2024 - 2025 SEASON
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PROUD SPONSOR OF
Dear Esteemed Patrons and Supporters,
As we embark on the 62nd season of the West Texas Symphony, we are filled with gratitude for your unwavering support over the years. It is through your generosity and dedication that we are able to continue our mission of enriching the cultural fabric of West Texas through professional music performance and education.
The upcoming season promises to be a celebration of music's power to inspire, uplift, and unite communities. Prepare to be spellbound by music from Strauss, Debussy, and Stravinsky. From our flagship Masterworks Series to our captivating Pops & Family Series, each concert is meticulously crafted to offer a unique and unforgettable experience for our audience members.
We are thrilled to announce the return of beloved Barbara Padilla and spectacular Tony DeSare for two of our Pops & Family Series. In December, we will kick off the Holidays with Sounds of the Season, featuring not only the West Texas Symphony but also chamber ensembles, chorale groups, and special guest performers. It is events like these that truly showcase the vibrancy and talent of our local arts community.
In addition to our main performances at the world-class Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center, we are proud to present a series of chamber and chorale concerts led by our talented and dedicated principal musicians and singers. These intimate gatherings allow for a deeper connection between performers and audiences, enriching the musical experience for all.
As education remains fundamental to our mission, we are committed to offering impactful musical encounters for students throughout our community. Through programs like Marvelous Melodies, Voices of the Permian Basin, and our Side by Side performance, West Texas Symphony impacts the lives of countless young individuals, aiming to nurture future generations of musicians and music enthusiasts.
As we look ahead to the 2024-2025 season, we invite you to join us in celebrating the transformative power of live symphonic music. Whether you are a long-time supporter or experiencing the magic of the symphony for the first time, we are thrilled to have you here. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. Together, we will ensure that the West Texas Symphony continues to thrive for generations to come.
Warm regards,
Dee Anna Arellano 2024-2025 Board President
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Welcome!
We are glad you are here with us.
In fact, we need you here with us, and as the greater MidlandOdessa area grows, so does its need for culture.
Whatever sociological or psychological model employed to determine human need, the need for quality music is apparent, existing in beautiful cohesion: Music runs deep down to the rhythmic pulse of our heartbeats. Music’s frequencies can be heard in nearly every square block of a downtown hub or in the great expanse of nature. Music is one of those rare activities that stimulates and engages nearly all areas of our mappable brain. We use words like ‘transformative’ or ‘impact’ to try and put words to how music engages our souls. Music impacts us thoroughly. So when a large group of individuals set aside their differences and come together to play music to the best of their ability - with fervor and with heart – it’s the best! It’s your West Texas Symphony!
There’s not a show on the docket we are not proud of. There’s not a performance booked that is sub-par. And we’re going to keep it coming as long as you keep coming back…and bring a friend!
Ethan Wills Executive Director
Orchestra/Dress Circle $60 $12
Mezzanine/Parterre $48 $12
Gallery (Not Available) POPS & FAMILY
Orchestra/Dress Circle
Mezzanine/Parterre
STUDENT TICKETS $12, ALL CONCERTS, ALL SEATS!
Student tickets are available with paying adult or valid college ID. Price is for any seat, any level.
Groups of 10 or more receive a 20% discount per concert.
All tickets are sold through the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center. Venue ticketing policies apply. Fees may apply.
Dear Patrons:
Greetings! I am delighted to welcome you to the 2024-2025 season of the West Texas Symphony Orchestra. We have yet another incredible season of great programs planned for you and we cannot wait to share them with you! To get us started in September we will present “American Stories” featuring the Symphony No. 1, “Afro-American” by the dean of Black American composers, William Grant Still, paired with Dvořák’s masterful Cello Concerto, also written here in America. In October we welcome back, by popular demand, the amazing Mexican-American soprano, Barbara Padilla, for an enchanting evening of popular songs. November brings two of Richard Strauss’ most beloved and captivating works, "Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks" and the Suite from “Der Rosenkavalier” along with Grieg’s magnificent Piano Concerto. December means the start of the holiday season and there is no better way to ring it in than with the West Texas Symphony, the Chorale, Voices of the Permian Basin, the chamber ensembles and other surprises!
We are always honored to present one of our own superb artists as a featured soloist. In January we’ll do just that with Chris Chance, principal clarinet of the WTS, performing Debussy and Weber and the orchestra presenting Beethoven’s charming Symphony No. 2. The incredible singer, songwriter and pianist, Tony DeSare, returns in March to share a tribute to timeless piano legends culminating with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. April will not only mark the beginning of springtime but will also bring the first performance ever in the Permian Basin of Stravinsky’s revolutionary and evocative Rite of Spring. This work changed the course of music history and is recognized as the most important orchestral work of the 20th century and perhaps of all time. You won’t want to miss it! Also on the program, our annual side-by-side performance with area music students sitting in with the professional musicians of the WTS. And what better way to bring the season to a close than with the screening of the iconic movie, Superman, with the WTS performing John William’s triumphant score live!
We simply could not bring this great music to the Permian Basin without your help and support. Please be sure to also attend the many wonderful performances by the outstanding ensembles of the WTS, the Chorale, our youth choir, The Voices of the Permian Basin, along with the West Texas Winds, Lone Star Brass, and Permian Basin String Quartet. These programs are always inspiring and engaging and you don’t want to miss them!
We hope you will subscribe to all of these wonderful series of concerts. Plan to bring a friend and let’s fill up the Wagner Noël for this season of great music as we continue our mission to change lives in the Permian Basin through great music. I look forward to meeting you at the concert!
Sincerely,
Gary Lewis
Gary Lewis is the Music Director and Conductor of the West Texas Symphony orchestra. This is his 18th year with the orchestra and his 17th as Music Director. He is also Director of Orchestral Studies and the Bob and Judy Charles Professor of Conducting in the College of Music at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he conducts the University Symphony Orchestra and oversees the entire orchestra program.
Mr. Lewis is equally at home with professional, university, and youth ensembles. In addition to his regular posts with the West Texas Symphony Orchestra and the University of Colorado Boulder, he serves as Principal Guest Conductor for the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and was the founding Artistic Director of the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestras. He has also appeared with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra (Chengdu, China), the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra, the New Symphony Orchestra (Sofia, Bulgaria), and the Western Plains Opera Theater. Lewis served as the Resident Conductor of the Pine Mountain Music Festival (opera and symphonic) for seven years and was the founding conductor of the Caprock Pro Musica. His work with summer music festivals has also been noteworthy including the Interlochen Center for the Arts, Pine Mountain Music Festival (opera and symphonic) and Rocky Ridge Music Center.
At CU Boulder, Mr. Lewis also leads the graduate program in orchestral conducting including both the masters and doctoral level. His former students are currently enjoying success as conductors with professional orchestras and opera companies, university and public school ensembles, and youth orchestras.
As a strong advocate of music education, Mr. Lewis has presented many in-service workshops for public school educators, as well as numerous presentations at state and regional music education association conferences. In addition, he has conducted All-State Orchestras and Bands in over 20 states along with the ASTA National Honor Orchestra and the Honor Orchestra of America. In 2010, Mr. Lewis became the founding Artistic Director of the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestras, and he continues to serve as conductor of the Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Lewis is also a strong proponent of new music. He has been instrumental in the development and production of contemporary music festivals and his interest in new music has led him to collaborations with composers such as Dan Kellogg, Carter Pann, George Crumb, William Bolcom, John Harbison, Chen Yi, Michael Daugherty, Stephen Paulus, and many others.
Gary Lewis is a Yamaha Master Educator.
For information regarding instrumental teachers, or to hire an ensemble, please contact WTS at 432-563-0921 or marketing@wtxs.org
The Permian Basin String Quartet is the resident string quartet of the West Texas Symphony, whose members are the principal string players of the orchestra. They strive to share classic and current works of the string quartet repertoire in an engaging and approachable way while championing underrepresented composers. The quartet has a loyal audience and has built a reputation as a leading ensemble in the Permian Basin.
Formed in 1981, the Lone Star Brass is the resident brass quintet of the West Texas Symphony. The Lone Star Brass presents concerts that display the consummate technical skill of each performer and the expertise involved in working together as an ensemble. The group has recorded two albums, “Lone Star Christmas,” and “Western Fanfare.” They performed in Carnegie Hall with the Symphony Chorale and have toured the country performing shows for all ages. From New York to New Mexico, this seasoned ensemble offers programs of classical music, jazz, original works, and even opera. They perform to have fun, and it rubs off on their audiences at every concert.
As the resident woodwind quintet of WTS, the West Texas Winds are active throughout the year presenting audiences young and old with performances full of energy and refinement. The ensemble has a significant repertoire of classic standard woodwind quintets and groundbreaking new music, having presented both U.S. and world-premiere performances by living composers from around the globe. West Texas Winds are always working to present something new and exciting to their listeners.
