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Williamsport Symphony Orchestra E-Notes
2016-2017 Calendar
May 2017
15 Up Close & Personal Event
Capitol Lounge, CAC
5:00 - 7:00pm
16 Happy 50th! CAC, 7:30pm
31 WSYO Auditions
August 2017
5 WSO Pops in the Park in Muncy
Pepper Street, 7:00 PM
Free
20 Billtown Brass Pops in the Park
Brandon Park, 7:00 PM
Free
For more information, please
visit www.williamsportsymphony.org
Special thanks to sponsors!
May 2017
Conductor's Corner
Dear Friends,
The last concert of the
season is approaching and
it is going to be a blast! We are excited to premiere
a new composition by one
of the young American
composers, Christopher
Theofanidis. It is called
Summer Music,and I am
sure it is going to warm
your hearts!
The program also includes an early symphony by
Joseph Haydn - the first piece performed by the
Williamsport Symphony fifty years ago. The
"Emperor" Piano Concerto No. 5 by Beethoven with
pianist Chris Guzman and the monumental
Daphnis and Chloe suite No. 2 by Ravel complete a
program that promises to be a rousing finale for a
spectacular season.
The celebration continues so don't miss the
opportunity to hear live, beautiful, and inspiring
music. See you, your family and friends at the
concert!
Fondly,
Blaise & Gabriela
Alexander
Gerardo Edelstein
__________________________________ Program Notes by Dr. Gary Boerckel
Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto and Ravel's Suite No.
2 from Daphnis et Chloe are so well-known and so
highly-regarded that it is more than a little surprising that
both were created with difficulty and both had a rocky
start. While Beethoven was composing his final piano
concerto--now known as the "Emperor"--the French
army was besieging Vienna. When the cannonade was
intense, Beethoven rushed to the cellar of his brother's
house, where he covered his ears with pillows to
preserve the little hearing he had left. By the time the
concerto was finished, Beethoven's deafness was so
advanced that he had to forego playing it himself. The
first performance--in Leipzig, 1811--won a rave review,
but the premiere in Beethoven's home town, Vienna, with his star pupil, Carl Czerny at
the piano, was a bust! The Viennese music critic laid the blame squarely on the "proud
and overconfident" Beethoven, who "can be understood and appreciated only by
connoisseurs."
Serge Diaghilev, music director of the famed Ballets Russes, commissioned Ravel in
1909 to write the music to a ballet based on a second century Greek romance about a
young shepherdess and a goatherd. Ravel fell in love with the idea, and told his friends
that he was at work on "a large fresco painting, less in keeping with antiquity than with
the Greece of my dreams...that which French artists at the end of the eighteenth century
imagined and painted." At a little under an hour, it was the longest work Ravel ever
wrote and it took him three years. Then everything began to go wrong. The Russian
scene designer, Léon Bakst, used the brightest colors he could find, in contrast to the
subtle shades Ravel had in mind. During rehearsals the principal dancer--Nijinsky--and
the choreographer--Fokine--couldn't seem to agree on anything and the corps de ballet
could not negotiate the five beats of the final bacchanale until they were taught to
whisper Ser-ge Dia-ghi-lev as they danced. The premiere was not one of Ravel's
greatest triumphs...but better days were ahead for Daphnis et Chloe.
Happy 50th - Tuesday, May 16 Composer Christopher Theofanidis
Christopher Theofanidis' music has been performed to by
many of the world's leading performing arts organizations,
from the London Symphony and New York Philharmonic to the
San Francisco Opera and the American Ballet Theatre. He is
a two time Grammy nominee, and his work, Rainbow Body, is
one of the most performed works of the new millennium,
having been performed by over 150 orchestras worldwide. Mr.
Theofanidis is currently on the faculty at Yale University and
the Aspen Music Festival. On May 16, the Williamsport
Symphony Orchestra will give the first performance of
Theofanidis' Summer Music.
The following are Mr. Theofanidis' thoughts about his new
work.
