cœur à mon amour. Ouvre ton cœur, ô jeune ange, à ma flamme, Qu’un rêve charme ton sommeil. Je veux reprendre mon âme, Comme une fleur s’ouvre au soleil!

“DEH VIENI, NON TARDAR” FROM LE NOZZE DI FIGARO Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

The aria “Deh vieni, non tardar” (Oh, come, don’t be late) is from Act IV of Mozart’s famous opera, The Marriage of Figaro. Figaro thinks his fiancée, Susanna, is cheating on him with the Count, and Susanna teases him encouraging the Count to come quickly to her. teases him by enco

Giunse alfin il momento Che godro senz’affanno In braccio all’idol mio Timide cure uscite dal mio petto! A turbar non venite il mio diletto. O come par che all’amoroso foco L’amenita del loco, La terra e il ciel risponda. Come la notte i furti miei risponda

The moment finally arrives When I’ll experience joy without haste In the arms of my beloved... Fearful anxieties, get out of my heart! Do not come to disturb my delight. Oh, how it seems that to amorous fires The comfort of the place, Earth and heaven respond, As the night responds to my ruses.

Deh vieni, non tardar, o gioja bella Oh, come, don’t be late, my beautiful joy Vieni ove amore per goder t’appella Come where love calls you to enjoyment Finche non splende in ciel notturna face Until night’s torches no longer shine in the sky Finche l’aria e ancor bruna, As long as the air is still dark E il mondo tace. And the world quiet. Qui mormora il ruscel, qui scherza l’aura Here the river murmurs and the light plays Che col dolce susurro il cor ristaura That restores the heart with sweet ripples Qui ridono i fioretti e l’erba e fresca Here, little flowers laugh and the grass is fresh Ai piaceri d’amor qui tutto adesca. Here, everything entices one to love’s pleasures 26


Vieni, ben mio, tra queste piante ascose. Come, my dear, among these hidden plants. Vieni, vieni! Come, come! Ti vo’ la fronte incoronar di rose. I want to crown you with roses. “

“CLAIRE DE LUNE” FROM SUITE BERGAMASQUE, L. 75 Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

“Claire de lune,” the third piece in Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque composed in 1905, is one of the most famous pieces in the entire piano repertoire. That it has been abused in the manner of most famous works seems to have done it little harm, but still it is a special challenge for a pianist to undertake the performance of it within the entire Suite. Probably the best approach is to play it exactly as Debussy indicated in his score and forget the exaggerated interpretations we hear in its many translations. While the title, Claire de lune, has been used for coffee houses and lingerie boutiques, put that aside and think only of Debussy.

“CLAIRE DE LUNE,” “AU BORD D L’EAU,” “APRÊS UN RÊVE” Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

Fauré’s “Claire de lune” was composed in 1887 to words by Paul Verlaine. His original setting was for voice and piano, but he later made a version for voice and orchestra. The song is dedicated to Fauré’s friend the painter Emmanuel Jadin who also happened to be a talented amateur pianist.

Your soul is a chosen landscape where charming masqueraders and bergamasquers go Playing the lute and dancing and almost Sad beneath their fantastic disguises. They all sing in a minor key About triumphant love and fortunate life, They do not seem to believe in their fortune And their song blends with the light of the moon, In the calm moonlight, sad and beautiful, Which has the birds dreaming in the trees And the fountains sobbing in ecstasy, The tall fountains, slender amid marble statues.

Votre âme est un paysage choisi Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques. Tout en chantant sur le mode mineur L’amour vainqueur et la vie opportune, Ils n’ont pas l’air de croire à leur bonheur Et leur chanson se mêle au clair de lune, Au calme clair de lune triste et beau, Qui fait rêver les oiseaux dans les arbres Et sangloter d’extase les jets d’eau, Les grands jets d’eau sveltes parmi les marbres.

27


Au bord de l’eau This piece by Fauré has been aptly described as “music of sublime drift, the nonchalant flowing of water,” and “the melancholy of passing of time.” The text is as follows:

To sit together on the bank of a flowing stream, To watch it flow; Together, if a cloud glides by, To watch it glide; On the horizon, if smoke rises from thatch, To watch it rise; If nearby a flower smells sweet, To savour its sweetness; To listen at the foot of the willow, where water murmers To the murmuring water; Not to feel, while this dream passes, The passing of time; But feeling no deep passion, Except to adore each other, With no cares for the quarrels of the world, To know nothing of them; And alone together, seeing all that tires, Not to tire of each other, To feel that love, in the face of all that passes, Shall never pass!

S’asseoir tous deux au bord d’un flot qui passe, Le voir passer; Tous deux, s’il glisse un nuage en l’espace, Le voir glisser; À l’horizon, s’il fume un toit de chaume, Le voir fumer; Aux alentours si quelque fleur embaume, S’en embaumer; Entendre au pied du saule où l’eau murmure L’eau murmurer; Ne pas sentir, tant que ce rêve dure, Le temps durer; Mais n’apportant de passion profonde Qu’à s’adorer, Sans nul souci des querelles du monde, Les ignorer; Et seuls, tous deux devant tout ce qui lasse, Sans se lasser, Sentir l’amour, devant tout ce qui passe, Ne point passer!

Après un rêve Dans un sommeil que charmait ton image Je rêvais le bonheur, ardent mirage, Tes yeux étaient plus doux, ta voix pure et sonore, Tu rayonnais comme un ciel éclairé par l’aurore;

In a slumber which held your image spellbound I dreamt of happiness, passionate mirage, Your eyes were softer, your voice pure and sonorous, You shone like a sky lit up by the dawn;

Tu m’appelais et je quittais la terre Pour m’enfuir avec toi vers la lumière, Les cieux pour nous entr’ouvraient leurs nues, Splendeurs inconnues, lueurs divines entrevues,

You called me and I left the earth To run away with you towards the light, The skies opened their clouds for us, Unknown splendours, divine flashes glimpsed,

Hélas! Hélas! triste réveil des songes Je t’appelle, ô nuit, rends moi tes mensonges, Reviens, reviens radieuse, Reviens ô nuit mystérieuse!

Alas! Alas! sad awakening from dreams I call you, O night, give me back your lies, Return, return radiant, Return, O mysterious night.

28


“Au bord de l’eau is one of Faure’s most famous songs. Its title (The edge of the water) is a reference to his love of things aquatic. The piano part honors that with its flowing quality while the soprano hovers above. We have here an exquisite two minutes of song and piano writing. “Après un rêve” portrays a romantic flight with a lover away from earth and “toward the light” before a return to mysterious night” and the falsehood of his dream. The text of the song is from an anonymous Italian poem translated into French by Romain Bussine.

“CHI IL BEL SOGNO” FROM LA RONDINE Giacomo Puccini (1712-1781)

Puccini’s La Rondine (The Swallows) is a lyric opera in three acts with a libretto by Giuseppe Adami. It was first performed in Monte Carlo in 1917 and in England in 1966. The famous aria “Chi il bel sogno” is sung by Magda, Rambaldo’s mistress, in Act I.

Who could Doretta’s beautiful dream ever guess? Her mystery how come it’s never how come it’s never ending Alas! One day a student kisses her on the lips and it was such a kss revelation: It was passion! Crazy love! Crazy intoxication! Who could this subtle carress of such flaming a kiss ever describe; Ah! my dream! Ah! my life! Who cares about riches if it finally flourishes happiness! Oh golden dream to be able to love like this!

Chi il bel sogno di Doretta potè indovinar? Il suo mister come mai come mai fini Ahimè! un giorno uno studente in bocca la baciò e fu quel bacio rivelazione: fu la passione! Folle amore! Folle ebbrezza! Chi la sottil carezza d’un bacio così ardente mai ridir potrà? Ah! mio sogno! Ah! mia vita! Che importa la ricchezza se alfine è rifiorita la felicità! O sogno d’or poter amar così!

29


“IL FAUT PARTIR” FROM LA FILLE DU REGIMENT (THE DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT) Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)

Donizetti’s La fille du regiment (The Daughter of the Regiment) is an opera in two acts set to a French libretto by Jules-Henri Vernot de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard. It was first performed in 1840 by the Opéra Comique. It quickly became popular due to such arias as “Il faut partir” (I must leave).

I must leave when the time has come. Afterwards is too late, we’ll already be old. We must leave when the wind pushes us; It hasn’t blown in such a long time. I was waiting at the dock, my luggage in hand. The boat was preparing for its trip; It was time again to return to sleep. What’s the point of changing one’s future? I was suddenly afraid of all this ocean Of people, of the rising sun, But suddenly I caught the indulgent eye Of an old man wrinkled by the wind I must leave when the time has come; Afterwards is too late, we’ll already be old We must leave when the wind pushes us; It hasn’t blown in such a long time. Many others have wandered Far from their four walls, on the docks of a great adventure. One step was enough of a little bit of folly To exit from a gentle prison; The less mad let the boat go off on its way The ones who regretted nothing Me, I say that it’s better to take the wrong path Than to wait for a better one tomorrow I must leave when the time has come; Afterward is too late, we’ll already be old. We must leave when the wind pushes us It hasn’t blown in such a long time

Il faut partir quand le temps est venu Après c’est trop tard on est déjà vieux Il faut partir quand nous pousse le vent Il ne souffle pas si longtemps J’attendais sur le quai mon bagage à la main Le bateau préparait son voyage Il était encore temps de retourner dormir A quoi bon changer son avenir J’avais peur brusquement de tout cet océan Des gens, du soleil levant Mais soudain j’ai croisé le regard indulgent D’un vieillard ridé par le vent Il faut partir quand le temps est venu Après c’est trop tard on est déjà vieux Il faut partir quand nous pousse le vent Il ne souffle pas si longtemps Beaucoup d’autres ont flâné Loin de leurs quatre murs, sur les quais d’une grande aventure Il suffisait d’un pas, d’un peu de déraison Pour sortir d’une douce prison Les moins fous ont laissé le bateau s’en aller Lesquels n’ont rien regretté Moi je dis qu’il vaut mieux se tromper de chemin Que d’attendre un meilleur lendemain Il faut partir quand le temps est venu Après c’est trop tard on est déjà vieux Il faut partir quand nous pousse le vent Il ne souffle pas si longtemps

30


“JE MARCHE SUR TOUS LES CHEMINS,” GAVOTTE FROM MANON LESCAUT Jules Massenet (1842-1912)

Massenet Manon is a comic opera in five acts with a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prost. It was first performed at the Opéra Comique in Paris in 1884 and is Massenet’s most popular opera.

Is that true? That you very much! I’ll consent, seeing that I’m so good, to let you gaze upon my charming person! I go everywhere, the equal of any sovereign; people bow, they kiss my hand, because I am a queen by my lovely looks! I am queen! My horses race me about; seeing the boldness of my life, highly placed people come forward with their hats off; I am beautiful, I am happy! All around me everything should flower! I go to everything that attracts me! And if ever Manon should die, she would die my friends, in a burst of laughter. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Est-ce vrai? Grand merci! Je consens vu que je suis bonne, à laisser admirer ma charmante personne! Je marche sur tous les chemins, aussi bien qu’une souveraine; on s’incline, on baise ma main, car par la beauté je suis reine! Je suis reine! Mes chevaux courent à grands pas; devant ma vie aventureuse, les grands s’avancent chapeau bas; je suis belle, je suis heureuse! Autour de moi tout doit fleurir! Je vais à tout ce qui m’attire! Et si Manon devait jamais mourir, ce serait, mes amis, dans un éclat de rire! Ah! ah! ah! ah!

31


BEFORE WE TAKE OFF, WE TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION. While the COVID-19 pandemic has created a constantly evolving landscape across private aviation, Sentient Jet has remained steadfast in its commitment to going above and beyond to protect cardholders, passengers and employees. Having implemented additional procedures to its already rigorous Sentient Certified protocols, the company continues to successfully and safely fly over 8,000 jet card owners to their destinations. Visit SENTIENT.COM to learn more.

The Sentient Jet 25-Hour Card and Sentient Jet 25-Hour Plus Card are programs of Sentient Jet, LLC (Sentient®), an “Air Charter Broker” under DOT regulations. Sentient acts as authorized agent for the Cardholder, which is the “Charterer” under DOT regulations, to contract for transportation services with FAR Part 135 Direct Air Carriers that operate and exercise full operational control over those flights at all times. Flights will be sourced through the proprietary Sentient Certified™ Network of Direct Air Carriers that meet all FAA or comparable foreign safety standards and additional safety standards established by Sentient.


T H U R S DAY, J U LY 17, 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

FESTIVAL LIVE! chamber series Dallas Symphony Orchestra Trio Alexander Kerr, Concertmaster Eunice Keem, Associate Concertmaster Meredith Kufchak, Principal Viola ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK (1841-1904) Terzetto in C major, Op. 74 (1887) Introduzione: Allegro ma non troppo Larghetto Scherzo: Vivace – Trio: Poco meno mosso Tema con Variazioni JOHAN HALVORSEN (1864-1935) Passacaglia for Violin and Viola (1893) Based on Passacaille No. 6 from Suite in G minor, HWV 432, by George Frideric Handel (c. 1720) ZOLTÁN KODÁLY (1882-1967) Serenade for 2 violins and viola, Op. 12 (1921) Allegramente––Sostenuto ma non troppo Lento ma non troppo Vivo

33


SAT U R DAY, J U LY 17, 6 & 8 PM | C I A AT CO PI A

SATURDAY

AT THE SYMPHONY Chad Goodman, Conductor Aldo López-Gavilán, Piano Festival Orchestra Napa NIA IMANI FRANKLIN (B. 1993) “Chrysalis Extended” (2021, West Coast Premiere) MAURICE RAVEL (1875-1937) La valse (1920) ALDO LÓPEZ-GAVILÁN (B. 1979) Emporium for Solo Piano and Orchestra (2017) Festival Orchestra Napa’s appearance is made possible through a generous gift from Tatiana and Gerret Copeland, proprietors of Bouchaine Vineyards. Chad Goodman appears as the recipient of the 2021 Festival Napa Valley Joel Revzen Fellowship. Concert is part of Frost at Festival Napa Valley.

34


CHRYSALIS EXTENDED (WEST COAST PREMIERE) Nia Imani Franklin (b. 1993)

American composer Nia Imani Franklin’s Chrysalis Extended is a brief work for orchestra that was recently premiered by the distinguished Dallas Symphony. It is rich in sound and feeling for winds, timpani, and strings alike. While Franklin may be better-known for her chamber works, this piece places her firmly in the category of symphonic composer.

LA VALSE

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

In his definitive book, Fin-de-Siècle Vienna, Carl Schorske says that Ravel, “recorded in La Valse the violent death of the nineteenth century world. The waltz, long the symbol of Vienna, became in the composer’s hands a frantic danse macabre.” Ironically, the composition of the work in 1919-20, originally for ballet score, predated Ravel’s visit to Vienna, a fact that does not lessen its impact. Ravel’s deep-felt concern for European political and social matters, particularly World War I, was well known even before La Valse. A more purely musical irony also pervades La Valse in the sense that, although Ravel sided with Debussy in his opposition to Wagner and his insistence on a completely French school of composition, Ravel retained an admiration for the lavish pianism of Liszt. Surely there is no more lavish piano work than La Valse.

EMPORIUM FOR SOLO PIANO AND ORCHESTRA

Aldo López-Gavilán (b. 1979)

Cuban composer and pianist Aldo López-Gavilán is known in both the classical and jazz worlds. He tours regularly with the Grammy Award winning Harlem String Quartet known for its diverse programming. His Emporium for Solo Piano and Orchestra was performed recently by the Boulder Philharmonic whose conductor, Michael Butterman, refers to the work as an “amazing mix…exciting and intriguing” and with “influences from every possible genre and place.” Butterman offers an intriguing description of the work as sounding “like a little bit of Philip Glass and with moments that sounded like the Downton Abbey soundtrack. López-Gavilán himself comments that in the piece he wanted to describe “a place where you could find many different things from all over the planet.” Thus it is with Emporium. The first movement is based on a piece López-Gavilán wrote as a birthday present for his twin daughters. The second movement he describes as “post-revolutionary Cuban songs and American country music songs combined to symbolize peace,” and the final movement as “highly rhythmic and polytonal, bringing together music from all three movements and ending in a grand final statement of the main theme.” Consistent in all three movements are amazing virtuosic challenges. We are privileged to hear the Festival Orchestra Napa under Chad Goodman perform the work with the piano part performed by its composer.

35


SU N DAY, J U LY 18 , 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

FESTIVAL LIVE! chamber series Margaret Donaghue, Clarinet Craig Morris, Trumpet Svet Stoyanov, Percussion Michael Sheppard, Piano Bettina Mussumeli, Violin

Geoff Nutall, Violin Laura Hamilton, Violin Jodi Levitz, Viola Christopher Costanza, Cello

ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132 (1853) OSVALDO GOLIJOV (B. 1960) Mariel for Cello and Marimba (1999) ERIC EWAZEN (B. 1954) Quintet for Trumpet and Strings (1998) I. Allegro moderato IV. Allegro agitato GABRIEL FAURÉ (1845-1924) Piano Quintet No. 2, Op. 115 (1919-1921) I. Allegro moderato II. Allegro vivo

36


MÄRCHENERZÄHLUNGEN (FAIRY TALES) FOR CLARINET, VIOLA, AND PIANO, OP. 132 Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Märchenerzählungen (Fairy Tales) was composed in October of 1853, dangerously close to Schumann’s suicide attempt in 1854 although that does not show in the warm spirit of the work. The first movement Lebhaft, nicht zu schnell (Lively, not too fast), for example, with its light-hearted arpeggios from the piano and its general graciousness suggests an untroubled soul. Here we also have the statement of a “kernel” theme which works its way through the entire piece, a technique that Brahms would develop to its fullest. So, too, does the decisive and spirited second movement Lebhaft und sehr markiert (Lively with much accent), with its octave leaps for all three instruments and the march-like statements of the piano, reflect a happiness of spirit. A lyrical turn and dotted rhythms suggest something more but hardly the heart of darkness. The third movement Ruhiges Tempo, mit zarten Ausdruck (Calm tempo, with delicate expression), much in contrast to the second, offers us a lyrical singing style we associate with Schumann. Both viola and clarinet have lovely solo moments while the piano remains steady with a rocking motion. The final movement Lebhaft, sehr markiert; Etwas ruhigeres Tempo; Erstes tempo (lively with much accent; rather delicately) returns us to the spirit of the second movement but with a different approach. The energetic and definitive opening statement changes to a lighter spirit in the development but returns to its original strength for the conclusion.

