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Supporting the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra

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PROGRAM BOOK ORDER Welcome from the President of the Board............................................... 4 ASO Board of Trustees................................................................................5 ASO Sympatico............................................................................................ 8-9 Concert 1: WAGNER, STRAUSS & BEETHOVEN (September 23-24, 2017)....... 17-21

Michael Rossi............................................................................................... 22 Symphony Orchestra League of Alexandria (SOLA)............................. 24 Adopt a Chair Sponsorship........................................................................ 26 Spotlight Society...........................................................................................27 ASO Musicians............................................................................................ 28-29 Mary Graham Lasley Scholarship..............................................................31 Concert 2: BRITTEN & BRAHMS (October 21-22, 2017).................................... 33-37

James E. Ross................................................................................................ 38 ASO Corporate Sponsorship...................................................................... 40 Sponsors of the 2017-2018 Season.............................................................41 Concert 3: DEBUSSY & SIBELIUS (February 10-11, 2018).................................. 43-47

JosÃ©-Luis Novo............................................................................................. 48 Concert 4: BACH, PIAZZOLLA & BRAHMS (April 7-8, 2018)............................51-54

Nicholas Hersh.............................................................................................56 ASO Concert Venues...................................................................................58 Concerto Foundation.................................................................................. 59 2016-2017 ASO Supporters........................................................................ 60-67 Opus Society..................................................................................................68 History of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra..................................... 70-71

Concert programming and guest artists are subject to change.

Congratulations to The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra on its 74th Spectacular Season

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Welcome from the Board of Trustees

Anne Best Rector, President The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra proudly welcomes you to our 2017–2018 Season. Whether you are a long-time fan, or this is one of your first concerts, we welcome you, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy the concert. As you may be aware, last season the ASO embarked on a search for its next Music Director. After an extensive application and interview process, the ASO is proud to present our Music Director finalists—Michael Rossi, James E. Ross, José-Luis Novo and Nicholas Hersh. Michael Rossi is the founder and Artistic Director of the Miami Summer Music Festival. James Ross is currently Director of Orchestras at the University of Maryland, Orchestra Director for the National Youth Orchestra - USA, Music Director-designate of the Orquesta Simfònica del Vallès and serves on the faculty at Juilliard. Nicholas Hersh serves as Associate Conductor with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. José-Luis Novo leads the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra as Music Director and Conductor. The orchestra’s before and after-school education program, Sympatico, is currently entering its fourth full school year. The program currently serves 100+ students at John Adams Elementary School. Highlights of this year include an annual composition workshop in early November, as well as performances throughout the year in the Alexandria community. The 2018-2019 season will be the ASO’s 75th Anniversary, complete with special events and the introduction of the new Music Director. Come join us as we celebrate this milestone, and continue ASO’s mission of providing accessible and affordable classical music to our community. Thank you to our supporters, patrons, fellow board members as well as our musicians for participating in yet another great music season. Enjoy the concert!

4 Anne Best Rector, President

2017-2018 Alexandria Symphony Orchestra

Board of Trustees Anne Best Rector, President Melynda Wilcox, Co-Vice President Judy Williams, Co-Vice President H. Arthur Sauer, Treasurer Phyllis Sintay, Secretary

Carl Behnke Suzanne S. Brock Miriam Browning Linda Bunce Ronal Butler Kendra Carey

Nancy Davenport Ellis Duncan Lisa Flippo Carolyn Fuller Amy Furr Florence King Harriett McCune

Advisory Board Mollie Danforth Alex Deringer

Anne Reed Elizabeth Siegel Edward Stark

Margaret Jones O’Grady Arthur Peabody, Jr. Betty Quirk Ashley Roseboro Becky Siegel Susan Yonts-Shepard

Jeanne Warner Nancy Ziegler

Trustees Emeritus Dr. Joseph V. Braddock Mr. Waller T. Dudley Capt. W. Ward Lasley (USN Ret.) Mr. Caswell O. Hobbs

Mrs. Richard Reid Mr. James B. Singerling Donnan C. Wintermute

Concerto Foundation Board of Trustees Charles Ballou Miriam Browning

Mary Ann Best Millard Frank J. Quirk Betty Quirk

Thomas Sargeant Forrest Williams

ASO Administration

Ryan Jordan, General Manager Melinda Kernc, Marketing and Development Director Emily Smith, Education Director Susan Kelly, Personnel Manager Craig Teer, Stage Manager

Alexandria Symphony Orchestra 700 N Fairfax Street, Suite 501 • Alexandria, VA 22314 www.alexsym.org • (703) 548-0885

Alexandriaâ€™s only independent hometown newspaper

One of the many proud sponsors of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra this 2017-2018 Season We bring you the latest news and great features about Alexandrians each week. Available at 150 locations throughout the city.

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www.asosympatico.com

Sympatico is sponsored by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra

Enriching Children’s Lives through Music ASO Sympatico is a music education program provided by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra in Alexandria City Public Schools. The inspiration for Sympatico was born out of the ASO’s commitment to education, the youth of Alexandria, and social change. In 2012, ASO staff and trustees began thinking about the best way to give back to the community of Alexandria City, while contributing to the city’s deep appreciation of the arts. After learning about numerous models for music education programs in public schools, the ASO concluded that establishing an El Sistema-inspired program would best accomplish its mission. El Sistema originated as a music education initiative in Venezuela, in which students receive high-quality music instruction at no cost to them, with the goal of social change. Today, there are El Sistema programs in 55 countries, and more than 100 El Sistema programs active in the United States. Each of the programs, including Sympatico, are guided by similar core principles: equitable access to students regardless of income, intense and high-quality music instruction, the use of an ensemble as the main learning environment, community and family engagement, and of course, social change. The ASO decided to test drive the concept of El Sistema in Alexandria City Public Schools. In 2013, two week-long music composition workshops were held at John Adams Elementary School (JAES), engaging students, teachers, and parents. These workshops brought guest musicians from around the world to the students at JAES, and culminated in students composing new music for bucket band, as well as for strings and Orff 8

instruments. The composition produced during the second workshop was premiered on stage with the ASO in a Spring 2014 concert. The initial composition workshops helped to officially launch Sympatico, and have now become a staple and highlight of Sympatico’s yearly curriculum. Since Sympatico’s official launch in 2014, the program has grown to include five unique ensembles (The Percussion Experience, XyloKids, The Mallet Machine, Cantamos, and The Fiddle Factory) with more than 100 students in grades K-5. Each ensemble meets for an hour of rehearsal every day, either before or after school, in addition to the music classes students already receive through JAES. Students in Sympatico continually demonstrate better school attendance, more cooperation skills, greater perseverance, and stronger confidence in themselves. Photo by P.J. Barbour Sympatico continues to work with a mission of providing students with opportunities to experience success in themselves and with others in their ensembles, their school, and their community. Today, Sympatico participates in more than 30 performances per year, both in school and in Alexandria City. Past performances include special appearances at the George Washington Masonic Memorial, the Torpedo Factory Arts Center, Alexandria City’s First Thursday festivals, the Alexandria City Council Inauguration, and the National Teachers of the Year celebrations. Sympatico ensembles have also performed alongside various performing groups and soloists, including the Alexandria Choral Society, the Virginia Bronze, National Symphony Orchestra violinist Marissa Regni, and Washington Performing Arts soprano Karin Paludan. Sympatico was the recipient of a 2016 Mayoral proclamation in recognition of its contributions and service to the youth of Alexandria City. For more information, contact Emily Smith, Education Program Director at asosympatico@gmail.com

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Thank you to the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra for sharing your music with our community for so many years. We look forward to many more. At Home in Alexandria offers Alexandrians 55+: • • •

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spectacular season! (703) 980-9106 16

WAGNER, STRAUSS & BEETHOVEN September 23, 2017 at 8:00 PM

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center

September 24, 2017 at 3:00 PM

George Washington Masonic Memorial

Michael Rossi, Guest Conductor

PROGRAM STRAUSS

Don Juan

WAGNER

Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde INTERMISSION

BEETHOVEN

Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, op. 67 I. II. III. IV.

Allegro con brio Andante con moto Scherzo: Allegro Allegro

Program 1 • September 23-24, 2017

Richard Wagner (1865-1957)

Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde The startling chromaticism and unresolved dissonance in Wagner’s work—which are on display from the very first chord of the opera Tristan und Isolde—changed the face of classical music. Composers from impressionist Claude Debussy to film composer John Williams have cited Wagner as a significant influence, and Tristan und Isolde is sometimes said to mark the start of modern music. In 1849, Wagner fled from Germany as a political exile, re-establishing himself in Zurich and beginning his composition of the Ring cycle. By 1857, Wagner had no regular income and was having trouble finding interest in his new four-opera cycle. It was in this context that Wagner and his wife accepted an invitation from his friends Otto and Mathilde Wesendonck to move to their estate in Zurich. In search of “lighter fare” that might generate the interest of funders, Wagner interrupted his work on the Ring cycle to begin writing Tristan und Isolde. Wagner’s alleged affair with Mathilde fueled the passion and intensity of the work. Far from lighter fare, Tristan und Isolde became some of the most powerful, dissonant, and emotionally charged music of its time. After several failed attempts to stage the work, it was finally performed in its entirety in 1865 thanks to King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who settled Wagner’s debts upon ascending to the throne in 1864 and became Wagner’s ardent benefactor. Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde make up the “bookends” of the opera. The Prelude opens with the “Tristan chord,” one of the most famous chords in music history. The dissonance and lack of resolution in these first three bars suggest the yearning and desire suffered by the title characters. The Liebestod, or “love death,” is Isolde’s final aria, which closes the opera. The concert version of these two pieces was arranged by Wagner himself, and it was first performed in 1862, several years before the premiere of the full opera. 18

