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WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY SCOTT SPECK / MUSIC DIRECTOR

PRÉ L U D E CONCERT MAGAZINE VOLUME 6 / SEPTEMBER 2017 – MAY 2018

OPENING SUMMER 2019

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What's Inside 03 Message from the Music Director 04 A Letter from the Board Chair MUSIC DIRECTOR Scott Speck

05 Orchestra Personnel

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Kay Olthoff Interim Executive Director Rhonda Bogner, CPA Director of Finance Natalie Carmolli Director of Marketing and Communications David Dressel Stage Manager Amanda Dykhouse Orchestra Librarian Perry Newson Director of Operations/Guest Artists Keely Payne Art Director/Marketing Coordinator Kateri Petrie Patron Services Manager/Finance Assistant Gabe Slimko VP of Operations/Orchestra Personnel Manager Karen Vander Zanden Director of Education

10 Enigma Variations

WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY CHILDREN'S CHOIR Beth Slimko Music Director/Conductor Karen Vander Zanden Choir Manager

35 Scott Speck, Music Director

06 Ravel & Gershwin Piano Concertos

WEST MICHIGAN YOUTH SYMPHONY Angela Corbin Debut Strings Conductor Karen Vander Zanden WMYS Operations Manager The West Michigan Symphony is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides programs and services without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex or disability. Programs are funded in part by a grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

14 A Celtic Christmas

16 Germanic Classics

20 Hollywood's Greatest Melodies 22 Classical Music for Everyone 26 Tango Caliente!

30 Masterpieces

34 About: West Michigan Symphony 36 The Block

37 Education

38 Community Outreach 40 Contributors

43 Sound to Color / Our Prélude Cover 44 Advertisers

THEATER RULES/ETIQUETTE :: Latecomers will be seated by the ushers at a suitable pause in the program. :: Cameras and recording equipment are strictly prohibited.

TICKET OFFICE / 231.726.3231 x223 360 W. Western Avenue, Muskegon, MI 49440 Monday – Friday, 9 am – 4:30 pm Online at westmichigansymphony.org FIND US ONLINE Website: westmichigansymphony.org Website: theblockwestmichigan.org Facebook: facebook.com/wmsymphony Facebook: facebook.com/AtTheBlock Twitter: twitter.com/westmisymphony Twitter: twitter.com/attheblock West Michigan Symphony 360 W. Western Avenue, Suite 200, Muskegon, MI 49440 p: 231.726.3231 e: info@westmichigansymphony.org Symphony concert tickets are also available at startickets.com, 800.585.3737

:: Accommodations are available for hearing-impaired patrons.

Please see box office personnel. :: Quiet, please! We respectfully request that all light and sound emitting devices be turned off before entering the hall.

Patrons wearing hearing aids should be aware that such devices are sensitive to pitch and may transmit a shrill tone.

The wearer often is not conscious of this and nearby patrons may wish to alert them discreetly if this happens. We appreciate your cooperation in helping to make our concerts as enjoyable as possible for everyone.

Thank you to tonight’s ushers—volunteers courtesy of Friends of the Frauenthal.

PROGRAM NOTES All program notes by: Joseph & Elizabeth Kahn wordprosmusic.com

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A Message from Scott

DEAR FRIENDS, There's a bumper sticker that some of my musician friends like to put on their instrument cases. It reads, "So much music... so little time!"

That's the way I feel as Music Director of the West Michigan Symphony. Each season we play eight or nine concerts of world-class music for you. And yet, the storehouse of incredible, emotionally searing, mindblowingly transcendent music is huge beyond measure. How will we ever get through it all?

Well, we won't. And that's the beauty of the West Michigan Symphony experience. Every season we introduce you to music you may not have heard before—including some pieces, in all likelihood, that you didn't even know existed. Every one of these pieces has our stamp of approval: our musicians and I feel that this is music that will move you and change you, music that you simply need to hear.

At the same time, we know what a pleasure it is to be happily re-acquainted with old friends, the great unassailable masterworks of the repertoire. And so creating each season is a fun and stimulating balancing act: something old and beloved, something new and refreshing.

For 2017-18, the West Michigan Symphony and I have put together our most satisfying season yet. It includes such favorites as Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony, Brahms's Violin Concerto, Elgar's Enigma Variations, Dvořák's Cello Concerto, Sibelius's Finlandia, Ravel's Piano Concerto, Wagner's Flying Dutchman Overture, Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun, and Gershwin's An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue. But we've also mixed in some masterpieces by Fanny Mendelssohn, former composer-in-residence Michael Daugherty, and current composer-in-residence Austin Wintory that have seldom, if ever, been heard in West Michigan.

The same goes for the soloists. We'll be making music with some of our dearest friends—including the amazing violinist Vadim Gluzman, Irish vocalist Cathie Ryan, and our own Principal Horn, Paul Clifton. At the same time, we're introducing you to some spectacular new talents, including piano phenomenon Aldo López-Gavilán, and the dazzling cellist Alexey Stadler.

And all this music, old and new, will be performed by the musicians of your beloved West Michigan Symphony—an orchestra whose spirit and virtuosity have been an increasing source of musical excitement, enlightenment and pleasure to me (and I hope to you) with each passing year.

So much music... so little time! I hope you won't miss a single moment. Welcome to the West Michigan Symphony's 2017-18 season.

PLAN YOUR LEGACY WITH YOUR WILL OR TRUST

You have worked hard to accumulate assets throughout your life, but without a valid will or trust at your death, those assets will be distributed according to state law.

Wouldn’t you rather determine that yourself?

Including a bequest in your will or trust to a charitable organization such as the West Michigan Symphony may be the best way to make a meaningful gift in the future.

For more information on the ways to make a charitable bequest in your will or trust, please call WMS at 231.726.3231 or visit with your estate planning attorney today.

Scott Speck Music Director Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 3

A Letter from the Board Chair

Frauenthal Theater Seating Chart

WELCOME TO WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY’S 78TH SEASON! On behalf of the WMS Board of Directors, thank you for your enthusiasm and loyalty to our mission—to inspire generations through music.

West Michigan is truly an inspirational place to live and visit, made even more special with your generous support which enables us to maintain a world-class symphony orchestra.

Your enjoyment and appreciation of the programs we create is very important, which is why we are once again presenting “Classical Music for Everyone,” where Music Director Scott Speck will offer his unique perspective on the world’s greatest composers, their lives and works. You are also invited to our small performance hall, The Block, to take a deepdive into upcoming concert repertoire at our free Lunch n’ Learn series each Wednesday before the five Masterworks concerts.

This season we are also excited to bring you a variety of pops concerts, including an amazing Celtic Christmas event, a review of Hollywood’s greatest melodies and the Latin sounds of Tango Caliente!

Finally, I think you’ll find the guest artists that will be joining the symphony this season to be truly outstanding. For many, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience these highly-acclaimed artists in partnership with our orchestra.

We could not achieve our mission if not for the appreciation and generous support of you, our patrons, our season sponsors Nichols and Hines Corporation, and our many generous donors. Thank you!

West Michigan Symphony Ticket Office 360 W. Western Avenue, 1st Floor Muskegon, MI 49440 p: 231.726.3231 f: 231.457.4033 westmichigansymphony.org WMS Ticket Office Hours Monday – Friday, 9 am – 4:30 pm A special thank you to The Hearthstone Bistro for being our season-long ticket sponsor.

Symphony concert tickets are also available at startickets.com or 800.585.3737 (fees applied) or Frauenthal Box Office.

4 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

Pete Brown West Michigan Symphony Board Chair

2017/18 Board of Directors The Board of Directors of the West Michigan Symphony is an active and involved group that takes its fiduciary and oversight responsibilities very seriously. The Board is made up of business and community leaders and volunteers from throughout the communities served by the WMS. Board members actively participate in committees that are involved in all aspects of the organization.

Pete Brown Chair

Kimberly L. Hammond

Paul R. Jackson Secretary

Ken Hoopes

Jan L. Deur Treasurer

Gary Nelund

Pat Donahue

Michael Olthoff

Kevin Even

Thomas Schaub

David F. Gerdes

Gil Segovia

West Michigan Symphony Personnel FIRST VIOLIN Jennifer Walvoord concertmaster Gene Hahn assc. concertmaster Jacie Robinson asst. concertmaster Adam Liebert* asst. principal Jenna Anderson* Oleg Bezuglov Jennifer Kotchenruther Joo Yun Preece* Abdula Saidov Oxana Sourine Delia Turner SECOND VIOLIN Amanda Dykhouse principal Mark Portolese* assc. principal Vitezslav Cernoch Francine Harris Karen-Jane Henry Natalie Hockamier Yulia Orlova* Britta Bujak Portenga Carol Wildgen Tatiana Zueva VIOLA Arturo Ziraldo principal Mikhail Bugaev assc. principal Csaba Erdélyi Evgeny Gorobstov* Antione Hackney R. Rudolph Hasspacher Sara Rogers

CELLO Alicia Gregorian Sawyers principal Igor Cetkovic assc. principal Brook Bennett asst. principal Lee Copenhaver Chi-Hui Kao Willis Koa Calin Muresan Lillian Pettitt BASS Open Position principal Mark Buchner* assc. principal Robert Johnson* Dennis Bergevin FLUTE Jill Marie Brown principal Marissa Olin Leslie Deppe piccolo OBOE Gabriel Renteria principal Mika Allison Phil Popham English horn CLARINET Jonathan Holden principal Stephanie Hovnanian Lisa Raschiatore bass clarinet BASSOON Marat Rakhmatullaev principal Jason Kramer

HORN Paul Clifton* principal Greg Bassett Lisa Honeycutt assc. principal Leah Brockman TRUMPET Pamela Smitter principal Bill Baxtresser Anthony DiMauro TROMBONE Edward Hickman principal Joe Radtke Evan Clifton bass trombone TUBA Clinton McCanless principal TIMPANI Simon Gomez principal PERCUSSION Matthew Beck principal Joseph LaPalomento Eric Jones HARP Sylvia Norris principal PIANO/CELESTE Kelly Karamanov* principal *Leave of absence

“I flEW chEapEr out of MuskEgon”

( I coulDn’t bElIEvE It EIthEr )

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Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 5

Program Notes

Ravel & Gershwin Piano Concertos

September 29, 2017 / Friday / 7:30 pm Scott Speck, conductor Aldo López-Gavilán, piano Richard Wagner

Overture to The Flying Dutchman, WWV 63

Maurice Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major Aldo López-Gavilán, piano I. Allegramente

II. Adagio assai

III. Presto INTERMISSION George Gershwin

An American in Paris

George Gershwin Aldo López-Gavilán, piano

Rhapsody in Blue

RICHARD WAGNER (1813-1883) Overture to The Flying Dutchman In 1840 Richard Wagner left his post at the Opera of Riga and headed to Paris to seek his fortune. Crossing the North Sea his ship was caught in a violent storm that reminded him of a picturesque Nordic legend in poet Heinrich Heine’s Memorien. It is the tale of a Dutch sailor who tried to round the Cape of Good Hope in a gale, swearing in his rage that he would fight against Hell itself to reach his destination. For this blasphemy he is condemned to fight continual storms, making landfall only once every seven years until the end of time unless released from the curse by the love of a faithful woman. He is finally rescued from this ordeal by Senta, who is unfortunately already betrothed to someone else.

The complications end in the death and apotheosis of the lovers.

One of Wagner’s early music dramas—he refused to call them operas—The Flying Dutchman inaugurated the string of nine music dramas based on medieval legends or themes. It also introduces the motif of redemption through love that pervades the composer’s entire oeuvre.

The overture comprises all the important themes from the opera: the harmonically hollow horn and bassoon theme of the tortured Dutchman accompanied by the howling winds and undulating waves; a rousing village sailors’ chorus; and the refrain from the ballad of the Dutchman that has captured Senta’s imagination and becomes identified with her love for him.

In his early music dramas, The Flying Dutchman, Lohengrin and Tannhäuser, Wagner began to develop a system of melodic motives, or leitmotiven, to musically represent people, events and even abstract ideas. The culmination of his work occurs in the tetraolgy, The Ring of the Nibelungen, which contains nearly 100 such themes.

MAURICE RAVEL (1875-1937) Piano Concerto in G major

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6 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

In the annals of classical composers, Maurice Ravel was in a lucky minority. Born into a cultured middle-class family, he is one of the few composers—along with Mozart and Mendelssohn—whose parents encouraged his professional musical ambitions from the start. From the time Ravel turned seven, his father provided him with the best private musical instruction; at 12, he went on to the preparatory school for the Paris Conservatoire, graduating into the regular course of study at 14. In a surprisingly single-minded manner, the youthful Ravel marched to his own drummer in terms of his musical language. He could not, or would not, conform to the rigorous, and by then dated, strictures of the Conservatoire and repeatedly lost the contests for composition prizes awarded to young composers who have now pretty much lapsed into oblivion.

Ravel was a good pianist with much of his large output for the piano written for his own use. With a predilection for both the very old and the very new, he frequently patterned the framework of his music after courtly dance forms from the Renaissance or Baroque, in such works as the Menuet antique or Le tombeau de Couperin. But even before the Harlem Renaissance, jazz had captivated Europe and especially France, and Ravel was one of the earliest classical composers to incorporate the jazz idiom in his compositions.

In 1929 Ravel began work on the Piano Concerto in G at the same time as the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, commissioned by the Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein who had lost his right arm in World War I. At the time of its conception, Ravel had originally intended the G major Concerto for his own use. But by the time he completed it in 1931, his health was not up to the physical rigors of practicing. French pianist Marguerite Long played in the premiere with the composer conducting. The two recorded the Concerto soon after the premiere in January 1932, a performance now reissued on CD. Because of the Concerto’s light-hearted mood, Ravel originally wanted to call it a “divertissement.” It opens with a crack of the whip, or slapstick, followed by a perky tune on the piccolo, which is in turn taken over by a trumpet solo, all the time accompanied by gossamer arpeggios on the piano. In an exaggeration of the convention of a contrasting second theme, Ravel switches into a languid blues style making use of a short jazz refrain for the clarinet, which he appends as a cadence figure throughout the movement. While the piano, with its jazzy, syncopated rhythm, is clearly the dominant instrument, Ravel provides abundant solo opportunities for the orchestral instruments, especially the winds.

According to Ravel, he modeled the graceful slow movement Adagio on the Larghetto from Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. It opens with a long piano solo, an “unending melody,” resolving only many bars into the orchestral part. Ironically, the seemingly easy and natural spinning out of the melody, with its inherent tension born of delayed resolution, belies the difficulties the composer had with it: Ravel said he pieced it together bar by bar.

The dazzling Presto finale is a virtuoso piece for the soloist, the drumming of repeated notes suggestive of a Baroque toccata. But this is no Baroque imitation, punctuated as it is by jazz riffs for solo winds and “blue notes.” A strategically placed whip crack leads into the final cadence, a repeat of the opening bars of the first movement.

GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937) An American in Paris Although jazz evolved in New Orleans in the early part of the last century from ragtime and the blues, it was in Europe, where American dance bands were popular, that classical composers first incorporated the new idiom into their concert works. Among the best known are Claude Debussy’s Golliwog's Cakewalk (1908); Igor Stravinsky’s Ragtime (1918); and especially Darius Milhaud’s ballet La création du monde (The Creation of the World) (1923).

