CONCERT EXPERIENCE

Robert Moody, Music Director ........................................................................................... 4

Kalena Bovell, Assistant Conductor ................................................................................. 6

Memphis Youth Symphony Program................................................................................ 8

Memphis Symphony Orchestra .......................................................................................10

Letter from Peter Abell, CEO ...........................................................................................15

Memphis Symphony Chorus ...........................................................................................16

“Tommy Dorsey” Concerto and Scheherazade ..........................................................19

Mozart and Beethoven .....................................................................................................27

The Three Bs!......................................................................................................................37

Handel’s Messiah ...............................................................................................................42

Magic of Memphis! ............................................................................................................51

Finlandia, Mahler 4, and a Rising Star! .........................................................................53

PATRON EXPERIENCETunes and Tales ..................................................................................................................62

MSO Governance ...............................................................................................................64

MSO Staff ............................................................................................................................65

Memphis Symphony League ............................................................................................66

Ellen’s Circle of Friends .....................................................................................................68

Supporting Partners ..........................................................................................................70

Symphony Fund ..................................................................................................................73

Contributors ........................................................................................................................75

Tributes .................................................................................................................................79

Patron Information .............................................................................................................82

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Inc. is a qualified 501(c)(3) tax deductible organization funded by gifts from you, ticket sales, and contracted services. We are recipients of grants from ArtsMemphis and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Your attendance constitutes consent for the use of your likeness and/or voice on all video and/or audio recordings and in photographs made during Symphony events.

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©2019|2020 Memphis Symphony Orchestra, 610 Goodman St, Memphis, TN

Contents

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Memphis Symphony OrchestraRobert Moody, Music Director

Robert Moody MUSIC DIRECTOR

2019/2020 marks Maestro Robert Moody’s third season as Music Director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Expanded and adventurous programming, the MSO’s first commercial recording in over three decades, and a new $25-million-dollar endowment have highlighted the past two seasons. Moody is also Music Director of the lauded Arizona Musicfest, boasting one of the finest festival orchestras in North America. Players hail from the top orchestras in the world, including the Vienna and New York Philharmonics, Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, Atlanta,

Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Seattle, and San Francisco Symphonies, and the San Francisco and Metropolitan Opera Orchestras.

In 2018 Moody completed eleven-years as Music Director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra (Maine), and thirteen-years as Music Director of the Winston-Salem Symphony (NC). Prior to that he served as Resident Conductor for the Phoenix Symphony, Chorus Master for Santa Fe Opera, and Associate Conductor for the Evansville (IN) Philharmonic Orchestra.

Moody recently guest conducted the three major orchestras of South Africa in Durban, Johannesburg, and Cape Town; he was immediately invited to return for more concerts with all three in the Summer of 2020. Other guest conducting this season includes the orchestras of Bogota, Colombia; Aachen, Germany; Sacramento, California; and a return to the Sewanee Music Festival in the mountains of Tennessee. Prior Guest Conducting has included Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and the orchestras of Toronto, Houston, Indianapolis, Detroit, Seattle, Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Buffalo, Columbus, Louisville, Minnesota, and Slovenian Philharmonic. Festival conducting includes Santa Fe Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Brevard Music Center, Sewanee Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Skaneateles Festival, Bowdoin International Festival, and the Oregon Bach Festival.

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Equally at home in the opera pit, Moody began his career as apprentice conductor for the Landestheater Opera in Linz, Austria. He conducted for the opera companies of Santa Fe, Brevard Music Center, and Hilton Head Opera. He also assisted on a production of Verdi Otello at the Metropolitan Opera (NY), conducted by Valery Gergiev, and at The English National Opera, where he was Assistant Conductor for Kurt Weill Street Scene. He made his Washington National Opera and North Carolina Opera debuts in 2014, and conducted Bartok Bluebeard’s Castle, Leoncavallo I Pagliacci, and Poulenc Dialogues of the Carmelites in the seasons following. Debuts to rave reviews with Brevard Music Center for Weill Street Scene, Opera Carolina for Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro, and Des Moines Metro Opera for Strauss Die Fledermaus came in 2017 and 2018.

Moody is a champion of the works of his close friend Mason Bates, now Composer-in-Residence with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and prior in the same role with the Chicago Symphony. Moody commissioned/conducted Bates’ first full orchestra composition, and has been instrumental in the commission and premiere performances of several of Bates’ important major works for orchestra, including Ode, Rusty Air in Carolina, and Desert Transport.

Moody’s work can be heard on several commercially released recordings. He collaborated with the Canadian Brass for their Bach and Legends albums. He is also the conductor for Native American artist R. Carlos Nakai’s Fourth World album. In 2015 he was honored to conduct the “Cancer Blows” gala concert with Ryan Anthony, members of the Dallas Symphony, and a host of trumpet luminaries, to aid the fight against Multiple Myloma. CD and DVD recordings of that live concert are also commercially available. Fall of 2019 will see the release of Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s first commercial recording in several decades. The works are Jim Stephenson’s Concerto for Hope featuring Ryan Anthony, and Song of Hope by Peter Meechan—featuring Ryan Anthony and Scott Moore.

A South Carolina native, Moody holds degrees from Furman University and the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Donald Neuen. He is a Rotarian, and serves/has served on the boards of AIDs Care Services, Winston-Salem YMCA, WDAV Radio, and the Charlotte Master Chorale. Maestro Moody is an avid runner, swimmer, and snow-skier.

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Memphis Symphony OrchestraKalena Bovell, Assistant Conductor

Kalena Bovell ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR

Kalena Bovell is the newly appointed Assistant Conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra; a position she won after national search and auditions held in May 2019. She will be featured on numerous Pops, Education, Runout, and other concert cycles for MSO, as well as covering Maestro Moody and guest conductors on Masterworks and Classic Accents during the upcoming season. Hailed as “one of the brightest stars in the world of classical music,” (Channel 3 News) Ms. Bovell was Music Director of the Civic Orchestra of New Haven for the 2018-2019 season. Under her direction, the Civic Orchestra expanded their visibility

within the New Haven community, continuing their tradition of providing high quality and accessible music performances through innovative programming and community engagement. This past season Ms. Bovell also guest conducted the New Britain Symphony in their March “Dance for Joy” concert and returned for Hartford Opera Theater’s New in November to conduct two short operas by Dawn Sonntag.

Ms. Bovell worked with MSO once prior to this appointment: in 2016 former Music Director Mei Ann Chen brought Bovell to Memphis, to serve as her assistant conductor for Chen’s farewell performances. Bovell has also served in an assistant conductor role with both the St. Louis and Hartford Symphonies, and has covered well established conductors Gemma New and Carolyn Kuan.

Ms. Bovell held conducting fellowships with the Allentown Symphony and the Chicago Sinfonietta. Due to her success with Sinfonietta, Ms. Bovell became assistant conductor for the 2016-2017 season, making her professional debut as part of the MLK Tribute concerts in Chicago’s Symphony Center. That same year, Ms. Bovell was a finalist for Marin Alsop’s Taki Concordia Fellowship. In 2015 she was awarded 3rd place in the American Prize for the college/ university division.

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A dedicated educator, Ms. Bovell was the Orchestra Director at the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT for four years. In 2015, she conducted a fully staged, three act ballet production of the Swan Princess, based on Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. In Orange County, California, Ms. Bovell was the Assistant Conductor of the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra for two seasons. She was also the Assistant Conductor and Strings Coach for the Prelude Youth Orchestras, an organization dedicated to providing orchestral experience to elementary and middle school aged children.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Ms. Bovell is a graduate of Chapman University’s College of the Performing Arts, where she received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. She received a Master of Music Degree and Graduate Professional Diploma in instrumental conducting from The Hartt School, where she was a student of Edward Cumming.

In addition to conducting, Ms. Bovell is also a published author and released her first collection of poems titled “Dear Soul…” in 2009.

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Memphis Symphony OrchestraRobert Moody, Music Director

Violin IBarrie Cooper, Concertmaster

The Joy Brown Weiner ChairMarisa Polesky,

Assistant ConcertmasterDiane Zelickman Cohen,

Assistant PrincipalPaul Turnbow, Assistant PrincipalWen-Yih YuJessica MunsonGreg Morris Long Long Kang

Violin IIGaylon Patterson, Principal

The Dunbar and Constance Abston Chair

Erin Kaste, Assistant PrincipalLenore McIntyre, Assistant PrincipalYennifer CorreiaHeather Trussell*Ann Spurbeck

ViolaJennifer Puckett, Principal

The Corinne Falls Murrah Chair Michelle Pellay-Walker,

Assistant PrincipalIrene Wade, Assistant PrincipalBeth LuscombeKaren Casey

CelloRuth Valente Burgess, Principal

The Vincent de Frank ChairIren Zombor, Assistant PrincipalJonathan Kirkscey,

Assistant PrincipalPhyllis Long *Jeffrey JurciukonisHannah SchmidtMark Wallace

BassScott Best, PrincipalChris Butler, Assistant PrincipalSean O’HaraAndrew PalmerTimothy WeddleJeremy UptonSara Chiego

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The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is a proud member of the League of American Ochestras.

FluteAdam Sadberry, Principal

The Marion Dugdale McClure ChairDelara Hashemi

OboeSaundra D’Amato, Principal Shelly Sublett, Assistant Principal

English HornShelly Sublett, Principal

ClarinetAndre Dyachenko, Principal

The Gayle S. Rose Chair Rena Feller Nobuko Igarashi

Bass ClarinetNobuko Igarashi

BassoonSusanna Whitney, PrincipalMichael Scott Christopher Piecuch

ContrabassoonChristopher Piecuch

HornCaroline Kinsey, Principal

The Morrie A. Moss Chair Robert Patterson

TrumpetScott Moore, Principal

The Smith & Nephew Chair Susan Enger J. Michael McKenzie

TromboneGreg Luscombe, PrincipalWes LeboMark Vail

Bass TromboneMark Vail

TubaCharles Schulz, Principal

TimpaniFrank Shaffer, Principal

PercussionDavid Carlisle, Principal Ed Murray, Assistant Principal

HarpMarian Shaffer, Principal

The Ruth Marie Moore Cobb Chair

Piano/CelesteAdrienne Park, Principal

The Buzzy Hussey and Hal Brunt Chair

*Currently on leave

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I am going to ask you to take a moment tonight and look around the hall. You are with friends, some you know, some you haven’t seen in a while, and some who can’t wait to meet you. We have all self-selected this experience today—what a wonderful group to be with. Music is an amazing thing. We are all hearing the same notes, but we all hear something different. Part of what you are experiencing is the result of thousands of hours of training and practice by members of the orchestra. I hope you will get to know the incredibly talented artists that make up the Memphis Symphony. A series of

videos can be found on our website and social media that welcomes you in to their lives outside of and alongside their music making.

You may have noticed a phrase on the cover of the program book following our name, “in-residence at the University of Memphis.” Being in-residence has a specific meaning in our industry. It represents an invitation to have “time and space away from our usual environment and obligations.” We are not sure where this residency will lead, but we are hopeful that this time contributes to our transformation as an organization as we seek to be the most relevant orchestra in America. In any case, we are honored and grateful for the invitation.

In preparation for this concert, the conductor has been working with these fine artists to produce a type of sound that only live orchestral music can provide. The balance, the tempo, the intonation, all work in harmony to present this work by a master composer. What do you hear? What do you like? I hope you will think about it, maybe even writing it down. It is all that matters! Remember, this work was written, practiced and played just for you. Please enjoy the show.

Letter from Peter Abell, CEO

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Memphis Symphony ChorusDr. Lawrence Edwards, Artistic DirectorLiz Parsons, Accompanist

The Memphis Symphony Chorus has performed many of the greatest works of choral music with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for the past 50 years. The Symphony Chorus is led by Artistic Director, Dr. Lawrence Edwards, and performs between 2 and 5 concerts per season with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Since its formation in 1965, the Memphis Symphony Chorus is composed of 100+ dedicated excellent, volunteer vocalists from around the Mid-South. In a perfect collaboration of orchestral and vocal musicians, the chorus has performed major works across the entire spectrum of classical choral music, opera choruses, and concert pops repertoire. This group of dedicated volunteer vocalists celebrated its 50th anniversary during the 2015-16 season.

Chorus membership grows through a twice-yearly audition process supervised by Dr. Edwards. Being a professional vocalist is not a prerequisite for acceptance; however, one must have in equal proportion vocal skill, ability to read music, a love for great choral music, as well as the time and energy to devote to a weekly Monday rehearsal schedule during the season. Each new season for the Chorus begins in the late summer and lasts through their final performance, usually in May.

For more info on the chorus, auditions, or fundraisers, please visit our website at www.memphissymphonychorus.org. Email info@memphissymphonychorus.org for more information.

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Lawrence Edwards ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Dr. Lawrence Edwards has been the Artistic Director of the Memphis Symphony Chorus since 1988, making the 2018–2019 season his 30th Anniversary. He often conducts both the orchestra and the chorus. Dr. Edwards is also Coordinator of Choirs for the University of Memphis’ Department of Music, a position he has held since 1987. He directs the University Singers and the group Sound Fuzion, and teaches undergraduate choral conducting. He also serves as advisor/teacher for graduate choral conducting students. During the summers he teaches

graduate conducting at Villanova University in Philadelphia , and is active as a choral clinician throughout the country, working with junior and senior high honor choirs.

Dr. Edwards received his undergraduate degree in music from Seattle Pacific University where he directed the Seattle Pacific Singers. He holds both Masters and Doctoral degrees in Music from the University of Illinois at Champaign where he studied orchestral conducting with the Romanian conductor, Mircia Cristescu. Prior to assuming his position at the University of Memphis, Dr. Edwards was Director of Choral Activities at West Virginia University in Morgantown.

