Sunday, May 5, 2019 @ 1 p.m.Segerstrom Center for the Arts Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

Irene Kroesen, conductorJayden Yeung & Hannah Lee, violinsZara Amendt, violaTiana Lin, celloRaymond Tsukada, double bass

o U t s I D e t h e B o X2018-19 PACIFIC SYMPHONY SANTIAGO STRINGS

RIMPIANTO

ConCeRto FoR tWo CeLLos In G MInoR AllegroNatalie Kwok, Jiin Yun

DARK SKY SOLILOQUY

WALTZ FOR WOBBLY WILFRED

VIVA VIOLAS!

THE SOUND OF A SOUNDSusan Miller Kotses

URBAN CONCERTO GROSSOJayden Yeung & Hannah LeeZara AmendtTiana LinRaymond Tsukada

Toselli Arr. Bob Lipton

Vivaldi

Boyd

Sharp

Meyer

Meyer

Balmages

This afternoon’s performance is generously sponsored byElaine Sarkaria.

Our grateful acknowledgment of the Pacific Symphony League for their generous support of Pacific Symphony Youth

Ensembles’ community engagement initiatives – thank you!

2019 MAY4 0 t h s e a s o n

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RIMPIANTO

ConCeRto FoR tWo CeLLos In G MInoR AllegroNatalie Kwok, Jiin Yun

DARK SKY SOLILOQUY

WALTZ FOR WOBBLY WILFRED

VIVA VIOLAS!

THE SOUND OF A SOUNDSusan Miller Kotses

URBAN CONCERTO GROSSOJayden Yeung & Hannah LeeZara AmendtTiana LinRaymond Tsukada

Enrico Toselli: Rimpianto

Initially a virtuoso pianist, Italian composer Enrico Toselli (1883-1926) maintained a performing career throughout his life. After a wide-ranging early career with

performances throughout the world, Toselli eventually began composing (although continuing to perform and teach piano). Well known for salon pieces forvoice and piano, his compositions feature a turn-of-the-century Parisian-inspired sentimentality. Inarguably Toselli’s most famous composition, the Serenata “Rimpianto” (1900) was composed to lyrics by Italian poet Alfredo Silvestri. The unhappy lyrics are often taken to refer to the composer’s unhappy marriage to Louise Antoinette Marie, the Archduchess of Austria-Tuscany and former crown princess of Saxony. Louise had famously left her previous husband, involving the composer in a notorious scandal of European high society. Toselli’s marriage to Louise was highly unstable and only lasted for four years. However, this marriage only began in the year 1907, seven years after “Rimpianto” was composed, so it is impossible that it was intended to refer to her. The piece features an easy melody with simple harmonies. The large leaps in the melody suggest sentimentality, while the texture of simple melody and accompaniment suggest an Italian suitor singing to his beloved (the modern sense of the word “serenade”). Its simplicity and grace suggest popular music of the late 19th century.

Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Cellos in G Minor

The most important Italian composer of the late Baroque, Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was born and grew up in Venice, where he trained

as a priest. Not particularly devout, he stopped attending mass shortly after his ordination. More interested in music than religion, he studied violin with his father, a professional violinist. In 1703, Vivaldi was appointed Maestro di Violin at the Pio Ospedale della Pietà orphanage. The Pietà was particularly well-known for its music program; it provided musical training to many of the girls in its charge and put on concerts that were very popular with nobility and visitors. Vivaldi taught violin and viola d’amore, and was in charge of instrument acquisition and maintenance. He held the position until 1709 when it was eliminated, probably for financial reasons. He was soon rehired and promoted; in total, he formally held a position at Pietà from 1703-1709, 1711-1716, and 1735-1738. In addition, he frequently composed music for the Pietà and returned periodically to conduct rehearsals even during periods he was not teaching there. Vivaldi began composing and publishing his music during his first period of occupation with the orphanage. His music soon came to be held in high esteem in northern Europe, particularly in Germany. Many German composers, including Bach, sought it out and were highly influenced by it. In addition to instrumental music, Vivaldi began writing operas in the 1710s and worked as both a composer and impresario for several opera houses in and outside of Venice. Preferring to be present to supervise and direct his operas whenever possible, Vivaldi launched a period of extensive travel spurred on by his operatic career. He spent two years in Mantua writing operas for the carnival season, a period of festivities and celebrations preceding Lent held in many cities throughout Italy and other Roman Catholic countries (operas were originally performed in public theatres exclusively during the carnival season). His next stop was Rome, where he spent three carnival seasons and performed twice for the Pope. Concurrently to his many travels, he continued composing instrumental works for wealthy patrons and the Pietà. There is evidence that his travels took him as far afield as Prague. On Vivaldi’s return to his formal position at the Pietà in 1735, the administration disapproved of his extensive program of travel; this time he stayed put for three years. Seeking out new opportunities, he was invited to put on one or more operas in Vienna. However, the Austrian emperor’s death forced theatres to close and prevented Vivaldi’s work from being