George Gershwin was the first American composer to make jazz acceptable to American classical music audience. The son of poor Jewish immigrants in lower Manhattan, Gershwin was a natural-born pianist and left school at 16 to become a pianist with a Tin-Pan Alley firm, plugging their new songs. He soon commenced writing songs himself, eventually teaming up with his brother Ira as lyricist to become one of the most successful duo of song and musical comedy writers on Broadway. They created a string of immensely successful musicals from Lady be Good in December 1924 to Let ‘em Eat Cake in October 1933. The opening night of a George Gershwin musical comedy was a social and media event with Gershwin himself usually leading the orchestra.

The performance of his Rhapsody in Blue at the concerts of bandleader Paul Whiteman in 1924 made history. The Concerto in F, however, commissioned by Walter Damrosch for the New York Symphony and premiered in December 1925, was the first large-scale jazz composition in a traditionally classical form. It opened the doorway, but until the last couple of decades, few composers have ventured through it.

Gershwin composed An American in Paris in 1928 on a commission from the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York. It is a jazzbased tone poem inspired by the composer’s trip to France where he attempted to study with, among others, Maurice Ravel and Igor Stravinsky. Both declined. Ravel was supposed to have said: “Why be a second-rate Ravel when you are a first-rate Gershwin?”

The work captures the sound and spirit of post World War I Paris where such American bohemians as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway—and their fictional characters—went to lose (and rediscover) themselves. According to the composer, “The piece is really a rhapsodic ballet, written very freely... to portray the impressions of an American visitor as he strolls around the city... the individual listener can read into the music such episodes as his imagination pictures for him.”

But for the program book at the premiere, with Gershwin’s approval, composer Deems Taylor wrote a different scenario involving a detailed description of the tourist’s day adrift in the City of Light, proving that the music came first, the explanation later. To add authenticity to its sound, Gershwin purchased in Paris taxi horns for the New York premiere.

An American in Paris has had a strong influence on a certain type of American music. Leonard Bernstein’s musical On the Town, is an expanded version chronicling a day in the lives of two American sailors on leave in New York during World War II. But even more persistent has been Gershwin’s hustle-bustle evocation of busy Parisian life that has been used in so many film scores, TV and advertising as to become iconic “city” music.

GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937) Rhapsody in Blue Gershwin received the commission for an extended jazz composition from a conductor of popular music, Paul Whiteman, who promoted concerts of jazz music in New York’s Aeolian Hall. Whiteman was the self-styled “King of Jazz” who attempted to make jazz more symphonic Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 7

Program Notes and respectable. Whiteman’s commission followed an Aeolian Hall concert in the fall of 1923, at which Gershwin had played piano arrangements of a few of his songs.

Gershwin composed the Rhapsody in a mere three weeks early in 1924, in a two-piano version. Lacking the skills to orchestrate the work, he turned it over for piano and jazz orchestration to Ferde Grofé, a popular composer, pianist and arranger, who served as Whiteman’s factotum.

Grofé practically lived in Gershwin’s house, orchestrating the work page-by-page as it came from the composer’s pen. He also rescored the Rhapsody two years later for full symphony orchestra.

The premiere, on February 12 1924, was a smashing success. Although the critics – true to form – mostly panned it, the audience loved it.

Virtually overnight, jazz became respectable. Gershwin himself played the piano part, becoming an instant celebrity. Significant credit for the success must go to Grofé’s imaginative orchestration, which has ended up as his most enduring contribution to music, along with his Grand Canyon Suite. •• Audio Web Notes are available online for all masterworks concerts.

Please see page 17 for viewing instructions.

Aldo López-Gavilán Praised for his “dazzling technique and rhythmic fire” in the Seattle Times, and dubbed a “formidable virtuoso” by The Times of London, Cuban pianist and composer Aldo López-Gavilán excels in both the classical and jazz worlds as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chambermusic collaborator, and performer of his own electrifying jazz compositions. He has appeared in such prestigious concert halls as the Amadeo Roldán (Cuba), Teresa Careño (Venezuela), Bellas Artes (Mexico), Carnegie Hall and Jordan Hall (U.S.), Royal Festival Hall (U.K.), Nybrokajen 11 (Sweden), The Hall of Music (Russia), and Duc de Lombard et Petit Journal Montparnasse (France), as well as venues in Canada, Santo Domingo, Colombia, Spain, Greece, Hong Kong, Burkina Faso, Germany, and Austria.

In 2014, López-Gavilán toured the U.S., appearing at Florida’s Miami Dade County Auditorium, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco Jazz Festival, and he completed an ASCAP film music workshop under the direction of Robert Kraft at New York University.

He also toured extensively in Europe, South America, Canada, and the U.S. with Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Varela, for whom he wrote all the string arrangements for an award-winning documentary that was broadcast by HBO Latino in the U.S. A milestone in López-Gavilán’s professional and personal life came in early 2015, when he joined the New York-based Harlem Quartet—cofounded by his brother Ilmar, the quartet’s first violinist—for concerts in Calgary, Seattle, and Phoenix. That same year he was invited to play with his Jazz Quintet at the Centro Cultural Kirchner in Buenos Aires, Argentina; performed Rhapsody in Blue with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, Colombia; and closed the year with a sold-out concert at the Teatro del Museo de Bellas Artes in Havana. His partnership with Harlem Quartet continued in summer and fall 2016 with a U.S. tour that included concerts and residency activities at the Rockport Chamber Music Festival (MA); Chautauqua Institution (NY); Santa Fe College (FL); Smith Center for the Performing Arts (NV); the Kennedy Center (DC); the Chamber Music Society of Detroit (MI); and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (CA).

8 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

In July 2017, he returns to Chautauqua, where he will perform his own music with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra under the direction of his wife, Cuban conductor Daiana Garcia. Highlights of López-Gavilán’s 2017-18 season include a third U.S. tour with Harlem Quartet, including stops in Houston, Denver, Tucson, Martha’s Vineyard, and the Carlsen

Center in Overland Park, KS; concerto debuts with the Florida Orchestra, South Florida Symphony Orchestra, and the West Michigan Symphony; and an appearance with violinist Ilmar Gavilán at The Block in Muskegon marking the brothers’ North American debut as recital partners.

During the past decade, López-Gavilán’s collaborators have included some of the greatest artists in the classical, popular music, and jazz fields. The late Claudio Abbado invited him to perform with the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela in 2006, in a special concert dedicated to the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. Maestro Abbado subsequently invited him to perform Prokofiev’s Concerto no. 1 in Caracas and Havana. In 2009 López-Gavilán was invited by Carlos Varela to join his band for a tour of Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay; his acoustic arrangements of the music won many accolades from critics and fans. In 2010 he joined the São Paulo Jazz Symphonic Orchestra to perform his music in a concert that was recorded and broadcast on national television in Brazil.

López-Gavilán’s Carnegie Hall debut took place in November of 2012, when he was invited to participate in the hall’s prestigious “Voces de Latino América” festival. That same month he played a two-piano concert with his colleague Harold López-Nussa in Miami.

Aldo López-Gavilán was born in Cuba to a family of internationally acclaimed classical musicians, his father a conductor and composer, his mother a concert pianist. At the age of two, he had written his first musical composition. By four, his mother introduced the budding prodigy to the piano, and he began formal piano studies at the age of seven. His first international triumph was at the age of eleven when he won a Danny Kaye International Children’s Award, organized by UNICEF. López-Gavilán made his professional debut at age twelve with the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra. He later went on to perform Prokofiev’s Third Concerto with the National Symphonic Orchestra of Cuba. Parallel to his classical abilities, López-Gavilán developed remarkable skills in improvisation. He was invited to perform in the world-famous Havana Jazz Festival with the legendary Chucho Valdés, who called him “simply a genius, a star.”

His recording career began in 1999 with the CD En el ocaso de la hormiga y el elefante, which won the 2000 Grand Prix at Cubadisco as well as awards in the jazz and first-works categories. In 2005, he was

invited to join a group of prestigious Cuban pianists to create an album and documentary in honor of Frank Emilio, Amor y piano. He was also included in a DVD set, Cuban Pianists: The History of Latin Jazz.

López-Gavilán’s second album, Talking to the Universe, was a success with audiences and critics alike. In 2006, he gave a concert of his newest works that was later turned into his third album, Soundbites.

Two years later he was included in a documentary on the history of Latin jazz in Cuba titled ¡Manteca, Mondongo y Bacalao con Pan!, directed by Pavel Giroud. It was in that same year that he recorded his fourth CD, Dimensional, which afforded him the flexibility for more musical experimentation. He was also hired to compose the music for a TV documentary titled El Proceso: la historia no contada. In 2009, he released his fifth album, Aldo López-Gavilán en vivo, and finished his first live DVD, Más allá del ocaso, which included orchestral selections and jazz compositions. He also composed original music for the film Casa vieja by acclaimed Cuban director Lester Hamlet. In May 2014, he released his sixth album, De todos los colores y también verde.

Since December 2014, when a new era in the relationship between the United States and Cuba was announced, López-Gavilán has played a major role in the cultural exchange between the two countries. In April 2016, through Barack Obama's President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, López-Gavilán was part of the group of Cuban musicians who collaborated in Cuba with such renowned U.S. artists as Joshua Bell, Usher, Dave Matthews, and Smokey Robinson, A few weeks later López-Gavilán’s music was used to accompany Chanel’s Cruise 2017 Collection—the first fashion show to take place in Havana in recent times—and he partnered with American trumpet virtuoso Byron Stripling in a concert at Havana’s Teatro del Museo de Bellas Artes. aldomusica.com ••

Aldo López-Gavilán & Ilmar Gavilán will be performing @ The Block Sat, Sept 30, 7:30 pm For tickets or info: theblockwestmichigan.org 231.726.3231

gvsu.edu Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 9

Program Notes

Enigma Variations

November 10, 2017 / Friday / 7:30 pm Bohuslav Rattay, conductor Andrew Spencer, timpani Claude Debussy

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

Michael Daugherty Andrew Spencer, timpani

Raise the Roof

INTERMISSION Edward Elgar

Enigma Variations, op.36 (Variations on an Original Theme)

Enigma: Andante Var.I. "C.A.E." L'istesso tempo II. "H.D.S.- P." Allegro III. "R.B.T." Allegretto IV. "W.M.B." Allegro di molto V. "R.P.A." Moderato VI. "Ysobel" Andantino VII. "Troyte" Presto VIII. "W.N." Allegretto IX. "Nimrod" Moderato X. "Dorabella - Intermezzo" Allegretto XI. "G.R.S." Allegro di molto XII. "B.G.N." Andante XIII. " *** - Romanza" Moderato XIV. "E.D.U." - Finale

CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918) Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (Afternoon of a Faun) The publication in 1876 of symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé’s subtly sensual poem, L’après-midi d’un faune, created a furor in the cultural circles of Paris with its hints of bisexuality and lesbianism. The figure of the youthful, erotic faun appealed to Debussy, who in 1892 planned a three-part composition, Prélude, interludes et paraphrase finale pour l’après-midi d’un faune, to serve as background music to readings of the poem. In the course of the composition, however, he was, sidetracked by his work on the opera Pelléas et Mélisande. As a result, only the Prélude was ever written.

The poem depicts a sensuous faun, a rural deity represented as a man with the ears, horns, tail and hind legs of a goat, silently contemplating cavorting nymphs and other forest creatures on a warm sunny afternoon. The suggestive music captures the erotic atmosphere of the poem with consummate skill and is one of the first and most evocative examples of musical Impressionism. The Prélude was first performed in Paris in December 1894 and was an instant triumph, the only work of Debussy ever to receive an encore at its premiere. Mallarmé himself praised the music, saying that it extended the emotion of his poem and provided it with a warmer background.

Debussy regarded the music as “a very free illustration and in no way as a synthesis of the poem.”

The Prélude requires a full orchestra, but with a touch as light and evanescent as the poem; often the pauses in the music are as dramatic as the music itself, which relies mostly on the woodwinds and the harp to create the dreamy atmosphere and imagery. In 1912, however, Sergey Diaghilev, the impresario of the Ballets Russes, urged the dancer Vaclav Nijinsky to choreograph and dance the role of the faun in a ballet based on Mallarmé’s poem and Debussy’s music. Nijinsky’s interpretation of the role turned out to be much more literal than Mallarmé’s symbolist poetry. His openly erotic interpretation of the faun provoked a major scandal, primarily because of the final scene in which the faun, frustrated and saddened by the inability to seduce his nymph playmates, consoles himself by sensuously fondling a scarf that one of the nymphs has dropped in her escape.

The signature theme of the Prélude, which opens the piece as a flute solo, reappears in many variations, re-harmonized and re-orchestrated, with even little snippets—particularly the first six notes—incorporated into other melodies. It seems to symbolize the faun, although there is nothing in the score or the ballet to prove the association.

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10 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

MICHAEL DAUGHERTY (b. 1954) Raise the Roof For Timpani and Orchestra Michael Daugherty composed Raise the Roof in 2003, on a commission from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for the opening of its Max Fisher Music Center. A mini-concerto for timpani, it is also a fusion piece, incorporating everything from medieval plainchant to rock and Latin rhythms.

The chant melody and its counter-melody represent the melodic backbone of Raise the Roof; they are often repeated, played in canons and fugues to give the acoustic image of a gothic cathedral – hence the title – although with ever-changing rhythm, through much of the 12-minute work.

Of the special role assigned to the timpani, the composer writes: “Raise the Roof brings the timpani into the orchestral foreground as the foundation of a grand acoustic construction. I have composed music that gives the timpanist the rare opportunity to play long expressive melodies, and a tour de force cadenza. The timpanist uses a wide variety of performance techniques: extensive use of foot pedals for melodic tuning of the drums, placement of a cymbal upside down on the head of the lowest drum to play glissandi rolls, and striking the drums with regular mallets, wire brushes, maraca sticks, and even bare hands.”

Daugherty envisioned his piece as building “a wall of sound... rising toward a crescendo of polyrhythms and dynamic contrasts, allowing the orchestra to construct a grand new space for performing music of the past, present, and future.”

Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Daugherty is the son of a dance-band drummer and the oldest of five brothers, all professional musicians.

He was educated at North Texas State University and the Manhattan School of Music, where he trained originally as a jazz pianist. He then spent a year at Pierre Boulez’s IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique) in Paris. Daugherty received his doctorate in composition from Yale University in 1986. After teaching music composition for five years at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, he joined the School of Music at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) in 1991, where he is currently Professor of Composition.

EDWARD ELGAR (1857-1934) Enigma Variations, Op. 36 'Variations on an Original Theme’ If you look at photographs of Edward Elgar, read about his tastes or listen to his music, he projects the stereotype of Imperial Britain’s aristocracy or, as composer Constant Lambert described Elgar, “[the image of ]... an almost intolerable air of smugness, self-assurance and autocratic benevolence...” His military bearing, walrus moustache, country gentleman’s dress—all very proper and Edwardian—matched his conservative, violently anti-Liberal ideas. His style appeared to have been fostered and fully sanctioned by the equally conservative Royal College of Music.