For more information visit WTXS.ORG
The Chamber Chorale is the principal choral ensemble in West Texas. Instrumental to the founding of the West Texas Symphony organization in 1962, the Chamber Chorale presents masterworks of the choral repertoire, ranging from Handel’s Messiah and the Brahms’ Requiem, to Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert and music from the Broadway stage.
Membership is open to all singers high school age and older.
If you are interested in auditioning, please email the Chorale Director at chorale@wtxs.org
The Voices of the Permian Basin is the West Texas Symphony’s youth choir. The group features approximately 75 singers ages 2nd - 8th grades, who rehearse weekly and enjoy performing two concerts per season and at other community events.
To schedule an audition for your child, please email the VPB Director at voicespb@wtxs.org
Romina Dimock, Concertmaster
Endowed in memory of Dorothy Croft by the Midland Symphony Guild
Turner Partain, Assistant Concertmaster
Laurel Lawshae, Associate Principal
Gabriella St. James, Principal Second
Nikesha Hailey-Hicks
Lowell Hohstadt
Robert Meinecke
Jason Snider
Conrad Sclar, Principal
Endowed by Mary de Compiegne & Rosalind Redfern Grover
Laura Peña, Associate Principal
Beau Garza
Jean Gómez
Kathy Hohstadt
Suyeon Kim, Principal
Endowed in memory of Walter Osadchuk by Dr. and Mrs. Michael Miller
Danny Mar, Associate Principal
Aurelia Rocha
David Thomas
Mark Morton, Principal
Bill DeLavan, Associate Principal
Nodier Garcia
Lyndsay Eiben, Principal
Kate Martin, Associate Principal
Susanna Self, Piccolo
Caryn Crutchfield, Principal
Kathleen Carter Bell, Associate Principal
Ann Hankins
Chris Chance, Principal
Tyler Webster, Associate Principal & E-flat
Mande Gragg, Bass Clarinet
Philip Hill, Principal
Bill Harden, Associate Principal
Scott Millichamp, Co-Principal
Sonja K. Millichamp, Co-Principal
Norma Binam
Derek Wright
Eric Baker, Co-Principal
Ben Fairfield, Co-Principal
Endowed in honor of Michael J. Santorelli by Karen & Spencer Beal
John Irish
Stewart Rhodes, Principal
Darin Cash
Jon James, Principal
Arturo Galvan, Principal
Tim Mabrey, Principal
Erin Martysz Thies, Principal HARP
Vincent Pierce, Principal
LuAnn Lane, Principal Endowed in honor of Shari Santorelli by Karen & Spencer Beal
SYMPHONY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
offers fun social networking opportunities, behind the scenes access, mixers, and exciting experiences involving your WEST TEXAS SYMPHONY .
If you enjoy music, want to network with other Young Professionals, and be more connected to the Permian Basin arts scene SYP IS FOR YOU!
FOLLOW US AND JOIN OUR EMAIL
Dee Anna Arellano, President
Rebecca Bell, Executive VP
Jessica Bexley, Immediate Past President
Mary Blain, VP Finance
Jacy Lewis-Watkins, VP Fundraising
Mary Dawson, VP Sponsorships
Sophie Edwards, Secretary
Gabriel Almendarez
Amy Azarov
Alice Beckstrom
Gregg Blain
Celeste Canedo
Jeannine Donnelly
Leslie English
Maridell Fryar
Beau Garza
Allison Gray
Elizabeth Hartman
Carla Haston
Dr. Aaron Hawley
Angie Hurt King
David Lauritzen
Hillary Lovell
Nancy Minor Kenisha Natividad
Garcie Ortiz
Megan Pausé
Stephanie Rivas
Floyd Rountree
Gregory Smith
Dr. Adrian Vega
Lisset Velasquez
Stephanie Wright
Mrs. Leland Croft (dec’d)
Mrs. James A. Fowler (dec’d)
Ms. Mary Harrington (dec’d)
Mrs. Ellen Noël (dec’d)
Mr. Josh H. Parr (dec’d)
Mrs. Lois Rochester (dec’d)
Mr. Fred A. Stout Jr. (dec’d)
Mr. Don Williams (dec’d)
Gary Lewis, Music Director & Conductor
Ethan Wills, Executive Director
Violet Singh, Development Director
Crystal Romero, Marketing Director
Deanna J. Russell, Office Administrator
Leslie Delgado, Personnel Manager
Scott Millichamp, Music Librarian
Emily Baker, Voices of the Permian Basin Director
For contributions and/or services that have significantly advanced the mission of the West Texas Symphony.
Frank A. Bell - May 21, 1997
The Beal Family - May 19, 1999
Robert E. Hunt - August 31, 2000
Mary Harrington - May 16, 2001
Ted Hale - April 14, 2007
Grace Osadchuk - October 13, 2007
Scott W. Long - May 18, 2013
Rino Irving – March 4, 2023
The Midland Symphony Guild (MSG) is excited to begin its 62nd year of supporting the West Texas Symphony. With a desire to support fine arts in our area, the MSG began with the goal of supporting and raising funds for our local symphony music program. Over the past six decades, that effort has grown into a self-sustaining non-profit organization that provides financial and volunteer support to the West Texas Symphony and the various events that it produces. The West Texas Symphony enriches the communities of both Midland and Odessa by showcasing world-class performers, local artists, musicians, and featured presentations.
The MSG comprises members who invest time and money in their local communities. Annually, the MSG donates thousands of volunteer hours contributed mostly by our Symphony Belles, who are the daughters of our MSG members. Each Belle is required to complete 15 volunteer events or placements in their years in the MSG program (9th-12th grades), many of which include performances presented by the West Texas Symphony. This requirement of service fosters a sense of giving back to the community and appreciation for the work ethic and commitment demonstrated by the talented artists and musicians. In addition to the West Texas Symphony, our Belles volunteer at community organizations such as Safe Place, Midland Festival Ballet, Museum of the Southwest, Midland Food Bank, Midland Community Theater, and the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center. We are so proud of our Belles!
As a native Midlander, former Symphony Belle, and lover of the arts, it is my privilege to serve as president of the Midland Symphony Guild this year. I look forward to working with many wonderful men and women while encountering exceptional musical and fine arts performances. For our Belles, friendships will be formed, a spirit of service instilled and a love of the arts encouraged. Thank you to the West Texas Symphony for enriching our lives and sharing their talents with the Permian Basin for another season.
Hillary Lovell 2024-2025 President Midland Symphony Guild
The Odessa Symphony Guild is thrilled to serve the West Texas Symphony and the arts in the Permian Basin for the 66th year. Odessa Symphony Guild began in 1958 with a group of women who were dedicated to their community. The OSG was formed to help provide both financial and volunteer support to the arts and music programs across the Permian Basin. Since its inception, the Odessa Symphony Guild has raised thousands of dollars and members have volunteered many hours to continue the mission of the founders. Odessa Symphony Guild has greatly enriched the communities of Midland and Odessa by helping the West Texas Symphony provide educational programs and concerts to the West Texas Area.
The Odessa Symphony Guild is made up of members who volunteer their time and give financially to our community. We currently have 97 members of OSG who have served over 1,000 hours throughout the community this past year. The Odessa Symphony Guild Belles and Beaux are made up of 9th – 12th graders who have spent time ushering concerts, hosting receptions, serving musicians lunches, working the pre-concert dinner ‘Symphony Soundbites’, and attending concerts for the West Texas Symphony. The Belles and Beaux also put in numerous hours volunteering within the community at St. John’s Kooky Karnival, many local schools, Permian Orchestra, Hope House, Salvation Army, Ellen Noël Art Museum, Jesus House, Salvation Army, Odessa College and West Texas Food Bank.
The Odessa Symphony Guild is proud to continue investing even more in our local community. In addition to the financial support and hours given to the West Texas Symphony, the Odessa Symphony Guild will be awarding four scholarships to commendable high school seniors each year. The Guild will also be donating to various organizations around our community to help bring and keep the arts here in the Permian Basin. We are extremely excited to start the process of making this grant available. We look forward to coming along side these organizations to help build and better their programs to help keep the arts going strong in Odessa.
Our annual fundraiser, The Symphony Ball, will be held in February. This event is for all our Belles and Beaux and will honor our seniors who have served in the guild the past four years. We also celebrate the countless hours that our Freshman, Sophomores and Juniors have served. It is especially inspiring to see these students give of their time and observe these students strive to be leaders in our community. We invite you to join us for this great event.
I look forward to leading our wonderful organization that helps bring culture and talent to our community. Our city is a better place because of the wonderful volunteers of the Odessa Symphony Guild. We are excited to serve alongside the West Texas Symphony for the coming years.
