Program // ALT ASO @ The Orange Peel

DOES THIS MAKE US A BAR BAND? ALT ASO @ The Orange Peel

April 26, 2022

ALT ASO @ THE ORANGE PEEL

Conductor Christopher James Lees Vocalist Melinda Rodriguez Featuring members of your Asheville Symphony

1 // ALT ASO @ The Orange Peel

SET LIST Cole Porter

1

Night and Day // It’s All Right With Me // I’ve Got You Under My Skin // I Get A Kick Out of You // It’s DeLovely // You’re the Top // Ace In the Hole

— BREAK — Cole Porter // Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)

2

Irving Berlin // You Can Have Him from Miss Liberty // Blue Skies from Betsy Doris Day // When I Fall in Love George & Ira Gershwin // Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off George Gershwin & Ella Fitzgerald // Embraceable You

— BREAK —

3

Harold Arlen // If I Only Had a Brain // Somewhere Over the Rainbow Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella // Cinderella Waltz // Stepsister’s Lament // Impossible // A Lovely Night

ASHEVILLESYMPHONY.ORG // 2

TONIGHT’S GENEROUS SPONSORS AMBER SPONSORS

Explore

Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority

BOHEMIAN SPONSOR

GOLDEN SPONSORS John & Suellyn Felker Timothy Butts & Susan Harrington Butts Morgan Stanley Town & Mountain Realty 3 // ALT ASO @ The Orange Peel

GUEST VOCALIST — MELINDA RODRIGUEZ — At Just 26 years old, Melinda Rodriguez has made a name for herself in the jazz world. Melinda attended The New England Conservatory of music when first beginning her professional music career. Since High School, she has been a 4-time Downbeat Music Award winner and a two-time YoungArts winner. She has played at a number of festivals including The Miami Downtown Jazz Festival and The Litchfield Jazz Festival, and has traveled as far as Bermuda and Japan to perform in other festivals. Melinda has traveled to perform alongside Michael Feinstein, Fred Hersch, Cyrille Aimee, Jane Monheit and worked frequently with jazz greats such as Kevin Mahogany. Melinda is the most recent 1st place winner in the International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition which took place in Washington DC in early 2019. Melinda also

recently debuted with the Legendary Count Basie Jazz Orchestra in 2019. She spent 2018-20 as a teaching artist at The University of Illinois, Millikin University and Illinois Wesleyan University all while pursuing her Masters degree in performance.

She was also the winner of the Ben Tucker Jazz Award and Johnny Mercer Award in the prestigious American Traditions Vocal Competition held annually in Savannah, GA. Melinda Rodriguez was most recently a contestant on Season 17 of NBC's hit singing show, The Voice where she worked closely with Kelly Clarkson. Upon re-entering a post-covid world, Melinda was the recent People's Choice Award winner in the 2022 American Traditions Vocal competition. She is currently a touring performer and educator in the greater Miami area.

ASHEVILLESYMPHONY.ORG // 4

GUEST CONDUCTOR — CHRISTOPHER JAMES LEES — Emerging American conductor Christopher James Lees brings passionate and nuanced orchestral performances to the stage, a fierce commitment to contemporary music, and a natural charisma to audiences all around the world.

In 2018, Mr. Lees began an appointment as Resident Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra.

An active guest conductor, Mr. Lees has returned for performances with the Los Angeles and Rochester Philharmonics, the Houston, Detroit, Milwaukee, North Carolina, Portland, and Flint Symphonies, and conducted debuts with the Indianapolis, Kansas City, Toledo, and Vermont Symphonies.

Only the second American Gustavo Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mr. Lees made his debut with the

5 // ALT ASO @ The Orange Peel

orchestra in April 2013 and returned for concerts in February 2015.

With the New York Philharmonic, St. Louis & Atlanta Symphonies, among others, Mr. Lees has served as a assistant conductor for the world’s leading conductors, including: Gustavo Dudamel, Paavo Järvi, Herbert Blomstedt, Leonard Slatkin, David Robertson, Robert Spano, Marin Alsop, and more.

A native of Washington, D.C., Mr. Lees holds bachelors and master's degrees from the University of Michigan, and has studied conducting with Larry Rachleff and Robert Spano, as well as having participated in masterclasses with Lorin Maazel, Michael Tilson Thomas, Gustav Meier, and Jorma Panula.

When not performing, Mr. Lees can be found building Lego sets with his six year old son, reading the stack of books by his nightstand, or training outdoors for his next 10K road race.

Violin I Jason Posnock Mariya Potapova Teresa Curran Violin II

Flute // Rita Hayes Oboe // Alicia Chapman Clarinet // Chip Hill

Debra Anthony Inez Redman Ginger Kowal

Bassoon // Amber Spuller Horn // Jeffery Whaley Trumpet// Christopher Underwood

Viola Jenny Kozoroz Karen Pommerich Cello

Trombone // Jeremy Mark Keyboard // Tate Addis Drums // Matthew Richmond

Franklin Keel Paul GhostHorse Bass Lee Metcalfe

Chamber Orchestra

— MUSICIANS — From your Asheville Symphony

ASHEVILLESYMPHONY.ORG // 6

Coming Up Next @ Asheville Art Museum

Tuesday, June 21, 2022