Bravo Quarterly Newsletter May 2017

BRAVO Quarterly donor newsletter of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic

May 2017

the inaugural issue W

elcome to the Colorado

about upcoming developments at the

Plus, you may learn something new

Springs Philharmonic’s new

Philharmonic. We think it’s important

about a piece of music or a fellow

quarterly newsletter. The purpose

to provide you an in-depth look at

concert patron. Expect the next issue in

of this publication is to keep our

upcoming concerts, special events, and

August, and in the meantime we hope

donors and friends, like you, informed

announcements.

you enjoy!

bernstein at 100 Plans are underway at orchestras around the world. But none will be like “The Best of All Possible Worlds.” (page 2)

Ph: 719-575-9632

vanguard is moving Beginning in Spring 2018, the Al and Leigh Buettner Vanguard Performances are getting a new home! (page 5)

summer symphony Summer Symphony is growing this year with a performance in Castle Rock. Plus, why Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture? (pages 6-7)

csphilharmonic.org

1

LEONARD BERNSTEIN AT 100

the best of all possible worlds The most celebrated musician of his time, Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), dedicated his life and career to the joy of music and the elevation of humanity. In his centennial year, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic will follow in his footsteps, making music and proclaiming the power of creativity to overcome intolerance.

This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.

Leonard Bernstein, Nov. 26, 1963 in response to the Kennedy assassination.

B

ernstein gave voice to music and made it come alive for generations of concertgoers. As a conductor, he was a champion for great American composition, and introduced American audiences to the likes of Gustav Mahler and Jean Sibelius. On Broadway, he turned Times Square upside down, speaking a language of rhythm and joyous bluster.

Doing justice to “Lenny’s” legacy means digging deeper than just the music. In life, he was an innovator, a communicator of the first order, and a stern advocate for peace and civil rights. In our time, Bernstein’s words (like his music) ring with authority and the rhythm of life.

2

“

“

From January to March 2018, the Philharmonic presents a six-week festival dedicated to Leonard Bernstein, including five concert weekends, broadcasts, lectures, film viewings, and unique events offered by festival partners.

West Side Story, the festival grand finale, available now only to Philharmonic Pops subscribers.

BRAVO May 2017

works by legendary composers such as Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and more. Students are invited to come along in our time machine, embarking on an aural voyage to discover how music has developed into the present day – and beyond!

NUTCRACKER: PERFORMANCE ADDED

S

ponsored by Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, The Nutcracker will offer a new matinee on Friday in November 2017.

Students K-5 will discover a wide variety of orchestral music and composers in this original program by Associate Conductor Thomas Wilson.

For more information on Philharmonic Kids, reach Bernie Brink at 719-344-2456.

l l

Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Nov. 26 at 2 p.m.

Tickets will be available for purchase in July at a discount for subscribers.

MOTHER’S DAY JAZZ BRUNCH

C BACH TO THE FUTURE WITH PHIL KIDS

O

n Nov. 1-2, Bach to the Future will transport audiences through time, and students will experience major

BRAVO May 2017

T

he El Paso County Enterprise Zone program has been called the best kept secret when it comes to charitable giving and tax savings.

Donors receive a 25% credit on their Colorado state taxes when they give to the Philharmonic.

Combined with charitable income tax deductions, your gift to the Philharmonic can result in substantial tax savings.*

Save-the-date now for this holiday tradition: l

INVEST IN THE PHILHARMONIC & SAVE

elebrate Mom with an elegant buffet and live jazz at The Pinery at the Hill. Avoid the crowded ballrooms, restaurants and resorts at this exclusive Mother’s Day event sponsored by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic Guild.

Adults $55 and children under 12 $30. Price includes all taxes and gratuities. Reservations can be made by visiting guild. csphilharmonic.org or by calling 719-247-8686.