Program 1 • September 23-24, 2017

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Don Juan

Born in Munich to a conservative, but highly educated and musical family, Richard Strauss composed through the transition from Late Romanticism to modern and 20th century music. Influenced by popular art and the musical giants of his time— Wagner and Verdi—as well as earlier German composers Mozart, Schumann and Mendelssohn, Strauss drew from his rich culture and personal experience to produce complex masterpieces. Upon first hearing Wagner’s operas Lohengrin and Tannhäuser, he fell in love with the progressive style. Strauss’ father forbade him to listen to Wagner’s works, but nevertheless, he obtained a score of Tristan und Isolde in 1880, and later referenced it as his favorite composition of all time. Though Strauss’ early works and first two symphonies mirrored traditional and conservative compositions, his love of Wagner and late Romanticism inspired his tone poem Don Juan and all other subsequent works. Composed in 1888 as part of his first cycle of tone poems, one-movement orchestral works referencing another piece of art (painting, story, novel, landscape or poem), Don Juan was Strauss’ first successful attempt at the new musical form. Critics regarded the piece as the first to show his mature personality, musical virtuosity and dramatic orchestral flare. His affinity for brass is apparent in both the opening and final death scene, undoubtedly an influence from his father who was a professional horn player, a color that defined his works throughout his career. He attended a performance of the play Don Juans Ende by Paul Heyse in 1885, based upon the 1844 unfinished poem by Nickolas Lenau. Strauss, himself a young and emerging composer, conducted Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni (based on the same legendary character), shortly before composing his tone poem. Compelled by this recent performance and his new romantic love affair with Pauline de Ahna (later to become his wife), Strauss created a more philosophical, dreamy portrait of Don Juan, on a sincere quest determined to find the ideal woman. 19

Program 1 • September 23-24, 2017

The passionate, energetic opening bars of the piece evoke Lenau’s poetry, “Out and away to new conquests, as long as the pulse of youth continues to beat.” And in his search Don Juan encounters, “the charmed circle of many kinds of beautiful, stimulating femininity…I should like to traverse them in a storm of pleasure.” Premiered in 1889 by the Wiemar Opera Orchestra, with Strauss conducting, Don Juan was met with wide-spread acclaim, launching his international career and marking his transition to late Romantic style for which he is most known.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, op. 67 Ludwig van Beethoven began writing his Fifth Symphony in 1804, completing the score during the spring of 1808. Beethoven conducted the first performance of the piece on December 22, 1808 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. By all accounts, the premiere was not a successful performance, with overtaxed musicians struggling through a monumental performance including the Fifth and Sixth symphonies, the aria “Ah, perfido,” the Gloria movement from the Mass in C Major, the Fourth Piano Concerto, the Sanctus and Benedictus movements of the Mass in C Major, and the Choral Fantasy. The time of the creation of the Fifth Symphony was one of intense activity for Beethoven. The four years during which the work was composed also saw the completion of many other works: Piano Sonatas, Op. 53, 54 and 57; Fourth Piano Concerto; Fourth and Sixth Symphonies; Violin Concerto; the first two versions of Fidelio; Rasumovsky Quartets, Op. 59; Coriolan Overture; Mass in C major (Op. 86); and Cello Sonata No. 3 (Op. 69). In the fall of 1801, at age 30, Beethoven revealed the secret of his increasing hearing loss. In a letter from that time, Beethoven stated that he would “seize Fate by the throat; it shall not bend or crush me completely.” The Fifth Symphony presents a full-scale story about this 20

Program 1 • September 23-24, 2017

struggle with “Fate,” from the famous C-minor opening to the glorious C-major ending approximately 40 minutes later. As noted by Hector Berlioz, the Fifth Symphony, “emanates directly and solely from the genius of Beethoven. It is his own intimate thought that is developed; and his secret sorrows, his pent-up rage, his dreams so full of melancholy oppression, his nocturnal visions and his bursts of enthusiasm furnish its entire subject, while the melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and orchestral forms are there delineated with essential novelty and individuality, endowing them also with considerable power and nobility.” Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is the preeminent example of the technique and content of the symphonic form. The overall structure is a carefully devised whole in which each of the movements carries the work toward its conclusion. The progression from minor to major— from conflict to resolution—is the true meaning of this symphony. The triumphant and heroic nature of the final movement as the result of all that preceded it established a model for the symphonies of the Romantic era. In addition, the psychological progression toward the finale is one of the most important legacies Beethoven left to his successors. The symphonies of Schumann, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Mahler find their roots in the Fifth Symphony, most importantly found in the concepts of structure and engagement of the audience.

Michael Rossi, guest conductor Michael Rossi is a rising star in the next generation of conductors. He has conducted the world’s leading orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa. As an opera conductor he made his international debut conducting Plácido Domingo and the Chinese National Opera Orchestra in Beijing in a live television broadcast, and his Washington National Opera Main Stage Debut conducting Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Since then, he has led the Washington National Opera on numerous occasions with performances of La Bohème, two productions of Hansel & Gretel, the first National Endowment of the Arts Opera Honors, and the orchestra’s Strathmore Hall Debut concert. He made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting the premiere of Marcos Galvany’s opera Oh My Son and has recently recorded the album. As an educator, Maestro Rossi founded the Miami Music Festival which educates over 250 young professional musicians each summer for eight weeks with the world’s leading performers and educators. In only four years time, he has expanded the season to include four full opera productions, four symphonic concerts, a Professional Wagner Institute, 50 solo recitals and chamber music performances, and a pioneering and intensive Career Institute that he teaches to entrepreneurial participants during the summer session. Recent conducting performances in Miami have included Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra and collaborations with notable singers such as Christine Goerke, Alan Held and Christine Brewer during the Wagner Institute performances. Maestro Rossi graduated from the Washington National Opera’s DomingoCafritz Young Artist Program, selected for the program by world-renowned tenor Plácido Domingo. As a cover conductor for the Philadelphia Orchestra he has assisted world-renowned conductors including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Stéphane Denève, Manfred Honeck, Itzhak Perlman, and Vladimir Jurowski. Maestro Rossi was awarded a fellowship to the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen in 2009 and 2010 where he studied with David Zinman, Robert Spano, Hugh Wolff and Larry Rachleff. He was selected by Kurt Masur to participate in the Kurt Masur Conducting Seminar at the Manhattan School of Music in 2010 and 2012. He is following the path of many conductors who began their careers first as instrumentalists. At the age of 22, he won the position of Second Trumpet in the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.

The music of Richard Wagner has always had a special place in my heart. During my 15 years at the Washington National Opera, I have had the wonderful opportunity to perform a majority of Wagner’s greatest music in the orchestra and learn from the best Wagnerian conductors and singers. My love for his music first began as an instrumentalist but quickly evolved to a conductor while spending many hours in the orchestra pit with the score. It was this new love that encouraged me to form the first Wagner Institute for Professional Singers which is now in its third year and drawing singers across the world as well as mentors such as Christine Goerke and Alan Held. While running this institute, I have found a deeper fascination for Wagner’s music from all of the mentors and young artists who are learning it for the first time. Tristan and Isolde holds a special place for me as I had my “Wagner calling” while performing in it four years ago with the Washington National Opera. A good friend and founder of the Palm Beach Wagner Society, John Pohanka, wrote a book called Wagner the Mystic in which he writes about Wagner’s music affecting us in ways that we can’t imagine, almost as if time stops. His words are probably the closest way I could explain that moment. Since then, I have been eager and excited to conduct and share this beautiful music with both the orchestra and audience members. - Michael Rossi

BE ON STAGE ... without the jitters Adopt a Chair today! Call (703) 548-0885 23

Symphony Orchestra League of Alexandria The Symphony Orchestra League of Alexandria (SOLA) is comprised of a dedicated group of volunteers who serve as a major source of financial support for the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO). The members of SOLA are integral to the success of the ASO by hosting a number of fundraising events throughout the year. Highlights of the upcoming season include SOLA Uncorked VIII, a fabulous wine, cheese and chocolate tasting and the 31st Annual Symphony Ball and Auction to be held on April 14, 2018 at the Westin Hotel in Alexandria. If you are not a member of SOLA, we would like to invite you to join us. In addition to our fundraising events, we host a number of enjoyable social activities throughout the year, including general meetings and the annual Spring Luncheon. On March 25, 2018, SOLA and the ASO will co-sponsor the 42nd annual Mary Graham Lasley Scholarship Competition for college level music students. This is held at the Northern Virginia Community College (Alexandria Campus). If you would like more information about joining SOLA, please contact one of the co-Presidents, or stop by our SOLA table at one of the concerts. We welcome new members who wish to contribute toward the ongoing achievements of the ASO! Phyllis Sintay SOLA Co-President psintay@mcenearney.com (703) 472-3563 24

Genevieve Moorhouse SOLA Co-President gmoorhouse@mcenearney.com (703) 401-5902

Symphony Orchestra League of Alexandria (SOLA) 2017-2018 Membership

Sue and David Aland Kate Armstrong Barbara Bankert Leef Smith and Paul Barnes Mason and Clark Bavin Susan and Carl Behnke Shirley and Charles Bisselle Bertha and Joe Braddock Suzanne Brock Rosann and Michael Brodie Miriam and Ben Browning Marcia and Jim Buchanan Hilda Burcher Martha Lloyd and Ronal Butler Jan Campbell Jane Hughes Carlson Susan Knighton and Dave Cavanaugh Teddye and Bill Clayton Harlene and Bill Clayton Donna Cramer Betty Cranwell Kate and John Crawley Meaghan Curry and Anthony Jamberdino Carola Czernik Mollie Danforth Rebecca Davies Pat and George Day Sandra and Nicholas Fleischman Amrita Frederick Muriel Freeman Yolande Frommer Rosa Fullerton

Amy and Bill Furr Patricia Gill Barbara Glover Sue and Marty Goodhart Gila Harris Marjorie Harris Janet Hawkins and David Wormser Ann and Michael Hobbs Margaret Hodges Jenny Indelicato Erwin Jacobs Jon Jaeger and Ann Corson Barb Jonas Ann Kavaljian Jacque and Ed Knight Adron Krekeler and Becky Mahood Ruth Kupperschlag Patricia Laane Ward Lasley Kit Leider Doris Lindsey Isin Ludlow Nan Lukmire David Magsumbol Eva Manning Ann and James McCrery Harriett McCune Cassie and Shawn McLaughlin Susan Montague Genevieve Moorhouse and Joshua Compton Michele and Richard Moorhouse Suzanne and James Morrison

