FWSO
program guide
February 17, 2024
FEATURING
Renée Fleming and Rod Gilfry Robert Spano, conductor
S E S R U N
OUR
HO S L L I W
IF L R O F W UP
E
D E R A P E PR Stephenville | Fort Worth | Waco | Bryan | Online
#BleedPurple
Be a reason more women survive heart disease.
We’re working together. Each year, one in three women will die of heart disease.* Which is why when it comes to fighting heart disease in women, Texas Health, together with Go Red for Women ®, give you the facts and tools, like our free five-minute heart health assessment, so you and the women in your life can make heart health a priority. We’ll help you learn your risks and what you can do about them. That's how we care more.
Learn more at TexasHealth.org/GoRed
North Texas Go Red for Women® Cause Sponsor
*According to the American Heart Association Doctors on the medical staffs practice independently and are not employees or agents of Texas Health hospitals or Texas Health Resources. © 2024 Texas Health Resources
John Dinh, B.S.N., RN Primary Care Nurse
UT Southwestern Fort Worth Finding answers, changing lives. UT Southwestern’s Monty and Tex Moncrief Medical Center, located in the heart of Fort Worth’s Medical District, is committed to delivering the highest-quality health care for you and your family. Our renowned physicians offer innovative treatments in specialties ranging from cardiology and ENT to neurology, urology, and ophthalmology. Using the most advanced techniques and technology, we are equipped to meet all your medical needs. Primary and specialty care, physical and speech therapy, lab and pharmacy services are all available in one convenient location. At UTSW Fort Worth, the future of medicine is right where you want it – close to home.
600 S. Main St., Fort Worth, TX 76104 Visit us at utswmed.org/fortworth or call 817-882-2400 for more details.
AL ID #104361 | SNF ID #104969
ENDLESS POTENTI AL AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Gain easy access to the good life when you choose The Stayton at Museum Way. Discover new interests in a community that caters to the curious and reignite old passions as you stroll through the cultural center of Fort Worth. Fine dining, fine art and finer friendships are always moments away at The Stayton.
Create your next adventure by calling 817.646.7181 or visiting TheStayton.com
2501 Museum Way, Fort Worth, TX 76107
INDEPENDENT LIVING | ASSISTED LIVING | MEMORY CARE | SKILLED NURSING | REHABILITATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FWSO STAFF
2
Letter from the Chairman
3
Letter from the President & CEO
EXECUTIVE OFFICE Keith Cerny, Ph.D. President and CEO
4
About Robert Spano
5
About Kevin John Edusei
6
About Taichi Fukumura
7
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Roster
8
Gala Concert Artist Profiles Renée Fleming, soprano Rod Gilfry, baritone
12
Executive Committee
12
Board of Directors
OPERATIONS Victoria J. Moore Vice President of Operations Matthew Glover Director of Operations Branson White Production Manager Lacy McCoy Project Manager Megan Brook Orchestra Personnel Manager Wilson Armstrong Stage Manager Gillian Boley Artistic Services Coordinator Christopher Hawn Orchestra Librarian David Sterrett Librarian Assistant
DEVELOPMENT Meagan Hemenway Vice President of Development Malia Lewis Development Manager, Board and Donor Relations Courtney Hughey Institutional Giving Manager Veronika Perez Development Specialist, Operations Ivy Smith Development Associate BOX OFFICE Jacob Clodfelter Box Office Manager Veronica Morris Box Office Associate Sydney Palomo Box Office Associate Josh Pruett Box Office Associate Patrick Sumner Box Office Associate Paul Taylor Box Office Associate FINANCE Shelby Lee Vice President of Finance Lucas Baldwin Senior Staff Accountant HUMAN RESOURCES Jacque Carpenter Vice President of Human Resources Raquel Kenston HR & Office Coordinator MARKETING Carrie Ellen Adamian Chief Marketing Officer Monica Sheehan Director of Marketing Emily Gavaghan Senior Marketing Manager Melanie Boma Tessitura Database Senior Manager Josselin Garibo Pendleton Senior Manager, Education and Community Programs Joanna Calhoun Marketing and Social Media Coordinator
FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | 1
Dear Friends, I am thrilled to be here with you all for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s annual Gala evening featuring my good friends Renée Fleming and Rod Gilfry. This is one of my favorite events of the year, made even better with Music Director Robert Spano at the podium, accompanied by the incredible sounds of the Orchestra.
