29TH CONCERT SERIES
THE MOANIN’ FROGS
six saxophones
Sunday, October 13, 2024, 5 pm
Century Square
Supported by Brazos Valley Jazz Society
RUCKUS
flute, violin, bassoon, cello, guitars, bass, harpsichord
Sunday, November 10, 2024, 5 pm
First Presbyterian Church
Supported by Concerts on Carter Creek
THE STRING QUEENS
violin, viola, cello
Saturday, February 1, 2025, 5 pm
A&M United Methodist Church
LOS ANGELES GUITAR QUARTET
BACH TO BRAZIL
Saturday, March 22, 2025, 5 pm
A&M United Methodist Church
MIRÓ STRING QUARTET
HAYDN, SHAW, BEETHOVEN
Sunday, April 6, 2025, 5 pm
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Friends of Chamber Music’s
World Cultural Heritage Composition at the WORLD SHAKUHACHI FESTIVAL
Sunday, April 20, 2025, 4:30 pm
Rudder Theatre
Part of the World Shakuhachi Festival Texas 2025
TIME&SPACEMusic
Te Deum
This season for the Brazos Valley Chorale will prove to be very musically diverse and eclectic. We start our season with a “tour de force” combining with the Texas A&M Century Singers and Women’s Chorus in collaboration with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra to present Anton Bruckner’s Te Deum. This will be part of the Symphony’s Serenade to Music concert which will also feature our own Artistic Director and Conductor, Tom Gerber, as a soloist.
October 20, 2024 Rudder Auditorium, Texas A&M University
Tidings of Comfort and Joy
This year’s Christmas concert brings back the wonderful Bluebonnet Children’s Choir. We will sing familiar Christmas tunes and invite the audience to join us for a couple. If you have children, bring them along, as St. Nick has promised to visit! This concert is a great way to kick off Christmas with family and friends.
December 6, 2024 Holy Cross Lutheran Church, College Station, TX
Stage and Screen Spectacular! The third concert the Chorale will present is a variety show complete with dinner for the patrons. As the name suggests, the Chorale will be singing tunes from popular Broadway shows and perhaps some music from the movie screen. In addition, we will be showcasing the wealth of talent within the ensemble through small group and solo acts.
March 1, 2025 College Station Visitors Center, College Station, TX
Classical Echoes
Our final concert of the season will visit the music of Haydn and Mozart. These two musical giants are pillars within the classical world that greatly influenced the music today and will continue to influence tomorrow’s music.
May 4, 2025 First Presbyterian Church, Bryan, TX
Our program is made possible in part through Hotel Tax Revenue from the City of College Station through the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley. This project is also supported in part by an award from the Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
MUSIC Director 28 YEARS
Marcelo Bussiki, Music Director
Sue & J.C. Lee Music Director Chair
Marcelo Bussiki is the music director/conductor of the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra. He is also the Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs at Blinn College. He has had a passion for music since his early years. Born in Cuiaba, capital of Mato Grosso State in Brazil, Bussiki left home at age 14 to study at the Brazilian Conservatory of Music in Rio de Janeiro. He continued his conducting studies under Maestro Roberto Duarte at Rio de Janeiro Federal University. Upon graduation, he was named music director of the orchestra of the Federal University of Mato Grosso, a position he held for six years. Bussiki was awarded knighthood in the Ordem de Merito de Mato Grosso in recognition of his pioneering work in cultural expansion and musical education. He received the title of Oficial, the highest honor that the executive power can confer upon an artist in Brazil.
Bussiki came to the United States in 1992 under a scholarship from the Brazilian government and studied at the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. From 1994-1996, he directed that university’s New Music Ensemble, developing an extensive repertoire of modern and contemporary music. He received a doctorate of musical arts in conducting from the University of Houston in 1998.
During his tenure with the Brazos Valley Symphony, Bussiki has been in demand as a guest conductor in Texas and out of state. In September, 2002, he returned to his native Brazil under sponsorship from the Brazilian National Bank in Rio de Janeiro to conduct 15 performances of Gaetano Donizetti’s opera Viva la Mama, as well as other symphony concerts in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. In October 2001, he conducted a premiere performance of the Organ Concerto by vanguard U. S. composer Lou Harrison, featuring organist John Walker and the Carnegie-Mellon Percussion Ensemble, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. Bussiki conducts several concerts a year at the International Festival Institute at Round Top, Texas. He was conductor for the International Guitar Festival in 2005, 2006, and again in 2016. In 2014, Bussiki was awarded the “Artist of the Year” honor by The Arts Council.
Thank you and Welcome! We are thrilled to have you be a part of the 43rd Season of the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra (BVSO). Under the Direction of Maestro Marcelo Bussiki, each concert within this season has been designed to captivate and inspire. Since last season, because of the generosity of Ms. Sue Lee and her late husband Dr. J.C. Lee, the BVSO is honored to have the Musical Director’s Chair endowed in their name. It both recognizes Marcelo’s decades of dedication and guarantees the future of Maestros-to-come.
Under the dedicated leadership of our Executive Director, Sandra Castañon, we have seen a resurgence in attendance and community participation to pre-pandemic levels. Based on excellent feedback from BVSO members and patrons, we will continue to host the pre-concert receptions. These receptions are a great venue for members of the community to engage with fellow arts-lovers and occasionally musicians and special guests!