The reality was very different: Elgar was born to a lower middle class family and never served in the army. Worst of all, his father was a music store owner, or as the British used to say, “in trade.” And he was a Catholic.

He was nervous, insecure, and prone to depression and hypochondria; he always carried a chip on his shoulder for not being “fully accepted.”

Musically, he was completely self-taught. But to the chagrin of Britain’s music establishment, Elgar, an “outsider,” was the first English composer since Henry Purcell (1659-1695) to achieve world fame. It was the Enigma Variations, composed in 1899 when he was 42 that propelled him out of his parochial obscurity to worldwide recognition.

Elgar had begun the Variations as a private amusement for his wife, Alice, whom he adored. He created musical portraits of their friends, later turning them into a proper orchestral composition at her suggestion.

The expressive and stately theme was his own, but Elgar claimed that he had employed a second, hidden theme along with the main obvious one. This second theme has remained a mystery to this day, although in later years Elgar said that it was derived from a melody “...so well-known that it is strange no one has discovered it.”

The Elgar friends and their peculiarities are portrayed in the 14 variations, each of which is headed by a nickname or initials, making some of the identities a puzzle as well—although by now scholars have figured out the lot: 1. CAE: Elgar’s wife Caroline Alice, whose inspiration contributed to a romantic and delicate touch to the theme.

2. HDSP: H.D. Steuart-Powell, amateur pianist and chamber music partner of Elgar. The detached, rapid staccato note replicates the sound of the piano.

3. RBT: R.B. Townshend, author, eccentric and actor with "funny voice.”

4. WMB: William M. Baker, a country squire and neighbor. The variation suggests that the man fancied the hunt.

5. RPA: Richard Arnold, son of poet Matthew Arnold, music lover, conversationalist and party wit. The contrast in the two parts of the variation suggests Arnold was eloquent on both serious and frivolous topics.

6. Ysobel: Isabel Fitton, amateur violist with tragic fingering difficulties.

7. Troyte: Arthur Troyte Griffin, well-known architect and terrible amateur pianist. The pounding of the timpani says it all.

8. WN: Miss Winifred Norbury, owner of an eighteenth-century house with a nervous laugh, both of which Elgar loved. It leads without pause to: 9. Nimrod (the Bible’s great hunter): A.J. Jaeger (“hunter” in German), an editor at Novello, Elgar’s publisher. Jaeger’s encouragement and support were crucial for Elgar in his major debut. His love for Beethoven is hinted at in a quote from the Pathétique sonata. This, the second longest of the variations, is traditionally performed as a separate piece to memorialize the death of an orchestra musician.

10. Dorabella: Dora Penny, a frequent visitor with hesitant speech, whose nickname derived from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte.

11. GRS: George R. Sinclair, organist; actually the variation is a musical description of Dan, Sinclair’s bulldog, falling into the river, paddling out and barking.

12. BGN: Basil G. Nevinson, amateur cellist and close friend.

13. ***: Lady Mary Lygon and a second, earlier, younger flame who had left Elgar heartbroken; one went to Australia, the other to New Zealand, hence the steamer engine thump and the quote from Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage. The second part of the variation, a clarinet solo, suggests a wrenching farewell.

14. EDU: Edoo, the nickname for Elgar himself, known only to his closest friends; his self-portrait sounds quite heroic. •• Audio Web Notes are available online for all masterworks concerts.

Please see page 17 for viewing instructions.

Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 11

Andrew Spencer

Variations On A Theme Perfectly Composed

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Andrew Spencer holds the position of Professor of Percussion at Central Michigan University. An active recitalist and clinician, he has performed as a soloist in the United States, Poland, Japan, Canada, and Costa Rica. In 1999, he released Slender Beams, a recording that features works by composer Dave Hollinden. Spencer has also premiered works by David Gillingham, Mark Polishook, Samuel Adler, Robert May, and Henry Gwiazda, among others.

Equally experienced in orchestral performance, Spencer is the Principal Timpanist for the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and the Principal Percussionist for the Midland Orchestra. Additional positions have included principal timpanist with the West Michigan Symphony and timpanist and principal percussionist positions with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Cascade Festival Orchestra, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, and Fargo-Moorhead Civic Opera Company.

He has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Spokane Symphony, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. In addition, he has performed with numerous chamber ensembles throughout the United States, and plays drum set with the Central Michigan University Faculty Jazz Ensemble, with whom he has recorded the albums Caught In The Act and Conspiracy Theory.

I believe in the healing power of music and in the healing power of i’move!

Scott Speck

Music Director, West Michigan Symphony

Spencer received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in percussion performance, and studied with Dr. Terry Applebaum at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in percussion performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he studied with John Beck. In addition, Eastman granted Spencer the coveted Performer's Certificate as a percussion soloist. •• Andrew Spencer will be performing @ The Block Sat, Nov 11, 7:30 pm

Call today! 616.847.1280 • imovedaily.com Grand Haven • Grand Rapids • Holland • Spring Lake • Rockford

12 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

For tickets or info: theblockwestmichigan.org 231.726.3231

Bohuslav Rattay

Czech-American conductor Bohuslav Rattay is a busy ambassador for classical music, working with orchestras across the globe to produce symphonic works of all kinds to a diverse audience. The newly appointed Music Director of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra also serves as Music Director for the Midland Symphony Orchestra and the Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra. As he gains a reputation as one of the finest young talents of his generation, Mr. Rattay combines impassioned and virtuosic musicianship with a determination to bring great music into the lives of all people.

An enthusiastic promoter for classical music, Mr. Rattay strives to bring the traditional and innovative together in a manner exciting and fresh for his audience. He is renowned for his unique concert programs, incorporating special audience discussions and including multimedia elements. He is also appreciated for his passion for the classics, with special appreciation often given to his insightful understanding of the music of his native Bohemia. Rattay has been praised for his ability to communicate the depth of a diverse range of music to his audience, for the classics, “Rattay is certainly the man for Tchaikovsky’s fourth” (Charleston Today, 2011), and for the fashionable, “Watching him conduct is like watching a painter creating rich imagery to live music on a large canvas” (El Paso Times, 2013). His intelligent and vast programming allows him to connect to a broad range of audience, creating new symphony-goers while entertaining the enthusiasts.

Rattay’s talents and abilities are highly praised. He is internationally acclaimed by critics and audiences alike for his fresh and inspired musical interpretations. He has received accolades for his “vibrant” performances and his “elegant panache,” (Charleston City Paper, 2009),

his ability to lead the orchestra with his “infectious zest and physicality,” (Midland Daily News, 2013), and his one-of-a-kind artistry, bringing “personal perspective... that will be remembered for many years,” (Duluth News Tribune, 2012).

His overflowing passion for classical music is highly solicited, recently appearing as guest conductor with the Colorado Symphony, the Duluth-Superior Symphony, the Hilton Head Symphony, and the Teplice Philharmonic in his native Czech Republic. Other recent engagements include the Virginia Symphony, the West Michigan Symphony, Prague's Dvořák Symphony Orchestra, and the Charleston (SC) Symphony, where he received several critical accolades. He has also conducted the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the National Conducting Institute and was selected by the American Symphony Orchestra League to participate in its Conducting Fellowship Program.

Believing in the power of education, Mr. Rattay is a committed pedagogue of the younger generations. He has been a music faculty member of the College of William and Mary, Ball State University, and is a frequent guest conductor of All-State and youth orchestras across the United States. The combination of his youthful energy along with his conducting skills make him highly valued as an inspirational mentor.

Mr. Rattay holds degrees from the Prague Conservatory, Rice University and the Peabody Institute of Music. He names Gustav Meier, Larry Rachleff, Benjamin Kamins, and Neeme Jarvi as his most influential teachers. bohuslavrattay.com ••

Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 13

Cathie Ryan

A Celtic Christmas

December 15, 2017 / Friday / 7:30 pm Scott Speck, conductor Cathie Ryan, Irish music vocalist WMS Children's Choir, Beth Slimko, director On Christmas Morn into Irish traditional tunes

Cathie Ryan (words), Traditional

Together For Christmas

Dermot Henry

God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen Instrumental Set

Traditional

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

Edmund Sears

Mo Ghrasa Mo Dhia

Liam Lawton

The Holly Bears a Berry Set

Traditional

Somewhere Along the Road

Rick Kemp, MCPS

Céad Míle Fáilte Romhat, a Íosa Traditional (A Hundered Thousand Welcomes to You, Jesus) into Dance the Baby Slip Jig Songs INTERMISSION Angels We Have Heard on High into O'Carolan

Traditional

The Winter's Heart (Merry Christmas Once More)

Cathie Ryan (words), Patsy O’Brien (music) (Wake the Neigbors Music/ Patsysongs music)

The Winter Solstice: Poem: Beannacht into Song: Mo Nion O

John O’Donoghue (poem) Mairead ni Mhaoinaigh (song)

Hunting the Wren Song

Cathie Ryan (words), Traditional

Irish Uilleann Pipes Set of Traditional traditional tunes So, Here's to You

Alan A Bell

Walk the Road into traditional jig and reels

Kate Rusby

May the Road Rise to Meet You

Roger McGuinn & Camilla McGuinn

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14 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

CATHIE RYAN

For over twenty-five years, including five solo albums, countless musical collaborations, and multiple awards, Cathie Ryan has been in the vanguard of Irish music.

She is blessed with a voice of luminous clarity and a gift for unearthing gems from Irish and American song traditions, creating her own heart-stirring originals, and for showcasing writers whose work deserves wider recognition. Wrap this musical integrity into a consummate entertainer and it is no wonder the Wall Street Journal calls her music, “a revelation.”

Cathie is a captivating performer whose shows are renowned for their intimacy and power, as well as her witty banter. “There is nothing like a live show. I love the energy, the give and take, of being with an audience.

And I love to have fun up there!” she says. Cathie happily shares the stage, and the show, with her award-winning band. Featuring Patsy O’Brien on guitar, Matt Mancuso on fiddle, and Brian Melick on percussion, the band weaves subtle arrangements and harmonies around Cathie’s vocals and match her charming repartee with dazzling sets of traditional tunes.

The Cathie Ryan Band has built a loyal following by touring internationally and singing “songs of the heart” at performing arts centers, festivals, folk clubs, and with symphony orchestras. They have been featured on national and public television throughout the world.

Their radio highlights include NPR’s Mountain Stage and Thistle and Shamrock, PRI’s The World, BBC in England and Northern Ireland, Radio Scotland, and RTÉ and RnaG in Ireland.

Cathie’s fifth CD, Through Wind and Rain, is bringing her music to a much wider audience. Irish America Magazine twice named her one of the “Top 100 Irish Americans” and liveireland.com has twice honored her as “Irish Female Vocalist of the Decade.” When not singing, Cathie leads tours of Ireland for Rick Steves’ Europe. She also hosts pledge programming for PBS whenever possible.

Cathie Ryan and her band will be performing @ The Block Sat, Dec 16, 7:30 pm For tickets or info: theblockwestmichigan.org 231.726.3231

cathieryan.com ••

West Michigan Children's Choir Beth Slimko holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education with dual concentrations in vocal and instrumental pedagogy from Butler University, which included an intense study at the Zoltan Kodaly Pedagogical Institute in Hungary. She also holds a Master's Degree in Elementary Education from Grand Valley State University. Other training includes experience with esteemed vocal music arranger Henry Leck and the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, The Richards Institutes program “Education through Music, and the Kindermusik Organization."

WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY CHILDREN'S CHOIR (WMSCC) With an emphasis on the development of musical skills and understanding, WMSCC cultivates and encourages student achievement and provides quality music education with the goal of attaining the highest level of artistic excellence in choral music performance. The audition-based program was formed in 2013 to provide children in Muskegon and surrounding communities the opportunity to develop their voices, experience exciting singing opportunities and work with a professional arts organization.

Each year members of the choir perform concerts at events and locations throughout West Michigan and often are invited to share the Frauenthal stage with the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra; this season joining them in the Celtic Christmas concert. Open for children ages 8-11, WMSCC rehearses weekly at The Block and is under the direction of Music Director Beth Slimko. ••

Mrs. Slimko is currently the director of the North Muskegon Public School choir program and is a vocal music specialist for elementary music. Under her direction the choir program has grown from one choir with six female members in 2004 to four choirs and more than 240 dedicated members. She is also an accomplished oboist, pianist and vocalist, and maintains a full private lesson studio. She was the lead clinician for the Michigan Music Education Association Elementary Choral Festival in 2015. Mrs. Slimko resides in North Muskegon, Michigan with her husband and two sons. ••

Sept. 26: Sylvia Norris – classical harp

Dec. 17: The Grand Rapids Choir of Men and Boys Apr. 24: Folias – Carmen Maret, flute, and Paul Bergeron, guitar – tango, South American folk Oct. 24: Diane Penning, soprano, and Paul Langford, Note this is at 5 pm piano, tenor – Broadway music Feb. 27: Olde Thyme Harmony Quartet – May 22: Il Duo Lyrico – Nancy Steltmann, cello, and barbershop quartet Robert Byrens, piano Nov. 28: AnDro – Celtic/world music Dec. 12: Jonathan Tuuk – "Christmas at the Organ"

Mar. 27: Solee Lee-Clark – classical piano

Jun. 5: Ruth and Max Bloomquist – folk, bluegrass

FEEDING THE SOUL OF THE CITY 2017 – 2018 SEASON 1006 Third Street, Muskegon, MI 49440 :: For more information contact St. Paul's Episcopal Church :: 231.722.2112 :: stpaulsmuskegon.org/fsoc

Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 15

Program Notes

Germanic Classics

January 12, 2018 / Friday / 7:30 pm Scott Speck, conductor Paul Clifton, horn Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel Overture in C major Richard Strauss Paul Clifton, horn

Concerto for Horn and Orchestra no.1, op.11, in E-flat major I. Allegro II. Andante III. Allegro

INTERMISSION Felix Mendelssohn

Symphony no.1, op.11, in C minor I. Allegro di molto II. Andante III. Menuetto: Allegro molto IV. Allegro con fuoco

FANNY MENDELSSOHN HENSEL (1805-1847) Overture in C major The eldest of the Mendelssohn children, Fanny Mendelssohn was probably just as gifted as her brother Felix, becoming an accomplished pianist and prolific composer, with more than 450 works to her name.

But in 19th century Europe, in an upper middle class family peppered with philosophers and thinkers, women did not become professional artists. "Music will perhaps become his [Felix's] profession, while for you it can and must be only an ornament," wrote Fanny’s father, a wealthy banker. The siblings’ music teacher, Carl Friedrich Zelter, once praised her pianism: “She plays like a man.”

By contrast, her husband, the painter Wilhelm Hensel, was more supportive, and even illustrated some of her works. He also supported her to maintain a flourishing musical Salon in their home, for which she composed, played the piano and conducted. Her only known public appearance was in 1838, when she performed her brother’s Piano Concerto no. 1 at a charity benefit.

Some of Fanny’s compositions were first erroneously attributed to her brother, who also published some of her songs under his name. In general, he was supportive of her musical efforts, but also constrained by the mores of the time. The siblings were very close, and part of the attribution problem may result from the fact that they critiqued and made suggestions for each other’s compositions. There is definitely a family resemblance between their works.