Mercedes T. Bass Chairman of the Board of Directors
In addition to a night of world-renowned music, this annual event is a critical fundraiser for the FWSO as proceeds benefit its Adventures in Music programming; a hands-on, innovative series of arts education programs for more than 20,000 students across 13 schools in North Texas. Music education teaches students not just musical skills, but leadership skills. These experiences are transformative for these students and we are grateful for your support, which makes this initiative possible. It is a great privilege of mine to serve as Board Chairman of the FWSO, and as Honorary Chairman of the Gala, and it brings me and the Board of Directors, great excitement to have you all here supporting our musicians and staff with your patronage, advocacy and generous donations. Warm regards,
Mercedes T. Bass Chairman of the Board of Directors 2 | 2023/2024 SEASON
Dear Patron, Welcome to the 2024 Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Gala! We are delighted to have you with us this evening for a special performance featuring superstar singers Renée Fleming andw Rod Gilfry, conducted by the FWSO’s acclaimed Music Director Robert Spano. Ms. Fleming is a four-time Grammy Award-winning soprano known for her superb artistry and legendary stage presence. Baritone Rod Gilfry has been partnering with Ms. Fleming since 2019, and has a major opera and concert career in his own right. I know that you will enjoy their on-stage chemistry and great performances of some of Broadway’s greatest hits. Maestro Spano will lead tonight’s program, which also includes several sparkling works for solo orchestra.
Keith Cerny, Ph.D. President and CEO
Since Robert Spano’s appointment as Music Director, he and I have championed the FWSO’s unique “Theater of a Concert” approach to performances, where we add visual, dance, lighting, and other enhancements to Symphonic and Pops concerts. This approach has been highly successful, and we are drawing enthusiastic new audiences to these programs. For tonight’s performance, we will be using live cameras and projectors to bring our audience closer to our exceptional Music Director and soloists. We are very grateful to Board Chairman Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass for generously underwriting this evening’s Gala artists, and to the William E. Scott Foundation for providing a significant capital equipment grant to add these important visual elements to the performance. Please take the time to savor some of the most beautiful melodies ever written as you enjoy tonight’s concert! Thank you for your support and attendance at all of the FWSO concerts, as we work to rebuild and grow our audiences following the pandemic. We are incredibly proud of the exceptional music we are producing at the FWSO, which we know you will enjoy. Yours Sincerely,
Keith Cerny, Ph.D. President & CEO
FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | 3
Robert Spano Music Director Robert Spano, conductor, pianist, composer, and teacher, is known worldwide for the intensity of his artistry and distinctive communicative abilities, creating a sense of inclusion and warmth among musicians and audiences that is unique among American orchestras. After twenty seasons as Music Director, he will continue his association with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as Music Director Laureate. An avid mentor to rising artists, he is responsible for nurturing the careers of numerous celebrated composers, conductors, and performers. As Music Director of the Aspen Music Festival and School since 2011, he oversees the programming of more than 300 events and educational programs for 630 students and young performers. Principal Guest Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra since 2019, Spano became Music Director Designate on April 1, 2021, and begins an initial three-year term as Music Director in August 2022. He is the tenth Music Director in the orchestra’s history, which was founded in 1912. Spano leads the Fort Worth Symphony in six symphonic programs, three chamber music programs, and a gala concert with Yo-Yo Ma, in addition to overseeing the orchestra and music staff and shaping the artistic direction of the orchestra and driving its 4 | 2023/2024 SEASON
continued growth. Additional engagements in the 2022-23 season include a return to Houston Grand Opera to conduct Werther. Maestro Spano made his highly-acclaimed Metropolitan Opera debut in 2019, leading the US premiere of Marnie, the second opera by American composer Nico Muhly. Recent concert highlights have included several world premiere performances, including Voy a Dormir by Bryce Dessner at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor; George Tsontakis’s Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Dimitrios Skyllas’s Kyrie eleison with the BBC Symphony Orchestra; the Tuba Concerto by Jennifer Higdon, performed by Craig Knox and the Pittsburgh Symphony; Melodia, For Piano and Orchestra, by Canadian composer Matthew Ricketts at the Aspen Music Festival; and Miserere, by ASO bassist Michael Kurth. The Atlanta School of Composers reflects Spano’s commitment to American contemporary music. He has led ASO performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Ravinia, Ojai, and Savannah Music Festivals. Guest engagements have included the Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Minnesota Orchestras, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, and the San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, With a discography of criticallyacclaimed recordings for Telarc, Deutsche Grammophon, and ASO Media, Robert Spano has garnered four Grammy™ Awards and eight nominations with the Atlanta Symphony. Spano is on faculty at Oberlin Conservatory and has received honorary doctorates from Bowling Green State University, the Curtis Institute of Music, Emory University, and Oberlin. Maestro Spano is a recipient of the Georgia Governor’s Award For The Arts And Humanities and is one of two classical musicians inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. He makes his home in Atlanta and Fort Worth. New World, San Diego, Oregon, Utah, and Kansas City Symphonies. His opera performances include Covent Garden, Welsh National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and the 2005 and 2009 Seattle Opera productions of Wagner’s Ring cycles.
