We acknowledge the land on which we sit and occupy at the University of Portland. "The Portland Metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River creating communities and summer encampments to harvest and use the plentiful natural resources of the area" (PILR, 2018). We take this opportunity to thank the original caretakers of this land.
UP Chamber Orchestra, Directed by Dr. Rebekah Hanson
UP Vocal Soloists, Directed by Dr. Nicole Hanig
Collaborative pianist, Evan C. Paul
Souvenirs
Christopher Ducasse
Directed by Phoenix McCoubrey Chamber Orchestra
Squirrels
Herman Beeftink
Natalia Duarte, flute Chamber Orchestra
Ninna Nanna (Lullaby)
Mario Castelnuovo Tedesco
Rhyann Butler, soprano
II Fervido Desiderio (Fervent Desire)
Vincenzo Bellini
Gabriela Mootz, soprano
Daddy’s Son
Ragtime
Ly’Le Pullom, mezzo-soprano
Octet for Strings in e minor, mvt 1
Felix Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra
Who is Sylvia
Gerald Finzi
Brewer Williams, Tenor
Skylark
Johnny Mercer
Dela Pelfrey, soprano
Good Morning, Midnight, Four Dickinson Songs
Andrew Previn
Gabriela Mootz, soprano
“American” Quartet in F Major, mvt 4
Antonin Dvorák
Chamber Orchestra
University of Portland Symphony Orchestra Personnel
The University of Portland Symphony Orchestra is an inclusive community of musicians seeking opportunities to inspire and enrich lives through engaging with a diverse selection of orchestral works. We encourage students to become leaders and life-long learners, giving them the tools to experience, explore, and expand their technical and musical skills.
+ indicates principal
* indicates orchestra manager
Selected Program Notes
Christopher Ducasse - Souvenirs
‘Souvenirs’ was composed by Christopher Ducasse, a contemporary composer and choral conductor from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Ducasse incorporates Haitian rhythms to convey a relaxed, dance-like feel. In French, ‘Souvenirs’ means ‘memories’; the repetition of the melody expresses the value that one gleans from an impactful memory. A version is also published for a cello quintet.
“Squirrels”
Herman Beeftink - "Squirrels"
Herman Beeftink is a contemporary Dutch/American composer, writing primarily for television and film. His compositions are primarily piano and strings music and have been featured in numerous movies and tv shows. ‘Squirrels’ is an energetic piece that emphasizes a flute soloist’s playful exchanges with the orchestra.
Dvořák: String Quartet #12, "American", Mvnt. IV The Dvořák String Quartet no. 12 –nicknamed the American Quartet– was written in 1893. Dvořák wrote the entire quartet in less than three weeks, making it seem all the more impressive that it remains one of the most popular chamber pieces in western music. The fourth movement of the quartet features rhythms that were inspired by trains that Dvořák used to travel around the U.S.
Felix Mendelssohn - String Octet in E flat major, Op. 20
In 1825, 16-year-old German composer Feliz Mendelssohn composed this octet as a gift to his violin teacher, Eduard Rietz. He wrote on the manuscript: “Note: This Octet must be played by all the instruments in a symphonic orchestral style” rather than in two quartets. It was unusual to write chamber music for a size greater than a quartet at the time but has allowed it to be adaptable to size of the ensemble for contemporary chamber orchestras.
Biographies
Rebekah Hanson is an Assistant Professor of Music and Fine Arts and Director of Orchestral Studies. As a conductor, violist and musicologist, Rebekah is especially interested in compositions by female and marginalized composers and strives to bring these lesser-known works to new audiences.
With a passion for teaching, Rebekah emphasizes the collaboration and community engagement that music can inspire. Her goal as a conductor, teacher, and chamber musician is to help students and audiences understand both the technical work that goes into a performance, and also the sense of awe and wonder that music brings to our lives.
Rebekah has published several journal articles and spoken at international and national conferences, sharing her research on BIPOC and women composers. She is a Viola Teacher Trainer with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and teaches Viola and Viola Pedagogy for all levels of musical education. She also serves as a guest clinician for orchestras and festivals throughout Oregon and Washington. In addition to playing music, Rebekah loves reading, board games, documentaries, and hiking with her family.