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STILL Festive Overture (1895 - 1978)

SHILKRET Concerto for Trombone (1889 - 1982) Allegro Maestoso (Blues) Andante Piu mosso (Boogie Woogie) Allegro

Greg Luscombe, Trombone

INTERMISSION

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade, Opus 35 (1844 - 1908) I. Largo e maestoso - Allegro non troppo II. Lento - Allegro molto III. Andantino quasi allegretto IV. Allegro molto

MEMPHIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MASTERWORKS 1

Sat, Oct 26, 2019 | 7:30 pm Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

Sun, Oct 27, 2019 | 2:30 pm Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

KNOW THE SCORE, a pre-concert lecture, begins 1 hour prior to show-time

Sat, Oct 26 | 6:30 pm Morgan Keegan Lobby Sun, Oct 27 | 1:30 pm Morgan Keegan Lobby

Sponsored by

DAVID NEELY, CONDUCTORGREG LUSCOMBE, TROMBONE

“Tommy Dorsey” Concerto and Scheherazade

Concert given in memory of Richard Briscoe.

Immediately after the program, David Neely, Greg Luscombe, Kalena Bovell and a member of the MSO will host a Question and Answer session from the stage with interested audience members. Session will last app. 15 minutes.

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“Tommy Dorsey” Concerto and Scheherazade26 and 27 October 2019

WILLIAM GRANT STILL (1895-1978): Festive OvertureDuration: approximately 8 minutes

William Grant Still is often referred to as the Dean of African-American composers, and his Mid-South connections have made him a source of personal interest for many years. He was born in Woodville, Mississippi; later moving to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was raised. His stepfather cultivated his interest in music with the purchase of classical recordings, and they also attended performances by musicians on tour whenever possible. As a teenager, he began to study violin, this in addition to teaching himself to play a number of other instruments, including the oboe, saxophone, and viola. He entered Wilberforce University at age 16 with the intent of pursuing medical studies, but continued to engage in musical activities, such as playing in a string quartet and conducting the band, and also beginning his forays into composition and orchestration. In 1917, he enrolled at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, interrupting his studies briefly to serve in the Navy during World War I. Upon his return to Oberlin, he studied composition with Friedrick Lehmann. Following his college studies, he worked for a few years as an arranger for several notable figures, including W.C. Handy, Paul Whiteman, and Artie Shaw. Eventually he moved to New York City to pursue a career as composer and performer; for two years during this time he also studied composition with George Whitefield Chadwick and Edgar Varese. In the mid-1930s, Still moved to Los Angeles, where he spent the remainder of his life pursuing an active musical career of writing concert works in addition to arranging film scores and music for television. He was the first African American to have a composition performed by a major symphony orchestra (Rochester Philharmonic, 1931), the first to conduct a major symphony orchestra (Los Angeles Philharmonic, 1936), and the first to have an opera performed by a major opera company (New York City Opera, 1949). He was inducted in the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

The Festive Overture was written for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 1944, winning First Prize for the best overture written to celebrate the orchestra’s Golden Jubilee season. The work is dedicated to the memory of Eugene Goossens, who conducted the first performance in January of 1945. It is scored for a large orchestra, including woodwinds in pairs (to which piccolo, English horn, and bass clarinet have been added), a full 19th/20th century brass section, timpani plus at least a dozen other percussion instruments, harp, and strings. The brass and percussion get a real workout in this piece, with the trumpets and trombones instructed to alternate between three different types of mutes, along with “soft hats” (this is printed in the original the score). This is a delightful work, at turns jaunty, then lyrical, and it’s easy to see why it was the unanimous choice for First Place in the CSO’s Golden Jubilee competition.

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NATHANIEL SHILKRET (1889-1982): Concerto for TromboneDuration: approximately 23 minutes

A native of New York City, Nathaniel Shilkret was a child prodigy as a clarinettist, touring as soloist with the New York Boys’ Orchestra from age 7 to 13. He later performed with the New York Philharmonic Society, The New York Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera House Orchestra, and the Sousa Grand Concert Band, amongst others. He was one of the earliest stars of radio, conducting The Everyday Hour; it was considered to be the first commercially sponsored variety program in the history of broadcasting, making its debut near the end of 1923. His compositions and arrangements number in the thousands; one of the most famous of these is the song, “The Lonesome Road.” It was used as a substitute for “Ol’ Man River” in the 1929 parttalkie film version of Show Boat, and has been recorded by more than 200 artists, including Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and Paul Robeson. Relocating to Los Angeles in 1935, Shilkret produced film scores in addition to serving as studio musical director for a number of important Hollywood organizations, most notably Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his scoring of Winterset in 1936. During 1944-45, Shilkret led a collaborative project that led to the creation of the Genesis Suite, a work based on the first 11 chapters of the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament. Six other composers took part in the project, including Arnold Schoenberg, Alexandre Tansman, Darius Milhaud, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Ernst Toch, and Igor Stravinsky.

Written in 1942, Shilkret’s Concerto for Trombone was commissioned by jazz legend Tommy Dorsey, and premiered by him in 1945 in a broadcast performance by the New York City Symphony, conducted by Leopold Stokowski. The work is in three movements, and is described as being “crossover” in nature. Movement One is “in classic form,” but includes a jazz-inspired fugue in the middle section, along with a foxtrot interpretation of the main theme near the end. Movement Two takes its mood from blues, with Movement Three featuring a boogie-woogie style. This work appears to have undergone myriad twists and turns over the course of its history: various and sundry arrangements of the music itself, performances scheduled and then rescheduled or unscheduled—for too many reason to list here; as a result, it languished in obscurity for nearly fifty years. Efforts by two trombonists: Bryan Free (a former member of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra), and later Jim Pugh (who made the first contemporary recording of the work in 2004 with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jeff Tyzik) have brought the concerto back into the limelight, and as a result, somewhere close to eighty performances have taken place in the United States, in Canada, and in Europe, with more scheduled.

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NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908): Scheherazade, Opus 35Duration: approximately 45 minutes

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, best know for his association with a group of 19th century Russian nationalist composers known as the “Mighty Five,” was born in Tikhvin, a small town approximately 120 miles east of Saint Petersburg. He began piano lessons at age six, showing some talent, but not much interest. Even when he began composing at age ten, he preferred to read, and his love of the sea was no doubt fueled by literature, as well as hearing of his older brother’s military adventures. Nikolai joined the Imperial Russian Navy two years later, studying at the School for Mathematical and Navigational Sciences in Saint Petersburg. He took piano lessons and studied composition with Feodor A. Kanille, and furthered his love of music by attending opera performances and orchestra concerts. In 1861, Kanille introduced Nikolai to Mily Balakirev, who in turn introduced him to Cesar Cui and Modest Mussorgsky. Alexander Borodin, the remaining member of “Balakirev’s Circle,” would join them a year later. Balakirev encouraged young Rimsky-Korsakov to compose as his duties allowed, and for his first few years at sea, he did so. Sadly, the lack of outside musical contact led to a waning of interest, which was not rekindled until his return to Saint Petersburg and reconnection with Balakirev. His composition output increased, and his skills as an orchestrator showed steady improvement. In 1871, Rimsky-Korsakov was appointed Professor of Practical Composition and Instrumentation at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory; two years later, the navy created the civilian post of Inspector of Naval Bands and appointing Rimsky-Korsakov to the position; this allowed him to remain on the navy payroll despite resigning his commission. He remained at this position until it was abolished by Imperial Order in 1884, and continued his work as a deputy under Balakirev at the Court Chapel for the next ten years. Rimsky-Korsakov’s best known orchestral works would be written at this time: Capriccio Espagnol, the Russian Easter Festival Overture,…and Scheherazade. His primary focus for the remainder of his life would be opera and other song forms.

As Rimsky-Korsakov worked to complete Borodin’s opera, Prince Igor, during the winter of 1887, it came into his head to compose a work based on tales from The Arabian Nights (or One Thousand and One Nights). Scheherazade was premiered in Saint Petersburg in October of 1888, with Rimsky-Korsakov conducting the orchestra. The basic premise is as follows: The Sultan, Schariar, upon discovering his wife’s infidelity, has her killed; subsequently, he marries a virgin every night, having her executed the following morning before she can dishonor him. Eventually, no more virgins can be found, at which point Scheherazade, the Vizier’s daughter, offers herself as bride to the Sultan. Each night, she tells the Sultan a tale, but does not finish it. The Sultan, in his desire to hear the conclusion, spares her life. This pattern continues for one thousand and one nights,…by which time he has fallen in love with her and repudiates his vow. The orchestral scoring calls for woodwinds in pairs (plus piccolo and English horn), a full 19th century brass section, timpani plus another half-dozen percussion instruments, harp, and strings. Each of the four movements is given a descriptive title. Scheherazade is represented by a solo violin, with extensive passagework, usually accompanied by harp, in each of the four movements.

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A stern and sinister motif in the bass instruments represents the Sultan; this motif introduces movements one and four, and is referenced in movement two. Other solo instruments featured prominently throughout the work (not in any particular order) are cello, all woodwind principals plus piccolo, horn, trumpet, and trombone.

by Michelle Pellay-Walker

Featured Artists

David Neely CONDUCTOR

In 2012 Opera News wrote, “The happy news of David Neely’s appointment as Des Moines Metro Opera’s first-ever music director portends some exciting operatic growth at Des Moines in years to come.” Since then, Neely has elevated the company’s musical profile with acclaimed performances of a wide range of repertoire such as Turandot, Billy Budd, Manon, Falstaff, Elektra, Peter Grimes, Dead Man Walking, Macbeth, Don Giovanni, La fanciulla del West, and Turandot.

Neely’s recent performances of Britten’s epic masterwork Billy Budd, Dvořák’s Rusalka, and Dove’s Flight garnered high praise in major publications Opera News in the Chicago Tribune, and Neely’s televised Manon and Billy Budd, produced by Iowa Public Television for DMMO, were awarded Emmys by the Upper Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Neely is equally at home in concert, opera, musical theater, and ballet settings. Internationally, he has appeared as a conductor with the Bochumer Symphoniker, Dortmunder Philharmoniker, the Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg, and numerous European opera houses including Bonn, Halle, Dortmund, and St. Gallen. In the United States, he has appeared with Atlanta Opera, Sarasota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Intermountain Opera, and the Portland Symphony Orchestra. As an educator, he has led concerts at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, the University of Kansas, and the University of Texas. He also served as Associate Music Director of Chicago for the Munich and Basel runs of the current Broadway production. He has collaborated with such instrumentalists as Joshua Roman, Bella Hristova, Benjamin Beilman, Rainer Honeck, Nicholas Daniel, Delfeayo Marsalis, Phillippe Cuper, Ben Lulich, and Ricardo Morales. Neely has conducted the German premiere of Mark Anthony Turnage’s The Silver Tassie, the North American

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premiere of Robert Orledge’s reconstruction of Debussy’s The Fall of the House of Usher, and recently, world premieres of Arthur Gottschalk’s Four New Brothers, Billy Childs’ Concerto for Horn and Strings, and Alexandre Rydin’s Clarinet Concerto.

Recent performances include West Side Story with Atlanta Opera, Rusalka and Flight in Des Moines, and, at the Jacobs School, L’elisir d’amore, Jake Heggie’s It’s a Wonderful Life, an evening of Balanchine and Robbins ballets, and numerous orchestra concerts. Upcoming appearances include Bernstein’s Candide and Berg’s Wozzeck in Des Moines, and a concert with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

Neely is in demand as an educator. He is the newly appointed Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Maryland. He previously served on the conducting faculties of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, the University of Kansas, and the University of Texas. The Kansas Federation of Music Clubs named him Kansas Artist-Educator of the Year for 2016-17.

Neely holds degrees in Piano and Orchestral Conducting from Indiana University, where his teachers were Zadel Skolovsky and Leonard Hokanson (piano), and Thomas Baldner and Bryan Balkwill (conducting). Post He also studied with Gerhard Samuel at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.

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Greg Luscombe PRINCIPAL TROMBONIST

Greg Luscombe has been the principal trombonist with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra since 1989. Greg is also a private instructor of trombone, euphonium/baritone and tuba and has been teaching for well over thirty years. His teaching has included faculty positions at the University of Mississippi, Union University, Murray State University, the University of Memphis and Southwest Tn. Community College. In addition, Greg is known for his extensive work as a

musician contractor and has booked professional musicians for a wide variety of engagements in the Mid South and beyond.

In addition to his performances with the Memphis Symphony, Greg occasionally performs with other orchestras and has performed and recorded with the Chicago Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Saint Louis Symphony, The Mexico City Philharmonic and the Iris Orchestra. Notable recordings he has participated in include The City Noir by John Adams with the St. Louis Symphony, Ameriques by Edgard Varese with the Cleveland Orchestra, Fantasia (Pines of Rome) with the Chicago Symphony and Brahms 2nd Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony with the Mexico City Philharmonic. Before moving to Memphis, Greg was a member of the Ohio Chamber Orchestra in Cleveland, Ohio and was the principal trombonist in the Canton Symphony Orchestra.

As a soloist Greg has been guest recitalist at the International Trombone Festival and the Eastern Trombone Festival. He also has soloed with the Memphis Symphony and other ensembles in the Mid-South as well as in the Chicago and Cleveland,Ohio areas. In addition, he has given recitals along with Master Classes at various universities and colleges. As a recitalist he often performs on euphonium as well as bass trumpet, in addition to the trombone.

