w Upcoming 2014-2015 Season Concert featuring Mike Smith, horn The Clear Lake Symphony, with Music Director, Dr. Charles Johnson, starts its 39 th season in the Fall of 2014. The Symphony, y recognized as a premiere community orchestra, is a member of the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce, ASCAP and BMI. Its goals are to present classical music for the residents of the Bay Area and to provide opportunities for the Bay Area musicians to create a variety of musical experiences for the enjoyment of the community. Six regular season performances including the Christmas Pops will be held featuring various classical selections and guest soloists. All concerts will be held at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Auditorium, 18220 Upper Bay Road in Nassau Bay across from NASA Johnson Space Center at 7:30 PM (see concert dates). The Clear Lake Symphony will be performing the fifth concert of the 2014-2015 season on Friday, March 27, 2015 at the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Auditorium located at 18220 Upper Bay Road across from NASA Johnson Space Center. Celebrating their 39th season, the Orchestra will perform an evening of beautiful music featuring the winners of the annual Youth Concerto Competition. The Orchestra will be led by Dr. Charles Johnson, in his 34th year as Conductor and Musical Director of the Clear Lake Symphony. Dr. Charles Johnson Conductor & Musical Director Reminder: All concerts will be on Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m. For a list of all the season concerts, please click on the following link: y Concert Tickets are available from Eye Trends, 515 Bay Area Blvd., Suite 300 (next door to Starbucks). Phone number: 281-488-0066. Individual are: $13 adults, $10 senior citizens (age 55 & up) & $8 students. Tickets are also available at the concert ticket table the night of the concert. Page 1 of 7
w March 27, 2015 Program Notes (excerpts from Wikipedia) Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832). Elverhoj (Elve's Hill), Op. 100 - Kuhlau's most famous work, was written as incidental music to a romantic festive play for a royal wedding. The overture concludes with the tune "Kong Christian stod ved hojen mast" which became the Danish National Anthem. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat major, Op. 19 - became an important display piece for the young Beethoven as he sought to establish himself after moving from Bonn to Vienna. He was the soloist at its premiere on March 29, 1795. While the work as a whole is very much in the concert style of Mozart, there is a sense of drama and contrast that would be present in many of Beethoven's later works. Edvard Grieg (1843-1907). Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16 - was composed in 1868, and was the only concerto Grieg completed. It is one of the most popular works and among the most popular of all piano concerti. Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921). Cello Concerto No.1 in A minor, Op. 33 - was composed in 1872 and was considered by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff to be the greatest of all cello concertos. Franz Berwald (1796-1868). Konzertstuck (Concert Piece) in F for Bassoon and Orchestra - is a welcome addition to the bassoon repertoire. The 1827 work combines a strong classical strain with original and almost unpredictable touches. Samuel Barber (1910-1981). Violin Concerto, Op. 14 - Composed in 1939, Herbert Baumel performed the concerto in the 193911940 season as soloist with the symphony orchestra of the Curtis Institute conducted by Fritz Reiner. That performance brought the piece to the attention of Eugene Ormandy, who soon scheduled its official premiere in a pair of performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra in February of 1941. These performances were followed by a repeat performance in Carnegie Hall and from that point the piece rapidly entered the standard violin and orchestral repertoire. In fact, it has become one of the most frequently performed of all 20th century concertos. Claude T. Smith (1932-1987). Fantasia for Alto Saxophone - demands a most able soloist. Range and flexibility are an absolute requirement along with a mature approach to solo work. Claude T. Smith was an American band conductor, composer, and music educator. His composition Flight is the "official march" of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. Fantasia was originally written for band and has been orchestrated for