music at emory concert series 2015 2016 season Emory university symphony Orchestra Richard prior, conductor with Michael Crawford, violin Winner of the 2015 Concerto and Aria Competition saturday, november 21, 2015, 8:00 p.m. Emerson Concert Hall Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
Program The Star-Spangled Banner John Stafford Smith (1750 1836) André Nahmias, guest conductor Hoedown from Rodeo (1942) Aaron Copland (1900 1990) Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 14 (1940) Samuel Barber I. Allegro (1910 1981) Michael Crawford, violin Winner of the 2015 Concerto and Aria Competition Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra (1997) John Williams I. Main Title (b. 1932) II. Princess Leia s Theme III. The Imperial March (Darth Vader s Theme) IV. Yoda s Theme V. Throne Room and End Title 2
Program notes Hoedown from Rodeo Aaron Copland composed his ballet, Rodeo, at the request of Agnes de Mille, who danced the lead female role in the world premiere, presented by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo at New York s Metropolitan Opera House on October 16, 1942. The ballet s scenario depicts a Saturday afternoon rodeo, as well the dance that follows in the evening. The lively Hoedown, one of the iconic pieces of American concert music, gained even wider fame after its inclusion in beef commercials! Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 14 The Concerto for Violin and Orchestra was the first major commission for American composer Samuel Barber. Samuel Fels, a wealthy American businessman who served on the board of trustees of Barber s alma mater, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, offered the commission in spring 1939. Fels intended the Concerto to serve as a vehicle for his protégé, the young Odessa-born violinist Iso Briselli. Artistic disagreements arose between Barber and Briselli. And so, Briselli did not perform the premiere of the Barber Violin Concerto. That honor went to the renowned American violinist, Albert Spalding. On February 7, 1941, Spalding, accompanied by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, gave the first performance at the Academy of Music. Barber was dissatisfied with what he viewed as an unsatisfactory climax in the (second movement) and some muddy orchestration in the finale. In 1948, Barber penned revisions to the Concerto, which, in the composer s view, made the work much improved. The final version was published in 1949. The soaring lyricism of opening movements, coupled with the virtuoso fireworks of the finale, have made the Barber Violin Concerto one of his most popular works, for violinists and audiences alike. Tonight s concert features the first movement, Allegro. It opens with the soloist s immediate presentation of the lengthy and flowing principal theme. The jaunty second theme, introduced by the solo clarinet, has a decidedly Scottish flavor. A vivacious sequence for the soloist concludes the exposition portion of the opening movement. The development section begins in agitated fashion, but soon returns to the generally lyrical character of the Allegro. The tension mounts once again, leading to the orchestra s fortissimo launch of the recapitulation. After a brief cadenza for the soloist, the opening movement concludes with hushed variants of the Scottish and opening themes. 3
Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra George Lucas s Star Wars films are among the most successful in the history of cinema. The riveting portrayals of adventures a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... are the product of a remarkable collaboration of writing, acting, directing, and production talent. No doubt one of the great reasons for the immense popularity of the Star Wars movies is the music written by the American composer and conductor, John Williams. The Williams Star Wars soundtracks, with their soaring melodies and brilliant orchestration, are among the finest achievements in American cinema, worthy of the grand tradition forged by such composers as Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Franz Waxman, and Bernard Herrmann. As in the case of film scores written by Williams s great predecessors, excerpts from the Star Wars films have enjoyed great popularity in the concert hall as well. This concert presents a Suite Williams fashioned from his music for the first three Star Wars releases: Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). In a preface to the score, the composer offers the following comments: During 1997 we celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the release of George Lucas s classic film Star Wars. All of us concerned with this phenomenal movie have been gratified to see an entire new generation of very young filmgoers enjoy the Star Wars trilogy and relate so strongly to its story, characters, and music. Also, I am personally delighted to have this new edition of the score available to orchestras and the public. It includes the Imperial March and Yoda s Theme, both of which have not been available until this present printing. I have always felt privileged to have had the opportunity to compose music for these landmark films, and the ongoing interest in the films and their music has continued to be one of my greatest joys. Program notes by Ken Meltzer 4