Melinda Mount Diane Murphy Margaret and Bill Oâ€™Grady Kate Patterson Carla Pinto Annmarie Pittman Fran and Gant Redmon Carol Reese Helen Reid Jane and Connie Ring Lori and Rusty Ring Nancy Rowe Jo-Ann and Robert Royer Anna Russi Ilona Savage Patti Schmid Claire and Ted Schwab Janet Shipko Phyllis Sintay Ann and Roy Snyder Ann and Glenn Spitler Emma-Jo and Bob Staton Sue Sticha Jennifer Van Goethem Joan Vogel Sharon and Ken Walker Trudie Williams Eleanor Wilson Cecily and Stephen Winchell Stuart Wineland Laura Withers Margaret Wohler Ruth Wong Margherita Woods Susan Yonts-Shepard

ADOPT A CHAIR SPONSORSHIP ASO proudly recognizes the current Adopt a Chair sponsors: (as of printing)

• • • • • • • • • •

Violin, third chair: Sponsored by Deborah A. Hall Principal Viola: Sponsored by Richard and Sandra Toye Principal Cello: Sponsored by Teresa Guzman and Antonio Cafoncelli Cello, third chair: Sponsored by Margaret Hodges Principal Flute: Sponsored by Benjamin and Emily Tsai Principal Clarinet: Sponsored by Ann D. Corson Assistant Principal Clarinet: Sponsored in Honor of Akiko Lloyd Principal Horn: Sponsored by Gerry and Diana Dreo Assistant Principal Trumpet: Harriett G. McCune Principal Trombone: Sponsored by Bob and Erin Vincent

The 2017-2018 Season marks the third year of the Adopt a Chair program, underwriting ten musician chairs, including six Principals, two Assistant Principals, and three section players. These commitments help to sustain the ASO’s artistic integrity during our Music Director search as we transition to new artistic leadership for our 75th Anniversary in 2018-2019. “Adopt a Chair” is a signature giving program designed to provide full funding for each musician’s salary and long-term sustainable funding for our orchestra. ASO is a community supported orchestra, requiring the ongoing support of people willing to invest in the future of live music performance. As a part of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, ASO concert-goers demand and expect the highest quality music offered by world-class musicians. Through this program, contributors endorse and ensure that quality through multi-year sponsorship. Sponsors have an opportunity to choose a specific instrument, receive special program recognition, and invitation to special events where they can meet and get to know the musician holding the chair they have sponsored. This program provides an opportunity to know more about the orchestra from the inside out and to draw a closer connection between the players and the audience. 26

Sponsor Harriett G. McCune with Matt Harding (trumpet)

Sponsors Diana and Jerry Dreo with Amy Horn (French horn)

Sponsors Sandra and Richard Toye with Paul Bagley (viola)

Photos by P.J. Barbour

New chair sponsorships are accepted at any time during the season!

To “Adopt a Chair” and for more information, call (703) 548-0885 or visit www.alexsym.org.

SPOTLIGHT SOCIETY Based on a successful recent “group sponsorship” of an ASO artist, the Spotlight Society allows the ASO fan to support their favorite artist, or the artists of the season, with a gift that fits their budget. Individuals can designate their gift starting at $100 and will be recognized with the program or artist they choose to support, along with others who have given to the program. Corporate gifts can also be designated starting at $250. The program does not exclude traditional guest artist sponsors who want exclusive acknowledgement of their support of a particular artist. Rather, it expands the options for donors, including supporters who might not be able to give at the level of exclusive sponsorship. To give to your favorite artist and join the Spotlight Society, call 703-548-0885 or visit www.alexsym.org. (Please indicate “Spotlight Society” in the personal note section when giving online.)

SPONSORED MUSICIAN CHAIRS Bryan Bourne (Principal Trombone) recently retired from the “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band after nearly 30 years of active service. He was a featured soloist on many concerts including six concert tours amassing over a total of 200 solo performances of 35 different solo works. Besides the ASO, he holds the position of Principal Trombone in the Washington Ballet, the Washington Concert Opera, and the Chesapeake Orchestra. He has performed with the Kennedy Center Opera and Ballet Orchestras and the National Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Bourne teaches low brass and conducts the Brass Choir, Trombone Choir and coaches the brass chamber groups at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. As a founding member, he performs with Washington Symphonic Brass; they have just released their seventh CD. Mr. Bourne recently released his first solo CD entitled Transitions and has been selected to become a Bach Artist and Clinician. He received his B.A. in music from Indiana University and Master of Music from Catholic University. A distinguished cellist in the Baltimore-Washington area, Barbara Brown (Principal Cello) served with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra for seven years in the beginning of her career. Ms. Brown plays with the National Philharmonic, Concert Artists of Baltimore, American Pops and has held the Principal Cello chair in both the National Gallery Orchestra and Baltimore Opera Orchestra. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degrees from the University of Maryland where she was awarded the Guarneri Quartet Fellowship. Ms. Brown has played with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra for over fifteen years, holding the Principal Cello chair for several seasons. Sara Stern has performed as Principal Flutist, and frequently a soloist, with many groups, including the Virginia Chamber Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Terrace Theatre Orchestra, the Wolf Trap Opera, the National Gallery Orchestra, Washington Concert Opera and the Post Classical Ensemble. Ms. Stern performed with famed harpist and former Principal of the National Symphony, Dotian Levalier, as part of the duo Stern and Levalier. She was a founding member of Eastwind, an acclaimed wind ensemble and has presented recitals in Carnegie Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center and the National Gallery. She has performed with the Emerson String Quartet, and for over 15 years has toured as solo flutist with the American Chamber Players, served as Principal Flutist with the Alexandria Symphony, the Washington Ballet Orchestra and an even longer tenure with the 21st Century Consort, in residence at the Smithsonian.

CHAIRS AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP Katherine Ceasar-Spall (Principal Oboe) moved to Maryland in 1991, where she performs with many of the ensembles in the Baltimore-Washington area. She has been the principal oboist with the Alexandria Symphony since 1992 and is also a core member of the National Philharmonic Orchestra. She was a core member of the Washington Chamber Symphony and has performed frequently with Concert Artists of Baltimore, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Wolftrap Opera Company and the Baltimore Opera. From 1986 to 1992, she played oboe and English horn with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Ceasar-Spall is the author of Let’s Play Jazz (1983), a Spanish-English improvisation manual, published by Hansen House. She is co-author with her husband, James Spall, of the paper “Regression Analysis as an Aid in Making Oboe Reeds,” which was presented at the 1994 American Statistical Association Annual Meeting in Toronto. Doug Wallace (Principal Timpani) is a vibrant and energetic performer, composer, and educator with diverse experience in all areas of percussion performance and pedagogy. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard School, Mr. Wallace has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington National Opera and The Wolf Trap Orchestra. He has been the Principal Timpanist with the ASO for 17 years. Mr. Wallace has also participated in many honors ensembles and festival orchestras including Tanglewood Music Center, The National Repertory Orchestra, and the International Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Wallace is currently the Director of Percussion for the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras and is an active percussion director, clinician and sectional instructor at several nationally recognized Fairfax County Public Schools. His teaching techniques are highlighted in his method book, Percussion with Class. A native of Fairmont, West Virginia, Aaron Clay (Principal Bass) began his musical training at the age of 10 when he taught himself to play jazz on the electric bass. He later pursued classical training on the upright double bass prior to attending West Virginia Wesleyan College. After graduating in 1989, he was selected to join the United States Navy Band. Upon completing one enlistment with the Navy, Mr. Clay auditioned for “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band where he has been a member since 1993. Mr. Clay serves as Principal Bassist of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, and performs with other Washington area jazz and pop groups.

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Please patronize businesses that support the ASO!

Mary Graham Lasley Scholarship Competition In its 42nd year, the Mary Graham Lasley Scholarship Competition, sponsored by the Symphony Orchestra League of Alexandria and supported by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, encourages collegelevel musicians to pursue classical music careers. In the 1980s, the late Mary Graham Lasley was a major figure in the musical world of Metropolitan Washington, DC, and was active on the boards of the Washington Opera Guild, the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, and the Alexandria Symphony Guild, predecessor of SOLA. Her friends and family established a trust in tribute to her many contributions. The 2018 competition will take place March 25, 2018, on the Alexandria campus of the Northern Virginia Community College. An awards ceremony and reception will follow the competition. Visit www.alexsym.org/education/lasley-scholarship for more information.

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BRITTEN & BRAHMS October 21, 2017 at 8:00 PM

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center

October 22, 2017 at 3:00 PM

George Washington Masonic Memorial

James E. Ross, Guest Conductor

PROGRAM BUTTERWORTH The Banks of Green Willow

BRITTEN

Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes I. II. III. IV.

Dawn Sunday Morning Moonlight The Storm INTERMISSION

BRAHMS

Symphony No. 3 in F Major, op. 90 I. II. III. IV.