The bulk of of Fanny’s compositions are songs and short piano pieces. The Overture in C, composed around 1830, is her only known orchestrated work. It is a rather modest piece in conventional sonataallegro form preceded by a particularly long, slow introduction. The Allegro is an energetic fanfare-like theme, each pitch in rapid repeated notes. One of Felix’s youthful signatures is this kind of almost febrile excitement, but whether he was influenced by the older Fanny, or the other way around is not clear.

RICHARD STRAUSS (1864-1949) Horn Concerto no. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 11 Richard Strauss came from an extremely conservative family. His father, Franz Joseph, a snob, stuffed shirt and tyrant, was the principal horn player in the Munich Court Orchestra, a post he held for 49 years.

Although he was famous for playing Wagner superbly, he detested the man and his music; for him music ended with Schumann and Mendelssohn. The young Strauss was forbidden to listen to Wagner’s music and when, to the disgust of his father, he finally discovered it, he was overwhelmed.

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16 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

Strauss wrote the Horn Concerto no. 1 in 1883 while still under his father’s strong influence. It is a conservative piece and, except for the opening horn fanfare, reflects little of his later development. The dedication on the autograph piano version is to his father, while the orchestral version is dedicated to Oskar Franz, another horn player.

While the harmonies and melodies are certainly backward looking, the youthful Strauss avoided adhering to the strict template of sonata form. Instead of introducing two or three themes he appears to have been more interested in spinning out a succession of new tunes rather than developing any one in particular. Yet they all contain variants of the fanfare ideas traditionally associated with both horn and trumpet, dictated by the limitations of the older instruments.

The opening horn fanfare forms part of the first theme, and a long transition, which includes a repeat of the fanfare, leads into a more lyrical second theme, yet still containing the open intervals of the fanfare. In a surprise twist, Strauss concludes the movement with a repeat of the opening fanfare, but ever more softly as it slips without pause into the Andante.

The melancholy mood of this movement brings out a lyrical aspect of the instrument one seldom hears. It includes a chromatic passage that would have been impossible without the invention of the valve horn; Strauss deftly creates the illusion of a descending chromatic line for the soloist by sneaking in the impossible note on the violas.

The Finale is a spirited rondo and the most challenging movement for the soloist. After another transitional passage, now building excitement instead of calming, it opens with a predictable hunting motive as the rondo refrain, similar to that of the Mozart horn concertos. The chromaticism in the coda is virtually impossible on the natural horn and must have infuriated the elder Strauss.

FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Symphony no. 1 in C minor, Op. 11 BBC Music magazine once did a survey and analysis of musical prodigies, ultimately coming down to the two top contenders, Mozart and Mendelssohn. Although we won’t reveal the winner—that’s for you to decide—they noted a sharp distinction between the trajectories of these two geniuses, both of whom died presumably before they had reached the height of their powers. As children, however, their circumstances and development could not have been more different.

Mozart came from a family of musicians, in a not particularly lucrative or independent profession; Mendelssohn was born into wealth and financial security. From the start, Leopold Mozart took advantage of his little son’s genius as both a family ego trip and frankly as a way to make money. The Mendelssohn family gave every bit as much support to fostering their children’s talent, but Felix’s teachers finely honed his education before letting him “go public.”

Photos courtesy: Grand Lubell Photography for Toledo Opera

Ostensibly written for the natural, valveless horn, it contains numerous passages that make performance on that instrument nearly impossible, even with replacing the crooks to change its key. The composer’s sister Johanna claimed that Strauss père—who still insisted on playing the valveless instrument, which by then had mostly been replaced in orchestras—had trouble with the high notes, especially the high B-flat, considering it too risky to perform in public. It is the first horn concerto by a major composer since Mozart, and the texture and style of composition hark back to Mozart in clarity and simplicity, contrary to the dense style that would eventually become a Strauss trademark.

2017–2018 SEASON RIGOLETTO October 13 & 14 I DREAM January 15 THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO May 4 & 5

WMS AUDIO WEB NOTES Want to learn more about this season's masterworks programs?

Visit westmichigansymphony.org, go to the masterworks program of your choice and click on the “Program Notes” tab.

A window will open with more information about the pieces in that particular program. Click on music terms in bold bright blue text for definitions and on the icon to hear music examples.

Program notes by: Joseph & Elizabeth Kahn

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Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 17

Program Notes Everyone involved in teaching knows that the most challenging to teach are the severely gifted. The credit to Felix’s musical education goes to Karl Friedrich Zelter, a traditionalist and a taskmaster who demanded that the young prodigy follow a rigorous program in contrapuntal writing, especially the fugue, which was regarded as the most challenging and academic genres of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Between the ages of 12 and 14 Felix Mendelssohn composed 12 string symphonies for musical soirées held every Sunday in his parent’s palatial home in Berlin where Europe’s most famous intellectuals had a standing invitation. Later, Mendelssohn was embarrassed by and suppressed these youthful works, considering them his “apprenticeship.” They remained unpublished until the late 1950s and were first recorded in 1971. On Felix’s fifteenth birthday, February 3, 1824, Zelter, declared his pupil a “journeyman.” The use of the term is a telling one; in the medieval guild system, “apprentices” learned a trade under the strict supervision of a master, after which they became journeymen, quasi-independent students who traveled to the workshops of other masters to fill out their education. The point is that according to Zelter, Felix could not yet call himself a master.

Two months later, Mendelssohn completed his Symphony no. 1 to honor his sister Fanny on her 19th birthday. It was musically and emotionally assertive in a way we usually do not associate with Mendelssohn.

While not as startlingly innovative as his Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream or the String Octet, which he composed two years later, the Symphony was one of his first works he considered worthy of publication, dedicating it in 1829 to the Royal Philharmonic Society, conducting the London premiere.

The Symphony reflects both the passions of the burgeoning Romantic Movement and a kind of adolescent energy while it conforms to the Classical sonata principle in form. Symphonies in the minor mode were

Paul Clifton Paul Clifton is principal horn with the West Michigan Symphony. He graduated from Western Michigan University in 2013 as a Bachelor of Music in horn performance, studying with Dr. Lin Foulk. Paul has been freelancing in the Midwest, holding other positions in the Illinois and Southwest Michigan symphonies while playing as a substitute with the Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, South Bend, Lansing, Battle Creek and Ann Arbor symphonies.

Some other avenues of life for Paul have changed greatly of late. He was recently married and moved to Arizona to be with his wife, who teaches high school band. He does look forward to continuing to play with the WMS though, as his experience has been delightful thus far. Along with practicing, other parts of Paul's life include the hobbies of biking, running, board games, sports, and eventually returning to school to study psychology and theology. ••

18 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

uncommon—in fact special—in the Classical and early nineteenth century. Mozart composed two out of 40, and Beethoven was composing his second (Symphony no. 9) in the same year as Mendelssohn was working on this one.

The Symphony opens with a stormy theme, followed by the obligatory contrasting second theme. Mendelssohn exploits that contrast throughout the movement, regularly alternating the two moods. At the end of the closing theme of the exposition, there is a musical allusion— perhaps deliberate, perhaps not—from the Overture of Carl Maria von Weber’s opera, Der Freischütz, which premiered in 1821.

The Andante consists of two extensive melodies, which Mendelssohn alternates with changes of orchestration and modest variation.

At the beginning of the century, Beethoven finally broke free of the minuet/trio convention, speeding up the tempo, but retaining the structure and contrast between the two repeated sections, renaming it “Scherzo.” Subsequent composers followed his lead. Although Mendelssohn calls the third movement Menuetto, it sounds more like a Beethoven scherzo.

The Finale is the most complex movement in the piece, a combination of a rondo and sonata form. The rondo only returns in full towards the end, like a true recapitulation. The development includes the mandatory fugue and extensive modulation into new keys and new melodic material. A coda resembles not so much a bombastic Beethoven conclusion as a race to the finish. •• Audio Web Notes are available online for all masterworks concerts.

Please see page 17 for viewing instructions.

“I see music as fluid ar chitecture.” Joni Mitchell I see real estate as a Symphony!

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Diane Penning

Hollywood's Greatest Melodies February 9, 2018 / Friday / 7:30 pm Andrew Koehler, conductor Diane Penning, soprano Paul Langford, tenor, piano, arranger Flying Theme from E.T

John Williams

Cole Porter Medley Diane and Paul

arr. Langford

Shadow of Your Smile Paul

arr. Langford

Poppins Fantasy Diane and Paul

arr. DePuit/Langford

Forrest Gump Suite

arr. Custer

Over The Rainbow Diane

arr. Langford

Slow Boat To China Diane and Paul

arr. Langford

Luck Be A Lady Paul

arr. Langford

Think of Me Diane INTERMISSION A Tribute To Henry Mancini

arr. Custer

Cheek to Cheek Diane and Paul

arr. Langford

Windmills of Your Mind Paul

arr. Langford

Love is an Open Door Diane and Paul

arr. Langford

Beauty and the Beast Diane and Paul

arr. Langford

The Way You Look Tonight Paul

arr. Langford

The Way We Were Diane

arr. Langford

Tonight Diane and Paul

arr. Langford

20 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

Equally at home in classical repertoire and pops, Diane has performed with orchestras around the country in programs of both genres with many, including the Adrian, Arkansas, Battle Creek, Cheyenne and Colorado Springs Symphonies; the Dayton Philharmonic; the Dearborn, Dubuque, DuPage, Elgin, Elmhurst, Firelands, Grand Rapids, Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, Greensboro and Grant Park Music Festival Symphonies; the Interlochen Arts Academy; the Kalamazoo, Lafayette, Lansing, Midland, Mobile, Ocean City Pops, Park Ridge, Pensacola, Rockford, Saginaw Bay, San Antonio, Sheboygan, South Bend, and South West Michigan Symphonies, the Traverse Symphony and the West Michigan Symphony. Her musical theatre credits include Cunegonde in Candide, Marian in The Music Man, Amalia in She Loves Me, and Maria in the concert version of West Side Story as well as “the grouch” in Robert Kapilow’s Green Eggs & Ham. Diane’s work in oratorio includes David Fanshaw’s African Sanctus under the baton of Jonathon Willcocks, Bach’s Bm Mass and Christmas Oratorio; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Mass in C minor; Fauré’s Requiem; Handel’s Messiah; Haydn’s Creation, Harmonie Messe and Lord Nelson Mass; Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass; Orff’s Carmina Burana; Poulenc’s Gloria; Rutter’s Magnificat and Requiem, (the Magnificat under the baton of Sir David Willcocks); and Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem, with such organizations as the Apollo Chorus in Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and the Kalamazoo Bach Festival. Her opera roles include Adele in Die Fledermaus, Frasquita in Carmen, Musetta in La Bohéme, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, Pamina, Papagena and Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni.

Ms. Penning also sings the chants of Hildegard of Bingen and has toured and performed in the UK with the four women group "The Hildegard Singers." She holds degrees in music and voice from the University of Michigan (BM) and Western Michigan University (MM in voice performance.)

Diane’s professional recordings include Phantom Phantasy with the Grand Rapids Symphony; Christmas Festival with the Czek National Orchestra; Everything Under the Sun with pianist Rich Ridenour, Simply Gershwin with pianist Paul Bisaccia, O Greenest Branch and O Come O Come, Emmanuel with the Hildegard Singers, and Sacred Space with composer/performer Nicholas Palmer. Ms. Penning is a member of the Michigan Touring Arts Directory. dianepenning.com ••

Paul Langford

Andrew Koehler

A Chicago based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor, Paul Langford has a career that spans over 25 years. His works have been performed by vocal and instrumental groups all over the world including The Chicagoland Pops, West Michigan Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Voices of Liberty, GLAD, Willow Creek Community Church, multiple Disney parks, and many orchestras around the nation including the Pensacola, Grand Rapids, La Crosse, Anderson, Dubuque, Jackson, and Southwest Michigan Symphonies.

Paul has been a vocal and piano guest artist in studio and live performance with headline and Grammy Awardwinning artists David Foster, Yolanda Adams, Kenny Rogers, Heather Headley, Abraham Laboriel, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Celine Dion, and he’s been honored to perform for President Bill Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama.

As owner and creative director of Paul Langford Studios, a state-of the-art Chicagoland recording facility, Paul produces, engineers, composes, and plays for a variety of leading artists, corporate clients, and television/film projects. On the road, Paul is an in-demand music educator, clinician, guest conductor, respected band and vocal ensemble leader, and invited singer with orchestras and a cappella groups across America and around the globe.

His voice has been heard on radio and TV commercials for such companies as Ronald McDonald House, Oldsmobile, L.L. Bean, Old El Paso, Nintendo, Frigidaire and Nickelodeon.

He has also led and arranged for choirs, rhythm sections, big bands, orchestras and acappella groups all across America and abroad. Paul is a published choral arranger and composer, as well as an in-demand clinitian for musical groups of all varities. His works for choral and instrumental ensembles can be found through Hal Leonard, Shawnee Press, Oxford University Press, Alfred Music. paullangfordmusic.com ••

Andrew Koehler is currently the music director of the Kalamazoo Philharmonia, which he leads as part of his position as an associate professor of music at Kalamazoo College. His innovative and thoughtful programming there was recently honored with the American Prize Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming. He also holds concurrent posts as music director of the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra, and as the cover conductor and frequent guest conductor of the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra. He also organizes and conducts concerts with the Arcato Chamber Ensemble, which he founded and which is made up of greater Kalamazoo’s finest professional musicians. The group’s premiere performance was hailed as “...exceptional under his baton” by the Kalamazoo Gazette. Through these ensembles, he has collaborated with leading artists such as Danielle Belen, Aaron Dworkin, Alon Goldstein, Rachel Barton Pine, and Midori.

He is active as a guest conductor close to home and throughout the world. In recent seasons, he has appeared with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra musicians; the Lyatoshynsky Chamber Orchestra in Kyiv, Ukraine; the Ruse Philharmonic in Bulgaria; the St. Cloud Symphony in Minnesota; the Festival South Chamber Orchestra in Mississippi; and the Moldovan National Youth Orchestra, a professional group of recent conservatory graduates. He has additionally led ensembles under the auspices of the Aspen Music Festival, the Oregon Bach Festival, the Cabrillo Festival for Contemporary Music, the 2006 Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition (where he advanced to the final round and won the audience favorite prize), and the 9th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Conductor’s Competition in Katowice, Poland (where he won First Distinction and the Youth Jury Prize). Previous music directorships included the Chamber Orchestra of the University of Chicago as well as the Akademisches SinfonieOrchester of Vienna, Austria.