MARIEL FOR CELLO AND MARIMBA Osvaldo Golijov (b. 1960)

Osvaldo Golijov grew up in an Eastern European Jewish household in La Plata, Argentina. Born to a piano teacher mother and physician father, Golijov was surrounded by classical chamber music, Jewish liturgical and klezmer music, and the new tango of Astor Piazzolla. After studying piano at the local conservatory and composition with Gerardo Gandini, he moved to Israel in 1983, where he studied at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy and immersed himself in the colliding musical traditions of that city. After moving to the United States in 1986, Golijov earned his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied with George Crumb and was a fellow at Tanglewood. In January and February 2006, Lincoln Center presented a sold-out festival called The Passion of Osvaldo Golijov, featuring multiple performances of his major works. Mariel for Cello and Marimba was composed in 1999 with an orchestral version shortly following. Golijov offers these comments on the work: “I wrote the original version of Mariel, for cello and marimba, when I learned of the death in an accident of my friend Mariel Stubrin. I attempted to capture that short instant before grief, in which one learns of the sudden death of a friend who was full of life: a single moment frozen forever in one’s memory, and which reverberates through the piece, in the waves and echoes of the Brazilian music that Mariel loved.” 37


QUINTET FOR TRUMPET AND STRINGS Eric Ewazen (b.1954)

Ewazen studied composition under at the Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School where he has been on the faculty since 1980. He has also been a lecturer for the New York Philharmonic’s Musical Encounters Series and has also served on the faculties of the Hebrew Arts School and the Lincoln Center Institute. His compositions have been performed by the Cleveland Orchestra and at such festivals as Woodstock, Tanglewood, and Aspen. The Quintet for Trumpet and Strings, composed in 1999, was commissioned by the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble and Chris Gekker and recorded by them on Well-Tempered Productions. The work fully explores the virtuosity the trumpet can offer with riveting melodies and deep-felt moments.

PIANO QUINTET NO. 2, OP. 115 Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

The second of his two piano quintets, dedicated to Paul Dukas, was completed in March of 1921 well after Fauré had suffered severe hearing loss. It was performed for the first time on May 2, 1921 at the Société nationale de musique in Paris in honor of the 76-year old Fauré. For this program, we hear the first two movements of the work. While the C Minor Quintet has all of Fauré’s classic imprints, its canvas is larger. The strong opening brings a rippling piano and singing strings, but they are punctuated with dramatic descending slurs and octave leaps. An elusive passion pervades the movement but with a declarative nature. There is little holding back in the second movement Allegro vivo. Here we have a full-blown scherzo except for a certain expansiveness we do not usually associate with the form. It is fast, light, and full of joy but never idle merriment.

38


SU N DAY, J U LY 18 , 5 PM | N I CK E L & N I CK E L

arts for all gala

featuring jennifer hudson

Selections to be announced from the stage

Jennifer Hudson appears as part of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Vocal Arts Series.

39


M O N DAY, J U LY 19, 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

FESTIVAL LIVE! chamber series Friction Quartet Selections to be announced from the stage

SALUTÉ NAPA VALLEY COLLEGE SALUTES FESTIVAL NAPA VALLEY, A LEADER IN ARTS EDUCATION, FOR ENCOURAGING INCLUSIVENESS, DIVERSITY AND INNOVATION IN THE ARTS, AND FOR MAKING THE ARTS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY. NAPA VALLEY COLLEGE IS PROUD TO BE THE OFFICIAL HOME OF THE BLACKBURN MUSIC ACADEMY.

NAPAVALLEY.EDU


M O N DAY, J U LY 19, 6 :3 0 PM | DA R I O U S H

donor exclusive

jean-yves thibaudet, piano

Selections to be announced from the stage Mr. Thibaudet's worldwide representation: HarrisonParrott Mr. Thibaudet records exclusively for Decca Records.

41


T U E S DAY, J U LY 2 0, 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

FESTIVAL LIVE! chamber series Nia Imani Franklin, Soprano Jennifer Grim, Flute Svet Stoyanov, Percussion Antek Olesik, Percussion Guillermo Ospina, Percussion Jenny Marasti, Percussion

Sehee Park, Percussion Michael Sheppard, Piano Bettina Mussumeli, Violin Laura Hamilton, Violin Jodi Levitz, Viola Sally Kim, Cello

NIA IMANI FRANKLIN (B. 1993) “Bliss” (2021) “Like Air, Rising High” (2021) “Hymn for Keys” (2021) “Sunflower” (2021) REBECCA CLARKE (1886-1979) “Dumka” (1941) ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921-1992) “Histoire du Tango” (1986) ANDY AKIHO (B. 1979) “Pillar IV” (2014)

42


LIKE AIR, RISING HIGH; SUNFLOWER HYMN FOR THE KEYS; BLISS Nia Imani Franklin

With styles ranging from R&B to classical, Nia Imani Franklin’s soulful and eclectic music has served commercials, television, and film. Her gospel singing background in church contributed to her love for music at a young age, having written her first song at the age of five. Nia has a Bachelor of Music degree in theory and composition and a Master of Music degree in composition. She is a composer of opera, instrumental music, and writes for artists and herself. The notable four works for solo included on this program reveal the depths and diversity of Nia Imani Franklin and confirm her admitted favoring of the cello as one of her favorite instruments. Like Air, Rising High opens the set of Nia Imani Franklin’s four pieces we hear on this program. As its title suggests, we are lifted into the air by listening to it. Sunflower is hardly a sunny piece at its beginning, but the sun does comes out as Franklin explores the cello’s ability to express many emotions. Hymn for Keys is a four-minute tribute to classical music but with something of what we might call “crossover” since there is indeed a hint of jazz in the lovely work. Without a doubt, Bliss brings just that to our ears.

DUMKA

Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) “Change over to the viola because then you are right in the middle of the sound and can tell how it’s all done.” Such was Sir Charles Stanford’s advice to Rebecca Clarke, his first woman composition student at the Royal Academy of Music. Clarke took the advice and became both a violist and composer revered by the outstanding musicians of her time. Arthur Rubenstein referred to her as “the glorious Rebecca Clarke.” Glorious or not, the tale of Rebecca Clarke is not a happy one. From a domineering father who forced her withdrawal from conservatory studies to a late in life husband who eclipsed her career, Clarke struggled with discrimination against women. Undaunted, she became the first woman in a professional orchestra in London as well as founder of a piano quartet, the English Ensemble. After many invitations to New York and New England chamber music festivals, she remained in the United States where she married an English musical colleague, James Friskin, in 1944. From that point on until her death in 1979 she gave up both playing and composing. Despite that, she leaves a glorious body works including the Dumka for violin, viola and piano. Dumka is a lovely ten-minute work. Long melodic lines persist throughout but are regularly interrupted by livelier moments. In many ways the work could be considered traditional, but so does it have a certain modernity and originality we can attribute to Rebecca Clarke.

43


HISTOIRE DU TANGO; BORDELLO 1900 CAFÉ 1930; NIGHT CLUB 1960; CONCERT D’AUJOURD’HUI Astor Piazzolla, (1921-1992)

Piazzolla’s studies with Alberto Ginastera led him to studies in Paris with the legendary Nadia Boulanger. Piazzolla gives a wonderful account of his reluctance to admit to her that he played the bandoneon rather than the piano. He presented to her what he called his “kilos of symphonies and sonatas.” She responded that they were “well-written,” but that she could not find Piazzolla in them. Finally, he played his tangos for her to which she responded, “You idiot, that’s Piazzolla!” He commented, “And I took all the music I composed, ten years of my life, and sent it to hell in two seconds.” The four pieces we hear on this program are all from the set collectively entitled Histoire du Tango which Piazzolla wrote in 1986 in his attempt to take the tango from Argentinian night clubs to the concert halls of Europe and America. He achieved that goal by composing in a serious classical style but also retaining the irresistible quality of the tango with its sensuousness touched with a bit of merriment. Bordello 1900 is a high-spirited tango painting a picture of the chatter by those who peopled the bordellos and what Piazzolla himself called the “the riffraff who came to see them.” Café 1930 portrays a new age of the tango when people listened rather than danced to it as it took on a more classical style with slower movements. Night Club 1960 reflects the internationalizing of the tango as people rushed to nightclubs to hear a new and more serious form of it. Concert d’aujourd’hui (Modern Day Concert) reveals the tango has it has become related to modern music with influence from such composers as Bartók and Stravinsky.

PILLAR IV (2014) Andy Akiho (B. 1979)

American composer and virtuoso percussionist Andy Akiho holds degrees in music and composition from the University of South Carolina and the Yale School of Music and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in composition at Princeton University. Akiho has been recognized with awards including the 2014-15 Luciano Berio Rome Prize, the 2015 Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund, a 2014 Fromm Foundation Commission from Harvard University, the 2014 American Composers Orchestra Underwood Emerging Composers Commission, a 2014 Chamber Music America (CMA) Grant with the Friction Quartet and Jenny Q Chai, a 2012 CMA Grant with Sybarite5, the 2012 Carlsbad Composer Competition Commission for the Calder Quartet, and the 2011 Finale & ensemble Eighth Blackbird National Composition Competition Grand Prize. Additionally, his compositions have been featured on PBS’s News Hour with Jim Lehrer and by organizations such as Bang on a Can, American Composers Forum, and The Society for New Music. Pillar IV is scored for glockenspiel, gran cassa, vibraphone, brake drum, tam tam, five graduated glass bottles, four resonant metal pipes, and two woodblocks. That in itself should affirm the originality and invention of the work as you experience it in this concert. Do not be surprised by the high musical quality that pervades this unusual combination of objects we do not always associate with musical instruments. 44


T U E S DAY, J U LY 2 0, 6 :3 0 PM | C H A R LE S K R U G

the four seasons of napa valley

Matt Haimovitz, Cello Chad Hoopes, Violin and Conductor Festival Orchestra Napa

PRIMAVERA: 3 WORLD PREMIERES GORDON GETTY (B. 1933) “Spring Song” (2021) NIA IMANI FRANKLIN (B. 1993) “Afro-dite” (2021) JAKE HEGGIE (B. 1961) “Spring Forward” (2021) ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678-1741) The Four Seasons (1716-1717) Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, “Spring” Allegro | Largo e pianissimo sempre | Allegro pastorale Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, “Summer” Allegro non molto | Adagio e piano – Presto e forte | Presto Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, “Autumn” Allegro | Adagio molto | Allegro Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, “Winter” Allegro non molto | Largo | Allegro Festival Orchestra Napa’s appearance is made possible through a generous gift from Tatiana and Gerret Copeland, proprietors of Bouchaine Vineyards. Concert is part of Frost at Festival Napa Valley. 45


“SPRING SONG” (2021) Gordon Getty (B. 1933)

“When to the sessions of sweet silent thought/I summon up remembrance of things past…” Shakespeare, Sonnet 30 The majority of Gordon Getty’s compositions feature the voice, from his multiple song cycles to numerous operas. In Spring Song, he draws from those two worlds––a wordless song for solo cello with operatic drama––the incisive, accented tremolo at its close, waking us into the realization that nothing is as simple as it seems. The sonata form reflects the cyclical seasons, with Spring offering a time of renewal and rebirth as we reflect on our past. When I received Mr. Getty’s Spring Song, I immediately associated it with Pablo Casals’s Song of the Birds, which the legendary cellist performed often as an encore. We are now fortunate to have Mr. Getty’s Spring Song as a heartfelt addition to the solo cello canon. – Matt Haimovitz

“AFRO-DITE”

Nia Imani Franklin (B. 1993) Greek and Roman mythology have always intrigued me, so when I started writing this solo cello piece with Botticelli’s Primavera painting in mind, I wondered how I could put my own spin on the idea of goddesses. Because Aphrodite is the Greek version of Venus and I chose to spell it Afro-dite, I knew it would be a playful way of bringing a part of myself to this project. So often in the media, Black women are discounted of our humanity, and we have seen this throughout history. This piece is a reminder that we are complex people with a range of experiences. Matt Haimovitz does an incredible job of bringing this to life and telling a story through the music. - Nia Imani Franklin

“SPRING FORWARD” (2021) Jake Heggie (B. 1961)

My favorite time of year is the front edge of Spring, when we wake from a groggy Winter’s sleep to notice buds appearing, blossoms and grasses pushing through insistently, magically, powerfully; slowly at first, then bursting forth everywhere. Best of all, we anticipate longer days and daylight savings time, when we set our clocks ahead an hour. To remind us which way to set the clock, I was always told “Spring Forward – Fall Back.” Like Spring, Music is all about possibility, momentum, what lies ahead and the mystery of what will emerge. The piece I wrote for Matt Haimovitz is a virtuoso Tarantella, constantly building, surprising and illuminating, faster and faster. To my great delight, he has lavishly embellished and personalized an already challenging score to add to the excitement of what will happen next. – Jake Heggie

46


THE FOUR SEASONS (1716-1717)

Concerto No. 1 in E Major, Op. 8, RV 269, “Spring” Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 8, RV 315, “Summer” Concerto No. 3 in F Major, Op. 8, RV 293, “Autumn” Concerto No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 8, RV 279, “Winter”

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Known as “The Red Priest” because of his fiery red hair, Vivaldi’s personality and music reflect his nickname. He was born in Venice on March 4, 1678, the same day an earthquake hit the city. He was, in fact, ordained a priest in 1703 but continued to live with his family and study the violin with his father. He stopped saying Mass shortly after his ordination and was censured for “conduct unbecoming a priest,” probably related to his distraction by music. At the same time, he became violin master at the Pio Ospedale della Pietá in Venice, an institution that served both as a home for orphaned girls and an extraordinary musical conservatory for them. The Ospedale, with its excellent choir and orchestra, proved to be a great resource for the enterprising Vivaldi and served as an impetus for his many instrumental and vocal works. In addition to his position at the Ospedale, Vivaldi was appointed leading violinist at St. Mark’s which contributed not only to his own tremendous virtuosity as a player but also to the demanding violin scores he would write. Despite his creativity, vitality, and popularity, Vivaldi died in poverty in Vienna on July 28, 1741. He was victimized by such critics as William Hayes, who found “too much mercury in his constitution,” and Sir John Hawkins who found his concertos “wild and irregular,” though he admitted to their “peculiar force and energy.” Fortunately, Vivaldi would be rescued by 19th century scholarship that would mention him in the same breath as Bach. The overwhelming popularity of The Four Seasons obscures Vivaldi’s other works including some 200 concertos, 40 or so operas, and numerous cantatas, motets, and songs. Central to the popularity of The Four Seasons is its programmatic nature, one of the first compositions to develop that idea in an open way. The question of “pure” music versus “programmatic” music is an endlessly complicated one, but Vivaldi was open and assertive about the programmatic elements of The Four Seasons. Probably written by Vivaldi himself, the verses that accompany each of the four concertos were carefully penned into the score at the point where the descriptive music occurs. Thus we have “Spring” with its birdcalls, murmur of springs, thunder and lightening, dog bark, and the sound of bagpipes. “Summer” brings the sound of cuckoos, doves, goldfinches, an approaching storm, a swarm of insects, and hailstones. In “Autumn” we hear harvest dances, horns, guns, and dogs. “Winter” harkens wind, the stamping of feet, chattering teeth, and a fall on ice. “Such is winter and its joys,” says Vivaldi in words and music. Oddly enough, the work’s subtitle, The Trial of Harmony and Invention, indicates Vivaldi’s intention to honor the rules of composition within his flights of imagination. The concertos were first published in 1725 as part of a set of twelve.

47


W E D N E S DAY, J U LY 21, 6 :3 0 PM | C H A R LE S K R U G

tribute to

tony bennett Michael Feinstein, Jordan Donica, Wé McDonald, Jane Monheit, Nia Imani Franklin, Vocalists Gregg Field, Producer/Drums Shelly Berg, Piano Tom Scott, Saxophone Randy Waldman, Keyboards Dean Parks, Guitar Terry Miller, Bass

Selections to be announced from the stage

Concert is part of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Vocal Arts Series. Festival Napa Valley will make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of Tony Bennett.

48


W E D N E S DAY, J U LY 21, 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

AT THE FOOT OF WINTER’S MOUNTAIN

a musical tale for piano and shadow puppets Audrey Vardanega, Piano Art by Chris Rippey Concert is dedicated to the memory of Thelma Schnitzer. Concert made possible by the generous support of Kenneth and Deborah Novack A Festival Napa Valley Arts for All program

49


T H U R S DAY, J U LY 2 2 , 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

Audrey Vardanega piano FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810-1849) Nocturne in D-flat major, Op. 27, No. 2 (1837) Nocturne in B major Op. 62, No. 1 (1846) Mazurka in C-sharp minor, Op. 50, No. 3 (1842) WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Piano Sonata No. 15 in F Major, K. 533 (1788) Allegro Andante Rondo: Allegretto ROBERT SCHUMANN "Träumerei" from Kinderszenen, Op. 15 (“Dreaming” from Scenes from Childhood, 1838) "Einsame Blumen" from Waldszenen, Op. 82 (“Lonely Flowers” from Forest Scenes, 1848-1849) Concert underwritten by Bouchaine Vineyards, Tatiana and Gerret Copeland, proprietors A Festival Napa Valley Arts for All program

50


NOCTURNES & MAZURKA Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Chopin’s teacher Josef Eisner introduced him to the composer John Field, the originator of the nocturne form. Chopin took the form to new heights and depths with his numerous collections in a variety of keys. The nocturne is defined as “a piece of a dreamily romantic or sentimental character without fixed form” (literally, “night music”). While that hardly fulfills a description of Chopin’s nocturnes, it is a start at understanding these wonderful works in which the right hand is vocalist. Chopin based his some 59 mazurkas on the traditional Polish folk dance but, like other composers such as Béla Bartók who turned to folk music for inspiration, he brought to it new dimensions. This included elaborate chromaticism, complex harmony, counterpoint, fugues, and chorales—all of which we hear in the Op. 50, No. 3 Mazurka performed on this program.

SONATA NO. 15 IN F MAJOR, K. 533 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

At the time of his composition of the Sonata No. 15, Mozart was in Vienna where he was involved in a performance of his opera Don Giovanni. Perhaps it was that association which helped to lend the Sonata its distinct operatic qualities. The work also bears a certain maturity in its strong use of counterpoint in which two or more melodies can be developed simultaneously.