A special and emphatic thanks to our season sponsors: College Station Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz of College Station, BMW of College Station, College Station Ford, Aggieland Chevrolet, and College Station Nissan. The passion and leadership of BVSO Board Member Andy Wheeler, GM of Hyundai of College Station, helped craft this partnership which is vital to this season’s success. Thanks also to the Friends of the Symphony Orchestra (FASO), Ham Family, and the Rea Charitable Trust for their generous support of individual concerts. Additionally, because of the BVSO Endowment we are able to host new and innovative programs such as Cirque de la Symphonie.
A community hallmark, and family favorite, Holiday Pops is once again sponsored by Becky and B. Don Russell in partnership with the Wakefield Foundation. Also, the always uplifting Youth Concerto has been further endowed by Tracy and Tamara Carter. Their increased and continued support ensures the longevity and impact of this scholarship. Our season concludes with the Classical Mystery Tour, which will appeal and resound with all generations through the music of the Beatles.
Once again, thank you for joining us for this celebration of community and music. It is for you and because of you that the BVSO is able to continue to captivate and inspire.
Sincerly, Blaine Decker
Sasha Cooke
Two-time Grammy Awardwinning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke has been called a “luminous standout” by the New York Times and “equal parts poise, radiance and elegant directness” by Opera News. Ms. Cooke has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Seattle Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Gran Teatre del Liceu, among others, and with over eighty symphony orchestras worldwide, frequently in the works of Mahler. This season, Ms. Cooke debuts at La Monnaie de Munt as Emilie Ekdahl in the world premiere of Fanny and Alexander, sings Marguerite in La Damnation de Faust at the Bard Festival, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde at the Gstaad Festival, and returns to Houston Grand Opera as Venus in Francesca Zambello’s new production of Tannhäuser. On the concert stage, Ms. Cooke reprises much of her most celebrated repertoire joining orchestras such as the Vienna Symphoniker, San Francisco Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Vienna Radio Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, the Cologne Philharmonic, Tuscon Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Philharmonia, the Oslo Philharmonic, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, collaborating with conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Marin Alsop, Cristian Macelaru, Gustavo Dudamel, Trevor Pinnock, Klaus Mäkelä, Gemma New, Karina Canellakis and Daniel Harding. In recital, Ms. Cooke returns to Wigmore Hall for a recital with pianist Malcolm Martineau, and Carnegie Hall for Shostakovitch’s From Jewish Folk Poetry with pianist Evgeny Kissin.
Kelly Markgraf
Baritone Kelly Markgraf has been praised by The New York Times for his “heart-stirring” singing and “charismatic” stage presence. A versatile performer, he has appeared in a wide range of works, from Baroque to contemporary music. In 2017, he created the role of Paul Jobs in Mason Bates’ The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at Santa Fe Opera, which won a 2019 GRAMMY Award for Best Opera Recording. He also originated the role of Hannah-Before in Laura Kaminsky’s As One, one of the most frequently performed new operas in the U.S.
Markgraf has performed with leading symphony orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, and Los Angeles Philharmonic, and collaborated with conductors like Gustavo Dudamel and Michael Tilson Thomas. His recording of West Side Story with the San Francisco Symphony earned a GRAMMY nomination.
Recent engagements include performances with Tucson Symphony and Nashville Symphony, and his role in La Traviata at Houston Grand Opera. His discography includes works by John Harbison, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Carlisle Floyd. Markgraf holds degrees from Boston University, the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, and the Juilliard School.
PROUDLY SUPPORTS THE
BRAZOS VALLEY
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Photo Courtesy of Maria Baranova
Presenting innovative, culturally diverse, cutting-edge visual and performing arts since 2003.
The Brazos Valley symphony socieTy graTefully acknowledges granT, TrusT, and communiTy supporT from:
The Clearfield Family
Eugene Edge, III Charitable Trust
The Ham Family Trust
Gilbert & Thyra Plass Charitable Trust
Plass Arts Foundation
Union Pacific
Rea Charitable Trust
Nina Astin Winkler Charitable Trust
This program made possible in part through Hotel Tax Revenue funded from the City of College Station through The Arts Council. This project is also supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
in-kind supporT and serVices from:
Ruslan and Ludmila Overture
Mikhail Glinka
Mikhail Glinka was born on June 1, 1804, in Novopasskoe, Russia, and he died on February 15, 1857, in Berlin, Prussia (modern Germany). (Note: these dates conform to the Gregorian calendar.) Karl Albrecht conducted the first performance of Glinka’s opera, Ruslan and Ludmila, at the Bolshoi Kalmenny Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 9, 1842.
This whirlwind of an overture introduces an opera in five acts and is based on themes from Ruslan’s aria and the Finale. In the fairytale-like story, based on a poem by Aleksandr Pushkin (1799-1837), a young woman, Ludmila (or Lyudmila), is abducted by an evil sorcerer. Her lover, Ruslan, must contend with two other suitors and endure many trials and hardships before he can awaken her from a trance-like sleep, and marry her.
Glinka is known as the father of Russian nationalist music. The orchestral color and exoticism in his music for Ruslan and Ludmila greatly influenced the “Mighty Five” (Balakirev, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, and Cui), as well as Tchaikovsky.
Selections from Des Knaben Wunderhorn
(Youth’s Magic Horn)
Gustav Mahler
1. Rheinlegendchen (Little Rhine Legend)
2. Lied des Verfolgten im Turm (Song of the Persecuted in the Tower)
3. Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen (Where the Fair Trumpets Sound)
4. Lob des hohen Verstandes (Praise of Lofty Intellect)
5. Der Tamboursg’sell (The Drummer Boy)
6. Verlorne Müh’ (Labor lost)
Gustav Mahler was born on July 7, 1860, in Bohemia (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, today the Czech Republic), and he died in Venna, Austria on May 11, 1911. He composed a total of twenty-four songs on texts from “Des Knaben Wunderhorn” between 1887 and 1901 and published in various collections between 1892 and 1905.
