Moores School Chamber Players

MOORES SCHOOL OF MUSIC

KATHRINE G. MCGOVERN COLLEGE OF THE ARTS presents

MOORES SCHOOL CHAMBER PLAYERS

Moores School Chamber Ensemble

Franz Anton Krager, director of orchestras

Cutter González, conductor Carolina Rodriguez Russum, conductor Ringel Sat, conductor

SUNDAY, MARCH 26 | 7:30 p.m.

Dudley Recital Hall

Moores School Chamber Players

Moores School Chamber Ensemble

Franz Anton Krager, director of orchestras – Cutter González, conductor Carolina Rodriguez Russum, conductor – Ringel Sat, conductor

PROGRAM

Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 Heitor Villa Lobos (1887–1959)

Cutter González*, conductor Rachel Shukan, soprano

Trauermusik Paul Hindemith (1895–1963)

Cutter Gonzalez*, conductor Yuxuan Zhang, viola

Elegy for Cello and String Orchestra (arr. John Webber) Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924)

Ringel Sat*, conductor Samuel Linzan, cello

Holberg Suite, Op. 40 Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)

Carolina Rodriguez Russum*, conductor

* From the conducting studio of Franz Anton Krager; In partial fulfilment of the Master of Music Degree in Orchestra Conducting

Violins

Moores School Chamber Players

PERFORMERS

Moores School Chamber Group

Raul Colmenero, concertmaster

Hossein Aminzadeh

Xiaodong Cao

Javier Castro

Nicole Gonzalez

Miranda Hollingsworth*

Vu Pham

Violas

Daniel Castorena, principal

Benjamin Petree

Violoncelli

Hannah Deplazes, principal

Stephanie Aguilar

Brandon England

Joshua Lopez

Kayla Nguyen

Amy Sanders

Gideon Weaver

Alexa Zamarripa

Contrabassi

Mackenzie Gibbons, principal

Cesar Flores

Orchestra Conducting Staff

Cutter González, assistant conductor

Ringel Sat, assistant conductor

Carolina Rodriguez Russum, assistant conductor

* MSM Alumni

Moores School Chamber Players

PROGRAM NOTES

Heitor Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras, V. Cantilena

The music of Heitor Villa-Lobos almost always reflected his two loves: Brazilian culture and the music of J. S. Bach. Born in Rio de Janiero, he was a proud Brazilian, fascinated by his country’s history and culture. And, ever since receiving the gift of some preludes and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier from his aunt as a child, Villa-Lobos had been captivated by Bach’s style and technique. His best-known compositions, a set of nine suites for various combinations of instruments and (sometimes) voices called Bachianas Brasileiras reflect both of these influences.

The fifth suite, for solo soprano and an ensemble of eight cellos, is, by far, the most performed of the set. It was written in 1938 and falls in two movement, the first of which is featured on this program. That “Cantilena,” as Villa-Lobos called it, begins with a vocalise for the soprano, accompanied by the cello ensemble. After presenting the wordless melody, the soprano then sings a brief, declamatory setting of a poem by Ruth Corrêa that describes the moon rising in the sky. A reprise of the vocalise, now with the vocalist instructed to sing the melody “with mouth closed” brings the movement to a haunting, memorable close.

– Adapted from Jonathan Blumhofer.

Paul Hindemith: Trauermusik

Trauermusik was composed on the 21st January 1936 at very short notice in memory of King George V, who had passed away the previous night. The English translation of the title is ‘Funeral Music’, although it is always known by its German name. On the 19th January 1936 Hindemith travelled to London intending to premiere his new viola concerto Der Schwanendreher with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on the 22nd January. This was to be the UK premiere of the work.

This did not go to plan, however. On the 20th January King George V died, therefore the concert was cancelled. However, BBC Music Producer Edward Clark and conductor Adrian Boult still wanted Hindemith to be involved in the music that was going to be broadcast instead of the original concert. After much deliberation it was decided that Hindemith should compose a new work. The BBC gave him a quiet office for six hours as Hindemith composed Trauermusik.

– Adapted from Alex Burns.