His private trombone teachers have included Jay Friedman (principal Chicago Symphony), Per Brevig (former Metropolitan Opera), Art Sares, Ed Zadrosny (Univ. of Akron), Dee Stewart (lndiana University) and his first teacher, his father, Fred Luscombe. Greg has a MM in music from the University of Akron and a BS in business from Elmhurst College. He has also attended Indiana University, North Texas State University and the University of Memphis.

His wife Beth, is a member of the viola section of the Memphis Symphony and they have two daughters and a son-in-law. Greg’s hobbies include competitive swimming and running and he competes on occasion in various events both locally and out of town. He has completed several marathons and some half marathons along with a variety of road races. As a swimmer he recently qualified for and competed in the U.S. National Senior Games in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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BEETHOVEN Overture to Coriolan, opus 62 (1770 - 1827)

MOZART Concerto No. 21 in C major for (1756 - 1791) Piano and Orchestra, K. 467 I. [Allegro maestoso] II. Andante III. Allegro vivace assai

Michelle Cann, Piano

INTERMISSION

WALKER Lyric for Strings (1922 - 2018)

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Opus 60 (1770 - 1827) I. Adagio - Allegro vivace II. Adagio III. Allegro vivace IV. Allegro ma non troppo

MEMPHIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CLASSIC ACCENTS 1

Sat, Nov 9, 2019 | 7:30 pm University of Memphis- Harris Auditorium

Sun, Nov 10, 2019 | 2:30 pm | GPAC

KNOW THE SCORE, a pre-concert lecture, begins 1 hour prior to show-time

Sat, Nov 9 | 6:30 pm Directors Lounge Sun, Nov 10 | 1:30 pm Watkins Room

Sponsored by

Mozart and BeethovenMICHAEL MORGAN, CONDUCTORMICHELLE CANN, PIANO

Immediately after the program, Michael Morgan, Michelle Cann, Kalena Bovell and a member of the MSO will host a Question and Answer session from the stage with interested audience members. Session will last app. 15 minutes.

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Mozart and Beethoven9 and 10 November 2019

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827): Overture to Coriolan, opus 62Duration: approximately 9 minutes

Born in Bonn, Germany, Beethoven hailed from a family of musicians, much in the way that Bach and Mozart had before him; his grandfather (Ludwig) served as the court music director, with his father (Johann) holding a low-ranking position as a tenor. Young Ludwig also served in the Bonn court (as organist and violist ) before permanently relocating to Vienna at age 22. We know all of the stories, of course: how his virtuosity at the keyboard took Vienna by storm, his successful assertion that artists deserved as much respect as the nobility, his furious disgust when Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself Emperor of France, but perhaps most important of all, his coming to terms with his incurable deafness, rather than committing suicide. Beethoven’s compositions are usually divided into three distinct writing periods. The Early works (up to about 1802) exhibit the greatest influence of Haydn and Mozart while still incorporating much of Beethoven’s intense personality and individualism. The Middle works (1803-1814) tend to be of longer length as well as “heroic” in character. The Late works (1815-1827) can be intimate in expression, or “harsh and modern-sounding,” and in many cases use a great deal of complicated polyphony— such as the inclusion of a triple fugue near the end of the Finale of the Ninth Symphony.

Beethoven wrote this Overture in 1807 for a production of the tragedy, Coriolan, by Austrian dramatist Heinrich Joseph von Collin. It was premiered at a private concert that spring in the home of Prince Franz Joseph von Lobkowitz (Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony also received its premiere at this concert, along with the Fourth Piano Concerto). The subject matter is basically the same as the William Shakespeare play, Coriolanus, though treated somewhat differently. Both plays concern the life of a Roman General, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus, said to have lived in or around the Fifth Century B.C. He came to fame as a young man because of his valour during the Roman siege of the Volscian city of Corioli; he later was exiled from Rome, and subsequently led Volscian troops to besiege Rome. His mother, his wife, his sons, and some other women of Rome, persuaded him to cease his attack upon the city; they were successful in their pleas. Coriolanus withdrew, and either killed himself (Collin) or was murdered (Shakespeare). In Beethoven’s Overture, the somewhat choppy C-minor theme represents Coriolanus, stressing his war-like tendencies and resolve; the gentler E-Flat Major theme represents his mother, Veturia (in Shakespeare’s play, her name is given as Volumnia). Due to the nature of his end, this work does not end in triumph as with so many of Beethoven’s Overtures, instead it quietly fades into silence.

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WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791): Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467Duration: approximately 29 minutes

Born in Salzburg, and arguably the greatest child prodigy in the history of music, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart spent much of his time between the ages of six and fifteen on tour throughout Europe and England. Amongst the royalty for whom he performed were King George III (England), King Louis XV (France), and Empress Maria Theresa (Austria). By the time he was eight years of age, he had composed his first of over forty symphonies, and by age twelve he had composed his first opera. In 1773, Mozart was hired as a musician in the Salzburg court; during his tenure there, he composed five violin concertos in addition to several piano concertos, a couple of minor operas, and several chamber ensemble works for various instrumentation. After four years, Mozart began to become restless, considering Salzburg to be too confining and provincial, and sought to find more prosperous employment elsewhere. His quest took him to several important cultural centers, including Mannheim, Paris, and Munich; he ultimately settled in Vienna in 1781. Many of his greatest works were composed during the Vienna years: included in this impressive list are seven symphonies, four horn concertos, ten string quartets, five string quintets, the clarinet concerto, and nine operas—including The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute.

The nickname “Elvira Magidan” is as a result of the second movement being featured in the 1967 Swedish film of the same name. Mozart wrote this concerto in 1785—in only four weeks—and presumably was the featured soloist when the piece was given its premiere performance. The orchestra consists of one flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings. A march-like figure opens the piece, eventually giving way to a more lyrical melodic gesture, though the opening motif remains an important underpinning to the remainder of the movement. A cadenza occurs near the movement’s end, though it is not Mozart’s original, which has been lost. The upper strings are muted in the dreamy Second Movement opening, accompanied by pizzicato cellos and basses. All thematic material is presented by the orchestra before the entrance of the soloist; what follows thereafter are permutations on that material. The Third Movement is a high-spirited Rondo that always brings a smile with its joyfulness and playful effervescence, which is share by orchestra and soloist in equal measure.

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GEORGE WALKER (1922-2018): Lyric for StringsDuration: approximately 7 minutes

George Theophilus Walker, a native of Washington, D.C., was the son of West Indian-American parentage; his father, originally from Jamaica, emigrated to the United States, becoming a physician following his graduation from Temple University. Young George began piano lessons at age five, giving his first public recital at Howard University when he was 14 years old. He was accepted into the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music shortly thereafter, and graduated with highest honors at age 18. From there, he pursued graduate studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, where his teachers included Rudolf Serkin (piano), William Primrose and Gregor Piatigorsky (chamber music), and Rosario Scalero (composition). He received Artist Diplomas in piano and in composition from Curtis in 1945. His professional life was equally balanced between being a concert pianist, a composer, and a teacher. Orchestras with whom he appeared as piano soloist include the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony. Significant faculty appointments included the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, Rutgers University, and the Dalcroze School of Music. He received numerous commissions, including from the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 1996, Walker was award the Pulitzer Prize in Music for Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1999, and in 2000 was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.

Lyric for Strings was composed in 1946 and is dedicated to Walker’s grandmother, who had passed away the previous year. It was originally conceived as the Second Movement of Walker’s String Quartet No. 1, and titled, “Lament.” Later, it was arranged for string orchestra, and was given its premiere performance in a radio broadcast by the student orchestra of the Curtis Institute of Music, conducted by Seymour Lipkin. Its first public performance took place the following year in Washington, featuring the National Gallery Orchestra, conducted by Richard Bales. From the George Walker website: “After a brief introduction, the principal theme is stated by the first violins with imitations appearing in the other instruments. The linear nature of the material alternates with static moments of harmony. After the second of two climaxes, the work concludes with reposeful cadences that were presented earlier.”

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BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Opus 60Duration: approximately 34 minutes

Robert Schumann reportedly described this composition as “a slender Greek maiden between two Norse giants,” the latter in reference to (of course) the Eroica (3rd) and the Fate (5th) symphonies. It was written in 1806 and received its first public performance in Vienna in April of 1808 (it was actually premiered at a private concert the previous spring at the town house of Prince Franz Joseph von Lobkowitz). The orchestration is standard for a Classical period symphony, though minus one flute. The First Movement begins with a slow introduction, rather mysterious in character, that seems to creep up on the following allegro vivace step by step. The allegro itself sparkles with high-spiritedness and wit, and while vivacious in nature, never falls into a sense of heaviness. Movement Two is permeated by a dotted rhythmic pattern that underlies the more lyrical melody above, first featuring the violins, and later, the clarinets. In the Scherzo, we have an early example, if not the first, of Beethoven repeating the Trio; instead of the typical A-B-A ternary form associated with this movement, we get A-BA-B-A. He subsequently does the same thing in the Sixth and Seventh symphonies—and intended to do so in the Fifth as well. In many ways, the Fourth Movement mirrors the first in its overall mood; it is by turns sprightly and cheerful, and includes some outstanding virtuoso moments for the bassoon. The final Haydnesque joke at the end is a true delight: three fragmented phrases of the opening theme at half tempo, before the final romp to the finish.

by Michelle Pellay-Walker

Featured Artists

Michelle Cann PIANO

Concert pianist Michelle Cann is a young artist with a deep musical commitment to performing a wide range of repertoire throughout the U.S. and to bringing the arts to local communities. Michelle made her orchestral debut at age 14 and has since performed with various orchestras including the Florida Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Institute of Music Symphony Orchestra. Michelle appeared as guest soloist with the Knoxville Symphony where she

performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Florence Price’s Concerto in One Movement. Recently, Michelle performed with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in its Green Umbrella Series at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and, again, at the Barbican in London. She regularly appears in recital and as a chamber musician throughout the U.S., China and South Korea

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at premiere concert halls including the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Bermuda Festival on the island of Bermuda. Michelle is under the management of Lisa Sapinkopf Artists.

Michelle has been frequently featured on both WRTI 90. 1 and WHYY TV in Philadelphia on such shows as Creatively Speaking with Susan Lewis, Onstage at Curtis, and Philadelphia Music Makers where she was the host of the hour-long program which alternated between her own personal reflections and solo performances. Michelle has also appeared as cohost/collaborative pianist for 3 shows with the nationally broadcasted program NPR’s From The Top appearing in Interlochen, MI with actor/conductor Damon Gupton; Boston, MA with violinist Leila Josepfowicz; and in La Jolla, CA with violinist Vijay Gupta.

In 2016, Michelle soloed with The Dream Unfinished Orchestra in New York City, an organization whose purpose is to bring to the forefront those female and minority composers too long lingering in the background of American music. She performed the New York City premiere of Concerto in One Movement by composer Florence Price, the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer. Her performance was well received by the audience and press alike. The Boston Musical Intelliger wrote “Michelle Cann...was a compelling, sparkling virtuoso, bringing this riveting work to life in its first New York performance.” Recently, she performed a chamber recital with members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as their MAC Music Innovator. This program highlights leading African American classical musicians who embody artistry, innovation and a commitment to education and community engagement.

Some of Michelle’s future concerts include a solo performance with the New York Youth Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and performances with the Pennsylvania Philharmonic and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

Hailing from a musical family in Avon Park, Florida, Michelle began the piano at age 7, but soon added organ, steel drums, trombone, tuba and violin. Her primary focus on the piano earned her top prizes in state, national and international competitions including the International Russian Piano Music Competition, the Blount Young Artists National Competition and most recently the Wideman International Piano Competition. Michelle received her Bachelor and Master degrees in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music studying with Paul Schenly and Daniel Shapiro and received an Artist Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia studying with Robert McDonald. Soon after, she was placed on the Curtis staff as one of the new Collaborative Staff Pianists. In addition, Michelle is on the faculty of the Luzerne Music Center as a Coordinator/Instructor of Piano. Her summer festival appearances include the Taos Chamber Music Festival, YellowBarn Chamber Music Festival, Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Festival, and most recently, Artist in Residence at Pianofest in the Hamptons. Michelle is a

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young leader in creating opportunities for music education in her community. During her time in Philadelphia, she has served as the choir director of two thirty-member children choruses in the El-Sistema inspired program, “Play On Philly”. She served as one of three Curtis Institute of Music inaugural fellows of ArtistYear. Through that one year fellowship, Michelle worked with local community partners such as City Year, Teach for America and AmeriCorps to bring the arts to local Philadelphia communities where arts education and access are unattainable.

Michelle currently resides in Philadelphia, PA.

Michael Morgan CONDUCTOR

Michael Morgan was born in 1957 and raised in Washington, D.C. where he attended public schools. He attended McKinley Tech High School in Washington, D.C. and was affiliated with the D.C. Youth Orchestra Program but began conducting at the age of 12. While a student at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music (studying composition) he spent a summer at Tanglewood. There he was a student of Gunther Schuller and Seiji Ozawa and it was at that time that he first worked with Leonard

Bernstein. During his final year at Oberlin he was also the Apprentice Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic under Julius Rudel.