Allegro con brio Andante Poco allegretto Allegro â€“ Un poco sostenuto 33

Program 2 • October 21 and 22, 2017

George Butterworth (1885-1916) The Banks of Green Willow

Born in London in 1885, George Butterworth received his first music lessons from his mother, a singer, and began composing at a young age. He attended Trinity College, Oxford and worked as Music Critic for The Times (a British Daily newspaper) and as a teacher at Radley College, Oxfordshire. Butterworth was killed on August 5, 1916 (WWI) at 31 as a Lieutenant in the British Army - Durham Light Infantry. (His body was never recovered.) He was awarded the Military Cross “for conspicuous gallantry in action” on July 9 at Bailiff Wood. The Banks of Green Willow was composed in 1913 as a short pastoral idyll or “short poem” for small orchestra. The basis of the work was founded on two folk melodies he collected in Sussex (county in Southeast England), one being “Green Bushes” and “The Banks of Green Willow.” Butterworth described the piece as “a musical illustration to the ballad of the same name.” The folk ballad “Banks of Green Willow” is about a farmer’s daughter who falls in love with a young sea-captain, becomes pregnant and runs away with him to sea, having first stolen money from her parents. When her child is born on board the ship, the labor is especially difficult and there is no “woman’s help” available. Knowing she will die, she asks her lover to “bind a napkin round my head, then throw me overboard, both me and my baby.” Her lover does this and watches as she “quivers” - presumably in her death-throes - and he sings a lament to “my true love, whom I once loved so dearly” and who shall be buried on “The Banks of Green Willow.” Due to the nature of Butterworth’s death, The Banks of Green Willow has become synonymous with the sacrifice of his generation and has been seen as an anthem for all “Unknown Soldiers.” 34

Program 2 • October 21 and 22, 2017

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976 )

Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes Benjamin Britten was born in Suffolk, England and showed musical aptitude from an early age. He took his first lessons in piano and notation from his mother, and attempted to compose his first piece at age 5. Britten later won a composition scholarship and attended the Royal College of Music in London. Through viola lessons, Britten was introduced to Frank Bridge, a composer whose orchestral tone poem The Sea would become a strong influence on his compositional sensibilities. Peter Grimes premiered in 1945 at the Salder’s Wells Theatre in London. It was one of the first English operas to gain international acclaim, and is still heavily performed today. Based on a poem by George Crabbe entitled “The Borough,” it tells the story of a fisherman named Peter Grimes, who, in the most morally bankrupt fashion imaginable, buys orphans from the workhouse only to beat them or work them to death. The Four Sea Interludes are a collection of excerpts from the opera titled “Dawn,” “Sunday Morning,” “Moonlight,” and “The Storm.” Britten understood the challenges of scene changes in the opera and was insistent that these interludes not only serve the action but also represent the emotional states of the characters. “Dawn” comes at the beginning of the first act in Aldeburgh, a small fishing hamlet on the Suffolk coast. A unison melody in the violins is then interrupted by a rush of harp and woodwinds, which is then answered by a majestic brass chorale. This back and forth continues as the unison melody in the violins is abbreviated and the brass chorale is elongated until one final short statement from the violins closes the movement. Sustained French horns imitating church bells open “Sunday Morning,” 35

Program 2 • October 21 and 22, 2017

followed by repeated high and low note gestures in the upper woodwinds. This comes as people assemble to church at the opening of the second act’s first scene. Britten then introduces Ellen’s theme in the low strings. (Ellen is one of Peter’s only defenders and friends in town.) Sustained chords in the low strings and woodwinds set the pastoral mood of “Moonlight,” the first scene of Act Three. This interlude evokes imagery of the contrasts between the town’s nobility and working class. After the initial statements of the sustained chords, a very distinctive flute and harp melody adds an element of unease. Britten slowly builds the texture by adding upper brass and strings, eventually culminating in a denser version of the opening material, this time with the full orchestra. “The Storm,” is violent and bombastic, an orchestral tour-de-force that evokes imagery of crashing waves and fierce wind. Contrasting the more literal themes with metaphorical imagery that set upon the mind of Peter Grimes. This interlude is the only one set out of order, with the storm raging inside Peter’s mind, represented by an orchestral rendition of his aria “What harbor shelters peace?” in the center of the interlude. The interlude also bridges the two scenes by recalling the haunting music of Peter’s aria from the first scene and introducing the “Storm” music, which recurs throughout the second scene.

Program 2 • October 21 and 22, 2017

Johannes Brahms (1933 –1897) Symphony No. 3 in F Major Symphony No. 3 was written in 1883 and premiered on December 3 of that same year by the Vienna Philharmonic. Although the shortest of Brahms symphonies, many people consider it his most perfect symphony, while noted musician Hans Richter stated that the work was similar on scale and efficiency to Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony. Although bookended by powerful opening and closing movements, the symphony became known for its very relaxed, understated character; all four movements proceed very quietly and understated. Many speculated that the relaxed nature of the work was related heavily to Brahms’ life at the time. At 50 years old, Brahms, a lifelong bachelor, was at a place of contemplation. As noted by his lifelong friend and collaborator, violinist Joseph Joachim, Brahms had taken as his motto “Free, but lonely” (in German Frei aber einsam), and changed it to be Frei aber froh, “Free but happy.” His F–A–F motto, and some altered variations of it, can be heard throughout the symphony.

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James E. Ross, guest conductor James Ross is presently Orchestra Director of the National Youth Orchestra USA at Carnegie Hall, Music Director of the Orquesta Simfonica del Valles in Barcelona, Spain, and Conducting Faculty at the Juilliard School at Lincoln Center. He recently achieved a distinguished 16-year tenure as Professor and Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Maryland at College Park. Maestro Ross has conducted such diverse orchestras as the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Utah Symphony, Les Arts Florissants, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Chicago Civic Orchestra, the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, the Binghamton Philharmonic, the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic, and the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in side-by-side concerts. He has served as Music Director of the Yale Symphony Orchestra and Assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His principal conducting teachers were Kurt Masur, Otto-Werner Mueller, Seiji Ozawa, and Leonard Bernstein. As a teacher, Maestro Ross has served on the faculties of Yale University, the Curtis Institute of Music, Haverford and Bryn Mawr colleges, and taught conducting for four summers at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz. He was Artistic Director of the National Orchestral Institute (NOI) at the University of Maryland from 2002-2012 where his leadership helped served as an impetus for change in the orchestral landscape of the United States. He is internationally recognized for his work advancing the future of orchestras through cross-genre collaborations especially with choreographer and MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow Liz Lerman, polymath designer-director Doug Fitch, and video artist Tim McLoraine. Maestro Ross is a native of Boston, a lover of all things Spanish except bullfighting, a committed questioner of concert rituals, a man who likes to move, and a firm believer in the ongoing humanizing impact of classical music on the lives of those it touches. 38

Brahms’ Third Symphony which anchors this program embodies a kind of cycle of time, something suggesting a progression of seasons. The first movement has the turbulent and explosive energy of springtime. The second is a summer pastorale with moments of quiet, disjointed contemplation. Much of Brahms’ music from later in his life is described as autumnal, and the third movement of this symphony is one of the clearest examples of that melancholy, inward-turning character. The final movement is full of turbulence—a literal storminess of fire and ice balancing precariously between the major and minor modes with funeral chorales morphing into climaxes that sound like the day of reckoning. Towards the end of this movement, the music takes an odd turn. Away from craggy power, it leads us back to a final and full version of that chorale that now serves as a kind of benediction for whatever has been lost over the course of these movements. Without calling much attention to it, the final notes of the symphony point gently towards a promised re-birth of spring. Since nature and its processes are so much a part of Brahms’ symphony, the first two pieces on the program (and even our mystery prelude) are based around water and its environs. The Banks of Green Willow is an English idyll by George Butterworth whose gentle poignancy is enhanced by knowing how soon after writing this the composer lost his life in World War I (at the age of 31). When writing to Butterworth’s father to tell him of his son’s death, Butterworth’s commanding officer called him “a brilliant musician in times of peace, and an equally brilliant soldier in times of stress”—a combination to which many of us artists aspire. The Four Sea interludes by Benjamin Britten are drawn from his opera Peter Grimes, a work in which the North Sea itself takes on the role of psychological underpinning and commentary on the tragic tale of an individual against society. On the far side of that same North Sea, Brahms was born and grew up in Hamburg, Germany. Given his solitary and curmudgeonly tendencies, it’s possible to imagine that if Brahms had been born with less talent and not been guided by his lifelong love for Clara Schumann, he might have become a Peter Grimes-like character. The same craggy power and inwardness that infuses the Brahms Third is present in a raw form in the Sea Interludes, very especially in the final interlude, “Storm.” Birds and waves and rocks and a lonely human taking it all in—these are the elements that bind our program. - James E. Ross

CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP

Corporate partnership sustains our strengthens our local community benefits to our corporate partners. extend to any of programs offered well as provide unique group and

with the

ASO

programs and outreach, and, in return, offers Corporate giving can to individual donors as marketing opportunities.

Examples of ASO Corporate Partnership • Advertise in our souvenir program book, distributed all season at both venues • Host a “Night at the Symphony” with group tickets and a reception • Present a guest artist • Sponsor ASO Sympatico

• Sponsor an event from a fundraiser to a main-series concert to the Alexandria Birthday Celebration • Adopt a chair of a specific instrument (three-year commitment) • Join our Spotlight Society with

a gift $250 or more

CORPORATE PACKAGES CAN BE INDIVIDUALLY TAILORED TO MAXIMIZE YOUR BENEFITS AND MARKETING EXPOSURE.

Contact the ASO at (703) 548-0885 to create your package or to learn more about corporate partnership opportunities.

Sponsors

OF THE 2017-2018 ASO SEASON With gratitude, we acknowledge the following foundations, corporations, and individuals for their sponsorship of our 2017-2018 season:

The Paul M. Angell Foundation The Theodore H. Barth Foundation D’Addario Foundation The Charles Delmar Foundation Ellis Duncan of Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Dr. John Kling, D.D.S. Marietta Jemison, Realtor – Keller Williams John Marshall Bank KBR Foundation Mary and Daniel Loughran Foundation, Inc. New Target, Inc. Rotary Club of Alexandria Simpson Properties, LLC Unalane Foundation The Virginia Florist Wells Fargo Foundation 41

DEBUSSY & SIBELIUS February 10, 2018 at 8:00 PM

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center

February 11, 2018 at 3:00 PM

George Washington Masonic Memorial

José-Luis Novo, Guest Conductor

PROGRAM VERDI

Overture to Nabucco

DEBUSSY

Petite Suite

(Trans. Büsser)

LUTOSŁAWSKI Mała Suita INTERMISSION SIBELIUS

Symphony No. 2 in D Major, op. 43 I. II. III. IV.