Moores School Chamber Players

Gabriel Fauré: Élégie

The compact frame of Gabriel Fauré’s Élégie, op. 24—its brevity, intimate scoring, and frank designation as an elegy—belies its expressive range. The work seems to honor grief as a multifaceted thing and depicts it as such: not prosaically, according to the classic stages of denial, anger, and so on, but in more poetical fashion. Herein lies Fauré’s mastery. He possesses the sensibility to probe, with economy and exquisite subtlety, the depth of human emotion, giving graceful voice to our innermost feelings.

Fauré completed the Élégie in the same month as his First Piano Quartet, also in c minor. The Élégie was projected to be the slow movement of a multimovement cello sonata. It was first heard at a salon hosted by Camille Saint-Saëns. Fauré wrote to his publisher, Julien Hamelle: “I was very sorry you could not be at Saint-Saëns’s on Monday. My cello piece was excellently received, which greatly encourages me to go on and do the whole sonata.” The Élégie received its public premiere in December 1883, at the Société Nationale, featuring the cellist (and the work’s dedicatee) Jules Loëb.

– Adapted from Patrick Castillo.

Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite

The Holberg Suite was written in 1884 as part of the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great Danish-Norwegian writer Ludvig Holberg. Subtitled “Suite in Olden Style,” it is simply a suite of eighteenth-century dances newly composed by Grieg to evoke the “time of Holberg.” He wrote the suite originally for solo piano and arranged it for string orchestra the next year.

It opens with an introductory busy, bustling Præludium, followed by a Sarabande. The latter dance is of Spanish origin, a slow and somber dance in three. The Gavotte that follows perfectly illustrates the necessity for the rhythms to exactly support the dancers’ steps. Accordingly, a gavotte is a dance in two beats, wherein the heavy accent on beat two occurs with the dancers’ leap and landing—in this case, Grieg makes it easily heard.

A little musette provides some diversion in the middle of the Gavotte—identified by the allusion to bagpipe drones in the open fifths in the bass. An “air” was often the slow movement in Baroque dance suites (as in the so-called “Air on the G-string” from Bach’s famous second orchestral suite) and Grieg provides an extensive, suitably doleful one, here. The Rigaudon that ends the suite is a bright, bubbling affair, interrupted by a brief lyrical diversion in the middle.

The Holberg Suite, strictly an exercise in eighteenth-century style, nevertheless, ventures into mildly romantic harmony. Grieg wisely and skillfully fused the two styles into what a later generation might have deemed neo-classicism and created a thoroughly attractive little diversion.

– Adapted from William E. Runyan.

Moores School Chamber Players

PERFORMERS

Cutter W. González

Cutter W. González is the general manager and assistant conductor of the Moores School Symphony Orchestra at the University of Houston. Prior to moving to Houston, he taught horn at schools throughout the Texas Hill Country and served as principal horn of the Texas State Symphony Orchestra. Cutter is a product of Texas’s public school music programs, where he developed an early appreciation for school music and improving access to musical training. Pursuant to these ideals, he founded Musikverein New Braunfels, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides musical instruction to students in the greater New Braunfels area regardless of age, background, or ability to pay. Cutter holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography and a Bachelor of Music in Music Performance from Texas State University. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting with Franz Anton Krager at the University of Houston.

Carolina Rodriguez Russum

Carolina was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. She began her piano studies with her mother, then with Carolina Elizalde, Marco Antonio Verdín, José Luis González Moya, Francisco Orozco, and Anatoly Zatin. Carolina studied piano for one year at SMU, one at McGill, and then achieved a Certificate in Advance Piano Performance at Concordia University with Lauretta Altman and Gregory Chaverdian. Her passion for movement led her to study Dalcroze Eurythmics at Juilliard for two summers. Carolina also holds an undergraduate degree in Education from ITESO. Besides performing and teaching, Carolina acted as president of Concertando México, a non-profit music association. During the pandemic, she launched ArteSana, a multimedia project where she interviewed women whose lives had changed through creative and artistic activities. Carolina made her conducting debut in May 2018 in Guadalajara, Mexico. During the summer of 2022, she studied conducting with Kenneth Kiesler for three intensive weeks at the Conductors Retreat in Maine. Currently, she is pursuing a dual master’s degree in Arts Leadership and Opera/Orchestra Conducting at the University of Houston.

