VPO March 2024 Program

CLASSICAL CONCERT SERIES

Assistant

WHITNEY MORSE on The Sharon®L. Morse

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Dear Patron of the Arts,

Welcome to The Sharon® L. Morse Performing Arts Center!

Much like the building’s namesake, my grandmother, Sharon L. Morse, we love all varieties of the performing arts here. It is in her memory that I, along with my amazing team of artists and arts administrators, strive to bring many different types of the highest quality entertainment here to The Sharon.

Since opening in 2015, we have strived to establish your trust, that a show at The Sharon is a show worth seeing. Perhaps you find yourself here today to see a concert of one of your favorite musicians, or to take in the national tour of a Broadway show. Either way, we encourage you to consider trying out a new show that perhaps you haven’t heard of before, knowing that it has been intentionally curated by our team.

We welcome you to The Sharon: a place for you to see an old favorite, but also a place to discover your new favorite. I sincerely hope you enjoy the show today, and I look forward to seeing you here again soon!

See You at The Sharon,

Whitney Morse Artistic Director

23/24 SEASON

SEP 3-MAY 6

Sunday, April 21 ......................................................... Classical Concert Series

Monday, May 6 .................. Opera Gala Magical Moments of Opera Scenes

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Sunday, September 1 ................................ Labor Day Celebration Pops

Tuesday, October 15 ................................ American Italian Celebration

Tuesday, November 19 ............................................................... Messiah

Tuesday, December 17 ........................................... Holiday Celebration

Wednesday, December 18 ..................................... Holiday Celebration

Sunday, January 26 .......................................... Classical Concert Series

Friday, February 14 .................... American Music: Celebration of Love

Sunday, March 9 ................................................ Classical Concert Series

Tuesday, April 8 .................................................. Classical Concert Series

Saturday, May 10 ..... Opera Gala: Magical Moments of Opera Scenes

PROGRAM

Saverio Mercadante

Concerto for Two Flute and Orchestra in D major Charina Quintana & Giovanni Mugnuolo, Flutes

L. V. Beethoven

Piano Concerto N.3 in C Minor Op. 37

Antonio Pompa Baldi, Piano

Intermission

L. V. Beethoven

Symphony N.6 in F major Op.68

Saverio Mercadante | Concerto for Two Flute and Orchestra in D major

Saverio Mercadante

(Altamura 1795 - Naples 1870) was one of the few Italians to have composed instrumental music and in particular concerts for different instruments and orchestra. The Concerto for two flutes and orchestra in D major, still unpublished, was rediscovered as part of the project of digitization and rearrangement of the extraordinary heritage of the Library of the Conservatory of Naples and presented in its first performance on 17 October

2001, again with the direction of Francesco Vizioli. The autograph manuscript is included in a folder of compositions by Mercadante with the date 1816 and belongs to the fruitful period in which the author composed several other concertos for flute and for other solo instruments often performed today, left incomplete in many parts reconstructed by the composer Guido Varchetta . It is a highly virtuosic piece, especially for the first flute, which goes through impervious passages of agility, alternating with moments of intense lyricism.

L.V. Beethoven | Piano Concerto N.3 in C Minor Op. 37

Composed between 1802 and 1803, perhaps sketched as early as 1800, the Concerto in C minor no. 3 op. 37 was printed in Vienna in 1804. In accordance with a now crystallized traditional practice, it was Beethoven himself, as a virtuoso composer, who performed it for the first time before the Viennese public in April 1803. The concert, which was presented together with other symphonic and chamber pieces, was received by critics without particular praise, indeed with some hints of dissatisfaction. You can try to investigate the reason. As is easy to deduce from the dates, the op. 37 is one of the very first concerts for piano and orchestra of the 19th century. The workmanship of his style is anomalous, we could say experimental, as it is almost completely characterized by a coexistence between elements of the eighteenth century past and emerging future innovations, in the field of orchestration as well as in that of piano technique. The debut with a confident and martial trait, which has its roots in eighteenth-century taste, but is charged with a strong-willed and tragic energy that preludes the romantic tone, is immediate testimony to this co-presence. This initial motto returns a few bars later in a major key and with rich orchestration, but Beethoven darkens its brightness by integrating the theme with a descending melodic appendage similar to a somewhat sinister laugh. Evidently the clear soundscapes of the past century were no longer relevant. As some scholars have highlighted, a subtle sarcasm appears here which also belongs to other works of the same period and which testifies to the acute critical will of the composer, who, before dismissing a style because in his opinion it is out of date, seems to force it into a grimace of pain. Shortly afterwards the atmosphere calms down thanks to the second theme, a magnificent cantabile with richer movements compared to its melodic model,