Stephanie Wright 2024-2025 President Odessa Symphony Guild
GARY LEWIS | MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR
AMERICAN STORIES
SEPTEMBER 7, 2024
Ethan Blake, Cello
Cello Concerto in B minor | ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK
Symphony No. 1 | WILLIAM GRANT STILL
NOVEMBER 9, 2024
Dr. Andrew Cooperstock, Piano
Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks | RICHARD STRAUSS
Der Rosenkavalier Suite | RICHARD STRAUSS
Piano Concerto in A minor | EDVARD GRIEG
“DOVES & CROCODILES”
JANUARY 11, 2025
Chris Chance, Clarinet
Premiere Rhapsodie | CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Clarinet Concerto No. 1, Mvt. III | CARL MARIA VON WEBER
Symphony No. 2 | LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
THE RIOT RITE OF SPRING
APRIL 12, 2025
The Rite of Spring | IGOR STRAVINSKY
This concert will open with our third annual side-by-side performance with local Permian Basin students!
OCTOBER 5, 2024
Back by popular demand, we welcome the Mexican-American soprano, Barbara Padilla, whose on-stage presence and beautiful vocal prowess will captivate audiences of all musical tastes.
DECEMBER 7, 2024
Don’t miss West Texas’ timeless holiday tradition! Featuring your symphony orchestra, instrumental chamber ensembles, choral groups, and Santa Claus!
“THE PIANO SHOW FEATURING RHAPSODY IN BLUE ”
MARCH 1, 2025
The triple threat singer/pianist/songwriter, Tony DeSare, takes you on a journey that celebrates the timeless piano legends who have become the cornerstone of pop music!
MAY 17, 2025
You’ll believe a man can fly as Superman in Concert arrives in concert halls around the world, accompanied by the power of a full symphony orchestra performing John Williams’ triumphant original score live to picture!
SUPERMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics. © 2019 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
PERMIAN BASIN STRING QUARTET
SEPTEMBER 21, 2024 | 5:00PM
WEST TEXAS WINDS
OCTOBER 19, 2024 | 5:00PM
CHAMBER CHORALE
NOVEMBER 19, 2024 | 7:30PM
LONE STAR BRASS QUINTET
BASIN BRASS CHRISTMAS BONANZA
DECEMBER 17, 2024 | 7:30PM
ST. ANN’S CATHOLIC CHURCH MIDLAND
PERMIAN BASIN STRING QUARTET
JANUARY 25, 2025 | 5:00PM
CHAMBER CHORALE
FEBRUARY 8, 2025 | 5:00PM
WEST TEXAS WINDS
MARCH 22, 2025 | 5:00PM
LONE STAR BRASS MAY 3, 2025 | 5:00PM
Scheduled programs, dates, and individuals are subject to change.
Gary Lewis, Music Director & Conductor
Presents AMERICAN STORIES
Ethan Blake, Cello
Saturday, September 7, 2024
7:30 p.m.
Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center
THIS CONCERT IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY Ann & Ken Hankins, Jr. Diann & John McKee
AMERICAN STORIES
7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center
Gary Lewis, Conductor
Ethan Blake, Cello
Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104…………..…………………….............................…… Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvořák
b. September 8, 1841, in Nelahozeves, Czech Republic. d. May 1, 1904, in Prague, Czech Republic.
Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
Composed: Written in 1894 for the cellist Hanus Wihan, a friend of the composer. Premiered: London, England on March 19, 1896, with the English cellist Leo Stern as soloist.
I. Allegro
II. Adagio, ma non troppo
III. Finale: Allegro moderato—Andante—Allegro vivo
The Work in Context
• 1893: New Zealand is the first country to give women the right to vote in national elections.
• 1894: In the United States, the economy takes a turn for the worse as unemployment jumps to 18%. Dvořák writes his Cello Concerto.
• 1895: Wilhelm Roentgen develops X-ray technology.
• 1896: Utah becomes the 45th state, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto premieres.
Antonín Dvořák was born into a family of modest means in a small, unsophisticated Czech town. He studied violin and piano as a child. His parents, noticing his musical talent, sent him to the town of Zlonice to continue his education. He studied violin, piano, and organ, continuo playing, and music theory. He began his performing career by playing in string bands for dances and other social occasions. When the first Czech opera house opened in 1862, he became principal violinist. Dvořák wrote his earliest compositions while working as a violinist and teaching piano lessons. Bedřich Smetana, the pioneer of the Czech musical style and the conductor at the opera house, took an interest in Dvořák’s work and programmed some of his compositions. The German critic Louis Ehlert wrote an enthusiastic review of Dvořák’s first published work, a set of duets for two sopranos and piano. This review, combined with Johannes Brahms’ advocacy of his work solidified Dvořák’s place in the international art music culture. He went on to compose, teach and conduct across Europe and, famously, the United States, where he wrote his famous Symphony no. 9, From the New World.
In 1892, Dvořák moved his family to the United States to become the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City. He was paid the annual salary of $15,000 per year, which was a lavish salary in those days. The conservatory’s president and chief patron, Jeanette Thurber, ran a very progressive school for the time, allowing women and black students to study at the conservatory at a time when conservatory education was typically restricted to white men. Dvořák came to the United States hoping to discover American music. He wrote several articles about looking to Native American music and poetry and African American spirituals for a distinctly American style, the same way in which Dvořák had looked to Czech folk music to establish his own style. This project culminated with the composition of his Symphony No. 9, From the New World, one of the most beloved symphonies to American audiences.
Dvořák stayed in the United States until 1895, when homesickness and a partially unpaid salary caused him to move home with his family before the end of the spring term. It was during this last year in New York that he wrote Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104. Dvořák had resisted writing a cello concerto for years, saying that the cello was fine as an orchestral instrument, but not suited to being featured as a soloist. Inspired by his American colleague Victor Herbert who was writing a cello concerto at the time, Dvořák decided to give a cello concerto a try. He initially wrote the piece for his friend Hanus Wihan. Wihan suggested many
improvements to Dvořák, but the composer only accepted a few of the copious notes. Wihan performed the work privately for Dvořák but did not actually premiere it despite Dvořák’s requests. The London Symphony contracted Dvořák to conduct the work, but the dates did not work for Wihan, and the symphony would not let Dvořák out of the contract. Despite his embarrassment, Dvořák moved forward with the premiere and the English cellist Leo Stern gave the first performance.
The concerto is symphonic in scope, with a full brass section filling out the orchestra. This size orchestra presents challenges to the composer. The low brass are louder than the cello, and also play in the same lower register, so balance can be an issue. Dvořák skillfully avoided these pitfalls by writing the cello in dialogue with the orchestra rather than simply writing a display of virtuosity and by often using the cello in the high range to accompany and elaborate melodies in the orchestra. The first movement opens with the orchestra playing the two main themes of the movement, the first theme played by the clarinets and the second introduced by the solo horn. The second movement begins with the clarinets and oboes playing a gentle pastoral theme. The middle section of the movement suddenly and loudly moves into a minor key and the composer quotes “Leave Me Alone” from his Four Songs. The movement features a prominent horn trio and ends at a whisper. While the first two movements are melancholy, the third is exuberant and ends with a rousing orchestral forte. The piece was well received by audience and critics alike, with Johannes Brahms saying, “If I had known that it was possible to compose such a concerto for the cello, I would have tried it myself!”
William Grant Still
b. May 11, 1895. Woodville, Mississippi.
d. December 3, 1978. Los Angeles, California.
Symphony No. 1 “Afro-American”
Composed: Written in 1930 over a three-month period when Still was out of work. Premiered: The Rochester Symphony Orchestra in 1931.
I. Longing (Moderato Assai)
II. Sorrow (Adagio)
III. Humor (Animato)
IV. Aspiration (Lento, con risoluzione)
The Work in Context
• 1928: Disney premieres “Steamboat Willie,” The first Mickey Mouse cartoon which features sound-synchronized animation.
• 1929: The Dow Jones Industrial Average hits a new high of 381.17.
• 1930: 3M markets Scotch Tape.
• 1931: Nevada legalizes gambling, the Afro American Symphony premieres.
Often called “The Dean of African American Composers,” William Grant Still was a groundbreaking musician who stands as one of the great composers of the 20th century. He was the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra and the first to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra. Still was one of the major figures, and the leading classical musician, of the Harlem Renaissance.
William Grant Still was the son of two teachers, but his father passed away when young Still was only three months old. Upon her husband’s death, Still’s mother moved with him to Little Rock, Arkansas where she taught English for 33 years. William Grant Still’s stepfather helped Still develop his love of music. He graduated high school at sixteen and had already taught himself to play several instruments. He earned a Bachelor of Science (at the insistence
of his mother, who wanted him to be a doctor), but he was involved in music throughout his degree and went to graduate school at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Still served in the US Navy during WWI. After the war, he wrote arrangements for W.C. Handy and performed as an oboist. His early compositions were quite modernist, but he achieved a breakthrough when he took his teacher George Whitefield Chadwick’s advice and began to incorporate the sounds of African American music into his work.His best-known work was his first symphony, titled Afro-American, which was premiered in 1931. Using blues as a major musical source rather than spirituals, William Grant Still said that blues, “unlike many spirituals, do not exhibit the influence of Caucasian music.” Still moved to Los Angeles in 1934 to write music for movies and television. William Grant Still wrote a number of pieces that brought attention to the struggle for civil rights, such as And They Lynched Him On A Tree in 1940 and In Memoriam: The Colored Soldiers Who Died For Democracy in 1944. Still died in 1978 having made an indelible mark on American music and paving the way for generations of African American musicians.
