Program Notes: Nightmare Before Christmas

MOVIES AT THE SYMPHONY 2022/23 DISNEY CONCERTS PRESENTS: TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS LIVE IN CONCERT TO FILM PERFORMED BY YOUR COLORADO SYMPHONY CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor Friday, October 28, 2022 at 7:30pm Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 7:30pm Boettcher Concert Hall ACT II Jingle Bells

ACT I Overture Intro THIS IS HALLOWEEN Post Party JACK’S LAMENT Sally’s Lament

Bunny MAKING CHRISTMAS

Wandering Jack (Part I) Wandering Jack (Part II) WHAT’S THIS? Sally’s Potion

Nabbed OOGIE BOOGIE’S SONG Here Comes Santa Claus Big Send Off SALLY’S SONG Jack’s Big Moment Christmas Storm POOR JACK Jack to the Rescue Back to Business FINALE Reprise End Credits – Please stay seated for the credits & enjoy!

Jack Returns TOWN MEETING SONG Bedtime Stories Experiments Sally Escapes Butterfly JACK’S OBSESSION Work in Progress KIDNAP THE SANDY CLAWS — INTERMISSION—

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Music by Danny Elfman © 1993 Buena Vista Music Company Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts. All Rights Reserve Animation art collection courtesy of Bill Heeter and Kristi Correa CONCERT RUN TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR AND 16 MINUTES WITH A 20 MINUTE INTERMISSION Saturday's concert is dedicated to Dr. Christopher Ott PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

SOUNDINGS

2022/23

PROGRAM I

MOVIES AT THE SYMPHONY BIOGRAPHY CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor Australian conductor Christopher Dragon is the Resident Conductor of the Colorado Symphony and Music Director of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra. He joined the Colorado Symphony in the 2015/2016 Season as Associate Conductor – a position he held for four years. For three years prior, Dragon held the position of Assistant Conductor with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to work closely with Principal Conductor Asher Fisch.

Dragon has a versatile portfolio ranging from live-to-picture performances of Nightmare Before Christmas, Jurassic Park and Mary Poppins, a wide variety of collaborations with artists such as The Flaming Lips, Cynthia Erivo and Wynton Marsalis, to standard and contemporary orchestral repertoire such as Danny Elfman’s Violin Concerto, Eleven Eleven, all areas of which he has become highly sought after. Christopher has become known for his charisma, high energy and affinity for a good costume, consistently delivering unforgettable performances that has made him an audience favourite.

Recent season highlights include his subscription series debut with the San Diego Symphony, performances of Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton with Danny Elfman reprising the role of Jack Skellington and the historic Colorado Symphony performances with the Wu-Tang Clan at Red Rocks and the Mission Ballroom. Dragon’s upcoming debuts include concerts with the San Francisco Symphony and the Utah Symphony.

Christopher works regularly in Australia and has guest conducted the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and West Australian Symphony Orchestras. His 2015 debut performance at the Sydney Opera House with John Pyke and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was released on album by ABC Music and won an ARIA the following year. Christopher’s other guest conducting includes Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

He has also conducted at numerous festivals including the Breckenridge and Bangalow Music Festivals, with both resulting in immediate re-invitations. At the beginning of 2016 Dragon conducted Wynton Marsalis’ Swing Symphony as part of the Perth International Art Festival alongside Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Christopher began his conducting studies in 2011 and was a member of the prestigious Symphony Services International Conductor Development Program in Australia under the guidance of course director Christopher Seaman. He has also studied with numerous distinguished conductors including Leonid Grin, Paavo and Neeme Jarvi at the Jarvi Summer Festival, Fabio Luisi at the Pacific Music Festival and conducting pedagogue Jorma Panula.

PROGRAM II

C O LO R A D O S Y M P H O N Y.O R G

FAMILY 2022/23

HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR! PERFORMED BY YOUR COLORADO SYMPHONY RYAN TANI, conductor Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 2:30pm Boettcher Concert Hall

BACH

Toccata and Fugue in D minor

JOHN WILLIAMS

“Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

SAINT-SAËNS

Danse macabre, Op. 40

GRIEG Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1: IV. In the Hall of the Mountain King JOHN WILLIAMS

“Imperial March/Darth Vader’s Theme” from Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra

WAGNER Arr. Sheffer

Ride of the Valkyries

JOHN WILLIAMS

“Harry’s Wondrous World” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

CONCERT RUN TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES WITH NO INTERMISSION FIRST TIME TO THE SYMPHONY? SEE PAGE 7 OF THIS PROGRAM FOR FAQ’S TO MAKE YOUR EXPERIENCE GREAT! PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

SOUNDINGS

2022/23

PROGRAM III

FAMILY BIOGRAPHY RYAN TANI, conductor Conductor Ryan Tani recently completed his two-year tenure as the Orchestral Conducting Fellow for the Yale Philharmonia under Music Director Peter Oundjian, where he was the 2021 recipient of the Dean›s Prize for artistic excellence in his graduating class. Committed to meaningful community music-making, Ryan has begun his tenure as Conductor of the Bozeman Symphonic Choir. He frequently serves as Cover Conductor for the Colorado and Bozeman Symphonies and also serves on the faculty at the Montana State University School of Music.

Highlights of the 2022-2023 Season include appearances with the Colorado Symphony, Bozeman Symphony, Second String Orchestra, and Montana State University Symphony.

Ryan recently concluded his tenure as Music Director of the Occasional Symphony in Baltimore.

A fierce advocate of new music, Ryan curated over 20 commissions from Baltimore-based composers during his four-year directorship of OS. As Resident Conductor of the New Music New Haven series, he has collaborated, under guidance of Aaron Jay Kernis, with Yale University composition students and faculty.

Ryan is also a graduate of the Peabody Institute where he studied conducting with Marin Alsop and Markand Thakar, and of the University of Southern California, where he studied voice with Gary Glaze. In 2015, he was declared the winner of the ACDA Undergraduate Student Conducting Competition at their national conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition to his studies at Yale and Peabody, Ryan has also studied conducting with Larry Rachleff, Donald Schleicher, and Gerard Schwarz. Ryan currently resides in Bozeman, Montana, where he can be found outdoors on a trail run, or in the practice room with his violin.

PROGRAM IV

C O LO R A D O S Y M P H O N Y.O R G