In 1980, he won first prize in the Hans Swarovsky International Conductors Competition in Vienna, Austria and became Assistant Conductor of the St Louis Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin. His operatic debut was in 1982 at the Vienna State Opera in Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio. In 1986, Sir Georg Solti chose him to become the Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra a position he held for five years under both Georg Solti and Daniel Barenboim. He became music director of the Oakland East Bay Symphony in 1990. Maestro Morgan serves as artistic director of the Oakland Youth Orchestra, and was the music director of the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra (and the Sacramento Opera) from 1999-2015 and artistic director of Festival Opera in Walnut Creek, California for more than 10 seasons. He teaches the graduate conducting course at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and is Music Director at the Bear Valley Music Festival in California. In 2002 and 2003 he taught conducting at the Tanglewood Music Center and has led conducting workshops around the country. As Stage Director he has led productions of the Bernstein Mass at the Oakland East Bay Symphony and a modern staging of Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Festival Opera, where he has also staged Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Gounod’s Faust. As a chamber musician (piano) he has appeared on the Chamber Music Alive series in Sacramento as well as the occasional appearance in the Bay Area. As a guest conductor

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he has appeared with most of America’s major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Houston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Edmonton Symphony and Omaha Symphony. He was Music Advisor to the Peoria during their most recent conductor search. As conductor of opera he has performed with St. Louis Opera Theater, New York City Opera (in New York and on tour), and the Staatsoper in Berlin. Abroad he has conducted orchestras in Europe, South America, the Middle East (Israel and Egypt) and even the Kimbaguiste Symphony Orchestra in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

In 2005 he was honored by the San Francisco Chapter of The Recording Academy with the 2005 Governors Award for Community Service. On the opposite coast, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) chose Morgan as one of its five 2005 Concert Music Award recipients. ASCAP further honored Oakland East Bay Symphony in 2006 with its Award for Adventurous Programming. The San Francisco Foundation honored him with one of its Community Leadership Awards and he received an Honorary Doctorate from Holy Names University in Oakland,CA. In 2014 he gave a TEDx Talk and was featured by Musical America as one of their “Profiles of Courage”.

He has served on the boards of the League of American Orchestras and the International House at the University of California, Berkeley, and the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts. Currently he is on the boards of the Purple Silk Music Education Foundation, the Oaktown Jazz Workshops, and the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute.

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(901) 537-2525MemphisSymphony.org

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provides a microcosm for exploring a full range of leadership skills.

In the years since the project was conceived, Leading From Every Chair® has developed into a responsive tool for leadership training. Musicians themselves present the content, taking participants through an interactive exploration of the leadership skills that drive effective communication, teamwork, creativity and collaboration. The experience is so unexpected that participant leaders are forced to step back and examine their own workplace challenges from a completely new perspective. Depending on the needs of the client, the MSO customizes each application to meet specific goals.

To learn more about Leading From Every Chair® and how it could positively impact your business, contact the Symphony at info@memphissymphony.org or call (901) 537-2500.

Leading From Every Chair®

Orchestrating Success in Emerging Leaders

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BACH Overture from Suite No. 3 in (1685 - 1750) D-Major, BWV 1068

BEETHOVEN Concerto in D major for (1770 - 1827) Violin and Orchestra, Opus 61 I. Allegro na non troppo II. Larghetto III. Rondo: Allegro

Benjamin Beilman, Violin

INTERMISSION

BRAHMS Symphony No. 3 in F major, Opus 90 (1833 - 1897) I. Allegro con brio II. Andante III. Poco allegretto IV. Allegro

MEMPHIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MASTERWORKS 2

Sat, Nov 23, 2019 | 7:30 pm Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

Sun, Nov 24, 2019 | 2:30 pm | GPAC

KNOW THE SCORE, a pre-concert lecture, begins 1 hour prior to show-time

Sat, Nov 23 | 6:30 pm Morgan Keegan Lobby Sun, Nov 24 | 1:30 pm Watkins Room

Sponsored by

The Three Bs!ROBERT MOODY, CONDUCTORBENJAMIN BEILMAN, VIOLIN

Concert given in honor of Kitty Cannon and Jim Waller by their friends.

Immediately following the performance, Maestro Robert Moody, Benjamin Beilman and a member of the MSO will host a Question and Answer session from the stage with interested audience members. Session will last app. 15 minutes.

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The Three Bs23 and 24 November 2019

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750): “Overture” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068Duration: approximately 7 minutes

Johann Sebastian Bach was born into a prominent family of musicians in Eisenach, Germany. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach, was the director of the town musicians, and his uncles were also professional musicians. No doubt he received his initial music lessons from his very talented family members, though he did later study organ with Georg Bohm. Bach’s performing skills, most especially as a keyboard artist, were unmatched during his lifetime, and he was accorded far more respect as a performer than as a composer. Important posts he held included court organist at Weimar (1703-1717, with short intermittent stretches at Arnstadt and Muhlhausen), court conductor in Kothen (1717-1723), and director of music at Saint Thomas Church in Leipzig (1723-1750). A revival of interest in Bach’s music took place in the 19th century, when Felix Mendelssohn organised a performance of his Saint Matthew Passion in Berlin; since that time, Bach has rightfully taken his place as one of the foremost composers in music history. His works are renowned for their rich harmonies in addition to their contrapuntal complexity.

Bach composed four orchestral suites; it appears that the bulk of the writing probably took place in Leipzig, with some earlier work being done in Kothen. The oldest source for the Third Suite dates from 1730, which would correspond with the Leipzig years. The Suite calls for two oboes, three trumpets, timpani, strings, and continuo. The Overture is in the French style: a slow, majestic opening featuring dotted rhythms, followed by a faster fugue-like section that features the polyphony for which Bach is justifiably so famous. A reprise of the slow introduction closes this movement. Sometimes, the main section is treated similarly to a concerto grosso, in that the strings will be reduced in numbers outside of the ritornello main theme. NOTE: The second movement of this Suite is the well-known Air, which was arranged in the 19th century by German violinist August Wilhelmj, becoming known in that version as “Air on the GString.” Only the opening Overture is scheduled to be performed for this concert set.

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LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827): Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Opus 61Duration: approximately 45 minutes

Born in Bonn, Germany, Beethoven hailed from a family of musicians, much in the way that Bach and Mozart had before him; his grandfather (Ludwig) served as the court music director, with his father (Johann) holding a low-ranking position as a tenor. Young Ludwig also served in the Bonn court (as organist and violist ) before permanently relocating to Vienna at age 22. We know all of the stories, of course: how his virtuosity at the keyboard took Vienna by storm, his successful assertion that artists deserved as much respect as the nobility, his furious disgust when Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself Emperor of France, but perhaps most important of all, his coming to terms with his incurable deafness, rather than committing suicide. Beethoven’s compositions are usually divided into three distinct writing periods. The Early works (up to about 1802) exhibit the greatest influence of Haydn and Mozart while still incorporating much of Beethoven’s intense personality and individualism. The Middle works (1803-1814) tend to be of longer length as well as “heroic” in character. The Late works (1815-1827) can be intimate in expression, or “harsh and modern-sounding,” and in many cases use a great deal of complicated polyphony—such as the inclusion of a triple fugue near the end of the Finale of the Ninth Symphony.

Beethoven began composing works for violin and orchestra during the 1790s, most notably, the Two Romances (Opus Number 40 and 50); there is also a fragment of an earlier concerto (though there is no indication that it was ever performed or published). The D Major Concerto was written in 1806 for Franz Clement, who gave the premiere performance as violin soloist and conductor in Vienna in December of that year. The scoring is a little bit unusual in that only one flute is called for; other than that, the instrumentation is standard for the period: pairs of the remaining woodwinds, two each of horns and trumpets, timpani, and strings. The massive First Movement—which is almost equal in length to earlier concertos of this type by Haydn and Mozart—begins with four soft timpani taps, after which the exposition proceeds as usual. The Larghetto second movement calls for muted orchestral violins, and also drops the flute and oboes from the mix; thus creating a darker tone palette over which to present the soloist. There is no break between this and the somewhat rustic Rondo that brings the piece to a close. The woodwinds are prominently featured in this piece, and cadenzas occur in the usual spots in the two outer movements, as well as sometimes between movements two and three. [Point of Personal Privilege: This is the composition that inspired me to pursue a career as an orchestral musician. It is near and dear to my heart, and getting to visit Pasqualatihaus in Vienna, where Beethoven composed the piece, will always be one of the biggest thrills of my life.]

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JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897): Symphony No. Three in F Major, Opus 90Duration: approximately 35 minutes

It was conductor Hans von Bulow who famously grouped Johannes Brahms, with Bach and Beethoven, as one of the “Three Bs” of music, and that’s how many up and coming musicians learned of the importance of Brahms as youngsters, myself included. Brahms was a native of Hamburg, Germany, but spent the bulk of his professional life in Vienna, as did so many performers and composers of the 19th century. The closest in spirit of the 19th century composers to Beethoven, Brahms, a Traditionalist, makes use of the innovative composition techniques introduced by Beethoven while adhering to the older forms as perfected by Haydn and Mozart. His musical training began with his father (piano, violin and cello), and continued with Otto Friedrich Willibald Cossel (piano), and Eduard Marxsen (composition). He was an accomplished piano virtuoso in his own right in addition to his conducting and composing skills, and gave the premiere performances of both of his piano concertos. Brahms gravitates towards the darker timbres of the orchestra in his symphonic writing, with special attention given to the lower strings, clarinets, and horns.

The Third Symphony, which is the shortest of the four, was written during the summer of 1883 at Wiesbaden. It was premiered by the Vienna Philharmonic in December of that year, conducted by Hans Richter; in fact, it was Richter who first called the work Brahms’ Eroica. It is scored for pairs of woodwinds plus contrabassoon, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings. It was well received; even so, Brahms continued to “polish” it following each performance until it was published in May of 1884 (ever the perfectionist!). Music critic Eduard Hanslick was quoted as saying, “Many music lovers will prefer the titanic force of the First Symphony; others, the untroubled charm of the Second, but the Third strikes me as being artistically the most nearly perfect.” The First Movement has a rather turbulent beginning following its two opening chords, and eventually settles into a lilting second theme featuring first the clarinet, and then the violas. Movement Two allows the clarinet to shine with a lyrical opening melody, and the cellos are brought to the fore as the movement progresses. Movement Three, rather than being a Minuet or a Scherzo, is marked Poco Allegretto: the cellos take the lead at the beginning, followed by the violins; the woodwinds create a waltz-like atmosphere in the middle section. Some of the First Movement’s turbulence is recalled at the beginning of Movement Four, albeit quietly—somewhat dark and somber, almost menacing in character. Later, the horns join the cellos in an exuberant second theme that is as much fun to play as it is to listen to. The Coda allows the tempo to relax, eventually recalling the First Movement, and concluding with a final reference to that movement’s opening theme, before coming to its gentle and peaceful close.

by Michelle Pellay-Walker

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Featured Artist

Benjamin Beilman VIOLIN

Benjamin Beilman has won praise both for his passionate performances and deep rich tone which the Washington Post called “mightily impressive,” and The New York Times described as “muscular with a glint of violence.” In 2018-19 Beilman will appear with Symphony Orchestras in Oregon, Cincinnati, North Carolina and Indianapolis, and Orchestra St. Luke’s. He also play-directs both the Vancouver Symphony and the New Century Chamber Orchestra. Abroad, Mr. Beilman performs

with the Cologne Philharmonie, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Bruckner Orchestra Linz, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Iceland Symphony and Nagoya Philharmonic in Japan. “Demons,” a new work written for Beilman and pianist Orion Weiss by Frederic Rzewski and commissioned by Music Accord, was premiered in 2018 at Baltimore’s Shriver Hall Concert Series, the Boston Celebrity Series and later presented in recital with the Gilmore Festival and Grand Teton Festival. Beilman and Weiss will continue to perform the work in recital during the 2018-19 season at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and Spivey Hall. Other upcoming recital appearances include Wigmore Hall, Kennedy Center, Philadelphia’s Perelman Theater, and Carnegie Hall. Mr. Beilman garnered worldwide attention following his First Prize wins in both the 2010 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the 2010 Montréal International Musical Competition. He went on to receive a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a London Music Masters Award and an exclusive recording contract with Warner Classics. In 2016 he released his first disc for the label, titled Spectrum, featuring works by Stravinsky, Janáček and Schubert.

Beilman studied with Almita and Roland Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago, Ida Kavafian and Pamela Frank at the Curtis Institute of Music, and Christian Tetzlaff at the Kronberg Academy. He plays the “Engleman” Stradivarius from 1709 generously on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation.