With the tax credit Hypothetical donation of $1,000 Est. Federal tax savings $350 Est. State tax savings $46 Enterprise Zone tax credit $250 Total tax savings $646 Net cost of contribution $354

Not only does it feel great knowing that you are helping the Philharmonic, but you are rewarded at tax time too. *The savings only applies to donations of $250 or more. Enterprise Zone donations must be made by check only--no credit cards. Please check with your tax advisor to ensure you are receiving the appropriate tax credit. Publicly traded stock is also eligible for Enterprise Zone tax credits. For details call 719-575-9632 or visit csphilharmonic.org/support/ donate/enterprise-zone/.

3

MAESTRO’S CIRCLE

trips announced The Maestro’s Circle is at it again with two special travel opportunities scheduled for 2017. First, the Aspen Music Festival in late July, followed by a musical journey to Hamburg and Amsterdam in October.

Aspen

Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg Aspen, July 28-30 Travelers will retreat to the mountains and enjoy a weekend at the celebrated Aspen Music Festival.

Performances include superstar soprano Renée Fleming and conductor Robert Spano, not to mention Beethoven, Mahler, and more.

Enjoy guided hikes, a gourmet brunch, and plenty of time to experience the natural beauty of Aspen. Cost is $425/person.

Hamburg - Amsterdam, Oct. 1-10 The Maestro’s Circle’s third luxury international journey takes us to two cultural landmarks of Europe where five-star accommodations are the rule, as are a trio of unforgettable performances.

Located on the Elbe River, Hamburg boasts of 17th century architecture and Europe’s newest acoustic gem – the Elbphilharmonie. Ten years in the making (and at a cost of more than

4

$840 million) the Elbphilharmonie is the “concert hall for everyone.”

We’ll sit less than 30 meters from our own Music Director Josep CaballéDomenech as he conducts the famed Staatskapelle Halle orchestra.

Days later, Josep will go on to conduct Leoncavallo’s famous opera Pagliacci at the State Opera House. A story within a story, a tragedy dressed as a comedy, Pagliacci is a worldwide favorite, telling of love, heartbreak, and brutal revenge.

A short flight takes us to Amsterdam.

Named ‘the Venice of the North’

Amsterdam because of its many canals and breathtaking architecture, we’ll see the sights and must-see spots including the Van Gogh Museum, the palatial Rijksmuseum and other cultural treasures. We’ll hear Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and enjoy a private tour at the Royal Concertgebouw, a musician’s Mecca.

Cost is $4,400/person for doubleoccupancy, $5,439 for singleoccupancy.

For a full itinerary or to register, call Ashton Encarnacion at 719-344-2457.

Trips available to Maestro’s Circle members only!

Members of the Maestro’s Circle make three-year commitments of support starting at $1,000 annually. Benefits include donor recognition, membersonly events, VIP access to the hospitality center and priority invitation to travel with the Philharmonic. To join, speak with Catherine Creppon at 719-344-2455.

BRAVO May 2017

new home for vanguard

T

he Al and Leigh Buettner Vanguard Performances are the Philharmonic’s cutting-edge concerts, dedicated to in-depth discovery of composers’ worlds and the stories behind the music.

Starting in 2018, the Vanguard Performances have a new home the Ent Center for the Arts now under construction at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

Inside its silver facade, audiences will find a magnificent concert hall. Seating 750 concertgoers, the Ent Center for the Arts will offer

intimacy, connection, and sonic delights at every Philharmonic concert.

Acoustics are essential to a concert hall and the Ent Center is in the best of hands. Jaffe Holden Acousticians have honed their craft at some of the finest concert halls in the world, including Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and Radio City Music Hall.

Subscribers have the first chance to claim seats at the Ent Center before they go on sale to the public.

Photo courtesy of CSBJ

sponsor spotlight: wells fargo private bank

by Tracy Mobley-Martinez

T

he Wells Fargo Private Bank sponsorship of the Philharmonic began when President and CEO Nathan Newbrough approached Herman Tiemens, a local arts philanthropist and senior financial advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors who serves as the relationship manager to many clients of The Private Bank.