“Des Knaben Wunderhorn: alte Deutsche Lieder” (Youth’s Magic Horn: old German songs) is a collection of folk or folklike poetry and sayings compiled by two major German poets of the Romantic era, Achim von Arnim (1781-1831) and Clemens Brentano (1778-1842), originally issued in three volumes between 1805 and 1808. Brentano also supplied illustrations. Like most 19th-century collectors of folklore, they edited the poems considerably, so it is difficult to determine the true age or authenticity of the texts. Nevertheless, the collection is a milestone in German Romantic literature. The poems themselves cover a variety of themes. Many of them are tragic, like “Der Tamboursg’sell,” about a drummer boy about to be hanged, whereas “Lob des hohen Verstandes,” has a satirical character.
Although composers such as Weber, Schubert and Brahms had set a few Wunderhorn texts to music, it was Gustav Mahler who found enduring inspiration and expression of his emotional intensity in these poems. Over the course of several years, he set twenty-four of these texts, some for solo voice and orchestra, others for solo voice and piano. He used three Wunderhorn songs (minus vocals) in his early Symphonies, for example, the Scherzo of Symphony no. 2. Several of the songs work well as duets, though Mahler did not specify them as such.
Rheinlegendchen
Bald gras’ ich am Neckar, bald gras’ ich am Rhein; bald hab’ ich ein Schätzel, bald bin ich allein!
Was hilft mir das Grasen, wenn d’Sichel nicht schneid’t; was hilft mir ein Schätzel, wenn’s bei mir nicht bleibt!
So soll ich denn grasen am Neckar, am Rhein, so werf’ ich mein goldenes Ringlein hinein.
Es fließet im Neckar und fließet im Rhein, soll schwimmen hinunter in’s Meer tief hinein.
Und schwimmt es, das Ringlein, so frißt es ein Fisch! Das Fischlein soll kommen auf’s König’s sein Tisch!
Der König tät fragen, wem’s Ringlein sollt’ sein? Da tät mein Schatz sagen: „Das Ringlein g’hört mein!“
Mein Schätzlein tät springen Berg auf und Berg ein, tät mir wied’rum bringen das Goldringlein mein!
Kannst grasen am Neckar, kannst grasen am Rhein! Wirf du mir nur immer dein Ringlein hinein!
Little Rhine Legend
Now I mow by the Neckar, now I mow by the Rhine; now I have a sweetheart, now I’m alone!
What good is mowing if the sickle doesn’t cut; what good is a sweetheart, if he/she doesn’t stay with me!
So should I then mow by the Neckar, by the Rhine, then I will throw my little gold ring in.
It will float in the Neckar and float in the Rhine, it shall swim right down into the deep sea.
And when it swims, the little ring, then a fish will eat it! The fish will land on the king’s table!
The king would ask, whose ring can it be? Then my sweetheart would say: ‘The ring belongs to me!’
My sweetheart would spring up hill and down hill, would bring back to me my fi ne little gold ring!
You can mow by the Neckar, you can mow by the Rhine! You can always toss in your little ring to me!
PROGRAM Notes
Lied des Verfolgten im Turm Song of the Persecuted in the Tower
Der Gefangene:
Die Gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten; sie rauschen vorbei wie nächtliche Schatten, kein Mensch kann sie wissen, kein Jäger sie schießen, es bleibet dabei: die Gedanken sind frei!
Das Mädchen:
Im Sommer ist gut lustig sein auf hohen, wilden Bergen. Dort fi ndet man grün’ Plätzelein, mein Herz verliebtes Schätzelein, von dir mag ich nicht scheiden!
Der Gefangene:
Und sperrt man mich ein in fi nstere Kerker, dies Alles sind nur vergebliche Werke; denn meine Gedanken zerreißen die Schranken und Mauern entzwei, die Gedanken sind frei!
Das Mädchen:
Im Sommer ist gut lustig sein auf hohen, wilden Bergen. Man ist da ewig ganz allein auf hohen, wilden Bergen, man hört da gar kein Kindergeschrei! Die Luft mag einem da werden, ja, die Luft mag einem werden.
Der Gefangene: So sei’s, wie es sei, und wenn es sich schicket, nur Alles, Alles sei in der Stille, nur All’s in der Still!
Mein Wunsch und Begehren, Niemand kann’s wehren! Es bleibt dabei: die Gedanken sind frei!
Das Mädchen: Mein Schatz, du singst so fröhlich hier, wie’s Vögelein im Grase. Ich steh’ so traurig bei Kerkertür, wär’ ich doch tot, wär’ ich bei dir, ach muß, ach muß ich immer denn klagen!?
The Prisoner: Thoughts are free, who can guess them; they rush past like nocturnal shadows, no man can know them, no hunter can shoot them, it remains thus: thoughts are free!
The Maiden: Summer is a time for merriment on high, wild mountains. There one finds a green place, my heartily loving little sweetheart, from you I do not wish to part!
The Prisoner: And if they lock me up in a dark dungeon, all this is but effort in vain; for my thoughts tear the bars apart and the walls in twain, thoughts are free!