Allegretto Tempo andante, ma rubato Vivacissimo Allegro moderato 43

Program 3 • February 10 and 11, 2018

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Overture to Nabucco Hailed as his first successful opera after two failed attempts, Nabucco launched Verdi to immortal fame as Italy’s favorite son in 1842. The break couldn’t have come at a better time, as he suffered such personal loss of his two children and young wife to a serious of illnesses. After Nabucco’s success, Verdi would be synonymous with Italian grand opera. Nabucco recounts the Old Testament story of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and his struggle with his Jewish slaves. The Overture foreshadows several themes that appear later in the opera, an invention used often in later operas and musical theatre, but unusual for the time. The primary melody to “Va Pensiero” previews the lament of the Hebrew slaves as well as the theme to “Il maledetta non ha fratelli” which ends the first act denouncing Ismael who has angered the temperamental king, leading to the destruction of their temple.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Petite Suite Transcribed for orchestra by Henri Büsser

Debussy was a precocious child, showing his genius for performance and composition at a very young age, entering the famed Paris Conservatory at 10, where he studied with César Franck and other significant musicians of the time. He especially excelled at the piano, mastering works of Beethoven, Schumann and Chopin. But with his instrument of choice, he preferred experimenting with new harmonies and dissonance which gave birth to the compositions that ushered in the artistic movement of Impressionism. While he was not the first to use this new language of watery harmony and whole-tone scales, and disliked the use of the term, he is immortalized for defining this new musical style borrowing from classical elements as well as modern music of the time such as jazz and ragtime. Debussy enjoyed travelling in his early career spending his summers with Tchaikovsky’s patron, Nadezhda von Meck, herself 44

Program 3 • February 10 and 11, 2018

a consummate pianist. While giving lessons to her children, he often played pieces for four hands with her, a practice that may have inspired the composition of the Petite Suite in 1889. During this time he also met his soon-to-be-lover Marie-Blanche Vasnier and her husband, Henri. Claude and Henri became close friends, exchanging artistic ideas, which spurned Debussy’s first introduction to the erotic poetry of Paul Verlaine. Verlaine’s poetry would inspire many of his art songs, serving as the subject matter for the first two movements of the Petite Suite from his collection Fétes galantes. Coinciding with the composition of the Petite Suite was Debussy’s introduction to Erik Satie, in whom he found a kindred spirit for Impressionism, and perhaps encouragement toward using this expansion of color, form and harmony. As Debussy’s music could be termed suggestive in its sketching of a subject, the poetry it references is equally suggestive. “En Bateau” explores the inner thoughts of aristocrats dreaming of romantic trysts as they sail on the lake at dusk. Debussy’s music evokes the watery scene, the characters floating with wistful longing. In the second movement, “Cortège,” his subject is a courtly lady admired by both her servant and her pet monkey. The final movements follow a more traditional suite structure with two dances (Minuet and Ballet), although they echo the nostalgia and longing of Verlaine’s words. The original composition written for two pianos was transcribed for full orchestra by Debussy’s colleague Henri Büsser in 1907.

Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994) Mała Suita Witold Lutosławski composed and performed under the close watch of the Nazi and Soviet occupations as well as the subsequent communist regime throughout most of his long life. Like many modern composers, he lived through World Wars and oppressive political pressure. He shirked his military duties during WWII in lieu of 45

Program 3 • February 10 and 11, 2018

performing music banned by the Nazis, knowing he could be arrested or ostracized at any time. After the war, the communist government implemented a systematic control of the arts, including creating state-run outlets for artistic expression. Lutosławski joined the Composers’ Union, walking a fine line to comply with the government. None of his works were overtly political, and he rarely tied any of his music to subversive protest (at least not publicly). Instead, he celebrated the folk heritage of the Polish people through his music, certainly not falling in line with the Socialist Realism movement of the time, which championed the proletariat. In 1950, Polish Radio commissioned him to compose something for an upcoming broadcast. Polish Radio specialized in popular and folk repertoire. The original composition for Mała Suita was scored for chamber orchestra and later expanded to the full orchestral score you’ll hear today. The movements tie beautifully to the folk heritage they reference. “Fife” lends the melody to the piccolo and snare drum; “Hurra Polka” evokes a humorous, light scherzo feel reminiscent of the Polish dance. “Song” interchanges the theme among dominant instruments; “Dance” draws from the “lasowiak,” a regional dance from Rzeszów. Mała Suita became one of the most popular pieces in Poland in the 1950s.

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) Symphony No. 2 in D major Jean Sibelius was the greatest Finnish composer of his time. But that’s not enough to really describe him. In fact, Sibelius was one of a small number of great symphonic composers at the end of the 19th and the first part of the 20th Centuries. What sets this amazing composer apart is that at almost every stage of his career, he defied expectations. At the beginning of his career, Sibelius was enamored of the music of Richard Wagner. The young Finn made a pilgrimage to the great Festival Opera House at Bayreuth Wagner had created for his operas, or “music dramas,” as he called them. Very quickly, however, Sibelius’ ardor cooled and he found Wagner’s music bombastic on the one hand, and coldly calculating on the other. 46

Program 3 • February 10 and 11, 2018

What did inspire Sibelius was his native country of Finland. At the time of his birth, his country was the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland. But even as a young man, Sibelius felt his allegiance— musical and otherwise—to Finland. The Grand Duchy lasted until 1917 when the Russian Revolution ended the reign of the Tsars. Political changes notwithstanding, however, Sibelius realized that his musical career would be that of a composer and not the violin virtuoso that he had hoped to be. Although a bitter pill to swallow, Sibelius recognized that in composition, especially in the large works for orchestras, he had found his forte. From the first to the last, this recognition meant that with each new composition Sibelius was expanding and deepening his abilities as a great orchestrator. Sibelius used each of his seven symphonies as a musical proving ground to stretch his musical muscles in new and distinct ways. His great contemporary Gustav Mahler would craft his enormous symphonies by combining thematic musical material from disparate sources eventually weaving them into a cohesive whole. Sibelius, on the other hand, created musical building blocks of small thematic ideas in a great additive process that would yield a great theme at the end of a movement that was the sum of all those molecular parts. In his Second Symphony in D major, completed in 1902 and revised in 1903, Sibelius already shows himself to be a master of orchestration. His mastery of the orchestra has been called “prodigious,” and that is evident everywhere in the second symphony. It is interesting that even through the radical changes in musical tastes over the last century; the Second Symphony is still a staple of the orchestral repertoire. In fact it is often compared to the symphonies of Tchaikovsky, and with good reason. If you imagine an orchestra score as a great canvas just waiting for the paintbrush of the artist, then you will get some idea of the range and sweep of this symphony. Even though Sibelius the artist may begin with the smallest of brushes and the lightest of color, his ideas are bold and daring enough to fill the entire canvas. 47

José-Luis Novo, guest conductor Since his appointment as Music Director and Conductor of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra in 2005, José-Luis Novo has instilled a new and vibrant artistic vision. Maestro Novo’s continuous drive for artistic excellence, innovative thematic programming, and collaborations with some of today’s most respected guest artists have resulted in unprecedented artistic growth, praising audiences, and enthusiastic reviews from publications such as The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun. In addition to his directorship of the Annapolis Symphony, Maestro José-Luis Novo recently concluded an impressive 13-year tenure as Music Director and Conductor of the Binghamton Philharmonic in New York state. Prior to these appointments, he served as Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under both Music Director Emeritus Jesús López-Cobos and former Music Director Paavo Järvi, and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under the late Erich Kunzel. Since 1999 he has been the Resident Conductor at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina. Besides his debut with the Alexandria Symphony, recent and upcoming guest conducting engagements include debut appearances with the Rochester Philharmonic, the South Bend and San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestras, and return appearances with the Thailand Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony, the Fresno Philharmonic, Symphoria, and a Kimmel Center debut in Philadelphia conducting the Curtis Institute Orchestra. Prior guest conducting engagements have included appearances with the Symphony Silicon Valley, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Syracuse, Modesto, Windsor, Stamford, Tulsa, and Tallahassee Symphonies, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and most of the major orchestras from his native Spain.

Novo was featured in the League of American Orchestra’s Symphony magazine in “Podium Powers,” an article about emerging Hispanic conductors in the United States. He holds music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Yale University and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, and is the recipient of numerous scholarships, prizes and awards.

We often think of classical music as a universal language that unites humankind in the quest for the highest artistic achievements. Although this is a true statement generally speaking, this program is an example of how music can help shape unique musical voices destined to support nationalistic identities and tendencies. The four works in this program by composers of four different nationalities express distinctive qualities for each of the countries they represent. In the case of Verdi, Lutosławski and Sibelius they also channel aspirations to stand against oppressive forces opposing the development of nationalistic uprisings. In Debussy’s case, it takes the torch from earlier French composers and opens doors to new forms of musical expression intrinsically connected with French culture and the values of modern society. The opera Nabucco brought Verdi to fame practically overnight. Coming out of a particularly distressful time marked by the death of two young daughters and wife all within months, the Italian composer saw himself almost incapable of meeting the expectations of demanding opera audiences. But somehow the Italian society of the Risorgimento, resentful of the domination by the Austrian Empire, felt a powerful empathetic connection to Nabucco’s biblical story of the Babylonian captivity of the Hebrews. Thus, Verdi’s music became a vehicle of nationalistic pride against foreign domination. Debussy is often referred to as an iconic impressionistic composer, but in some ways it would be more accurate to describe him as a “symbolist,” since a great deal of his output was inspired by the poetic writings of Verlaine, Mallarmé, Baudelaire and Maeterlinck. The Petite Suite, originally written for two pianos (four hands), is a collection of four delightful miniatures that link the classical French heritage with the more modernistic world Debussy passionately explored. Both Sibelius and Lutosławski were credited with building the nationalistic musical styles of their respective Finland and Poland against the Russian and Soviet dominations. Sibelius began sketches for what was to become his Symphony No. 2 during a stay in Italy in the summer of 1901 under the shadow of political tensions between Finland and Russia when Finnish patriotic fervor was running high. In the case of Lutosławski, similar to Shostakovich, dealing with the demands of the Soviet cultural establishment required a great deal of finesse. With the Mała Suita, Lutosławski managed to bypass the Soviet censorship by adopting a neo-classical approach to Polish folk music. -José-Luis Novo

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THE ALEXANDRIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ON 74

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BACH, PIAZZOLLA & BRAHMS April 7, 2018 at 8:00 PM

Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center

April 8, 2018 at 3:00 PM

George Washington Masonic Memorial

Nicholas Hersh, Guest Conductor

PROGRAM C.P.E. BACH

Symphony in E-flat Major I. Allegro con brio II. Andante III. Poco allegretto

PIAZZOLLA

Tangazo: Variation of Buenos Aires INTERMISSION

BRAHMS

Symphony No. 2 in D Major, op. 43 I. II. III. IV.

