NEW WORLDS
2024-25 i 105 th SEASON
THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Gregory Wolynec, Music Director
Elgar’s Enigma
November 7, 2024 – 7:30 p.m.
Bennett Auditorium
Program
THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES SCHOOL OF MUSIC
present
Elgar’s Enigma
The University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
Gregory Wolynec, music director
Thursday, November 7, 2024
Bennett Auditorium
Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Symphony No. 6 in D Le matin (1761)
Adagio – Allegro
Adagio – Andante – Adagio
Minuet e Trio
Finale: Allegro
Juan Lincango, violin; Brian Lorett, violoncello
Osvaldo Golijov (b. 1960)
Songs for Soprano and Orchestra (1999/2002)
Night of the Flying Horses
Lúa Descolorida
Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Meredith Johnson, soprano
Intermission
Variations on an Original Theme Enigma
I. C.A.E.
II. H.D.S.-P.
III. R.B.T.
IV. W.M.B.
V. R.P.A.
VI. Ysobel
VII. Troyte
VIII. W.N.
IX. Nimrod
X. Dorabella, Intermezzo
XI. G.R.S.
XII. B.G.N.
XIII. “***”, Romanza
XIV. Finale: E.D.U.
This program is generously presented with support from Partners for the Arts.
Greetings and welcome to the second orchestral program of the 105th season of The University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. My incredibly talented students and I are excited to share these fascinating selections with you. Our program aims to enlighten and entertain with works that are both simple and complex, which span the range of human emotion and nearly 250 years of musical development. What an enigma!
We begin this evening with our first Haydn symphony together. “Papa” Haydn is widely regarded as the father of the symphony and the string quartet. His music is filled with elegance and wit. It also serves to remind us of a time when orchestras were most frequently court ensembles made up of little more than two dozen musicians, as you will see on stage for this performance.
The “Morning” symphony was written as part of a trilogy (to include “Afternoon” and “Evening”) and opens with the depiction of a sunrise. A solo flute ushers in the allegro that follows, which seems to introduce an entire cast of players from oboes to bassoon and eventually horn. The adagios that bookend the second movement seem borrowed from Baroque Italian composer Arcangelo Corelli. Virtuosic solos for both the violin and the cello abound in the andante between them. The traditional minuet and trio contain more solos, including a prominent duet for the bass and bassoon. The dazzling finale features more virtuosity, with the solo violin again taking the lead.
First-time listeners to this symphony must surely wonder why Haydn wrote so many solos into this work. In 1761, Haydn was just starting his tenure as the musical head of the Esterházy court. A shrewd politician, he recognized the importance of gaining the respect and appreciation of his new colleagues in the orchestra. Prince Paul Anton was known to provide financial reward in the form of a gratuity to musicians who had impressed him in performance. Haydn provided ample opportunity for the musicians to show off their talents. “Papa” Haydn is not just for the history books; it was the nickname he soon earned from his orchestra!
Osvaldo Golijov is one of the world’s most important living composers. From Argentina and of Jewish descent, he has spent decades bridging worlds and producing works of tremendous emotional impact. Over the past two years, I have overseen an ambitious recording project of his landmark “La Pasión San Marcos,” which presents the passion story in a fascinating new light. Golijov’s inspiration knows no bounds as he merges salsa, flamenco, Gregorian chant and countless folk idioms into new works. I am thrilled to introduce you to this fascinating composer with these two songs alongside my talented colleague, Meredith Johnson.
“Night of the Flying Horses” is a colorful song in three parts. The opening Yiddish lullaby starts with solo voice before gradually adding instruments from the orchestra. The following section is referred to by the composer as a “doina.” This is a slow Eastern European melody with progressively increasing ornamentation. Golijov then takes us on a wild ride in the form of a gallop that he admittedly stole from the wild gypsy band Taraf de Haïdouks.