The Maiden: Summer is a time for merriment, on high, wild mountains. There one is always quite alone, on high, wild mountains. There one hears no children yelling! There the air invites one to himself, yes, the air invites one to himself.
The Prisoner: So may it be the way it is! And if it happens, may it all happen in the silence, only everything in the silence! My wish and desire can be restrained by no one! It remains thus, thoughts are free!
The Maiden: My sweetheart, you sing as cheerfully here as a little bird in the grass. I stand so sadly at the prison door, if I only were dead, if I only were with you, alas, must I then always complain?
PROGRAM Notes
Der Gefangene:
Und weil du so klagst, der Lieb’ ich entsage! Und ist es gewagt, so kann mich Nichts plagen! So kann ich im Herzen stets lachen und scherzen. Es bleibet dabei: Die Gedanken sind frei! Die Gedanken sind frei!
Wo die Schönen Trompeten blasen
Wer ist denn draußen und wer klopfet an, der mich so leise wecken kann!?
Das ist der Herzallerlieble dein, steh’ auf und laß mich zu dir ein! Was soll ich hier nun länger steh’n? Ich seh’ die Morgenröt’ aufgeh’n, die Morgenröt’, zwei helle Stern’. Bei meinem Schatz da wär ich gern’, bei meinem Herzallerlieble.
Das Mädchen stand auf und ließ ihn ein;
sie heißt ihn auch willkommen sein. Willkommen lieber Knabe mein, so lang hast du gestanden!
Sie reicht’ ihm auch die schneeweiße Hand. Von ferne sang die Nachtigall, das Mädchen fängt zu weinen an.
Ach weine nicht, du Liebste mein, auf’s Jahr sollst du mein Eigen sein. Mein Eigen sollst du werden gewiß, wie’s Keine sonst auf Erden ist!
O Lieb auf grüner Erden. Ich zieh’ in Krieg auf grüne Haid, die grüne Haide, die ist so weit! Allwo dort die schönen Trompeten blasen, da ist mein Haus, mein Haus von grünem Rasen!
The Prisoner:
And since you complain so, I’ll renounce love! And if I dare, then nothing can worry me! Then in my heart I can always laugh and be jovial. It remains thus: Thoughts are free! Thoughts are free!
Where the Fair Trumpets Sound
Who then is outside and who is knocking, that can so softly awaken me?
It is your dearest darling, get up and let me come to you! Why should I go on standing here?
I see the red of morn arise, the red of morn, two bright stars. I long to be with my sweetheart! With my dearest darling.
The maiden got up and let him in; she bade him welcome, too. Welcome, my dear lad! You have been standing so long!
She offered him too her snowwhite hand. From far away the nightingale sang, then the maiden began to weep.
Ah, do not weep, beloved mine after a year you will be my own. My own you shall certainly become, as is no other on earth!
Oh love on the green earth. I’m off to war, on the green heath, the green heath is so far away! Where there the fair trumpets sound, there is my home, my house of green grass!
PROGRAM Notes
Lob des hohen Verstandes
Einstmals in einem tiefen Tal Kukuk und Nachtigall täten ein’ Wett’ anschlagen.
Zu singen um das Meisterstück, gewinn’ es Kunst, gewinn’ es Glück! Dank soll er davon tragen.
Der Kukuk sprach: „So dir’s gefällt, hab’ ich den Richter wählt,“ und tät gleich den Esel ernennen. „Denn weil er hat zwei Ohren groß, so kann er hören desto bos, und, was recht ist, kennen!“
Sie fl ogen vor den Richter bald. Wie dem die Sache ward erzählt, schuf er, sie sollten singen!
Die Nachtigall sang lieblich aus!
Der Esel sprach: „Du machst mir’s kraus!
Du machst mir’s kraus! Ija! Ija! Ich kann’s in Kopf nicht bringen!“
Der Kukuk drauf fing an geschwind sein Sang durch Terz und Quart und Quint.
Dem Esel g’fi els, er sprach nur: „Wart! Wart! Wart!
Dein Urteil will ich sprechen, ja sprechen.
Wohl sungen hast du, Nachtigall!
Aber Kukuk, singst gut Choral! Und hältst den Takt fein innen!
Das sprech’ ich nach mein’ hoh’n Verstand, und kost’ es gleich ein ganzes Land, so laß ich’s dich gewinnen, gewinnen!“ Kukuk, kukuk! Ija!
Praise of Lofty Intellect
Once in a deep valley the cuckoo and the nightingale struck a wager.
Whoever sang the masterpiece, whether won by art or won by luck! Thanks would he take away.
The cuckoo spoke: ‘If you agree, I have chosen the judge,’ and he at once named the ass.
‘For since he has two large ears, he can hear all the better, and recognize what is right!’
Soon they flew before the judge. When he was told the matter, he decreed that they should sing!
The nightingale sang out sweetly!
The ass spoke: ‘You muddle me up! You muddle me up! Heehaw! Heehaw! I can’t get it into my head!’
There upon the cuckoo began quickly his song in thirds and fourths and fifths.
It pleased the ass, he spoke but: ‘Wait! Wait! Wait!
I will pronounce thy judgement, yes, pronounce.
You have sung well, nightingale! But, cuckoo, you sing a good chorale! And hold the beat precisely! I speak from my higher understanding!
And even if it cost a whole country, I thus pronounce you the winner, the winner!’
Cuckoo, cuckoo! Heehaw
Der Tamboursg’sel
Ich armer Tamboursg’sell!
