Letter from the Department
Welcome to this concert presentation by the Music Program in the Department of Performing Arts. We are delighted to have the wonderful support of great families and friends. A very special welcome goes out to our visitors from the community who may not have any affiliation to our students, and simply come to hear spectacular musical performances by these talented student musicians. We hope everyone in our audience is pleased with the musical selections; and proud of the achievement of the students involved.
The students you will hear at this performance are not music majors. They do this for their love of music and dedicate their time and energy to cultivating their passion for this art form. They are as dedicated to their studies and career pursuits as they are to this intrinsic passion they have within them. The program is fortunate to have a bounty of students with this yearning. We would not exist without them!
The Music Program and Department of Performing Arts is dedicated to providing robust opportunities in the performing arts while students are at Drexel. Our goal is to provide a positive and supportive environment for our students. It is our hope that students and audiences alike feel they are represented in the selections being performed. The human connection is most important to us all.
Thank you for attending this performance. Being here is the greatest show of support for the students, the Music Program, and the Department of Performing Arts. Thanks to the dedicated leadership of the faculty ensemble directors and staff, we are pleased to present you with the following program.
Sincerely,
Luke Abruzzo, Music Program Director
Miriam Giguere, PhD, Department Head, Performing Arts
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the diligence and persistence of all DUSO members as each term they perform mighty repertoire from the great lexicon of Western orchestral music. In addition, thank yous are extended to Performing Arts Department Head, Dr. Miriam Giguere, Music Program Director, Luke Abruzzo, Performing Arts
Ensemble Associate, Lauren Tracy, Performing Arts Department Assistant, Ellie Ebby, Department Administrator, Hannah Burke, and Performing Arts Department Graduate Assistant, Cece Hill for their valuable support.
Drexel Performing Arts would like to thank Senior Vice President for Student Success, Dr. Subir Sahu, for his continued support of Performing Arts at Drexel.
About the Ensemble
The Drexel University Symphony Orchestra is comprised of undergraduate and graduate students from all colleges within the University. Majors represented include but are not limited to engineering, nursing, fashion design, music industry, physics, architecture and TV production. Admission is by audition and Performing Arts Scholarships are available to qualified undergraduate students. Interested in auditioning for DUSO? Contact Conductor and Music Director Rosalind Erwin: rme49@drexel.edu
About the Concert
DUSO dives into the Italian Baroque period with performances of two concerti for two oboes by Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi, featuring retired principal oboist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Richard Woodhams and principal oboist of The Philly Pops, David Schneider. Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's epic programmatic work based upon Tales of the Arabian Nights Scheherazade completes the concert
Program
The Drexel University Symphony Orchestra
Rosalind Erwin, Conductor and Music Director
Tomaso ALBINONI
Concerto in C major for Two Oboes, Strings and Continuo, Op. 9, No.9
Antonio VIVALDI I Largo-Allegro
Adagio non troppo
Allegro
Concerto in D minor for Two Oboes, Strings and Continuo, RV535
Allegro molto
Richard Woodhams, Oboe I and David Schneider, Oboe II
Program
The Drexel University Symphony Orchestra
Rosalind Erwin, Conductor
and Music Director
Nicolai RIMSKY- KORSAKOV
Scheherazade, Op.35
Symphonic Suite
I Largo-Allegro non troppo (The sea and Sinbad’s ship)
II Lento-Allegro molto (The story of the princekalendar)
III Andantino quasi allegretto (The young prince and princess)
IV Allegro molto (Festival in Bagdad. The sea. The ship breaks up against a cliff surmounted by a bronze horseman. Conclusion)
Ensemble Members
Rosalind Erwin
Conductor and Music Director
Violin I
(^ Rotating Concertmaster)
Hailey Mak ˄
Leeia Stroh ˄
Daniel Oh ˄
Sofia Arastu
Tifanny Lin
Isaac Cotnoir**
Donovan Dolan
Maria Dierkes
Ana Namur
Anna Lu
Violin II
Grace Fazzolari, Principal
George Cao
Maya Gonzales
Kenzi Neighbors
Jeremy Ashley
Billy Drgon
Eva Kraus
