ENCORE!
Issue 2
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Issue 2
July 2016
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA PHILHARMONIC
IN THIS ISSUE
Something for everyone!
Nancy Sanderson, Executive Director
One of the goals of our newsletter is
to portray our orchestra as vibrant,
passionate and energetic. Many
people think of orchestras as
conservative, traditional, formal and
somewhat faceless. We want to
break out of that mold and present
you with many faces of our
orchestra. People are an integral part
of our whole look, just as much as
music or instruments. To that end,
you’ll be reading interesting facts
about our musicians such as their
hobbies, favorite books, recipes—all
of the things that “make them
tick!” I hope you enjoy getting to
know this incredible group of
musicians!
If you have not yet purchased your
subscription to our 2016-2017
Season, I urge you to do so ASAP.
The Masterworks Series has a great
line-up of popular classics such as an
all-Beethoven concert and Dvorak’s
beloved New World Symphony.
We’re also excited about our Pops
Series at Mohegan Sun, which will
feature the Wicked Divas, Music of
the Oscars and a tribute to Billy Joel
and Elton John. We’re thrilled that
the PNC Pops Series will be held at
Mohegan Sun Pocono this season!
“Heroes. Passion. Inspiration.”
Free valet parking, access to
wonderful restaurants and shops,
and the fantastic Pops concerts
combine to make a perfect evening
out on the town! Check out our
website for special hotel and
restaurant packages before and after
each concert.
We take an inside look into the music of the
Philharmonic’s Season and how this theme
came about, with emphasis on the allBeethoven concert in September.
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This season has something for
everyone! We think the one thing
that will make the 2016-2017 Season
absolutely perfect is your presence!
Please join us!
If you have any questions, please
don’t hesitate to call the office at
570-270-4444 or visit our website at
www.nepaphil.org.
Warm regards,
Nancy
Tabadabadoo
How does a man and his bass fit into a trailer
and save room for music? Read about bassist
Daniel McDougall’s travel adventures and his
blog, named after his first trailer from T@B.
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Upcoming
Performances
SEPTEMBER 17th-18th – AN ALLBEETHOVEN PROGRAM
Join us to experience the explosive
energy and powerful sound of one of
the world’s greatest composers!
Works Played:
MAESTRO LAWRENCE LOH
Maestro Loh serves as the Music
Director for the Northeastern
Philharmonic, Symphoria and the
Syracuse Opera Company. In addition,
he has served as guest conductor of
the Pittsburgh Symphony, Dallas
Symphony and the Colorado
Symphony. Most recently he made his
debut at Tanglewood, where he
conducted Shostakovich’s 5th
Symphony with the Young Artists
Orchestra.
Overture to “The Creatures of
Prometheus” Op. 43
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor Op.
37 (featuring Shai Wosner on Piano)
Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op.
55 (“Eroica”)
Saturday, September 17th at 8 pm
at the Theatre at North (1529 N.
Main Ave., Scranton, PA)
Sunday September 18th at 3 pm at
the Kirby Center for the Creative
Arts (201 North Sprague Ave,
Kingston, PA)
MÉLISSE BRUNET
Mélisse Brunet was the Guest
Conductor for the Independence Day
concerts. She began playing cello, later
adding trumpet and French horn to her
instrument repertoire. As a native of
Paris, she graduated from the
University of la Sorbonne and the Paris
Conservatory. She received her
Doctorate degree from the prestigious
University of Michigan’s conducting
program. She now serves as the
Assistant Conductor of the
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Philharmonic.
“Heroes. Passion. Inspiration.”
An Inside Look at This Season’s Theme
There are many hidden stories behind great classical
works that often don’t get the attention they deserve. The
goal of the Philharmonic is to bring some of these to life
by focusing on the great heroics of these ordinary
composers and how they dealt with the issues of their
times.
The first concert of the season is an all-Beethoven
program. Beethoven lived in a time of shifting political
powers, namely the French Revolution. He was so inspired
by Napoleon’s ideals that “Eroica” was originally dedicated
to him and known as “The Bonaparte Symphony.” When
Napoleon instead named himself Emperor of France,
Beethoven immediately changed the name of the
symphony in rage and had to think about what the piece
meant to him then. With his own struggles and challenges
in mind, he decided that the symphony would be
dedicated to the great heroics of humanity as a whole.