Emory University Symphony Orchestra The Emory University Symphony Orchestra (EUSO) experience provides a musical environment of the highest caliber, nurturing individual artistic excellence and ensemble performance. The EUSO presents a varied repertoire of music from the Baroque period to the twenty-first century, combining forces annually with the Emory University Chorus to feature masterworks from the rich symphonic-choral tradition. The ninety member orchestra draws its membership from all disciplines across the campus and from all divisions of the university. Richard Prior, conductor Award-winning conductor and acclaimed composer, Richard Prior holds the Edward Goodwin Scruggs Chair at Emory University. As director of orchestral studies, he conducts the Emory University Symphony Orchestra and the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra in addition to being senior lecturer in composition. Prior was the music director and conductor of the Rome Symphony Orchestra (Georgia) from 2008 to 2014, holding the Georgia Power Conducting Chair; in July 2014, he was appointed music director and conductor of the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra. Prior s musical training began in his native England, where he received degrees from Leeds and Nottingham Universities. He has taught at several universities and colleges in the United States and at St. Catherine s College, Oxford University where he was the 1997 visiting fellow in music. A deeply committed music educator, Prior regularly conducts and holds clinics for high school honor groups all over the country, including the 2015 Oklahoma All State and Maryland All State Orchestras. He will be undertaking guest conductor-composer residencies in 2016 with the Texas Tech University Symphony and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Symphony. Reviews in the professional press cite his stirring conviction, precision, and stylishness and flexibility, with the noted meteoric rise of ensembles under his direction. Prior s mentors and principal teachers include Sir Simon Rattle, James Paul, and William LaRue Jones. Prior is a founding member and past president of the College Orchestra Directors Association (South Central Division); he served on the Atlanta Regional Commission s Arts and Cultural Assessment Committee, and is past president of the 501c(3) ReStringHaiti organization dedicated to restoring and expanding music education and performance opportunities to Haiti. Prior s compositions have been performed widely in Europe and North America. Atlanta premieres have included two quartets with the Vega String Quartet, The Darkening Land with clarinet virtuoso Richard Stoltzman, and the Pulitzer nominated choral-orchestral work Stabat Mater. 5
Matt Haimovitz premiered Prior s Cello Concerto in October 2014 and said of the work Prior s music embraces a soaring lyricism, cinematic in scope with a rich sense of orchestral colors. The cello writing is wonderfully idiomatic, deeply satisfying for the cellist to play and interact with the orchestra. This new concerto is a major contribution to the cello repertoire. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) commissioned... of shadow and light... (incantations for orchestra) in 2013. Subsequent critical review called the work forbidding and dramatic, stunning, and jubilant and exuberant; the piece identified Prior as perhaps the most gifted of the Atlanta composers citing his mastery of orchestration, lyricism, and musical drama. The ASO presented multiple performances of his Symphony No. 3 in 2014 under the direction of Robert Spano a work also featured at Northwestern University and the Cairo Symphony in Egypt. Reviews in Atlanta called the work a major new symphony and long-time Atlanta Journal Constitution critic James Paulk said... it s the best new work I ve heard here. Prior is rapidly becoming Atlanta s preeminent composer. Atlanta music critic William Ford wrote, This is a major work that is a triumph of integration, flow, emotion, and orchestration. A winner of numerous awards for his compositions and conducting, Prior received the 2008 Harvey Philips Award for Excellence in Composition at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the 2009 Emory University Winship Senior Faculty Award, and the 2011 Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. Michael Crawford, violin Michael Crawford is a junior studying violin performance and composition at Emory University. Born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, he began playing violin at age seven, studying first with Victor DeLisa and later with Laura Nadine. Before attending Emory, he was a member of the Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra and participated in the 2011 Georgia Governor s Honors Program. He currently studies violin with Shawn Pagliarini and composition with Richard Prior. Crawford is an active member of Emory s Chamber Music program, and as Edward Goodwin Scruggs Principal Second Violin, plays the 1870 Scarampella. During the past two summers, he has attended the Franklin Pond Chamber Music College Festival and the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute. 6