Christopher
Theofanidis
How can you possibly write anything other than a joyous piece for the celebration of the
50th anniversary of the Williamsport Symphony? It is an incredibly optimistic and
wonderful thing that an orchestra can thrive for fifty years, and as I was thinking of
music that I love that has the celebratory quality fitting the occasion, my mind went
immediately to Handel's Water Music which is made of up many shorter movements of
both allegro and more lyrical characters. Knowing that the premiere of this work would
happen on the cusp of summer, the title of my piece is called Summer Music.
Happy birthday to the Williamsport Symphony!
Christopher Theofanidis
Pianist Christopher Guzman playing Beethoven
Guzman regularly performs for audiences throughout
North America, Europe and Asia, as soloist and
chamber musician. He is a multiple prizewinner in
many international competitions. Recently, Mr. Guzman
garnered the grand prize and several special prizes at
the 10th Concours International de Piano d'Orléans of
Orléans, France.
Guzman's performances showcase a broad range of
styles, from Baroque to the avant-garde. He continues
Christopher Guzman
to collaborate with many of the nation's preeminent
new music ensembles. The New York Times hailed his performance of Christopher
Theofanidis's Statues as "coiled" and "explosive."
He has studied at the Juilliard School, the University of Texas at Austin, and the
New England Conservatory. He is currently Assistant Professor of Piano at Penn
State University in State College, PA. For more information,
please visit www.christopherguzman.net .
Principal Guest Cellist: Jonathan Dexter
With Andrew Rammon's departure from the
WSO, the fourth applicant for that position Jonathan Dexter - assumes the principal's seat
for the May concert.
Jonathan Dexter received degrees from the
Oberlin Conservatory, the Franz Liszt Academy
in Budapest, and the University of Texas at
Austin. In 2016, he was the cellist in the recording Irving
Berlin: This is the Life with the Paragon Ragtime
Orchestra and has been featured on SONY
Masterworks & Columbia Records recordings
with singer Megan Hilty.
He performs with his own original music trio THE
UNBANNED in State College, PA at the Happy
Valley Brewing Company. With the Allegria
Ensemble, another State College based group,
Dexter has been a part of ongoing musical
outreach shows with violinist Debbie Trudeau
funded in part by the PA Council on the Arts. This
Jonathan Dexter
2016-2017 season, he has been serving as the
Chamber Orchestra director for the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra.
WSO Anniversary finale......
Aware that the Symphony's 50th anniversary was on the
horizon in two years, in January 2014 a small group met
to brainstorm over lunch at Jeannette Winner's home.
Jeannette's reputation as an exceptional cook was
added incentive to come. And seven did: Caryn Powers
and Ann Marie Phillips (former Board /current Emeriti);
Lori Clutter, Veronica Muzic, and Dianne Peeling
(current Board); Georgia Burch (a WSO musician), and
Jeannette (donor and supporter).
During lunch and conversation after, ideas were
floated...to create an Anniversary steering committee; develop a budget and get Board
approval; focus on fundraising. Suggestions for core components of an anniversary...a
Pops in the Park concert; a Gala celebration; commission a piece of music; create a
complete, accurate history; bring back former conductors; and solicit ideas from our
supporters, musicians, and community.
Gerardo met with us at the Moon and Raven a month later and was key in realizing the
following ideas that became a part of the season, among them: performing a piece from
the first concert as the WSO; bringing back Robin Fountain and Rolf Smedvig in
separate concerts; commissioning a piece; including Mahler's Resurrection Symphony;
producing a CD - The Best of the Last Fifty Years; and creating a video history. All of
the above ideas, plus a few more, became part of the anniversary season. And with the
cooperation and hard work of every component of the WSO, all of the above - plus a
few more - happened!
With Board approval, the anniversary team began meeting monthly, Michael Gross,
Lyneah Hudock, Georgia Burch, Valerie Whyman, Barbara Velez, Bev McCauley, Rick
Coulter, Lori Clutter, Joyce Hershberger, Hind and Janet - and occasionally Brad Nason
and Suzanne Murray. We agreed that we needed Honorary Co-Chairs as the face of
the anniversary, and Lyneah and Michael Hudock accepted with characteristic
enthusiasm. Local artist Fred Gilmour created a brilliantly colored acrylic piece he titled
"Urge to Provoke" which Hind used in all marketing and programs for the season.