staged. Unable to return to Venice due to poor health and finances, he died a pauper in Vienna in 1741. The opera he had been invited to stage was produced in 1742, after his death. Vivaldi proved a highly polarizing figure in his own day, brought on to some extent by his own difficult persona. Unable to take criticism, he could be quite boastful and often highly exaggerated his admittedly remarkable accomplishments. Moreover, he appeared overly concerned with earning money, an attitude which was frowned on in his own day. Vivaldi’s showy string technique, which featured very high positions, cadenza-like passages and use of double- and triple-stops, made it hard for some contemporary critics to take him seriously as a composer— although he received high praise as a violinist. However, he was widely admired by fellow composers for his formidable talent and zeal. Like Bach, Vivaldi was almost completely forgotten in the second half of the 18th century. In the early 19th century, Felix Mendelssohn’s public performances of Bach’s orchestral works proved instrumental in reestablishing public and scholarly interest in Bach’s music. The Bach revival also brought renewed attention on the music of Vivaldi, whose music reemerged as an important influence on Bach. However, Vivaldi was usually cast in terms of how much Bach improved on him—particularly in German scholarship. Now universally recognized as one of history’s greatest composers, Vivaldi was instrumental in the development of the concerto and created many of its standard features. In particular, he invented or was the first to regularly use a three-movement scheme. In addition, he was the first to regularly use ritornello form, a standard form for fast concerto movements in which a refrain, repeated by the large ensemble (usually in varied form), alternates with freer material presented by the soloist or soloists. Other of Vivaldi’s innovations include the solo sections being thematically related to the ritornello, the inclusion of some solo music with the orchestral sections, and the presence of cadenzas. These structural features and some aspects of his idiosyncratic compositional style were imitated not only by later composers but also by some older ones who felt the need to alter their compositional practices in the middle of their careers. In addition to his wide-ranging influence, some

PROGRAM NOTES

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dedicated to Boyd’s childhood friend Jane, then an astronomy student at NYU, and to Jane’s mother Mary, a professional astrologer. In Boyd’s own words, “This piece is both dedicated to their influence and inspired by their shared fascination with our universe.” She composed it “with the windows open, letting in the eerie voices of the highway close by.” As she put it, she “grew up listening to the night choir of the highway, hearing its melodies and eagerly absorbing its unearthly harmonies, many of which have been incorporated into this piece.”

Thomas Sharp: Waltz For Wobbly Wilfred

Professor of film music composition at Chapman University in the City of Orange, Thomas Sharp has composed music for films and television

shows such as Casper, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and The Land Before Time. In addition to teaching at Chapman, Sharp also teaches at UCLA Extension and at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. His Waltz for Wobbly Wilfred features rapidly changing time signatures, a comedic departure from traditional waltzes.

Richard Meyer: Viva Violas!, The Sound of A Sound

Richard Meyer has led an active musical career in the Southern California area. Extremely involved in middle and high school music education, he was until

recently the conductor of the Pasadena Youth Orchestra. He has composed over 170 musical works. His Viva Violas! highlights the viola, not typically featured in string ensembles. An homage to Spanish popular music, it begins with a paso doble (double-step), a Spanish dance form in 2/4 time, and concludes with an allegretto. His The Sound of A Sound uses unusual playing techniques for string instruments.