This season then explores the works of Russian
composers in November and brings to life the heroics in
their lives and in the stories they tell. For the last two
Masterworks concerts in March and May, the heroics are
brought to a local level. The pieces in March are meant to
bring out the passion of the orchestra musicians and allow
them the heroic spotlight. Then the grand finale in May
combines passion, inspiration and heroes with Mozart’s
“Requiem” (a piece filled with intense emotion) and
Dvorak’s “From the New World” (a “love letter” to the
heroes who founded America.) Many guests will join us
this season such as Shai Wosner, Arnaud Sussman,
Meredith Lustig, Kaleigh Decker, Cameron Schutza,
Matthew Scollin, and the Philharmonic Festival Chorus.
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TABADABADOO
Bassist Daniel McDougall doesn’t
always have a room to stay in
when playing music. “I first
camped for concerts when I began
playing with NEPA Phil in the 90’s
– with a little 2-person tent with
the bass next to me in October!”
The musician loves traveling
across the country, as he details in
his travel blog. He started it to
share his adventures with family
and friends, and 157 posts later, it
has 23,000 views, and 5,000
unique visitors.
While he’s out exploring, he plays
with orchestras. During the week
of the 7th, he stayed in the trailer
while he played a weekend with
Gretna Music.
The Orchestra’s Latest Outings
At the end of June, the
Philharmonic celebrated
Philharmonic Day at the
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
Railriders PNC Field. We
learned that Maestro Loh sure
can pitch! When he threw out
the first pitch at the RailRiders
game, he pitched fast, right
over the plate and with great
form. Three members of the
Philharmonic’s Mentorship
Program performed “God Bless
America.”
The orchestra also performed
in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre
for Independence Day. Their
line-up was a mix of patrotic
favorites and crowd favorites;
“May the Fourth be with you,”
conductor Mélisse Brunet
proclaimed before the orchestra
played the Main Theme of Star Wars.
Cellist Jeremy Lamb performed live
music at the 3rd annual Yoga on the
Roof. Over sixty people came out to
the one-hour yoga class on the roof
of the Medallion Garage in Scranton.
Why does he travel? “I love the
freedom of having an escape pod
parked in the driveway, and using
it to balance the crazy life of a
free-lancing musician with a little
natural peace and quiet.”
Keep up with Daniel’s adventures
and the music that goes with them
at
https://tabadabadoo.wordpress.
com/ .
Nancy Sanderson with Quills, the
RailRiders’ porcupine mascot.
Below: Maestro Loh’s family, staff
members, friends of the orchestra
and Maestro Loh take a picture
with the ball thrown.
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The Orchestra’s Latest Outings (continued)
Above: Mentorship Program
students perform at the top of the
7th inning.
Left: A close-up of the pit shows
the American flag draped behind
the orchestra. Above: Mélisse
Brunet conducts the orchestra
with passion at the Martz
Pavilion in Kirby Park, WilkesBarre. Right: the rain in WilkesBarre doesn’t stop the fireworks!
Left: Jeremy Lamb plays for
the yoga enthusiasts as they
assume the calm Lotus
position.
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Meet the Newcomers! (Part 2)
This second installment of “Meet the
Newcomers” is continued from Issue
1 of Encore! (June 2016.) The
musicians featured in this issue are
Ani Gregorian (Oboe 2) and Wendy
Case and Alexander “Sasha”
Margolis of the violin section.
Ani Gregorian (Oboe 2)
Ani Gregorian (O boe 2 )
Anahid Gregorian has recently
returned to the United States, after
completing three years as Co-Principal
Oboe of the Hyogo Performing Arts
Center Orchestra (Japan). While she
was living in Japan, she also enjoyed
freelancing with the Osaka
Philharmonic and the Osaka Shion
Wind Orchestra. Prior to this
appointment, she earned her Master
of Music degree from DePaul
University, where she studied with
Eugene Izotov, Principal Oboe of the
San Francisco Symphony. She
received her Bachelor of Music Degree
at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music,
where she studied with Alex Klein and
Robert Walters. She has also
attended the Music Academy of the
West, Aspen Music Festival and
School, and the Vermont Mozart
Festival. While at Oberlin,
Ms. Gregorian studied the Japanese
language for three years, which led to
an interest in making music abroad.
What is your music background? Is
your family musical?
My mother, Julie Gregorian, is
Assistant Principal Bassoon of the
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. My
father, Arnold Gregorian, also played
Double Bass in the BSO for many
years. He recently retired, but still
maintains his rosin business
at gregorianstrings.com. He enjoys
producing and selling his Double
Bass rosin to customers all over the
world. Because both of my parents
play lower pitched instruments, I
wanted to choose a higher pitched
instrument!
How often and for how long do
you practice?