TRAUMEREI & EINSAME BLUMEN Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

Central to Schumann’s music is the reflection of his so-called “split personality,” that is, the free and happy Florestan side and the restrained and pensive Eusebius side, so named after the imaginary characters that Schumann created to express his life. How much this reflects his own mental illness resulting in his attempted suicide in 1854 by a leap into the icy Rhine and his death two years later in a mental institution, we shall leave to the psychiatrists. What we need to study is the glorious result of his compositional efforts despite his sufferings. “Traumerei” (Dreaming) is the seventh in a set of thirteen pieces for piano entitled Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) that Schumann composed in 1838. It is one of his best-known works, and among its many uses was the opening and closing theme of the 1947 Hollywood film Song of Love. “Einsame Bluman” (Lonely Flowers) is the third in his Op. 82 set of nine pieces known Waldszenen (Forest Scenes) composed in 1848-49. As its title suggests, the piece is both lyrical and contemplative.

51


T H U R S DAY, J U LY 2 2 , 6 :3 0 PM | C H A R LE S K R U G

PUCCINI’S

GIANNI SCHICCHI GIACOMO PUCCINI (1858-1924) Gianni Schicchi (1917-1918) Libretto by Giovacchino Forzano (1883-1970) With a libretto by Gioachino Foranzo , Gianni Schicchi is Puccini’s one-act comic opera set in Florence in the thirteenth century. Buoso Donati, a rich Florentine has died and left his fortune to a monastery. This loss of fortune disturbs Donati’s family, and Rinuccio, in love with the family’s daughter Lauretta, tries to devise a scheme for acquiring Buoso’s wealth. He does this by calling in the wily Gianni Schicchi who notes that Buoso’s death has not yet been made public. Because of this, Schicchi offers to impersonate the dead man. The news of Buoso’s death is to be spread through Florence after Schicchi, as Buoso, dictated a new will bequeathing Buoco’s fortune to his family. The family calls in a lawyer to draw up the will and, to their horror, Buoso’s fortune has been left to one Gianni Schicchi. In order not to incriminate themselves, the family must remain silent. Nevertheless, when the lawyer leaves, they attack Schicchi who drives them away with a stick. As Rinuccio and Lauaretta express their love, Schicchi remarks that no better use can be made of his new fortune that to help the lovers. The opera premiered in New York’s Metropolitan Opera in December 1918.

Manetti Shrem Opera, underwritten by Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Festival Orchestra Napa’s appearance is made possible through a generous gift from Tatiana and Gerret Copeland, proprietors of Bouchaine Vineyards. 52


CAST & STAFF Concert is part of Frost at Festival Napa Valley. Music Director / Conductor Stage Director Assistant Conductor Assistant Stage Director

Kent Nagano Jean-Romain Vesperini Christopher James Ray Nicolas Aliaga Garcia

Gianni Schicchi Lauretta Zita Rinuccio Gherardo Nella Gherardino Betto di Signa Simone Marco La Ciesca Maestro Spinelloccio Ser Amantio di Nicolao Pinellino Guccio Buoso Donati

Lucas Meachem Mikaela Bennett Jacquelyn Matava Mario Rojas Conor Brereton Natalia Santaliz Kai Esainko Jose Maldonado Mark Covey Jonathan Patton Simone McIntosh Joseph Parrish Keaton Brown Nathan Savant Carlos Suárez Slater Penney

Rehearsal pianist Vocal Coaches Vocal Instructors Movement Coach Production Manager Assistant Stage Manager Video Designer Costume Designer Hair & Make-up Designer Costume Assistant Make-up and Hair Assistant Carpenter Props Designer / Stagehand #1 Supertitle Details Supertitle Rentals Supertitle Operator Staging / Lights / Sound

Veronika Dafoe Donna Racik, Met Opera Ronny Greenberg, San Francisco Opera Noah Lindquist, Chicago Lyric Malcolm MacKenzie, Rhoslyn Jones Slater Penney Bethanie Baeyen Julie Chin Anour Brissel Callie Floor Lindsay Saier Jocelyn Leiser Herndon Lyre Alston David Gardner Kevin Landesman Nicolas Aliaga Garcia Ted Zoldan Veronika Defoe Sound Image

Simone McIntosh and Mario Rojas appear as the recipients of the 2021 Manetti Shrem Prize. 53


festival-napa-valley-4,5x7,5in-catene-02.indd 1

06/07/21 11:51


F R I DAY, J U LY 2 3 , 6 :3 0 PM | C H A R LE S K R U G

DANCE GALA

ROBERTO BOLLE AND FRIENDS Roberto Bolle, Teatro alla Scala, Milan Aran Bell, American Ballet Theatre, New York Skylar Brandt, American Ballet Theatre, New York Angelo Greco, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Melissa Hamilton, The Royal Ballet, London Misa Kuranaga, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Caravaggio Pas de deux Choreography: Mauro Bigonzetti Music: Bruno Moretti, from Claudio Monteverdi Artists: Melissa Hamilton, Roberto Bolle Le Corsaire Pas de deux Choreography: Marius Petipa Music: Riccardo Drigo Artists: Misa Kuranaga, Angelo Greco Borderlands* Choreography and Costumes: Wayne McGregor Music: Joel Cadbury and Paul Stoney Artists: Melissa Hamilton, Roberto Bolle *Originally commissioned by the San Francisco Ballet

55


Don Quixote Pas de deux from Act III Choreography: Marius Petipa Music: Ludwig Minkus Artists: Skylar Brandt, Aran Bell Prototype reloaded Concept and choreography: Massimiliano Volpini Music: Leonardo De Amicis Co-Regia and Visual Effects: Avantgarde Numerique and Xchanges Vfx Design Artist: Roberto Bolle Soirées Musicales Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Music: Benjamin Britten Costumes: Ann Beck Artists: Misa Kuranaga, Angelo Greco L’Altro Casanova Pas de deux Choreography: Gianluca Schiavoni Music: Antonio Vivaldi Artists: Melissa Hamilton, Roberto Bolle Light designer: Valerio Tiberi

Roberto Bolle and Friends appear as part of the Dede Wilsey Dance Series. With additional support from the Italian Consulate General in San Francisco, the Italian Cultural Institute, Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem, Suzanne Deal Booth, Romana Bracco, Sharon and Michael Dixon, Pamela and C. Richard Kramlich, Kathleen Martinez Nazar and José Luis Nazar, Yurie and Carl Pascarella, Megha and Nirav Tolia, and Steven Volpe

56


F R I DAY, J U LY 2 3 , 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

STEVEN BANKS, SAXOPHONE Steven Banks, Saxophone Xak Bjerken, Piano WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Reduction of the Oboe Quartet in F major, K. 370/368b (1781) Allegro Adagio Rondeau: Allegro PAUL CRESTON (1906-1985) Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano, Op. 19 (1939) With Vigor With Tranquility With Gaeity STEVEN BANKS “Come As You Are” (2021)

Concert underwritten by Bouchaine Vineyards, Tatiana and Gerret Copeland, proprietors

57


OBOE QUARTET IN F MAJOR (PIANO REDUCTION) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Mozart’s Oboe Quartet, on which this piano reduction is based, was composed in 1781 in Munich. While in Munich, Mozart reacquainted with his friend Friedrich Ramm, a virtuosic oboist with the Munich orchestra, and composed the Oboe Quartet for him both to show off Ramm’s virtuosity and to demonstrate the improvements to the oboe that had been made at that time. That said, the three movements of the work made virtuosic demands on all four instruments. The reduction we hear on this program does not reduce those demands in any serious way as saxophonist Steven Banks will demonstrate.

SONATA FOR ALTO SAXOPHONE AND PIANO, OP. 19 Paul Creston (1906-1985)

Paul Creston, originally Giuseppe Guttoveggio, was born in New York City to Sicilian immigrants. Largely self-taught, Creston retained a free style of composition throughout his many works that include six symphonies and numerous concertos and solo works. He considered his greatest music influences to be Bach, Scarlatti, Chopin, Debussy, and Ravel. Perhaps we will hear something of those distinguished composers in Creston’s Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano. The Sonata is one of the standard recital pieces for saxophone and is studied by most saxophonist. It was completed in 1939 and first performed on February 15, 1940 in New York by Cecil Leeson, who commissioned the sonata. The composer was at the piano.

“COME AS YOU ARE” Steven Banks

Steven Banks is widely recognized as both a composer and saxophonist. Among his many accolades, he was the first saxophonist to earn a place on the Young Concert Artists Guild after winning First Prize at YCA’s International Auditions. He is a member of the award-winning Kenari Quartet and has performed at such distinguished venues as Chamber Music Northwest, the Grand Teton Festival, and Chamber Music Tulsa. He is currently Assistant Professor of Saxophone at Ithaca College and hold a Master of Music degree from the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music. Concerning his “Come As You Are,” Steven Banks tells us the work was influenced from African-American church music. He further comments that each of the four movements of the work is dedicated to a different member of his family.

58


SAT U R DAY, J U LY 2 4 , 11 A M | C I A AT CO PI A

FESTIVAL LIVE! chamber series Meghan Todt Williams, Violin Sienna Peck, Viola Sophia Bacelar, Cello JEAN CRAS (1879-1932) String Trio (1927) Movement 1 WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Divertimento in E-flat major, K. 563 (1788) Allegro Menuetto––Trio ZOLTÁN KODÁLY (1882-1967) Intermezzo (1905) ERNŐ DOHNÁNYI (1877-1960) Serenade in C major, Op. 10 (1904) Marcia: Allegro Romanza: Adagio non troppo Rondo (Finale): Allegro vivace

59


SAT U R DAY, J U LY 2 4 , 6 :3 0 PM | C H A R LE S K R U G

OPER A UNDER THE STARS James Conlon, Conductor Michael Fabiano, Tenor Simone McIntosh, Mezzo-Soprano and Mario Rojas, Tenor WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Overture to Le nozze di Figaro (1786) GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901) “Forse la soglia attinse” from Un ballo in maschera (1833) GEORGE FRIDERIC HÄNDEL (1685-1759) “Svegliatevi nel core” from Giulio Cesare (1724) JULES MASSENET (1842-1912) “Pourquoi me réveiller” from Werther (1892) GAETANO DONIZETTI (1797-1848) “Tomba degli’avi miei…Fra poco a me ricoveroi” from Lucia di Lammermoor (1835) WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) “Non ho colpa” from Idomeneo (1781) FRANCESCO CILEA (1866-1950) “È la solita storia” from L’arlesiana (1897)

60


RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO (1857-1919) “Recitar!…Vesti la giubba” from Pagliacci (1892) AGUSTÍN LARA (1897-1970) “Granada” (1932) Michael Fabiano, Mario Rojas, and Simone McIntosh appear as part of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Vocal Arts Series. Festival Orchestra Napa's appearance is made possible through a generous gift from Tatiana and Gerret Copeland, proprietors of Bouchaine Vineyards. Simone McIntosh and Mario Rojas appear as recipients of the 2021 Manetti Shrem Prize. Concert is part of Frost at Festival Napa Valley. While we have included texts and translations of the arias in this program, we stand reminded of Ann Patchett’s statement in her novel, Bel Canto: “In opera, the truth is in the music.”

OVERTURE TO LE NOZZE DI FIGARO Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Both thrilling—and familiar—is Mozart’s Overture to Le Nozze di Figaro. To the thrilling and familiar, however, we must add the spirit of fun since this Overture introduces one of the great comic operas of musical history. And no one knew better how to make fun than the ingenious Mozart. That said, there is always in Mozart the undercurrent of seriousness and compositional genius that governs all. Despite the objections of Italian musicians such as Antonio Salieri, The Marriage of Figaro was premiered in Vienna in 1786 but received greater acceptance in Prague before it spread throughout the world, including its first New York performance in 1824.

“FORSE LA SOGLIA ATTINSE” FROM UN BALLO IN MASCHERA Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

Giuseppe Verdi was the most prolific opera composer of his time with no less than twenty-six operas. Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball) is in three acts with text by Antonio Somma. The story is based on Eugène Scribe’s libretto for Daniel Auber’s 1833 five act opera, Gustave III. The plot concerns the assassination in 1792 of King Gustav III of Sweden who was shot as the result of a political conspiracy while attending a masked ball, and died of his wounds thirteen days later. From Act III we hear Riccardo’s aria “Forse la soglia attinse” (Perhaps the threshold drew). 61


Perhaps the threshold drew, And he poses at the end. - Honor And the need between our breasts broke The abyss. - Ah! yes, Renato He will see England again ... and his bride He will follow him. Without a goodbye, the immense Ocean separates ... and touches the core. Do I still hesitate? but, oh heaven, do not you? Ah, I marked my sacrifice! But if I have the strength to lose you Forever, or my light, My heartbeat will come to you Under what sky you are, Closed your memory In the intimacy of the heart. And now I presage The spirit attacks me, May the see you announce again Almost a fatal wish... As if it were the last one Now of our love?

Forse la soglia attinse, E posa alfin. - L'onore Ed il dover fra i nostri petti han rotto L'abisso. - Ah! sì, Renato Rivedrà l'Inghilterra... e la sua sposa Lo seguirà. Senza un addio, l'immenso Oceàn ne sepàri... e taccia il core. Esito ancor? ma, oh ciel, non lo degg'io? Ah, l'ho segnato il sacrifizio mio! Ma se m'è forza perderti Per sempre, o luce mia, A te verrà il mio palpito Sotto qual ciel tu sia, Chiusa la tua memoria Nell'intimo del cor. Ed or qual reo presagio Lo spirito m'assale, Che il rivederti annunzia Quasi un desio fatale...Come se fosse l'ultima Ora del nostro amor?

“SVEGLIATEVI NEL CORE” FROM GIULIO CESARE George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

The action of the opera is based on Julius Caesar's Egyptian visit of 48-47 BC. Caesar had defeated Pompey, a rival Roman general, at Pharsalia in Greece and has pursued him to Egypt, where Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy are joint sovereigns. “Svegliatevi nel core” (Awaken in my heart) is an aria from Act I, scene 4 when Sesto assures his mother he will avenge the death of his father, Pompey, who was assassinated by the Egyptians in order to demonstrate the Egyptians’ loyalty to Julius Caesar. The role can bes sung by either a soprano in a trouser role or a countertenor.

Awaken in my heart The wrath of an offended soul So I may wreak upon a traitor My bitter vengeance! The ghost of my father Hastens to my defense Saying: From you, my son Ferocity is expected.

Svegliatevi nel core furie d'un'alma offesa a far d'un traditor aspra vendetta! L'ombra del genitore accorre a mia difesa e dice: a te il rigor Figlio si aspetta.

62


“POURQUOI ME RÉVEILLER” FROM WERTHER Jules Massenet (1842-1912)

Massenet’s opera Werther is in four acts with a French libretto by Ėdouard Blau, Paul Millet, and George Hartman who used the pseudonym Henri Grémont. It is loosely based on the German epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and also reflects Goethe’s early life. Werther had its Metropolitan Opera premiere in New York and London in 1894. It is still regularly performed. “Pourquoi me réveiller?” (Why do you awaken me?) occurs in Act 3 as Charlotte is at home alone on Christmas Eve rereading the letters she received from Werther before her marriage to Albert. He suddenly appears and reads to her some poetry by Ossain in the form of the aria “Pourquoi me réveiller” and realizes that Charlotte returns his forbidden love. Learning that, he considers suicide which he commits in Act 4 as Charlotte consoles him by declaring her love.

Why do you awaken me? o breath of spring? Why do you awaken me? On my forehead I feel your caresses, and yet very near is the time of storms and sorrows! Why do you awaken me, o breath of spring? Tomorrow, into the valley will come the traveller remembering my early glory And his eyes in vain will look for my splendor. They will find no more than grief and misery. Alas! Why do you awaken me, o breath of spring!

Pourquoi me réveiller, ô souffle du printemps? Pourquoi me réveiller? Sur mon front je sens tes caresses, et pourtant bien proche est le temps des orages et des tristesses! Pourquoi me réveiller, ô souffle du printemps? Demain dans le vallon viendra le voyageur se souvenant de ma gloire première. Et ses yeux vainement chercheront ma splendeur. Ils ne trouveront plus que deuil et que misère! Hélas! Pourquoi me réveiller, ô souffle du printemps!

63


“TOMBE DEGLI AVI MIEI” FROM LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)

Donizetti’s tragic opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, with libretto by Saladore Cammarano, is based on Walter Scott’s 1819 historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor. It was written at the peak of Donzetti’s career and intrigued European audiences with its reference to the history and culture of Scotland and the so-called “romance” of its violent wars. The plot concerns Lucy Ashton (Luci) who is caught in a feud between her own family and the Ravenswoods. The setting is the Lammmuir Hills of Scotland in the 17thcentury. “Tombe degli avi miei” occurs in Act 3 as Edgardo sings of his wish to die in the upcoming duel with Enrico, since he cannot stand to live while Lucia delights in the pleasures of another husband.

Tombs of my fathers, last son of an unhappy race, receive me, I implore you. My anger's brief fire is quenched...I will fall on my foe's sword. For me, life is a horrible burden! The whole universe is a desert for me without Lucia! Yet the castle gleams with torches... Ah, the night was too short for the revels! Heartless jade! While I pine away in hopeless tears, you laugh and gloat by your happy consort's side! You amid joys, I near to death! Soon this neglected tomb will give me refuge. A compassionate tear will not fall upon it...ah! Alas, for wretched me not even the solace of the dead. You too, forget that despised marble tombstone! Never visit it, o cruel one, by your husband's side. Ah, respect at least the ashes of him who dies for you, Never visit it, forget it exists, respect at least the one who died for you, Oh, cruel one! Respect.

Tombe degli avi miei, l' ultimo avanzo' una stirpe infelice Deh'! raccogliete voi. - Cessò dell' ira Il breve foco ... sul nemico acciaro Abbandonar mi vo'. Per me la vita E' orrendo peso! ... l'universo intero E' un deserto per me senza Lucia! ... Di liete faci ancora Splende il castello! Ah! scarsa Fu la notte al tripudio! Ingrata donna! Mentr' io mi struggo in disperato pianto Tu ridi, esulti accanto Al felice consorte! Tu delle gioje in seno, io ... della morte! Frà poco a me ricovero Darà negletto avello ... Una pietosa lagrima Non scorrerà sù quello! Fin degli estinti, ahi misero! Manca il conforto a me! Tù pur, tù pur dimentica Quel marmo dispregiato. Mai non passarvi, o barbara, Del tuo consorte a lato ... Rispetta almen le ceneri Di chi morià per tè.

