THE CSO CHAMBER NUCLEUS PRESENTS PRESENTS THE CSO CHAMBER NUCLEUS
Collage II CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
Robert Tegler Student Centre Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 7 p.m.
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 The Four Seasons: Violin Concerto in E Major, Op. 8, No. 1, RV 269, L'inverno (Winter)
Antonio Vivaldi
I. Allegro non molto II. Largo III. Allegro
Frank Ho, solo violin CSO Chamber Nucleus strings Stephanie Wong, harpsichord
Flute Quintet in C Major, Op. 75
Kaspar Kummer
I. Allegro II. Allegretto con moto
Rock Larochelle, flute Jennifer Gregory, flute Darrell Soetaert, viola Sharon Toronchuk, cello Alena Vyskocil, guitar
Duetto in D Major
Gioachino Rossini
I. Allegro
John Fedor, cello Benjamin Eldon. double bass
Pastorale from Ballade, Pastorale, and Danse
Danielle Lisboa, piano Rock Larochelle, flute Martin Grasdal, French horn
Eric Ewazen
Piano Trio No. 5 in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1, "Ghost"
Ludwig van Beethoven
I. Largo assai ed espressivo
Danielle Lisboa, piano Marie Krejcar, violin Ryan Hoffman, cello
Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas
Astor Piazzolla
I. Invierno Porteño (Winter) II. Primavera Porteña (Spring)
Danielle Lisboa, piano Marie Krejcar, violin Ryan Hoffman, cello
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 strengthenedtheir bonds in music-making. Today we are proud to launch the documentary entitled “Breaking Through Silence: The Story of the Concordia Symphony Orchestra During the Pandemic” produced by CUE student and CSO oboist, Stephanie Wong. It features interviews and footage taken during the pandemic to capture these trying times but also the insights and takeaways of this unique experience.
Upcoming Events
CONCORDIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Beethoven Symphony No. 3, “Eroica” Tchaikovsky Variations on a rococo theme
April 16 2021, 7 p.m. Danielle Lisboa, conductor Ryan Hoffman, cello
Tegler Centre Tickets now available at TIX on the SQUARE
CONCORDIA SYMPHONY
CONCERTO COMPETITION FOR CONCORDIA FELLOWS Final Round | Open to the public Saturday, April 30 Tegler Centre
Live performances 9:30AM - 11:00AM Guest Adjudicators: Petar Dundjerski and Raymond Baril
Program Notes
by Jennifer Gregory
Vivaldi (1678-1741) wraps up his Four Seasons Violin Concerto cycle with Winter in three movements. The scenes depict several wintertime scenes including walking though gusting winds with chattering teeth, watching winter rain falling on the window, and walking on a frozen lake trying to avoid falling on the ice. Kasper Kummer (1795-1870) was a popular prolific composer with over 150 compositions. As a flute virtuoso, his compositions focus on expanding ingenuity for the flute. Flute Quintet in C Major, Op. 75 has a unique instrument combination and passes around melodic material between both flute parts and the rest of the ensemble. Rossini’s Duetto in D Major was composed in London in 1824. It was commissioned by Sir David Salomons (cellist) as a piece to play in his home with his famous bassist friend, Domenico Dragonetti. The piece has a unique pairing of instruments, which exchange the melodic line highlighting the virtuoso skills of the performers. Written during a winter holiday, Eric Ewazen’s Pastorale was premiered in Aspen, Colorado in July 1993 as part of the three-movement work, Ballade, Pastorale, and Danse. The Pastorale uses the contrasting colours and textures of the flute and horn to provide a gentle and impressionistic feel. Beethoven’s Piano Trio No. 5 in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1, is called the “ghost” based on the second movement featured in this program. The movement was referred to as “terrifying and ghostly”, evoking the ghost in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The piece challenges players individually and as an ensemble and its very slow tempo contributes to the bleak mood. Piazzolla’s Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) is inspired by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Today’s program includes Winter and Spring, evoking a baroque violin concerto mixed with the composer’s unique spin on tango. Instead of being programmatic to the seasonal theme, the work focuses on representing the spirit of an Argentinian.
This Evening's Performers STRINGS VIOLIN I
Frank Ho Daniel Graf Arwen Bylsma
VIOLIN II
Marie Krejcar Saara Belliveau Amy Kao
VIOLA
Darrell Soetaert Alan Dunn Blaine Madsen
CELLO
John Fedor Sharon Toronchuk Frances Elgaard
BASS
Benjamin Eldon
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 programming and public engagement. Her vision and Tyler Baker Photography 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.