William Grant Still began sketching the Afro-American Symphony as early as 1924 when he was playing in pit orchestras in Harlem at the start of the Harlem Renaissance. Still wanted to get more work done on the symphony, but he just didn’t have time. According to Still, “It was not until the Depression struck that I went jobless long enough to let the Symphony take shape. In 1930 I rented a room in a quiet building not far from my home in New York and began to work.” He worked quickly, with the piece coming together in just two months. Still not only saw the blues as pure and unique but also as filled with inherent dignity, and his work demonstrated that this uniquely American form was not out of place on the concert stage. The titles of the movements come from the composer’s sketchbook, where he was sketching melodies for an opera titled “Rashana” in 1924 which he never completed. Many of these melodies found their way into his symphony, written years later.
The symphony is in four movements and, unlike many works written at the time, is written using traditional tonalities with some unique harmonies coming from the blues. The first movement is written at a leisurely pace and is written over a very traditional 12-bar blues progression that would be right at home in a jazz club. The second movement, titled Sorrow, is written more in the style of a spiritual. The music is haunting and beautiful, and it fits the title very well. The third movement, Humor, is lively with a counter melody which sounds like Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm.” The movement carries an epigraph from the poem “An AnteBellum Sermon by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The final movement, titled Aspiration in Still’s sketchbook, begins with solemn, hymn-like music. The music becomes faster towards the end, and the final bars are quite forceful. The composer once again quotes Dunbar in his epigraph, this time with lines from “Ode to Ethiopia:”
Be proud, my Race, in mind and soul, Thy name is writ on Glory's scroll
In characters of fire.
High 'mid the clouds of Fame's bright sky, Thy banner's blazoned folds now fly, And truth shall lift them higher.
Program notes by Martin D. King
An active performer and teacher, Martin D. King is on the faculty of Washington State University, where he teaches horn and music education. Dr. King maintains a busy performance schedule, holding positions in three orchestras in Eastern Washington and touring with his quintet, the Pan Pacific Ensemble. For more information, please visit. www.martinking.music.com
Cellist Ethan Blake has played around the world for a variety of audiences. As a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician, Ethan has performed a wide variety of repertoire in venues across the United States, Italy, and Japan. He is a two-time fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival and School and has also received fellowships from the Colorado College Music Festival and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy He has also performed at festivals such as the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Innsbrook Institute, and Brevard Music Festival. Ethan was the first prize winner of the T. Gordon Parks Concerto Competition, the Pikes Peak Philharmonic Concerto Competition, and the University of Colorado Undergraduate Honors Competition, and was recently a prize winner at the Jefferson Symphony Young Artists Competition.
Before moving to Rochester, Ethan was an avid performer in the Front Range of Colorado and served as Assistant Principal Cello in the Boulder Philharmonic and as a member of the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared as principal cellist with ensembles such as the Fort Collins Symphony, the Greeley Philharmonic, and the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra, and has also performed with the Colorado Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, and the Alabama Symphony, where he was a One-Year member for their 2022-23 season. As a teacher, Ethan has served as a cello instructor at the Boulder Symphony Music Academy and as a Teaching Artist at El Sistema Colorado, along with working frequently with middle and high school cello sections around the area. He currently serves on the faculties of the ROCmusic Collaborative and the Eastman Community Music School.
A graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music, Ethan was a recipient of the Don & Maria Johnson Scholarship and Bixler Foundation Scholarship. His main teachers have included David Requiro, Alice Yoo, Matthew Zalkind, and Annemarie Dawson. Ethan is currently pursuing a Master’s of Music at the Eastman School of Music in the studio of David Ying. Outside of music, his other interests include cooking, basketball, and going on as many dog-walks as possible.
Gary Lewis, Music Director & Conductor
Presents
Barbara Padilla, Soprano
Saturday, October 5, 2024
7:30 p.m.
Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center
THIS CONCERT IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY
Bárbara Padilla is an award winning soprano that became a household name when she received outstanding reviews for her unforgettable performances on “America’s Got Talent (AGT),” achieving First Runner Up.
AGT judge, Piers Morgan stated that Bárbara’s performance was “The single greatest vocal performance we’ve ever had on America’s Got Talent…”
Ever since America’s Got Talent, Bárbara has enjoyed years of success performing with multiGrammy Award-winning professionals such as David Foster, Juan Gabriel, Raul Di Blasio, Fernando De La Mora, Chris Botti and many more. Bárbara toured with Juan Gabriel as his featured soloist for the last two years of his life.
Bárbara is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico and is a cancer survivor; stage four Hodgkin’s disease. She regularly gives her life testimony in speaking engagements and performs at cancer fundraiser events. Bárbara earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Guadalajara and masters degree from the University of Houston Moores School of Music.
Bárbara continues to perform with prestigious symphonies and top music industry elite. She gives motivational speaking conferences and appears regularly on a variety of programs via TV, radio, podcasts, and live on stage. For more information and to view Barbara’s upcoming appearances please visit her website at www.barbarapadilla.com.
Everything is made possible with your support. Creating locally produced programming and experiences for the Permian Basin.
BasinPBS.org 432-563-5728
is to enhance the quality of life in West Texas through professional music performances and music education.
Each year WTS reaches over 15,000 young people through a variety of music education programs designed to offer meaningful music experiences. Our goal is to foster a love for music starting at a young age. These programs include...
This special WTS symphony concert is performed annually for approximately 5,000 students at the world-class Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center. The musical programming is tailored to school age children! Students experience exciting melodies by great composers that engages them through repetitive rhythms, by expressing a particular feeling or idea, or by being recognizable and easy to sing.
Students attending MISD and ECISD elementary schools have the opportunity to experience a live chamber music concert in the comfort of their own school buildings.
WTS offers the greatly reduced ticket price of $12, at any seat, for all students!
Diann & John McKee
Kris L. Howard, M.D., P.A. Diplomate American Board of Dermatology
Dermatologic Surgery
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Morris Brooks · San Smith · Rob Boyd
Dr.
Saturday, November 9, 2024
7:30 p.m.
Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center
THIS CONCERT IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY
Richard Strauss
b. June 11, 1864, in Munich, Germany.
d. September 8, 1949, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany.
Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28
Composed: Written in 1894-1895, dedicated to his friend Arthur Seidl.
Premiered: May 6, 1895, by the Gurzenich Orchestra Cologne.
The Work in Context
• 1892: The Sierra Club is founded and fights shrinking the borders of Yosemite National Park.
• 1893: Colorado becomes the first state to give women the right to vote in state elections.
• 1894: Japan defeats a large and antiquated Chinese force in Manchu, China.
• 1895: China forced into concessions with Japan, Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks premieres.
Der Rosenkavalier Suite
Composed: The text was written in February 1909, with the music finished by May of the same year.
Premiered: January 26, 1911, in Dresden, Germany, conducted by Ernst von Schuch.
The Work in Context
• 1908: The New York Board of Education bans whipping in public school.
• 1909: The top speed at the Indy 500 was just under 60 miles per hour.
• 1910: China bans slavery after 3,000 years of the practice.
• 1911: Ernest Rutherford deduces the existence of the atomic nucleus, Der Rosenkavalier premieres in Dresden.
Richard Strauss was a prominent German composer and conductor at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Along with Gustav Mahler, Strauss represents the high of late German Romanticism. His music was considered cutting edge and avant-garde at
the beginning of his career, but by the time of his death, music had moved into atonal and 12-tone harmonies, so Strauss was considered a conservative reactionary.
Strauss was born in 1864 into a musical family. His father, Franz Strauss, was the principal horn in the Court Opera in Munich. Franz Strauss was one of the best horn players of his generation, and he wrote several pieces for horn that horn players still perform today. Richard Strauss began music lessons at the age of four and began composing at the age of six. His most important musical influence was his father, whose musical tastes were quite conservative. Young Strauss was brought up on the music of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. Franz oversaw Richard’s young career, and the amateur orchestra Franz conducted played some of Richard’s earliest works. He wrote his first horn concerto during this period in 1882. Strauss left Munich the following year, and his compositional star began to rise. The piece that first brought Strauss international acclaim was his groundbreaking tone poem Don Juan. After writing several more tone poems, Strauss wrote several successful operas including Salome, Elektra, and Der Rosenkavalier. In addition to his composition, Strauss was a musical celebrity as a conductor, travelling all over Europe and the Americas conducting orchestras and operas. Towards the end of his life, Strauss had to navigate how to be a musician in Nazi Germany. He became a member of the Nazi Party and has often been accused of collaborating. However, more recent historical scholarship has shown that many of his actions and apparent collaboration were aimed at protecting his Jewish daughter-in-law and his grandchildren. In 1948, a denazification tribunal in Munich cleared Strauss of wrongdoing during this tragic era.