64


“NON HO COLPA” FROM IDOMENEO Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Mozart’s Idomeneo is part of what was known in his time as “opera seria,” usually meaning that the work takes on a mythological theme. Such is the case with Idomeneo. With an Italian libretto by Giambattista Varesco, the plot concerns Idomeneo, the King of Crete, as he is returning from the Trojan wars and is ravaged by a storm. As he emerges from this crisis, he vows to sacrifice the first person he meets when returning home. That person happens to be his son, Idomeneo, whose lover, Idamante, offers herself in his place. Her significant aria on the subject occurs in Act I Scene I.

The fault is not mine, and you condemn me, my love, because I adore you. The fault is yours, tyrannical gods, and I die of distress and pain for a crime which is not mine. If you so desire it, at your command I will pierce this breast of mine; I read it in your eyes, it's true, but at least tell me with your lips, and I will ask no other mercy.

Non ho colpa, e mi condanni Idol mio, perché t'adoro. Colpa è vostra, oh Dei tiranni, E di pena afflitto io moro D'un error, che mio non è. Se tu il brami, al tuo impero Aprirommi questo seno. Ne' tuoi lumi il leggo, è vero, Ma me 'l dica il labbro almeno, E non chiedo altra mercé.

“Ė LA SOLITA STORIA” FROM L’ARLESIANA Francesco Cilea (1866-1950)

Francesco Cilea’s L’Arlesiana is an opera in three acts with an Italian libretto by Leopoldo Marenco. The plot is based on the play of the same name by Alphonse Daudet, which in turn was inspired by a short story from his collection Letteres de mon Moulin (Letters from My Windmill). The opera contains three famous arias, one of which is “Ė la solita storia” (It’s the usual story) for the tenor role of Frederico. This occurs in Act 2 as Fedrico laments the treachery of the woman he loves.

E' la solita storia del pastore... Il povero ragazzo volvea raccontarla, e s'addormi. C'è nel sonno l'oblio, Come l'invidio! Anch'io vorrei dormir così nel sonno almeno l'oblio trovar! La pace sol cercando io vò: vorrei poter tutto scordar. Ma ogni sforzo è vanno. Davanti ho sempre di lei il dolce sembiante! La pace tolta è sempre a me... Perché degg'io tanto penar? Lei! sempre mi parla al cor! Fatale vision, mi lascia! mi fai tanto male! Ahimè!

It's the usual story of the shepherd The poor boy wanted to tell it, but fell asleep. There is oblivion in sleep, How I envy him! I too would like to sleep like this within sleep to find oblivion! I only want to find peace: If only I could forget everything. But all struggles are in vain. I still see before me her sweet visage! But all struggles are in vain. Why must I suffer so much pain? She! How she always spoke to my heart! Fatal vision, leave me! You hurt me so much! Oh poor me! 65


“RIDI, PAGLIACCO” FROM PAGLIACCI Ruggero Leoncavallo (1857-1919)

Leoncavallo’s two-act Pagliacci is his only opera but widely performed. It was premiered in Milan in 1892 conducted by Arturo Toscanini and was premiered in New York the following year. Leoncavallo is both the composer and lyricist of the opera. “Ridi, Pagliaccio” (Laugh Clown) is the famous tenor aria sung at the conclusion of the first act when Canio discovers his wife’s infidelity but nevertheless prepares for his performance as Pagliaccio the clown because “the show must go on.”

Recitar! Mentre preso dal delirio, non so più quel che dico, e quel che faccio! Eppur è d'uopo, sforzati! Bah! sei tu forse un uom? Tu se' Pagliaccio! Vesti la giubba, e la faccia in farina. La gente paga, e rider vuole qua. E se Arlecchin t'invola Colombina, ridi, Pagliaccio, e ognun applaudirà! Tramuta in lazzi lo spasmo ed il pianto; in una smorfia il singhiozzo il dolor, Ah! Ridi, Pagliaccio, sul tuo amore infranto! Ridi del duol, che t'avvelena il cor!

To recite! While taken with delirium, I no longer know what it is that I say, or what it is that I am doing! And yet it is necessary, force yourself! Bah! Can't you be a man? You are "Pagliaccio" Put on the costume, and the face in white powder. The people pay, and laugh when they please. and if Harlequin invites away Colombina laugh, Pagliaccio, and everyone will applaud! Change into laughs the spasms of pain; into a grimace the tears of pain, Ah! Laugh, Pagliaccio, for your love is broken! Laugh of the pain, that poisons your heart!

66


“GRANADA”

Agustin Lara (1897-1970) The song “Granada” was written in 1932 by Mexican composer Agustin Lara, who wrote both the music and the lyrics. The song concerns the Spanish city of Granada, both its attractions and threats. The song has been treated widely by notable singers as far back as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

Granada, land I’ve been dreaming about, When my song’s for you it turns into A Gypsy-like shout. It’s my song, made of a dreamer’s folly, Yes, my song, flower of melancholy, That I now bring to you. Granada, your soil is made bloody By men and bulls fighting; A woman whose Moorish eyes give her A charm that’s exciting. Rebellious Gypsy in my dreaming, All covered with flowers, I kiss your red mouth that’s so gleaming, A ripe apple, seeming To speak love for hours. Granada, with beautiful rhymes, like A girl, poets sing you; Except for a plain bunch of roses I’ve nothing to bring you; Of roses with fragrance so mild that They could be a frame for the dark Holy Virgin. Granada, your soil is submerged in A sea of great beauties, Of blood and of sun.

Granada, tierra soñada por mí, mi cantar se vuelve gitano cuando es para ti; mi cantar, hecho de fantasía, mi cantar, flor de melancolía, que yo te vengo a dar. Granada, tierra ensangrentada en tardes de toros; mujer que conserva el embrujo de los ojos moros. Te sueño rebelde y gitana cubierta de flores, y beso tu boca de grana, jugosa manzana, que me habla de amores. Granada, manola cantada en coplas preciosas; no tengo otra cosa que darte que un ramo de rosas, de rosas, de suave fragancia, que le dieran marco a la Virgen Morena. Granada, tu tierra está llena de lindas mujeres, de sangre y de sol.

67


SU N DAY, J U LY 2 5, 11:3 0 A M | A L PH A O M EG A

SEASON FINALE at alpha omega

Tessa Lark, Violin Sam Reider, Piano and Accordion Jazz and bluegrass originals and standards to be announced from the stage

68


SU N DAY, J U LY 2 5, 5:3 0 PM | C I A AT CO PI A

SUNDAY at the symphony Chad Goodman, Conductor Festival Orchestra Napa PIETRO MASCAGNI (1863-1945) Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana (1880) JOHN ADAMS (B. 1947) The Chairman Dances (1985) GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937) An American in Paris (1928) IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971) Firebird Suite (1919) Concert is dedicated to the memory of Joel Revzen. Chad Goodman appears as the recipient of the 2021 Festival Napa Valley Joel Revzen Fellowship. Concert is part of Frost at Festival Napa Valley.

69


INTERMEZZO FROM CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945)

The drama and lyricism of Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana accounts for much of its fame. The some four-minute Intermezzo that occurs before the last scene is an affirmation of that, with its moving opening and lyrical strings that sing throughout. This Intermezzo is considered worldwide to be one of the most popular moments in music. Mascagni’s one-act Cavalleria Rusticana was premiered in 1890 in Vienna. Adapted from a short story and play written by Giovanni Verga, it takes place on Easter morning in 19th century Sicily. This setting accounts for its importance as a work of “verismo opera,” meaning a form of opera that expressed the reality of ordinary life.

THE CHAIRMAN DANCES John Adams (b. 1947)

John Adams was commissioned by the Milwaukee Symphony to compose The Chairman Dances which he subtitled Foxtrot for Orchestra. Adams himself described the work as an “outtake” from Act III of his opera Nixon in China which he was working on at the time. In the opera, the music depicts Madame Mao crashing into a presidential banquet and performing a seductive dance. Chairman Mao descends from his portrait and joins her in a foxtrot, a dance from earlier times. The piece ends with the sound of a gramophone winding down.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS George Gershwin (1898-1937)

With its many jazz and blues effects, George Gershwin’s American in Paris has become an iconic piece of American music. Despite its Americana association, however, the piece is also a wonderful portrayal of Paris in the 1920s when it hosted expatriate artists such as Ezra Pound, William Butler Yeats, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Picasso. Those rich years are somehow painted in Gershwin’s music with its street noises that speak so clearly of Paris. We can also hear the work as “pure” music admired by none other than Maurice Ravel with whom Gershwin studied in 1926. Those studies produced the first version of An American in Paris which Gershwin would complete in 1928 when he returned to Paris in hope of studying with Nadia Boulanger who, after hearing him play, refused to teach him. She advised him to follow his own path with her famous comment: “Why try to be a second-rate Ravel when you are already a first-rate Gershwin.” He took her advice, and An American in Paris was premiered on December 13, 1928 in Carnegie Hall with Walter Damrosch conducting the New York Philharmonic. In the original program notes Gershwin commented, “My purpose here is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere.” Gershwin also mentioned in his notes that the American visitor succumbs to a “spasm of homesickness” portrayed by the blues effects he incorporates into the music, but that “the street noises and French atmosphere are triumphant.” 70


FIREBIRD SUITE

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) The ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev changed the course of music history when he sought the then relatively unknown Igor Stravinsky to compose a ballet score for his Ballets Russes. Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite would be the first production by an emerging ballet company to feature an entirely new score. So it was that Diaghilev asked Stravinsky to write the ballet music for a story based on a Russian folklore tale. The story tells of the downfall of a powerful ogre-like figure of evil, Kastchei the Deathless, who was seizing young princesses and turning the knights who came to rescue them into stone. Kastchei’s downfall was brought about when Crown Prince Ivan enlists the help of a beautiful rare bird, Firebird, to destroy Kastchei and free his victims. Stravinsky’s musical treatment of the story was rich and innovative and remains so today as you will hear in this performance.

71


PLAY Your Part FES TIVAL NAPA VALLE Y

When you contribute to Festival Napa Valley, you help to expand opportunities for audiences to enjoy affordable, world-class performances and bolster arts education opportunities.

Festival donors make annual commitments in addition to purchasing festival passes. Festival donors are invited to enjoy exclusive access and perks

To learn more contact Tessa Edwards tessa@festivalnapavalley.org 707.927.3546 See giving levels and benefits at festivalnapavalley.org/support


BIOGRAPHIES SOPHIA BACELAR Cuban-Chinese cellist and interdisciplinary artist Sophia Bacelar has been acclaimed for her expressive musicianship and disruptive, exploratory spirit. Her work has been featured in renowned venues ranging from Carnegie Hall, Le Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and the Berliner Philharmonie to La Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and nightclubs and art galleries worldwide. As the awardee of the Juilliard School’s 9th Annual Leo B. Ruiz Recital, she will give her Carnegie Hall debut in 2021. Other accolades include second prize at the Berliner International Competition, second prize at the Janigro International Competition, and the Mondavi Center’s Career Development Award. Often recognized for her idiosyncratic and fluid style, she has been dressed for events and performances by various global luxury. As a GEWA Official Artist, she custom painted a cello case for her partnership. She and her Havashu, Cuba, split time between New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. STEVEN BANKS Steven Banks is the first saxophonist to earn a place on the Young Concert Artists roster in its 60-year history, capturing first prize at the 2019 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. Banks has performed as a soloist with the Durham and North Carolina Symphonies, and he regularly gives recitals at universities and on music series across the United States. In addition to solo work, Banks has an ongoing relationship with the Cleveland Orchestra, and he appears on a Naxos recording as baritone saxophonist of the award-winning Kenari Quartet. As a jazz performer, he has played alongside musicians affiliated with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Buddy Rich Big Band, and Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Banks is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in music education, and as an assistant professor of saxophone at Ithaca College, he makes a concerted effort to ensure that all music students feel supported in their studies. ARAN BELL Aran Bell joined ABT Studio Company in September 2014, joined the main Company as an apprentice in May 2016, and became a member of the corps de ballet in March 2017. He was promoted to Soloist in September 2019 and to Principal Dancer in September 2020. Bell’s awards include the Hope Award at the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York City in 2009 and 2010, followed by the Junior Grand Prix in 2011, Grand Prix at the Milan International Ballet Competition in 2010, the Premio Positano in 2011, the Premio Amalfi Young Talent Award in 2012, Gold Medal at Tanzolymp Berlin in 2012, Gold Medal and Audience Choice Award at Rieti International Ballet Competition in 2012, the Premio Roma Jia Ruskaja in 2012, and the Premio Capri Danza 73


International Award in 2014. He has performed in galas throughout Europe and the United States and was featured in the 2011 film First Position: A Ballet Documentary. MIKAELA BENNETT Mikaela Bennett is celebrated as a singer and actress for her work onstage and in the concert hall. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Bennett was honored with a 2019 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists. That year, she made critically acclaimed debuts at Lyric Opera of Chicago as “Maria” in West Side Story and at the MUNY in the title role of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Bennett has appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony, as well as at the BBC Proms, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Joe’s Pub, and Feinstein’s/54 Below. Bennett made her professional debut as “Penelope” in The Golden Apple at City Center Encores! and originated the role of “Norma” in Dick Scanlan and Carmel Dean’s Renascence, as well as the title role in Michael Gordon’s Acquanetta. Bennett is a native of Ottawa, Canada. SHELLY BERG Shelly Berg is a Steinway piano artist and multi-Grammy nominated arranger and producer. For 14 years, he has served as dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he is also the Patricia L. Frost Professor of Music. He previously held the McCoy/Sample endowed professorship of jazz studies in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, and he is a past president of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE). In addition to performing and recording with and arranging for some of the most renowned artists, Berg has written music and orchestrated for a great number of of films and television series. He has been the recipient of the IAJE Lawrence Berk Leadership Award and named Educator of the Year by the Los Angeles Jazz Society, as well as one of three Educators for the Millennium by the Los Angeles Times. XAK BJERKEN Pianist Xak Bjerken is a professor of music at Cornell University, where he also co-directs Mayfest, an international chamber music festival. For many years, he performed throughout the United States as a member of the Los Angeles Piano Quartet, and he regularly collaborates with renowned international ensembles. He has appeared with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Spoleto Festival Orchestra, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, the Schoenberg Ensemble, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Glinka Hall in St. Petersburg, and the Konzerthaus in Berlin. Bjerken has worked with composers Győrgy Kurtag, Sofia Gubaidulina, Steven Stucky, and George Benjamin and has premiered concertos by Stephen Hartke, Elizabeth Ogonek, and Jesse Jones, a recording of which will be released in September 2021. He is the director of Ensemble X and has 74


served on the faculty of Kneisel Hall, Eastern Music Festival, and the Chamber Music Conference at Bennington College. ROBERTO BOLLE Roberto Bolle trained at the ballet school of Teatro alla Scala, Milan, where he was promoted Étoile in 2004. He has regularly danced as a guest artist with the most prestigious companies worldwide. He was Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theatre in New York from 2009 to 2019, and his own show Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala has experienced tremendous success. Bolle is also the creator and artistic director of the dance festival OnDance, which is now in its fourth iteration in Milan. Bolle is an experimenter and a popularizer of the art of terpsichore, and he has collaborated with artists such as Bob Wilson, Peter Greenway, Anne Leibovitz, and Bruce Weber. Bolle has also been awarded the highest honors, such as Unicef Ambassador and Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for his contributions to the country in the fields of culture and art. ANDREW BRADY Andrew Brady joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as principal bassoon in January 2016, having previously served in the same position with the Louisiana Philharmonic. He also appears regularly as principal bassoonist with the Grand Teton Music Festival and has been a guest principal with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, as well as on tours with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Brady’s artistry is in high demand and has taken him to South Africa, Korea, London, and Mexico as well as to many destinations within the contiguous United States for both performances and teaching. The past several summers, Brady has been proud to be a member of the Chineke! Orchestra, including for a performance at the 2017 BBC Proms. Enthusiastically involved in music education, he has served as an artist-in-residence at Kennesaw State University, as well as on the faculties of Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, and National Youth Orchestra/NYO2. SKYLAR BRANDT Skylar Brandt attended the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre from 2005-2009 and spent five summers at ABT’s New York Summer Intensive. She was a National Training Scholar from 2006-2009 and received a Bender Foundation Scholarship in 2009. Brandt was also a silver medalist at Youth America Grand Prix in 2004 and 2008. Brandt joined ABT II in 2009, became an apprentice with the main company in November 2010, and joined the corps de ballet in June 2011. She was appointed a Soloist in August 2015 and a Principal Dancer in September 2020. She has created a number of roles in her time with the company. In 2013, Brandt was awarded a Princess Grace Foundation-USA Dance Fellowship and was featured in the film Ballet’s Greatest Hits. In 2018, Brandt was the recipient of an unprecedented Special Jury Award for her performances on the TV show Big Ballet. 75


ROBERT BRITTON Robert Britton graduated as an Alexander Technique teacher in 1978. In addition to his private practice in San Francisco, he has taught the Alexander Technique to musicians at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 1984. He served as chair of the American Society for the Alexander Technique from 1997 to 1999 and has helped train Alexander Technique teachers since 1989 in California and Germany. Britton currently serves on the Board of the Alexander Technique Congress Association and will be one of the directors of the Berlin AT Congress in 2022. He was awarded the George S. Sarlo Award for Excellence in Teaching in Colleges and Universities in Northern California in 2012 and has served as chair of "The Complete Musician" department at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. DAVID BYRD-MARROW Atlanta native, hornist David Byrd-Marrow is a member of the International Contemporary Ensemble and the Knights. Working with a uniquely wide range of performers, he has premiered works by artists ranging from George Lewis to Chick Corea. Byrd-Marrow has performed at festivals including the Ojai Music Festival, Bay Chamber Concerts, Mostly Mozart Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center, and he has served as a faculty member at the Banff Music Centre. Formerly a member of Carnegie Hall's Ensemble Connect, he has made appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Decoda, the Atlanta and Tokyo symphony orchestras, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, the Washington National Opera, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. On Broadway, David most recently was in the orchestra for the musical Carousel. Byrd-Marrow is currently an assistant professor of horn at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. JAMES CONLON James Conlon, one of today's most versatile and respected conductors, has cultivated a vast symphonic, operatic, and choral repertoire. He has conducted virtually every major American and European symphony orchestra since his debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1974. Since 2006, Conlon has served as Music Director of the Los Angeles Opera, and since 2016, he has served as Principal Conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Torino, Italy. He has been Principal Conductor of the Paris Opera, General Music Director of the City of Cologne, Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and Music Director of the Ravinia Festival. His extensive discography and videography can be found on the Bridge, Capriccio, Decca, EMI, Erato, and Sony Classical labels, and his numerous accolades include four honorary doctorates, Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, Commandeur de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and France’s highest honor, the Legion d’Honneur.