Allegro non troppo Adagio non troppo Allegretto grazioso Allegro con spirito 51

Program 4 • April 7 and 8, 2018

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1778) Symphony in E-flat Major Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach is the fifth child and second surviving son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach. He was trained exclusively by his father, and became one of four Bach children to become professional musicians. During the first half of his life, Bach worked in service of Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia (Frederick the Great) where he became harpsichordist in the royal orchestra. In 1768, he was permitted to leave his position in Berlin in order to succeed his godfather, George Philip Telemann as director of music at the main Protestant church in Hamburg. C.P.E. Bach’s music came to represent an important bridge from the Baroque to the Classical period, evoking a more grandiose dramatic style, a contrast to the more “sensitive style” that symbolized the late Baroque period. During his time in Berlin, Bach concentrated on instrumental music, composing several collections of keyboard music and various other chamber works. Among his larger instrumental works was a collection of nine symphonies known as the “Berlin symphonies.” The symphony in E-flat (H. 654) is one of these works and is cast in the common three movement structure: Fast, Slow, Fast.

Astor Piazzolla (1921-1922) Tangazo: Variation on Buenos Aires Born in Argentina to Italian immigrants, Astor Piazzolla and his family later moved to New York City in 1925 when he was just four years old. Mesmerized by his father’s recording of the great tango orchestras of Carlos Gardel and Julio de Caro, Astor’s father Vicente gave him a bandoneón (concertina) when he was eight years old. He then began taking piano lessons from Bela Wilda where he discovered J.S. Bach, whose music became particularly important to him. 52

Program 4 • April 7 and 8, 2018

His family later moved back to Mar del Plata, Argentina permanently in 1936 where Piazzolla began playing the bandoneón semiprofessionally in a variety of tango orchestras. It was during this time he began listening to violinist Elvino Vardaro’s sextet, and became an admirer of his tango interpretations. Vardaro would later become a violinist with Piazzolla’s own orchestra. Piazzolla then moved to Buenos Aires in 1938 where he began playing with the Aníbal Troilo Orchestra, considered one of the best tango orchestras in Argentina. Fearing he was not advancing musically and at the insistence of pianist Arthur Rubenstein, Piazzolla began to study with noted composer Alberto Ginastera in 1941. Piazzolla began writing music for the Troilo Orchestra, although it was deemed too difficult for dancers and subsequently had to be edited down. He would then go on to form his own orchestra in the late 1940’s were he continued to refine his style of extended harmonies, Baroque counterpoint, and jazz improvisation. Tangazo, subtitled Variations on Buenos Aires was composed in 1969 for chamber orchestra and was premiered by Ensamble Musical de Buenos Aires. Tangazo begins very subdued, with ascending and descending chromatic lines in the lower strings, then the upper register violins take over the melody before eventually dropping out, leaving the lower strings. The next section begins with a very pronounced tango-inspired theme in the woodwinds that weaves through the orchestra. After one last restatement of the theme by the oboe, the piece winds down with subtle interjections of piano and strings. 53

Program 4 • April 7 and 8, 2018

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Symphony No. 2 in D Major

Brahms dedicated his summer in 1877 to composition and preferred to stay in the southern Austrian village of Pörtschach. He rented two rooms in the resort town, so small that his piano had a hard time being moved throughout the building. Brahms wrote many letters to friends about his delight for the location. One friend, Theodore Billroth, played through Symphony No. 2’s score for the first time and wrote Brahms immediately saying, “It is all rippling streams, blue sky, sunshine, and cool green shadows. How beautiful it must be at Pörtschach.” The opening of the Allegro non troppo reflects what Billroth was referring to with the horns and bassoons playing a harmonized melody in D Major. Once the upper strings come in, sunshine and blue sky of a pastoral scene is revealed. Symphony No. 2 has its roots in the traditional Classical form, with opening and closing longer movements that contain a slow second movement and a third movement scherzo. The piece is notable for the use of “Brahms Lullaby” in the first movement, which he originally composed for Wiegenlied. While the symphony has an overall cheerful mood, Brahms knew that one cannot appreciate the sun without a few clouds. Symphony No. 2 often has moments of darkness and tragedy, a dramatic element that really gives life to this remarkable work. The pastoral and melancholy mood of Symphony No. 2 draws comparisons to Beethoven’s and Tchaikovsky’s sixth symphonies, and as Brahms told his publisher, “this material, tranquil and melancholy, you won’t be able to take it.” Brahms Symphony No. 2 was premiered in December of 1877 by the Vienna Philharmonic. Originally slated to be premiered on December 9, the orchestra chose to delay the premiere due to being overly preoccupied with preparing for Wagner’s Das Rheingold.

Nicholas Hersh, guest conductor Nicholas Hersh currently serves as Associate Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras. Since joining the BSO as Assistant Conductor in 2014, he continues to make his mark on the mid-Atlantic region with exciting, innovative programming—notably as conductor and co-curator of the acclaimed BSO Pulse series, bringing together Indie bands and orchestral musicians in unique collaborations. As Associate Conductor, Maestro Hersh directs the BSO’s educational and family programming, including the celebrated Academy for adult amateur musicians, as well as a variety of classical and popular programs. After his successful Baltimore Symphony subscription debut, stepping in for Yan Pascal Tortelier, he conducts the BSO in a set of subscription concerts each season. He has also appeared in concert with such orchestras as the New World Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, and the National Repertory Orchestra. Maestro Hersh is a frequent collaborator and guest faculty at the Peabody Conservatory as well as the BSO’s OrchKids program in the Baltimore City Public School system. Maestro Hersh grew up in Evanston, Illinois and started his musical training with the cello. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Stanford University and a Master’s Degree in Conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying with David Effron and Arthur Fagen. In 2011 and 2012 he was a Conducting Fellow with the prestigious American Academy of Conducting in Aspen, studying with mentors Robert Spano, Hugh Wolff and Larry Rachleff, and has participated in master classes with Bernard Haitink and Michael Tilson Thomas. Hersh is a two-time recipient of the Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award. Maestro Hersh also continues to earn acclaim for his skill as an arranger and orchestrator, with a growing portfolio of pops and classical arrangements performed by orchestras around the globe.

Brahms’ Second Symphony is a study in contradictions. Its style, like much of Brahms, is a blend of pure classical formalism and modernist musical abandon. It is described (too often) as the “sunniest” of Brahms’ four symphonies thanks in no small part to its pastoral mood and bright D Major tonality; yet the composer himself described it as so melancholy it should be printed on black-bordered paper. Perhaps it is this enigma—as well as its timeless melodies—that makes this music so utterly fascinating nearly 150 years after its premiere. I sought to expand upon this theme of musical contradictions in the rest of the program. We begin with a pithy C.P.E. Bach symphony that absolutely floored me the first time I encountered it: a purely Classical Era piece so infused with the tempestuous sturm und drang style, it might appear at home with music being composed more than a century later. Piazzolla’s Tangazo, meanwhile, represents a fusion of the Argentinian canyengue tango with a refined, Romantic style orchestral treatment; the result is an utterly intriguing blend of infectious rhythm and dark symphonic colors. -Nicholas Hersh

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ASO Concert Venues Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center • Complimentary concert parking is provided by the ASO in the Beauregard Street garage, located across East Campus Lane from the Schlesinger Center. We highly encourage all our patrons to park in this location, as parking is restricted on campus. • Our Will Call pickup and On-Site Box Office sales begin 90 minutes prior to the start of each performance the lobby of the Schlesinger Center. • Restrooms and drinking fountains are available to the right of the lobby on the first floor, and to the right of the Seminar Room on the second floor. • An elevator is available for your convenience and can be located around the corner from the restrooms. • Concessions are sold in the lobby during intermission – choose from a variety of wines, sodas, snacks and bottled water.

George Washington Masonic Memorial • Complimentary concert parking is provided by the ASO in the north parking lot with an entrance directly to the concert hall. • All patrons should enter the Memorial on the parking lot side of the building, where the handicap ramp can be found as well. This entrance is the closest one to the concert hall and can be accessed without stairs. • Our Will Call pickup and On-Site Box Office sales begin 90 minutes prior to the start of each performance. • An elevator is available for your convenience. Please note that the elevator runs slowly, and we encourage you to arrive early if you intend to use it. • Concessions are sold in the lobby during intermission – choose from a variety of wines, sodas, snacks, and bottled water.

Concerto Foundation

Ensuring the long-term stability of the ASO The Alexandria Symphony Concerto Foundation was established in 2005 to create an endowment fund providing long-term financial support to the ASO. The Foundation’s goal is to build a significant capital fund, with the income from that fund providing annual income to the Symphony. The Foundation is a “supporting organization” under section 509(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and gifts made to the Foundation are tax deductible as charitable donations. As of July 31, 2017, the Foundation had assets of $299,000. The following individuals contributed gifts of $5,000 or more to meet the $100,000 Challenge sponsored by Frank and Betty Quirk, which was completed in May 2007: Anonymous

Ruth Kotler

C. Maxine Baustian

Eva and Frank Manning

Suzanne S. Brock

Mary Ann and David Millard

Miriam and David Browning

Reae and Thomas Sargeant

Penny and Tim Bryan

Molly and Jim Singerling

Linda and Elliott Bunce

Ann and Roy Snyder

Agnes and Jack Dover

Symphony Orchestra League of Alexandria (SOLA)

Gerhard and Diana Dreo Loti and Stewart Dunn Julie and Edward Dyson Anne and Caswell Hobbs

Judy and Forrest Williams Stuart and Robert Wineland Susan and Allan Winn

A donation or bequest to the Alexandria Symphony Concerto Foundation will go toward ensuring long-term support of the ASO. Gifts can be a specific dollar amount, a specific piece of property, a percentage of an estate, or all or part of the residue of an estate. You can also name the Foundation as a contingent beneficiary if someone named in your will is no longer living. For more information on the Concerto Foundation or making a bequest, please contact the Alexandria Symphony at 703-548-0885.