“Colorless Moon” was originally written for Dawn Upshaw in 1999. It then reappeared in “La Pasión” in a gripping moment as Peter expresses his guilt for denying Jesus. The text is from 19th century Galician poet Rosalía de Castro in Gallego, the tongue of her native region of Spain. This is music of profound simplicity with fascinating instructions from the composer asking the strings to play “infinitely tender,” “quietly radiant” and, my favorite, “as if riding a cosmic horse.” I have enjoyed a handful of conversations with the composer over the past few years, and I find his often-repeated love for the simplicity of Schubert to be at the core of this tender music. As he wrote, I hope it to “bring an echo of the single tear that Schubert brings without warning in his voicing of a C major chord.”
Edward Elgar’s beloved “Enigma” variations serve as musical depictions inspired by friends of the composer. Each of the variations portrays the character, a scene or an event inspired by these friends. The theme itself is shrouded in some mystery, in large part because of the composer’s choice of title. The melody begins in forlorn fashion but in the rhythm of the composer’s name. The following measure reverses the rhythm and some of the pitches and, well, there may be as many theories about what comes next as there are people who have studied it!
I find the variety of emotions and moods in the work to be fascinating. The first variation bears the initials of Elgar’s wife and continues without pause from the theme, indicating the connection of husband and wife. The composer notes “romantic and delicate” additions to the melody. This is the essence of how the work will unfold.
In preparing the score for performance this time, I found myself taking special note of the charming tributes to amateur musical friends. VI (Ysobel) includes an exercise for a viola player learning to cross strings while XII (B.G.N.) features passionate writing for the cello. I was also intrigued by various theories surrounding XIII, whose initials are withheld. Perhaps the most compelling story is that this was inspired by Helen Weaver, who broke off her 1884 engagement with the composer and sailed out of his life to New Zealand. The faint quote in the clarinet of Mendelssohn’s “Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage” and rumble of the ocean liner’s engine make this seem entirely plausible. Perhaps if it’s not true, it should be. I couldn’t end these notes without some mention of IX (Nimrod). This is one of the most glorious melodies in all of music and was inspired by Augustus Jaeger. A critic and editor, he had served as a valued cheerleader for the composer at some of his darkest hours. As Elgar relayed, the variation was inspired by Jaeger’s statement that no composer had surpassed Beethoven in the composition of slow movements. Elgar agreed with this assessment and sought to provide a hint of the earlier composer’s famous “Pathetique” sonata. I feel this is inspired music of intense beauty with few equals.
Night of the Flying Horses
by Sally Potter
Close your eyes
And you shall go
To that sweet land
All dreamers know
Where milk and honey
Always flow And mama watches over you.
Spread your wings
My Fegele
My darling girl
My singing bird
Lift your face Towards the sky I will be watching As you fly.
Remember dear When morning comes Your mama’s here: Fly home to me.
The land of dreams
Must let you go Your own sweet home Is here, you know.
Lúa Descolorida (Colorless Moon)
By Rosalia de Castro
Moon, colorless
like the color of pale gold: You see me here and I wouldn’t like you to see me from the heights above. Take me, silently, in your ray to the space of your journey.
Star of the orphan souls, Moon, colorless:
I know that you don’t illuminate sadness as sad as mine. Go and tell it to your master and tell him to take me to his place.
But don’t tell him anything, Moon, colorless, because my fate won’t change here or in other worlds. If you know where Death has her dark mansion, Tell her to take my body and soul together To a place where I won’t be remembered, Neither in this world, nor in the heights above.