Brian Balmages: Urban Concerto Grosso

Brian Balmages (b. 1975) has enjoyed a prolific career. In addition to composing, he is also a conductor, performer and producer. He received his

bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and a master’s degree from the University of Miami. Currently, he is serving as professor of instrumental conducting and as band director at Towson University, near Baltimore. In 2013, Balmages had the high honor of composing music for the inaugural prayer service at President Barack Obama’s second term. Published in 2016, Urban Concerto Grosso was commissioned by the Franklin Middle School Sinfonia in Wheaton, Ill., in suburban Chicago, and by its conductor Carrie Provost. The piece is a modernized version of the concerto grosso, a genre frequently used by Baroque composers like George Frederic Handel. While a concerto is a piece for orchestra plus one or a small number of solo instruments, a concerto grosso is a piece for orchestra plus a chamber ensemble, typically four to eight players. The form fell out of favor around 1750 and was largely replaced by concerti for single instruments. The work is based on traditional features of the concerto grosso but adapts them to fit modern times. For example, traditional concerti are in three movements in a fast-slow-fast pattern (adopted by Antonio Vivaldi); this piece maintains that three-part fast-slow-fast format but places it within a single movement. The work also uses elements of popular music, funk and heavy metal. It can be performed acoustically or using electric amplification—something the composer suggests would have “a profound impact.” The piece has the option of using a five-s tring electric violin to replace the viola.

features of Vivaldi’s style remained unique to him. Vivaldi’s music frequently displays a predilection for syncopated rhythms, irregular phrasings, a relatively high degree of dissonance and the alteration between major and minor. Out of Vivaldi’s remarkable output of 550 concertos, 350 are for a single solo instrument, just over 40 are for two, and only a single concerto is for two cellos. It is unknown when exactly Vivaldi composed his Concerto for Two Cellos, or the exact circumstances of its composition, although the work was probably written for the Pietà sometime in the 1720s. The piece employs similar musical techniques to his double violin concertos, with the two solo instruments imitating one another in canons and sequences. At the time when the work was likely composed, the cello had recently undergone significant technical innovation. Cello makers in the early 18th century began encasing the lower strings in wound metal, allowing them to withstand greater tensional forces. This innovation gave the instrument a far richer sound and led to its development as a solo instrument for the first time.

Stephanie Ann Boyd: Dark Sky Soliloquy

Based in New York City, Stephanie Ann Boyd (b. 1990) aspires to compose music “that brings whimsical worlds to life, that is meaningful to audience and

performer alike, and that refreshes and strengthens the creative spirit.” She has enjoyed many commissions, and her violin sonata has been performed in nearly all 50 states. She is currently the composer-in-residence for the Eureka Ensemble in Boston, and frequently lectures in universities and high schools on “creativity, entrepreneurship and how to create a career after music school.” She works frequently in schools and on music festivals. Crafting music of melodic clarity, Boyd frequently focuses on writing music dealing with women’s issues. Dark Sky Soliloquy was composed in 2012 over the course of four spring evenings, and was commissioned by the JVL Summer Music Festival, a music festival for youth located approximately 80 miles north of Toronto. The piece is

Joshua Grayson, Ph.D., is an historical musicologist and graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music, and the program note annotator for Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles.

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Irene Kroesen, Music Director

Sections listed alphabetically

VIOLIN I

Joanna BaiBrian ChangDevon ChangNolan ChangBenjamin FanAnnie HuangEllie KennedyMinjae (Jaden) KimShaun KoumansEmily KungRebecca LiuIris LuLawrence MiAniyah ShenWonyoung (Chris) SongAngela TangGabriel TsaiJayden Yeung

VIOLIN II

Bentie FengIsabel HahnGabriel Haraldson-DeckerXizi (Angel) HeNathan HwangHannah LeeChristine LiLyndsey LipscombXiaolu (Lulu) LiuMichelle LuTianCheng (Wilson) SongEdison TsengLucy WooKatherine WuTiffany XiaoKatelyn XuYuri YaguchiSerena YangHyelim (Michelle) Yoo