German conductor Kevin John Edusei is sought-after the world over, dividing his time equally between the concert hall and opera house. He is praised repeatedly for the drama and tension that he brings to his musicmaking, for his attention to detail, sense of architecture, and the fluidity, warmth and insight that he brings to his performances. He is deeply committed to the creative elements of performance, presenting classical music in new formats, cultivating audiences, introducing music by under-represented composers and conducting an eclectic range of repertoire from the baroque to the contemporary.
Kevin John Edusei Principal Guest Conductor
In the 2022/23 season, Edusei makes his debut with many orchestras across the UK and US, including the London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Hallé, Utah Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony and National Symphony (Washington) orchestras amongst others and he returns to the London Symphony, the City of Birmingham Symphony, Baltimore and Colorado Symphony orchestras. With the Chineke! Orchestra he returns to the BBC Proms for a televised performance of Beethoven 9 and also performs at Festivals in Snape, Hamburg, Helsinki and Lucerne. In recent seasons he has conducted many of the major orchestras across the UK, Holland, Germany and the US. He is the former Chief Conductor of the Munich Symphony Orchestra and 22/23 marks the start of his tenure as the Principal Guest Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (Texas). In the 2022/23 season Edusei also makes his debut with the Royal Opera House conducting La Boheme with Juan Diego Florez and Ailyn Pérez. He recently made his debut at the English National Opera and previously has conducted at the Semperoper Dresden, Hamburg State Opera, Hannover State Opera, Volksoper Wien and Komische Oper Berlin. During his time as Chief Conductor of Bern Opera House, he led many new productions including Britten Peter Grimes, Strauss Salome, Bartók Bluebeard’s Castle, Wagner Tannhäuser and Tristan and Isolde, Janáček Kátya Kábanová and a cycle of the Mozart Da-Ponte operas. In 2004 Edusei was awarded the fellowship for the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival by David Zinman, in 2007 he was a prize-winner at the Lucerne Festival conducting competition under the artistic direction of Pierre Boulez and Peter Eötvös, and in 2008 he won the First prize at the International Dimitris Mitropoulos Competition. FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | 5
Taichi Fukumura is a rising Japanese-American conductor known for his dynamic stage presence, resulting in a growing international career. Acclaimed for his musical finesse and passionate interpretations, he is praised by musicians and audiences alike across the United States, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, and Japan. A two-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award in 2021 and 2022, Fukumura is the newly appointed Assistant Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for the 2022-2024 seasons. Highlights from the 2021/22 season include guest conducting debuts with La Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Selected by the Berlin Philharmonic as one of 10 Assistant Conductor Candidates, Fukumura conducted in the Siemens Conductors Scholarship Competition. Fukumura served as the Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta, where he previously received mentorship from Music Director Mei-Ann Chen as a Freeman Conducting Fellow.