the Clear Lake Symphony by Dr. Charles A. Johnson. Special Features In-School Performances The Symphony is dedicated to the musical education of our children and brings classical music to the public schools, at no cost to the students t or taxpayers, throughh classroom demonstrations ti and discussions. The Symphony annually donates numerous tickets to the students to provide them with the opportunity to enjoy a free symphony concert. For information, call Sherrie Matula (281) 486-0224. Clear Lake Area Symphony Society CLASS is a group of volunteers who assists with concert production on a regular basis, assuming the responsibilities for box office, receptions, promotion, and Ad sales. For more information, call Sherrie Matula (281) 486-0224. For more information or to become a CLASS member go to: http://clearlakesymphony.org/class.htm org/class htm. Special Contribution Recognition The Clear Lake Symphony recognizes those patrons who donate $100 or more by including their names in the Hall of Honor section of our subscription concert programs and on the Symphony web site. The six categories as listed below are: Underwriter -- $2500 or more Sponsor -- $1000 to $2499 Benefactor -- $500 to $999 Patron -- $300 t0 $499 Donor -- $200 to $299 Friend -- $100 to $199 The Clear Lake Symphony is a non-profit organization with a 501 (3) status with the IRS. All contributions are tax deductible. Page 2 of 7
2014 Youth Concerto Competition Winners The Clear Lake Symphony held a competition on Saturday, January 24, 2015 for young artists from Houston Metro area high schools, junior highs, and elementary schools. The Youth Concerto Competition winners will be provided with a scholarship and perform as a featured soloist with the Clear Lake Symphony at the Friday, March 27, 2015 concert at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church at 18220 Upper Bay Road, in Nassau Bay. A total of thirty three (33) participants participated in this year's competition. Junior Wind Division Samuel James (bassoon) Winner, "Concert Piece", by Berwald. Age 15 in the 9 th grade at Clear Falls High School. Samuel is the son of Stephen James & Beth Weilder. Samuel has studied bassoon for 4 ½ years. Music teacher: Robyn Watson. Sam's hobbies are playing bassoon, band, and playing video and computer games with friends. His favorite class in school, after band, is his engineering design class. As of this point, Sam has not decided what to do with the "rest of his life", but the bassoon will be a large part of it. Clear Lake Symphony Concerto Competition Winner, Junior Wind Division (2013) All-State Orchestra on Contrabassoon - #2 (2015) 6 th chair Area F - bassoon, Clear Falls High School (2015) 1 st chair Region 17 - bassoon, Clear Falls High School (2015) Member of Clear Falls Front Ensemble during marching season playing vibraphone (2015) Member of Clear Falls Wind Ensemble (2015) Member of Houston Youth Symphony (2014, 2015) No Honorable Mention Senior Wind Division Adrian Falco (saxophone), "Fantasia", by Claude T. Smith. Age 17 in the 12 th grade at Friendswood High School. Adrian is the son of Michael and Hong Falco. Studied saxophone for 6 years. Music teachers: Dan Gelok, Johnny Salinas and Bob Eason. Adrian enjoys cycling, jogging and swimming. He also enjoyed participating in the Friendswood High School Marching Band and being section leader of the saxophone section. TMEA All-State Musician on Alto Saxophone (2013, 2014, 2015) Judges Choice and 1 st Place Winner in American Protégé International Brass and Woodwind Competition (2014) 1 st Chair, Alto Saxophone, Area F (2013, 2014, 2015) No Honorable Mention Page 3 of 7
Junior Piano Division John Cao (piano) Winner, "Piano Concerto No. 2, 1st mvt." by Beethoven. Age 14, in the 9 h grade at Manvel High School. John is the son of Qirong Cao and Rong Shen. John studied piano for 10 years. Music teacher: John Weems. John's interests other than piano are: choir, figure skating, swimming and math. His ambitions are to study both ophthalmology and piano in college. John loves doing volunteer work for his church. HMTA Piano Contest, 1st place (2013-2014) HYAC Artist (2012-2016) Finalist in TMTA - 7th & 8th grade All State Choir (2015) Honorable Mention: Steven Dong (piano), "Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K466, 1 st mvt. " by Mozart. Music teacher: John Weems, Parent: Jianrong Dong Senior Piano Division David Li (piano) Winner, "Piano Concerto in A minor, 1 st mvt.", by Grieg. Age 16 in the 11 th grade at Klein Collins High School. David is the son of Qingzhou Li and Yu Shen. He studied piano for 9 years. Music teacher: John Weems. In addition to classical music, David enjoys all kinds of music and playing basket ball. He is an active member of the Math club, HOSA and DECA. Along with a very rigorous class schedule of six AP classes this year, David is ranked first in his class of 813. He plans to major in medical science. 