One event that grew out of conversations with former players was the October Meet the
Maestro (M/M) to which we invited all former players and conductors. Georgia Burch
with help from Eleanor Welde and Veronica Muzic, reached out to all the formers they
could locate, inviting them as guests to the M/M and to the first concert of the season October 18th. Thanks to Georgia's persistent communications, 16 plus 8 of their guests
were at M/M, and 29 plus 19 guests attended the concert the next evening. Violinist
Juanita Serang made the journey from British Columbia. And we were honored to have
returning conductors Don Beckie and Robin Fountain speak about their experience in
the growth of the orchestra. Sadly, Rolf Smedvig died as plans were being made.
Georgia's team made this event the success it was. As letters from these former
musicians came in, Georgia, Arthur Erickson, and Hind collected them in a scrapbook testament to how important WSO was to them. They became a valuable resource for
the history pieces that were part of every WSO newsletter for the next year. Veronica
Muzic combined her own research with the letters Georgia received creating what is
undoubtedly the surest history of the WSO, explaining its roots all the way back to the
Susquehanna Valley Symphony which predated WSO. Her files are now archived in the
WSO library in the office suite.
At the October event, we premiered the In Concert with the Community video. Over the
course of a year, Brad Nason, working with Xavier Francis and Mind's Eye Productions
told the WSO story. It includes Interviews with former and current players, Gerardo,
Robin, staff, supporters, Board leaders, and audience members, interspersed with
sequences of WSO and WSYO performances. We showed it at intermission for that
October concert and many in the audience- as well as musicians who came from
backstage - watched it.
And the Mahler Resurrection Symphony in February - an extraordinary performance. It
truly was a logistical triumph with so many people planning and performing. The
response of those in the audience has been one of gratitude for making this happen in
Williamsport.
Where do we start to thank those who made this possible? First, our resourceful and
ever-positive music director, Gerardo, was key to each idea and event. The steadfast
Anniversary Team, Hind ( marketer-and master of budget); Janet (fund-raising and
greeter at every WSO event); Orchestra Manager Becky Ciabattari; the Friends of the
Symphony; the First Community Foundation Partnership with a generous $50,000 grant;
a $15,000 grant from NEA; the orchestra musicians, the Board and everyone who
supported the $50 for 50 years campaign... all of you! Thank you! We can say with
assurance that the energy from this year will carry us forward! WSYO Auditions - Wednesday May 31
Schedule your audition now to be part of this group of young talented musicians for
the 2017-2018 season. The Youth Symphony performs two concerts a season - a
fall and spring concert - as well as a side-by- side with the WSO.
To Schedule, please call WSO office at 570-322-0227 or email
[email protected] . For more details and requiremetns, check the
WSO website at www.williamsportsymphony.org or follow the link below:
WSYO Audition Packet
From the desk of the ED
Recently, I read a beautiful comment made by several young
school children who were asked the question, "what is the
best thing about our community?" Their answer - "the music
programs and the coffee"! Clearly music matters to the lives
of children, and thank you to the community for
understanding the importance. And, yes, we do have great
coffee!
At the Symphony, we know that music makes our community a better place and it
was exciting to see over 10,000 people of all ages served by our programs and
concerts last year. They came to Williamsport from 20 counties in Pennsylvania, 9
states and 2 provinces in Canada! For a rural region, no one can say we lack for
culture ... or good restaurants!
Because of you, our concerts and educational programs continue to thrive. Also,
we are grateful for the support of grant-making organizations such as The First
Community Foundation of Pennsylvania, National Endowment for the Arts,
Woodcock Foundation for the Appreciation of the Arts, Lycoming County Visitors
Bureau, the City of Williamsport Cultural grant, and the Pennsylvania Council on
the Arts.
It takes a community to raise a child and we are grateful for our role and yours in
making this region a great place in which to live!
Let the music play on!
Quick Links
Williamsport Symphony Orchestra 220 West Fourth Street
Williamsport, Pennsylvania 17701
570-322-0227
For information and tickets Visit our website!