Strauss’s career progressed in phases that corresponded to the genre of music that he wrote the most during that time. During the first mature phase of his compositional career, Strauss focused on the relatively new genre of the tone poem, also known as the symphonic poem. Tone poems share a few notable characteristics: they are most often in one movement, they seek to musically depict another work of art, such as a folktale, novel, or painting, and they aspire to inspire the listener to come to a deeper understanding of that original piece of art through the music. Liszt was an early adopter of this form, and it was popular through the late 1800s and into the first decades of the 1900s, when it eventually lost popularity as atonal music replaced this Romantic form. Strauss wrote his first tone poem, Aus Italien, when he was just 22, but his first major success in the genre was Don Juan, premiered in 1889. Critics and audiences raved about the work, and the response launched Richard Strauss into international fame. He wrote Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks five years later while serving as principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. Till Eulenspiegel was followed by Also sprach Zarathustra, Don Quixote, and Ein Heldenleben, all of which are monumental orchestral works that are still regularly performed.
Strauss wrote Till Eulenspiegel after the crushing failure of his first attempt at opera, Guntram. His choice of subject matter is interesting given the timing. The character Till Eulenspiegel was a trickster from German folklore who played practical jokes on those in power to expose their vices. Strauss may have chosen this topic to express his annoyance at the German musical culture who had thoroughly rejected his first opera. The work opens with the Till Eulenspiegel theme in the horn. The main motive of the theme is 7 beats long, but the music is written for six beats per measure. This is just the first example of the way that the character of the trickster is infused through the whole piece. The second theme is a languid melody in the clarinet that is suggestive of laughter. The whole piece continues in this evocative manner, telling the story of Till Eulenspiegel riding a
horse through the market, flirting and getting rejected, dressing up as a clergyman, and finally being marched to the scaffold. The whole piece is a tour de force in text painting: the use of musical sounds to depict non-musical ideas. Strauss expertly transformed the initial two themes repeatedly to show the audience all these different scenes, which is why the piece is still beloved to this day.
In the first decade of the 1900s, Strauss turned his attention back to opera after his initial failure with Guntram. He was conducting opera at the time in Germany and the United States. His third opera, Salome, was his first successful opera and brought Strauss to a whole new level of fame. The work, based on an Oscar Wilde play of the same name, tells the story of King Herod’s stepdaughter Salome who, after failing to seduce John the Baptist, dances for her stepfather and, when promised anything she wants in return, asks for the head of John, a request which is indulged. The opera was written with continuous music and heavy use of the leitmotif, a short melody which depicts a specific character, idea, or event. Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) was Strauss’s fifth opera. The work is a comic opera in three acts and is unique in that it features a female protagonist, and three of the four main characters are women. As is the case with many comic operas, the plot tells the story of star-crossed lovers caught in comic circumstances, however, this work also deals with more serious themes as well, such as infidelity, aging, and selflessness in love. The opera was well received, with all the initial performances selling out immediately. The opera has been continuously performed up unto the present day.
In 1945, Strauss consented to allow the Rosenkavalier Suite to be published, but there is significant evidence that this was the extent of his involvement with this version. It is likely that the conductor Artur Rodzinski created the arrangement, and this hypothesis is strengthened by the fact that Rodzinski conducted the premiere in October 1944 with the New York Philharmonic. The suite opens with the orchestral prelude of the opera, then moves into the love theme played by the oboe and the horn. The latter part of the work is mostly comprised of waltzes from the opera. The waltz was considered outdated by this time, but Strauss used this form brilliantly to refer to the grace and elegance of a time the listener may have remembered. The suite is a beautiful summation of some of the best moments of the opera, and like Till Eulenspiegel and many of Strauss’s other works, remains popular to this day.
Edvard Grieg
b. June 15, 1843. Bergen, Norway.
d. September 4, 1907. Bergen, Norway.
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
I. Allegro molto moderato
II. Adagio
III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato
Composed: Written in 1868 in Sollerod Denmark, where the composer traveled to benefit from the climate.
Premiered: April 3, 1869, in Copenhagen, Denmark, with Edmund Neupert as the soloist and Holger Simon Paulli conducting.
• 1866: The American SPCA is founded.
• 1897: Tsar Alexander II sells Alaska to the United States.
• 1868: The US Ratifies the 14th Amendment, which overturns Dred Scott and entitles all US Citizens to equal protection under the law.
• 1869: The US Transcontinental Railroad is completed in Promentory, Utah. Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor premieres.
Edvard Grieg is the most celebrated person from the city of Bergen, the second-largest city in Norway. He is one of the prominent romantic composers and is the foremost composer from Norway who helped that country develop a national identity. Grieg’s family was well connected and musical, so he never lacked for good instruction. He studied at several excellent schools in Norway and left Norway at the age of 15 to study in the Leipzig Conservatory. When he was 17, Grieg survived tuberculosis, but he was in ill health for most of the rest of his life and often spent time in sanatoria both in Norway and abroad. He first rose to musical success as a concert pianist. During the 1860s, Grieg spent time in Copenhagen and Oslo performing and composing. Through the next several decades, he continued to compose and travel. The Norwegian government, considering his service developing a national style, provided Grieg with a pension when he reached retirement age. Although he traveled widely, Grieg retired to Bergen and passed away in the Municipal Hospital in his hometown.
Grieg composed the Piano Concerto in A minor on one of his many trips to Copenhagen. The composer was working to develop a Norwegian national identity in music, but he didn’t want to simply quote folk music. Instead, the music uses some of the melodic contours of folk music of his native Norway without direct quotation. In the final movement, he used rhythms similar to those found in Norwegian folk and fiddle tunes, but again, without direct quotation. Grieg, a celebrated pianist, planned to be the soloist for the premiere, but commitments to an orchestra in Oslo kept him from even attending the premiere. The work was well received and is one of the most widely performed piano concertos in the repertoire. Grieg never completed another concerto, although he did start a second piano concerto in 1882, but he never completed the work.
The first movement opens with playful descending figures in the piano giving way to a beautiful lyrical melody in the cellos. Wind soloists are featured prominently in the middle of the movement. The second movement is an intimate slow movement that is stunningly beautiful and demonstrates Grieg’s aptitude as a composer of chamber music. The third movement features the piano most prominently with its folk-like, rhythmically driven music. The middle of the movement features the solo flute before the piano returns and leads to a rousing conclusion that features the full power of both the orchestra and the piano.
Program notes by Martin D. King
An active performer and teacher, Martin D. King is on the faculty of Washington State University, where he teaches horn and music education. Dr. King is an active performer, holding positions in three orchestras in Eastern Washington and touring with his quintet, the Pan Pacific Ensemble. For more information, please visit. www.martinking.music.com
Pianist Andrew Cooperstock performs widely as soloist and chamber musician and has appeared throughout six continents and in most of the fifty states, including performances at New York's Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the United Nations; at the Chautauqua, Brevard, and Round Top music festivals, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, and Hong Kong’s Hell Hot! New Music Festival, and on National Public Radio, Radio France, and the British Broadcasting Corporation. With violinist William Terwilliger, as Opus Two, he has recorded a series of critically acclaimed single-composer discs of American music by Aaron Copland, Paul Schoenfield, George Gershwin, and Stephen Sondheim, among others, and his recording Leonard Bernstein: Complete Solo Works for Piano (Bridge Records and Deutsche Grammophon) was lauded by Gramophone as “winning” and “brilliant.” A Steinway artist, he was recently inducted into the Steinway Piano Music Teachers Hall of Fame. Dr. Cooperstock has served as Program Director of the Saarburg International Music Festival (Germany), faculty member at Adamant Music School, Brevard Music Center, and Round Top Festival-Institute, and is Professor of Piano at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he received the 2020 Boulder Faculty Assembly Excellence Award in Teaching and Pedagogy.
Gary Lewis, Music Director & Conductor
Saturday, December 7, 2024
7:30 p.m.
Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center
Don’t miss West Texas’ timeless holiday tradition! Featuring your symphony orchestra, instrumental ensembles, choral groups, and Santa Claus!
THIS CONCERT IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY Claire & Jim Woodcock
West Texas Symphony BOARD OF DIRECTORS proudly supports our musicians and staff. Congrats on 62 seasons of enriching lives through music!
$5,000
Midland Symphony Guild & Odessa Symphony Guild
Community National Bank
Diann & John McKee
Claire & Jim Woodcock
Brazos Door & Hardware
Cotton Bledsoe Tighe & Dawson P.C.
Plains All American Pipeline, LP
Martha & Paul Crump
Ann Parish & Betty Ann Prentice
$2,500
Aghorn Energy
Big Smiles Ranch
City of Odessa
H.E.B
Dee Anna Arellano EXP Realty & Steven Palma, Right At Home Midland
Gretchen Bell In Memory of Frank Bell
Mary Dawson
Denise & Thomas W. Elrod
Ann & Ken Hankins, Jr.