STAFFBridget Bow Strings Coach

Daniel Jacobs Santiago Strings Manager

PARTICIPATING SCHOOLSAliso Niguel High SchoolBeacon Park Elementary SchoolCarmenita Middle SchoolChaparral Middle SchoolEastshore Elementary SchoolFairmont Private SchoolFountain Valley High SchoolHeritage Oak Private EducationIrvine High SchoolJeffrey Trail Middle SchoolKraemer Middle SchoolLakeside Middle SchoolNewport Coast ElementaryNorthwood Elementary SchoolNorthwood High SchoolOak Creek Elementary SchoolOrange County School of the ArtsOrchard Hills Middle SchoolPioneer Middle SchoolPortola High SchoolPortola Springs Elementary SchoolRancho Middle SchoolRancho San Joaquin Middle SchoolSantiago Hills Elementary SchoolShore Cliffs Middle schoolSierra Vista Middle SchoolSouth Lake Middle SchoolSpringbrook Elementary SchoolSt . Jeanne De Lestonnac SchoolSt. Mary’s SchoolStone Creek Elementary SchoolTroy High SchoolTurtle Rock Elementary SchoolUniversity HighschoolValencia High SchoolVan Damme academyVista Verde SchoolWoodbridge High SchoolWoodbury Elementary SchoolYorba Linda Middle School

Pa C I F I C s Y M P h o n Y s a n t I a G o s t R I n G s

VIOLA Zara AmendtMadeleine ChangEmily ChenAntonio GalisteoNathaniel (Dean) KoBrandon LeeSoohyun (Sean) LeeCandice LuTalia NguyenJune SuMelody SunAnthony TaPeter TanJia Cheng (Johnny) XiKevin ZhouAmanda Zhu

CELLOJustin ChaoEric ChenIrene KimKayleen KimTane KimNatalie KwokJames LeehealeyEthan LiaoTiana LinRyan LiuOooju RobinsonIan TsengAndrea WangJiin Yun

DOUBLE BASSLiam RamosRaymond Tsukada

GUEST PS WIND ENSEMBLE PERCUSSIONLeena ChaturanyakoonAdriana Harrison

GUEST PS YOUTH SYMPHONY DOUBLE BASSCarly BunimTara Nguyen

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Now in its 28th season, Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings (PSSS) has become a premiere youth string orchestra, recognized both regionally and nationally. Sponsored by The Orange County Chapter of the Suzuki Music Association of California/Los Angeles Branch, PSSS was founded by Lonie Bosserman and Margie Chan in 1991, and was known as the Santiago Strings Youth Orchestra before joining the Pacific Symphony family in 2007. Led by Irene Kroesen, a renowned veteran teacher of the Irvine Unified School District, PSSS benefits from the artistic guidance of Pacific Symphony Music Director Carl St.Clair. Representing 41 schools in the SoCal region, PSSS provides an experience

that nurtures the confidence, poise and musical sensitivity of young musicians through the study and performance of outstanding string orchestra literature. PSSS serves instrumentalists in grades 6 through 9 and is one of three Youth Ensemble programs offered by Pacific Symphony. Each season, students enjoy an interaction with Maestro St.Clair, as well as interactions with guest artists and professional musicians of Pacific Symphony. Students also engage in an annual weekend retreat and are offered free and discounted tickets to Pacific Symphony performances throughout the season. Each season, PSSS presents a two-concert series and participates in the Orange County Suzuki Festival. Regular

performances take place at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at the Costa Mesa’s beautiful Segerstrom Center for the Arts, in addition to other high-quality venues in Orange County. The opening season performances feature a joint program with Prelude Chamber Strings. In its 25th anniversary year, PSSS was invited to participate in the National Orchestra Festival in Tampa, Fla. as part of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) annual conference. In its 2017-18 season, and under the guidance of St.Clair, PSSS embarked on a musical and cultural exchange tour of Costa Rica, engaging in workshops and giving concerts in the cities of Cartago, San Ramón and the capital city of San José.