Samantha Waldman
Designations + Drexel graduate
# Conductors Assistant
Ensemble Members
Viola
Frances Ebner, Principal
Anne Marie Strader
Sophia Roscoe
Gia Angelo #
Adam Brotnitsky**
Violoncello
Gwendolyn Tom, Principal
Raina Brooks
Akari Hunte
Caleb Kang
Esther Lee
Lorenzo Stringfellow
Adriana Criswell
Ava Scholl
Double Bass
Ryan Rose, Principal
Jerome Kim
Seamus Vereline
Andre Charpentier
Flute/Piccolo
Viviane Ho
Dane Gentles
Emma Cintron
Jane Brylewski
Oboe/English horn
Abigail Holmberg
Nicole Lam
Designations + Drexel graduate # Conductors Assistant
Ensemble Members
Clarinet
Kieran Van Sant +
Devin Casas
Ellie Davis
Bassoon
Julienne Cormier +
Aaron Brown**
Horn
Evan Thalheimer
Cruz Maria Carreira
Kent Masten
Evan Bretz**
Trumpet
Jacob Stratton
Mason Vetter
Brandon Stern
Trombone
Micah Miles
Clayton Falciani + Bass Trombone
Marius Cobani +
Tuba
Jordan Finamore
Designations
Ensemble Members
Continuo
Blaze Fogle
Harp
Rebecca Simpson**
Timpani/Percussion
Ezra Smith-Pohl
Loretta St. Andre
Jason Adams
Alexis Reichardt
Blaze Fogle
Designations
+ Drexel graduate
# Conductors Assistant ** Guest
Rosalind Erwin DUSO Conductor and Music Director
A flexible, creative and highly accomplished conductor, Rosalind Erwin is welcome on podiums both in the USA and abroad. Erwin received her Bachelor's Degree in Performance from the New School of Music in Philadelphia and her Masters in Performance from Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University where she studied with Anthony Gigliotti,
Principal Clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra and was also appointed Resident Conductor of the Composition Department.
Conducting mentors have included Ricardo Muti, David Zinnman, Joseph Barone and William Smith. Professional guest conducting engagements have included orchestras in Europe as well as throughout the United States.
Erwin has conducted numerous MEA All-State, Regional and District Festival Orchestras in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 2013 Erwin was hired by Drexel University to create what is now the Drexel University Symphony Orchestra, and in 2014, Erwin was named Director and Conductor/ Artistic Staff of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra, one of three orchestra supported by the PYO Music Institute.
Erwin has taught Advanced Conducting at Temple University and currently offers a highly acclaimed Introduction to Conducting course for the PYO Music Institute. Last August, Erwin conducted the OrvietoFestival of Strings Chamber Orchestra, Orvieto, Italy, in a performance of Antonio Vivaldi'sLe QuatroStagioni(Four Seasons)with Rumanian violinist Lenuta Ciulei.
David Schneider Guest Artist
David Schneider, principal Oboe with The Philly POPS, has been performing with many of the world's great orchestras and musicians for over 45 years. His oboe teachers include some of the great oboists in classical music: Alfred Genovese, Robert Bloom, Richard Woodhams and Stevens Hewitt. He has performed with artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti and Peter Nero.
David has played as a substitute with the Philadelphia Orchestra at home and on tour, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and is the former principal oboe with the Opera Company of Philadelphia (now Opera Philadelphia) as well as numerous regional professional orchestras (Concerto Soloists, Delaware Symphony, Lancaster Symphony, Reading Symphony, Bay Atlantic Symphony). David's commercial experience is extensive, including principal oboe at The Forrest Theater; on tour with Frank Sinatra; on tour with Sara McLaughlin; and recorded for The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP) at the height of Sigma Sound fame. David has recorded with Tony Bennett, Lou Rawls and Johnny Mathis and has performed with Rod Stewart, Paul Servino and Lucy Arnez.
David has given international and US oboe reed making seminars (Zagreb University, Zagreb, Croatia; The College of New Jersey) and has taught collegiate-level oboe at Glassboro (now Rowan) University, The College of New Jersey and Drexel University. David maintains an active private teaching studio and a successful oboe reed making business.
Richard Woodhams Guest Artist
Richard Woodhams retired from the Philadelphia orchestra in 2018 after having enjoyed a tenure as principal oboe since 1977, appearing as a soloist in New York, Chicago, Boston, Ann Arbor, San Francisco Los Angeles and many other cities in the United States as well as in Asia. He premiered several concerti in Philadelphia as well as collaborated with its last five music directors.