76


CHRISTOPHER COSTANZA For over three decades, cellist Christopher Costanza has enjoyed a varied and exciting career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. A winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions and a recipient of a prestigious Solo Recitalists Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Costanza has performed to international critical acclaim. Costanza joined the St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ) in 2003, and he tours and records extensively with that ensemble, performing over 100 concerts annually throughout the world. As a member of the SLSQ, he is an Artist in Residence at Stanford University, where he teaches cello and chamber music and performs a wide variety of formal and informal concerts each season. He is privileged to perform on an early 18th century Venetian cello, part of the Harry R. Lange Collection of Instruments and Bows at Stanford. DAVID COUCHERON David Coucheron joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster in September 2010. At the time, he was the youngest concertmaster among all major orchestras in the United States. Throughout his career, Coucheron has performed as soloist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Sendai Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. Coucheron has also given solo recitals at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as in Beograd, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Serbia, Singapore, and Shanghai. Coucheron serves as the Artistic Director for the Kon Tiki Chamber Music Festival in his hometown of Oslo, Norway. He is also on the faculty for the Aspen Music Festival and Brevard Music Festival. Coucheron plays a 1725 Stradivarius, kindly on loan from Anders Sveaas Charitable Trust. MARGARET DONAGHUE Margaret Donaghue is an associate professor of clarinet and director of the woodwind program at the Frost School of Music. She has performed as a chamber musician and soloist in more than a dozen countries across three continents and at major venues around the world. Donaghue performs as clarinetist with PULSE Trio with Scott Flavin, violin and Naoko Takao, piano. She also plays recorders for the early music ensemble Impulso Barroco, which is committed to unique and engaging period performances, and she is a founding member of MiamiClarinet and Miami Chamber Ensemble. Additionally, Donaghue is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Blue Ridge Chamber Music Festival. Donaghue received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois, a Master of Music from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of New Hampshire.

77


JORDAN DONICA Jordan Donica is currently starring as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the national tour of Hamilton, and he recently completed a run starring as the leading man, Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, in the historic Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera. Donica graduated from Otterbein University with a BFA in Musical Theatre, Cum Laude. He was a featured artist in the 2017 Washington National Opera gala at the Kennedy Center, as well as at the American Songbook Hall of Fame celebration with Michael Feinstein. Donica’s directing credits include the play Little Prints, and his regional credits include those at the Weathervane Playhouse, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Otterbein Summer Theatre. He won an Indianapolis Mitty Award for Most Impressive Actor in 2013 for his portrayal of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at Noblesville Shakespeare in the Park. His film credits include Coda: An Independent Film by Abe Purvis. JULIO ELIZALDE American pianist Julio Elizalde is a multi-faceted artist who enjoys a versatile career as soloist, chamber musician, artistic administrator, educator, and curator. He has performed in many of the major music centers throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America to popular and critical acclaim. Since 2014, he has served as the Artistic Director of the Olympic Music Festival near Seattle, Washington. Elizalde tours internationally with world-renowned violinists Sarah Chang and Ray Chen and has performed alongside Itzhak Perlman, Teddy Abrams, and Anne Manson. He has collaborated with artists such as violinist Pamela Frank, composers Osvaldo Golijov and Stephen Hough, baritone William Sharp, and members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Takács, Kronos, and Brentano string quartets. Originally from the Bay Area, Elizalde received a bachelor of music degree with honors from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and master’s and doctor of musical arts degrees from the Juilliard School. MICHAEL FABIANO One of the greatest tenors in the world today, Michael Fabiano has sung in the world's most important opera houses and has graced concert stages with some of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras. Among his career highlights are his first Don José in Carmen at Festival Aixen-Provence, the title role in Donizetti’s Poliuto at the Glyndebourne Festival, Jacopo Foscari in I Due Foscari at the Teatro Real, and Alfredo in La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera and Glyndebourne Festival. The recipient of numerous awards, Fabiano is the first person to win both the Beverly Sills Artist Award and the Richard Tucker Award in the same year. His first album of Donizetti and Verdi arias was released by Pentatone, and he can be seen on a number of video recordings from the Glyndebourne Festival, Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Royal Opera.

78


MICHAEL FEINSTEIN Michael Feinstein has built a dazzling career over the last three decades bringing the music of the Great American songbook to the world. From recordings that have earned him five Grammy Award nominations to his Emmy-nominated PBS television specials to his acclaimed NPR series and concerts spanning the globe, his work as an educator and archivist define Feinstein as one of the most important musical forces of our time. After graduating from high school and moving to Los Angeles, Feinstein became Ira Gershwin’s assistant, earning him access to numerous unpublished Gershwin songs, many of which he has performed and recorded. Now, Feinstein’s venues, such as Feinstein’s at the Nikko and Feinstein’s/54 Below, regularly present the top music talents, and his American Songbook Foundation preserves the art form through educational programs and master classes, with alumni who have gone on to record acclaimed albums and appear on film and television. FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA NAPA Festival Orchestra Napa is an all-star ensemble that brings together principal players from major international orchestras and faculty from renowned colleges and conservatories. Centered around a core of Frost School of Music faculty, the orchestra also includes hand-picked musicians from the San Francisco Symphony, MET Opera Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Houston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, and Russian National Orchestra, among others. GREGG FIELD Multiple Grammy winner and 2010 “Producer of the Year,” Concord Records recording artist Gregg Field is one of the most versatile and highly sought-after producers, drummers, and educators in music. He has been voted into Modern Drummer magazine readers’ poll five times. His collaborators include a veritable who’s who of the music world, and Field has performed with numerous symphonies worldwide. Field has appeared on thirty-two Grammy-nominated recordings, seven of which have been awarded the coveted Grammy. Not only a highly respected musician, Field is a busy record and television producer and has served as a Recording Academy Governor and Trustee, as well as Chairman of the Grammy Producers Committee. Field currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the University of Southern CaliforniaThornton School of Music Board of Councilors and is a member of the prestigious Bohemian Club of San Francisco.

79


NIA IMANI FRANKLIN As stated by Lindsay Bierman, former chancellor of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Nia Imani Franklin is “a remarkable young woman who embodies the power of the arts to enrich and transform lives.” As a composer, Franklin has had her music performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Friction Quartet, and Jonathan Levin, among others. In addition to creating new, compelling works of art, Franklin is dedicated to empowering women in music, a mission upheld by “Compose Her,” an organization that Franklin founded in 2019. Franklin was a recipient of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Fellowship at Lincoln Center Education, following which she earned the jobs of Miss New York 2018 and Miss America 2019. Franklin holds a bachelor’s degree in music composition and theory from East Carolina University and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. FRICTION QUARTET The Friction Quartet exists to modernize the chamber music experience and expand the string quartet repertoire. Since forming in 2011, Friction has commissioned 43 works for string quartet and given world premiere performances of more than 80 works. In 2016, Friction made their debut at Carnegie Hall as participants in the Kronos Quartet Fifty for the Future Workshop. They developed the Friction Commissioning Initiative in 2017 as a way to work together with their audience to fund specific commissions. They were awarded a 2019 Intermusic SF Musical Grant to develop a participatory educational program that is accessible and sensory-friendly. While Friction has garnered international attention as commissioners and interpreters of new music, they are also devoted to performing masterworks at the highest level. They won Second Prize in the 2016 Schoenfeld Competition, were quarter-finalists in the 2015 Fischoff Competition, and placed second at the 2015 Frances Walton Competition. NICOLAS ALIAGA GARCIA Nicolas Aliaga Garcia moved to the Bay Area eighteen years ago to begin his operatic career after graduating from Tufts University in Boston. Since then, he has performed roles with many companies including Opera San Jose, Pocket Opera, Festival Opera, Berkeley Opera, Oakland Lyric Opera, Oakland Opera Theater, Boston Publick Theater, The Jarvis Conservatory, The Lamplighters, Theatreworks, Golden Gate Opera, and San Francisco Lyric Opera. He also toured for six months in Switzerland singing with a classical/jazz quartet, and worked for three years as the Education Associate for the San Francisco Opera Guild. He began his directing career with one-act operas for Pocket Opera, and most recently, Aliaga worked as the Assistant Director at San Diego Opera on productions of Madama Butterfly, Great Scott, and La Cenerentola. He has been the Cantor at Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral, California’s first cathedral, since 1996.

80


GORDON GETTY American composer Gordon Getty has made a lifetime of contributions to the world of classical music. He was awarded the prestigious European Culture Prize in 2019, recognizing his extraordinary legacy. Getty’s music has been performed in such prestigious venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, London’s Royal Festival Hall, Vienna’s Brahmssaal, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall and Bolshoi Theatre, and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, as well as at the Aspen, Spoleto and Bad Kissingen Festivals and Festival Napa Valley. Ensembles and companies that have performed his work include the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, London Philharmonia, Munich Radio Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Welsh National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Leipzig Opera, and Bolshoi Ballet. Getty’s life as a composer is the subject of the documentary film There Will Be Music. His music is published by Rork Music. CHAD GOODMAN With a flair for inventive programming and a bold presence on stage and in the community, Chad Goodman is the recipient of Festival Napa Valley's inaugural Joel Revzen Fellowship. Since 2018, Goodman has served as an Assistant Conductor to the San Francisco Symphony. He has also worked as the Conducting Fellow of the New World Symphony. As Founder and Artistic Director of Elevate Ensemble, Goodman’s ambitious vision for concert programming resulted in the pairing of music from Bay Area composers with underappreciated gems of the 20th and 21st centuries. Goodman has previously served as Music Director of the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, Conducting Fellow of the Atlantic Music Festival, and as a rehearsal and cover conductor for the San Francisco Ballet. In addition to his performing career, he teaches young musicians the business and entrepreneurial skills through his workshop “You Earned a Music Degree. Now What?” ANGELO GRECO Angelo Greco has danced major roles in Tomasson’s Nutcracker and the Sleeping Beauty, Scarlett’s Frankenstein, Wheeldon’s Cinderella, and Balanchine’s Prodigal Son. He created roles in Possokhov’s Optimistic Tragedy, Rhoden’s LET’S BEGIN AT THE END, Welch’s Bespoke, and Wheeldon’s Bound To. His repertory also includes principal and featured roles in Béjart’s Gaîté Parisienne, Duato’s Nutcracker, MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, Nureyev’s Don Quixote, and Ratmansky’s the Sleeping Beauty. Greco performs with Roberto Bolle and Friends on tour and was featured at the On Dance Gala in Milan, Italy in June 2018, as well as at the New Year’s Ballet Gala in Baden-Baden, Germany in December 2017. Greco won the award for best male dancer at the International Competition for the Erik Bruhn Prize in Toronto, Canada in November 2016, and he received the Outstanding Artistry Award presented by Dance Europe in 2011 and 2012. 81


RONNY MICHAEL GREENBERG Pianist, opera coach, and producer, Ronny Michael Greenberg is a leading innovator in the world of performing arts. A native of Montreal, he has toured internationally, performing in opera houses and concert halls including the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Carnegie Hall, Montreal’s Place des Arts Theater, and across Italy, New Zealand, and Hawaii. Greenberg is the CEO & Artistic Director of Taste of Talent, a San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit organization that showcases the connective power of music and art through sensational experiences and promotes entrepreneurial empowerment of emerging artists. A full-time member of San Francisco Opera’s music staff, Greenberg has worked as pianist, harpsichordist, and prompter for many of the company’s productions. He is also on faculty at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. JENNIFER GRIM Flutist Jennifer Grim's remarkable depth and breadth as a performer of solo and chamber repertoire has gained broad national acclaim. She has performed with such renowned ensembles as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble and is the flutist of the award-winning Zéphyros Winds and the New York Chamber Soloists. Grim is currently an associate professor at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. She previously served on the faculty of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and in 2017, she was honored with the Teacher of the Year Award from UNLV. A native of Berkeley, California, Grim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and master's and doctor of musical arts degrees from Yale University. Grim serves on the Board of Directors of Chamber Music America and is the Program Chair for the National Flute Association 2021 Annual Convention. MATT HAIMOVITZ Matt Haimovitz is acclaimed for his artistry and as a musical visionary who pushes the boundaries of classical music performance, championing new music and initiating groundbreaking collaborations, all while mentoring an award-winning studio of young cellists at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music in Montreal. Haimovitz made his debut at the age of 13 as a soloist with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic; at 17, he made his first recording for Deutsche Grammophon. Haimovitz made his Carnegie Hall debut when he substituted for his teacher, the legendary cellist Leonard Rose, in Schubert’s String Quintet alongside Isaac Stern, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman and Shlomo Mintz. Haimovitz’s recording career now spans more than 20 years of award-winning work on Deutsche Grammophon and on his own Oxingale Records. His recent release Meeting of the Spirits with Uccello was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album.

82


LAURA HAMILTON Laura Hamilton was Principal Associate Concertmaster for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, where she led hundreds of performances over 33 years. Previously a member of the Chicago Symphony, she appeared with that orchestra as a concerto soloist with Maestro Georg Solti. In 2020, Hamilton was appointed Interim Artistic Director for Classical Tahoe, where she is also concertmaster. She has performed in the Marlboro, Manchester, and Bard Music Festivals, in summer festivals in Norway and Greece, and on the Met Chamber Ensemble series at Carnegie Hall. She appeared as guest concertmaster for the Seattle Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra, the Welsh National Opera, and the Adelaide Symphony. In 2014, while on leave from the MET, Hamilton served for one season as concertmaster at the Sydney Opera House. Hamilton teaches violin and chamber music at New York University. Her instrument was made in Venice in 1732 by the golden-age luthier Carlo Tononi. MELISSA HAMILTON Melissa Hamilton is a First Soloist of the Royal Ballet in London, England. She joined the company in 2007 as an Artist and was promoted to First Artist in 2009, Soloist in 2010, and First Soloist in 2013. Hamilton was born in Belfast and grew up in Dromore, County Down. She began dancing at age four and trained at the Jennifer Bullick School of Ballet. From ages 16-18, she trained at the Elmhurst School of Dance, then studied privately with Masha Mukhamedov in Athens. She won the 2007 Youth American Grand Prix and entered the Royal Ballet that year. Hamilton’s accolades include Outstanding Female Performance at the 2009 Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards and a gold medal in the Eighth International Seoul Ballet Competition in 2011. In 2013, she was named an Allianz Arts and Cultural Brand Ambassador for Northern Ireland. ERIN HANNIGAN Erin Hannigan is the principal oboe of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and was previously a member of the Rochester Philharmonic. She has been guest principal oboist with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony and the St. Louis Symphony. She spends the summer months performing and teaching at festivals including the Strings Festival, Mainly Mozart, National Youth Orchestra, the Grand Teton Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, Round Top, and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival. Hannigan is currently an adjunct associate professor of oboe at Southern Methodist University and a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory. She received her master’s degree, the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, and the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Eastman School of Music. Hannigan is also the co-founder of the non-profit Artists for Animals.

83


JAKE HEGGIE Jake Heggie is an American composer who has written eight full-length operas, several one-acts, and nearly 300 art songs, as well as concerti, chamber music, choral, and orchestral works. Heggie’s operas, most created with Gene Scheer or the late Terrence McNally, have been produced on five continents. A Guggenheim Fellow, Heggie has also served as a mentor for Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative and CU Boulder’s New Opera Workshop. In 2016, he was awarded the Eddie Medora King Prize by the UT Austin Butler School of Music. He was also the recipient of the Champion Award from the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Heggie was the keynote speaker for the 2016 meeting of the National Association of Schools of Music in Dallas, and he is a frequent guest artist and master teacher at universities and conservatories across the United States. CHAD HOOPES American violinist Chad Hoopes regularly appears as soloist with the world’s leading orchestras and in recital at renowned international venues. His debut recording with the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra under Kristjan Järvi was released in 2014 on the French label Naïve. His performances have also been featured in broadcasts on radio, streaming, and television. Hoopes was named the first Artist-inResidence with the Munich Symphony Orchestra, a position created specifically for him after his highly acclaimed debut with the orchestra. He also served as Artist-in-Residence for Classical Minnesota Public Radio. In 2017, Hoopes was a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, and in 2008, he won first prize at the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition. Additionally, he was awarded the Cleveland Arts Prize and was featured in an Emmy Award-winning commercial for major league baseball. Hoopes plays the 1991 Samuel Zygmuntowicz, ex Isaac Stern violin. JENNIFER HUDSON Two-time Grammy Award-winning artist, Academy Award-winning actress, and best-selling author Jennifer Hudson is an extraordinary talent. In 2007, her breakout film performance in Dreamgirls garnered an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA, and NAACP Image Award. Hudson’s 2008 self-titled debut album won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, and her three critically-acclaimed albums have since received numerous NAACP awards, a Billboard Music Award nomination, and multiple Grammy nominations. In 2013, Hudson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the Tony award-winning production of The Color Purple. Passionate about stability, support, and positive experiences for children of all backgrounds, Hudson, along with her sister Julia, founded the Julian D. King Gift Foundation, which has served as a catalyst for change in health, education, and welfare for tens of thousands of children in the Chicago area. 84