Man führt mich aus dem G’wölb! Wär ich ein Tambour blieben, dürft’ ich nicht gefangen liegen!
O Galgen, du hohes Haus, du siehst so furchtbar aus!
Ich schau dich nicht mehr an!
Weil i weiß, daß i g’hör d’ran!
Wenn Soldaten vorbeimarschier’n, bei mir nit einquartier’n.
Wenn sie fragen, wer i g’wesen bin: Tambour von der Leibkompanie!
Gute Nacht! Ihr Marmelstein!
Ihr Berg’ und Hügelein!
Gute Nacht, ihr Offizier, Korporal und Musketier!
Gute Nacht!
Gute Nacht ihr Offizier!
Korporal und Grenadier!
Ich schrei’ mit heller Stimm:
Von Euch ich Urlaub nimm!
Gute Nacht!
The Drummer Boy
I, poor drummer boy! They are leading me out of the dungeon! If I’d remained a drummer, I would not lie imprisoned!
Oh, gallows, you tall house, you look so frightening! I don’t look at you anymore! Because I know that’s where I belong!
When soldiers march past, that are not billeted with me. When they ask who I was: Drummer of the first company!
Good night! You marble rocks! You mountains and hills! Good night, you officers, corporals and musketeers! Good night!
Good night, you officers! Corporals and grenadiers!
I cry out with a clear voice: I take leave of you! Good night!
PROGRAM Notes
Verlome Müh Labor Lost
Sie:
„Büble, wir!
Büble, wir wollen auße gehe! Wollen wir?
Unsere Lämmer besehe?
Gelt! Komm! Komm! lieb’s Büberle, komm’, ich bitt’!“
Er:
„Närrisches Dinterle, ich mag dich halt nit!“
Sie:
„Willst vielleicht –Willst vielleicht a bissel nasche?
Hol’ dir was aus meiner Tasch’!
Hol’, lieb’s Büberle, hol’, ich bitt’!“
Er:
„Närrisches Dinterle, ich nasch’ dir halt nit!“
Sie:
„Gelt, ich soll –Gelt? ich soll mein Herz dir schenke? Immer willst an mich gedenken. Immer!
Nimm’s, lieb’s Büberle! Nimm’s, ich bitt’!“
Er:
„Närrisches Dinterle, ich mag es halt nit! nit!
She:
‘Laddie, we! Laddie, we want to go out! Shall we?
Look at our lambs? Come, come, dear laddie! Come, I beg you!’
He:
‘Silly lassie, I don’t like you at all!’
She:
‘You want perhaps –You want perhaps a little bit to nibble? Fetch yourself something out of my bag! Fetch it, dear laddie! Fetch it, I beg you!’
He:
‘Silly lassie, I’ll nibble nothing of yours at all!’
She:
‘You mean, I should –You mean, I should give you my heart!? Always will you want to think on me. Always!
Take it! Dear laddie! Take it, I beg you!’
He:
‘Silly lassie, I don’t care for it at all! Nothing!’
Translations by Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005)
From the Oxford International Song Festival Website https://oxfordsong.org/song/des-knaben-wunderhorn
Symphony No.9 in E minor, op.95 “From the New World”
Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvořák was born in the village of Nelahozeves near Prague, Bohemia (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, today the Czech Republic) on September 8, 1841, and he died in Prague on May 1, 1904. Anton Seidle conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in the premiere of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 at Carnegie Hall in New York City on December 15, 1893.
Of humble origins, Dvořák had achieved success in Europe and was at the height of his career when he received an interesting offer from a wealthy American philanthropist, Jeannette Thurber, to direct a National Conservatory of Music in New York City. He held that post from 1892-1895, at a time when the United States still looked to Europe for guidance in artistic matters. In early 1893, while he was in the U.S., Dvořák composed what has become his best known symphony. His Symphony No. 9 is scored for full orchestra and has four lengthy movements. Dvořák had great melodic invention, and no sooner does he introduce one theme than another one comes along. No theme is wasted, however; the different themes all have their place in the development. If Dvořák has a “signature tune,” it must be the famous and haunting melody of the Largo, played on the English horn with its dark reedy tone in the distant key of D-flat major. The composer mentioned that he was inspired by Longfellow’s Song of Hiawatha in composing this movement and the Scherzo that follows it. The fourth movement is the longest, distinguished by a robust melody that seems to capture the forward-looking American spirit.
There has been much debate over the years whether this Symphony, especially the Largo, is based on Native American, African American, or Czech themes. Harry Burleigh, an important African American arranger of spirituals, was one of his students. At Burleigh’s invitation, Dvořák attended a performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and enjoyed it immensely. Dvořák favored the idea that such thematic material should be used to create a uniquely American musical style. We have already noted his interest in the Hiawatha legend, and some writers have noted that the Largo melody resembles a spiritual (although the song “Goin’ home” was, in fact, a later adaptation of the Largo). However, he did not actually quote American melodies directly so much as he incorporated certain traits from them, such as the pentatonic scale, into his own themes, which show a strong Czech influence. (He never really left his native land behind, even during his American sojourn). What this shows is that Dvořák appreciated the folk songs of many peoples, and that his own compositions have universal appeal and are at home practically anywhere.