Moores School Chamber Players

Ringel Sat

Ringel Sat hails from Hong Kong. As a pianist and vocalist, she attended the Law Ting Pong Secondary School. She completed her BA degree in Music Studies (2020) at the Hong Kong Baptist University. Ms. Sat studied conducting with Choi Ho-Man, Music Director of the Pro Arte Orchestra of Hong Kong. Ringel Sat is currently completing her Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting, at the University of Houston Moores School of Music, with Franz Anton Krager. In Houston, she has made serval public performances with the music of Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Wagner. Ms. Sat participated in the prestigious international conducting masterclasses with Charles Olivieri-Munroe and the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, in the Czech Republic (2019), and was a participant in the “Wiener Schule” Conducting Competition (2022), Lake Como Conducting Competition (2022), and got honored mention in Vienna New Year International Music

Samuel Linzan is a cellist who began his studies as a young boy in Ecuador. He developed his orchestral experiences in the Guayaquil Youth Symphony, with which he toured the country to major cities such as Quito. After arriving in the U.S., he began studying with Cornelia Watkins in the Shepherd School of Music’s preparatory program, which provided him numerous opportunities perform in various recitals and masterclasses. In 2017, Samuel co-founded the Lauremille String Quartet through which he found great success within the Houston musical community after winning the Houston Young Artists’ Concert competition. During his undergrad at the University of Houston, Samuel studied with Vagram Saradjian and performed in masterclasses with the likes of Christopher French and Deborah Pae. In 2022, Samuel completed his B.M. in Cello Performance and is now pursuing a Masters degree under the tutelage of Dr. Eunghee Cho.

Moores School Chamber Players

Rachel Shukan

Rachel Shukan (soprano) is originally from Boston, Ma, but currently resides in Houston, TX. She attends The University of Houston Moores School of Music pursuing a Graduate Degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. Rachel enjoys studying voice with Professor Joseph Evans to master the art of singing. Some of her favorite roles include Marenka (The Bartered Bride), Mrs. Segstrom (A Little Night Music), Mrs. Maurrant (Street Scene), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Nella (Gianni Schicchi), Princess Agilea (Teseo), Mrs. Alice Ford (The Merry Wives of Windsor), Drusilla (The Coronation of Poppea) and the World Premiere of Girl from Girl in Six Beats by Daniel Sonnenberg. Other performances include the soprano soloist for A Requiem For , Mozart’s Coronation Mass, and both Duruflé and Faure’s Requiem. She recently covered Magnificat a sex vocem by Claudio Monteverdi. She is very excited Bachianas Brasileiras with the Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Cutter González. This is truly a bucket-list performance for her!

Yuxuan Zhang

Yuxuan Zhang comes from Beijing, China, and she is pursue Master of music in viola performance in University of Houston studying with Wayne Brooks. Zhang began her studies of viola at the age of 13 in pre college of China Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and she received her bachelor’s degree from Kant State university, as well as a performance diploma at Indiana University’s Jacob school of music. Her previous mentors have included Shaowu Wang, Fei Cao, Yu Jin and Atar Arad. Yuxuan Zhang is an alumna of National Repertoire Orchestra and Aspen Music Festival and she has been a violist of Canton Symphony Orchestra and Owensboro Symphony Orchestra. After studying, Yuxuan’s goal is to become a violist in a

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Moores School Symphony Chamber Orchestra would like to thank the following faculty and staff members for their invaluable assistance in helping to prepare this concert: Steven Block, Wayne Brooks, Eunghee Cho, Cynthia Clayton, Andrew Davis, Alaina Diehl, Karina Duran, Deforest Jones, Franz Krager, Dana Sedatole, David Siegel, Rob Smith, Tobin Wright, Kirsten Yon.