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HANDEL, G.F.(1685 - 1759)EDITED BY ALFRED MANN

No.1. Sinfony No.2. Recit: Comfort ye No.3. Aria: Every valley No.4. Chorus: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed No.5. Recit: Thus saith the Lord No.6. Aria: But who may abide the day of His coming No.7. Chorus: An He shall purify No.8. Recit: Behold, a virgin shall conceive No.9. Aria and Chorus: O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion No.12. Chorus: For unto us a Child is born No.13. Pifa No.14. Recit: There were shepherds abiding in the field No.15. Recit: And the angel said unto them No.16. Recit: And suddenly there was with the angel No.17. Chorus: Glory to God No.18. Aria: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion No.19. Recit: Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened No.20. Aria: He shall feed His flock like a shepherd No.21. Chorus: His yoke is easy

MEMPHIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA STAINED GLASS 2

Thur, Dec 5, 2019 at 7:30 pm Lindenwood Christian Church

Fri, Dec 6, 2019 at 7:30 pm Lindenwood Christian Church

Sat, Dec 7, 2019 at 7:30 pm Maples Memorial United Methodist

Handel’s Messiah

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ROBERT MOODY, CONDUCTORMARY WILSON, SOPRANO ~ LOGAN TANNER, ALTOROBERT MACK, TENOR ~ HYUNG YUN, BASSMEMPHIS SYMPHONY CHAMBER CHORUS ~ DR. LAWRENCE EDWARDS, DIRECTOR

INTERMISSION

No.22. Chorus: Behold the Lamb of God No.23. Aria: He was despised No.24. Chorus: Surely He hath borne our griefs No.25. Chorus: And with His stripes we are healed No.26. Chorus: All we like sheep have gone astray No.27. Recit: All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn No.28. Chorus: He trusted in God that He would deliver Him No.29. Recit: Thy rebuke hath broken His heart No.30. Arioso: Behold, and see if there be any sorrow No.31. Recit: He was cut off out of the land of the living No.32. Aria: But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell No.33. Chorus: Lift up your heads, O ye gates No.39. Chorus: Their sound is gone out into all lands No.40. Aria: Why do the nations so furiously rage No.42. Recit: He that dwelleth in heaven No.43. Aria: Thou shalt break them No.44. Chorus: Hallelujah! No.45. Aria: I know that my Redeemer liveth No.46. Chorus: Since by man came death No.47. Recit: Behold, I tell you a mystery No.48. Aria: The trumpet shall sound No.53. Chorus: Worthy is the Lamb

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Handel’s Messiah5, 6 and 7 December 2019

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685-1759): MessiahDuration: approximately 2 1/2 hours

George Frideric Handel, along with Johann Sebastian Bach, is considered one of the giants of composition from the Baroque era. A native German, he was born in Halle, a court city approximately 20 or so miles northwest of Leipzig. His family was relatively well off, his father being employed as a barber-surgeon by the court. The original intent was for Handel to study law; in fact, his farther tried to forbid any contact with music and instruments at all, but young George, having managed to sneak a keyboard into the upper room of the house (where he practiced while the rest of the family was asleep), had become an accomplished keyboard artist by the time he was nine years old. Upon discovery of his heretofore hidden mastery, his father grudgingly allowed him to pursue his musical studies. Handel did actually accede to his father’s wishes for a short time, enrolling in the Halle University at age seventeen for the purpose of studying law. That effort didn’t last long; a year later he left the university and relocated to Hamburg, where he became a violinist and the harpsichordist for the local opera house. A three-year sojourn in Italy led to a highly productive output that included two oratorios, several cantatas, and his first all-Italian operas. After his return to Germany, he accepted the position position of Music Director for the Elector of Hanover—but left after only a month in order to attend a production in London of one of his operas. His return to Hanover proved to be short-lived, and after a year, he relocated to England on a permanent basis, becoming a naturalised British subject in 1727. He eventually became that country’s most important composer and a favourite of the royal court. His composition output over the course of his 74-year lifespan is impressive and includes large numbers in all genres: instrumental, keyboard, and vocal.

Composed in only 3 1/2 weeks in 1741, Messiah remains one of the staples of mature Baroque period repertoire, and is probably western art music’s best known oratorio. The work was given its first performance by Handel in Dublin, Ireland, on 13 April 1742, at the Great Music Hall in Fishamble Street (as a charity event, it garnered so much attention that men were asked to remove their swords, and ladies were asked not to wear hoops in their dresses, in order that the Hall might accommodate as many people as possible!). The London premiere took place almost a year later at Covent Garden Theatre. The libretto is in English, and was provided by Charles Jennens, who used the King James Bible and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as his source materials.

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The work is divided into three sections, each of which contains a series of recitatives, arias, and choruses. Part the First predicts the coming of the Messiah and the Virgin Birth, drawing heavily from Isaiah in the Old Testament; in addition, passages from Haggai, Malachi, Luke, Zachariah, and Matthew are included. Part the Second tells of Christ’s Passion and death, followed by the Resurrection and the Ascension. Featured biblical texts are taken from John, Isaiah, the Psalms, Lamentations, Romans, and Revelation. Part the Third covers redemption, along with the Day of Judgment and the final victory of the Messiah over sin and death. This final set of texts includes readings from Job, First Corinthians, and Revelation.

When performed in its entirety, an interval usually occurs following Part I, and another may or may not occur between Parts II and III. Only 2 of the 53 movements are entirely instrumental: the opening Sinfony, and the Pifa, which takes place approximately midway through Part I. The only true duet occurs in Part III (“O death, where is thy sting” for alto and tenor). Handel subsequently rewrote some movements for different performers and performances, and it should also be noted that some of the choruses, along with the duet, are “borrowed” from earlier works. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart reorchestrated the work in 1789, adding flutes, clarinets, horns, and trombones, and translating the libretto into German; it was published in 1803 (Der Messias, K. 572) and still receives the occasional performance.

by Michelle Pellay-Walker

Featured Artists

Mary Wilson SOPRANO

Soprano Mary Wilson has been hailed as one of today’s most exciting artists, receiving critical acclaim for a voice that is “lyrical and triumphant, a dazzling array of legato melodies and ornate coloratura” (San Francisco Chronicle). Opera News heralded her first solo recording, Mary Wilson Sings Handel, stating “Wilson’s luminous voice contains so much charisma,” they dubbed her recording one of their “Best of the Year.”

In consistent high demand on the concert stage, she has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Detroit Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, National

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Symphony of Costa Rica, Singapore Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Dayton Philharmonic, Boulder Philharmonic, San Antonio Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, IRIS Chamber Orchestra, VocalEssence, Berkshire Choral Festival, and at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. She has frequently worked with conductors Jeffrey Thomas, Nicholas McGegan, Martin Pearlman, Martin Haselböck, Robert Moody, Carl St. Clair, JoAnn Falletta, Giancarlo Guerrero, John Sinclair, Anton Armstrong, and Leonard Slatkin. With the IRIS Chamber Orchestra, she sang the World Premiere of the song cycle “Songs Old and New” written especially for her by Ned Rorem. She was named an Emerging Artist by Symphony Magazine in the publication’s first ever presentation of promising classical soloists on the rise.

An exciting interpreter of Baroque repertoire, “with a crystal clear and agile soprano voice perfectly suited to Handel’s music” (Early Music America), she has repeatedly appeared with American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque, Musica Angelica, Boston Baroque, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Grand Rapids Bach Festival, Bach Society of St. Louis, Chatham Baroque, Musica Sacra Festival de Quito Ecuador, Baltimore Handel Choir, Florida Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Colorado Bach Festival, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, and the Carmel Bach Festival.

Highlights of the upcoming 2019-2020 season include a debut with the Milwaukee Symphony for Mozart Requiem, and many return engagements including Handel Messiah with Nashville Symphony, Memphis Symphony, and Portland Baroque Orchestra, a teaching residency and Haydn Creation with Key Chorale in Sarasota, Mendelssohn Elijah with Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Mahler Symphony No. 4 with Memphis Symphony, and the role of Despina in Mozart Cosi fan tutte with Opera Memphis.

Equally at home on the opera stage, she is especially noted for her portrayals of Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Susannah in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Gilda in Rigoletto. She has created leading roles in North American and World Premiere performances of Dove’s Flight, Glass’ Galileo Galilei, and Petitgirard’s Joseph Merrick dit L’Elephant Man. A National Finalist of the 1999 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she has appeared with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Minnesota Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Dayton Opera, Arizona Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Southwest, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Goodman Theatre.

An accomplished pianist, Ms. Wilson holds vocal performance degrees from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She is an Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Memphis, and resides in Bartlett, Tennessee, with her husband, son, and two dogs.

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Logan Tanner COUNTERTENOR

American countertenor Logan Tanner has been praised for his “striking musicality, clarity, and strong coloratura” (Opera Canada, 2018). Mr. Tanner has been an award recipient in several competitions, including first place in both the New York Classical Music Society International Competition, and the Choralis Young Artist Competition. Recently, he was honored to be selected as one of the top outstanding finalists in the American Prize—a national competition in

which only four vocalists are chosen in the United States. He will compete in the finals in early 2019. Logan has been engaged as a leading soloist with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, North Carolina Baroque Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Camerata, Princeton Pro Musica, the Axelrod Performing Arts Center, the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey, Choralis, Chorus Austin, New York Chamber Choir, the Henry Purcell Society of Boston, La Fiocco, the Arcadia Players, Monmouth Civic Chorus, the Westchester Oratorio Society, and the Sparkill Concert Series. In May 2019, Mr. Tanner will be the featured soloist in the world premiere of Falling Stars by composer Richard Burchard.

Equally comfortable in opera, Mr. Tanner has performed on operatic stages throughout the United States and abroad. Recent roles have included Ruggiero with the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival as a professional fellow. In his international opera debut, he received critical acclaim for his interpretation and performance of Oberon, King of the Fairies, in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Halifax Summer Opera Festival. An article in Opera Canada later praised Mr. Tanner as being a performer who “commanded the role of Oberon charmingly” (Opera Canada, 2018). This summer, Logan looks attended The Music Academy of the West as a Vocal Fellow, where he worked with internationally renowned faculty artists, guest conductors, and soloists, including famed mezzo-soprano, Marilyn Horne.

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Robert Mack TENORA member of the critically-acclaimed Three Mo’ Tenors, Robert Mack receives glorious reviews for his powerful and sweet lyric tenor voice, throughout the U.S. and Europe.

This season, Mr. Mack can be heard singing the tenor solo in Handel’s Messiah, a soloist with the Moab Music Festival and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and in Porgy and Bess with Toledo Opera and Springfield Symphony. He has

performed principal roles with noted opera companies, such as Houston Grand Opera, New York City Opera, Opéra Française de New York, Nashville Opera, Opera Carolina, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Indianapolis Opera, The Paris Bastille, The Teatro Real in Spain, The Royal Danish Theater, Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and is on the roster of The Metropolitan Opera.

He performs tenor solos with The Collegiate Chorale and The Alvin Ailey Dance Company in Revelations and performed in Spoleto Festival’s premier of Amistad where the critics made mention of his very solid performance. He also performed on Broadway in Smokey Joe’s Café. He can be heard on DECCA records, Paragon records KSW Music. Mr. Mack co-founded and is the General Director of Opera Noire of New York.

Hyung Yun BARITONEBaritone Hyung Yun has been acclaimed for his “subtle musicality and grand voice,” and regularly performs on some of the most esteemed opera stages in the United States. With The Metropolitan Opera, he has performed numerous roles including Valentin in Faust under Maestro James Levine, Ping in Turandot, Lescaut in Manon with Renee Fleming in the title role, and Silvio in Pagliacci. With Los Angeles Opera he made his début as Angelotti in Tosca and returned to sing Marcello in La bohème,

Micheletto Cibo in Die Gezeichneten, and Lescaut in Manon with Rolando Villazón & Anna Netrebko under the baton of Plácido Domingo. He débuted as Ping in Turandot with the Santa Fe Opera and returned to sing in their 50th Anniversary Gala Concert. Last season, Yun returned to The Metropolitan Opera for their productions of Turandot and Madama Butterfly and performed the title role in Rigoletto with Ash Lawn Opera. He also sang in numerous concerts around New York City as part of The Metropolitan Opera’s 2017 Summer Recital Series. This season, Mr. Yun returns to The Metropolitan Opera once again for productions of Gianni Schicchi and La Traviata.

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THE TRADITIONS OF THE HOLIDAY

NIGEL HESS A Christmas Overture ARR. MARSH It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year KENT I’ll be Home for Christmas ANDERSON Bugler’s Holiday TORME/HAYES The Christmas Song TCHAIKOVSKY Waltz of the Flowers from Nutcracker BERLIN White Christmas

INTERMISSION

THE STORY OF THE HOLIDAY

ARR. D.J. SPARR selections from Black Nativity HANDEL/ARR. WARREN “Hallelujah” from Messiah: A Soulful Celebration

THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAY

ANDERSON Sleigh Ride FOSTER/SIMS My Grown Up Christmas List ARR. FINNEGAN Christmas Sing-a-Long ARR. ROUSE I heard the Bells on Christmas Day

MEMPHIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Sat, Dec 21, 2019 | 7:30 pm Sun,, Dec 22, 2019 | 2:30 pm Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

Magic of Memphis!

ROBERT MOODY AND KALENA BOVELL, CONDUCTORSMEMPHIS SYMPHONY CHORUS ~ DR. LAWRENCE EDWARDS, CONDUCTORACTORS FROM HATILOO THEATRE ~ EKUNDAYO BANDELE, DIRECTOR

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SIBELIUS Finlandia, opus 26, no. 7 (1865 - 1957)

KEIKO ABE “Prism Rhapsody” for Marimba and Orchestra (1937 -) Zuri Wells, Marimba

INTERMISSION

MAHLER Symphony No. 4 in G major (1860 - 1911) I. Bedächtig, nicht eilen (Thoughtfully, without hurry) II. In gemächlicher Bewegung, ohne Hast (In leisurely motion, without haste) III. Ruhevoll (Peaceful) IV. Sehr behaglich (Very comfortable) Mary Wilson, Soprano

MEMPHIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MASTERWORKS 3

Sat, Jan 18, 2020 | 7:30 pm Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

Sun, Jan 19, 2020 | 2:30 pm | GPAC

KNOW THE SCORE, a pre-concert lecture, begins 1 hour prior to show-time

Sat, Jan 18 | 6:30 pm | Morgan Keegan Lobby Sun, Jan 19 | 1:30 pm | Watkins Room

Sponsored by

Finlandia, Mahler 4, and a Rising Star!ROBERT MOODY, CONDUCTORZURI WELLS, MARIMBAMARY WILSON, SOPRANO

Immediately following the performance, Maestro Moody, Zuri Wells, and Mary Wilson will host a Question and Answer session with interested audience members. Session will last app. 15 minutes.