Born in Philadelphia to Ukrainian parents, Andrew began his musical studies on the violin at the age of five. He is a graduate of Yale College, where he completed a B.A. in Music and German Studies (graduating with honors and distinction in both majors). During his time there, he served as assistant conductor of the Yale Symphony Orchestra and won the Seldin Memorial Prize in Music. He holds a certificate in conducting from the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, where he studied for two years as a Fulbright scholar, as well as a Masters degree from Northwestern University. His principal teachers have been Victor Yampolsky and Leopold Hager; he has additionally worked with David Zinman, Jorma Panula, Neeme Järvi, and Marin Alsop, among others. andrewkoehlerconductor.com ••

Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 21

Program Notes

Classical Music for Everyone: Romantic Nationalism March 2, 2018 / Friday / 7:30 pm Scott Speck, conductor Alexey Stadler, cello Jean Sibelius (Scandinavian)

Finlandia, op.26

Manuel de Falla “Miller's Dance” (Farruca) (Spanish) from The Three-Cornered Hat Maurice Ravel (French)

Pavane for a Dead Princess

Reinhold Glière “Russian Sailors' Dance” (Russian) from The Red Poppy Aaron Copland (American)

“Hoe Down” from Rodeo

INTERMISSION Antonín Dvořák (Czech) Alexey Stadler, cello

Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra, op.104, in B minor I. Allegro II. Adagio ma non troppo II. Finale: Allegro moderato

CONCERT SPONSOR

22 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

The late 1800s witnessed the launch of the most thrilling time in music history. This was the period when composers first asserted their own personal and nationalistic pride—rather than adhering to the musical boundaries set centuries earlier by the German and Austrian masters. Once composers began inserting melodies from their homelands into their music, or imitating their local folk music with original themes, they never looked back.

This concert explores the colorful and varied faces of Romantic nationalism, as seen from the vantage point of many countries. We can't cover them all, but we have chosen representative music from Finland, Spain, France, Russia, the Czech Republic—and of course, the United States of America.

If one piece of music sums up the Finnish experience, it's Finlandia. This short tone poem by Jean Sibelius became one of the great icons of northern European art. Throughout much of the 19th century, Finland was an autonomous grand duchy of the Russian empire. But Russian censorship increasingly stifled the freedoms of the Finns. Although Sibelius never said this explicitly at the time, he began Finlandia with a clear musical description—played ominously be the trombones—of an unhappy Finland under Russian oppression. The rest of the piece is an epic struggle against an unspecified foe, resting for a moment at a lovely and hopeful oasis containing a patriotic melody now known as the Finlandia Hymn, and ending in a glorious blaze of triumph. At the time, most people heard this ending as the composer's vision of an independent Finland. Finlandia became so popular, and caused such nationalistic fervor, that the Russian Empire banned its performance.

After Finland finally broke free from Russia, Jean Sibelius became a national hero. To this day, Sibelius is as important to the Finnish people as Abraham Lincoln is to us.

The orchestral composer most associated with the music of Spain is Manuel de Falla. More than anyone else, he was able to distill the roots of Spanish culture into his music. Much of this involves an eastern influence, due to 700 years of Moorish rule. After all, the coasts of Africa and Spain are only seven miles apart! The opening English horn solo of the Miller's Dance from The Three-Cornered Hat imitates the ancient north African rhaita (an early reed instrument). It might as well have been a snake-charming melody. The entire movement uses an ancient Middle-Eastern mode, and it ends with a powerful crescendo, highlighted by an ever-quickening strumming rhythm—like an enormous Spanish guitar.

If Spain is associated with fiery, impetuous music, France has the reputation for producing art of suave sensuality and subtle refinement. This is a stereotype, but it is borne out in Ravel's beautiful short work, Pavane for a Dead Princess. This softly moving procession features a beautiful high horn solo—one of the most famous in the repertoire. The middle section, featuring woodwinds and harp, is both delicate and voluptuous. Like so much French music, it engages all the senses. If any music could be said to have a fragrance, this music most certainly does.

Any number of Russian pieces could embody the spirit of Russian nationalism, but for this program we have chosen a work of the Soviet era. Reinhold Glière's The Red Poppy was the first ballet with

a Soviet revolutionary theme. Though the complete ballet is hardly ever performed nowadays, its most famous dance has taken on a life of its own. The Russian Sailors' Dance is nothing more or less than a series of increasingly animated variations on a short, boisterous, very Russian-sounding theme. The piece is infectious and full of powerful energy. This is music of wild abandon. It's the Russian equivalent of a hoe-down.

And speaking of hoe-downs, the finest example of its kind is the American masterpiece by Aaron Copland, ending the first half of our concert tonight. It comes from the ballet Rodeo, set in the Wild West by the iconic choreographer Agnes de Mille. Though the ballet tells a story of romance (appropriate for this program and this season), the Hoe Down itself is an interlude of pure kinetic joy. Aside from the Fanfare for the Common Man, this is the most played melody from the dean of American composers.

We are devoting the entire second half of our program to a masterpiece of Czech nationalism, the Cello Concerto by Antonin Dvořák. While sticking close to his Bohemian roots, Dvořák was undoubtedly affected by his four-year stay in the United States as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York. His Cello Concerto is probably the greatest piece of music ever composed in America.

Dvořák’s time in the United States from 1892 to 1895 came about through the efforts of Mrs. Jeanette B. Thurber. A dedicated and idealistic proponent of an American national musical style, she underwrote and founded the conservatory—and Dvořák was her first choice as director.

He was probably lured to the big city by both a large salary and his own passion for musical nationalism. He was eager to learn more of the Native-American and African-American music, which he believed should be the basis of the American national style of composition.

Dvořák’s period in New York was very productive in spite of his administrative and teaching duties. He composed string quartets, a string quintet, the Ten Biblical Songs, his New World Symphony, and lastly, the Cello Concerto.

Concerto no. 2 at a New York Philharmonic concert. Dvořák loved the work and sat down to write his own concerto. He finished it just before he left New York to return to his native Bohemia.

While writing the concerto, Dvořák received news that his sister-inlaw Josefina was critically ill. Dvořák had been in love with her some 30 years earlier, but he had eventually married her sister instead. As a tribute to Josefina, he included in the second movement of the concerto a reference to her favorite of his songs, “Leave me alone.”

Shortly after his return to Prague, Josefina died. Dvořák changed the ending of the Concerto, adding the elegiac and exquisitely painful coda to the final movement, again briefly quoting the song in a duet between the cello and solo violin.

The clarinet opens the Concerto with a somber statement of the memorable main theme. While the Concerto is certainly not primarily a bravura piece, the cello part in this movement is difficult both technically and emotionally. It requires a “private” and intense development of two themes, as well as rapid figurative accompaniments to the orchestra.

The Adagio is another dialogue for cello and woodwinds. It begins gently, with a choir of woodwinds quoting from the song, immediately echoed by the cello, which is joined by the winds for the next strain of the theme. The cello continues with a poignant sighing motive that increases the emotional tension in preparation for the only appearance of the full orchestra in the entire movement in a sudden anguished cry. But the movement quickly returns to the quiet but intense conversation between cello and winds.

A march opens the final movement, but soon the cello’s reflective personality takes over, periodically slowing the tempo. Throughout the Concerto, the cello frequently lapses into passionate reverie, and Dvořák “concludes” the Finale two thirds of the way through, replacing the customary cadenza with the moving coda in memory of Josefina, the muse of the entire Concerto. A fitting conclusion to a program that is not only nationalistic, but also highly Romantic.

Program notes by Scott Speck and Joseph & Elizabeth Kahn ••

For many years Dvořák’s friend, the cellist Hanus Wihan, had been asking for a cello concerto. But the ultimate impetus was a performance

by Irish cellist, composer and conductor Victor Herbert of his Cello

Audio Web Notes are available online for all masterworks concerts.

Please see page 17 for viewing instructions.

Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 23

Alexey Stadler One of the finest young cellists of his generation and winner of the 2012 TONALi Grand Prix in Hamburg, Alexey Stadler opens his 2017/18 season with appearances in a number of high level engagements across Europe. Amongst them are Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra.

He caused a sensation in his BBC Proms debut with Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto no.1 with Vasily Petrenko. Other recent highly successful debuts include Deutsches SymphonieOrchester Berlin, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestra della Svizzera italiana and the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

Alexey Stadler also performs with orchestras such as The Mariinsky Orchestra, Münchner Symphoniker, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonietta Rīga and Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra under renowned conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Marek Janowski, Tugan Sokhiev and Dmitri Kitajenko.

A keen chamber musician, Alexey Stadler has appeared in recitals and chamber music programmes at Den Norske Opera Oslo, Heidelberger Frühling and Festspiele MecklenburgVorpommern and has performed with partners such as Janine Jansen, Akiko Suwanai, Vadim Repin, Igor Levit, Lukáš Vondráček, Itamar Golan and the Ebène Quartet.

Alexey Stadler studied with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar and has a scholarship from the “Oscar und Vera Ritter-Stiftung” and “Alfred Töpfer Stiftung” in Hamburg.

Alexey performs on a violoncello by David Tecchler dating from 1715. ••

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October 14, 2017 7:30pm October 15, 2017 3pm Frauenthal Center Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 25

Camille Zamora

Tango Caliente!

April 27, 2018 / Friday / 7:30 pm Matthew Kraemer, conductor Camille Zamora, soprano Héctor Del Curto, bandoneon Patricio Touceda and Eva Lucero, dancers Mario Consiglieri and Annabella Consiglieri, dancers Baldosa

Sassone & Boccazzi arr. Tyzik

Celos Gade Jennifer Walvoord, violin Tanguera Mores

arr. Tyzik Volver Guardel

arr. Tyzik Milonga Del Angel Piazzolla

arr. DeLaney Kiss of Fire (El Choclo)

Villoldo arr. Tyzik

Mallorca Jill Marie Brown, flute

arr. Tyzik

Desde El Alma Melo

arr. Tyzik INTERMISSION Escualo Piazzolla

arr. Tyzik Por Una Cabeza Guardel

arr. Williams Oblivion Piazzolla

arr. Vizzutti Vuelvo Al Sur Piazzolla

arr. Tyzik Primavera Portena Piazzolla

arr. Ziegler Se Dice De Mi

Canaro/Pelay

La Cumparsita Rodrieguez

arr. Tyzik

GUEST ARTIST SPONSOR

26 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

In repertoire ranging from Mozart to tango, and in collaboration with artists ranging from Plácido Domingo to Sting, Camille has garnered a passionate following for her “magnificent voice and impeccable technique” (Diario Dan Luis).

The 2014/15 season was a busy one for Camille, featuring her performance debut at the US Capitol with Yo-Yo Ma; her Kennedy Center debut; five new opera productions, including Hindemith’s The Long Christmas Dinner at Lincoln Center with American Symphony Orchestra, for which she was heralded for her “dignity and glowing sound” (New York Times), and a tour de force doublebill of La Voix Humaine and I Pagliacci with Opera Columbus and Columbus Symphony.

Recent highlights include Twin Spirits: Clara & Robert Schumann with Sting and Joshua Bell at Lincoln Center and LA’s Music Center; Ilia in Idomeneo at Boston Lyric Opera; Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at Anchorage Opera; Despina in Così fan tutte at Glimmerglass Opera and Virginia Opera; Elle in La Voix Humaine at Auckland Opera, the Phoenicia International Festival, and Bay Chamber Festival; The Countess in Die Verschworenen and Europa in Die Liebe der Danae at Bard Summerscape; and Amore/Valetto in L’incoronazione di Poppea at Houston Grand Opera. Signature roles include Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélites), The Governess (The Turn of the Screw), The Countess (Le Nozze di Figaro), as well

as the title roles in Susannah, Alcina, and, most recently, Anna Bolena, of which the Houston Chronicle wrote, “Camille Zamora digs deep into Anna Bolena with the richness of her colorful and unwaveringly powerful soprano instrument... a consummate actress whose ability to get inside her character is phenomenal.”

In concert, Camille has appeared with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, London Symphony Orchestra, Guadalajara Symphony, Aberdeen Festival Orchestra, Boston Festival Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, and in live recital broadcasts on NPR, BBC Radio, Deutsche Radio, and Sirius XM. Highlights on the concert stage include Brahms’ Liebeslieder with Leon Fleisher at Aspen Music Festival, Beethoven’s Mass in C at Alice Tully Hall, Mahler’s Symphony no. 2 “The Resurrection” with Chattanooga Symphony, and Schubert Lieder for the opening night of American Ballet Theater in a performance The New York Post called “one of the best received moments of the evening... quiet, monumentally serene Schubert art songs, beautifully rendered by soprano Camille Zamora.” Camille has sung Bach’s Magnificat at Carnegie Hall, and, also at Carnegie Hall, the premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’ Song of Elos, a performance she repeated at the American Academy in Rome. She made her Lincoln Center Festival debut in Bright Sheng’s Poems from the Sung Dynasty for Soprano and Orchestra in a performance praised

by The New York Times as “dramatic and nuanced,” and premiered Grammy-winner Robert Aldridge and Herschel Garfein’s Away but Not Far Away as part of The AIDS Quilt Songbook @ 20 at Cooper Union’s Great Hall. A champion of contemporary music, Camille performed Aaron Jay Kernis’ Simple Songs for Soprano and Orchestra at the Bowdoin Festival under the baton of the composer, and works of Ricky Ian Gordon with the composer at the piano at Lincoln Center, as well as premieres of works by Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Bernd Franke, Roberto Sierra, Henry Brant, and Richard Wargo with companies including Spoleto Festival

USA, New York Festival of Song, Continuum, and American Opera Projects. Camille’s recordings of twentieth and twenty-first century works include Hindemith’s The Long Christmas Dinner (Bridge Records), The Music of Chris Theofanidis (Albany Records), Strauss’ Die Liebe der Danae (ASO), and the world premiere recording of Scott Gendel’s At Last with Yo-Yo Ma on An AIDS Quilt Songbook: Sing for Hope (Naxos/GPR).

Hailed as a leading interpreter of classical Spanish song by NBC Latino and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Camille has performed and recorded principal roles in zarzuelas including La Verbena de la Paloma, La Revoltosa, Luisa Fernanda, and La Tabernera del Puerto, and sang Rosita to Plácido Domingo’s Don Vidal in Luisa Fernanda at LA Opera. Her performances of classical Spanish repertoire have been heard on five continents, in series ranging from Carnegie Hall’s Musical Connections and Sarasota Artists Series in the US, to Turkey’s Izmir Sanat and Zimbabwe’s Harare International Festival abroad.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Camille is the co-founder of Sing for Hope, a leading “arts peace corps” non-profit that mobilizes artists in volunteer service and presents projects—such as NYC’s summertime street pianos—that make the arts accessible to all. A regular arts and culture contributor to The Huffington Post, she has presented and performed at The Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, The Skoll World Forum, Opera America, Aspen Ideas Festival, and The United Nations. Camille has been honored with a World Harmony Torch-Bearer Award, a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Recognition, a 100 Hispanic Women Community Pride Award, and named one of the Top 50 Americans in Philanthropy by Town & Country, NY1’s New Yorker of the Week, and one of CNN’s Most Intriguing People. camillezamora.com ••

Héctor Del Curto Praised by The New York Times as a "splendid player," Argentinean bandoneonist Héctor Del Curto's career, spanning for more than 25 years, has encompassed the traditional Tango, New Tango, Jazz, Classical and World music. As one of the most sought–after bandoneonist, he has performed with luminaries across many musical genres including the Tango legends, Astor Piazzolla and Osvaldo Pugliese, latin jazz giant Paquito D'Rivera, jazz violinst Regina Carter, saxophonist Joe Lovano, violinist Cho–Liang Lin and appeared with prestigious orchestras such as Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, St Louis Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Mobile Symphony and Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra.

