THE CONCORDIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS
A Reunion of Friends Chamber Music Series Robert Tegler Student Centre Saturday, November 20, 2021 7 p.m.
featuring
The CSO Chamber Nucleus
Please silence your cell phones, alarms and other audible electronic devices before the concert begins. Turn your screen brightness down if you plan to use your phone in a dark setting.
Program Concerto for strings in G major RV 151, “Concerto alla Rustica”
Antonio Vivaldi
I. Presto II. Adagio III. Allegro
CSO Chamber Nucleus strings Stephanie Wong, harpsichord Doug Ridgway, bassoon Rennee Perez Rodriguez, archlute
Piano Quintet in Eb major, K. 452
W.A. Mozart
II. Larghetto
Danielle Lisboa, piano Stephanie Wong, oboe Amber Campbell, clarinet Ross McLean, French Horn Kristen Moffat, bassoon
“Der Spiegel” (The Mirror)
Kristen Moffat, bassoon Doug Ridgway, bassoon
Fragments
I. Waltz (Allegro) II. Solitude (Andante) III. Holiday (Vivace) IV. Reverie (Moderato) V. Exit (Allegro giocoso)
Rock Larochelle, flute Amber Campbell, clarinet Kristen Moffat, bassoon
Robert Muczynski
Three Shanties, Op. 4
Malcolm Arnold
I. Allegro con brio II. Allegretto semplice III. Allegro vivace
Rock Larochelle, flute Stephanie Wong, oboe Amber Campbell, clarinet Ross McLean, French horn Kristen Moffat, bassoon
O Canto do Cisne Negro (Song of the Black Swan)
Danielle Lisboa, piano Ryan Hoffman, cello
Bacchanale, Op. 8 for flute, bassoon, and piano
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Danielle Lisboa, piano Rock Larochelle, flute Kristen Moffat, bassoon
Mathieu Lussier
The Concordia Symphony Chamber Nucleus Although the Chamber Nucleus was developed before the pandemic,
the group ended up becoming the main outlet for our musicians to engage and perform with each other during periods of gathering size and venue restrictions from March 2020 to September 2021. Typical rehearsal venues were private backyards (during indoor restrictions) or heated garages. The spring/summer months of 2020 and 2021 included some informal outdoor performances organized by the members. These small ensemble activities proved vital for the participating musicians as a coping tool during the COVID-19 crisis as they strengthened their bonds in music-making. Today is a special moment for all of us as we celebrate with pure joy and appreciation the fruition of a live performance, yet again, surrounded by CSO friends. The production of a documentary about the Chamber Nucleus activities is underway. It features interviews and footage taken during the pandemic to capture these trying times but also the insights and takeaways of this unique experience. This material, made possible by the Concordia Connects Grant, is set to be released in February 2022.
Save the Date!
Myths & Legends December 5 2021, 3 p.m.
Dvorak | Legends Berlioz | Les nuits d’eté Danielle Lisboa, conductor Krista Mulberry, mezzo-soprano Concordia Symphony Orchestra Tegler Student Centre
Concordia Concert Choir Presents:
A Concert of Advent Carols, Readings and Organ Music Sunday, February 28th at 2 p.m. Holy Trinity Anglican Church 10037 84th Avenue Pay What You Can
Program Notes
by Jennifer Gregory
Concerto for Strings in G major, also known as the “rustic concerto,” was composed after the Four Seasons and is another of Antonio Vivaldi’s best-known concertos. Unlike the Four Seasons, this concerto does not have a descriptive program. The movements start with a lilting 9/8 first movement, leading to the 16 bar Adagio, capped off by the 2/4 Allegro. Composed in March 1784, W.A. Mozart’s Piano Quintet in Eb major introduced the combination of piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon. The work accentuates the unique timbre of each wind instrument, setting them against a virtuoso piano part. Today’s concert features movement two (of this three-movement work), which starts with the winds stating the musical theme.
Der Spiegel (the Mirror), a canon duet, is commonly attributed to Mozart. It is originally scored for two violinists sitting across from each other, playing from the same piece of sheet music from opposite directions of the page. The piece is often transcribed for other instruments, such as bassoon, which is featured in today’s concert. Robert Muczynski composed the Fragments woodwind trio in 1958. The five miniature movements represent different snapshots based on memorable life moments, including a first dance and a holiday picnic.
Three Shanties was composed in 1942. Malcolm Arnold skillfully blends the sounds
of a wind quintet to achieve a witty take on these traditional English seaman songs. The work features What shall we do with the drunken sailor?, Boney was a warrior and Johnny come down to Hilo.
Mathieu Lussier is a Montreal-born bassoonist, conductor and composer. He has composed more than 50 works that are performed regularly. Bacchanale is one of these works. It was commissioned in 2002 by a fellow bassoonist and close friend of Lussier and premiered in 2004.