emory university symphony orchestra The Joel M. Felner, MD, and Edward Goodwin Scruggs Chairs The two named chairs, concertmaster and principal second violin, are in recognition of instruments given to the Emory University Symphony Orchestra in the value of $350,000. Joel M. Felner is associate dean at the Emory University School of Medicine; Edward Goodwin Scruggs was for thirty-seven years a tenured member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The lives of both men represent distinguished careers and great philanthropy as patrons of music and friends of Emory University. The concertmaster plays a 1687 Grancino and the principal second an 1870 Scarampella. FLUTE and PICCOLO Claire Mahon norcross, Ga music and International Studies Olivia Stam cumberland Foreside, ME Music Ananya Zachariah houston, TX international Business OBOE Rachel Corbitt cumming, GA Biology Ria Brown houston, TX music and Biology CLARINET Justin Kim 4 Johns Creek, GA Biology Sarah Tran marietta, Ga undecided BASS CLARINET Joshua Pynn duluth, Ga music and Economics BASSOON Rachel Brenner 4 columbia, mo music and Life Sciences Haley Matthews u nelson, Ga music and Biology Allison Rose marietta, Ga music HORN Alex Lutz atlanta, Ga music and Computer Science Vicky Avanzato Warminster, pa md PhD Stephen Fowler mcdonough, GA Political Science Kevin Sullivan 4 marietta, Ga music and Biology Danielle Staffin Bridgewater, NJ undecided David Pickworth naples, FL music 99C TRUMPET Derrick Montgomery Dunwoody, Ga music 13C Jacob Germany alpharetta, Ga eyso Scholar Alec Woodard Burlington, ia neuroscience and Computer Science TROMBONE Parker Ellison 4 monroe, Ga music and Psychology Aidan Williams chester, NJ human Health BASS TROMBONE Grant Singer 4 milton, Ga music and Biology TUBA Graham Wells atlanta, Ga music and Chemistry 07C TIMPANI Madeleine Conti atlanta, Ga music, Columbus State 11 PERCUSSION Erin Baker Johns Creek, GA NBB and South Asian Studies Christopher Prugh swarthmore, PA Music and Biology 7
emory university symphony orchestra harp Mary Sunshine Porter eden, ut music and Classics VIOLIN I Daun Kwag u Logan, ut music and Biology Joel M. Felner MD Concertmaster Chair Justin Liu Longmeadow, MA Music and Biology Anders Olsen 4 atlanta, Ga music and Economics Claire Roesler Western Springs, IL Music and Chemistry I-Chiu (Joseph) Lin Kaohsiung City, Taiwan Music and Economics Patricia Lin H atlanta, Ga music and Chemistry Meg Winata houston, TX music and Nursing 14C Justin Moore H atlanta, Ga music and NBB Kathy Li H Lilburn, Ga music and Biology Troy Cotton atlanta, Ga emory Healthcare Emily Gruber syosset, ny economics and Linguistics Martin Schreiner niskayuna, ny east Asian Studies and Math Sunny Yue tucker, Ga music and Economics 14C Benito Thompson snellville, Ga music and Physics 14C David Lu taipei, Taiwan Biology Sophia Lu alpharetta, GA music and Business 14C VIOLIN II Michael Crawford u Loganville, GA music Edward Goodwin Scruggs Principal Second Chair Yeonjae (Iris) Lim Kingston, Jamaica Music and BBA Ellen Shi Lansdale, PA Finance Catherine MacGregor H Marietta, Ga music Henry Hays Boston, ma comparative Lit. and Economics Nimia Maya stone Mountain, GA Music and Chemistry 14C David Warth Lawrenceville, GA Music Jimmy Chen portland, OR computer Science Catherine Barth decatur, Ga anthropology PhD Michelle Bermudez corvallis, OR nbb Katherine Ma chagrin Falls, OH NBB Hayley Snyder minneapolis, MN English and Art History 12C Camilia Heninger dunwoody, Ga music and Economics 13C John Park atlanta, Ga marcus Autism Center Jeffrey You chelmsford, MA Chemistry and Biology Marissa Alvarez Westfield, NJ undecided VIOLA Minjee Kim 4 Johns Creek, GA Music and Business Katherine Hur atlanta, Ga music and Biology Zola Berger-Schmitz Venice, ca music and Political Science Alex Sabol Bethesda, md music and Neuroscience Kara Goldstone H naples, FL music and Biology Mallory Carnes H Fletcher, nc music and Chinese Ci Ci Li seattle, Wa human Biology and Anthropology Catherine Holmes scarsdale, ny physics and Biology Millie Ma port Jefferson Station, NY Chemistry and Creative Writing Sophia Weinstein Brooklyn, ny music Safiyah Bharwani Richmond, TX music and English Priyanka Pai solon, oh music and Economics Nicholas Singletary columbus, Ga music and NBB Peter Ngyuen decatur, Ga music and Creative Writing 10C 8
emory university symphony orchestra CELLO Anna Bing atlanta, Ga music and Spanish Literature James Dickey H sugar Hill, Ga music and Biology Andrew Peeples Brighton, co political Science Clifford Redwine marietta, Ga music and Psychology 15C Sophia Wang san Diego, ca music and Biology James Allen chapel Hill, nc music and Biology Cecilia Bae H Jakarta, Indonesia Music and English Joel Lee memphis, tn music and NBB Scott McAfee 4 atlanta, GA music and Political Science 09C Jonathan Regenold tempe, AZ music and Biology Isabel Goddard atlanta, Ga music Emily Chang Beijing, China Biology BASS Sam Budnyck 4 mary Ester, FL music and Comparative Literature Brandon Sibilia Brookfield, Wi political Science PhD Dashiell Wakeman atlanta, Ga music and Economics Kait McGann-Ludwin H Palm City, FL Business Tim Boykin decatur, Ga dekalb Symphony Samuel Zinga Loganville, Ga music Richard Lorenc atlanta, Ga international Relations, Chinese, and Russian 06C Bijean Ford decatur, Ga immunology PhD NBB: Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra Alumni Music Woodruff Scholar 4 Deans Music Scholar H Edward Goodwin Scruggs Lesson Scholarship holder u Margery and Robert McKay Lesson Scholarship holder Arts at Emory Box Office/Audience Information 404.727.5050 arts.emory.edu IN CONSIDERATION Please turn off all pagers and phones. PHOTOGRAPHS AND RECORDINGS Not permitted without advance permission. COUGH DROPS In lobby, courtesy of Margery and Robert McKay. USHERS Members of Music at Emory Volunteers and Alphi Phi Omega, a national service and social fraternity. Call 404.727.6640 for ushering opportunities. event and program information Available online at arts.emory.edu. Back cover photographer credits: Top (left to right): Barenaked Voices, Emory Photo/Video; Emory Concert Choir: courtesy of Emory Concert Choir; Vega String Quartet, Dorn Brothers. Bottom (left to right): Gary Motley, Bill Head; Christopher O Riley, Wendy Lynch; audience view from stage, courtesy of Emory Concert Choir; Emory University Symphony Orchestra, Tony Benner. 9