All oboe players must make their
own reeds, so before I can practice, I
have to make a reed to play on first! I
am always working on reeds in
various stages, usually for about 2 to
3 hours a day. In terms of practice, I
try to approach each session with a
purpose or goal in mind. I am much
more interested in high quality
practice so I can get the most out of
my time. Accordingly, my practice
time varies depending on what I
have planned for that day.
How do you handle mistakes
during a performance?
In performances, I try to bring a calm
sense of awareness to the present
moment. If I think about something
that has already happened, I won’t
be able to focus on the music I am
playing right at that moment. Also, if
I am thinking too much about a big
solo coming ahead, I can make
myself more nervous!
Who are your favorite musicians?
Composers? Groups? CD's?
I like to listen to great singers so I can
try to emulate their beautiful lines in
my own playing. Jessye Norman,
Rolando Villazon, and Anna
Netrebko, just to name a few.
What are your fondest musical
memories?
In Japan, I enjoyed playing Principal
Oboe on Bizet’s Symphony in C,
which has a prominent oboe part,
with Sir Neville Marriner conducting.
He is a very helpful conductor and
was very encouraging to me! The
year after that, my mother was able
to come to Japan to play in the
orchestra with me for a French
program: Ravel’s Alborada del
gracioso, Debussy’s La Mer, and
Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe Suite 2. It
was a challenging program but it was
so fun to play together with my
mom!
What are your hobbies outside of
music?
Cooking. When I was living in Japan I
enjoyed learning how to cook some
Japanese foods. I’m sure I looked
funny to the other people in the
grocery store, because sometimes I
would stand in the aisle a long time
trying to figure out how to read the
package!
How would you describe your
perfect day?
Sometimes the most perfect days
are completely unexpected.
If you could blink your eyes and
be in a favorite place right now,
where would that place be?
If I had that ability, I would use it all
the time to go back to Japan for
lunch and dinner!
What advice would you give to
beginners who are nervous?
Before an upcoming performance,
try playing for your friends or family.
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Pretend it’s a real performance, and
play your piece all the way through.
This way, when it’s time for the
performance, it won’t be the first
time! You can feel confident in the
fact that you have prepared well.
Also, everyone in the audience is
wishing you success!
Wendy Case (Violin)
Wendy Case is the violinist of the
Brahms' Ghost Piano Trio. She is a
sought after chamber, orchestral and
solo musician and performs frequently
with various chamber ensembles and
with the Rochester Philharmonic. She
has collaborated with prestigious
musicians such as David Finckel,
Phoebe Carrai, Soovin Kim, Jennifer
Frautschi, Elizabeth Blumenstock,
Arthur Haas, and ensembles including
the Blossom Festival Orchestra
(Cleveland Orchestra), and the
American Symphony of Carnegie Hall.
She currently holds a tenured post as
Assistant Principal Second with the
Erie Philharmonic under the direction
of Maestro Daniel Meyer. Her studies
include degrees from the University of
Michigan, the Cleveland Institute of
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Music, and Stony Brook University.
Influential teachers include William
Preucil, Philip Setzer, Andrew
Jennings, Soovin Kim, Hai Xin Wu,
and Yehonatan Berick.
hilarious violin students that I got to
teach.
What are your hobbies outside of
music?
Painting, reading, and hiking!
What is your music background? Is
your family musical?
All the members of my family are
amateur musicians. I started on
piano when I was four, and switched
to violin when I was 7.
How would you describe your
perfect day?
It would involve a mountain or beach
hike in nature, ending at a restaurant
with amazing ethnic food.
How often and for how long do
you practice?
I usually practice 1 1/2 to 2 hours a
day, and I take one day off per week.
If you could blink your eyes and
be in a favorite place right now,
where would that place be?
The Swiss Alps.
How do you handle mistakes
during a performance?
Great question. This is something we
all deal with regularly. I try to think
forward and never backward during
a performance. The greatest
performers in the world are able to
retain their humanity and openness
on the stage, and since we are all
human, that never involves
perfection. My advice to others and
to myself is to take risks, always put
the music and your connection with
the audience first, and laugh if you
miss!
What advice would you give to
beginners who are nervous?
The best advice anyone ever gave
me was that nerves are your body's
high performance tool. Nerves don't
usually disappear, so the best bet is
to welcome the stomach butterflies
and use them wisely to help your
brain focus in a more concentrated
way than it can under everyday
circumstances.
Who are your favorite musicians?
Composers? Groups? CD's?
Miro Quartet. Cleveland Orchestra.
Christian Tetzlaff. Augustin
Hadelich. Beethoven, Ysaye, and
Schubert. I love the Miro Quartet's
Op. 59 CD. Also love Ingrid
Michaelson, Christine Aguilera, and
Adele.