PaCIfIC symPhony sanTIago sTrIngs

Irene Kroesen music director

Irene Kroesen received her bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Teaching Credential from Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Currently, she is a retired string specialist for the

Irvine Unified School District. From 1988 to 2011, Kroesen was an adjunct instructor at Chapman University where she taught the String Methods course for music education majors. Kroesen has also served as a mentor teacher for Irvine Unified School District, as well as a designated Master Teacher for Chapman University, Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Fullerton. She has also given curriculum workshops for county and state workshops as well as shared and distributed her teaching materials to Placentia-Yorba USD and Garden Grove USD.

Kroesen has appeared as conductor of the Irvine Elementary and Middle School Honor Orchestras and guest conductor of the Middle School Honor Orchestras for Las Vegas Unified (Nevada), Capistrano Unified, Placentia-Yorba Linda School District, Long Beach Unified, Fresno-Madeira County and the SCSBOA All-Southern Middle School Honor String Orchestra. Kroesen served as the guest conductor for the Inaugural Year 2015 SCSBOA Elementary Honor Orchestra. She has also served as manager and assistant conductor of the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra and is currently the conductor of the Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings. In March 2016, Santiago Strings was a selected participant in the National School Orchestra Festival in Tampa, Fla. After receiving “Unanimous Superiors” at the American String Teachers Conference, Santiago Strings returned to celebrate its 25th Anniversary Season. Kroesen is listed in Who’s Who Among American Teachers and is a past recipient of the Alumni of the Year Award from the

School of Music at Chapman University. In 2003, she received the Orange County Outstanding Arts Educator Award for Elementary Instrumental Music. In 2006, Kroesen was selected as the Irvine Unified School District Elementary Teacher of the Year. As a string educator and clinician, Kroesen has served as an adjudicator for the Disney Creative Challenge and has auditioned violinist and violists for both the All-Southern California Middle School and High School Honor Orchestras in California. In 2015, Kroesen served as program advisor for Pacific Symphony Strings for Generations Program, and has served as its Music Director for the past two seasons. Kroesen is a member of the American String Teachers Association, Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association, Music Educators National Conference and California Music Educators Association. She is also a member of the Los Angeles Musicians Union and is active as a professional violist.

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B o a R D o F D I R e C t o R sP A C I F I C S Y M P H O N Y Y O U T H E N S E M B L E S

Officers

Ex-Officio PSYE Board MembersCarl St.Clair*

Music Director, Pacific Symphony

John Forsyte*President, Pacific Symphony

Eileen JeanetteSenior Vice President of Artistic Planning & Production, Pacific Symphony

Shawne Natalia ZarubicaDirector of Youth Ensembles, Pacific Symphony

Elizabeth KurilaDirector of Major Gifts & Legacy Society, Pacific Symphony

Roger Kalia

Director, Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra &Associate Conductor of Pacific Symphony

Irene KroesenMusic Director, Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings

Dr. Gregory X. WhitmoreMusic Director, Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble

Bridget BowString Coach, Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings

Oscar EstevesPacific Symphony Youth Orchestra Manager

Daniel C. JacobsPacific Symphony Santiago Strings Manager

Nicole KroesenPacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble Manager

Danielle LiuPacific Symphony Youth Quartet Coordinator

Rosalind BrittonWendy Hua CastilleSherry ChenHelen ChinWilfred CohenDavid DunfordDana Freeman

Joyce HansonJerry HuangHans ImhofᶲKari KerrSarah KooEvelyn Kroener

Katie (Chung Min) LeeSuzy LeeAnyi LiuIan McKinnellDot NelsonElizabeth RhoHerb Roth

Elaine SarkariaJanice SmithWalter StahrJames SteinmannPat SteinmannAnn Tenney

Alan TerriccianoTom WilliamsLarry WoodyDavid Yeung

Sheng Jiang* Board Chair

Elizabeth Stahr* Lifetime Director of Board & Distinguished Counselor Emeritus to the Board

* Also member of Board of Directors for Pacific Symphony

ᶲ Pacific Symphony Life Director

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