Born into a family of bandoneon players, Mr. Del Curto was introduced to the world of Tango and bandoneon by his grandfather, Héctor Cristobal. By the age of 17, he had won the title "Best Bandoneon Player Under 25" Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 27

in Argentina, and was invited to join the orchestra of the legendary Osvaldo Pugliese, the "Last Giant of Tango." In 1999, Mr. Del Curto received the Golden Note Award from the Italian–American Network in recognition of his artistic achievements. As a music director, he directed the spectacular show Forever Tango on Broadway and founded the Eternal Tango Orchestra, a ten piece ensemble. Since the Lincoln Center début in 2003, the Eternal Tango Orchestra (now the Hector Del Curto Tango Orchestra) returned to Lincoln Center for three more engagements and performed at other various venues including the Skirball Center for Performing Arts.

the festival's Artistic Director, he directs the Stowe Tango Music Festival Orchestra, a 20 plus piece tango orchestra comprised of an extraordinary group of selected students from all over the globe and world-class artists including guest tango legends from Argentina.

His celebrated quintet has appeared in venues and festivals such as Lincoln Center, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, Eastman School of Music, Bay Chambers Concerts, National Folk Festival, Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts, Fiesta Iberoamericano de las Artes in Puerto Rico, Festival Internacional da Safona and Copa Fest in Brazil among many others.

He appears in numerous recordings with artists such as Osvaldo Pugliese and Astor Piazzolla on Finally Together (Lucho), Pablo Ziegler on the albums Asphalto, Quintet for the New Tango (BMG), and Tango & All That Jazz, Paquito D'Rivera on Funk Tango, Jazz Clazz and Panamericana Suite Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri on Masterpiece, Plácido Domingo's Encanto del Mar (Sony Classical), Erwin Schrott on Rojotango (Sony Classical), Denyce Graves' The Lost Days (BMG), Absolute Ensemble on Bach Reinvented (Sony Classical), Fernando Otero on Plan, Vital and Pagina de Buenos Aires, Ricardo Arjona's Quién Dijo Ayer and Santo Pecado (Sony International), and Shakira's Laundry Service.

A musician who is dedicated to the education, outreach and preservation of tango music, Mr. Del Curto founded the Stowe Tango Music Festival, the premier tango music festival in the United States, noted both for its unique series of performances and its high level of musical training. As

Mr. Del Curto recently produced and released his second album Eternal Piazzolla featuring his quintet with a sold out CD release concert at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City. He was featured along with his first CD Eternal Tango on BBC News which was televised nationally and internationally and on Public Radio International's The World.

hectordelcurto.com ••

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Matthew Kraemer Recognized for his “musical sensitivity” and “energized sense of interpretation”, Matthew Kraemer is quickly making his mark among young American conductors for his inspired performances and versatility. The Buffalo News has noted, “He presents a tall, dignified and stately podium presence with a quite clear beat, a good sense of shaping melodic lines, and an all business attitude that focused on the music without any histrionics.” Following an extensive international search, Mr. Kraemer was appointed Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra in July 2015. He additionally serves as Music Director of the Butler County Symphony and recently completed his fifth and final season as Music Director of the Erie Chamber Orchestra.

His active guest conducting schedule has included appearances with many of the nation’s finest orchestras, including the Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Columbus, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Nashville, North Carolina, Saint Louis, Spokane, Syracuse, and Toledo symphony orchestras, as well as Canada’s Mississauga Symphony and Hamilton Philharmonic and in Europe with the Vidin Philharmonic and the Orquesta de Cadaqués. Upcoming season highlights include performances of Brahms’ Symphony no. 2, Dvořák’s Symphony no. 8, Nielsen’s Symphony no. 4, Holst’s The Planets, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Strauss’ Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, and a 70th anniversary semistaged production of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me Kate. The 2017-18 season features debut performances with the Niagara Symphony and Marion Philharmonic, in addition to return engagements with the Indianapolis Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Binghamton Philharmonic, and West Michigan Symphony.

Mr. Kraemer served as associate conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic from 2009 to 2014, where he regularly led the orchestra on each of its concert series. A passionate advocate for new music, he has performed the works of many living composers during his career. He has led composer readings and workshops with several orchestras in the United States, in addition to leading BPO and ICO EarShot readings with the American Composers Orchestra on several occasions. Increasingly recognized for his committed advocacy of music education and his devotion to young audiences, he has created numerous arts education programs and has taught at several music festivals both in the United States and abroad. The Buffalo Philharmonic’s awardwinning education concerts grew exponentially under his leadership, expanding to reach over 40,000 students throughout western New York. He played an integral role in the creation of the orchestra’s successful live broadcast concerts with Time Warner Cable, as well as implementing new collaborations with many organizations in the Buffalo community. Prior to his appointment in Buffalo, he served for three seasons as associate conductor of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, where he led the orchestra in over 200 performances statewide. His performances have been broadcast regularly on NPR’s Performance Today.

Recipient of the distinguished Herbert von Karajan Conducting Fellowship and the Bruno Walter Career Development Grant, Mr. Kraemer served a residency with the Vienna Philharmonic at the 2006 Salzburg Music Festival. Equally at home in the opera and ballet pit, his operatic credits include fully-staged MK2productions of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Verdi’s La Traviata, Michael Nyman’s The Man Who Mistook

His Wife for a Hat, Richard Auldon Clark’s Happy Birthday Wanda June (world premiere), Edwin Penhorwood’s Too Many Sopranos, and Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park (American professional premiere), as well as ballet productions with Virginia Ballet Theatre, Ohio Ballet, First Coast Nutcracker, Neglia Ballet Artists, and Todd Rosenlieb Dance. He has collaborated with many leading artists, including Lang Lang, Philippe Quint, Jennifer Koh, Elmar Oliveira, Rachel Barton Pine, David Kim, Gary Karr, Awadagin Pratt, Richard Stolzman, Wu Man, Bela Fleck, Mark O’Connor, Ben Folds, Chris Botti, Jim Brickman, the Indigo Girls, Il Volo, Wynona Judd, and Natalie Merchant, among others.

As a frequent collaborator with Broadway superstar Idina Menzel, he has served as conductor for many of her numerous symphony engagements nationwide.

An Indiana native, Mr. Kraemer studied conducting in Vienna, Austria with Salvador Mas Conde and was twice a fellowship conductor at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. He has additionally participated in the National Arts Center Conductor’s Program in Ottawa, Canada. His conducting teachers include David Zinman, Robert Spano, Stanley DeRusha, and Jorma Panula. Mr. Kraemer is a graduate of Butler University and the University of Nevada, where he assisted former Cincinnati Symphony concertmaster Phillip Ruder.

An accomplished violinist in his own right, he was a member of the Nightingale String Quartet. Fluent in German and French, his principal violin teachers include Phillip Ruder, Herbert Greenberg, and Larry Shapiro. When he is not performing, Mr. Kraemer enjoys cooking, running, and reading. He and his wife Megan reside in Indianapolis with their sons Gabriel and Nathaniel. matthewkraemer.com •• Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 29

Program Notes

Masterpieces

AUSTIN WINTORY (b. 1984) composer-in-residence new work

Scott Speck, conductor Vadim Gluzman, violin

Grammy-nominated and two-time British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award winning composer Austin Wintory's career has straddled the worlds of concert music, film, and video games.

May 18, 2018 / Friday / 7:30 pm

Austin Wintory

composer-in-residence new work

Johannes Brahms Concerto for Violin and Orchestra,

op.77, in D major

I. Allegro non troppo

II. Adagio

III. Allegro giocoso; ma non troppo vivace INTERMISSION Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Symphony no.4, op.36, in F minor I. Andante sostenuto II. Andantino in modo di canzona III. Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato IV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco

In 2012, Austin's award-winning soundtrack for the hit PlayStation3 game Journey became the first ever Grammy-nominated video game score. Since Journey’s release he has composed The Banner Saga which netted two more BAFTA nominations and was met with critical and commercial success. Most recently, Austin wrote and produced the score for Ubisoft's latest entry to their famed Assassin’s Creed franchise: Syndicate.

Austin’s busy schedule includes regular appearances throughout the world. Last season Austin brought three new works to West Michigan, opening with his composition Assassin Dances, a takeoff of his work on the Assassin’s Creed video game, then the world premiere of EPIC, which was commissioned by the Composer Club of the WMS. Finally, the orchestra played the beautiful Balaenoptera Musculus (Blue Whale) from ABZU. This season we will once again will enjoy a world premiere of a work composed expressly for the WMS at the season finale concert; Masterpieces.

JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897) Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 One of the marks of great artists is accurate self-assessment, the knowledge of their strengths and limitations. Like Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky, Brahms sought the advice of a leading violinist when he was composing a concerto for the violin, an instrument with which he was not intimately familiar. Brahms’s long-time friend Joseph Joachim, a Hungarian violinist, composer and educator who for over half a century was the world’s dominant violin virtuoso, was intimately involved in the concerto’s composition. Needless to say, Brahms dedicated it to him. Joachim gave the premiere on New Year’s Day, 1879.

The initial reception of the Concerto was respectful but cool. Its technical demands deterred many violinists, who dubbed it “Concerto against the Violin and Orchestra.” It is, like the other Brahms concerti, a true partnership between soloist and orchestra; virtuosity for its own sake is totally absent. Joachim attempted to have Brahms make it easier for the soloist, but the manuscript of the violin part in the State Library in Berlin, full of Joachim’s suggestions, shows that, in this respect at least, the violinist seldom prevailed.

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30 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

The sunny mood of the concerto is close to that of the Symphony no. 2 in D major, written shortly before. The dreamy opening of the lyrical first movement is gradually infused with joyous energy and culminates, after the cadenza, in a headlong rush to the finish by soloist and orchestra. Joachim wrote a large cadenza for this movement, which is still a favorite with soloists and audiences, although many violinists have written their own.

Brahms’s original plan was for a concerto in four movements, including a scherzo. But he discarded the scherzo and the original slow movement because their style did not mesh with the rest of the work. The slow movement we have today opens with the solo oboe playing one of the most delicate and beautiful melodies in the literature. The violin then embellishes this melody with arabesques (florid ornamentation of a theme), maintaining its special relationship with the oboe throughout.

The middle of the movement becomes more intense and dramatic, but Brahms never loses sight of the theme.

The fiery rondo-finale exploits the melodies and rhythms played by itinerant Rom (Gypsy) musicians in the cafés of central Europe. It is one of the few places where Joachim’s intervention attenuated the difficulties for the violinist. He managed to get Brahms to moderate the movement’s tempo by adding “ma non troppo” (but not too much) to the tempo indication Vivace.

PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Symphony no. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 Throughout Tchaikovsky’s creative career, his inspiration went through extreme cycles tied to his frequent bouts of deep depression and self-doubt. The composition of this symphony in 1877 was strongly influenced by the events in his life that year.

Things were actually looking up for Tchaikovsky during the early part of 1877. He had his first contact with Nadezhda von Meck, the wealthy widow of a railroad builder, who adored Tchaikovsky’s music and arranged to pay him a large annual stipend. The only stipulation she attached to her generous help was that they never meet in person, although they corresponded voluminously. In May he started work on the Fourth Symphony, but in July came his disastrous marriage to one of his students, Antonina Milyukova, who had fallen madly in love with him and had written to him confessing her devotion.

Although Tchaikovsky, who was homosexual, didn’t even remember the girl, he hoped the marriage would still the rumors about his sexual preference. Instead he fled Antonina after two weeks. In total despair, he made a pathetic attempt at suicide (walking into the Moskva River, hoping to die of pneumonia) and ended up in complete mental collapse. To recuperate, his brother Modest took him to Switzerland and Italy, where he picked up work on the symphony, finishing it in January 1878.

Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to Mme. von Meck, expressing his confidence in the new work: “I feel in my heart that this work is the best I have ever written.” He did not return from abroad for the February

1878 premiere in Moscow, which was only a lukewarm success.

Tchaikovsky himself contributed to the notion that the Symphony was programmatic. He wrote to his patroness: "Of course my symphony is programmatic, but this program is such that it cannot be formulated in words. That would excite ridicule and appear comic. Ought not a symphony—that is, the most lyrical of all forms—to be such a work? Should it not express everything for which there are no words, but which the soul wishes to express, and which requires to be expressed?"

The Symphony opens with a sinister fanfare theme for the brass, which recurs several times as the movement unfolds and which Tchaikovsky associated with the cruel exigencies of fate. The anxiety-laden main theme strives towards a resolution that continually seems to elude it.

The relief comes with the second theme, one of Tchaikovsky's inimitable melodies for solo clarinet, and a third played in counterpoint with the clarinet theme by the strings and timpani. The development is based exclusively on the main theme and the fanfare.

A plaintive melody on the oboe, accompanied by pizzicato strings opens the second movement. The pace picks up in the middle section where the composer adds a dance-like melody that becomes increasingly intense until he returns to the gentle oboe theme now in the violins with the woodwinds adding feathery ornaments.

The third movement, Pizzicato ostinato (a persistently repeated phrase, here provided by the plucked strings), is a playful diversion.

It is a typical scherzo and trio. Within the Trio is a medley of tunes, the first for a pair of oboes, the second, a slightly mournful Russian folk tune, also for the upper winds, the third a playful staccato brass riff. The movement ends with a medley of the various themes and instrumental combinations.

In Tchaikovsky's last three symphonies, motivic unity among the movements was to take an increasingly prominent role. The finale of the Fourth is the most “Russian” of Tchaikovsky’s symphonic movements. It is something of a musical battle between the festive and the melancholy, authentic Russian boisterousness set against the angst of the first movement. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that the movement is brought up short towards the end by the reappearance of the fanfare from the opening movement—the specter at the feast. An energetic coda, however, tips the balance into positive territory—or triumph over adversity. •• Audio Web Notes are available online for all masterworks concerts.

Please see page 17 for viewing instructions.

Create a legacy of music when you join this exclusive club. Your donation not only supports the creation of a new musical work by composer-in-residence, Austin Wintory, it entitles you to a host of benefits.

To learn more go to westmichigansymphony.org/ComposerClub or call 231.726.3231.

WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY

COMPOSER CLUB

Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 31

Vadim Gluzman Highlights of his 2016-17 season include appearances in London at The Proms with the BBC Symphony and Edward Gardner, with the Chicago Symphony under Neeme Järvi, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra Hamburg under Christoph von Dohnányi, the Deutsches SymphonieOrchester Berlin under Tugan Sokhiev, and with the Orchestre de Paris under Juraj Valčuha. He will tour the United States with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, including an engagement in New York at Carnegie Hall, and perform with Baltimore Symphony, NHK Orchestra in Tokyo, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in Paris, among other engagements. Gluzman will lead performances with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, Ohio, where he continues in his third year as Creative Partner and Principal Guest Artist.

This season Mr. Gluzman will give the world premiere performances of new concertos written for him by two of today’s most important composers: Sofia Gubaidulina’s Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Bayan with Elsbeth Moser, Nicolas Altstaedt and the NDR Radio Philhamonic in Hannover under Andrew Manze; and Elena Firsova’s Concerto for Violin and Cello with Johannes Moser and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under Tugan Sokhiev. Gluzman has given live and recorded premieres of other works by Gubaidulina, as well as Giya Kancheli, Peteris Vasks, Michael Daugherty, and most recently, Lera Auerbach.