Frank Ho, violin Violinist FRANK HO enjoys a multi-faceted career as a chamber musician, soloist, and pedagogue. His early training was at the Alberta College (now MacEwan University) Conservatory of Music. Further studies with Sidney Harth and Erick Friedman (Yale School of Music) and Yfrah Neaman (Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England) led to performance opportunities on three continents . Highlights include concerts at venues such the Royal Festival Hall and the Purcell Room in London; Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Merkin Hall in New York City; and numerous campuses and concert series in western Canada. Many of his concerts have been featured on the CBC. He is currently a faculty member of the MacEwan University Conservatory of Music, and sessional violin instructor at King’s University and Concordia University of Edmonton. Frank is an active adjudicator nationally and internationally--most recently as a member of the international jury panel for the 2019 Hong Kong Music Schools Festival--as well as a member of the College of Examiners for the Royal Conservatory of Music. He is currently the concertmaster of the Concordia Symphony Orchestra. A sought-after private teacher, many of his students are previous prizewinners of local, provincial, and national competitions; in 2017, two of his students were chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City through the American Protégé International Competition. Since November 2019, he has been the president of the Alberta String Association.
Marie Krejcar, violin Born into a musical family, Marie only developed an interest in music at age 10 when she picked up the violin and fell in love. Along with participating in a small community orchestra, Marie also played chamber music with her siblings. Coming from a small town in Northern Alberta, violin lessons were not always available in the region but with the help of community, online violin lessons, music teachers, and self-teaching, Marie was invited to perform for the Lieutenant Governor General of Alberta, Pinchas Zukerman, and the NACO during their Canadian tour of 2002. In her teens, Marie moved to the Czech Republic where she lived with her grandparents and studied for several years at the music conservatory in Ceske Budejovice under Tuula-Sivula Vacek. Returning to Canada, Marie received her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Alberta in 2012, studying under Guillaume Tardif. During this time Marie also worked as a violin instructor and a substitute violinist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. After graduating, Marie continued to be an active performer, teacher, and substitute violinist before moving to Ottawa with her husband. Once more in Edmonton, Marie works as a legal assistant in the health law sector as well as continuing to work as a substitute violinist with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, the Stringbeans Quartet, and other ensembles throughout the Edmonton region and Alberta.
Darrell Soetaert, viola Born in rural central Alberta Darrell grew up in a very musical family and community. He began playing the violin at the age of twelve after receiving his first instrument. While growing up Darrell studied the flute in junior high band and began playing the piano. His violin teachers have included Leona Wood, Jennifer Bustin, and Guillaume Tardif. He has continued to stay involved in his boyhood community by playing for such theatrical productions as 'Mary's Veil,' 'Lost Apostle', and 'The Park Bench.’ Darrell graduated with his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Alberta. While attending school Darrell received the Jason Lang Memorial Scholarship, Beryl Barnes Memorial Award, Dale Macmillan Memorial Scholarship, Tony Lefebvre Memorial Scholarship, and the Woodgrove Unifarm Local Scholarship. He studied violin in his first two years with Guillaume Tardif and then with a leap of faith picked up a viola and began studying with Aaron Au and Charles Pilon. Darrell has played in the University Symphony Orchestra, Academy Strings Orchestra, and Edmonton Pops Orchestra. He maintains a busy teaching and performing schedule in the Edmonton area and permanently occupies the viola chair in the Wild Rose Quartet, which he founded in 2008.
John Fedor, cello Born in Edmonton, John Fedor began his cello studies at the age of ten with Josephine van Lier. He received his Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Alberta in 2010, under the direction of cellist Tanya Prochazka. From 2009-10, John performed as a member of the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific, studying under Katinka Kleijn of the Chicago Symphony, and Ariel Barnes, principal cello of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. John also completed the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific conductors program in 2010 and 2011 under the direction of Arthur Arnold of the Netherlands. John is also a current member of the Wild Rose String Quartet, established in 2008. From 2008-12, he worked with the Edmonton Public School Board Music Enrichment Program as an instructor and conductor. John also spent 9 years as director and conductor for the St. Martin Children's String Society in Edmonton. In 2014, John received his Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Alberta. Since then, he is currently employed with the Edmonton Public School Board as an Elementary Music Specialist.