1 st place, Piano Concerto Competition, Texas Musical Teacher Association (2014) Overall Owner (2013), and 1 st place (2013, 2014), Blinn College Young Pianist Competition 1 st place, Houston Forum for Young Artist Competition (2014) 1 st place, CCMTA - Paul Schmitt Piano Competition (2014) 1 st place, Texas State University Young Artist Piano Competition (2012) Honorable Mention: David Nie (piano), "Piano Concerto No. 1" by Prokofiev. Music teacher: John Weems, Parents: Henry Nie and Jean Wang Clear Lake Symphony wishes to express our special appreciation to the Fred and Nancy Forshey of Forshey Piano Company for providing the studio piano for the Youth Concerto Competition and the beautiful Schimmel Grand Piano for the March 27 th performance. Page 4 of 7
Junior String Division James Biak (cello) Winner, "Cello Concerto No. 1, 1 st mvt. ", by Saint- Saens. Age 13 in the 8 th grade at Garland McMeans Juniors High School. James is the son of John and Youngsook Baik. Studied cello for 5 years. Music Teacher: Christopher French. James enjoys playing tennis and basketball and exploring technology. Member of TMEA Region 23 Junior High Symphony Orchestra (2012, 2013, 2014) Houston Young Artist (2015) 1 st place, Houston Civic Symphony Concerto Competition (2015) Honorable Mention: Randy Tan (violin), "Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, op. 12, 1 st mvt." by Lalo. Music teacher: Henry Rubin, Parent: Jiasen Tan Senior Piano Division Jiakai Pan (violin) Winner, "Violin Concerto, 1 st mvt." by Barber. Age 15 in the 10 th grade at Bellaire High School. Jiakai is the son of Jen-Jung Pan and Chaoru Chen. He studied violin for 8 years. Music teacher: Kenneth Goldsmith. Jiakai interests are creative writing and computer gaming. His hobbies include reading and listening to music. Jiakai 's ambition is to have a lifelong interest in classical music. Houston Youth Symphony Concerto Competition Winner (2015) Houston Young Artists member (2014-2015, 2015-2016) All-State Symphony Orchestra (2014, 2015) Honorable Mention: Simon Yao (violin), "Violin Concerto in D minor" by Sibelius. Music teacher: Ming Qi, Parents: Yixin Yao and Shaoying Xin Clear Lake Symphony wishes to express our special appreciation to the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation for underwriting the January 2015 Youth Concerto Competition and the March 2015 Concert featuring the Competition Winners. Page 5 of 7
Thank You Roje Yap! Many thanks go to Competition Coordinator, Roje Yap for his tireless work to put this competition and concert together. th Abi big thank you also goes to his committee who helped during the competition and the judges on January 24, 2015. A fine job was done by the competition Judges. This year's judges were the following: WIND DIVISION Mr. Robert Wall Assoc. Conductor - Clear Lake Symphony Principal i Clarinet - Clear Lake Symphony Dr. Angie Schindler Co-Principal Oboe - Clear Lake Symphony Dr. Courtney Crappell Associate Professor of Piano & Piano Pedagogy University i of Houston - Moores Sh School of fmusic PIANO DIVISION Mr. Robert Wall Assoc. Conductor - Clear Lake Symphony Principal Clarinet - Clear Lake Symphony Dr. Angie Schindler Co-Principal Oboe Player - Clear Lake Symphony Dr. Courtney Crappell Associate Professor of Piano & Piano Pedagogy University of Houston - Moores School of Music STRING DIVISION Dr. Charles Johnson Music Director - Clear Lake Symphony Mr. George Tate Principal Viola - Clear Lake Symphony Viola Player - Halcyon String Quartet Past President - Texas Orchestra Directors Association Mr. Luci Manolache String Bass Player - Clear Lake Symphony Page 6 of 7
w 2014-2015 Please support our Season Performances sponsors of fthe Symphony. Bring this ad with you when going out to dine and receive a 10% discount off your bill. If you would no longer like to receive future emails, please forward this email to Mike Matula, CLS Webmaster, at mkmatula@prodigy.net and insert Unsubscribe in the Subject field. This email was sent by: Mike Matula Clear Lake Symphony Webmaster Email: mkmatula@prodigy.net Page 7 of 7