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Finlandia, Mahler 4, and a Rising Star!18 and 19 January 2020

JEAN SIBELIUS (1865-1957): Finlandia, Opus 26Duration: approximately 9 minutes

The year 1865 was a notable one not only for the ending of America’s Civil War; two of Scandinavia’s greatest composers were also born that year: Danish composer Carl Nielsen in June, and Finland’s Jean Sibelius in December. A doctor’s son, Johan Julius Christian was given the nickname Janne as a child, adopting the French spelling Jean (by which he is now known) during his student years. His early music studies included piano and later violin, and he would appear to have taken up composing during his late teens. Though it was his intent to study law upon entering Imperial Alexander University (the University of Helsinki since 1919), it was not long before he turned his attentions almost exclusively to the violin and to composing. Martin Wegelius became his primary composition instructor, later instructors would also include Albert Becker (in Berlin) and Karl Goldmark (in Vienna). In addition to the seven symphonies for which he is best known, Sibelius also wrote over a dozen evocative tone poems, many of which were inspired by The Kalevala, the 19th century epic poem of Finnish folklore and mythology compiled by Elias Lonnrot. Sibelius did very little composing during the last thirty years of his life. In 1955, his 90th birthday was widely celebrated, most notably by the Philadelphia Orchestra (Eugene Ormandy, conductor) and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Sir Thomas Beecham, conductor); both orchestras gave special performances of his works in Finland that year. He passed away the following September at age 91, succumbing to a brain hemorrhage.

One of Sibelius’ best known and most popular works, the tone poem, Finlandia, was composed in 1899. The premiere performance took place in July of 1900 in Helsinki (following a revision to the score earlier that year), featuring the Helsinki Philharmonic Society conducted by Robert Kajanus. The music was written as part of a covert protest against the Russian Empire, which in February of 1899 had issued a manifesto aimed at restricting the autonomy of the Grand Duchy of Finland. Clandestine efforts occasionally had to be undertaken in order to avoid the scrutiny of the Russian censors; this led to the work occasionally being performed under alternative names (one of the more notable was Happy Feelings at the Awakening of Finnish Spring—the reference to the first movement of Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony is unmistakable!!).

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From the Sibelius website (www.sibelius.fi): “Finlandia starts with a threatening motif in the brass,…The answer of the woodwinds is elevated: it could even be said to breathe a sense of holiness. The strings introduce a more “human” voice. After a slow introduction the tempo changes to Allegro moderato. The fanfare of the brasses reveals a fighting spirit. With the tempo allegro there comes a feeling of confidence. The worldfamous hymn motif is first heard in the woodwinds; they are later joined by the strings. After the hymn, the tempo becomes faster, the brass fanfares return, and the short symphonic poem rushes to its triumphant end as the hymn theme continues to play, augmented by the brass.”

KEIKO ABE (1937-): “Prism Rhapsody” for Marimba and OrchestraDuration: approximately 17 minutes

A native of Tokyo, Japan Keiko Abe began playing the xylophone in grade school as a student of Eiichi Asabuki. She won a Nippon Host Kyokai (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) at age 13, and subsequently began performing professionally on live radio. She attended Tokyo Gakugai University, receiving a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Music Education. Abe has been at the forefront of the development of the marimba, including performance techniques, expanded repertoire, and instrument design; she played an important role in the expansion of the marimba from a fouroctave to a five-octave concert instrument. She held the positions of Lecturer (1970-1991), Associate Professor (1991-1993), and Professor (1993-2008) at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo from 1970 to 2008, and was named Professor Emeritus in 2009. She was the first woman to be inducted in the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1993.

The “Prism Rhapsody” was written in 1996, and received its premiere performance later that year in Umea, Sweden; Keiko Abe was the featured soloist with the Umea Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arvo Volmer. Materials from Abe’s earlier Conversation in the Forest II and Prism series provide much of the inspiration for this highly appealing work. It is divided into two large sections, separated by an extensive and brilliant cadenza. The first section features the technical challenges of six-mallet performance by the soloist. The orchestra does much more than function as a mere accompaniment, often carrying the melodic line, which is enhanced by a technically challenging obligato in the solo marimba.

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GUSTAV MAHLER (1860-1911): Symphony No. 4 in G MajorDuration: approximately 56 minutes

One of the last of the great 19th century Austrian Romantic composers, Gustav Mahler is a mass of contradictions. His family was part of the German-speaking Austrian minority living in Bohemia at the time of his birth, which took place in Kaliste; they moved several months later to Jihlava (also in Bohemia), where he was raised. His family was also Jewish, with his father working as a tavern keeper. He spent his entire life as an outsider: an Austrian amongst Bohemians, a Jew amongst Austrians, and eventually in Germany, an outsider as both an Austrian from Bohemia AND as a Jew. Despite these obstacles, his musical gifts were seen and acknowledged early: As early as four years of age, he was able to reproduce the folk songs and military music he heard on the piano and the accordion, and by age ten, he had begun to compose himself. Those early influences permeate his musical style in his symphonies and in his songs with orchestra. During his own lifetime, he was far better known as a conductor, holding positions with the Vienna Court Opera (he converted to Catholicism in order to secure this position), the Metropolitan Opera, and the New York Philharmonic. His compositions following his death were largely ignored in some quarters, especially in war-torn Europe, where his works were condemned and banned by the anti-Semitic Nazis as being “degenerate.” Happily, this is no longer the case. Championed by such notable conductors as Leopold Stokowski, Dimitri Mitropoulos, John Barbirolli, and Leonard Bernstein, a revival of interest in his works began during the 1950s; today, Mahler’s works are amongst those most frequently performed and recorded.

“Das himmlische Leben” (“The Heavenly Life”), a song written by Mahler in 1892, provided the inspiration for the Fourth Symphony, and represents a child’s vision of Heaven. The work was composed in 1899 and 1900, and received its premiere performance in in Munich in November of 1901, featuring the Kaim Orchestra conducted by Mahler. This is one of the last works of the Wunderhorn period; many works composed during this time were inspired by Des Knaben Wunderhorn, (The Boy’s Magic Horn) a set of German folk poems of which Mahler was particularly fond. The orchestration, while not as large as some of Mahler’s works, nonetheless contains a full complement of woodwinds (including most of the usual auxiliary family members), four horns, three trumpets, timpani, percussion, harp and strings. A soprano soloist is featured in the fourth movement. Mahler makes use of several unusual orchestral colours at various points in this symphony: In the First Movement, sleigh bells are a prominent part of the mix. The Second Movement scherzo features a solo violin that has been tuned one whole step higher than usual, depicting Freund Hein (Friend Henry), a fiddle-playing skeleton that represent Death in medieval German art ). Movement Three is a somewhat unconventional Theme and Variations; and Movement Four, while beginning in the home key of G Major, eventually settles into E Major (the major version of the relative minor—definitely a bit of Theory Nerd talk here!!) for the work’s peaceful conclusion.

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The Heavenly Life (from Des Knaben Wunderhorn)

We enjoy heavenly pleasuresand therefore avoid the earthly stuff.No worldly tumultis to be heard in heaven.All live in greatest peace.We lead angelic lives,yet have a merry time of it besides.We dance and we spring,We skip and we sing.Saint Peter in heaven looks on.

John lets the lambkin out,and Herod the Butcher lies

in wait for it.We lead a patient,an innocent, patient,dear little lamb to its death.Saint Luke slaughters the oxwithout any thought or concern.Wine doesn’t cost a pennyin the heavenly cellars;The angels bake the bread.

Good greens of every sortgrow in the heavenly vegetable patch,good asparagus, string beans,and whatever we want.Whole dishfuls are set for us!Good apples, good pears

and good grapes,

and gardeners who allow everything!If you want roebuck or hare,on the public streetsthey come running right up.Should a fast day come along,all the fishes at once come

swimming with joy.There goes Saint Peter runningwith his net and his baitto the heavenly pond.Saint Martha must be the cook.

There is just no music on earththat can compare to ours.Even the eleven thousand virginsventure to dance,and Saint Ursula herself has to laugh.There is just no music on earththat can compare to ours.Cecilia and all her relationsmake excellent court musicians.The angelic voicesgladden our senses,so that all awaken for joy.

by Michelle Pellay-Walker

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Featured Artists

Mary Wilson SOPRANO

Soprano Mary Wilson has been hailed as one of today’s most exciting artists, receiving critical acclaim for a voice that is “lyrical and triumphant, a dazzling array of legato melodies and ornate coloratura” (San Francisco Chronicle). Opera News heralded her first solo recording, Mary Wilson Sings Handel, stating “Wilson’s luminous voice contains so much charisma,” they dubbed her recording one of their “Best of the Year.”

In consistent high demand on the concert stage, she has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Detroit Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, National Symphony of Costa Rica, Singapore Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Dayton Philharmonic, Boulder Philharmonic, San Antonio Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, Colorado Music Festival, IRIS Chamber Orchestra, VocalEssence, Berkshire Choral Festival, and at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. She has frequently worked with conductors Jeffrey Thomas, Nicholas McGegan, Martin Pearlman, Martin Haselböck, Robert Moody, Carl St. Clair, JoAnn Falletta, Giancarlo Guerrero, John Sinclair, Anton Armstrong, and Leonard Slatkin. With the IRIS Chamber Orchestra, she sang the World Premiere of the song cycle “Songs Old and New” written especially for her by Ned Rorem. She was named an Emerging Artist by Symphony Magazine in the publication’s first ever presentation of promising classical soloists on the rise.

An exciting interpreter of Baroque repertoire, “with a crystal clear and agile soprano voice perfectly suited to Handel’s music” (Early Music America), she has repeatedly appeared with American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque, Musica Angelica, Boston Baroque, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Grand Rapids Bach Festival, Bach Society of St. Louis, Chatham Baroque, Musica Sacra Festival de Quito Ecuador, Baltimore Handel Choir, Florida Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Colorado Bach Festival, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, and the Carmel Bach Festival.

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Highlights of the upcoming 2019-2020 season include a debut with the Milwaukee Symphony for Mozart Requiem, and many return engagements including Handel Messiah with Nashville Symphony, Memphis Symphony, and Portland Baroque Orchestra, a teaching residency and Haydn Creation with Key Chorale in Sarasota, Mendelssohn Elijah with Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Mahler Symphony No. 4 with Memphis Symphony, and the role of Despina in Mozart Cosi fan tutte with Opera Memphis.

Equally at home on the opera stage, she is especially noted for her portrayals of Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Susannah in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Gilda in Rigoletto. She has created leading roles in North American and World Premiere performances of Dove’s Flight, Glass’ Galileo Galilei, and Petitgirard’s Joseph Merrick dit L’Elephant Man. A National Finalist of the 1999 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, she has appeared with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Minnesota Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Dayton Opera, Arizona Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Southwest, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Goodman Theatre.

An accomplished pianist, Ms. Wilson holds vocal performance degrees from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She is an Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Memphis, and resides in Bartlett, Tennessee, with her husband, son, and two dogs.

Zuri Wells MARIMBA

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Zuri Wells is a second-year artist diploma student at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Ontario. She began playing percussion at age nine as a part of a fellowship program funded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. While a part of this program, she received weekly lessons from Patsy Dash of the Chicago Symphony and Doug Waddell of the Chicago Lyric Opera. Zuri went on to receive her bachelors and masters in percussion performance at Michigan State University and has

begun playing with local orchestras. She has had the pleasure of performing as an extra/substitute with Lansing Symphony, Midland Symphony, and Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Recently, Zuri has spent summers as a percussion fellow at Music Academy International and Brevard Music Center, returning for a second time as a teacher’s assistant. She has also been the recipient of several awards, winning the Jan and Beattie Wood Concerto Competition and the Glenn Gould School’s concerto competition.

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As an active member in new music, Zuri has performed many chamber and solo works written for percussion. She has performed at PASIC twice with the Michigan State Percussion ensemble with newly commissioned chamber works and was granted the opportunity to perform two works with the International Contemporary Ensemble.

Zuri has had the honor of studying under Douglas Waddell, Patsy Dash, Gwendolyn Dease, and Charles Settle. She’s also the proud recipient of the Ihnatowycz Emerging Artist Scholarship.

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Sandy D’Amato PRINCIPAL OBOE

A story read to a child…music performed for children…what could be better than putting those two things together? For the past ten years, members of the MSO- woodwind quintet, brass quintet, string quartet, kinder trio, and percussion- have been setting children’s books to music and performing the shows in area libraries in a program called Library Tunes and Tales. For the past three seasons, we have expanded that concept by selecting one book, arranging music for specific small ensembles, and performing the result in area schools in a program called, naturally enough,

School Tunes and Tales. As a member of the woodwind quintet, I’ve been fortunate enough to be putting music to stories for the MSO Library Tunes and Tales program for a decade now, and this year, I was honored to arrange the music for this year’s School Tunes and Tales book, The Curious Garden, By Peter Brown.

Of course, combining music and story is not new; just ask our friends at Opera Memphis, or for that matter, watch and listen to any TV show, or cartoon, or movie- in fact, silent movies had musicians helping the story along before the actors could give voice to their lines. And certainly children get exposed early to this concept. When I was 4, my parents had a set of records with a man reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. In between the chapters, there was music by the New York Woodwind Quintet…one of whose members I would study with years later. (Coincidence?) There is, however, a special kind of joy that comes from adding music specifically for a children’s story, making the words come to life but also introducing classical music in an enjoyable way. (As a member of the Bugs Bunny generation, I must give a shout out here to the geniuses at Warner Brothers, who have taught millions of kids themes by Wagner, Rossini, Mendelssohn and Liszt without their realizing it.)

Tunes and Tales SPONSORED BY

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So how does one select select the music that will make a storybook come to life? With the Library Tunes and Tales books, the person selecting the music for the story chooses repertoire from their own group, meaning the music is from the repertoire of string quartet, brass quintet, percussion, or, in our group’s case, woodwind quintet. Some musical choices I’ve made were offbeat- what makes the Nielsen Woodwind Quintet sound like musical mice?- and some were more obvious- Malcom Arnold’s Sea Shanties makes perfect pirate music- but for me, if I see the book, read the words, and then hear the music in my head, then I know it will work.