Vadim Gluzman’s latest CD for the BIS label features Sergey Prokofiev’s Violin Concertos no. 1 and 2, as well as the composer’s Sonata for Violin Solo, with Estonian National Orchestra conducted by Neeme Järvi.

Accolades for his extensive discography on BIS include the Diapason d’Or of the Year, Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice, Classica Magazine’s esteemed Choc de Classica award, and Disc of the Month by The Strad, BBC Music Magazine, ClassicFM, and others.

Vadim Gluzman’s extraordinary artistry brings to life the glorious violinistic tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries. Gluzman’s wide repertoire embraces new music and his performances are heard around the world through live broadcasts and a striking catalogue of award-winning recordings exclusively for the BIS label.

The Israeli violinist appears regularly with major orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, London Symphony, and Leipzig Gewandhaus. Gluzman has enjoyed collaborations with many of today’s leading conductors, including Christoph von Dohnányi, Tugan Sokhiev, Sir Andrew Davis, Neeme Järvi, Michael Tilson Thomas, Semyon Bychkov, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Paavo Järvi, Hannu Lintu and Peter Oundjian. His festival appearances include performances at Verbier, Tanglewood, Ravinia, and Lockenhaus, as well as the North Shore Chamber Music Festival in Chicago, Illinois, which was founded

by Gluzman and pianist Angela Yoffe, his wife and recital partner.

32 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

Born in the former Soviet Union in 1973, Gluzman began violin studies at age 7. He studied with Roman Sne in Latvia and Zakhar Bron in Russia before moving to Israel in 1990, where he became a student of Yair Kless. In the United States, he studied with Arkady Fomin in Dallas and at the Juilliard School with Dorothy DeLay and Masao Kawasaki. Early in his career, Gluzman enjoyed the encouragement and mentorship of Isaac Stern which continued until the Stern’s passing in 2001. In 1994 he received the prestigious Henryk Szeryng Foundation Career Award.

Vadim Gluzman plays the legendary 1690 ‘ex-Leopold Auer’ Stradivari on extended loan to him through the generosity of the Stradivari Society of Chicago. vadimgluzman.com •• Vadim Gluzman & Angela Yoffe will be performing @ The Block Sat, May 19, 7:30 pm For tickets or info: theblockwestmichigan.org 231.726.3231

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Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 33

About: West Michigan Symphony

The West Michigan Symphony (WMS) is a widely recognized professional orchestra and proud to be a leader in West Michigan’s cultural community for over 75 years. Mr. A. M. Courtright and Mr. Palmer Quackenbush are credited with early pioneering efforts to provide Muskegon with a symphony orchestra. In November 1939 a musical group of 50 members presented its first concert with Mr. Quackenbush conducting and Mr. Courtright assisting.

Performances were initially held in area schools and later moved to the historic Frauenthal Theater. Built in 1929, the 1724 seat Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts is praised by artists and audiences alike for its extraordinary beauty, excellent acoustics and broad sight lines.

Today WMS is comprised of professional musicians of the highest caliber playing extremely challenging repertoire and presenting some of the world’s most talented guest artists. WMS performs

eight subscription concerts (five classical and three pops) per season. In the past 77 years WMS has seen nine conductors including Quackenbush, Tauno Hannikainen, Hugo Kolberg, Wayne Dunlap, Lyman Starr, John Wheeler, Philip Greenberg, Murray Gross, and current Music Director Scott Speck.

In 2013 WMS moved its offices into new headquarters on the second floor of the Russell Block Building at 360 W. Western Avenue. Adjacent to the offices is "The Block," an intimate concert and education space. With flexible seating for up to 150, it features a small balcony, windows facing Muskegon Lake, and an outdoor deck made of recycled materials with green spaces. The Block allows WMS to increase its presence in downtown Muskegon by offering first floor, street-accessible ticket operations and presenting smaller concerts and performances, which welcome artists in genres from jazz, to classical, to cabaret, to alternative.

OUR MUSICIANS At the heart of the Symphony are our musicians and for the majority of them, music is their livelihood. When they aren’t practicing, rehearsing or performing a classical or pops concert with WMS, many of them are working with orchestras throughout West Michigan and beyond, including those in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Midland, Battle Creek, Holland and Traverse City. Last season the WMS roster included more than 71 professional core musicians and an additional 83 professional substitute musicians. Auditions were held in the spring of 2017 for the open Oboe II position and we’re pleased to welcome Mika Allison to the WMS family as a result of that process.

With advanced degrees in performance and a commitment to symphonic music, you will find many of our musicians on the music faculties of major Michigan universities, teaching privately, giving recitals, and playing with fellow musicians in small ensembles. Our musicians are part of a strong core of professional artists around which our organization and the local arts and business community is built.

If you joined us in concert last season, you may have enjoyed their talents in symphonies by Dvořák, Tchaikovsky and Mozart; some of our orchestra members were featured for their individual talents in Respighi’s The Pines of Rome and in the incomparable Beethoven Triple.

Last season our orchestra also tackled three new works from our composer-in-residence, Austin Wintory, one composed expressly for the WMS. This season you will see more of this type of inventive programming, as well as the classical works you know and love.

34 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

SCOTT SPECK, MUSIC DIRECTOR Scott Speck has inspired international acclaim as a conductor of passion, intelligence and winning personality. Music Director of the West Michigan Symphony since 2002, he is also Music Director of the Mobile Symphony, Music Director for the Joffrey Ballet and Artistic Director of the Chicago Philharmonic Society. When you attend a West Michigan Symphony concert you'll find the way Speck communicates his love and knowledge of the repertoire makes each concert a memorable musical experience.

Among Speck's many credits include conductor at London’s Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, the Paris Opera, Washington’s Kennedy Center, San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House, the Los Angeles Music Center, and he was invited to the White House as Music Director of the Washington Ballet. He has led performances with the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Houston, New Orleans, Beijing, Vancouver, Chicago (Sinfonietta), Paris, Moscow, Shanghai, Romania, Slovakia, Buffalo, Columbus (OH), Honolulu, Louisville, Oregon, Rochester, Florida and Virginia, and more.

Previously he held positions as Conductor of the San Francisco Ballet, Music Advisor and Conductor of the Honolulu Symphony, and Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Opera. During a tour of Asia he was named Principal Guest Conductor of the China Film Philharmonic in Beijing.

Speck is the co-author of two best-selling books on classical music, the recently released second edition of Classical Music for Dummies, and Opera for Dummies. Speck has also co-authored a third book in the series, Ballet for Dummies.

Mr. Speck has been a regular commentator on National Public Radio, the BBC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Voice of Russia. He has been featured in TEDx talks in Muskegon and at the Aspen Ideas Festival. His writing has been featured in numerous magazines and journals.

Born in Boston, Scott Speck graduated summa cum laude from Yale University. There he founded and directed the Berkeley Chamber Orchestra, which continues to perform to this day. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Berlin, where he founded Concerto Grosso Berlin, an orchestra dedicated to the performances of Baroque and Classical music in a historically informed style. He received his Master’s Degree with highest honors from the University of Southern California, served as a Conducting Fellow at the Aspen School of Music, and studied at the Tanglewood Music Center. He is fluent in English, German and French, has a diploma in Italian, speaks Spanish and has a reading knowledge of Russian.

Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 35

Alexander Zonjic and Friends, 2016

Dee Daniels, 2017

Harpeth Rising, 2016

THE BLOCK Located in downtown Muskegon, The Block is a beautifully restored performance space that boasts state of the art lighting, sound and electronic equipment, and a rooftop deck with views of Muskegon Lake. Since its “birth” in 2013, The Block has produced over 65 performances and provided space for over 80 events, bringing over 6,000 people to downtown Muskegon.

With a mission to enrich the quality of life in our community, The Block provides downtown Muskegon with an intimate space for musical performances by a wide range of professional and local musicians. A thoughtfully curated selection of local, national, and internationally-known musical artists are engaged to perform at The Block each season, providing opportunities for music lovers of all genres to experience something new.

Embarking on its fifth season, The Block continues to attract new and diverse audiences to the downtown district.

Highlights of the 2016-17 season included violinist Tim Fain in a multimedia performance, and jazz performances by the Rodney

Whitaker Quartet, guitarists Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, and vocalist Dee Daniels. Our own WMS musicians were featured in several concerts as well. Violist Csaba Erdélyi presented eastern European folk music with cellist David Peshlakai, clarinetist Lisa Raschiatore performed classical music with her woodwind trio, Protea, and violinist Britta Portenga and her band, Legal Rehab closed the season with a selection of classic rock music favorites. The Block also featured a wide variety of vocalist-musicians including Harpeth Rising, a trio of classically trained musicians playing “newgrass” music, sopranos Martha Guth and Amy Petrongelli, with an evening of classical song, and the professional acapella vocal octet, Audivi.

As the fabric of communities across our country continues to evolve, The Block continues to grow and innovate artistically as well. In order to better serve our neighbors, we continually look for ways to provide fresh educational and artistic programs that resonate with them, with a goal of reaching a new generation of music lovers.

Tim Fain, 2017

36 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

WMS Children's Choir Spring Concert, 2017

Debut Strings Spring Concert, 2017

Clickity Clackity Ho Ho Ho

Instrument Petting Zoo

EDUCATION West Michigan Symphony believes that a foundation in music education can give kids the tools they need to better navigate through life. We are dedicated to providing our local youth with programs that will help them develop an appreciation for music that they will carry with them their entire lives. We continually strive to provide opportunities for music enrichment and educational activities for audiences of every age, economic status and background.

WMS reaches deeply into our community to inspire the next generation of music lovers through its Block-based music programs and by extending its programs to area schools.

LINK UP The largest of our education programs, WMS Link Up is beginning its 14th year of school partnerships, reaching six West Michigan counties, serving over 54 elementary schools and over 5000 children.

In collaboration with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, WMS is the only orchestra to present the program continually since Carnegie Hall unrolled their national partnership. Provided free to participating schools, WMS Link Up is a beginner music education program that pairs our orchestra with local community schools, students learn to read and play music on the recorder, meet WMS professional musicians in their classroom, and gain an understanding of the orchestra and orchestral repertoire through a yearlong, hands-on music curriculum that culminates with a spring concert in the Frauenthal Theater.

WEST MICHIGAN SYMPHONY CHILDREN’S CHOIR (WMSCC) The WMSCC is an audition based choir for children ages 8-11. With the goal of providing children quality music education of the highest level, we strive to enrich the lives of youth from all backgrounds and to be an integral part of the artistic community in West Michigan.

In the 2016-2017 season, the WMSCC grew in size and experience!

Under the direction of Beth Slimko, the members of the children’s choir performed throughout the year and the community; concerts were held at the Muskegon Museum of Art during the Festival of the Trees, the Mona Shores District Library, on stage at the WMS Holiday Pops concert and the WMS Link Up school concerts.

DEBUT STRINGS Debut Strings introduces beginning and intermediate students to large ensemble performance through challenging and diverse repertoire.

Meeting on Monday nights at The Block, students with at least two years of playing experience and strong note reading skills come together to challenge themselves, build confidence performing and to enhance their current school programs. Debut Strings is led by Angela Corbin, Orchestra Director at North Muskegon Public Schools. Debut Strings rehearses once a week throughout the fall and spring, performs two concerts annually at The Block and schedules other performance opportunities in the community.

Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 37

CLICK CLACK MOOSIC Created by WMS, Click Clack Moosic is based on books by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin. Children and their families attend a musical storytelling event where they meet WMS musicians and learn new music skills through fun and interactive skits. In these performances, children listen to a narration of one of the Click Clack Moo series of books while Symphony musicians perform music composed specifically for the Click Clack stories. All four Click Clack stories give children a fun way to learn musical concepts and experience how music can tell a great story.

MUSIC MENTOR PROGRAM The Music Mentor program places WMS professional musicians into elementary school music programs that are participating in Link Up. The music mentors travel to schools throughout the region, becoming an integral part of their classroom experience and enriching the Link Up music curriculum all year long. Kids

have the opportunity to meet and learn from professional musicians and gain an understanding that music is something that everyone can learn to play, sing and enjoy. In 2016-17, seven music mentors completed 94 in-school visits to area classrooms.

INSTRUMENT PETTING ZOO Providing a hands-on experience creating sounds on musical instruments, the WMS Instrument Petting Zoo is an exciting way to show children they have the potential to play an instrument well before middle school band programs begin.

Offered regionally at elementary schools, community events and as an occasional pre-concert activity for youth and families attending a WMS concert, the Petting Zoo features instruments from each of the four families (strings, woodwind, brass and percussion) and children are able to handle and play them during the 45-minute program.

To get involved or to support any of these programs financially, contact Karen Vander Zanden, Director of Education, at 231.726.3231 or kvanderzanden@westmichigansymphony.org Students playing their recorders at Link Up, 2017

COMMUNITY OUTREACH Seasonally, WMS donates hundreds of concert tickets to charitable organizations. Last season we were especially pleased to partner with the MAISD to reach staff, students and families from Muskegon Area schools, giving them an opportunity to attend a West Michigan Symphony concert for free.

All WMS education programs offer needs-based scholarships so no child is denied an opportunity to participate simply because they cannot afford tuition. Grants are actively sought throughout the year and this funding allows the WMS to bring a selection of their music education programs to local schools, community events and non-profit organizations.

Each season free “Lunch n’ Learn” sessions invite the community to bring a lunch and get better acquainted with upcoming concert repertoire; joining in conversation with Music Director Scott Speck and an invited musician. This program continues into the 2017-18 season with sessions scheduled at The Block the Wednesday afternoon prior to each Masterworks concert.

A visible presence in the community, WMS and The Block have been pleased to serve our area through a diverse array of programming and educational outreach, making Muskegon a great place to live, work and play.

38 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

Brookhaven Medical Care Facility

1890 E. Apple Avenue

•

Muskegon, MI 49442

f i l l e d w i t h l i f e! www.brookhavenmcf.org

Expert medical care in a safe, supportive environment • Secure Memory Care

Join us this season as we continue the popular Lunch n’ Learn series.

• After-Hospital Care • Short-Term Rehabilitation • Long-Term Care • Respite Care • Comfort/End of Life Care

Spacious, comfortable, private and semi-private rooms Medicare, Medicaid and Private Insurance We invite you to get to know us. For more information or a tour of Brookhaven, please call 231.724.3500.

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO PREPARE FOR IT.

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The Block | 360 W Western Ave | 2nd floor Coffee and water provided, bring your own lunch Doors open at 11:45 am Wednesday, September 27, Noon Lunch n’ Learn: Ravel & Gershwin Wednesday, November 8, Noon Lunch n’ Learn: Enigma Variations Wednesday, January 10, Noon Lunch n’ Learn: Germanic Classics Wednesday, February 28, Noon Lunch n’ Learn: Classical Music for Everyone Wednesday, May 16, Noon Lunch n’ Learn: Masterpieces Sign up for our e-newsletter to get updates.