2022-2023 Moores Society

As of January 20, 2023

The Moores Society is the philanthropic volunteer organization for the Moores School of Music. Moores Society members and donors promote community awareness and provide funding for scholarships and special projects. Moores Society members receive invitations to concerts and special events held throughout the year.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Darlene Clark, President

Jackie & Malcolm Mazow, Immediate Past Presidents

Donna Shen, Vice President Membership

Nancy Willerson, Corresponding Secretary

Ann Tornyos, Recording Secretary

Meg Boulware, Opera Production Council Chair

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Rita Aron

Ann Ayre

Meg Boulware

Terry Ann Brown

Carla Burns

Cheryl Byington

Julie Cogan

Timothy Doyle

Warren Ellsworth

Sheila Aron

Christopher Bacon

Philamena Baird

Chris Becker

Tom Becker

Susan Binney

Ann Boss

Nancy Bowden

Zarine Boyce

Robert Chanon

Anna Dean

Vicky Dominguez

Ann Faget

Kelli Fein

Debbie Feuer

Cathy Coers Frank

Joyce Frassanito

Mary Fusillo

Elia Gabbanelli

Frank Geider, MS DDS

Marita Glodt

Sean Gorman

Maureen Higdon

Gary Hollingsworth & Ken Hyde

Mady Kades

Linda Katz

Michelle & Jack Matzer

Gary Patterson

Shirley Rose

BOARD OF ADVISORS

2022-2023

Diane & Harry Gendel

Mariglyn & Stephen Glenn

Beatrice & Gregory Graham

Deb Happ

Ellen & Alan Holzberg

Gladys Hooker

Janis Landry

Cora Sue & Harry Mach

Karinne McCullough

Mary Ann McKeithan

Cathy McNamara

Jennifer Meyer

Celia Morgan

Jo & Joseph Nogee

Kitten & Ron Page

Kusum Patel

Fran Fawcett Peterson

Carroll R. Ray

Jan Rhodes

Carol Lee Robertson

Richard Schmitt

Donna Shen

Rhonda Sweeney

Ann Tornyos

Betty Tutor

Bob & Mary Ann Wilkins

Beth Wolff

Lillie Robertson

Minette Robinson

Heidi Rockecharlie

Kathi Rovere

Donna Scott & Mitch Glassman

Helen Shaffer

Donna Shen

Satoko & Anthony Shou

Nancy Strohmer

Susan Thompson

Virginia & Gage Van Horn

Barbara Van Postman

Carol & Carl Vartian

Nancy Willerson

Phyllis Williams

Cyvia Wolff

Jo Dee Wright

Gay Yellen

2022-2023 Moores Society

As of January 20, 2023

Robin Angly

Christopher Bacon

Meg Boulware, Chair

Gwyneth Campbell

Anna Dean

Tim Doyle

Warren Ellsworth

Jose Alvarado

Robin Angly & Miles Smith

Rita & Jeffrey Aron

Alan Austin & David A. White

Ann & Jonathan Ayre

Christopher Bacon & Craig Miller

Pamela & Stephen Bertone

Olga & Gerardo Balboa

Susan & Michael Bloome

Meg Boulware & Hartley Hampton

Carla Burns

Keith Butcher

Cheryl & Carl Carlucci

Robert Chanon

Lydia & James Chao

Darlene Clark & Edwin Friedrichs

Cynthia & Geroge Mitchell Foundation

Victoria Dominguez

Timothy Doyle & Robert Royall, II

Richard Drapeau

Ursula & Saul Balagura

Matthew Dirst

Kelli Fein

Geraldine Gill

Kathryn & Brendan Godfrey

Ellen Gritz & Milton Rosenau, Jr.