RHOSLYN JONES Rhoslyn Jones has established herself as an important presence on the operatic and concert stages of the world. Equally passionate about her own singing and the future of singing, Jones is a champion of arts education and works to promote young singers through her work on voice faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and as the co-founder of the Bay Area Vocal Academy. Jones is also on the voice faculty at the Chautauqua Institute and most recently, was invited to be on faculty of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Opera in the 21st Century. Career highlights include multiple roles at San Francisco Opera, Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, Chicago Opera Theater, and Arizona Opera, as well as appearances with celebrated symphony orchestras. Jones is an alumna of the Curtis Institute of Music, for which she currently serves as a mentor. EUNICE KEEM Violinist Eunice Keem has established herself as a dynamic and engaging artist, equally compelling as both soloist and chamber musician. She joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 2011 and became Associate Concertmaster in the 2014/15 season. A winner of numerous competitions, Keem received first and top prizes at the Irving M. Klein International Competition, Schadt International Competition, Corpus Christi International Competition, and Kingsville International Competition, as well as a Paganini Prize at the Seventh International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, among others. As a chamber musician, Keem was a member of the Fine Arts Trio, first place winners of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Several years later, Keem received first prize at the Fischoff National Competition again, with the Orion Piano Trio. Keem has participated in the Grand Teton, Lake George, Colorado and Breckenridge Music Festivals. She currently serves as adjunct professor of violin at the University of North Texas. ALEXANDER KERR Alexander Kerr’s expressive and charismatic style has made him one of the most accomplished and versatile violinists on the international music scene today. In 1996, at the age of 26, Kerr was appointed to the prestigious position of Concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. After nine successful years at that post, he left in 2006 to assume the endowed Linda and Jack Gill Chair in Music as Professor of Violin at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. In addition to his teaching responsibilities in Bloomington, he maintains a busy concert schedule appearing with orchestras and in recital and chamber music performances throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. In 2008, he began his tenure as Principal Guest Concertmaster of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and in 2011, he assumed his role as Concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

85


FIONA KHUONG-HUU Born in New York City, fourteen-year-old Fiona Khuong-Huu studies the violin with Professors Li Lin and Kenneth Renshaw at the Juilliard Pre-College division. She was recently awarded the prestigious career grant award from Salon de Virtuosi and was invited alongside her sister Hina to perform at Buckingham Palace, where they played Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins with Maestros Maxim Vengerov and Marios Papadopoulos. Khuong-Huu won first prize at the 2017 Grumiaux Competition, as well as at the Juilliard Concerto Competition, where she played the Mendelssohn Concerto with the Pre-College Symphony Orchestra. She also won third prize and the Best Virtuoso Interpretation at the Louis Spohr Competition in 2019 and has had solo performances with the Mitteleuropa Orchestra at “Il Piccolo Violino Magico,” in San Vito al Tagliamento, Italy, where she won second prize. Khuong-Huu attends the Spence School in New York City. MISA KURANAGA One of the world’s foremost ballet artists, with an inspiring story of fearless strength and determination, irrefutable star Misa Kuranaga is much more than the Boston Ballet’s first-ever Principal Dancer from Asia. Trained at the Jinushi Kaoru Ballet School in her hometown of Osaka, Japan and later at the School of American Ballet, Kuranaga joined the Boston Ballet in 2003 and held the rank of Principal Dancer for many years before moving to San Francisco Ballet as a Principal Dancer in 2019. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a gold medal in the junior division at the Moscow International Ballet Competition and the Professional Scholarship Award at the Prix de Lausanne Competition in 2001. Most notably, Kuranaga won the gold medal in the senior division of the 2006 USA International Ballet Competition. She is an annual guest artist at the Vail International Dance Festival. MEREDITH KUFCHAK Meredith Kufchak joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as principal viola in 2019. Prior to her move to Dallas, she spent one season as a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She completed her undergraduate studies in viola performance at Rice University, where she studied with Ivo-Jan van der Werff at the Shepherd School of Music. Kufchak received her master’s degree in chamber music performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Jodi Levitz. Kufchak also holds an artist diploma from the San Francisco Academy Orchestra, where she studied with San Francisco Symphony violist Matthew Young. While living in the Bay Area, she held positions with the Fresno Philharmonic as principal viola, the Santa Rosa Symphony, and performed frequently with the San Francisco Symphony. Kufchak has made appearances at festivals including Yellow Barn, the Sun Valley Music Festival, the Olympic Music Festival, and Tanglewood Music Center.

86


TESSA LARK Violinist Tessa Lark is one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time, consistently praised by critics and audiences for her astounding range of sounds, technical agility, and musical elegance. In 2020, she was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category and received one of Lincoln Center’s prestigious Emerging Artist Awards. Other recent honors include a 2018 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, a 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Silver Medal in the 9th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and top prize in the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition. A rising star in the classical realm, she is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky, delighting audiences with programming that includes Appalachian and bluegrass music. Lark plays a c. 1600 G.P. Maggini violin on loan from an anonymous donor through the Stradivari Society of Chicago. JODI LEVITZ Jodi Levitz, professor of viola at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and Artistic Coordinator of Stamps Ensembles, boasts an international reputation as a consummate artist and a passionate advocate of exploring new musical possibilities for the viola. While a student at the Juilliard School, she won first-place at the D'Angelo and Hudson Valley competitions, as well as the position of principal viola soloist with the critically acclaimed Italian chamber group "I Solisti Veneti." Levitz serves as co-artistic director of the Zephyr International Chamber Music Festival in Courmayeur, Italy, and as professor of viola and chamber music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she served as both chair of strings and chair of chamber music. A recipient of the Sarlo Family Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, her students have claimed first prize awards from the Walter W. Naumburg and Fischoff chamber music competitions. NOAH LINDQUIST Pianist and vocal coach Noah Lindquist is assistant conductor at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Lindquist is also in demand as a guest coach at Young Artist programs and has coached the young artists of the Ryan Opera Center, San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellows, and Hawai’i Opera Theatre’s Orvis Studio. Active as a performer and recitalist, Lindquist has appeared at venues such as Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall, Ravinia’s Bennett Gordon Hall, and Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. In the summer of 2016, Lindquist recorded with Ana Maria Martinez for Amazon’s Emmy-winning Mozart in the Jungle, and their collaboration is featured throughout the soundtrack to the third season. Lindquist earned his M.M. from Mannes College of Music. After participating in the Merola Opera Program, Lindquist continued his training through San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship. He holds a B.A. from Williams College in Chemistry and Music.

87


ALDO LOPEZ-GAVILAN Aldo López-Gavilán was born in Cuba to a family of internationally acclaimed classical musicians. His first international triumph was at the age of 11, when he won the Danny Kaye International Children’s Award, organized by UNICEF. He made his professional debut at the age of 12 with the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra. Parallel to his classical abilities, López-Gavilán developed remarkable improvisational skills. He was invited to perform in the world-famous Havana Jazz Festival with legend Chucho Valdés. In 1999, he recorded his first CD, En el ocaso de la hormiga y el elefante, which won the 2000 Grand Prix at Cubadisco. López-Gavilán’s remarkable professional career includes composing original music for award winning films, arranging his own compositions for international orchestras, and performing in some of the most prestigious music venues of the world such as Carnegie Hall. MALCOLM MACKENZIE With a voice described as having a “rich vocal range full of inviting nuance,” Malcolm MacKenzie continues to attract attention in the dramatic baritone repertoire. MacKenzie has been heard at leading opera houses throughout the United States and Europe, appearing at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Paris Opera, Finland’s Savonlinna Festival, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera. On the concert stage, MacKenzie has performed frequently as the baritone soloist for Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, most recently with the Alabama Symphony, Los Angeles’ New West Symphony, and the Savannah Symphony. He has also appeared with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Pacific Chorale, the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra, and the Madison Symphony. WÉ MCDONALD Wé McDonald’s star-making turn on her show-stopping blind audition on the hit NBC TV show The Voice drew national attention in 2016, but it was the kind of momentous debut she had been preparing for her entire life. Blessed with a righteously robust voice, she’s been singing since the age of 12, attending the Harlem School for the Arts after school and on weekends, where she studied theater and piano. A thoughtful teenager who learned to respect and value difference at an early age, she has become an advocate for young people impacted by bullying behavior by their peers. She has published two books: Make It Happen! Wé McDonald: Singer, part of the Make It Happen! series of books that helps middle school students build skills to reach their own goals, and Little Girl with The Big Voice, written by McDonald for younger children about courageously embracing one’s uniqueness.

88


SIMONE MCINTOSH Hailing from Vancouver, B.C., Simone McIntosh is a mezzo-soprano with “sheer vocal agility and lovely rich sound” (Vancouver Sun). Currently an Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera (SFO), she also graduated from the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. Over the years McIntosh has received several distinguished awards and acknowledgments such as the Wirth Vocal Prize 2016, COC Ensemble Studio Competition 2016, Ottawa Choral Society New Discoveries Competition 2018, and inclusion in the CBC’s 2016 “30 Hottest Classical Musicians Under 30.” An avid lover of Art Song and recital work, McIntosh is always looking for new challenges in repertoire and is dedicated to exposing audiences to music and experiences they may not have heard before. McIntosh has had Fellowships with the Merola Opera Program, Songfest, Toronto Summer Music Festival, and The Banff Centre of the Arts. LUCAS MEACHEM Grammy Award-winning baritone Lucas Meachem is one of the most accomplished, in-demand singers of the moment. Named the winner of San Francisco Opera’s inaugural “Emerging Star of the Year” Award, Meachem enjoys a busy career at the most important opera houses across the United States and Europe, such as the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, New Orleans Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Colorado, Los Angeles Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Royal Opera House, Den Norske Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Opéra National de Paris, Glyndebourne Festival, Royal Opera House, and Teatro Real de Madrid, among others. Meachem made his Hollywood Bowl debut in 2014, and he has sung with the New York Philharmonic, Saint Louis Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and Seattle Symphony, among others. TERRY MILLER Bassist, composer and educator Terry Miller’s musical credits reflect a long and diverse career. A Bay Area resident, Miller’s unique skills on both acoustic and electric basses have led him to collaborations with a wide range of artists, including jazz icons such as Stan Getz and Dave Grusin and rock legends like the Grateful Dead, Steve Miller, and the Doobie Brothers.

89


JANE MONHEIT Jane Monheit studied voice at the Manhattan School of Music and spent twenty years continuing to learn while touring and on the bandstands of NYC. She recently released her eighth album, Come What May, which highlights her fresh takes on first-rate standards–– timeless, yet still addressing the current moment. Of the album, Club 44 label co-owner Joel Lindsey says, “The trademark lyricism of her voice, the detail of her interpretations, the sheer joy of her creativity shines brightly here.” Monheit also enjoys cultivating the talents of other vocalists, with a unique teaching approach that focuses on lyrical interpretation, improvisation, leadership, and career building, with an emphasis on self-love and self-care. CRAIG MORRIS Grammy-nominated trumpet soloist Craig Morris is a versatile performer, comfortable in all genres of music from Baroque to Contemporary. Regarded as a leading proponent for new music and original programming, Morris received a 2019 Grammy Nomination in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category for his album Three Pieces in the Shape of a Square. Prior to his work as a soloist, Morris gained an international reputation as principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and associate principal trumpet of the San Francisco Symphony. Morris has also served as guest principal trumpet with the St. Louis Symphony, Swedish Radio Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, and Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra in San Diego. Since 2007, Morris has been the principal trumpet of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. Morris is a professor of trumpet at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. BETTINA MUSSUMELI Violin soloist, pedagogue, and clinician Bettina Mussumeli enjoys a storied and varied career as a concert artist on the great stages of the world. While completing her artist diploma at the Juilliard School, she was offered the position of co-concertmaster and violin soloist of the Italian chamber orchestra “I Solisti Veneti.” With this orchestra, she toured for nine years as featured soloist and recorded numerous discs. Mussumeli returned to the United States in 2001 to join the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. While in San Francisco, Mussumeli was the first violinist of the Ives Quartet for 10 years. Commuting between her homes in Miami and Northern Italy, Mussumeli currently serves on the faculty of the Frost School of Music and the Zephyr Chamber Music Festival, and she maintains a varied concert calendar as both a soloist and chamber musician.

90


KENT NAGANO Kent Nagano is considered one of the outstanding conductors for both operatic and orchestral repertoire. He has been General Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and Chief Conductor of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra since September 2015. From 2006 to 2020, he was Music Director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. In 2006, he was appointed Honorary Conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and in 2019 of Concerto Köln. At the Bayerische Staatsoper, where he was General Music Director from 2006 to 2013, Nagano commissioned a number of new operas. He also served as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin from 2000-2006 and became the first Music Director of the Los Angeles Opera in 2003. Among his honors are a number of Grammy Awards, as well as honorary doctorates from McGill University, the Université de Montréal, and San Francisco State University. MARK NUCCIO Mark Nuccio is currently principal clarinet of the Houston Symphony. From 1999 to 2016, he was associate principal and solo E-flat clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, and from 2009-2013, he served as acting principal clarinet of the ensemble. Prior to 1999, he held positions with orchestras in Pittsburgh, Denver, Savannah, and Florida. An active solo and chamber musician, Nuccio has been featured with various orchestras in the United States and has made multiple appearances as a featured performer at the International Clarinet Association conventions. As a studio musician, Nuccio has been featured on numerous movie soundtracks and various television commercials. Additionally, he has performed on the Late Show with David Letterman and on the Grammy Awards. Beyond his active performing schedule, Nuccio serves on the faculty at both the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University and the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. GEOFF NUTTALL Geoff Nuttall began playing the violin at the age of eight after moving to London, Ontario from College Station, Texas. In 1989, Nuttall co-founded the St. Lawrence String Quartet. As first violinist of this world-renowned ensemble, he has performed well over 2000 concerts throughout North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The quartet's busy touring schedule has seen them in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum, the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall in London, Royal Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam, Theatre de Ville in Paris, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, as well as at the White House for President Clinton and guests. With the St. Lawrence Quartet, Nuttall has served as an ensemble-in-residence at the Juilliard School, Yale University, and Hartt School of Music. Nuttall is now on faculty at Stanford University, where the St. Lawrence Quartet is the ensemble-in-residence. 91


LISETTE OROPESA Lisette Oropesa is one of the most in-demand lyric coloraturas today. A bel canto singer of considerable acclaim, Oropesa recently had a major success at Covent Garden and the Teatro Real Madrid as Lucia di Lammermoor. This season she opens Teatro alla Scala in A Riveder le Stelle. Oropesa was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to Cuban parents and played the flute for 12 years before she began her studies in vocal performance at Louisiana State University. After winning the Met Opera National Council Auditions, she entered the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. She sang her first major role, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, at the Met at the age of 22 and has since sung in the most important opera houses in Europe and the United States. Oropesa is also an advocate for health and fitness and a devoted runner who has completed six marathons. CURT PAJER Curt Pajer joined the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2010, where he currently serves as Musical and Managing Director of Opera and Musical Theater. Previously, he was Head of Music Staff at both Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and the Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland. Before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area, Pajer was based in New York City, where he worked as an assistant conductor at New York City Opera and as a freelance opera coach and pianist. He has also served as an assistant conductor at San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Colorado, Prague National Theater, the Nissei Theater, New York Philharmonic, Bard SummerScape, Palm Beach Opera, Toledo Opera, and Baltimore Opera. In addition to his operatic work, Pajer is an avid recitalist and art song interpreter. DEAN PARKS Dean Parks has enjoyed a legendary four-decade career as a session guitarist in Los Angeles. Known as a master of all styles of music, he has played on thousands of sessions. Producers, artists, and fellow musicians rely on Dean to bring something new, fresh, and unique to each project. His list of gold and platinum records spans rock, pop, R&B, country, jazz, and film. Credits include Bob Dylan, Celine Dion, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Crusaders, Herbie Hancock, Mary J. Blige, Sting, Bette Midler, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Burt Bacharach, Billy Joel, Graham Nash, BB King, T-Bone Burnette, Andreas Bocelli, John Williams, and Randy Newman. Recent live/TV performances include shows with icons James Taylor, Gloria Estefan, David Foster, Carole King, Quincy Jones, The Oscars, Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, Library of Congress, Kennedy Center Honors, and Austin City Limits.

92


SIENNA PECK Sienna Peck is a violinist, violist, and music educator. She received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from NYU Steinhardt under the tutelage of Cyrus Beroukhim, Naoko Tanaka, Karen Ritscher, and Giora Schmidt. An avid chamber musician, orchestral player, and session artist, she is dedicated to reinvigorating string playing with multi-disciplinary works and cross-genre performances. Now based in the Bay Area with a full in-home recording set-up, she enjoys remotely tracking string parts and building full section sounds. At NYU Steinhardt, she served as a graduate adjunct instructor, and she continues to teach students of all levels. SCOTT PINGEL Scott Pingel has been serving as the principal bass of the San Francisco Symphony since 2004, after having worked with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada. He has also served as principal bassist of Arizona MusicFest and the Bellingham festival orchestras, and he has served as principal bassist and co-Artistic Partner for the Mainly Mozart Festival. He has toured throughout the United States with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and he regularly performs in the Music at Menlo and Music in the Vineyards festivals. Versatile in a variety of styles of music, Pingel has performed in jazz clubs from New York to Stockholm, and his solo performances with the iconic heavy metal band Metallica have been seen by millions worldwide. Pingel is currently a faculty member of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. DONNA RACIK Donna Racik is an assistant conductor, vocal coach, and prompter at the Metropolitan Opera. In her more than 30 years with the company, she has had the privilege of working with some of the world’s greatest singers. She has collaborated on more than 80 operas at the Met, including the 2020 Grammy award production of Porgy and Bess. Racik’s wealth of knowledge, heart-centered connection, and deep enthusiasm has sustained artists and motivated students whom she has coached in master classes at Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, and the University of North Texas. Racik is a trail blazer in melding her understanding of human energy systems and musical coaching, and she brings these worlds together to address issues like performance anxiety, stress related habits and distraction/concentration. Racik trains performers on how to free their energy, guiding them to find their full musical expression.