Proud supporter of the West Michigan Symphony.

A BETTER PARTNERSHIP‰ WNJ.com Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 39

Contributors This season we have compiled our donor list to represent total gifts made by each donor household from August 1, 2016, through July 31, 2017.

We have provided a key to the symbols representing the funds to which each donor contributes. If there is no symbol behind a donor name, their entire donation was made to our Annual Fund, also known as the Sustaining Fund.

We have given careful attention to ensure a complete and accurate list. If your name has been misspelled or omitted, please accept our apologies and inform us of the error by calling 231.726.3231.

Annual Sustaining Fund (S) The generosity of the numerous individuals, corporations and foundations that support the Annual Fund has been instrumental in advancing the artistry and musical excellence of the West Michigan Symphony. We extend our deepest appreciation to you for helping to make the West Michigan Symphony a cultural touchstone in our community.

75th Anniversary Circle Campaign (D & A) In honor of the Symphony’s 75th Anniversary, Mike and Kay Olthoff generously offered a 3-year challenge match up to $75,000 each year beginning in 2014. Thank you to the many supporters who made a 3-year pledge or a gift during this significant fundraising campaign.

Education Fund (E) West Michigan Symphony is dedicated to providing programs that will help children develop an appreciation for music that they will carry with them their entire lives. Your donations to the Education Fund help the WMS to provide in-house music instruction programs as well as music enrichment opportunities that reach deeply into our local schools and community organizations.

Composer Club (C) A composer club is a group of people who combine their resources to support the development of new works by commissioning a composer to write a new piece of orchestral music. Members of our Composer Club are active participants in the creation of a legacy of music for the future.

Past Presidents (P) The WMS Past Presidents club provides ongoing support via dues and stewardship to the WMS after their term as Board Chairperson is completed.

S Denotes Sustaining Fund donation E Denotes an Education donation P Denotes a Past President Member C Denotes a Composer Club Member

D Denotes 75th Anniversary Circle Campaign Diamond Circle Member A Denotes 75th Anniversary Circle Campaign Member * Denotes a fund of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County ** Denotes a fund of the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation

DONORS $10,000 and up Jan & Chris Deur C D E S Deborah Devoursney Pat & Julie Donahue D E Robert & Wendy Kersman C D E P S Michael & Kay Olthoff C D E P S $5,000 – $9,999 Jon & Jane Blyth C E S Pete & Sherry Brown C D E P S William & Mary Lou Eyke C D S David Gerdes & Carolyn Gerdes-Smith Bari Johnson C S Daniel & Sheryl Kuznar D E S Scott & Donna Lachniet Maurice Libner & Susan Scupin E in tribute to Robert Libner

CDP

$2,000 – $4,999 Roger & Marilyn Andersen C D S Anonymous Susan & William Bissell A C P

40 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

Dr. Harold Bowman Marcia D'Oyly P S Martha Giacobassi E S Carla Hill A C S Paul & Karen Jackson C D S Charles Johnson D Thomas & Pat Kelso D S Amy Klop John & Jessie Martin D S Barbara Murphy D S Joanna & Fred Norris P S John & Becky Slimko C E S Michael & Corina Soimar Scott Speck C D Jane & Tim Stoepker Peter Turner C E P S Judy Wilcox D E S $1,000 – $1,999 Charles & Gloria Alstrom Anonymous (3) Bruce & Paula Baker P S Luanne & Bill Baldridge D S Grace & Paul Benedict Cathy & Bernie Bernston Fund *

Michael Cerminaro, DDS & Connie Verhagen, DDS Mark & Kristina Clark Don & Kathy Dahlstrom A S matched in part by Mott Foundation Cathlen & Robert A Dubault D S Eugene & Karen Fethke Dr. Tom & Heidi Hill Paul & Barbara Kidd D S Robert & Jo Ann Landman P S Mark & Bonnie Meengs Monica Morse Steve & Deborah Olsen Mary Payne E Mary L. Price Fund C S Susan Rehrer A S John Saling Chip & Susan Sawyer P S Mort & Gayle Speck C S Alan Steinman C E S Susan & Stephen Struck A E S David & Linda Taylor A S Virginia Van Vleck Michael & Patricia Wade A S Steven & Rebecca Westphal A

August 1, 2016 – July 31, 2017 $600 – $999 Herbert & Anne Bevelhymer Gordon & Mary Buitdendorp Maureen Campbell Bob & Charlotte Chessman A S Orville Crain & Susan Cloutier-Crain A S Dr. Donald & Nancy Crandall A S Dr. & Mrs. David Deitrick AS Mary Douville Darcy Dye Robert & Clara Harrell Thomas & Diane Jones Kent & Charlotte Krive Employees of Nichols in honor of Mike & Kay Olthoff Garry & Charlotte Olson E S Dr. & Mrs. Richard W. Peters Gabe & Beth Slimko A Carol Parker Thompson & Jerry Engle A E S Elinore Verplank Jolee Wennersten Paul Wilson A Kenneth & Marguerite Winter $300 – $599 Christine Adams Ted & Francine Anton Douglas Bard Sandy & Allen Beck E S Gary & Rhonda Bogner C Robert & Dr. Mary Boyer Ardythe Bulthouse-Kroes Joe & Natalie Carmolli A S Curtis Chambers Rudy & Pat Chmelar James & Diana Cornell Ron & Julie Cornetet Mr. & Mrs. William Cross III E S Gust & Mary Danigelis Janet Day Dortha Manning DeWitt Bruce & Esther Drukker Ron Fritz Donald & Betty Goodman John & Linda Hilt William & Nancy Hohmeyer Cornelia Holley A S Barbara & Hugh Hornstein Wilda James John & Mary Jamieson David Jespersen Pat & Tom Johnson Bruce & Mary Krueger Clara Lang E P in memory of Robert Slager Joan Leder A Charles Matthews & Kay Cater Matthews Gary & Angie Nelund C Hester Newton E in memory of Robert Slager

Elmer Ogg Fred Panyard Gay & William Petersen Dr. & Mrs. Nicolas Pietrangelo Britta & Roy Portenga Denis & Barbara Potuznik Sylvia Precious A P Faye Redmond & Donna Little John & Marilyn Ruck James M. Rynberg matched by Gerber Foundation Steve Schneider & Keely Payne-Schneider Sue Schuiteman Jocelyn Shaw & Doug Hannik A S Helen & Jay Smith A S Dr. F. Remington & Ginny Sprague Anbritt & Darlene Stengele Bryce & Marti Tallant James & MaryAnn Thelen Donald & Jane Tjarksen Richard & Gay Tourre E S Mary Towner A S Tom & Liz Trzaska Roger & Rebecca Tuuk E S Bill & Shirley Walther John & Peggy Whitlock E George & Deborah Worden Jon & Carol Workman Janet Wright Robert & Joanne Zayko A S $100 – $299 Ross Aden Ronald & Nancy Anderson A Anonymous (4) Barbara Bancroft A Barbara Bates-Lalick Paul & Joan Bergmann A Jo & Jim Bidle David & Barbara Bloomfield Bonnie Borgeson Arthur Brown Jack & Marilyn Brown Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Brown A S Sterling & Greta Bushnell Marie Bustin Joyce Carpenter Tony & Jessica Chandler George & Deborah Chmelar Dr. Paul & Nancy Christie Valerie Church-McHugh Ruth Clark Richard & Gay Cole Lee & Darlene Collet David & Marie Culver Terry & Sandy Degroot Ed DeJong & Ms. Diane Van Wesep Jane Denman Calvin Deur Hon. & Mrs. Graydon Dimkoff

A

Dennis & Barbara Dryer Doris Ducey Janice Dyer Gregory & Amanda Dykhouse Valerie Eggert A Jackie & Robert Engel Joel Engel Harold & Mary Englund Jean Enright E S Tim & Anne Erickson A Robert & Ann Erler Wallace & Jane Ewing Fran Fisher Carol Folkert Tom & Janet Fortenbacher Fred & Charlotte Franczek Fund * Frank Galante & Paula DeGregorio James & Susan Geisler A Michael & Bonnie Gluhanich Marjorie Gorajec Marcia Grasman Donald & Kay Green A S Rev. Gerald & Susan Hagans Helga Hamm Kimberly Hammond Bill & Ellen Hanichen Marjorie K. Harrison Gary & Anita Hasper John & Barbara Hermanson Patricia Hesling A S Herbert & Elinore Hoeker John & Terry Hoekstra Gwendolyn Hoffman David & Mary Hogan Bruce & Donna Hood Kenneth & Maria Hoopes Mary Ann Howe E Ed Hunt & Nancy McCarthy Patricia Hunt P Linda Jabas Stephen & Debra Jackson Robert & Louise Jewell Don & Penny Johnson Dr. Mort & Maxine Kantor David & Loretta Kasprzyk Jack & Joanne Kelley Robert & Norann Kelly Justin & Kathleen Kleaveland Randy & Debra Knapp E S Pete & Marilyn Kunz Mr. & Mrs. Paul Ladas Jerry Lang Phyllis Laurin Ken & Christine Lee Mary Lombard Kelley Lynn Linda Maher Sandy Majeski Deborah Margules Cynthia Mazurek Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 41

Contributors Linda McKendry Paul & Winnie McNergney Jim & Shirley Meeks Alice Michaud Robert & Susan Mixer Phyllis Monte-Holtrop Richard & Nancy Morgenstern Martha Muir Ed & Ginevra Naill Kathryn Neumann Perry & Deb Newson P Patrick O'Leary E Kenneth & Katherine Olthoff Jason & Jamye Olthoff E Steve & Kathy Ongert A Mario Orsini Richard & Gay Pardini Thomas Pascoe & Ms. Jean Stein Virginia Pastoor David & Beth Pickard Irene Pierson A Travis & Michelle Piper E Gary & Beth Post Alburt & Elizabeth Posthuma Jim & Debbie Potter Russell & Margaret Price A S Bruce & Shirley Privacky Linda Quaine William & Avis Randall Jane Connell & Steve Rosen Joyce Richards Dr. & Mrs. Gary Robertson Jill Sanders Laird Schaefer Duane & Susan Schecter Gwynne & Steve Schoff Michael & Debby Schubert Robert N & Merle N Scolnik Advised Fund * Jonathan Seyferth Glenn Sheathelm Harrison & Charlynne Sikkenga Jay & Joanne Sikkenga Colleen & Joe Skendzel Dar Smith Hayden Smith Joan Hiles Smith Rita Smith Vivian Sorden A S Julie Stewart & Bill Papo Leon & Dzintra Stille Clifford & Lucia Storr A Robert Strauss Robet & Lee Suits Janet Sutherland A

S Denotes Sustaining Fund donation E Denotes an Education donation P Denotes a Past President Member C Denotes a Composer Club Member 42 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program

August 1, 2016 – July 31, 2017 Dan & Ann Tabor P Barbara & John Tevebaugh Peter & Judy Theune Marvin Thomas A Warren Tibbitts Jack & Judy Tierney Chuck & Peggy Tyler Cornel & Trudi VanTol Dr. Paul Voss Jerry & Alice Waterous Dan & Nancy Weller Sue Wierengo P David & Juanita Wikman Dr. Roy Winegar & Ms. Barbara Klingenmaier Jessica Wolin & Mr. Frank Crownover A Mary & Robert Wygant Louise Yonkers E

CORPORATE, ART COUNCIL & FOUNDATION DONORS $50,000 and up Nichols E S $20,000 - $49,999 Greatest Needs Fund ** Hines E S MCACA

A

E

Up to $999 AJ Flogge Performing Arts Fund * Ann & Bud Eichmann Fund * E Annis Water Resources Institute Century Club Shops on Western & Port City Construction and Development Greater Muskegon Service League E H&S Companies John L Wheeler Memorial Scholarship * E McCroskey Law Mercy Health E Muskegon Awning & Fabrication SAF Holland Witt Buick Endowment Fund John & Susan Cress Thomas & Rita Higgins Hester P Newton Randall & Gretchen Rhoades

E

The Block Concert Underwriters 2017-2018 Season

$10,000 - $19,999 DTE Energy Foundation E Harbor Steel & Supply Corporation Meijer Warner Norcross & Judd LLP $5,000 - $9,999 Fremont Area Community Foundation Howmet Community Fund * JSJ Foundation Leonel L & Mary Loder Fund * Northern Trust Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge Verplank Donor Advised Fund ** Women's Division of the Chamber of Commerce E Youth Advisory Council * E $1,000 - $4,999 Alcoa Howmet Corporation Comerica Bank E Jean & Clarke Manning Fund * E Newkirk Electric Billie Klont Greinke Memorial Fund *

Hung & Elsie Liang Fund for Music ** Marion A & Ruth K Sherwood Family Fund ** E Maas Foundation Paul A. Johnson Foundation E Pratt & Whitney E Samuel L. Westerman Foundation E

E

ADAC Frank & Susan Bednarek Consumers Energy Jan & Chris Deur Eagle Alloy Inc Grand Valley State University Hooker Dejong Huntington Robert & Wendy Kersman Lorin Industries MasterTag Mercy Health Michigan Office Solutions Muskegon Community College Nichols Steve & Deborah Olsen PNC Bank Rehmann Shape Corporation Shoreline Insurance

E

D Denotes 75th Anniversary Circle Campaign Diamond Circle Member A Denotes 75th Anniversary Circle Campaign Member * Denotes a fund of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County ** Denotes a fund of the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation

Sound to Color / Our Prélude Cover When someone experiences sensation in one sense in response to stimulus in another it’s called synesthesia. A variant of that is chromesthesia, where colors, forms, or shapes are visualized when hearing music. For instance, the sound of a trumpet might conjure an orange circle in space, or simply sound "orange".

Synesthetes are eight times more likely to work in a creative capacity—and quite a few talented artists through history, including Geoffrey Rush, Billy Joel, and Duke Ellington, have had it. In fact, composers Franz Liszt and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov famously disagreed on the colors of musical keys!

The cover of this prélude concert magazine illustrates the first 30-seconds of much of the music in the 2017-18 season using audio spectrum waveform, an abstract graphic display for sound. Using the key below, match the color and shape of the corresponding work and when you hear it in concert, imagine yourself experiencing sound as Duke Ellington or Franz Liszt may have done!

LEFT TO RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM 1: Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue 2: Mendelssohn Symphony no.1 C minor 3: Wagner Overture to The Flying Dutchman 4: Elgar Enigma Variations 5: Sibelius Finlandia 6: O'Carolan from A Celtic Christmas 7: Gershwin An American in Paris 8: Strauss Horn Concerto no.1 9: De Falla Miller's Dance 10: Dvořák Cello Concerto in B minor

11: Fanny Mendelssohn Overture in C major 12: Ravel Pavane for a Dead Princess 13: Milonga Del Angel from Tango Caliente!

14: Gliére Russian Sailors' Dance 15: Ravel Piano Concerto in G major 16: Tchaikovsky Symphony no.4 in F minor 17: Flying Theme from E.T. from Hollywood's Greatest Hits 18: Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun 19: Daugherty Raise the Roof 20: Copland Hoe Down

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Volume 6//September 2017 – May 2018 :: 45

46 :: West Michigan Symphony Concert Program