Lucila & Bill Haase

Deborah Happ & Richard Rost

OPERA PRODUCTION COUNCIL

Ann Faget

Gerri Gill

Ellen and Alan Holzberg

Lee Huber

Shannon Langman

Helen Mann

Jackie and Malcolm Mazow

1000+

Ann Faget

Sylvia Farb

Debbie Feuer

Elaine & Marvy Finger

Toni & Walter Finger

Linda Fulton

Elia Gabbanelli

Mariglyn & Stephen Glenn

Manuel Gonzales

Aaron Gonzales

Susan & Sean Gorman

Konnie Gregg

David Rowan

Rhonda Sweeney

Irena Witt

Johanna Wolfe

Jo Dee Wright

Floyd Robinson

Shirley E. Rose

Rosamund & David Rowan

Victoria Scelba

Jane & Richard Schmitt

Helen & James Shaffer

Donna & Tim Shen

Melanie Sonnenberg

Rhonda & Donald Sweeney

Vita Taksa

Ann Tomatz

Ann Tornyos

Gary

Hollingsworth & Ken Hyde

Ellen & Alan Holzberg

Monzer Hourani

Lee Huber

Sharon & Robert Lietzow

Jack & Michelle Matzer

Jackie & Malcolm Mazow

Paula & Robert Mendoza

Annie Pati

Luis Ramirez

Charles Riesen

Lillie Roberrtson

500+

Maureen Higdon

Linda Katz

Connie Kwan-Wong

Vanessa Lopez

Kathleen Moore & Steven Homer

Gary Patterson

Janet & Charles Rinehart

Betty & Jesse Tutor, Jr.

David Voll

Betsy Cook Weber & Fredric Weber

Nancy Willerson

Andrea & Carl Wilson

Irena Witt

Johanna & Richard Wolfe

Beth Wolff

Jo Dee & Cliff Wright

Allyn & Jill Risley

River Oaks Chamber Orchestra

Joseph Thayer

Susan Thompson

Ann Tomatz

Virginia & Gage Van Horn

Robert Zinn

2022-2023 Moores Society

As of January 20, 2023

Thomas Blocher

Terry Ann Brown

Carla Burns

Mathilda Cochran

Dru & Richard Davis

Kenneth Euler

Cathy Coers Frank

Joyce & John Frassanito

Mary & Robert Fusillo

Beatrice & Gregory Graham

Elad Ben-Menashe

Fredy Bonilla

Cynthia Clayton-Vasquez & Hector Vasquez

Julie Fischer

Sandra Harris

250+

Claire Liu Greenberg & Joseph Greenberg

Michelle Greenberg

Deborah Happ

Deborah Hirsch

Gladys Hooker

Russell Kneupper

Therese Kosten

Helen Mann

Karinne & William McCullough

120+

Clara Kukes

Richard Kummins

Lynn Lamkin

Michael Taksa

Katherine Turner

Jenny Meyer

Joel Oppenheim

Susan Osterberg

Dalia Pineda

Lisa Powell & Philip Berquist

Nancy & Hans Strohmer

Andrea Turner

Carol Vartian

Cyvia & Melvyn Wolff

Gay Yellen & Don Reiser

Yone & Shelton Vaughan

Debra Witter & Scott Chase

Lorraine Wulfe

MOORES SCHOOL OF MUSIC

ABOUT THE MOORES SCHOOL

Moores School of Music

The University of Houston’s Moores School of Music (MSM) is one of the leading comprehensive music schools in the nation. Its remarkable faculty — of internationally recognized performers, composers, and scholars — outstanding student body, modern facilities, and broad range of programs make MSM the natural choice for nearly 600 students annually. The school’s commitment to academic excellence and the highest performance standards has ensured its role as a vital resource in the educational and cultural life of Houston and beyond.

Moores Society

The Moores Society is the philanthropic volunteer organization for the Moores School of Music. Moores Society members and donors promote community awareness and provide funding for scholarships and special projects. Moores Society members receive invitations to concerts and special events held throughout the year. Please visit uh.edu/kgmca/music/moores-society.

For more information, please contact Emily Wolfe, Patrons Relations and Communications Coordinator, at mooressociety@uh.edu or 713.743.8036

ABOUT THE COLLEGE

Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts

The Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts at the University of Houston is a dynamic home of creativity and collaboration in one of America’s most artistically vibrant and culturally diverse cities. Bringing together the performing and visual arts entities at the University of Houston, the college has the ability to harness the power of the arts to ultimately impact our world. Our award-winning, internationally distinguished faculty provides top-quality instruction to the talented, emerging student artists from more than 30 programs of study. The Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts seeks to positively impact the community and to empower our students to use their talents to change the world.

Giving to the Arts

Please support emerging artists at the University of Houston's Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts. Your gift enables KGMCA students and educators to create, collaborate, and transform Houston’s cultural landscape. Your gift makes a difference.

• Please visit https://giving.uh.edu/gift. To give directly to the Moores School of Music, please visit uh.edu/ kgmca/music/giving

• For more information contact Emily Wolfe, Patron Relations and Communications Coordinator, at ewolfe@uh.edu or 713.743.7732

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