Taichi Fukumura Assistant Conductor
Past engagements include guest conducting in the Boston Symphony’s Community Chamber Concerts, leading members of the BSO in Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat. Fukumura assisted the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Philharmonic as cover conductor. Equally adept in opera conducting, he has led full productions of Britten’s Turn of the Screw and Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Northwestern University Opera Theatre. Born in Tokyo, Taichi Fukumura grew up in Boston and began music studies at age three on the violin. Professionally trained on the instrument, he received a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from Boston University, studying with Peter Zazofsky. Fukumura received both his Doctoral and Masters degrees in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University, studying with Victor Yampolsky. Additional conducting studies include Aspen Music Festival Conducting Academy, Pierre Monteux School and Festival, Paris Conducting Workshop, and Hong Kong International Conducting Workshop.
6 | 2023/2024 SEASON
FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Robert Spano, Music Director, Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Chair Kevin John Edusei, Principal Guest Conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Music Director Laureate Taichi Fukumura, Assistant Conductor, Rae and Ed Schollmaier+ Foundation Chair John Giordano, Conductor Emeritus
VIOLIN I Michael Shih, Concertmaster Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass Chair Mr. Sid R. Bass Chair Swang Lin, Associate Concertmaster Ann Koonsman+ Chair Eugene Cherkasov, Assistant Concertmaster Mollie & Garland Lasater Chair Jennifer Y. Betz Ordabek Duissen Qiong Hulsey Ivo Ivanov Nikayla Kim Izumi Lund Ke Mai Kimberly Torgul Albert Yamamoto VIOLIN II Adriana Voirin DeCosta, Principal Steven Li, Associate Principal Janine Geisel, Assistant Principal Symphony League of Fort Worth Chair Molly Baer Suzanne Jacobson° Matt Milewski Kathryn Perry Tatyana Smith Rosalyn Story Andrea Tullis Camilla Wojciechowska VIOLA DJ Cheek, Principal Anna Kolotylina, Associate Principal HeeSun Yang, Assistant Principal Joni Baczewski Sorin Guttman Aleksandra Holowka Dmitry Kustanovich Daniel Sigale CELLO Allan Steele, Principal Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass Chair Mr. Sid R. Bass Chair Emileigh Vandiver, Associate Principal Keira Fullerton, Assistant Principal Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation Chair John Belk Deborah Brooks Shelley Jessup Jenny Kwak BASS William Clay, Principal Mr. & Mrs. Edward P. Bass Chair Paul Unger, Assistant Principal
Jeffery Hall Sean P. O’Hara Julie Vinsant The seating positions of all string section musicians listed alphabetically change on a regular basis.
FLUTE Jake Fridkis, Principal Shirley F. Garvey Chair Gabriel Fridkis, Assistant Principal Edna Jeon° PICCOLO Edna Jeon° OBOE Jennifer Corning Lucio, Principal Nancy L. & William P. Hallman, Jr., Chair Tamer Edlebi, Assistant Principal Tim Daniels ENGLISH HORN Tim Daniels CLARINET Stanislav Chernyshev, Principal Rosalyn G. Rosenthal Chair* Ivan Petruzziello, Assistant Principal Gary Whitman E-FLAT CLARINET Ivan Petruzziello BASS CLARINET Gary Whitman
TROMBONE Joseph Dubas, Principal Mr. & Mrs. John Kleinheinz Chair John Michael Hayes, Assistant Principal Dennis Bubert BASS TROMBONE Dennis Bubert Mr. & Mrs. Lee M. Bass Chair TUBA Edward Jones, Principal TIMPANI Seth McConnell, Principal Madilyn Bass Chair Nicholas Sakakeeny, Assistant Principal PERCUSSION Keith Williams, Principal Shirley F. Garvey Chair Nicholas Sakakeeny, Assistant Principal Adele Hart Chair Deborah Mashburn Brad Wagner HARP vacant Bayard H. Friedman Chair KEYBOARD Shields-Collins Bray, Principal Rildia Bee O'Bryan Cliburn & Van Cliburn Chair STAGE MANAGER Wilson Armstrong
BASSOON Joshua Elmore, Principal Mr. & Mrs. Lee M. Bass Chair Cara Owens, Assistant Principal Nicole Haywood° CONTRABASSOON Nicole Haywood° HORN Gerald Wood, Principal Elizabeth H. Ledyard Chair Alton F. Adkins, Associate Principal Drs. Jeff and Rosemary Detweiler Chair Kelly Cornell, Associate Principal Aaron Pino TRUMPET Kyle Sherman, Principal Cody McClarty, Assistant Principal Dorothy Rhea Chair Oscar Garcia
ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER Megan Brook ORCHESTRA LIBRARIANS Christopher Hawn David Sterrett *In Memory of Manny Rosenthal °2023/2024 Season Only +Denotes Deceased The Concertmaster performs on the 1710 Davis Stradivarius violin. The Associate Concertmaster performs on the 1685 Eugenie Stradivarius violin.
FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | 7
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Robert Spano, conductor Renée Fleming, soprano Rod Gilfry, baritone BERNSTEIN
Overture to Candide
LEHÁR Libretto by León & Stein
“Lippen schweigen” from The Merry Widow Renée Fleming, soprano Rod Gilfry, baritone
LOEWE Lyrics by Lerner
“Almost Like Being in Love” from Brigadoon Renée Fleming, soprano Rod Gilfry, baritone
RODGERS Lyrics by Hammerstein
“Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific Rod Gilfry, baritone
RODGERS arr. Custer
Carousel Waltz
WILLSON
“’Til There Was You” from The Music Man Renée Fleming, soprano Rod Gilfry, baritone
RODGERS Lyrics by Hammerstein
“People Will Say We're in Love” from Oklahoma! Renée Fleming, soprano Rod Gilfry, baritone
LOESSER
“Joey, Joey, Joey” from Most Happy Fella Rod Gilfry, baritone
LOEWE arr. Whitney
Selections from My Fair Lady
LEIGH Lyrics by Darion
“The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha Rod Gilfry, baritone
RODGERS Lyrics by Hammerstein
“Climb Ev'ry Mountain” from The Sound of Music Renée Fleming, soprano
This program will be performed without intermission. Video or audio recording of this performance is strictly prohibited. Patrons arriving late will be seated during the first convenient pause. Program and artists are subject to change.
8 | 2023/2024 SEASON
Revised Friday, December 15, 2023
ARTIST ARTIST PROFILES PROFILES
Renée Fleming, soprano Renée Fleming is one of the most highly acclaimed singers of our time, performing on the stages of the world’s great opera houses and concert halls. A 2023 Kennedy Center Honoree, winner of five Grammy® awards and the US National Medal of Arts, she has sung for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Diamond Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. A groundbreaking distinction came in 2008 when she became the first woman in the 125-year history of the Metropolitan Opera to solo headline an opening night gala, and in 2014 she became the first classical artist ever to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. In 2023, the World Health Organization appointed her as a Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health. Renée’s current concert calendar includes appearances in London, Vienna, Milan, Los Angeles, and at Carnegie Hall. In May at the Metropolitan Opera, she will reprise her role in The Hours, an opera which premiered last year, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and awardwinning film. Last March, she portrayed Pat Nixon in a new
production of Nixon in China at the Opéra de Paris. Renée’s new anthology, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, will be published in spring, 2024. A prominent advocate for research at the intersection of arts, health, and neuroscience, as Artistic Advisor to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Renée launched the first ongoing collaboration between America’s national cultural center and its largest health research institute, the National Institutes of Health. She created her own program called Music and the Mind, which
FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | 9
Fleming, continued she has presented in more than fifty cities around the world, earning Research!America’s Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion. In 2020, Renée launched Music and Mind LIVE, a weekly web show exploring the connections between arts, human health, and the brain, amassing nearly 700,000 views, from 70 countries. She is now an advisor for major initiatives in this field, including the Sound Health Network at the University of California San Francisco and the NeuroArts Blueprint at Johns Hopkins University. Renée has recorded everything from complete operas and song recitals to indie rock and jazz. In January, Decca released a special double-length album of live recordings from Renée’s greatest performances at the Metropolitan Opera. In February, Renée received the Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Solo for her album Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, with Yannick
Nézet-Seguin as pianist. Known for bringing new audiences to classical music and opera, Renée has sung not only with Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli, but also with Elton John, Paul Simon, Sting, Josh Groban, and Joan Baez. Renée’s voice is featured on the soundtracks of Best Picture Oscar winners The Shape of Water and The Lord of the Rings. Co-Artistic Director of the Aspen Opera Center and VocalArts at the Aspen Music Festival, Renée is also Advisor for Special Projects at LA Opera, and she leads SongStudio at Carnegie Hall. Renée’s other awards include the 2023 Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, Germany’s Cross of the Order of Merit, Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, and honorary doctorates from 8 major universities.