Violin 1
João Vitor Gonzaga*
Juan Lincango*
Allyson Gomes
Katarzyna Gwiazda
Icaro Santana
Laura Lopera
Camila Alonso
Angelina Sidiropoulou
Casey Macklin
Grace Pineda
Violin 2
Julia Stevenson*
Nohelia Gutierrez
Paulo Victor Alves
Dexter Rodkey
Ethne Killgore
Oliver Galager
Paloma Vieira
Elizabeth Brown
Lucas Gonzalez
Katelynn Ferguson
Aubri Sparkman
Ellen Jones
Viola
Adelle Paltin*
Ana Sofia Suarez
Ronnie Ortiz
Christian Avila
Renata Andrade
Alejandro Lopez
Jessica Dykes
ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL
Violoncello
Brian Lorett*
Cristian Sanchez
Mauricio Unzueta Salas
Evelin Lopez
Gabriel Barros
Kassandra Henriquez
Vivian Herring
Bass
Marcus Silva*
Daniel Magalhaes
Matheus Ferreira
de Souza
Jose Cuellar
Nick Shellenberg
Daniel La Mere
Manuel Jara
Charlie Levandoski
Flute
Sarah Hinchey*
Claudio Palazzi
Oboe
Darbi George*
Josh Strobel*
Brynna Ridgell
Clarinet
Gerby Keiny*
Caitlyn Austin
Bass Clarinet
Cameron Nix
* denotes principal players
Bassoon
Zachary Howell*
Nancy Diaz
Contrabassoon
Gabe Flores
Horn
Brian Alston*
Abby Loftin*
Anna Zurawski
Chance Rootes
Trumpet
Mariah Atwood*
Clayton Jacocks
Zach Dake
Trombone
Peter van der Bijl*
Peyton Brossette
Bass Trombone
Benjamin Dondanville
Tuba
Taylor Winkler*
Timpani
Yu Chih Cherry Chen*
Percussion
Shawn Lawrence
Coy Edwards
Cameron White
Organ
Roger Lowther
STRINGS
Dr. Borislava Iltcheva, violin
Dr. Hsiaopei Lee, viola
Dr. Alexander Russakovsky, cello
Dr. Marcos Machado, bass
Dr. Nicholas Ciraldo, guitar
WOODWINDS
Dr. Danilo Mezzadri, flute
Dr. Pablo Hernandez, oboe
Dr. Jackie McIlwain, clarinet
Dr. Kim Woolly, bassoon
Dr. Dannel Espinoza, saxophone
BRASS
Dr. Rob Detjen, horn
Dr. Tim Tesh, trumpet
Dr. Ben McIlwain, trombone
Dr. Richard Perry, tuba
PERCUSSION
Dr. John Wooton, percussion
PIANO
Dr. Michael Bunchman, piano
Dr. Ellen Elder, piano
Dr. Hongzuo Guo, staff pianist
Dr. Elizabeth Moak, piano
Dr. Zhaolei Xie, staff pianist
ORCHESTRAL ACTIVITIES
Dr. Gregory Wolynec
CHORAL ACTIVITIES
Dr. Gregory Fuller
Dr. Jonathan Kilgore
VOICE
Dr. Kimberley Davis
Dr. Taylor Hightower
Dr. Meredith Johnson
Dr. Jonathan Yarrington
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Dr. Ashley Allen
Dr. Melody Causby
Dr. Ian Cicco
Stacey Miles
UNIVERSITY BANDS
Dr. Catherine Rand
Dr. Travis Higa
Dr. Cody Edgerton
JAZZ STUDIES
Larry Panella
MUSIC HISTORY
Dr. Vanessa Tonelli
Dr. Edward Hafer
Dr. Joseph Jones
MUSIC THEORY
Dr. Danny Beard
Dr. Joseph Brumbeloe
Dr. Douglas Rust
DIRECTOR
Dr. Colin McKenzie
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS
Dr. Joseph Jones
Dr. Timothy Tesh
ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR Laurie Rinko
FINANCIAL MANAGER Finn Langley
ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT COORDINATOR Lauren Gerhart
GRADUATE COORDINATOR
Dr. Melody Causby
PR/MARKETING AND EVENT COORDINATOR
Dr. Mike Lopinto
PIANO TECHNICIAN
Carlos Boza
About the Artists
Meredith Johnson, soprano and vocal technician, specializes in the belting style of musical theatre, as well as classical voice. As assistant professor of voice at The University of Southern Mississippi, she teaches applied lessons, vocal pedagogy, and musical theatre workshop while also serving on the voice faculty of the Institute of Performing Arts International held in Bavaria, Germany.
Dr. Johnson’s passion for both opera and musical theatre is evident in her crossover performance career. Some of her all-time favorite roles include Líu (Turandot), Musetta (La Bohème), Fantine (Les Misérables), Ruth (Pirates of Penzance), Drowsy (Drowsy Chaperone), Witch and Cinderella (Into the Woods). Johnson often appears as a featured soloist with the world-class instrumental and choral ensembles of Southern Miss and the region and is a proud member of the professional theatre troupe, HubCity Players, where recent roles include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors and Madame de la Grande Bouche in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, which received third place in the 2024 American Prize in Musical Theatre.