Notes by Felicia Piscitelli
Violin I
Marcelo Bussiki, Music Director
Sue & J.C. Lee Music Director Chair
Javier Chaparro, Concertmaster
Creighton Miller Concertmaster Chair
Alex Caplis Tuttle
Yi Ching Fong
Naomi Frausto
Letty Fuentes
Edward Ji
Steve Merson
Amanda Schubert
Chris Walters
Yuan Wu
Violin II
Adam Mikeal, Principal
Laura Callon
Dustin Cunningham
Eddy Marcano
Gregory Mata
Lucina Reyes
James Robertson
Mario Zelaya
Viola
Luis Perez, Principal
Tam Duong
John Holguin
Sam Lee
Omeed Manshouri
Carlo Mauricio
Cello
Jane McCormick, Principal
Cony Knight
Alex Lammayot
Tom Lawshae
Elizabeth Lee
Jaqui Wogick
Bass
Gaven Krase, Principal
Sabrina Behrens
Ray Fisher
Christian Harvey
Andy Moritz
Harp
Ayren Huslig
Flute
Penny Zent, Principal
The Hermann Family Flute Chair
Nami Kimura
Oboe
Rebecca Fairweather-Haskins, Principal
Amy Burgus
Jaleen Seshadri
Clarinet
Jill Stewart, Principal
Mark Arritola
Roberto Guzman
Bassoon
Eric Miller, Principal
Luis De La Garza
Contra Bassoon
Shawn Karson
Horn
Sarah Au, Principal
Katie Angielczyk
John Craig Hubbard
Chris Shelburne
Trumpet
Phil Scoles, Principal
Wesley Miller
Trombone
Steve Vogel, Principal
Ramiro Cortez
Bass Trombone
Michael Johnson, Principal
Tuba
Ethyn Evans, Principal
Timpani
Todd Quinlan, Principal
Percussion
Patrick Slevin, Principal
Gary Martin Percussion Chair
Zach Edwards
Aaron Guillory
Jaclyn Perkins
Investing in a Brazos Valley TREASURE . . .
If the symphony is important to you today, help make sure it continues for their tomorrow. When you include the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra in your estate plans, you provide a foundation for great symphonic music to continue in the Brazos Valley for the next generation. For more information, contact the Executive Director, Sandra Castañon, at 979-696-6100 or sandra@bvso.org
Thank you to our Corporate Sponsors!
Thank
2024-2025 BVSS Board of Directors
Ryan Becker, Secretary
Karen Bonarrigo
Blanche Brick
Marcelo Bussiki, Music Director
Sue & J.C. Lee Music Director Chair
Pierce Cantrell
Sandra Castanon, Executive Director
Benton Cocanougher, 1st Vice President
Mike Connor, President Elect
Joe Cook, Communications Director
Blaine Decker, President
Jennifer Fredericks
Becky Hall, FASO President
Don Hellriegel, Treasurer
Chuck Hermann
Sue Lee, 2nd Vice President
Cathy Loving, Past President
Adam Mikeal, Orchestra Representative
Elizabeth Natsios
Kathy Payne
Matt Prochaska
Scott Shafer
Rod Thornton
Martha Vilas
Andrew Wheeler
Gaines West
Penny Zent, Orchestra Chair
For the past 40 years, an auxiliary organization called FASO (Friends Association of the Symphony Orchestra) has provided the volunteer hours required to promote and stage the exciting Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra concerts you enjoy each season.
We invite you to become a member of FASO this year to help increase educational opportunities and appreciation for classical music in the Brazos Valley. Membership applications may be found on the symphony website: bvso.org/faso/
Follow us on Facebook at @faso2021
2024-2025 FASO Officers
Becky Hall - President
Jennifer Wood - President Elect
Sandy Farris - Past President
Lana Wood - 1st Vice President
TBD - 2nd Vice President
Anne Prescott - 3rd Vice President
Beth Pennebaker - Secretary
Colleen Holmes - Treasurer
– Members-at-Large –
Sue Lee, Karen Melvin, Julia Beazer, Kathy Brewer, Jane Miller
Alice Hoelscher - TASO Representative
At Derby Day 2024, the following generous donors contributed to the “Fund a Season” for the 2024-2025 Season
Susan Adams
Marcelo Bussiki
Pierce Cantrell
Andy and Kathleene Card
Warren and Mary Finch
Jerry Gaston
Rick and Fran Giardino
Brett and Jill Giroir
Bob and Becky Hall
Michael and Carolyn Hall
Don Hellriegel
Charles and Lorraine Hermann
Joe Ham and Penelope Kosztolnyik
James Kracht in memory of Erin Kracht
Sue Lee
Jerry and Cathy Loving
Tom and Sally McKnight
Jo Monroe
John and Carol Nichols
Lena & Glenn Orlin
Ann Satterwhite
Jim Singleton and Stephanie Sale
Robert and Pamela Smits
Bob Warden and Eva Read-Warden
Ward and Diane Wells
Gaines and Susan West
John and Daisy White
In late 2015, the Brazos Valley Symphony Society’s Board of Directors created an Endowment Committee and tasked them with the {seemingly} outrageous goal of raising one million dollars! Once that goal was met in an astonishingly short period of time the Board charged our Endowment Committee to take our permanent endowment funding level to THREE million dollars! Well guess what? We are closing in on that goal too! Our Endowment Committee has announced we have just cleared the two-million-dollar mark and the end is in sight!
These last nine years, since our 2015 Board caught the vision for a permanent endowment fund, have seen unexpected changes we could have never imagined, but the music played on, and we never stopped believing in the treasure that is the BVSO! Preserving that treasure is OUR gift to future generations – and today we are literally on the precipice of reaching that goal.