This evening’s performers STRINGS Violin I
Frank Ho Daniel Graf
Violin II
Marie Krejcar Saara Belliveau Amy Kao
Viola
Darrell Soetaert Alan Dunn
Cello
John Fedor Bhavisha Kotecha Katarina Kuhn Sharon Toronchuk Frances Elgaard
Danielle Lisboa, conductor/piano Brazilian-born Danielle Lisboa leads an active career as an orchestral conductor, music educator and scholar, regularly conducting community and professional ensembles. Lisboa holds a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the Eastman School of Music University of Rochester. On arriving in Canada in 2008, she became Orchestra Toronto’s first apprentice conductor, was named assistant conductor two months later and shortly after was appointed the orchestra’s music director and conductor. During her tenure, Lisboa became known for her cutting-edge Tyler Baker Photography programming and public engagement. Her vision and dynamic leadership took Orchestra Toronto into new paths for outreach and youth initiatives, including the Marta Hidy Concerto Competition and the popular annual children’s concerts. Two years later she led Bellus Barbari, the Toronto Women’s Symphony Orchestra, in its inaugural Ontario tour. Lisboa moved to Edmonton in 2013 to serve as associate professor of music at Concordia University of Edmonton in the areas of conducting and music theory. Lisboa is former
music director and co-founder of the Edmonton Metropolitan Orchestra and continues to maintain an active presence in the community with the Edmonton Philharmonic Orchestra in outreach concerts to local continuing care hospitals and schools as well as in guest-conducting engagements with the Edmonton Metropolitan Chorus. Her current research interests encompass topics of women and leadership on the orchestral podium and analysis and transcription of sacred rituals of native peoples of Brazil with recent partnerships and publications in Portugal and Brazil. Lisboa reinstated the Concordia Symphony Orchestra as a new ensemble in fall of 2017. She spearheaded Concordia’s first operatic project, developed a summer string camp for youth, and a provincial concerto competition. Most recently, she led the Orchestral Training and Leadership workshop to mentor young conductors and orchestral players into leadership roles.
Rock Larochelle, flute Rock, originally from St. Paul, Alta., has taught in Francophone and immersion schools for 30 years. He now works part-time as an educational consultant. As well as being a flutist with the Concordia Symphony Orchestra, he is also one of the founders of the Opus@12 Chamber Concert Society, which offers free concerts in the rotunda of La Cité francophone. Rock has been studying for the past 17 years with Elizabeth Koch (principal flutist of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra) and also had the opportunity to study with Sir James Galway in Switzerland in 1990 and 2013. He is married to Sharon Toronchuk (cellist) and they have a daughter, Caroline (pianist and mezzo-soprano), in addition to their well-rounded cat Luigi.
Stephanie Wong, oboe Stephanie is a third-year music student at CUE. She is an oboist, pianist and harpsichordist, specializing in early winds. She started playing the oboe during her former life as a research scientist and later took up the baroque oboe, before finally deciding to pursue a career in music. Stephanie is principal oboe in Concordia Symphony Orchestra and is an active chamber musician. She is vice-president of Opus@12 Chamber Concert Society and is in a number of ensembles, including Convivencia Canadá. She is recipient of the NSERC CGS Scholarship and has publications in the Journal of Chemical Physics and Chemical Physics Letters.
Amber Campbell, clarinet Amber Campbell is originally from Red Deer, Alta., and has a master of music degree in clarinet performance from the University of Alberta. During university, she studied with Jei Yin, Charles Hudelson and Jeff Campbell. Amber played clarinet in the Edmonton Youth Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and University Symphony Orchestra, and now plays with the Concordia Symphony Orchestra. She also earned her CA designation and works full-time as an accountant. Amber enjoys spending her free time with her husband, Eric, and son, Sean, both trumpet players, as well as their musical cats Igor (Stravinsky) and Dmitri (Shostakovich).
Kristen Moffat, bassoon When she was 12, Kristen’s family moved to Texas after the school year started and her band teacher informed her that there were already too many aspiring saxophone players that year and that she could pick between the two remaining options: the bassoon or the French horn. Today, Kristen thanks her younger self for her savvy decision-making, as playing the bassoon has opened many doors for musical experience and expression over the years, including the opportunity to play for the Mexico State Orchestra and get paid to go to Paris! Kristen works as a Spanish/English translator and is fortunate to share life with her incredibly supportive partner, Martin, three great and growing kids (Emma, Jorja and Ian), an endearing but increasingly blind dog and two large cats with equally large personalities.
Ross McLean, French Horn Ross is a pathologist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and father of five children. He has played with the Calgary and Edmonton youth orchestras, Concordia Orchestra in Montreal and has played professionally as assistant to the Calgary Philharmonic horn section (197778) and the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show. He recently performed with the World Doctors Orchestra as principal and second horn in Dubai, Paris and Houston. He continues to develop an interest in historical performance by learning how to play antique horns.
Douglas Ridgway, bassoon Doug started bassoon in junior high school in order to join the orchestra and learn what all those keys did. He studied with John Cambell in Los Angeles and Matt Howatt in Edmonton. He has performed with the Concordia Symphony, Nova Musica, Edmonton Philharmonic, Wye Strings, the Edmonton Mozart Festival, and the University Symphony Orchestra. The photo is from his performance of the Mozart Bassoon Concerto with Nova Musica in 2011. He is a scientist, consultant, husband, and father of two.
Ryan Hoffman, cello Ryan Hoffman is a cellist with over 15 years of teaching experience, who recently moved to Edmonton from the United States. He has been teaching here since Fall of 2020, and has been active with Alberta String Association, Opus@12 Chamber Music Society, and Concordia Symphony. Prior to moving, Ryan taught and performed in and around Virginia. He taught both Suzuki and traditional students at several schools, including Eastern Mennonite University and Bridgewater College. He performed in several orchestras, including Altoona Symphony, Fairfax Symphony, Huntington Symphony, and Waynesboro Symphony, and as a chamber musician with Two Rivers Chamber Music and Melodious Strings. Ryan's academic degrees include a Doctor of Musical Arts from James Madison University, a Master of Music from Penn State University, and a BA in Music from Susquehanna University.
A note about the score of the “Mirror Duet” Both the bassoon 1 and bassoon 2 parts contain the same music but each player reads in a different direction. Basson 2 is reading the part upside down! This ingenious compositional technique is called inverted retrograde.
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