Renée Fleming appears by arrangement with IMG Artists, www.imgartists.com. Ms. Fleming’s jewelry is by Ann Ziff for Tamsen Z.
Artist website: www.reneefleming.com
10 | 2023/2024 SEASON
ARTIST PROFILES
Rod Gilfry, baritone later performed with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, the Colorado Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic, the Dallas Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Los Angeles Opera, the Chicago Lyric Opera, the Aspen Festival, and the Oregon Symphony.
Rod Gilfry is a two-time Grammy nominee, singer and actor who performs in operas, musicals, recitals and cabaret world-wide. He appears on more than 30 recordings. An important part of his 75-role repertoire are the 13 leading roles he has created in new operas. Recent performance highlights include a role debut as Baron Scarpia in Puccini’s Tosca at the Houston Grand Opera, Claudius in Brett Dean’s Hamlet at the Bavarian State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera, and Owen Hart in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking at the Metropolitan Opera. In the summer of 2019, he began a tour of Kevin Puts’ The Brightness of Light with soprano Renée Fleming at the Tanglewood Festival, which they
Recent appearances include the Marquis de la Force in Houston Grand Opera’s Dialogues of the Carmelites, Robert McNamara in the world premiere of Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s The Rift at the Washington National Opera, the premiere of David Lang’s solo opera the loser at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Los Angeles Opera, as Walt Whitman in the premiere of Matthew Aucoin’s Crossing in Boston, Brooklyn and Los Angeles; as Mr. Potter in the premiere of Jake Heggie’s It’s a Wonderful Life at the Houston Grand Opera and San Francisco Opera. Mr. Gilfry was born and raised in Southern California where he earned advanced degrees from Cal State Fullerton and the University of Southern California. He was a member of the Frankfurt Opera ensemble from 1987 to 1989 and the Zurich Opera ensemble from 1989 to 1994. An Associate Professor of Vocal Arts at the USC Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles for nearly 15 years, he recently retired to make more time for performing.
Rod Gilfry appears by arrangement with IMG Artists, www.imgartists.com. FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | 11
Board of Directors Officers Mercedes T. Bass Chairman of the Board Marianne Auld Chairman of the Executive Committee Lee Hallman Secretary Don C. Plattsmier Interim Treasurer Keith Cerny, Ph.D. President and CEO
Board of Directors Marianne Auld+ Amy Roach Bailey Mercedes T. Bass+ Dr. Rebecca Beasley Connie Beck+ Ashli Blumenfeld Anne Marie Bratton+ John Broude J. Brooks+ Karen Burchfield+ Anne Carvalho Dr. Joseph Cecere Brenda Cline Dr. Mary Costas Barbara Cox Juana-Rosa Daniell Tim Daniels Dr. Benge Daniel Mitzi Davis Dr. Asad Dean+ Dr. Tom Deas Dr. Jeffrey G. Detweiler Joseph DeWoody Willa Dunleavy Brandon Elms Dr. Jennifer Freeman+ 12 | 2023/2024 SEASON
Charlotte French Aubrey Gideon Pamela Gilchrist Gail Aronoff Granek Lee Hallman+ Aaron Howard+ Kim Johnson Dee J. Kelly, Jr.+ Kelly Lancarte Mollie Lasater+ Nico Leone Mary Hart Lipscomb Misty Locke Kate Lummis Priscilla Martin Louella Martin+ Dr. Stuart D. McDonald Ellen Messman Justin Newton Don C. Plattsmier+ Dana Porter+ Don Reid Jean Roach+ Henry Robinson+ Jude Ryan Alann B. Sampson+ Jeff Schmeltekopf Dr. Russ Schultz Kal Silverberg Whit Smith Clare Stonesifer+ Jonathan T. Suder+ Carla Thompson+ Dr. Amy Tully John Wells+ Dr. James Williams J.W. Wilson+ Gerry Wood