Join us in our FINAL push forward to the finish line! There are many ways that you can support BVSO’s Endowment campaign. Please contact the BVSO office today to find out which one works best for you!
Gaines West Co-Chair BVSO Endowment Committee
Cindy Craigen Co-Chair BVSO Endowment Committee
For more information on how you can play a crucial role in the future of the BVSO please contact the BVSO Office at: 979-696-6100 or office@bvso.org
Brazos Valley
Symphony Society
Permanent Endowment
A strong endowment ensures that there is an enduring source of funding for immediate and future needs of this Brazos Valley treasure—the BVSO. Endowments grow over time to create a legacy of education, culture, and artistic development as they extend the impact of the donor’s generosity beyond a lifetime. The investment income from the BVSO Permanent Endowment will provide a foundation for great symphonic music to continue in the Brazos Valley for the next generation and beyond.
Endowment Fund
pledged or received as of February 1, 2024
Founders ($100,000+)
Ruth Clearfield Memorial Fund
Larry & Mary Koeninger
Sue & J.C. Lee Music Director Chair
Bert & Mary Loudon
Gary & Lynn Martin
Creighton Miller Concertmaster Chair
Creighton & Jeannie Miller
Bookman & Florence Peters
Rose P. VanArsdel
Diamond ($50,000 - $99,999)
Anonymous
Tracy & Tamara Carter
The Hermann Family Flute Chair
Gary Martin Percussion Chair
Taylor & Cindy Craigen
Carolyn McDaniel
Ward & Diane Wells
Platinum ($25,000 - $49,999)
In Memory of Evelyn & Fred Anderholm
Penelope Kosztolnyik & Joe Ham
Stephanie Sale & Jim Singleton
Susan & Gaines West
Linda & Dick Witherite
Gold ($10,000 - $24,999)
Anonymous
Nancy E. & Mark Browning
Maestro Marcelo Bussiki
Carol & Pierce Cantrell
Chrissie & Jay Granberry
Lorraine & Chuck Hermann
The Coulter & Lily Rush Hoppess Foundation, Inc.
Jan & Bill Johnson
Anonymous
Cathy & Jerry Loving
Joann Monroe
John & Carol Nichols
Joyce Nies & Peter Witt
Valerie & David Woodcock
Rodney & Penny Zent
Silver ($5,000 - $9,999)
Don & Pat Allen Rice
David & Joanne Claridge
Bonnie & Otway Denny
Gary & Judy Hart
Linda & Paul Parrish
Ellen & Penrod Thornton
Elizabeth & Bill Ward
BRONZE
($1,000 - $4,999)
Steven & Lisa Aldrich
Bob & Dorothy Anderson
Althea Bair-Sutherland
Briaud Financial Advisors
Jo Berg
Robert & Blanche Brick
Cydney Collier Donnell
John & Naomi Fackler
Warren & Mary Finch
Rainer & Tammy Fink
Jan Folse
Jennifer Fredericks
Stephen A. Fulling
Phil & Zo Granberry
Gary & Judy Hart
In Memory of Jeannie Miller
Edward E. & Ruth Anne Hazen
Alice & Clifford Hoelscher
Michael J. King &
Robin L. Altholz
Randi & Averyt Knapp Celebrating Virginia & Russell Mays
Karen Kubena
Sue Lee
Claire & John Lillie
Marti Marberry & Thomas Roraff
John & Leslie Miller
Andrew & Elizabeth Natsios
Carol Parzen
Joyce Perkins in Memory of Richard C. Perkins
Rhonda Raphael
Sheran Riley
Dave & Lou Ellen Ruesink
Becky & B. Don Russell
Carol & Mark Sadoski
Thomas Sadoski & Amanda Seyfried
In Honor of Carol & Mark Sadoski
Jack Skinner
FRIEND (UP TO $999)
Sara Alpern
Anonymous
Kenneth & Kathi Appelt
Pat & Sarah Ashburn
Karen Bachman
Carol & Doug Biggs
Brett & Alisa Boatner
Robert C. Borden
Leonard L. Bowden
Scott Ball & Janice Bradshaw
Lorence & Zora Bravenec
Karen Buck & Porscha Buck
Jack & Mary Campbell
Irwin & Claudia Carroll
Dara & Judith Childs
Charlotte Christman
Robert H. Clearfield
Franco & Sandra da Conturbia
Olga & Brett Cooke
Marian & Gus Cothran
The Dangott Family Trust
Mr. David Dellwo & Mrs. Nancy Inglis
Ronald & Barbara Douglas
Norma Dunn
In Memory of Cindy Still Billie Elmendorf
John Fackler
In Memory of Jeannie & Creighton Miller
Ann Fancher
Chris & Sandra Farris
Anonymous
Jack & Anita Friedman
Ivy V. Geiger
Don & Rosemary Green
Lisa Halperin & Jonathan Coopersmith
Anonymous
General Joe G. Hanover
W.T. (Bill) Harper
Tom & Lynda Henry
Susan & Rodney Hill
Susan Irza
Anonymous
Myong & Pedro Ledesma
Robert & Candace Leslie
Karon & Glenn Mathews
David & Jeanette McMahon
In Memory of Tom Roraff
Dr. & Mrs. Glenn Miller
Jane Miller
Jeannie Miller
In Memory of Tom Roraff
Leon & Junett Noack
In Memory of Tom Roraff
Dr. Ozden Ochoa
Mohsen & Terri Pourahmadi
Matthew & Merrilee Prochaska
The Quackenbush Kids
Thomas & Liana Rike
In Memory of Tom Roraff
Larry & Jean Ringer
The Family of Arthur & Rosalie Roraff
In Memory of Tom Roraff
Mary Frances Ross Schade Family
Jay & Barbara Schleppenbach
In Memory of Tom Roraff
Timothy Seubert
Mary Sherwood
In Memory of Tom Roraff
Matt & Toni Straley
In Memory of Tom Roraff
Barbara & Emil Straube
Connie Swing Surrency
Mrs. Dwayne (Carol) Suter
Mrs. Ann W. Thompson
Milton Thompson
Margaret E. Touchstone
Victor & Jo Ann Treat
Harvey & Sandy Tucker
Randy & Mary Ulery
Brad & Pat Vinson
Tom Vogel & Barbara Gastel
Barbara Buffington Walker
Bob Warden & Eva Read-Warden
Doris & Rand Watson
Anne & Thomas Wehrly
Ann Wiatt
Mary Jane Wiggins
Lima & Joe Williams
Dr. Arthur V. Wolfe
Dr. & Mrs. Grant Wolfe
William & Mary Young
Gaines & Susan West
In Memory of Jeannie Miller
The Brazos Valley Symphony Society is most grateful to the individuals who, by their monetary commitment or through other unique forms of support, make possible the continued growth of the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra’s many outstanding artists, programs and services. Listed below are those individuals that have made gifts or pledges to the Symphony through the DONOR SUBSCRIPTION LEVELS and ANNUAL FUND DRIVE as of September 13, 2024 for the Orchestra’s 43rd season.