BRAVO May 2017

“I wanted to find a way to support the Philharmonic on an ongoing basis,” Tiemens says. “We always strive to build relationships and add as much value as possible over the long term to the organizations we sponsor.”

At the time, the orchestra had occasionally held receptions

for the Maestro’s Circle during intermission, but it was costly.

Newbrough and Tiemens agreed it would be mutually beneficial for Wells Fargo to underwrite these receptions indefinitely, Tiemens says, adding that the Philharmonic is one of only six arts organizations in the city who benefit directly from the bank.

“It feels good to give,” he says.

And he should know: Tiemens has personally contributed to more than 20 arts organizations to complement and magnify the support the arts community receives from his employer.

“It’s good for business,” he says, “and good for Colorado Springs.”

“A community with a thriving arts scene is the kind of place that I want to live.”

5

BEHIND THE 1812

by Tracy Mobley-Martinez The Fourth of July celebrates everything that makes us American — and with the simplest and grandest spectacles there are. Hot dogs and Mom’s potato salad. Kids running gleefully through sprinklers.

Sparklers. Fireworks. And for the luckiest of us, a live performance of a holiday staple, Tchaikovsky’s rousing 1812 Overture.

Scholars agree that the overture, which premiered in 1882, is a tribute to dogged loyalty to country, but which one?

“The popular misconception is that it celebrates the war of 1812 between the Americans and the Brits,” says Ryan Raul Bañagale, an assistant professor in Colorado College’s music department. “Which is wrong.”

With critically acclaimed works like Swan Lake behind him, the Russian composer was already famous when he was approached to write this festival piece.

“It was something to accompany the opening of a building,” Bañagale explains, “kind of a throw away.”

But Tchaikovsky envisioned a composition, which he finished in 1880 after only six weeks, that would tell the story of a battle won seemingly against all odds: Russia’s defeat of the undefeated, battle hardened and exceptionally well-equipped French army, led by Napoleon.

The work follows the thread of the battle — from the trepidation reflected in his opening use of the hymn “O Lord, Save Thy People”

6

summer symphony A Gift to Colorado Springs For 45 years, our city has celebrated our nation’s birth with music from Katy Perry’s Firework to Tchaikovsky’s notorious 1812 Overture.

Taking their lead from the legendary Fabulous Fourth established by Charles Ansbacher, Bee Vradenburg and the City of Colorado Springs, this annual concert connects our community in a way like no other.

In fact, for thousands of Springs residents, it wouldn’t be Independence Day without the Philharmonic in Memorial Park (and the blast of a few Howitzer cannons!). The way our community embraces this event says a lot about the vitality of performing arts in Southern Colorado.

to the insistent strains of “La Marseillaise” and Russian folk tunes (stand ins for the opposing factions) to the artillery and bells sounding in triumph.

Europeans, especially Russians, would have recognized the meaningful melodies, which created an effective shorthand for the story and emotional trigger.

“I don’t know another example of a tune that uses a cannon,” Bañagale says, adding that Tchaikovsky also wanted a marching band and live cathedral bells to play in the

NEW! July 2: Castle Rock Summer Concert Series. Travel north to the Castle Rock Amphitheater at Philip S. Miller Park as the Philharmonic headlines the evening. Opening band Spinphony. Tickets at csphilharmonic. org/castlerock.

July 4: Independence Day, Memorial Park. Get ready for the region’s largest event, featuring troops from

performance. “It was done in part for the novelty and the desire for the theatrics of the original idea. Also, it commemorates the battle, so ‘let’s make it sound like a battle.’ He was definitely pushing the limits.”

There was one problem: the laws of physics.

“It’s the way that sound travels. You can’t have the cannon right next to the orchestra. Even if you have a timer set to detonate precisely, it’s still going to be late. It takes an extreme degree of precision.”