Kool Katz Air Conditioning & Heating and Permian Basin Radio LLC
West Texas Symphony Board of Directors
Andrew Hernandez State Farm Agent
Ernie Angelo
Jeannine & Robin Donnelly
Maridell Fryar
Carolina & Ronny Keith
Diann & John McKee
Ann Parish & Betty Ann Prentice
Since 1989, Permian Basin Area Foundation has served as this region’s community foundation. The Foundation partners with generous donors to leave a lasting impact in communities throughout a multi-county region of West Texas. Permian Basin Area Foundation builds permanent endowments to respond to emerging and changing needs, and to sustain existing nonprofit organizations in the fields of education, arts and culture, health, social services, community development, and civic affairs.
Because decisions about charitable giving are personal, PBAF is pleased to work with your professional advisor(s) in customizing a plan that reflects your interests and passions.
Create a philanthropic plan
Increase the impact of giving in your community
Create a charitable legacy
People who care. Causes that matter.
West Texas Symphony is pleased to acknowledge the generosity of those who place a high value on the presence of live symphonic, chamber, and choral music in West Texas. Through their monetary commitment and other unique forms of support, they enable us to fulfill our mission of enriching lives through music for a 62nd season!
Listed below are the gifts and pledges for the 2024-2025 season as of July 20, 2024.
PLATINUM BATON SOCIETY ($10,000+)
J.C. Ferguson Foundation
Midland Symphony Guild
Odessa Symphony Guild
GOLDEN BATON SOCIETY ($5,000+)
Mary Lou Cassidy
SILVER BATON SOCIETY ($2,500+)
2W Whatley Ranch
Michael & Dana Ashton & Mr. Marc Capellini
Jessica & Heath Bexley
Kay Bird
Drs. Roberta & Richard Case
Martha & Paul Crump
Julia Edwards
Mary Kennedy
Dr. Ed & Suzanne Rathbun
Richard Sivalls
Nancy & John Stout
Rosemary & Max Wright
FORTISSIMO ($1,000+)
Cliffy & Barry Beal
Rebecca Bell
Tony Blakely
Peggy Cowan
Paul & Betty Rae Davis
Mary Anne & Bill Dingus
Beverly & Gene Drummond
Maridell Fryar
Rosalind Redfern Grover
Ann & Ken Hankins, Jr.
Dr. Kris & Cheri Howard
Mary & Nam Kim
Diann & John McKee
Doris Casey Mason
Lee Miller
SFORZANDO ($750+)
Sarah & David Lauritzen
Floyd & Kathy Rountree
Jacy & Garret Watkins
FORTE ($500+)
Ernie Angelo
Gayle & Michael Banschbach
Jim & Laurie Brannigan
Mary Dawson
Paul Feit
Kevin Harrington
Cressinda Hyatt
Betty Ann Prentice
Ruth & Bob Price
Juandelle Lacy Roberts
Young & Aaron Whiting
Mary Ann Woodard
MEZZO FORTE ($250+)
Tierra Company/Bill Musar
Kathryn & Gabriel Almendarez
Mary Blain
Jeff & Lou Nelle George
Patty & Tevis Herd
Angie King Hurt
Lynn Mashburn
Megan & Paul Pausé
Dr. Tulsi & Claudette Singh
Violet & Mark Singh
CRESCENDO ($125+)
Sophie Edwards
Leslie English
Judith Hayes
Anne & Jont Tyson
Deeann & Richard Werner
PIANO (BELOW $125)
Julie Andreopulos
Dee Anna & Johnny Arellano
Julie & Pat Canty
Jeannine & Robin Donnelly
Barney Dishron
Ralph Remsburg
Dan & Crystal Romero
Bartley Wilson
Established in 1992 to help provide a financial cushion when economic activity in the Basin declines, the WTS Endowment Fund currently accounts for about 6% of the annual budget. As you consult with your tax advisor, financial planner, or attorney, please consider West Texas Symphony as a beneficiary of your planned giving or of your estate. Your legacy will continue to Enrich Lives Through Music for generations to come.
For further details on how you can play your part in assuring that WTS concerts and programs continue well into the future, please contact:
Singh, Development Director 432-563-0921 or development@wtxs.org
For over 60 seasons, the music of West Texas Symphony has not just endured, but grown. What a testament to residents of this community and their determination to include live symphony, chamber, and choral music as part of the cultural landscape of West Texas!
By donating to the WTS Endowment Fund, you join generous contributors whose gifts immediately work to provide critical funding for the quality programming WTS offers season after season, now and into the future.
For further details on how you can play your part to assure that WTS continues to Enrich Lives Through Music well into the future, please contact Violet Singh, Development Director at 432-563-0921.
Mrs. Keleen Beal
Millennium Club
($25,000+)
MEMORIALS:
Walter Osadchuk
Dr. & Mrs. Michael S. Miller
Mary June Rasmussen
Mr. Kenneth Anderson & Anne Acreman, MD
Anonymous
Karen & Spencer Beal
Davidson Family Charities
Estate of Dollie Neal Ballenger
Mary de Compiegne
Estate of Lewis Merle O’neal
Estate of Mary Louise Gilmour
Rosalind Redfern Grover
William Randolph Hearst
Endowment for Music Education
Midland Symphony Guild
MOSC Board of Directors
Harvey & Harriet Herd
John & Doris Mason
Estate of Alice B. Moxey
David Austin Stephens
Beethoven Society
($10,000-$24,999)
MEMORIALS
Justin Andrew Fregia
Martha Fregia
Charles Tracy Sivalls
Mrs. C.T. Sivalls
In Honor of Ruth McFarland
Midland Symphony Guild
Estate of Mary Harrington
Mr. & Mrs. Louis Rochester
Anonymous (2)
Nancy & Buddy Anguish
Drs. Terry & Elvira Burns
Dr. & Mrs. J. Terry Carpenter
Mr. & Mrs. Nance G. Creager
Marion E. Luper, Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. William L. McGavran III
Beverly Pevehouse
Mr. & Mrs. T.G. Roden
Mr. & Mrs. Earl Rodman
Mozart Society
($5,000-$9,999)
In Honor of Ted Hale
Anonymous
MEMORIALS:
Nelson Allison
Marion E. Luper, Jr.
Jared A. Barlage
Marion E. Luper, Jr.
Roy E. Campbell
Mrs. Viola Campbell
HONORARIUMS:
Ted Hale
Anonymous
Michael J. Santorelli
Modesta and Clayton Williams
J.C. Ferguson Foundation
The Midland Musicians Club
Drs. Richard & Roberta Case
Mr. & Mrs. Robert H. Cole
Roger B. Corzine
Dr. & Mrs. Bart Mayron
Phil & Susan Parker
Mr. & Mrs. C. Richard Sivalls
Mr. & Mrs. George S. Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Mark D. Wilson
Bach Society
($1,000-$4,999)
MEMORIALS:
Anne K. Anson
Robert D. Anson
Robert D. Anson
Drs. Richard & Roberta Case
Tyler T. Burns
Bobby & Denise Burns
Johnny “Cactus Jack” Dowdle
Nash Dowdle
Marguerite W. Davis
Ludie & Eben Warner
John M. Grimland, Jr.
Mrs. John M. Grimland, Jr
Neal H. Johnson
Berniece Johnson
Vera Osadchuk
Bea & Bob Angevine
Walter Osadchuk
Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Covington
Josh H. Parr
Anne & Jim McLaughlin
Victoria Parr Ehrlich
Mary June Rasmussen
Dr. & Mrs. Terry Unruh
Fred A. Stout, Jr.
Kathlene N. Stout
Martha Tompkins
Dianne & Mark Tompkins
Bob Winkler & Clayton Taylor Winkler
Carolyn Winkler
HONORARIUMS:
Dorothy Davis
Dr. & Mrs. Terry Unruh
Rino Irving
Mary Lou Cassidy
Michael J. Santorelli
Penny and Ernest Angelo
Carole V. Warren
Shari Santorelli
Penny and Ernest Angelo
Betty Rae and Paul Davis
The MOSC Chorale
Carole V. Warren
Estate of Joyce Ann Bradley
ExxonMobil Foundation
Marshall & Winston. Inc.
Mobil Foundation, Inc.
Shinn Industrial Sales/Barbara & Don Shinn
TXU Electric
The Midland Musicians Club
Anonymous (3)
Nelson Allison
Dollie Neal Ballenger
Dr. & Mrs. John E. Bauman
Karen & Spencer Beal
Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Boothe
Mrs. M.O. Boring, Jr.