93


CHRISTOPHER JAMES RAY Christopher James Ray is a conductor with a diverse background in both traditional and contemporary operatic works. He is currently Resident Conductor at Opera San José and an assistant with the San Francisco Symphony. In 2017, Christopher joined the music staff of the renowned Bayreuth Festival. Ray made his professional conducting debut leading a double bill of Gianni Schicchi and Pagliacci with the Mississippi Opera in 2014. A protégé of American composer Carlisle Floyd, Ray is a sought-after interpreter of Floyd's works. In addition to serving as the assistant to the composer, Ray recorded an album of Floyd’s songs with the celebrated mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer, available through GPR Records on the Naxos label. Ray is native of Sumrall, Mississippi and is a graduate of Florida State University, where he studied with Douglas Fisher and Carlisle Floyd. SAM REIDER Sam Reider is a pianist, accordionist, composer, and educator from San Francisco, California. His work brings together various streams of American music, from jazz and folk tunes to popular song and contemporary composition. Representing the U.S. Department of State as a musical ambassador, Sam has travelled to China, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Estonia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, carrying his accordion on his back and collaborating with international artists. A passionate educator, Reider has led performance-based workshops for thousands of students around the world. These programs use American traditional music as a lens to explore important topics in cultural history and social justice. A mainstay on the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop, Reider develops and teaches courses every summer for middle and high school students about composition, theory, and American music. Reider is currently pursuing a master’s degree in composition at San Francisco State University. MARIO ROJAS Tenor Mario Rojas, originally from Torreón, Mexico, is an alumnus of the Ryan Opera Center of Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as an alumnus of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Among the honors Rojas has received are a 2020 Luminarts Foundation Fellowship, a 2018 William M. Sullivan Foundation Award, third place in the 2018 Dallas Opera Vocal Competition, winner of the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Illinois District Auditions, second place in the East Bay Opera League Competition, the Marta Eggerth Kiepura Award in the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation International Vocal Completion, third place in the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, and the Emerging Singers Award in the Opera Index Vocal Competition. He has been heard at the Harris Theater’s Beyond the Aria recital series and Kentucky Opera’s Sidecar cabaret series.

94


TOM SCOTT Tom Scott is a renowned composer, arranger, producer, music director, saxophonist, and educator. His 33 solo recordings have earned him 13 Grammy nominations and 3 Grammy awards. In 2013 he produced a CD for young ukulele master Brittni Paiva, which won a Hawaiian Grammy for “Ukulele Album of the Year,” and in 2017, he received his first Emmy Award nomination for Musical Direction of the Tony Bennett 90th Birthday TV Special on NBC. Tom’s career as a guest artist spans more than 2000 recordings by diverse, world-renowned artists, and he has appeared on countless movie soundtracks. Other achievements include composing scores for film and television. He has served as Musical Director for the Academy Awards, the Emmy Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, Comic Relief, the Carol Burnett Show, the Pat Sajak Show, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Olivia Newton-John, and the GRP All-Star Big Band, among others. MICHAEL SHEPPARD Pianist Michael Sheppard studied with the legendary Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory. He was selected by the American Pianists Association as a Classical Fellow, which designation led to the recording of his Harmonia Mundi CD of 2007. Sheppard has performed solo recitals and concertos around the world, as well as across the United States, including several solo Weill Hall recitals and a solo Kennedy Center debut. As an improviser and composer, Sheppard has worked closely with fellow composers John Corigliano, Christopher Theofanidis, Michael Hersch, Robert Sirota and the late Nicholas Maw. He is a native of Philadelphia and resides in Baltimore, where he works at both the Peabody Conservatory and the Baltimore School for the Arts, sharing his love and understanding of music and the artistic process with future generations. BRINTON AVERIL SMITH Critics have described American cellist Brinton Averil Smith as a "virtuoso cellist with few equals." Smith’s debut recording of Miklós Rózsa’s Cello Concerto with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra received widespread international critical acclaim. The son of a mathematician and a pianist, Smith was admitted to Arizona State University at age 10, and he completed a B.A. in mathematics at age 17. He subsequently studied at the University of Southern California and the Juilliard School, from which he received a Doctor of Musical Arts. Smith has appeared regularly as a soloist with the Houston Symphony since joining the orchestra as principal cellist in 2005. Prior to this, he was the first musician chosen by Lorin Maazel to join the New York Philharmonic. Smith is currently an Associate Professor at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and a faculty member of the Aspen and Sarasota Music Festivals.

95


WESTIN SPROTT Weston Sprott enjoys an exciting career that includes orchestral, chamber, and solo performances, as well as numerous educational and outreach efforts. He is currently Dean of the Preparatory Division at the Juilliard School, leading the Juilliard Pre-College and Music Advancement Programs. Since 2005, he has also served as a trombonist in New York’s Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He is a recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and the Atlanta Symphony Talent Development Program Aspire Award. Sprott has performed frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra, held a position with the Zurich Opera/ Philharmonia, and has appeared with numerous other major orchestras. He is the Board Chair of the Friends of SICMF, a member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble’s Artistsic Advisory Board, and a member of the Avery Fisher Artist Program's Recommendation Board. Sprott is an active speaker, writer, and advisor for diversity and inclusion efforts in classical music. SVET STOYANOV Svet Stoyanov is a driving force in modern percussion. He has performed more than 1,000 recitals and has presented over 200 masterclasses worldwide. Winner of the prestigious Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Stoyanov has also been presented with the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Award. His career highlights feature solo concerto appearances with the Chicago, Seattle, and the American Symphony Orchestras, as well as solo performances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Taiwan National Concert Hall, among others. Alongside his diverse performance career, Stoyanov is an associate professor and Director of Percussion Studies at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he has collaboratively built a unique and innovative modern percussion program. Stoyanov endorses some of the finest percussion instruments and products today, namely Adams, Remo, Zildjian, Pearl, and Pro Mark. His artistic mission is committed to the purity, quality, and virtue of music. JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET For more than three decades, Jean-Yves Thibaudet has performed world-wide, recorded more than 50 albums, and built a reputation as one of today’s finest pianists. From the very start of his career, he delighted in music beyond the standard repertoire, from jazz to opera, and his profound professional friendships have led to spontaneous and fruitful collaborations in film, fashion, and visual art. He also expresses his passion for education as the first-ever Artist-in-Residence at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, which recently announced the Jean-Yves Thibaudet Scholarships. Thibaudet’s recording catalogue has received two Grammy nominations, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Diapason d’Or, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, the Edison Prize, and Gramophone awards. Among Thibaudet’s numerous commendations is the Victoire d’Honneur, and in 2012, Thibaudet was awarded the title Officier by the French Ministry of Culture. Thibaudet’s concert wardrobe is designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood. 96


RICHARD TODD Richard Todd's career has been unparalleled, with work as a concert artist, recording artist, orchestral artist, chamber music artist, jazz artist, studio artist, composer, arranger, master teacher, and published author. He has been featured as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Sydney Opera House, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, among others. Todd's professional career began at age 21 as a member of the Utah Symphony. At age 22, he became principal horn of the New Orleans Symphony, and at age 24, he won the Medaille d’Or at the Toulon International Competition. Todd has served as principal horn of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for 35 years, and he has recorded for over 2,000 film and television scores. Todd has served on the faculty at Cal Arts, UCLA, USC, and the University of Indiana, and in 2009, Todd joined the faculty of the Frost School of Music. AUDREY VARDANEGA Praised as a “musically eloquent” player (San Francisco Classical Voice) "with the kind of freedom, authority, and strength...that one expects from the world’s finest pianists” and a “bewitching musical presence” (The Piedmont Post), Audrey Vardanega has performed as a solo and collaborative pianist across Europe, China, and the United States. She has received instruction from notable artists including Leon Fleisher, Thomas Adés, Gidon Kremer, Robert Levin, Miriam Fried, and Jonathan Biss. She currently studies piano with Richard Goode. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Musaics of the Bay, a nonprofit chamber music series dedicated to music mentorship in the Bay Area. 2019 highlights include her participation in Argentina’s New Docta Music Festival in August 2019, her two-part Beethoven Piano Sonata Project at the Berkeley Maybeck Studios, and the launch of Musaics of the Bay, a concert series and mentorship initiative founded by Audrey in the Bay Area. JEAN-ROMAIN VESPERINI Jean-Romain Vesperini studied acting at l’École du Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris and singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he trained as a baritone. After graduation, Vesperini decided to pursue a career as a stage director and spent several years collaborating with Luc Bondy, Peter Stein and Georges Lavaudant from 2005 until 2017. As a result of these long-term partnerships, he built solid professional experience by managing and leading artistic ensembles, and planning and negotiating with major opera houses such as La Scala, Paris and Lyon Opera, Bolshoi Opera, as well as at the Opéra-Comique, Salzburg Festspiele, Verona Opera, Aix en Provence festival. Vesperini then founded his own company and became a producer of theatrical shows, responsible for fundraising and building the production budget. Among Vesperini's future projects are Mussorgsky’s Boris Godounov at Monte-Carlo Opera, and Sacha Guitry’s play Quadrille.

97


RANDY WALDMAN Randy Waldman began playing piano at the age of five and was hired for his first gig at 12, demonstrating pianos at a music store. At age 21, Waldman was hired to go on tour as pianist for Frank Sinatra. Shortly after, he was hired to tour with other popular headliners. For the following ten years, Waldman worked as a session pianist for records, movies, TV, and jingles, and he also worked as a song writer and arranger. Waldman was nominated for Best Vocal Arrangement for a song that he co-wrote for the Manhattan Transfer, and he co-arranged and performed on the hit song “Somewhere” for Barbra Streisand, which won a Grammy for Best Arrangement. Recently, Waldman has moved into producing, including for Bobby Caldwell, Patti LaBelle, Kenny G, the Stylistics, and Mary Wilson. As a recording artist, he has released five CDs, including three with the Randy Waldman Trio. MEGHAN TODT WILLIAMS Meghan Todt Williams is a violinist, educator, and artistic producer. As a violinist, she has performed at nearly every major venue in New York City, with ensembles such as American Ballet Theatre, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Pops. Outside of New York, her work has brought her to venues such as the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and Royal Albert Hall in London, as well as to California and Florida for Festival Napa Valley and Festival of the Arts Boca. Williams has also performed with a number of popular artists and bands, including Glenn Frey and the Eagles, Roger Daltrey from the Who, Darlene Love and Steven Van Zandt, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah McLachlan, Cyndi Lauper, Terence Blanchard, and Trace Adkins. Williams teaches violin and chamber music at New York University, where she is also a PhD candidate in Music Education. Independently, she maintains a vibrant Suzuki-based studio.

98


2021 Blackburn Music Academy Faculty Flute

Violin

Jennifer Grim Flute Faculty, Frost School of Music

Bettina Mussumeli Violin Faculty, Frost School of Music

Oboe

David Coucheron, Concertmaster Concertmaster, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Erin Hannigan Principal Oboe, Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Geoff Nutall Violin, St. Lawrence String Quartet

Clarinet Margaret Donaghue Clarinet Faculty, Frost School of Music

Laura Hamilton Principal Associate Concertmaster, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Mark Nuccio Principal Clarinet, Houston Symphony

Viola Jodi Levitz Viola Faculty, Frost School of Music

Bassoon Andrew Brady Principal Bassoon, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Cello Brinton Smith Principal Cello, Houston Symphony

Horn David Byrd-Marrow Horn, International Contemporary Ensemble

Christopher Costanza Cello, St. Lawrence String Quartet

Richard Todd Horn Faculty, Frost School of Music

Bass Scott Pingel Principal Bass, San Francisco Symphony

Trumpet Craig Morris Trumpet Faculty, Frost School of Music

Alexander Technique Robert Britton Faculty, San Francisco Conservatory

Trombone Weston Sprott Trombone, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

Conductor Chad Goodman Conducting Fellow, New World Symphony Recipient of the 2021 Festival Napa Valley Joel Revzen Fellowship

Percussion Svet Stoyanov Percussion Faculty, Frost School of Music

Piano

Michael Sheppard Piano Faculty, Peabody Institute

99


2021 Blackburn Music Academy Participants Flute Aaron Rib Frost School of Music at University of Miami, BM Jillian Coscio Johnstown Symphony Orchestra Georgetown University, MPS Carnegie Mellon University, BFA

Megan Riccio Frost School of Music at University of Miami, DMA Longy School of Music, MM University of Massachusetts Amherst, BM Peter McFarland Frost School of Music at University of Miami

Oboe Cassandra Goodwin University of Michigan, MM University of Missouri - Kansas City, BM Max Adler Southern Methodist University, MM Eastman School of Music, BM

Bobby Gallagher Miami City Ballet Orchestra Frost School of Music at University of Miami, MM, BM

Clarinet Alejandro Dergal Yale School of Music, MMA

Trombone

Claire Grellier Frost School of Music at University of Miami, DMA French Conservatory of Music

Aden Brooks Frost School of Music at University of Miami, DMA Manhattan School of Music, MM Eastman School of Music, BM

Bassoon

Bass Trombone

Melanie Ferrabone Frost School of Music at University of Miami, Doctorate Frost School of Music at University of Miami, Masters University of Southern Mississippi, Bachelors

Jordan Crimminger University of Denver Lamont School of Music, AD Yale School of Music, MM Arizona State University, BM

Horn Daniel Seaman Indiana University, MM University of Southern California, BM

Violin Benjamin Abel University of Cincinnati, DMA Frost School of Music at University of Miami, MM Butler University, BM

Trumpet

Saori Kataoka Illinois State University, Adjunct Faculty University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, MM

Sun Im University of Colorado Boulder, DMA, ABD

Jenny Marasti Boston University New England Conservatory The Colburn School

Percussion Antek Olesik Frost School of Music at University of Miami Guillermo Ospina Frost School of Music at University of Miami, DMA, MM Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Bogotá, GDip

100

Eliot Roske Henry Mancini Institute, Fellow Frost School of Music at University of Miami, MIP Bard Conservatory of Music, BM João Felipe da Fraga Henry Mancini Institute, Fellow Frost School of Music at University of Miami, DMA, MM Jorie Butler Geyer Rice University Roosevelt University Michael Eby University of Connecticut, DMA Manhattan School of Music, MM, BM Nathan Harston Frost School of Music at University of Miami, BM, BA Rosalyn Weiss Frost School of Music at University of Miami, MM, BM Sandra Bouissou Manhattan School of Music, MM Chapman University, BA Sophia Bernitz New World Symphony New England Conservatory Oberlin College and Conservatory


Yuhao Zhou Frost School of Music at University of Miami

Cello

Double Bass

Ella Tomko Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, BM

Daniel Chiva-Sanz Frost School of Music at University of Miami, DMA Southeastern Louisiana University, MM High Conservatory “Salvador Seguí”, Castellón, BM

Viola Ethan Durell Palm Beach Symphony Frost School of Music at University of Miami, MM Eastman School of Music, BM Hannah Leigh Frost School of Music at University of Miami, MM Peabody Conservatory, BM Lynn Sue-A-Quan The Juilliard School, MM, BM Maureen Sheehan Oberlin College and Conservatory

Kamila Dotta Rice University, MM University of Colorado Boulder, BM Sally Kim New England Conservatory, MM Sarah Huesman Frost School of Music at University of Miami, AD College-Conservatory of Music at University of Cincinnati, MM Frost School of Music at University of Miami, BM

Kody Thiessen San Francisco Conservatory of Music

2021 Manetti Shrem Opera Program Participants Soprano

Tenor

Megan Santora Opera Saratoga, Young Artist College-Conservatory at University of Cincinnati, AD, MM Oberlin Conservatory, BM

Conor Brereton University of Michigan, MM Oberlin College and Conservatory, BM

Baritone Natalia Santaliz Mannes School of Music at The New School, MM Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico

Carlos Suárez Escenic Vocal Ensemble Chicago Summer Opera (2019) National Conservatory of Music, Mexico

Mezzo-Soprano

Jonathan Patton University of North Texas, GAC University of New Mexico, MM Fort Lewis College, BA

Jacquelyn Matava Trinity University, Assistant Professor of Music Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, DM, MM Vassar College, BA

Keaton Brown Rice University, MM San Francisco Conservatory of Music, BM 101

Nathan Savant Bienen School of Music, MM Eastman School of Music, BM Bass-Baritone Joseph Parrish The Juilliard School, MM University of Cincinnati, BM Mark Covey Angelo State University


WITH APPRECIATION

donors Getty Challenge Festival Napa Valley is grateful to the below donors for their generous contributions to meet the Getty Challenge, established by Gordon Getty in 2019, ensuring the arts continue to thrive. Maria Manetti Shrem and Jan Shrem Deborah and Kenneth Novack Darioush and Shahpar Khaledi Maggie and Stephen Oetgen Athena and Timothy Blackburn Olivia Hsu Decker Sabrina and Timothy Persson Michael Uytengsu Clarke and Elizabeth Swanson Maria and Robert Torres John and Janet Trefethen Anita and Ron Wornick Leslie and Rich Frank Elena Sysovskaya and Peter Paul Agustin and Valeria Huneeus Pepper and Michael Jackson Kathryn and Craig Hall Michele and John Anthony Truchard Robin and Michelle Baggett Penny and Ron Mallen Patricia Stull Lauren Ackerman Karen and Richard LeFrak Lexie Ellsworth Cecilia and Ked Hogan

102


WITH APPRECIATION

Gifts of $500,000 and above Gordon Getty Maria Manetti Shrem and Jan Shrem

Gifts of $250,000 – $499,999 Athena and Timothy Blackburn Tatiana and Gerret Copeland Darioush and Shahpar Khaledi Deborah and Kenneth Novack

Gifts of $100,000 – $249,999 Pam and Adam Clingerman Olivia Hsu Decker Leslie and Rich Frank Maggie and Stephen Oetgen Steven and Claire Stull Diane B. Wilsey Anita and Ron Wornick

Gifts of $50,000 – $99,999 The Ashe Family Trust Jessica and Natan Bibliowicz Suzanne Deal Booth Antonio and Rita Castellucci Kathleen McIntosh and Michael Covarrubias Sandy and Mike Davis Malin Giddings and Richard Hechler Pepper and Michael Jackson Jan McAdoo Kathleen Martinez Nazar and Jose Luis Nazar Sabrina and Timothy Persson Nancy and Joe Schoendorf Clarke and Elizabeth Swanson Peter Paul and Elena Sysovskaya Maria and Robert Torres Michael Uytengsu Roger and Anne Walther

Reflects gifts and grants received or pledged for the current fiscal year, as well as contributions from the previous year’s Arts for All Gala. 103


WITH APPRECIATION

gifts of $25,000 – $49,999 Robin and Michelle Baggett Christine O'Sullivan and Jim Bean Kathryn and Craig Hall Audrey and Paul Hanneman Fiona and Alan Harden Susie and Anthony Hay Cristina Salas-Porras and Lee Hudson Agustin and Valeria Huneeus Pamela and C. Richard Kramlich

Jeffrey Miller Theresa Kepic and Frank Naeymi-Rad Maryam and Hooshang Pak, MD Katy and Michael Saei Gail and J. Paul Silvestri Trish Stephens John and Janet Trefethen Janet Effland and William Urbach

gifts of $10,000 – $24,999 Romana Bracco Emily and David Breach Julie Coplon Alice Corning Naoko Dalla Valle Lexie Ellsworth Ginger Martin and Fred Favero Kay and Steven Fike Priscilla and Keith Geeslin