The successes of Johnson’s students are a testament to her effective teaching methods. Her voice students can be seen performing roles in national touring musical productions, theme parks, regional theater and opera companies, and international young artist programs, while her pedagogy students thrive as standout music educators and award-winning choral and show choir directors.
Dr. Johnson is an active adjudicator and clinician on a mission to prepare singers for 21st century careers in multiple genres. She presents masterclasses and vocal workshops across the United States and abroad and is the creator of the online programs, Virtual Vocal Academy, Audition Bootcamp and College Choir Audition Assistant.
Gregory Wolynec is the newly appointed director of Orchestral Activities at The University of Southern Mississippi, where he directs the Symphony Orchestra and oversees the graduate program in orchestral conducting. He also serves as the music director of Middle Tennessee’s acclaimed Gateway Chamber Orchestra (GCO), which he co-founded in 2008. Wolynec previously served as director of instrumental ensembles at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., from 2003-24.
Over the last 15 years, Wolynec has sought to revolutionize the potential of the 21st century orchestra. His unique programming philosophy received national attention with GCO Producer Blanton Alspaugh receiving two GRAMMY nominations and a win as Classical Producer of the Year. Ambitious multimedia family concerts have been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and the League of American Orchestras. He spearheaded pandemic projects, including the Magical Music & Timeless Tales video series, the YouTube broadcast of the Beethoven @250: Humanity in 2020 concert, as well as America’s Haydn Festival in May of 2021, featuring performances by GCO, the St. Lawrence String Quartet and pianist Henry Kramer, hosted by Bill McGlaughlin. In 2021, Wolynec also worked with composer Cristina Spinei to successfully launch the first NFT of a musical work commissioned by an American orchestra. This was profiled on NPR’s Marketplace Money. He is currently overseeing a multi-year project in collaboration with Nashville Ballet to create a new Nutcracker, employing the music of Tchaikovsky, Duke Ellington and Vinico Meza. During 2024-25, Wolynec will oversee the groundbreaking release of recordings of Osvaldo Golijov’s massive La Pasión según San Marcos in audio, video and virtual reality formats.
Wolynec holds a B.M. in music education and clarinet performance from SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, as well as the M.M. and D.M.A. in instrumental conducting from Michigan State University. He was a recipient of a Fulbright Grant to Prague, Czech Republic, where he studied conducting at the Prague Conservatory. There, he also worked with the Karlovy Vary Symphony.
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Jay Dean International Music Scholarship Endowment
Joe B. Price Horn Scholarship Endowment
The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to serving the University community by overseeing fundraising efforts to raise private support for scholarships and other academic needs at Southern Miss. The Foundation manages donor dollars to provide the most advanced educational opportunities available to students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Southern Miss.
‘Tis the Season!
Holiday Choral Spectacular
Season!
December 3 and
5, 2024
Main St. Baptist Church
Don’t miss this annual community celebration of the season with choir and orchestra. Featuring several ensembles within Southern Miss Choral Activities, including the Southern Chorale, Southern Miss Concert Choir, and Southern Miss’ pop a cappella ensemble, Spirit of Southern, the program also includes area high school and middle school choirs in an audience favorite kick off to the holidays!
UPCOMING
Holiday Choral Spectacular
December 3 and 5, 2024
Main St. Baptist Church
Future Stars
March 13, 2025 – 7:30 p.m.
Thomas V. Fraschillo Stage at the Mannoni Performing Arts Center
PROGRAM
Ivette Herryman-Rodriguez – Un danzón a mi manera
William T. Gower Concerto Competition Winners
Igor Stravinsky – Petrushka
Season Finale
Majestic Sibelius
April 24, 2025 – 7:30 p.m.
Thomas V. Fraschillo Stage at the Mannoni Performing Arts Center
PROGRAM
Jessie Montgomery – Starburst
Jean Sibelius – Violin Concerto featuring Borislava Iltcheva
Kareem Roustom – Ramal
Jean Sibelius – Symphony No. 7 in C