David and Vicki Brown
Bob & Julia Chandler
Mr. & Mrs. K. Michael Conaway
Paul & Martha Crump
Betty & Albert Dale
Mr. & Mrs. Roy H. Davidson
Mary & Henri de Compiegne
Kimberly B. Dollens
Betty & Don Ewan
Celeste Fasken
Frances Gilliland
Elizabeth A. Greaves
Elizabeth Harvey
Karl & Cathy Herzog
Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd Innerarity
Mrs. Stan Jacobs
Mr. & Mrs. Bob L. Jones
Marian & Charles E. Jones
V. Wayne & Joann Jones
Dr. & Mrs. Nam Kim
Mr. & Mrs. James W. Lacy
Dr. Ron Larson & Pat Paxton Larson
Stephanie Latimer
Jane C. Lea
Robert M. & Prudie Leibrock
Scott W. Long
LaNelle McBee
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen McHaney
Rusty & Alyson McInturff
Mr. & Mrs. James D. McLaughlin
Walter & E. Grace Osadchuk
Dr. E. Grace Osadchuk
Mr. & Mrs. Josh H. Parr
Dr. & Mrs. Jess Parrish
Margaret L. Peer
Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Perry
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Pollard
Mike and Sue Potter
Mr. & Mrs. Robert R. Rice
Mr. & Mrs. A.W. Rutter, Jr.
Rick & Debbie Schneider
Violet & Mark Singh
Dr. Roger M. Traxel
Bill & Patti Watson
Harold & Jacquelyn Williams
Rachel & Ethan Wills
Jane Wolf
Mr. & Mrs. Max Wright
Contributors (Up to $999)
HONORARIUMS:
Bea Angevine
Jane & Don Samples
Katherine Bash & Duncan
Kennedy
Harriet A. & Gene Motter
Jack “Dug” Belcher
Dortha & Ronald Bennett
Dortha & Ronald Bennett
& Barbara Shinn
Ms. Judy DeWees
Brad Bullock
MOSC Board of Directors
Eddie Montoya
Marin & Ashlin Bullock
Brad & Crista Bullock
Chris Chance
Pamela Howell
Carol Chandler
MOSC Board of Directors
Jo Ann Collett
The Midland Musicians Club
Kimberly Corman
Janet Williams Pollard
Ann Countryman
Larry & Gwen Roberts
Mrs. D. Pat Darden
Betty M. Scott
Mary Dawson
The Contemporary Study Club
Mary Dawson & Joseph
Meyer
Susan South
Gary Edmiston
Employees of Security State Bank
Karen Elliott
Jane Wolf
Trisha Faubion
Karen Watson
Maridell Fryar
Bea Angevine
Jane & Don Samples
Sue Solari
Louise M. Garay
Bill & Mary Garay
Luis de la Garza, III
Pamela Howell
Richelle Gengler
The Midland Musicians Club
Dr. Ted Hale
Anonymous
Carol, John & Caroline Deats
Edith C. Hardy
The Midland Musicians Club
Lee Harley
Flo White
Sharon Hickox
Mark & Janet Krause
Dr. Thomas A &
Anne B. Hyde
Violet and Mark Singh
Rino Irving
Ann Parish
Betty Ann Prentice
Violet & Mark Singh
Jane Wolf
Peggy C. Jones
The Midland Musicians Club
Abigail Kauffman
Mary Macferran
Carolina Keith
MOSC Board of Directors
Jeannette Kolokoff
MOSC Board of Directors
Crystal Romero
Ann Parish
Betty Ann Prentice
LaDoyce Lambert
MOSC Board of Directors
David Lauritzen
MOSC Board of Directors
Martha Lewis
The Midland Musicians Club
Karen McAfee
Carole Symonette
John and Melissa Madura
Violet and Mark Singh
Reba McHaney
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen H. Parker
Tim Young & Sharon Hickox
Edward McPherson
Jeannette & Mark Kolokoff
Charles & Brenda Nail
Bill Harden
Vera Osadchuk
The Midland Musicians Club
Dr. Henry Page
The Midland Musicians Club
Mr. & Mrs. Walter Pope
Midland Symphony Guild
Richy Puga
Jennifer & John C. Harper
Gregory Pysh
Chapter Gd P.E.O.
Connie May
Russell J. Ramsland
Midland Symphony Guild
Jay Reynolds
MOSC Board of Directors
Red & Juandelle
Lacy-Roberts
Violet & Mark Singh
Elizabeth Roweck
The Midland Musicians Club
Jane Samples
Bea Angevine
Michael J. Santorelli
Violet and Mark Singh
Janet Stafford
Carol Symonette
Shari Santorelli
Craig and Doris Anderson
Connie May
Violet and Mark Singh
Janet Stafford
Carol Symonette
Cliff & Joyce Sherrod
Violet & Mark Singh
Violet Singh
Alynda Best
Joanie Holt
Rev. Jon & Dale Stasney
The Midland Musicians Club
Sue Smith & Jim Huddleston
Alathea & Jim Blischke
Violet and Mark Singh
Sue Solari
Jane & Don Samples
Mark & Jeannette Kolokoff
Bill & Mary Garay
Herb and Pat Stanley
Violet and Mark Singh
Cindy Walton
Amy A. Walton
Jane Wolf
Memorial Christian Church
Billy T. Schulze
Beverly Wise
The Midland Musicians Club
Gene & JoAnn Wyatt
Risa Brown
MEMORIALS
Nelson Allison
Michael & Dana Ashton
Bob & Kay Bivens
Karl & Cathy Herzog
Joan McCown
Sue & Buddy McDonald
Violet & Mark Singh
Dr. & Mrs. Steve Wiehle
Anne Anson
Mr. & Mrs. Kevin D. Durham
Arlen Edgar
Betty & Clem George
Robert D. Anson
Thomas K. Anson
Ms. Francene Breckenridge
Edith Libson
Andrew W. Austin & Cynthia K.
Stewart
Carol Ann Wilkinson Bascom
Jane Wolf
Eldon Basney
Midland Symphony Guild
Ms. Beverly K. Cunningham
Dr. E. Grace Osadchuk
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Tandy
Frank Bell
Betty Ann Prentice
Emma Burnett
Violet and Mark Singh
Jane Wolf
Jack E. Brown
Jeannette and Mark Kolokoff
Warren Burnett
Paula & Ruff Ahders
Ms. Judy DeWees
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Leeton
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Tandy
Jane Wolf
Anne Caldwell
Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Jones
Clarence E. Cardwell, Jr.