Maestro ($10,000+)
The Clearfield Family Friends Association of the Symphony Orchestra
The Ham Family Trust
Don Hellriegel*
Soloist ($5,000-$9,999)
Sue Lee*
Joyce Perkins
Becky & B. Don Russell
The Wakefield Foundation
Concertmaster ($2,000-$4,999)
Pierce Cantrell*
In Memory of Carol Cantrell
David & Joanne Claridge
Blaine* & Hannah Decker
Jan & Bill Johnson
Principal ($1,000-$1,999)
Fred & Cheryl Anderholm
Bob & Dorothy Anderson
Fuller & Gloria Bazer
Ryan* & Kari Becker
Paul & Karen* Bonarrigo
Robert & Blanche Brick*
Mike* & Sheila Connor
Terrance & Stacy Dill
Jane Flaherty
Gary & Judy Hart
Charles* & Lorraine Hermann
Clifford & Alice Hoelscher
John & Claire Lillie
Jerry & Cathy Loving*
Brent Maxwell & Patricia Burchfield
Jo Monroe
Andrew & Elizabeth Natsios*
John & Carol Nichols
Michael & Karen Pilant
David & Lou Ellen Ruesink
Mark & Carol Sadoski
Shirley Smith in Memory of Robert E. Smith
Charles Still
Robert & Katherine Thomas
Ellen & Penrod Thornton*
Harvey & Sandy Tucker
Tom Vogel & Barbara Gastel
Rand & Doris Watson
Dean & Dorothy Wichern
Eric & Julie Wilke
Peter Witt & Joyce Nies
David & Valerie Woodcock
Rod & Penny Zent*
Patron ($500-$999)
Carolyn Adair
Benton Cocanougher*
Claude & Joanna Gibson
Tom & Linda Henry
William Kennamore
James B. Kracht
in Memory of Erin Kracht
Billy & Mary Jo Lay
Albert & Mary Loudon
Scott* & Debe Shafer in Honor of Peggy Shafer
Carl Shafer
Bobby & Nita Smith
Martha Vilas*
Ward & Diane Wells
Ann Wiatt
Mary Williams
Dick & Linda Witherite
The Estate of Arthur Wolfe
Friend ($50-499)
Mark & Nancy Browning
Zou & Boyd Cherry
Kim Feldman
Stephen Fulling
Anat & Nehemia Geva
Phil & Zo Granberry
Bob & Becky* Hall
Rodger Koppa
Andreas Kronenberg
Roger Kuhnle
Matt* & Merrilee Prochaska
Werner Rose
Byron & Ann Stebbins
Thomas & Anne Wehrly
Katherine Williams
* Symphony Society Board Member
STEPHEN
Concerts on
presents 42nd Season . .
SUNDAYS at 5:00pm in the Sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church
October 6, 2024
November 10, 2024
March 9, 2025
April 6, 2025
CHASKI: flute + harp + a world full of music
RUCKUS: in collaboration with Friends of Chamber Music
SOUNDSCAPE & PANDA RING: Barbershop Quartets
HOUSTON CHAMBER RINGERS: Handbell Ensemble
FREE admission. FREE parking. Reception follows concert.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
1100 Carter Creek Pkwy, Bryan Texas www.fpcbryan.org/concerts-on-carter-creek 979.823.8073 | music@fpcbryan.org Find “Concerts on Carter Creek” on Facebook
Extraco Wealth & Trust is the oldest trust company in central Texas, and continues to deliver high-quality asset management and trust services, guiding clients toward financial success.
TIME FOR THREE October 15, 2024
This year’s Intimate Gatherings season brings you up-close-and-personal with some of the most talented artists in the country. Secure your seats now to these three events coming to Rudder Theatre. Hurry, this series sells out fast!
THE 5 BROWNS February 6, 2025 UNSINKABLE WOMEN: STORIES & SONGS FROM THE TITANIC March 25, 2025
Intimate Gatherings Series Sponsored by