2016-2017 ASO Supporters Includes contributions made to the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra League of Alexandria from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017.

Foundations, Government, and Corporate Supporters ACT Community Foundation

Dishes of India

Alexandria Commission for the Arts

Donnan Chancellor Wintermute, Coldwell Banker

Alexandria Times

Entergy Corp.

Alexandria Kiwanis

Global Printing

Amazon Smile

Goodwin House, Inc.

Bittersweet Catering

Jeanne Warner, Sotheby’s International Realty

Cafe Pizzaiolo Chadwicks Charles Delmar Foundation Clarke & Sampson, Inc. Concerto Foundation Connection Newspapers DAK! Chicken D’Addario Foundation 60

Harry Braswell, Inc. ICMA Retirement Corp INOVA Health System John Adams Elementary PTA The KBR Foundation Kositzka and Wicks Lois Herr Family Fund

The Mary and Daniel Loughran Foundation, Inc.

Sora Ethiopian

McNearney Associates, Inc.

Simpson Commercial Real Estate Properties

Marietta Jemison, Realtor of Keller Williams

SOLA (Symphony Orchestra League of Alexandria)

Mertz Gilmore Foundation

Theodore H. Barth Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Torpedo Factory Art Center

Networking & Engineering Technologies, Inc.

Transurban

New Target Paul M. Angell Family Foundation Redmon, Peyton & Braswell, L.L.P. Rotary Club of Alexandria Rucker Properties Safeway

Unalane Foundation United Methodist Family Services Usborne Books Virginia Commission for the Arts The Virginia Florist Wells Fargo Advisors Wells Fargo Foundation

Gifts were given in Memory or in Honor of the following, as of June 30, 2017: In Honor of ASO Sympatico In Memory of T. Sills Bunn In Honor of Ann D. Corson In Memory of Paul Frank In Memory of Mrs. James Vaughan, Jr.

Conductor’s Baton Circle (over $20,000)

Suzanne S. Brock

Conductor’s Circle ($10,000-$19,999)

Mr. & Mrs. Elliott Bunce Ronal Butler & Martha Lloyd Harriett McCune Anne Best Rector & Tim Allen

Platinum Circle ($5,000-$9,999)

Carl & Susan Behnke Miriam & David Browning Nancy Davenport Diana & Gerry Dreo Ann D. Corson & B. Jon Jaeger Dr. & Mrs. William P. O’Grady Mr. & Mrs. Carlyle C. Ring Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Siegel Golden Circle ($2,500-$4,999)

Nancy & Richard F. Blackburn Dr. and Mrs. Joseph V. Braddock Ellis Duncan Mr. & Mrs. Jack Fannon Lisa & Brian Flippo Carolyn Fuller Amy & William Furr Teresa Guzman & Antonio Cafoncelli Deborah A. Hall Margaret Hodges Mr. & Mrs. Edward Knight Mr. & Mrs. Gant Redmon Anne & Steve Reed

H. Arthur Sauer Lucy Thomson & Arthur E. Peabody, Jr. Emily & Benjamin Tsai Erin & Robert Vincent CDR, USN (Ret.) Kenneth & Mrs. Walker Mr. & Mrs. David Wilcox Mr. & Mrs. Forrest Williams Elizabeth Wilmot & Peter Adler Linda Windsor Ralph Shepard & Susan Yonts-Shepard Nancy Ziegler

Patron’s Circle ($1,000-$2,499)

Philip Barbour Tom Bradley & Judith Starr Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Brown, Jr.

Amoret Bell Bunn Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Campbell Nicholas F. & Victoria A. Coward

Patronâ€™s Circle ($1,000-$2,499) Mrs. John Davies Dave Hawkins Mr. & Mrs. Charles Holden Mrs. Kirk Lindsey Craig Miller & Lisa Brock Mr. & Mrs. Frank Quirk Sherry Schiller Elizabeth & John Siegel Irwin & Joan Singer Phyllis Sintay Edward Stark & Christine Corcoran-Stark Eugene Steuerle & Marguerite Scheflen Richard & Sandra Toye The Hon. & Mrs. John Warner

Donors ($500-$999) Amy & Larry Alberson Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Bankert Bruce Batten & Currie Smith Mrs. Hilda Burcher Howard Clark & Betty Cranwell Mr. & Mrs. Bill Clayton Thomas R. & Carla Crawford Mollie Danforth & Steve Colangelo Mr. & Mrs. George Day Dr. & Mrs. Paul Domson Yvonne E. DuVall Mr. & Mrs. Edward Dyson William Elwood David & Diann Frantz Yolande Frommer Stevie & Gardner Gillespie Mr. & Mrs. Martin Goodhart Ken Gray Sally Guy & Thomas Brown Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Hayes Mr. & Mrs. Caswell O. Hobbs John & Lynn Hooff William & Julie Howard Anne Beverly & Freeman Jones Susan Kelly Margaret Kenna Florence King Janet E. King Dr. & Mrs. John Klousia

Donors ($500-$999)

Stanley L. & Gail Krejci Laura & Thomas Lawler Karen Leider Mary Carol Mason Rita & Dennis Meyer Steve & Marie Minton Susan T. Montague Mr. & Mrs. James Morrison Ann Morton & Charlie Habliston Linda & Chuck Oâ€™Connor Alan & Laura Paez Margaret Paslawski Mr. & Mrs. Russell Ring Lynne & Donald F. Simpson, Sr. Stephanie & Lawrence Stack Ms. Maureen Sullivan Jack Sulser & Sally Ann Greer Evan & Jessica Wisser Amanda & Michael Wittman

Sustainers ($100-$499) Rodney & Lori Abele Alice & Milton Ahlerich Mary Lee Anderson Patrick & Kim Anderson Marlyn Aycock Charles W. & Suzanne S. Ballou Walter & Roberta Barbee Mia & Tim Bass Dave & Kara Battaglini Mr. & Mrs. Clark Bavin Christine Bellino Margaret Benghauser Laura & William Bennett Greg & Diane Beyer-Perett Leila Bham Dr. & Mrs. Charles Bisselle George Blankenship Joanna & Michael Bopp Timothy Boyd Amy Ford & Chad Bradley Zita & Herb Brooks Claire & Andrew Brown Ken & Meredith Brown Susan & Kelly Browning David & Emily Buckman

Sustainers ($100-$499)

James & Marcia Buchanan Tricia & Donald R. Calloway, Jr. Kendra Carey Susan & Bill Carnell Evalyn Carter William & Tracy Castle Alison & John Christmas Alice & James Close Karen Coda Suzanne & John Coffey Gwen Cohen Cheryl Anne & David Colton Brian & Paula Coupe Donna J. Cramer Mr. & Mrs. John Crawley Robert & Teri Culbertson Meaghen Curry & Anthony Jamberdino Carola Czernik Andrew Davis Greg & Jen Desautels Thelma Deutsch Elizabeth DiGregorio Anne & Michael Donohue Daniel & Mary Taylor Dose Robert & Ashli Douglas Shannon & Michael Dubke Ms. Julia T. Duncan Nicole Duncan CAPT Fred S. Dunning, Jr., USN (Ret.) Claire & Brad Edwards Carol Kaufmann Enochs & Kevin Enochs Dedre & Stephen Fiske Maggie & Mark Fitzsimmons Nicholas & Sandra Fleischmann Oliver & Carol Flint Michael W. Fogarty Lee & Henry Fonvielle Tara & Gregory Foscato Michele M. Franco Elizabeth J. Frank Constance Frogale Brooke & Matthew Fuller Archie Garner Thomas Gernon Richard Gilfillan James Goodenkauf

Sustainers ($100-$499)

Wiley & Caryl S. Grant Jim & Luanne Griffin Maria & Tim Halloran Jennifer Hardy Orrin & Tandy Harrison Sid & Amy Hatcher James Hauhart Elaine Haver Janet Hawkins & Dave Wormser Glenn & Shannon Hickok Kenneth & Winifred Hill Katherine & Joel Hoffman Holly & Morris C. Hoven, Jr. Paul & Pamela Hunt Raymond & Irene Husson Lindalyn Hutter Bryan & Jennifer Jacobs Richard Jones & Christine Cheevers William Jordan Mary & Dennis Kane Richard H. & Melissa Keiser Mike & Louise Kenny Richard & Justine Kingham Bill & Jackie Kingston Rosemary & Edgar P. Kley Brian & Sarah Knutson Nick & Heather Kolovos Chad & Anne Kolton Ruth Kupperschlag Ellen LaBelle Mrs. Andrea Lacey Châ€™uyasonqo & David Lane Robert Larke Lauren & Don Lefeve Donna R. Lefeve David Levy Robert Lindsey Kenneth & Jennifer Lisaius Sheriann Lockwood Roye Lowry George & Isin Ludlow Patricia Macgowan & T. Whittier Warthin Jessi Macleod Marion M. MacRae John & Rosemary Maloney Marion Mangus

Sustainers ($100-$499)