Evan C. Paul is a collaborative pianist and composer active in the Portland area. Originally from New England, he received his Ph.D. in music composition from the University of Oregon in 2014. He is currently the service pianist at Tualatin Presbyterian Church and the rehearsal and performance pianist for Bridging Voices, Portland's LGBTQ+ youth choir. He has worked with various opera programs throughout the state, including Portland Opera, OperaBend, Cascadia Opera, Ping & Woof Opera, and the opera program at Portland State University. He has also served as the pianist for the Portland chapter of the international non-profit organization Opera on Tap since 2015, and he is an active vocal and instrumental coach and pianist at secondary and postsecondary educational institutions throughout the Portland area. Evan’s own compositions focus on art song, works for chorus, and chamber music featuring winds; his most recent commission was e manibus vox for solo percussionist (2022). His six-part choral work The Last Invocation was awarded first prize by the Portland Vocal Consort for "Best of the Northwest" in 2011.
Nicole Leupp Hanig has appeared as a soloist with the Jussi Björling Festival in Sweden, the Maggio Musicale Festival in Italy, the Pacific Music Festival in Japan and Atelier Lyrique in France. She has performed a solo recital at St. Martin’s in the Field in London, Berg’s Sieben Frühe Lieder at Durham Cathedral in Durham, England and was a soloist in opera galas for Amnesty International at St. James’ Picadilly in London and for the Cairo Opera in Egypt, which was recorded for Egyptian television. Recent past performance projects include Nuit d'Étoiles: The Forgotten Songs of Charles-Marie Widor for Albany Records and a recital entitled “Wandering in This Place: Songs of Emigration and Equality” for Opera Limerick in Ireland sponsored by the Irish Arts Council. She began her professional career specializing in
Biographies
early music with Martin Pearlman, Christopher Hogwood, Craig Smith, Nick McGegan and Yehudi Wyner.
Dr. Hanig holds degrees from The University of Colorado, and The University of Illinois as well as a Post Graduate Diploma from The Royal Academy of Music in London where she was awarded the Diploma of the Royal Academy for distinction in performance. In the last two years Dr. Hanig has led workshops on singing and neuroscience for emerging professionals at Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, Texas Tech University and Purdue University. She will be an artist in residence for a week in March at Texas A&M’s College of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts.
Susan McDaniel has appeared widely as a solo and collaborative pianist, including regional and national concert tours as well as recitals in numerous European countries. After receiving a master’s degree in vocal accompanying from the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Warren Jones, she performed as a young artist with San Diego Opera and then worked as a member of the music staff at Seattle Opera and Utah Festival Opera. Since returning to her home state of Oregon, Susan has maintained an active performing career in vocal and instrumental chamber music, appearing with prominent artists including the operatic baritone Alessandro Corbelli and violinist Anne Akiko Meyers. She has been a frequent faculty artist at the Atlantic Music Festival and is faculty coach at the Music in the Marche opera and chamber music training program in Mondavio, Italy. In 2018, she was appointed lecturer of music in collaborative piano at the University of Portland.
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Music Patron Fund
The University of Portland’s Performing & Fine Arts Department has established the Music Patron’s Fund as an additional resource for the Music Program’s students and mission. This fund will allocate financial support for the many needs of the program that are not always able to be met by the University and its yearly program budget, including students’ professional development, concert production costs, outreach and facilities. This Fund will also help with the acquisition and maintenance of the program’s music library, and piano and instrument inventory when other resources are not available. These funds will always be directed to the benefit of our students’ growth and training as musicians, which happens both in the classroom, in rehearsal and on the concert stage.
If you have enjoyed what you have seen/heard at this concert, we invite you to help support the efforts and education of our students by making a donation to the Music Patron Fund. You can donate online at giving.up.edu/pfa or by using this QR code.
Please contact the University’s Development Office for more information and questions (503.943.8003), and thank you for your support of the Performing & Fine Arts at the University of Portland!
Study Music at the University of Portland
The University is always seeking bright and talented students who want to study music. Scholarships are offered to incoming majors and minors. One-year performance grants for private lessons are awarded to qualified students who perform in a University Ensemble. For further information, please visit www.up.edu/music or contact Patrick Murphy, murphyp@up.edu.