An ensemble coach of mine once commented that a lot of woodwind quintet repertoire, even the serious stuff, sounded like cartoon music to him. “I always see lines of bananas and oranges dancing down the street,” he said. (He was a horn player.) Maybe it’s the non-homogenous nature of a woodwind quintet as compared to brass and string ensembles, but it is relatively easy to make different characters and situations come to life with flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn. (Just ask Prokofiev, or listen to Peter and the Wolf.)

This year, I was lucky enough to arrange music for our School Tunes and Tales book, which meant expanding the available field of music from woodwind quintet to orchestra, piano, vocal, basically anything that could be arranged for four voices (string quartet and woodwind quartet). It was requested that the book be one with an ecological theme, and after some searching, I found The Curious Garden, with its theme of transforming urban areas through gardening. Interestingly, with a whole world of music at my disposal, I only had two characters to work with, one of whom was nonhuman. But the process was the same: see the book, look at the words, and hear the music. In this case, the gardener gardens to the music of Beethoven’s 6th Symphony; the garden itself, for some reason, is Russian. Don’t ask me why!

Finally, how do any of us know if the music/story collaboration is successful? That one’s easy: if the kids are engaged and enjoying themselves—especially if they are dancing or clapping along—then it’s a success.

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MSO Governance

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Louise Barden, Chairperson

Peter Abell, President/CEO

Dr. Paul Brezina

Nancy Coe

Mark Crosby

Jason Farmer, Secretary

Harvey Felder III

Dr. Candace Steele Flippin

Dr. Suzanne Gronemeyer

Pam Guinn

Scott Heppel

Dr. Carol Johnson-Dean

Michelle McKissack

Dinah Makowsky, President, Memphis Symphony League

Montgomery Martin

Ramon A. Marus, Jr., Treasurer

Dr. Lisa Lucks Mendel, Symphony Chorus Representative

Gloria Nobles, Emeritus

Dr. Andre Dyachenko, Musician’s Representative

Ashley Moore Remmers, Chairperson Elect

Gayle S. Rose, Immediate Past Chair

TRUSTEE MEMBERS (PAST CHAIRS)

Leo Bearman, Jr., Esq.Paul A. BertJack R. BlairGeorge E. CatesMichael EdwardsGeorge E. Falls, Jr.David B. FerraroLewis E. HollandG. Dan PoagJeff SanfordMichael UiberallJoseph Weller

TRUSTEES ETERNAL

Dunbar Abston, Jr.Newton P. Allen, Esq.Walter P. Armstrong, Jr.Troy BeattyRobert L. Booth, Jr.Judge Bailey BrownRobert E. CannonEric CatmurCharles P. Cobb, Esq.Nancy R. CrosbyWilliam F. KirschMartha Ellen MaxwellDr. Joseph ParkerThomas M. RobertsP. K. SeidmanDr. Russel L. Wiener

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MSO Staff

ARTISTIC

Robert Moody, Music Director

Kalena Bovell, Assistant Conductor

Dr. Lawrence Edwards, Chorusmaster

EXECUTIVE

Peter Abell, President & Chief Executive Officer

Tracy Prewitt, Finance Director

Karen Wright, Office Manager/Executive Assistant

PATRON SERVICES

Bryan Artiles, Marketing Manager

Blake Longcrier, Patron Services Manager

Lindsey Stanfill, Development Manager

PRODUCTION & ORCHESTRA OPERATIONS

Margaret Sippey, General Manager

Erin Kaste, Personnel Manager

Scott Roberson, Stage Manager

Irene Wade, Music Librarian

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Memphis Symphony LeagueLetter from the President

Memphis is home to much of what we know as modern American music—rock and roll, soul, and rhythm and blues. The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is a vital component of the Memphis musical tradition. Be a part of this dynamic music heritage by becoming a member of the Memphis Symphony League for the 2019-2020 season.

Membership is open to women and men of all ages. Today’s MSL actively supports the Orchestra through educational activities, special events, financial contributions, and fund raising.

Founded in 1959, the MSL sponsors diverse and dynamic events that directly support all of the

Orchestra’s programs, including performances, youth instruction, and community outreach. Your taxdeductible membership contribution directly and positively impacts the mission of the Memphis Symphony to enrich the lives of our diverse community through exceptional music and dynamic programing.

Please connect—or reconnect—with this vibrant group supporting our orchestra by filling out the application below and mailing to the MSO office. We look forward to having you as a member during this amazing year.

Memphis Symphony LeagueRecognizing the dependency of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra (MSO) upon donations, in 1959, a group of civic minded women and men formed a sponsoring body for the orchestra to increase ticket sales, provide education, optimize awareness and appreciation for the Orchestra, and raise funds. This Memphis Symphony League (MSL) continues today to directly support the MSO through all its activities. These primarily include diverse fund raising social events, and volunteer support for educational and other community programs, as well as any other orchestral needs. Open to everyone, the MSL works actively to realize its mission to be the best Symphony League in its ongoing support of the MSO.

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BOARD OFFICERS 2019-2020

Dinah Makowsky, President

Katherine Godoy, Vice President

Molly Pennington, Recording Secretary

Alice Dudas, Corresponding Secretary

Mary Beth Bryce, Treasurer

Florence Leffler, Parliamentarian

Betty Weiss, Nominations

BOARD OF DIRECTORSMary BookerVirginia CupplesDonna FlinnKathy Gardner Jere GerardBillie Jean GrahamEula Horrell

Nancy Lou JonesCarole KleinJean (Sissy) LongElisa MarusAmy MeadowsJane MimsGloria Nobles

Shelley Sublett, Musician Representative

Mary Anne Sullivan Lura TurnerJoy Brown Wiener

2019-2020 Memphis Symphony League Membership Form

(Please Print)

Name Spouse

Address

City State Zip

Phone (home) (work) (cell)

Fax Email

Payment: I have enclosed a total of $

(Single $50; Couple $75; President’s Circle $100; Legacy $1,000)

Check #

Credit Card: AMEX/Visa/Mastercard CC# Exp.

Signature Date

ADVISORS

Jean de Frank

Charlotte Neal

Tommie Pardue

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$10,000 - $14,999

$5,000 - $9,999

$50,000 - $99,999

$15,000 - $49,999

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is fortunate to have many generous companies whose commitment to the arts in Memphis enables us to present the quality concerts and community programs our patrons have come to expect. At this printing of Experience, the following corporations join us.

Supporting Partners

PAUL & LINNEA BERT

SCOTT & CAROLYN HEPPEL

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IN KIND

$2,500 - $4,999

UP TO $2,499

FOUNDATIONS

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is fortunate to have many generous foundations whose commitment to the arts in Memphis enables us to present community programs. At this printing of Experience, the following institutions will join us for the 2019-2020 season.

BELZ FAMILY FOUNDATIONS

HOHENBERG FOUNDATION

JENIAM CLARKSON FOUNDATION

BRIGGS FOUNDATION

PLOUGH FOUNDATION

FIRST TENNESSEE FOUNDATION

INTERNATIONAL PAPER FOUNDATION

URBAN CHILD INSTITUTE

TM

LEMAY + LANG, LLC

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Symphony FundAs a community-supported organization committed to Memphis, the MSO depends on the generosity of donors who make it possible for us to make meaningful experiences through music. We are pleased to offer the following benefits in response to your support:

Gifts above $100,000 carry special benefits, including naming rights. To learn more, contact Development Manager, Lindsey Stanfill 901-779-7826 lindsey.stanfill@memphissymphony.org

PATRON MEMBER ($100-$249)• Recognition on Memphis Symphony Orchestra website

SYMPHONY MEMBER ($250-$499)• One VIP parking pass for the Cannon Center for Performing Arts• Acknowledgement in the Experience Magazine’s Contributors section• Plus all the privileges above

ENCORE MEMBER ($500-$999) • Two complimentary guest tickets to any performance at the Cannon Center,

subject to availability• Two VIP parking passes for the Cannon Center for Performing Arts• Plus all the privileges above

GOLDEN CIRCLE ($1,000-$2,499)• Exclusive invitation to attend the new “Circle Appreciation Evening” event hosted

by our Music Directors• Admission to the Golden Circle level donors only VIP reception during

intermission at Masterworks concerts (includes complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres)

• VIP parking passes for all subscription concerts at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

• Access to Masterworks Series dress rehearsals, upon request, subject to availability

• Annual Golden Circle newsletter • Plus all the privileges above

AMBASSADOR’S CIRCLE ($2,500-$4,999)• Pre-sale access to the annual Bob & Friends special event hosted by

Maestro Robert Moody• Receive a 20% discount on all single ticket purchases• Plus all the privileges above

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BENEFACTOR’S CIRCLE ($5,000-$9,999)• Invitation to a backstage tour and toast • Early access to acquire VIP seating for Symphony in the Garden at Dixon

Gallery & Gardens (must book two weeks in advance, subject to availability)• Early access to upgrade to VIP seating at POPS concerts, when available• Opportunity to donate eight (8) Saturday evening Masterworks concert tickets

to a charity of your choice• Opportunity to designate your gift as underwriting for a special guest artist &

host a private pre-concert event for the guest list of your choice• Invitations to special guest artist events throughout the season

when applicable• Plus all the privileges above

MAESTROS CIRCLE ($10,000-$24,999)• Private dinner with Maestro Robert Moody• Complimentary valet parking for all Memphis Symphony Orchestra

Masterworks concerts at the Cannon Center with a permanent VIP placard• Plus all the privileges above

STRADIVARIUS CIRCLE ($25,000+)Stradivarius Circle donors receive premium recognition and customized benefits. • Recognition as a sponsor for a concert performance or an education or

community program • Opportunity to name a concert in memory of or in honor of a person(s)

of your choosing • Plus all the privileges above

Consider a gift to the Symphony Fund today! To donate:Visit the MSO office at 610 Goodman St, Memphis, TN 38152Go online to Memphissymphony.orgCall (901) 537-2500Email: development@memphissymphony.org

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ContributorsThank you! Individuals, corporations, foundations, ArtsMemphis, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and others make annual contributions to support the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Because the MSO, like other orchestras throughout the country, obtains less than 30% of our income from ticket sales, these gifts and grants are crucial to our ability to provide music of the highest quality.

The following community members have expressed their support for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra 2019-2020. We are most appreciative.

$25,000+ArtsMemphisPaul and Linnea BertTennessee Arts

CommissionUrban Child InstituteInternational Paper

FoundationCarolyn and

Scott HeppelHyde Family FoundationKathryn Cannon

and Jim WallerStern TrustGayle RoseRudi and Honey Scheidt

$10,000+Allied Pest Control, IncJack and Marilyn BelzRon and Anise BelzCandace Steele FlippinGracelandSuzanne GronemeyerLowry and Laura HowellBernice Hussey and

C. Hal BruntMasanori and Seiko

IgarashiEdwin KoshlandJoanie and Michael

LightmanMontgomery and

Laura Martin

Memorial ParkNancy and Rodgers

Menzies Orion Federal

Credit UnionPinnacle Financial

PartnersProperty Tax HelpMary Alice QuinnJohn and Ashley

RemmersRoadshow BMW, Inc.Estie SheahanThomas W. Briggs

FoundationPatricia WalkerAnn and Joe WellerJoy Wiener

$5,000+Louise and Will BardenBert and Carol BarnettMarion and

Margaret BoydBenjamin and

Beth BuffingtonMike and Blanche

DeaderickMaria and Michael

DouglassJere GerardPam and Steve GuinnDan and Robin

Hatzenbuehler

Rose Montgomery Johnston Family Foundation

Dorothy KirschEllen KlyceNathaniel and

Leslie LandauWilliam and Jean LongJ. W. McAllisterMonogram Food

SolutionsHenry and Snowden

MorganNewSouth Capital

ManagementAnn L. PowellMary ScheunerSemmes-MurpheyMimi ShafferKate Lindsay and

Matthew ShifflettCynthia Spangler and

Charles AskewBruce and Gillian

SteinhauerMichael and Joan TerryTrustmark BankNancy WalkerJack and Cristina WardFarrell Calhoun, Inc.Otis and Marilane WarrRebecca and

Spence Wilson

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$2,500+Avery & Meadows,

D.D.S., PC.Jack and Kathleen BlairKaren BowyerBill and Foy CoolidgeJohn and Marsha EvansJoanne HackmanMarisa and Paul HessFrank and Jeanne

JemisonDr. Carol Johnson-DeanEva Lang and

Scott LeMayElisa and Ramon MarusAlexander and

Margaret McLeanAlan and Zoe NadelGloria NoblesRegional One HealthStephen and

Deborah SchadtFred and Irene SmithJohn and Cristina SpeerDeborah Dunklin Tipton

Charitable FundMichael and

Andie UiberallBetty and Jules WeissBarry White and Cynthia

(Armistead) White

$1,000+Fran and Peter AddicottAlbert and Kathie

AlexanderElizabeth and Lorin AllenKay and Keith AndersonReed Baskin and

Alice NishiwakiBetty and David BlaylockJoanne BloomPeggy BodineRitche and Phillip

Bowden

Gay Daughdrill BoydJames and Martha BoydJanis BoydDeana BrunjesPaul and Suzanne

BurgarDavid and Marion BurtonGeorge and

Joanne BuzardCanale FoundationHenry and

Christy CannonElizabeth and

Charles Carter, Jr.Irvine and Gloria CherryKenneth ClarkKaren ClawsonCharles and Nancy CoeJeanette CooleyNancy CoppLaura CraneElaine and Loren CrownCarol CummingsRay CurleAdrienne D. DavisEmily DavisJane and John DulinDonna FisherJim and Susan FletcherFred and Mary