Emeritus Council Marvin E. Blum Dr. Victor J. Boschini, Jr. Gail Cooke Vance A. Duffy Katie Farmer Joan Friedman Tera Garvey John B. Giordano Barry L. Green Genie Guynn Kathleen Hicks Robert L. Jameson Teresa King Michelle Marlow Colin McConnell Dr. Till Meyn Erin Moseley * Frasher H. Pergande Thomas “Tommy” L. Smith Dwayne Smith Kathleen B. Stevens Ronda Jones Stucker Lon Werner
Chairman Emeriti William P. Hallman, Jr.* Adele Hart* Ed Schollmaier* Frank H. Sherwood
Life Trustee Rosalyn G. Rosenthal Rae and Ed Schollmaier*
President Emerita Ann Koonsman* + Executive Committee Member * Denotes Deceased
GaLa The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra expresses its deepest gratitude to the generous individual and institutional supporters of the 2024 FWSO Gala. Concert Underwriter Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass Gala Champion Qurumbli Foundation Rosalyn Rosenthal Gala Ambassador Marianne Auld and Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP Ramona S. and Lee M. Bass Mollie and Garland Lasater Gala Angel Anne Marie and Doug Bratton Steve Brauer Jr. & Collin Mauldin Mr. and Mrs. William S. Davis Paul Dorman and Walter Stucker Frost Gilchrist Automotive Aaron Howard and Corrie Hood-Howard Melissa and Don Reid Gala Advocate Elaine and Neils Agather Becky Beasley and Roger Gates Connie Beck and Frank Tilley BNSF Railway / Jeanelle Davis Debbie Brooks -DFW Musicians Services LLC J. Brooks John Broude and Judy Rosenblum Anne and Orlando Carvalho Dr. Joseph Cecere and Ms. Neva Nash
Mr. & Dr. John N. Costas Ralph and Barbara Cox Dr. Benge and Jackie Daniel Kim and Glenn Darden Asad Dean M.D. / Texas Oncology Rosemary and Jeff Detweiler Brandon and Tracy Elms Dr. Jennifer Freeman Kim and Matt Johnson Anonymous Katherine Lummis Louella Baker Martin Margaret and Stuart McDonald Mr. and Mrs. David M. Porter Jean Roach & Amy and Tull Bailey Alann B. Sampson Tim and Clare Stonesifer Medea and Jonathan Suder Texas Christian University Carla and Kelly Thompson Visit Fort Worth Dr. James C. Wiliams Kimbell and Mitch Wynne Gala Enthusiast Mrs. Jeanne Cochran Dr. Karl Csaky Dwain Dent Lyn L. Evans Al Kroemer Jan and Paul Leamer Jeanne O’Connor Nancy and Don Plattsmier
For the full Gala donor listing, please visit fwsymphony.org/gala2024 As of 1/26/2024
FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | 13
GaLa The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra would like to share our gratitude to the Gala Chairs for their support of the 2024 FWSO Gala Mercedes T. Bass Honorary Gala Chairman Anne Marie Bratton, Kimberly Johnson, Misty Locke, and Dana Porter Gala Co-Chairs
Benefiting & Celebrating
Fort Worth Symphony Gala
AUSTIN | FORT WORTH | MIDLAND | BATON ROUGE | NEW ORLEANS
14 | 2023/2024 SEASON
From whole patient to whole health. TREATBOLDLY.UNTHSC.EDU
Students, faculty, patients and neighbors all have one thing in common: they’re people. And we put the needs of our people first. In addition to being a premier academic medical center, HSC believes in the bigger picture of health. Five schools and one shared purpose. Creating an environment where innovation and ideas can thrive, and all people feel informed, empowered and understood.
When we’re all connected, we’re in it together. HSC. ASK BRAVELY. TREAT BOLDLY. 22_163_OMC
At The University of Texas at Dallas, we celebrate rising stars in the visual and performing arts. From dance, theatre and music to art history and film studies, our students are creative, innovative and performance driven. Come shine with us.
utdallas.edu/bright
Courtroom Success. Without the Drama. We want to help you navigate your most thrilling moments and toughest challenges. Appellate Law Bankruptcy and Reorganization Business Litigation Construction Law Corporate Employment Law Insurance Law Oil and Gas Real Estate Technology Law
When it has to be right Scan to see our approach
Fort Worth
Houston
BondsEllis.com
LOVE IN VERONA COLLECTION
317 Main Street, Fort Worth, Tx 76102 817-336-4051