Mrs. Frank Manning Barbara Mantegani Rebecca & Christopher Manthey Elizabeth & Bill Marino James D. & Camille Bares Massie Stuart & Kaye Matthews Jane Matthias Jane McCallum Michael McCormick Douglas McCrea Mariah & Martin McGuinness Maryjane Mead James & Sarah Mills Bowman & Pamela Miller James & Sarah Mills David & Katherine Molnar Robert Montague, III Kerry & McCord Moody Genevieve Moorhouse & Josh Compton Mr. & Mrs. Richard Moorhouse Jim & Nicole Morell Christopher & Katherine Murphy Christena Nielsen Jackie Noyes Rev. Mark Olsen Robert & Susan Orttung Katharine Patterson Laura Peebles & Ellen Fingerman Jane Perkinson Rachel Pickering Saint & Maria Pollard Geraldine Prefontaine Allison Priebe Arthur Purcell Herbert H. & Barbara Quarmby Thomas & Betsy Regnell Mary Ann Rehnke Lola C. Reinsch William & Frances Rice Lisa Ring Leslie & Kevin Ristau Michaela & Robert Robinson Katherine B. Edwards & John Ronveaux Jacqueline Roundtree Jan & Clifford Routh William H. & IIona Savage

Elizabeth Schepps Patti Schmid Paul Schultz Beau & Carrie Schuyler Mr. & Mrs. Theodore Schwab Keith Sendall Robert & Barbara Seraphin Kari & Craig Shapiro Joel Sickler Sam Sieke Alex & Ivy Sinaiko Jim & Molly Singerling Michael & Elizabeth Solon Gordon Speed Jason & Jane Spence George Stevens Mr. & Mrs. Paul Sticha T.J. Strauchon Erin & Chris Streeter Allen & Jean H. Stuhl Brian & Rachel Talay Robert & Frances C. Talley Emerson & Alison Teer Carol & George Terwilliger Jan & Jay Test Peter & Helen G. Toepffer Rebecca & Mark Tromblay Victoria & Michael Vergason Doug & Meredith Wade Keith Walker Christine & Joe Washington Sandra Welch Michael & Priscilla Wiener Richard B. & Suzanne N. Willett Rance Willis John T. & Pat Wilson Paul O. Wilson Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Winchell Susan & Allan Winn Donnan C. Wintermute Laura Withers Nancy & Greg Woodford David & Katie Woodruff Margherita Woods Zalewsky family Cindy Ziegler

Friends ($1-$99)

Anonymous (2) Carolyn Abshire Anita Alanko Sam Alberts B. Bernadette Arico Sherrie Arnold Eugenie Ballering & Anna Wolz Andrea & Walter Baumann Andrew Bawden Stacey Becker Ana Villas Boas Bruce Boyd Jeff Braswell James Bruton Marilyn Murphy & W. Allan Cagnoli Patty & Robert Chamberlain Donna Chambers Sophie Chang William Colosimo Robert & Diane Crawford-Batt Marcia & Daniel Crumbaugh Paula Danko Alice DeKany Sue Dikeman Suzanne & Randolph Dingwell John Drake Helene Dyson Kristen Eagan Bob & Helen Fall Robert Feezor Joan Ferrell Cathy Fick Donald & Cora Fosdick J. Robert & Maureen M. Franks Ronald & Jeanne Garant Lucia & Christopher Garrett Jeffrey Gathers Gerda Gernon Sarah Glenn Cindy Golubin Susan Amber Gordon Rita Grazda Janet R. Gregor Terry & Gale Grindstaff Nancy Hall-Berens Marjorie Harris

Friends ($1-$99) Susan Haskew Geoffrey Henderson Michael E. & Ann Reed Hobbs Susan Hoffman Joanna Hudson-Therway Erwin Jacobs Scott & Marietta Jemison Tamara Jovovic Alan & Karen Kernc Melinda Kernc Beth Knickerbocker Pat Kramer Jane Landis Sylvia Linke Philip L. & Cynthia Major Libby McClary James C. & Ann McCrery Anita & Robert McSwain Gordon McIntosh Stephanie McNear & Gregory Luce James K. Meharg, Jr. Daniel Milin Alexandra Miller Robert & Vivian Miller Fred Mills, Jr. & Nancy Kuhn Connie Milner Temple & Marty Moore Elizabeth & William Newell Gerald Obuabang Janet Osborn Roger Parks Nora Partlow Julie Patterson Julie Patterson Marcia Pickering Patricia Prosperi Paul & Rita Quinn Dorothy Raduazo Edward Rea Beth Roberts Penelope Roberts Ashley Roseboro Anna Russi Kristine Schnarr Caroline & Geoffrey Short Donald Silawsky

Friends ($1-$99) Peter & Katharine Smeallie Margaret Smith Peggy Smith David & Marcia Speck Glenn M. & Ann D. Spitler Ann Steck Britt-Marie Stejskal Matthew J. Stensrud Gregory Stieber Nancy & Bob Van Tine Nina Tisara Alison Valtin Charles & Ellen Walker Marianne Weitz Bonnie Williams & Bob S. Kelly Donna & Joe Wilson LTG (Ret.) & Mrs. John R. Wood Melissa Wood Marlisa & Dean Woods Madeleine Wyss May Yuen & John Dong Xin Zhou Maria & Jon Zito

You are invited to join a new supporting group of busy young professionals whose efforts benefit the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO). The ASO has created The Opus Society to serve as a pipeline for people our age to become involved in the symphony at a lower level of engagement, and build loyalty in future years for the health of the ASO. Opus Society is a new group designed to provide a platform for low-key engagement with the purpose of building awareness and growing participation within the ASO. To become a member, we ask for a $100 annual donation to the ASO. In return you will receive recognition in the concert program and on the ASO website, discounted concert ticket opportunities, invitations to concert receptions, special events and networking opportunities with like-minded Alexandrians. Your contribution will help support vital ASO activities and the future of this fantastic orchestra! Sincerely, Alison Christmas and Katherine Murphy Founding Members, Opus Society For more information or to join Opus Society, visit www.alexsym.org/support/opus-society 68

THE COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is a 55-year Federal workplace giving tradition that has raised more than $8 billion for charitable organizations. The funds raised each fall through this campaign help neighbors in need around the corner, across the nation and throughout the world. The Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area (CFCNCA) is the local campaign for Federal employees in the Washington metro area, and is the largest of the CFCs. Through the contributions of civilian and military Federal employees, the campaign raised more than $47 million in 2016 for participating local, national and international charities. This fall, the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra will participate in the campaign for second year. During the campaign, Federal employees can choose from a list of more than 20,000 vetted charities to support by payroll deduction, credit/ debit card, check or cash. Federal workers, retirees and government contractors are eligible to donate to the CFC. The CFC makes it easy to Show Some Love to the causes you care about. Whether you are passionate about disaster relief, veteran services, animal rights or cancer researchâ€”or the performing artsâ€”the CFC has a charity for that cause.

The benefits of giving through the CFC include: 1. You can give to multiple charities at once through a program that is federally regulated and fully audited. 2. Payroll deduction allows you to give a little each month, adding up to a significant gift at the end of the year. 3. Charities love the CFC because it keeps fundraising costs low, and the funds are unrestricted. 4. The campaign has a collective impact, allowing you to join with your co-workers to support those in need locally, nationally and globally.

To give to the Alexandria Symphony through the 2017 CFC, visit www.cfcnca.org. Our organization code is 81225.

History of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra

The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1943 under the leadership and vision of Miss Neale Landen, a music teacher at George Washington High School. Initially an amateur group of about 40 musicians, the ASO sought to perform mostly impromptu concerts at a variety of venues around the city. The Symphony was officially incorporated on August 6, 1954 with an annual budget of around $1200. Dr. Wendell Margrave, Director of the Washington Musical Institute, took over the baton in 1948 and led the group until the mid 1960’s. In 1966, as demand for a more formal programming schedule arose, the orchestra hired George Washington University professor Dr. George Steiner as Music Director. Under Steiner’s influence, the ASO introduced its first subscription series along with its Lollipop Children’s series of educational concerts, performing at Albohm Auditorium on the campus of T.C. Williams High School. During the 1980’s, in response to the growing need for volunteers, the Symphony Orchestra League of Alexandria (SOLA) was founded along with the Mary Graham Lasley Scholarship Competition for college-level musicians. Following the retirement of Dr. Steiner, the ASO held an extensive national

George Steiner, former ASO Conductor

search for a new music director. Chosen for the position was awardwinning Oberlin Conservatory of Music Valedictorian Kim Allen Kluge. Under Kluge’s direction during the 1990’s, the ASO became a professional orchestra. It rapidly developed a reputation for artistic excellence and innovative programming through its highly successful concerts throughout the region. In partnership with the City of Alexandria, the ASO significantly expanded its programs and concerts in the schools and began performing in the annual Alexandria Birthday Celebration outdoor concerts. In 2001, the ASO gave the inaugural concert at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Center, which became its new

now in its 42nd year, underscoring the Symphony’s commitment to nurturing young talent.

Musicians warming up at Schlesinger Center

home. In the Schlesinger era, the ASO emerged as a leader of the Washington, D.C. inter-arts movement, forging artistic partnerships with many of the region’s leading cultural institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, the Washington Ballet and the Shakespeare Theatre. The ASO has performed with many of the world’s leading musicians including Midori, Peter Serkin, Nadja Solerno-Sonnenberg, Richard Stoltzman, Garrick Ohlsson, Yefim Bronfman, Lynn Harrell, Sarah Chang, and Branford Marsalis. The ASO is comprised of the finest professional freelance musicians in the Washington, D.C. area, and regularly receives rave reviews from the Washington Post and other regional newspapers.

ASO Sympatico, the ASO’s El Sistema-based music education program was founded in 2012. Serving 100+ students before and after-school at John Adams Elementary School in Alexandria, ASO Sympatico is a growing partnership between the ASO and the Alexandria City Public Schools. ASO Sympatico offers free before and after-school music education programming for K-5 students. Following the end of Maestro Kluge’s tenure in 2016, the ASO has entered a search process for its next Maestro. With four finalists chosen from 170 applicants from around the world, the ASO is excited to enter its next chapter and to celebrate its 75th Anniversary in 2018-2019.

Photo by P.J. Barbour

The ASO continues to make education a centerpiece of its mission. In 2003, the ASO introduced the Children’s Arts Festival featuring inter-arts activities, workshops and performances for young children. SOLA sponsors the Mary Graham Lasley Scholarship Competition,

75YEARS 72

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