Lawrence FlinnSusan FrazeeHiram and Barbara FryLuther and

Dorothea GauseJohn Gilmer and

Catherine WillnerRobert and Donna

GoodmanJerrold and

Martha GraberGrey White Paws Inc.Heather and Henry

GrosvenorClaudia and Bill Haltom

Steven & Stephanie Hancock

Carolyn Chism HardyLarry HardyPage HenrionEmil HenrySara HolmesRobert and Eva HusseyJ. R. and Barbara HydeDonna JefcoatLouis and Lisa JehlEric and Cynthia JohnsonMindy and Phillip

JohnsonJane and Robert JonesJohn Paul and

Sandra JonesEdith Kelly-GreenYoriko KitaiPreston and Sally KlinkeBarbara LapidesPeter and Susan LawAl and Janet LyonsDinah and Gary

MakowskyEvelyn and Jerry

MakowskyAllen and Mary MaloneDhane and Sheri

MarquesSamuel Hardy MaysDebra McAdooMarion McClureTina McWhorterDan and Amy MeadowsLisa & Maurice MendelRick and Carey MooreJan and Scott MorrellNancy OttoMelburn and Betsy ParkMarianne ParrsRobert Patterson and

Patricia GrayJohn PickensG. Dan and Chloee Poag

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Nadine ProctorRobert and Susan QuinnLaretha RandolphNeil and Judy RingelEmily RuchRobert Vidulich and

Diane SachsBeverly and Ken

SakauyeCraig and

Andrea SanderConnie and Eric ScottMary SerattJohn and Patricia

SeubertJane and Bruce SmedleyBayard and Lisa

SnowdenPaul ThomasSusan Van Dyck and

James NewcombDr. Lee and Mary

Linda WardlawGraham and

Megan WarrGina WebbBenton Wheeler and

Aimee M. ChristianLinda WibleEvelyn WoffordMary WurtzburgerLyn and Gordon Yukon

$500+Ben and Kathy Adams Patsy & Joseph

Alexander Belinda and Calvin

Anderson Philip and Carol Aronoff Robert Bartolotta and

Ellen Hutchinson-Bartolotta

Fiona and Lance Binder Allen and Mary Blair

John and Lisa Bobango Linda and George Bond Mary Beth and

Tom Bryce Arthur and

Michelle Buring Edward W. and

Jeanne L. Carnes Jeanne Carr Daniel Case Jean Cooper Alan Dow Michael Drompp Alice and John Dudas Betty Duke Carolyn and Mike

Edwards David Ferraro Juan Fuentes Albert and Nancy

Harvey Janas Jackson Albert Kirk Ann and Lloyd Kirkland Janie and Martin Kocman Thomas Lee, Jr. Florence Leffler Caroline MacQueen Mary Allie Baldwin

McLellan Logan and Simone

Meeks Linda Milbradt David Nelson Deborah Northcross Max B. Ostner, Sr.

Endowment Fund Eileen and Joel Prout Ann Kendall Ray Kerry and Elizabeth

Regen Linda Rhea Dale Schaefer Richard and Trish Spore Mary Stagg

Tracey Stallings Leslie Stratton Donald Tucker Lura and Steve Turner Bill and Carmine

Vaughan Don and Mary Vollman Dick and Shirley

Vosburg Kiersten Watkins Bill Weppner Alvin and Myra Whitney Billie Anne Williams Tracy and Scott Woods Jocelyn Wurzburg

$250+Lee and Patricia

Abraham Frank Anthony Dick and Nancy Barnhart Allen Battle Scott Bohon Jerry Bowman Ruby Bright Sam Brooks Alice and Phil Burnett Susan Callison Barbara Christensen Charles and

Scottie Cobb Kimberly Coryat William and Margaret

Craddock Elizabeth Cranwell Cynthia D. Bowers A.J. Daneman Susanne Darnell Terry and Phili Deboo Kathryn Deshpande and

Jon Katze Elizabeth Domico Mary Ann Eagle Edward and Gloria

Felsenthal

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Charles F. Fox and Mary Wilder

Mary W. Freeman Martha and Noel Frizzel Don Gallant Kathleen Gardner Emily and Jerry Gay Mary Evelyn Goodwin Daniel and Janice Green Phyllis and Thomas

Guenter Cynthia Ham Summer Hardy Deborah Hester Harrison Eula and Rob Horrell Julia Howell Frank and Susan Inman David and Lisa Jennings Rose Johnston Edward and

Lawryn Kasper Lynne Keller

Dale and Marty Kelman Beverly and Jerry

Kirkscey Dr. Chris Knott-Craig Reva Kriegal Kroger Bruce and Susanne

Landau Ann and Dudley

Langston Bob Langston James McClanahan James and Missie

McDonnell Lizbeth McKee Shanea McKinney David and Arlynn Mirvis Anne and Ed Motley Cecile and

Frederick Nowak Ginger Owings Dr. Eugene Pearlman

Dan Petit Louis and Dorothy

Pounders Ellen Rolfes Rowlett Scott Carol Lee and Joe Royer Harry Sayle Anne Shaw Sheila and Robert Cohen John and Anne Stokes Irma Stratton Truist Michael Ulm Bill and Peggy Veeser Bettie Welsh Andre and Monica

Wharton A C and Ruby Wharton Virginia Wilson Winston Wolfe

While compiling this list every effort has been made to reflect the accuracy of our donors. If your name has been misspelled, omitted or misrepresented please contact us at 901-537-2500 and will correct our records. We appreciate your generosity and understanding.

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TributesGifts in Honor of Mickey BoringAnn Wingate Roane

Gifts in Honor of Ruth BurgessNancy Otto

Gifts in Honor of Kitty CannonFrankie Wade

Gifts in Honor of Betsy Carter & Erin Kaste

Charles & Elizabeth Carter

Gifts in Honor of Nancy CoeDeborah Dunklin Tipton

Gifts in Honor of Lawrence EdwardsAnn IndingaroDavid Rasner

Gifts in Honor of Suzanne Gronemeyer

Frankie Wade

Gifts in Honor of Pam GuinnCatherine & Ricky Harris

Gifts in Honor of Scott HeppelJoel Smith

Gifts in Honor of Jane D. JonesMary Joy & Milton Knowlton

Gifts in Honor of Dinah MakowskyVictoria K. Gore

Gifts in Honor of Bob MoodyBarbara Frederick

Gifts in Honor of Kate PhillipsJohn Phillips

Gifts in Honor of Ann Powell and Barbara Runyan

Suzanne A. Gronemeyer

Gifts in Honor of Mary Alice QuinnSuzanne A Gronemeyer

Gifts in Honor of Ashley RemmersMr. and Mrs. Preston Klinke

Gifts in Honor of Ellen RolfesEllen Cooper KlyceSusanne Landau

Gifts in Honor of Gayle RoseLouise and Will BardenRuby Bright Ellen Cooper Klyce Gifts in Honor of Emily Boone RuchChuck and Scottie Cobb

Gifts in Honor of Frank & Marian Shaffer

Billie Anne Williams

Gifts in Honor of Elizabeth WeissRebecca Blake Longcrier

Gifts in Honor of Joy Brown WienerKate Orgill BooneChuck and Scottie CobbMary Golden DunlapDonna and Carl FlinnNancy and Sonny GoldenPeggy and L.R. Jalenak Jr.Amy and Dan MeadowsMs. Lucia OutlanCheryl McGuire ParkerLyda G. ParkerMary Alice QuinnLura and Steve TurnerBillie Anne Williams

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Gifts in Honor of Jocelyn D. Wurzburg

Chuck and Scottie Cobb

In Memory of Jack & Lydia AbellTerry Starr

In Memory of Dunbar AbstonJennifer Brady

In Memory of Richard W. BarnesKim & Cal Alexander

In Memory of Irma “Mickey” Downs Bell

Chuck and Scottie Cobb

In Memory of Robert L. Booth, Jr. Jack & Kathy Blair Marilyn Stoeckig In Memory of Grace Mallery BrownChuck and Scottie CobbMemphis Symphony League

In Memory of Lula BurchettPaul & Linnea Bert

In Memory of Fred CollinsMary Casner Stagg

In Memory of Marilyn CurleRay Curle

In Memory of Mrs. Eleanor FonerSherri Flax

In Memory of Lydia Abell GibsonSusan Darnell

In Memory of Michael, Elaine & Louis Gompertz

Joan B. Gips

In Memory of Susan KingstonRichard & Teresa Jordan

In Memory of William Rutland Leffler

Nancy and Mott JonesDan and Amy MeadowsMemphis Symphony League

Board of DirectorsJules and Betty Weiss

In Memory of Eloise Ragsdale MaysCarole S. BlackburnMartha & Jim BoydChuck and Scottie CobbAnne G. FisherMary Lawrence Hughes FlinnPam and Steve GuinnSara M. HolmesKathryn KingEllen Cooper KlyceNancy & Rodgers MenziesJohn & Cristina SpeerLeslie StrattonMelissa ToddDavid S. WorkDorothy D. Work

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In Memory of J.W. McClintock IIILaura Robinson

In Memory of Fontaine MooreKathryn KingMSO Board and Staff

In Memory of Mr. Svend NielsenDr. Derene AkinsTom Pitman & Paul Martin

In Memory of Bryson RandolphBoard of Governors & Staff

of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis

Louise & Will BardenMr. and Mrs. J. David BlaylockBill & Beate GriffinSharon LeichamMelissa and Chris Todd Floyd William & Holly White

In Memory of George A. RileyLisa D. and Mark D. Skinner

In Memory of Alfred M. RomeChuck & Scottie Cobb

In Memory of Richard ShaknisMr. & Mrs. Frederick F Avery

In Memory of John Wesley SmithChuck and Scottie Cobb

In Memory of Dr. Tom and Harriet Stern

Suzanne A. Gronemeyer

In Memory of James ViningLouise & Will Barden

In Memory of David WilliamsLaura Robinson

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Patron InformationYour attendance constitutes consent for use of your likeness and/or voice on all video and/or audio recordings and photographs made during Symphony events.

BEFORE THE CONCERT

Box Office Location/Hours: The Box Office is located at 610 Goodman Street on the University of Memphis campus in Newport Hall and is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On-site Concert Venue Box Office services are available 90 minutes prior to the scheduled performance through 20 minutes after that time. On-site Concert Venue Box Office ticket availability is limited to tickets for the specific event of that day; tickets for future events cannot be printed on-site. All other ticket printing requests will be addressed and fulfilled during regular Box Office business hours. Mobile Box Office is located in the East Concourse at the Cannon Center and in the lobbies of GPAC and Harris Concert Hall.

Venues: Saturday Masterworks and Memphis Symphony Pops! concerts are performed at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 North Main Street in Downtown Memphis. Paid parking is available in the Cook Convention Center garage or surface lots. Masterworks Sundays and Paul & Linnea Bert Classic Accent Series on Sundays are performed at the Germantown Performing Arts Center (GPAC), 1801 Exeter Road in Germantown. Free parking is available at GPAC. The Paul & Linnea Bert Classic Accent Series on Saturday

is performed at Harris Concert Hall, 3775 Central Ave, The University of Memphis, 101 Music Building. Free parking is available directly across Central Ave. in the UOM parking lot.

DURING THE CONCERT

Cameras and Recording Devices: No photos or video recordings are allowed during the performance due to potential injury to performers on stage, and copyright infringement.

Concert Preview: “Know the Score” lectures begin one hour prior to each Masterworks and Classic Accents series performance, thanks to generous support of Avery & Meadows, D.D.S. Get the inside scoop and back stories on the evening’s performance and repertoire.

Cannon Center for Performing Arts: Mezzanine level Morgan Keegan Lobby; GPAC: Ballet room; Harris Hall: Directors Room

Wheelchair Seating: Wheelchair seating is available upon request at each of our concert venues. Please call the Box Office for more information: (901) 537-2525

TICKET INFORMATION

Single Tickets: Tickets for all events are available through the MSO Box Office by phone, (901) 537-2525, in person, or online at www.MemphisSymphony.org. Please note that vouchers and coupons may only be redeemed at the MSO Office and must be done in person.

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Patron InformationGift Certificates: Give the gift of music! Gift certificates to the Memphis Symphony Orchestra may be purchased in any denomination. Please call the Box Office at (901) 537-2525 for details.

Refunds/Exchanges: All ticket holders may return tickets in exchange for a tax-deductible donation of the original purchase price. There are no refunds or exchanges on single ticket purchases or returned tickets. Subscribers may exchange subscription tickets for alternate performances subject to availability upon request. Subscriber ticket exchanges must be made at least 24 hours before the date of the original ticketed performance.

Lost Tickets: Subscribers can have tickets reprinted by calling the Box Office at (901) 537-2525 or visiting the Box Office prior to a performance.

Student/Child Tickets: Student Tickets are available for $10.00 to regular series concerts based on availability. Students must be present and show a current and valid student ID. High school students and younger will receive a $5 youth ticket coupled with a youth-parent ticket at $10 off a regular priced ticket. A maximum of one ticket per ID is available. All discount tickets are subject to availability.

OTHER INFORMATIONPlease turn off all mobile devices upon entering the concert hall.

Lost and Found is located at the Box Office at each venue. Management is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged property.

Restrooms are located off the main floor, lobby, and balcony areas of the concert hall. Facilities for wheelchair bound patrons are also available in each main floor restroom.

FIRST AIDContact an usher for assistance.

Emergency Evacuation: In case of a fire or other emergency, please use the exit nearest to your seat, indicated by a lighted Exit sign. This is the shortest route out of the performing arts center. Please be sure to walk to the exit—do not run.

All concerts, guest artists, and times are subject to change.

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