BRAVO May 2017

in an intimate setting under a cool mountain breeze. Free to the public. Visit csphilharmonic. org/woodlandpark for more information.

Special thanks to our major sponsors * of Summer Symphony: l l l l l l

Thomas Wilson, Associate Conductor

Fort Carson, The Liberty Belles, amazing food, and thunderous fireworks to light up the night sky.

Get there early to claim a prime spot.

Free to the public.

July 5: Symphony Above the Clouds, Woodland Park. Just a short drive away, the fun continues. Generously organized by the Ute Pass Symphony Guild the Philharmonic performs

Sadly, its intended premiere — to be performed by the cathedral that commemorated the 1812 battle with all the planned musical pyrotechnics — was canceled in 1881 after Tsar Alexander II’s assassination. It finally was heard under a tent near that cathedral, which was still unfinished.

Initially, there was little critical reaction, Bañagale says, because so few people saw it. (Tchaikovsky did conduct it at the dedication of Carnegie Hall in 1891. It was one of the first appearances by a European composer in the United States.)

Tchaikovsky is said to have disliked

BRAVO May 2017

The City of Colorado Springs The El Pomar Foundation Schmidt Construction The Gazette KKTV Lamar Outdoor Advertising

PLAY YOUR PART To honor the 45th Anniversary of Summer Symphony, won’t you consider a donation to the Fireworks Fund? You’ll be participating directly in the excitement, and ensuring this tradition continues for years to come. Donate today at csphilharmonic.org/fireworksfund. *

Sponsors at the time of print.

the work, writing that it would be “very loud and noisy, but (without) artistic merit, because I wrote it without warmth and without love.”

Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops introduced it into the orchestral repertoire— and America’s collective consciousness — in 1974, when the orchestra performed it as part of an Independence Day concert.

“For Tchaikovsky, it was a side project, a side gig. I think he approached the composition that way. He tried to have a little fun with it,” Bañagale adds.

LIBERTY BELLES TO PERFORM The Liberty Belles, a trio of classically-trained, stage-savvy, fun-loving women, bring to life the songs of the great musical era of the 1940s.

Whether reminiscing about yesteryear, creating new memories for tomorrow, or just living in the joy of today’s beautiful harmonies, The Liberty Belles bring their serious talents to audiences with contagious, light-hearted joy.

Inspired by the Andrews Sisters and with a special heart for Colorado Springs’ military community, The Liberty Belles seek to resurrect the patriotism of WWII. The Liberty Belles have delighted audiences at The Broadmoor Hotel, Seven Falls, Pikes Peak Opera League, The Festival of Lights Parade and The What If Festival, to name a few.

Recently, The Liberty Belles were invited to perform for a USO themed event at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

Pictures, videos and more information on individual singers can be found at libertybellestrio.com.

7

PO Box 1266 Colorado Springs, co 80901-1266 719-575-9632 www.csphilharmonic.org

Nonprofit Organization US Postage PAID Colo Spgs, CO Permit No 434

Generously underwritten by

THE TEXAS TENORS MAY 5-6, 2017 Fresh off their popular PBS special, this talented trio bring their captivating charm and dazzling voices to classical standards like Nessun dorma and La donna è mobile, popular favorites like God Bless America, and chart-toppers including Unchained Melody, the Rolling Stones’ Wild Horses, and more.

CARMINA BURANA MAY 20-21, 2017 The dramatic arias and complex rhythms of Carl Orff’s medieval cantata Carmina Burana are renowned for being tough to pull off — and even tougher to fully realize within the confines of a concert hall. The Colorado Springs Philharmonic brings a whole season’s worth of musical momentum to the challenge, combining the might of the Colorado Springs Chorale and the Children’s Chorale for a tour de force.

CONCERTMASTER RECITAL JUNE 13, 2017 An intimate evening featuring Concertmaster Michael Hanson, accompanied by pianist Kelly Zuercher.

Invitation only event for Maestro’s Circle members.

8