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. \
Sharon Toronchuk, cello Sharon's musical career as an amateur cellist began after graduating from her science degree (nursing). She wanted to share positive experiences with the elderly and/or ill and to nourish her soul from the occasional burnout due to work or life stress. She has enjoyed many years of lessons with many gifted and generous professionals and has been fortunate to perform with many amateur musicians and orchestras in Edmonton and area, including the Edmonton Philharmonic, Nova Musica, Wye Strings and the Edmonton Medical Professions Orchestra (TEMPO). Currently, Sharon is a member of the Concordia Symphony Orchestra and Opus@12 (an amateur performance society) which she co-founded with her husband Rock (teacher and flutist). They not only share the joy of music, but are also proud of their daughter Caroline and Luigi, an exuberant and strong-willed house cat. Sharon's other passions include adventurous nature hikes in the river valley, simple flower and vegetable gardening. She enjoys staying healthy by cooking and exercising with Wii Fit, Zumba and YouTube classes like Plyojam, BollyX. Her favorite quote is from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (The Little Prince): "It is only with the heart that one can see properly; what is essential is invisible to the naked eye". Sharon would like to thank you for participating in today's musical journey.
Benjamin Eldon, double bass Double bassist Benjamin Eldon grew up in Chatham, Ontario. He studied double bass under Jeffrey Stokes during his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Western Ontario. He moved to Edmonton in 2009 to complete his Masters in Music degree at the University of Alberta, studying under the supervision of music theorists Henry Klumpenhouwer and Maryam Moshaver. He plays French-style bow and for several years has changed his tuning on bass from fourths to fifths: C, G, D, A, one octave below the cello. Benjamin also holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toronto, and currently teaches for Edmonton Catholic Schools. Outside of his musical endeavours he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, changing diapers (not really), running, playing ice hockey, and responsibly enjoying craft beer.
Rock Larochelle, flute Rock, originally from St. Paul, Alta., has taught in Francophone and immersion schools for 30 years. He now works parttime 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 tenor cat Luigi.
Jenn Gregory, flute Originally from Ontario, Jennifer Gregory started playing the flute in high school and continued her music studies through completing degrees at the University of Western Ontario (Bachelor of Music History) and at the University of Alberta (Master in Arts for Ethnomusicology). While professionally, Jennifer works in emergency management, she continues to stay musically active. She has played with many community ensembles in Edmonton, including Festival City Winds, Edmonton Metropolitan Orchestra and now with Concordia Symphony Orchestra. Jennifer also enjoys working with community productions of operas and musicals, for groups like Pop Goes the Opera, Walterdale Theatre, and Foote in the Door Productions. Most recently, she's played in productions of Into the Woods and Beauty and the Beast.
Stephanie Wong, harpsichord Stephanie is a third-year music student at CUE, studying mainly under oboist Beth Levia and baroque oboist Matthew Jennejohn. She is an oboist, pianist, harpsichordist and specialist 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 the Concordia Symphony Orchestra, is an active chamber musician and has played in numerous local wind ensembles and orchestras. She is vice-president of Opus@12 Chamber Concert Society and has founded the ensembles Nueva Convivencia and Duo Ricercatore. In the science world, Stephanie is a recipient of the NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship - Doctoral and has publications in The Journal of Chemical Physics and Chemical Physics Letters
Martin Grasdal, French Horn Horn player Martin Grasdal is still surprised to be playing horn some 50 years after being tricked into choosing the instrument in Junior High School by a discerning music teacher. Once he recognized that the instrument was something he knew and loved from the heroic scores of movies of 60s and 70s, he was hooked. After playing in the Calgary Youth Orchestra, Calgary University Orchestra, University of Alberta Orchestra and various brass quintets and chamber groups in the 70s and early 80s, life circumstances caused him to stop playing for a number of years. He took up the instrument again once his two sons started playing in school band so he could set an example for them to model. He was hooked again. In his second run at horn playing, Martin has played in a number of local ensembles and chamber groups, including Nova Musica Orchestra and Concordia Orchestra. Outside of his musical pursuits, Martin currently works full time as a self-employed IT consultant. He is also a part-time downhill ski instructor and continues to work hard to improve his own skiing.
Alena Vyskocil, guitar Alena Vyskocil is an experienced musician with a classical guitar teacher degree from the Czech Republic where, besides her teaching career, she also played in folk and country music bands. She has been living in Edmonton since 1991. Here she discovered that her lonely classical guitar can be nicely matched with other instruments; first happy encounter was with recorder players and later other musicians through the Opus@12. Since then, she has been focusing on chamber music.
Please consider a tax-deductible donation to CSO in support of our mandate to programming and youth leadership development programs. We commit to performing the work of living Canadian composers and underrepresented minorities and to promote talented local musicians and community groups in guest artist performances. The CSO concert experience is a reflection of Edmonton's ethnic diversity. We are proud to champion promising Albertan virtuosi with a provincial level competition: The Concordia Concerto Competition for Youth. To donate, please visit CUE website ONLINE DONATION or contact Jelena Bojic at jelena.bojic@concordia.ab.ca
Thank you For attending! For information about the Concordia Symphony Orchestra and future performances,
CLICK HERE