Tania Modic and Bruce Gray Garrett and Lawrence Lui Andrea and Ronald Marano Pat Stull Mary and Philip Stump Anthony and Leigh Anne Torres Jennifer and Alan Varela Karen and Rick Walker Mahvash and Farrok Yazdi

gifts of $5,000 – $9,999 Lauren Ackerman Mary Cunningham Agee Anonymous Lorna Meyer Calas and Dennis Calas Jenni Yoong Lee and Jae Chun Sharon and Michael Dixon Carmen Castro-Franceschi and Greg Franceschi Vishal Grover Latife Hayson Jon Holman Cecilia and Kedreth Hogan Elaine Sczuka and Rick Jones Cliff Lede

Karen and Richard LeFrak Penny and Ron Mallen Semira and Mark Moshayedi Paula Key and John Murphy Yurie and Carl Pascarella David and Linnea Pearson The Honorable Nancy Pelosi and Mr. Paul Pelosi Ali Razi Dario Sattui and Irina Yartseva Joseph Saveri Sandra and Gary Schnitzer Beverly and Arvind Sodhani Julie and Jeremy Veit

104


WITH APPRECIATION

gifts of $2,500 – $4,999 Kathy Chan Holly and Michael Cuggino Liz and Eric Feder Barbara and James Fetherston Heidi Gerber Christine Krenos Larry and Karen Maguire Karin and Stephen Mattoon Stuart Miller Beth Nickel Laura and Patrick Pohlen

Betty and Ron Profili Leah Recht Erin and Adam Simms Sara Steingart The Hon. and Mrs. Mike Thompson Jennifer and Mario Trinchero Delia Viader Steven Volpe Tonya and Mark Wallace Diana and Todd Zapolski

gifts of $500 – $2,499 Anonymous Judy and Graham Burns Margaret Liu and Ted Collins Mary and Bill Dodd Pat and Joe Harbison Emily and Eric Issadore Bernice Lindstrom Dayna Manning Carol and Philip Norfleet Catrina and Peter Paulson

Charles Rashall Jeanette and Edward Roach Mayumi and Jack Sakazaki Nancy Stagliano Irene and Travis Stanley Anne Kaiser-Taylor and Robert Taylor Harriet Tregoning and Geoff Anderson Roma Wittcoff Fariba and Iraj Zolnasr

Reflects gifts and grants received or pledged for the current fiscal year, as well as contributions from the previous year’s Arts for All Gala. 105


sponsors Festival Napa Valley gratefully acknowledges the following partners and sponsors for their generous support. Presenting Audi – Official Luxury Vehicle Bouchaine Vineyards

San Francisco Chronicle

Premier Alpha Omega Darioush Frank Family Vineyards

Plumpjack Collection Pomellato Sentient Jet – Official Private Aviation

Major B Cellars Colorzone Castello di Amorosa Charles Krug Winery The CIA at Copia Far Niente Winery First Republic Bank HALL Napa Valley Human Longevity Institute Meadowood Napa Valley Meritage Napa Valley Napa Valley College

Nickel & Nickel Opus One Quintessa Raymond Vineyards Silverado Resort and Spa Theorem Vineyards Trefethen Family Vineyards Trinchero Family Estates Vinfolio Vista Collina Westin Verasa Napa

Supporting Alila Napa Valley Antinori-Antica Estate Auberge du Soleil Bardessono Build Pictures Carolina Herrera CIBC Private Wealth Group, LLC C Magazine Castellucci Napa Valley Cliff Lede Vineyards The Donum Estate Four Seasons Hualalai Four Seasons Maui Gargiulo Vineyards Hensley Event Resources The Hess Collection Jackson Family Wines JaM Cellars

John Anthony Vineyards Napa County Neiman Marcus Nob Hill Gazette + Gentry Promontory Salvatore Ferragamo Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection Sound Image Productions St. Supery Estate Vineyard & Winery Swanson Family Estate Tenuta di Arceno Estate Tusk Valentino V. Sattui Visit Napa Valley Wheeler Farms

106


Contributing Ackerman Family Vineyards Armani Blackbird Vineyards Boisset Collection Diablo Magazine DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Spa Napa Valley

Exclusive Resorts Haute Living Napa-Sonoma Magazine PassionRoses The Slanted Door well - social

Participating Acacia House Anarchist Wine Co Andaz Napa Annie the Baker Archer Hotel Napa Armstrong Arts & Music Bespoke Collection Bright Event Rentals Blossom Catering Brannan Cottage Inn Cardinale CADE Central Coast Auction Service Chappellet CIA at Greystone Clos du Val Clos Pegase Cornerstone Cellars CPA Valet Dalla Valle Vineyards The Dana Estates Davis Estates Domaine Carneros Duckhorn Portfolio Eden Club Eleven Eleven Wines Embassy Suites by Hilton Napa Valley Flora Springs Harvest Inn Harlan Estate

Heritage Eats Heitz Cellars Honig Vineyard and Winery Hotel Yountville Hudson Ranch Lail Vineyards La Tavola Lindquist LLP Louis Martini The Lux Productions Melody Raye Flowers Michael Aram Newton Vineyards Olive and Cocoa Palmaz Vineyards PerUs Robert Mondavi Winery Rombauer Vineyards Schramsberg Vineyards Senza Sinegal Estate Spago Tata Harper Theoni Collection Tre Posti Estate and Catering Valentin Leflaive Steinway Gallery of San Francisco Wagner Family of Wines Wine Country Inn & Cottages

107


SPECIAL THANKS Axcess Worldwide B12 Love Tom Bensel Jennifer Baker Maira Ayala Calderon Christopher Carpenter Carolee Cattolica Calistoga Chamber of Commerce David Cervantes, RN City of Calistoga City of St. Helena City of Napa County of Napa Lisa Delan Nancy Dempsey Senator Bill Dodd George Edwards Jason Eriksen Mary Grace Laura Green Rayellen Jordan Jennifer King Dr. Ronald Kraft

JoAnne Miller Betsy and Steve Moulds Dr. Rosanna Mucetti Brett Muney Napa County Public Health Department Napa County Board of Supervisors US Congressman Mike Thompson Dr. Barbara Nemko Glen Newhart Lorenza Ortona Vince Piombo Karen Provenza Jonathan Robinson Lisa and Pat Ryan Paul Schweibinz Jennifer Stewart St. Helena Hospital Foundation Beth Townsend Town of Yountville Sergei and Olya Troxel Dr. Robert Van Der Velde Hilary Vartanian Seana Wagner

COMMUNITY PARTNERS Arts Council Napa Valley Bright Event Rentals Boys & Girls Club of Napa Valley Boys & Girls Club of St. Helena and Calistoga Boys and Girls Club of Calistoga Concierge Alliance of Napa Valley and Sonoma DoNapa Davin's Interpreting Service Justin-Siena High School Nimbus Arts

Napa County Office of Education Napa County Education Foundation Napa Valley Unified School District Napa Valley Youth Symphony U.S. Small Business Association — Shuttered Venue Operator Grant Visit Napa Valley

108


P R O G R A M DAT E S : J U LY 8 – 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 Festival Napa Valley’s Blackburn Music Academy is an immersive summer festival conservatory for emerging professional musicians. Participants perform in chamber and orchestral concerts with some of the most respected musicians from around the world and participate in workshops, sectionals, and a variety of professional development activities.

festivalnapavalley.org | 888.337.6272 | @napafest


partner wineries Ackerman Family Vineyards Alejandro Bulgheroni Estate Aloft Alpha Omega Anarchist Wine Co Anthem Winery Antinori-Antica Estate Arietta Artesa Winery B Cellars Ballentine Bespoke Collection Blackbird Vineyards Blankiet Estate Boisset Family Estate Bouchaine Vineyards Boyd Family Vineyards CADE Calmere Estate Winery Cardinale Castello di Amorosa Castellucci Napa Valley Caymus Vineyards Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards & Winery Chappellet Charles Krug Chateau Boswell Chimney Rock Winery Cliff Lede Vineyards Clos Pegase Complant Continuum Estate Cornerstone Cellars Cuvaison Estate Wines D.R. Stephens Dalla Valle Darioush Davis Estates Dolce Domaine Carneros Dominus Estate The Donum Estate Dos Lagos Vineyards Duckhorn Portfolio

Eleven Eleven Ellman Family Vineyards Familia Torres Far Niente Flora Springs Foley Food and Wine Society Frank Family Vineyards Gallegos Wines Gallo Signature Series Gargulio Vineyards Gemstone Vineyard Gen 7 Wines Grgich Hills Estate HALL Napa Valley Harlan Estate The Hess Collection Hestan Vineyards Honig Vineyards Hudson Ranch Hunnicutt Jackson Family Wines JaM Cellars Jamieson Ranch Lail Vineyards Louis Martini Luna Vineyards Marimar Estate Martin Estate Maybach Family Vineyards McKenzine-Mueller Vineyards Mersenne Mi Sueno Winery Moulds Family Vineyards The Napa Valley Reserve Narsai David Newton Vineyards Nickel & Nickel Odette Opus One Palmaz Vineyards PEJU PerUs Pine Ridge Vineyards Plumpjack Collection

110


Prager Wines and Port Pride Mountain Vineyards Promontory Quintessa Quixote Raymond Vineyards Robert Mondavi Winery Rombauer Vineyards Round Pond Roy Estate Ruffino Winery Rutherford Hill The Sake Drinker Savage Schweiger Vineyards Sea Smoke Senses Seven Stones Silver Oak Sinegal Spottswoode Spire Collection St. Barthelemy

St. Supery Estate Vineyard & Winery Stag's Leap Wine Cellars State of Mind Swanson Family Estate Tamber Bey Terra Valentine Theorem Vineyards Tournesol Trefethen Family Vineyards Trinchero Napa Valley Trinitas Cellars Tusk Valentin Leflaive V. Sattui Winery YGS Chateau Potelle Viader Wagner Family of Wines Wheeler Farms Whitehall Lane Winery

111


host families

A special thank you is due to the generous Napa Valley families who welcomed this year’s Festival Napa Valley Blackburn Music Academy students into their homes. This significant, tangible contribution makes the academy experience immensenly more valuable and intimate for these musicians, and it shows a true commitment to bringing the arts to all. If you are interested in hosting a student next year, please contact housing@festivalnapavalley.org. Chris Craiker Cynthia Deutsch Deb & John Evans Paul Franson Tom Green Marjorie Harloff Rene & Maria Haug Dennis Hawley Pat & Don Hitchcock Michelle Hoffman Debta & Bruce Inman Nancy Lafortune

volunteers

Debbie Ames John Anderson Susan Andrews Cynthia Barthelemy Angela Bettencourt Autumn Lopez Bettencourt Laura Lily Bryan-Hecht Lynda M. Burton Julienne C Spilde Cristian Calvillo Claudia Chavez Maria Duarte Janet DunganByrne Michelle Eiser Julie Falk Bob Gligorea Margaret Green Harvey Hecht Charlotte Johnson-Langhofer Dawn Jump Susan Key Rowena Korobkin Karen Kryder James Ladwig Nancy Lafortune

Sonya & Hal Milton Rhonda Shea Jody Shipper Maureen & Edward Trippe Suzanne Tyler Suzanne Webster Marilyn White Fern Yaffa Peter Vernasco

Laura Lily Bryan-Hecht James Lowe Lynda M. Burton Andrea Marquardt David Marquardt Nancy McEvers-Anderson Karen Olson Kevin Olson Donna ONaga Rely Pio Roda Alan S. Johnson Lori Sax Mel Schultz Stephen Siegrist Neva Smith Catherine Stegman Susanne Strimling Peggy Usak Tess Van Wagner Lorraine Visovsky Pack Warfield Susan Warfield Angelika Wieling Pamela Zeidell 112


the team Administration

Production

Richard Walker President & CEO Charles Letourneau Vice President &

Brittany Weinerth Production &

Artistic Director

Kelly Kaplan Accounting Manager Craig Fox Controller

Development Tessa Edwards Senior Director, Growth & Philanthropy

Monica Barrows Director of Strategic Partnerships

Beth Salameh Patron Services Manager Bonnie Cullen Partnerships Manager Jessie Kahle Development Associate Flavia Martini Ambassador Sarah Wells Audience Experience Coordinator

Operations Manager

Cori Fagundes Event Manager Sienna Peck Producer Meghan Todt Williams Associate Producer Jennifer Pike Arts for All Gala Producer Gregg Field Special Music Advisor Heather Teague Box Office Manager

Supporting Cast Accounting

Lindquist LLP

Event Design

Hensley Event Resources

Floral Design

Melody Raye Flowers

Graphic Design

Compass Marketing Trish Sagare, Art Director

Education Lissa Gibbs Director, Education,

Photography

Drew Altizer Photography Aperture Media Bob McClenahan Photography StoryWorkz

Engagement & New Media

Ian Stewart Volunteer Experience &

Community Housing Coordinator

Blackburn Music Academy

Public Relations

Ming Luke Director—Academy Programs Bethanie Baeyen Technical Director and

Security

Opera Production Manager

Fox Greenberg Public Relations Triumph Protection Group

Kevin Fox Artistic Programs Manager Zuby Azezi Orchestra Manager and Director

Sound and Lighting Design

Madi Lippmann Host and Student Activities Zach Salsburg-Frank Program Associate Dalton Tran Program Associate Krisha Montmorency Librarian

Strategic Partnerships

of Operations

Meyer Sound SoundImage Design Axcess Worldwide Hilary Vartanian, Meris Ventures

Video Production

O’Leary Digital Media StoryWorkz

Marketing Valeska Muromoto Director of Marketing Paul Richardson Publishing Consultant Mona Baroudi Senior Writer

Program notes/annotations © 2021 Lucy Miller Murray

113


schedule TUESDAY, JULY 13 Festival Live! Vocal Recital CIA at Copia Festival Live! Chamber Series CIA at Copia

SUNDAY, JULY 18 11:00 am 6:00 pm

WEDNESDAY, JULY 14 Festival Live! Chamber Series CIA at Copia

11:00 am

THURSDAY, JULY 15 Festival Live! Chamber Series CIA at Copia

11:00 am

Novack Concert for Kids: Nia Imani Franklin and Aldó Gavilán 1:00 pm CIA at Copia Founders Dinner at Silverado Resort and Spa (invitation only) 6:30 pm

FRIDAY, JULY 16 Bouchaine Young Artist Concert: 11:00 am Fiona Khuong-Huu, violin Bouchaine Vineyards Festival Live! Chamber Series CIA at Copia

11:00 am

Opening Night with Lisette Oropesa, Charles Krug

6:30 pm

Patron Dinner at HALL Napa Valley 8:00 pm

SATURDAY, JULY 17

Vintner’s Luncheon at Theorem Vineyards

11:00 am

Vintner’s Luncheon at Promontory (invitation only)

11:00 am

Arts for All Gala featuring Jennifer Hudson Nickel & Nickel

6:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Patron Dinner at Opus One

7:30 pm

11:30 am

5:00 pm

MONDAY, JULY 19 Festival Live! Chamber Series CIA at Copia

11:00 am

Donor Luncheon (invitation only) 11:30 am The Donum Estate Donor Exclusive: Jean-Yves Thibaudet Darioush (invitation only)

6:30 pm

TUESDAY, JULY 20 Festival Live! Chamber Series CIA at Copia

11:00 am

Vintner’s Luncheon at Cliff Lede Vineyards

12:00 pm

Vintner’s Luncheon at Far Niente 12:00 pm The Four Seasons of Napa Valley 6:30 pm San Francisco Chronicle stage at Charles Krug

11:30 am

Saturday at the Symphony CIA at Copia

11:00 am

Vintner’s Luncheon 11:30 am John Anthony Vineyards’ Church Vineyard

Patron Dinner at Charles Krug

Festival Live! Chamber Series CIA at Copia

Vintner’s Luncheon at Gargiulo Vineyards

Festival Live! Chamber Series CIA at Copia

114

8:00 pm


WEDNESDAY, JULY 21

FRIDAY, JULY 23

Novack Concert for Kids: At the Foot of Winter’s Mountain at Charles Krug

11:00 am

Bouchaine Young Artist Concert: 11:00 am Steven Banks, saxophone CIA at Copia

Vintner’s Luncheon at Auberge du Soleil

11:30 am

Vintner’s Luncheon The Walther Green Car Barn

A Tribute to Tony Bennett San Francisco Chronicle stage at Charles Krug

6:30 pm

6:30 pm

Patron Dinner at B Cellars

8:00 pm

Dance Gala: Roberto Bolle and Friends San Francisco Chronicle stage at Charles Krug

Patron Dinner at Frank Family Vineyards

8:00 pm

Patron Dinner at Raymond Vineyards

8:00 pm

SATURDAY, JULY 24

THURSDAY, JULY 22 Bouchaine Young Artist Concert: 11:00 am Audrey Vardanega, piano CIA at Copia Vintner’s Luncheon at Bardessono

11:30 am

11:30 am

Vintner’s Luncheon 11:30 am St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi San Francisco Chronicle stage at Charles Krug

6:30 pm

Patron Dinner at Castello di Amorosa

8:00 pm

Festival Live! Chamber Series CIA at Copia

11:00 am

Vintner’s Luncheon 11:30 am (invitation only) Hosted by the Antinori Family and the Antica Foundation Vintner’s Luncheon Trefethen Family Vineyards Opera Under the Stars San Francisco Chronicle stage at Charles Krug

11:30 am 6:30 pm

Patron Dinner 8:00 pm Culinary Institue of America at Greystone

SUNDAY, JULY 25 Season Finale at Alpha Omega 11:30 am Sunday at the Symphony CIA at Copia

5:30 pm

PO Box 6221, Napa, CA 94581 707.346.5052 | festivalnapavalley.org @napafest #napafest21

115


SAV E

T H E

DAT E

S E A S O N

July 15–24, 2022

16

Save 25% with the purchase of any 2022 multiday pass. offer valid until August 15, 2021 festivalnapavalley.org | 707.346.5052 | @napafest



— 2021 PRESENTING SPONSORS —

— 2021 PREMIER SPONSORS —

festivalnapavalley.org | 707.346.5052 | #napafest


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.