What are your fondest musical
memories?
Many small-town chamber music
concerts where we got to interact
with the audience, a performance in
a women's prison, and a few
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Alexander Margolis (Violin)
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How do you handle mistakes
during a performance?
I try to immediately forget about
them. Sometimes it's difficult!
Who are your favorite musicians?
Composers? Groups? CD's?
I would need a month to answer this
question, there are so many.
Raised in Oberlin, Ohio, violinist
Sasha Margolis was a member for ten
years of the Honolulu Symphony, and
played as concertmaster for several
seasons at the Spoleto Festival, as
well as performing as a substitute
with the National and New Jersey
Symphonies. Currently, he lives in
New York City, and in the
summer plays at the Glimmerglass
Festival upstate. As a chamber
musician, Sasha has collaborated
with members of several prominent
string quartets, including the
Corigliano, Maia, Arianna, and Pro
Arte. In less strictly classical areas, he
is also fiddler and singer for the Jewish
music band Big Galut(e), once played
string quartets for the wedding of
NBA star Grant Hill, and portrayed a
strolling violinist on ABC's Lost.
What is your music background? Is
your family musical?
My father just retired from teaching
piano at Oberlin Conservatory, and
other members of my extended
family are conductors and
drummers.
How often and for how long do
you practice?
I practice every day. How much
depends on whether I'm playing old
repertoire or new.
What are your fondest musical
memories?
Some of my fondest memories are of
lying under the piano when I was a
little kid, listening to my dad play
Chopin's Fourth Ballade or
Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata;
playing Strauss operas and Mahler
symphonies in Italy (the symphonies
out in a piazza); giving concerts with
my band, Big Galut(e); and sightreading string quartets in
restaurants.
What are your hobbies outside of
music?
It's not exactly a hobby, but a few
months ago, I managed to publish
my first novel. It's called The
Tsimbalist:
At once a thrilling whodunnit, a
maddening romance, and an
invigorating plunge into history, The
Tsimbalist is a tale of Jews and
Russians, depicting their complicated
friendships, their dangerous enmities,
and their illicit loves, all seen through
the eyes of Avrom, a barber, musician,
all-around mensch, and born
detective. The year is 1871. The
inhabitants of Balativke live in
delicate balance – until a young
Russian aristocrat is found murdered
near the home of Koppel, a poor Jew.
With the police unable to unravel the
mystery of the aristocrat’s murder,
and blame falling upon Koppel amid a
rising tide of anti-Jewish feeling, a
desperate Avrom attempts to prevent
disaster for his community by
searching out the truth himself.
Learning as much about the people he
lives among as he does about the slain
Arkady Olegovich Efimovski, Avrom
finds that few are who they seem. But
could one of his neighbors really be a
murderer?
How would you describe your
perfect day?
It would be bookended by great
coffee and wine, and in between,
either a concert, or a great meal, or –
in the summer – cycling and
kayaking.
If you could blink your eyes and
be in a favorite place right now,
where would that place be?
Probably Italy.
What advice would you give to
beginners who are nervous?
Try to remember that you are doing
something you love.
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On the Horizon
OCTOBER 8TH – WICKED DIVAS
Come to a Wicked-good evening of
Diva showstoppers from the world of
Broadway, opera and pop! The
evening will feature Elphaba and
Glinda from the Tony Awardwinning production of Wicked. In
addition to the untold tale of the
witches of Oz, the program includes
favorites from Gypsy, Ragtime,
Titanic and Carmen. You’re sure to
See you next
time!
NEPA Philharmonic
PO Box 4525
Scranton, PA 18505
PHONE: 570-270-4444
FAX: 570-270-4450
nepaphil.org
8
love their bewitching and bedazzling
performance!
Saturday, October 8th at 8 pm in the
Keystone Grand Theatre at Mohegan
Sun Pocono (1280 Highway 315)
NOVEMBER 12TH – MUSIC OF
THE GREAT RUSSIAN
COMPOSERS
Explore heroics in poetic story,
historical rebellion and living spirit
through powerful music by Russian
composers!
Works Played:
Glinka – Ruslan and Lyudmila
Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto in D
Major, Op. 35 (featuring Arnaud
Sussmann, Violinist)
Shostakovich – Symphony No. 10,
Op. 93
Saturday, November 12th at 8 pm at
the F.M. Kirby Center (71 Public
Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA)
Thanks again to Havisha Bache, Vihisha Bache and Nathan Grabow for doing us
proud at the ballgame!