Mr. Woodhams taught at the Curtis Institute of Music and Temple University and now teaches privately. His former students now occupy positions in leading orchestra both in the United States and abroad. He has give masterclasses in prominent conservatories in Canada, China, Great Britain, Irael, Taiwan and the United States. He taught and played at the Aspen School of Music for fifteen summers and participated in many other Festivals including those of La Jolla, Marlboro, Sapporo and Sarasota. He also served on the Jury of the Munich International Oboe Competition, recorded the Strauss Oboe Concerto with Wolfgang Sawallisch and is a charter member of the World Orchestra for Peace.an international assembly of musicians founded by Sir Georg Solti in 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.
In addition to his orchestral work and teaching, Mr. Woodhams has long been active in chamber music and has performed with the Dover, Guarneri, Orion and Tokyo String quartets, violinists Itzak Perlman and Alexander Schneider, and pianists Emanuel Ax and Jean Yves Thibaudet, among many other outstanding musicians. In recent years he has served as guest principal oboe of the Chicago Symphony with Riccardo Muti and Los Angeles Philharmonic with Michael Tilson Thomas.
Continued
Richard Woodhams Guest Artist
In 2018, he received a citation from the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia in acknowledgement of his longstanding contributions to Philadelphia’s musical life.
Mr. Woodhams is a graduate of the Curtis Institute where he studied with John de Lancie, his distinguished predecessor at the Philadelphia Orchestra, and began his career in the St. Louis Symphony under conductor Walter Susskind. He has two grown sons, Louis Woodhams and Eric Woodhams, who live in St. Louis and Detroit respectively, and is married to Kiyoko Takeuti, pianist and celeste player with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He enjoys reading about culture and politics, playing in and going to concerts of many forms of classical music, and listening to vintage jazz and swing music.
Interested in a Music Minor?
Drexel offers four different music minors:
Music: requires 26 credits, including work in Music Theory, History, private lessons, ensemble performance, and 9 credits of music electives.
Music Theory and Composition: aimed at people who are writing their own music or who would like to begin doing so. You will take courses in Music Theory, Arranging, Composition, and Digital Composition, and end with a portfolio of several completed pieces.
Music Performance: requires two years of private lesson studies with our artist faculty culminating in a recital. The Music Program will provide support for the recital venue and accompanist.
Jazz & African-American Music: includes course work in Jazz History, African-American Music, Jazz Theory, private study in Jazz performance, and ensemble work in several ensembles devoted to jazz.
Support Great Performance
Dance, Music, and Theatre are a vital, central part of the Drexel academia and student life. Donations support performing arts ensembles and programs, as well as the operation of our performing arts venues, including the Mandell Theater and URBN Annex Black Box Theater.
Drexel University Department of Performing Arts Staff
Department Head Dr. Miriam Giguere
Program Directors Luke Abruzzo Music
Nick Anselmo Theatre
Jennifer Morley Dance
Administrative Staff
Ellie Ebby Department Assistant
Hannah Burke Department Administrator
Caroline Leipf
Mandell Theater Managing Director
Cece Hill
Performing Arts Graduate Assistant
Liv Shoup
Audience Services Coordinator
Lauren Tracy
Ensemble Production Associate
Production Staff
Paul Jerue
Theatre Production Manager/Black Box Theater Technical Director
Asaki Kuruma
Costume Shop Manager
Chris Totora
Mandell Theater Technical Director
Upcoming Performing Arts Events
END-OF-TERM THEATRE SHOWCASE - WINTER
March 15, 2025 | 1:00 PM | URBN Annex Black Box Theater
March 15, 2025 | 8:30 PM | URBN Annex Black Box Theater
NEWWORKS FESTIVAL
March 15, 2025 | 7:00 PM | URBN Annex Black Box Theater
DREXEL UNIVERSITY GOSPEL CHOIR
March 15, 2025 | 7:00 PM | Mandell Theater
ALL-COLLEGE CHOIR AND CHAMBER BRASS AND WINDS
March 15, 2025 | 7:30 PM | Main Auditorium
UNIVERSITY CHORUS AND CHAMBER SINGERS
March 16, 2025 | 3:00 PM | Great Court in Main Building
PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE & EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC ENSEMBLE
March 16, 2025 | 3:00 PM | Mandell Theater
Learn more about our upcoming events: drexel.edu/performingarts