Eric Leibrock
Mrs. Ethel Chapman
Truman & Doreen McCreless
Viola Campbell
The Midland Musicians Club
J. Dan Carpenter
Alan and Susan Leshnower
Marcella Christensen
Katherine Grella
Doris Cooper
Cowan Hill Bond Agency
Mullis Newby Hurst
Ronald Bennett
Howard Cowan
Janet Hayes
Bob & Pam Leibrock
Violet & Mark Singh
Mary Nixon Tighe
Dorothy Croft
Caroline Ater Howard
Chancy & Toni Croft
Barbara Davis
Alan & Susan Leshnower
Mary McKeown Davis
Pat & Herb Stanley
Lynn Davis
LaDoyce Lambert
Perry Davis
Melissa Burnett & Wayne Warren
Jean Grisham Dean
Jeff & Lou Nelle George
Opal Dobbs
Ludie & Eben Warner
Gretchen Estes
The Midland Musicians Club
Marie Finical
Chris Newman
John Foster
Kay & Robert Bivens
Kathleen Freeman
Lyn Fishman
Maridell Fryar
Ann Parish
Betty Ann Prentice
Fay Griffin
Betty & Stuart Awbrey
Betty Louise Gulledge
Lou Nelle & Jeff George
Martha Savage
Marshall C. Gulledge
Marilyn J. Craig
Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Neill
Frankie Simmons
Mary Harrington
Odessa Council for the Arts & Humanities
Odessa Symphony Guild
Nancy Anguish
Karen & Spencer Beal
Bobby & Denise Burns
Emma H. Burnett
Melissa Burnett & Wayne Warren
Karl & Cathy Herzog
Tim Young & Sharon Hickox
Melissa Hirsch
Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Jones
Charles Milby Hartwell
Barbara Hartwell
Mayor Dan Hemphill
Melissa Burnett & Wayne Warren
Harriet Herd
Midland Symphony Guild
Alathea & Jim Blische
Jeannine Donnelly
Kenneth Herrick
Elizabeth & Preston Black
Myrna Herrick
The Preston Black Family
Mayor Bill Hext
Bobby & Denise Burns
Jacque Nell Hunder Holland
Marc and Kay Maddox
Dr. Thomas Hohstadt
Jane Wolf
Rose Ann Houghton
Joanie Holt
Robert Hudson
Jane Wolf
Billie Hunt
Pam & Bob Leibrock
Pat Innerarity
Jim & Barbara Clack
Mary B. Kennedy
Rebecca Sawyer
Janet & Paul St.Hilaire
Dr. Thomas A. Hyde
The Midland Musicians Club
Neal Johnson
Ms. Judy DeWees
Marian Jones
Bob & Nancy Dott
Betty & Harvey Dunn
Alan & Susan Leshnower
Sally McGuffey
Esther D. Bird
Jane Knox
Jeannette & Mark Kolokoff
LaDoyce Lambert
Phyllis Kvasnicka
Beverly Muire & Family
Dick Lambert
LaDoyce and Gloria Lambert
Gloria Lambert
Barry and Mary Beck
Jeannette and Mark Kolokoff
Lynn Mashburn
Violet and Mark Singh
Jane Wolf
LaDoyce Lambert
Martha & Paul Crump
Lynn Mashburn
Margaret Purvis
Jane Wolf
Merceda Layton
Audrey Chartier
Katherine Leeton Fowler
Melissa Burnett & Wayne Warren
Ed Leps
Audra & J.D. Whatley
Katherine Linehan
Mr. & Mrs. W.R. Berger
Mr. & Mrs. Jack E. Blake
Alva D. Butler
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Cahoon
Elinore
Chase
Harvey & Harriet Herd
Patty & Tevis Herd
Sue Houghton
Dan M.Leonard
Jan & Bill Setzler
Mrs. E.M. Seydell
Barnie Snure
Mrs. George Lovett
Audrey Chartier
Geraldine MacCabe Chastain
Jheri Fleet
Marjorie Sue McLelland
Emma H. Burnett
Maurice “Mo” Martel
W.M. Champion
Sammie K. Rogers
Mary Elizabeth Newman
Carole Symonette
Grace Osadchuk
Jan Artley,
Jane Samples, Patty Smith,
Lucinda Windsor, Maridell Fryar
Melissa Burnett & Wayne Warren
Mr. & Mrs. D. N. Ewan
Chris & Fred Newman
Rebecca Sawyer
Schatzie & Charlie Tighe
Vera Osadchuk
Rino Irving
Pam & Bob Leibrock
Lynch Chappel Alsup
Ed Magruder
Suzanne Martin
Bill & Sheila Morrow
Violet & Mark Singh
Sue Solari
Bill Stella
Jan & Paul St.Hilaire
The Midland Musicians Club
Jane Wolf
Walter Osadchuk
Vera Osadchuk
Barbara Parr
Anonymous
Rebecca Atwood
Victoria Ehrlich
Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Jones
Josh H. Parr
Anonymous
Rebecca Atwood
Mrs. Coy Best
Victoria Ehrlich
Delia Griffin
V. Wayne & Joann Jones
Mr. & Mrs. James D. McLaughlin
John O’Hern
Dr. Jess Parrish
Kay and Bob Bivens
Harold Rasco
Audrey Chartier
Victor Rede
Melissa Burnett & Wayne Warren
Charles H. Rentz
Mary Rentz
Charles Roberts
Mr. & Mrs. George F. Harley
Betty Lloyd Ross
Frank & Getchen Bell
Rebecca Bell
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Cahoon
Ms. Sarah C. Hardwick
Dr. & Mrs. Charles Simmons
Violet and Mark Singh
Russell F. Sanders
Emma H. Burnett
Sue Bob Smith
Drs. Roberta & Richard Case
Jeannette Kolokoff
Elizabeth Prentice
Violet and Mark Singh
Junia Stoddard
Helen Parsons Adhers
Sally Stella
Chris Newman
David Austin Stephens
Davis, Gerald & Cremer
Stubbeman, McRae, Sealy, Laughlin & Browder
Mary Lou Cassidy
Permian Basin
Landmen’s Association
Violet & Mark Singh
Nan & Alan Zeman
Deane Stoltz & Susan Stoltz Tirey
Kay & Robert Bivens
Emma H. Burnett
Wanda Campbell
Kathleen Stout
Midland Symphony Guild
Twentieth Century Study Club
Capt. & Mrs. William E. Clark
Berniece Johnson
Charlene Shults
Kay & Robert Bivens
Ronald Thomas
Ann Parish
Violet Singh
Sheila Thompson
The Midland Musicians Club
Naomi Tillett
Mary & Barry Beck
Alva D. Butler
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Cahoon
Elinore Chase
Capt. & Mrs. William E. Clark
David & Sarah Lew Grimes
Sue & Ted Kerr
LaDoyce & Gloria Lambert
Mary Ann McRae
Mr. Mrs. Charles L.Tighe
Earl Van Stavern
Midland Symphony Guild
Thomas Welch
Schatzie & Charles Tighe
Bill J. Whitfield
Dee Griffin
Rita Williams
Ronald & Dortha J. Bennett
Berniece Johnson
Dr. & Mrs. Paul H. Johnson
AT&T Foundation
The Bosworth Company
Chapter Gd P.E.O.
The Midland Musicians Club
Tierra Company / Bill Musar
Stanton Music Club
Twentieth Century Study Club
Anonymous (4)
Dr. & Mrs. Clayton Alred
Jim & Sandra Alsup
Mr. & Mrs. George Alther
Mr. & Mrs. John F. Armstrong
Joyce R. Barthelemy
Cliffy & Barry Beal
Helen B. Beal
Chrys & Kelly Beal
Cheryl Becker
Frank & Gretchen Bell
Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Bellows
Virginia Berry
Elizabeth & Herb Blankinship
Berry & Jane Breining
Ken & Cathy Burgess
Mr. & Mrs. William C. Bynum
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Cahoon
Mr. & Mrs. Jack C. Cartwright
Edward & Cassandra Cheek
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Clifton
Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Cooke
Margaret Cowden
Enid W. Davis
Tom & Dorothy Davis
Bill & Mary Anne Dingus
Mary Margaret Donelson
Mr. & Mrs. Lynn D. Durham, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Curtis Erwin, Jr.
Paul Feit
Iris & John Foster
Mr. & Mrs. Robert H. Frazer
Jeff & Lou Nelle George
Richard D. & Iola Gillham
Dan Green
Sarah & David Grimes
Mr. & Mrs. M.C. Gulledge, Jr.
Barbara Hales
Mr. & Mrs. Robert H. Halpert
Billie C. Halstead
Mrs. Thornton Hardie
Phil & Judy Hayes
Patty & Tevis Herd
Dr. & Mrs. William M. Hibbitts
Melissa Hirsch
Brittie N. Holster
Dr. Jim Huddleston & Sue Smith
Dr. & Mrs. James Humphreys
Patricia & Leon Jeffcoat
Barbara J.H. Johnson
Maureen Johnson & Todd Torczon
Jo Ann Jonsson
Al & Elayne Karickhoff
Sherry Keisling
Niran E. Kellogg
Lee & Bob Kennedy
Mary B. Kennedy
Mr. & Mrs. William D. Kleine
Jane Knox
Sarah & David Lauritzen
Pam & Bob Leibrock
Edith H. Libson
Buddy & Anita Lintzen
Mr. & Mrs. J.K. Lytle
Beverly Martin
James H. Miller, D.D.S.
Darla V. Mueller
Kelvie Williams Muhlbauer
Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Nail
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Nelson
Mr. & Mrs. Fred Newman
James & Jerri Nickel
Ann Parish
Steve & Diane Parker
Bill Peyton
Rod & Jane Phares
Margaret & James H. Purvis
Jane B. Ramsland
Randee and Jack Rathbone
Lynn Renaud
Jane & Ray Riddle
Mary G. Ritchie
Mr. & Mrs. Larry J. Roberts
Mr. & Mrs. Hal Roegner
Mrs. Donald A. Ross
Rita Rusnak
Dee Ann & Jeff Salehi
Rebecca Sawyer
Lisa and Geoffrey Schaffer-Harris
Mrs. Suzanne Seright
James & Alison Small
Sally & Bill Stella
Harley R. Stimmel
Mary & Paul Summersgill
John & Barbara Swart
Mr. & Mrs. Phillip Szenasi
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Tandy
John J. Taylor
Mr. & Mrs. L.B. Terrell
Mr. & Mrs. Charles L. Tighe
William A. Townsend
Julia E. Vaughan
Mary Edith Waddell
Orin Wade
Mr. & Mrs. Edward Wallace
Rev. & Mrs. Robert Walter
Jenna H. Welch
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Werner
Jann & Dr. Stephen Wiesenfeld
Mike Willson
Musiclightsup our lives!
Proud supporters of the West Texas Symphony
N-Tune Music and Sound is dedicated to the music community. We provide band and orchestra instruments, guitars, amps, keyboards and sound systems to meet all of your musical needs. N-Tune Music is a locally owned, nationally know music store that is recognized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) as a global Top 100 Dealer in the retail music industry. Play With Confidence!
Enriching Lives Through Music
Electrical Service/Panel Upgrades
Electrical Troubleshooting & Repairs
Generator Installations
Swimming Pool Lights
Grounding & Bonding
LED Fixture Installations
Code Corrections & Updates
Electric Vehicle Charger Installations
Dedicated Circuits
Low-Voltage Wiring
Landscape Lighting
Pole Light Installations
Security Lighting Surge Protection
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