PROGRAM

easily attributable to the eighteenth-century style. Another successful compromise is the entry of the solo instrument, created by ascending scales, the same ones with which Mozart’s Fantasia in C minor K. 475 ended, followed however by the initial motto expressed in octave by both hands, a piano technicality typically romantic. A bit like wanting to start again where someone left off. The next section of the development is interesting, starting with a new exposition of the ascending stairs we have just talked about and followed by transforming the strong-willed initial motto into an imploring theme enriched by a mournful melodic coda. Beethoven loves, in this piece, to add material to the main element; a technique that in the future will disappear from his way of composing. Here, even, the coda acquires an independent life and continues in the form of a new idea, enunciated by the piano in unison (i.e. the left hand and right hand play the same thing). Even in concerts of the past the piano took on a singing role and was accompanied solely by the orchestra. But in this passage the melodic idea appears, as mentioned, doubling the part (the left is added to the right), with a greater effect of dramatic amplification. The unison is maintained even when things get difficult for the soloist; This is also an innovation of what has already been given, given that traditionally such skillful passages were performed by only one hand, usually the right.

From these brief references to the various moments of the first half, we understand how the concert is animated by an energy that renews the expressive character of the material and how its being between two centuries gives it a two-faced nature, at times ambiguous, perhaps difficult to grasp for the public of the time. An element that clearly tends towards future developments is the substantial enrichment of the orchestration and piano writing, the latter particularly evident in the central Largo. The solo instrument enters without an orchestra, drawing a theme with full chords which, while maintaining the flourishes of the past melodic style, has the weight of a meditation and gives substance to a profound sound space. There is a need to go beyond codified expressiveness, towards a depth that is halfway between transcendence and the concept, which aims to be the epiphany of a moral sensation. In any case, after the first orchestral intervention, the piano moves almost completely with very short rhythmic values. The cantabile role is entrusted to the orchestra. You soon realize how piano writing’s continuing tendency towards arpeggio is used to dematerialize the sound and blend all the instruments in an exciting way.

Even in the following Rondo the piano enters alone, in accordance with the tradition of opening the concert finale. The rhythm and melodic structure of the theme that is heard at the beginning animates and characterizes the entire piece thanks to the manipulation to which Beethoven subjects it, lengthening it, shortening it, stretching it upwards, inserting flourishes, using portions of it. Note, for example, the brilliant final section in piano with which the concert ends, introduced by the solo head of that theme. It manifests itself in this third movement, thanks to the “returns” structure typical of the rondo in which a main

event is foreseen alternating with some different episodes, an impetus that seems to come back into play each time and start again with new force. Furthermore, even the episodes mentioned are not real digressions because they maintain a close connection with the main one. Ultimately they constitute a different illumination of its characteristics. The return of the main event is thus prepared with almost the same material as that event and this gives the exact impression of how the nature of the piece is subject to a stringent logic. The rondo form, used in this way, gives the piece an agitated dialectic. Beethoven entrusts this finale with a difficult task to bear, charging it with an energy foreign to its traditional forms, forms that almost do not seem to support this desire for renewal. The composer is looking for a language that conveys greater expressive potential, but is forced to use material of an inadequate nature to satisfy the aims of his research.

Symphony N.6 in F major Op.68

The Symphony n. 6 in F major, Op.68 ( Pastorale ) was composed within the period of time from 1806 to August 1807 and performed for the first time in Vienna, at the “An der Wien” Theater, on 22 December 1808.

The name “Pastorale” is an indicative seal of Beethoven’s precise desire to characterize, unequivocally, the intimate essence of such a symphony, which he conceived as an instrument of liberation through a refreshing dive into primordial nature, when his existence (he was thirty-eight years old) was been deeply affected by the evil of atrocious deafness, by exhausting disillusionments and by the secret anger against the forced adaptation to the conventions of Viennese social life. And by what irresistible impulse, by what underground yearning he was moved towards contact with the world of nature in all its multiple phenomena (water, plants, valleys) is expressed in some fleeting and vivid notations of his intimate «Notebooks». These lines are from 1815: «Here - in the countryside - I am not tormented by my atrocious infirmity. It seems to me that in the fields each tree makes me hear its voice... Who could express all this?

All this he expressed, in a supreme way, through the vast and profound flow of the notes of his «Pastorale», in which the expression «of feeling» absolutely prevails over the material and brute phonic reproduction of natural phenomena.

The Sixth Symphony is divided into five movements (it is customary, however, to indicate only four):

Allegro ma non troppo; Andante molto mosso; Allegro; Allegro; Allegretto.

The last three, as is known, are performed without interruption.

PROGRAM

The first, Allegro ma non troppo, is based on a theme of clear popular origin which, sung by the violins, arouses an immediate sensation of serene joy to indicate the atmosphere of euphoric joy and regenerating refreshment at the first contact with life of the fields.

An atmosphere, moreover, which lifts the whole sound structure and to which Beethoven’s soul was strongly driven and predisposed: «Almighty God, in the forest! I am blessed, happy, in the forest: every tree speaks of You. What splendor, O Lord! In these valleys, above is peace”...

The second movement, Andante molto mosso, which bears the subtitle «Scene by the stream», reinforces the bucolic tone of the Symphony through a short melody sung, this time too, by the violins, preceded by a quiver of strings in which the sign of a slight whisper of flowing waters was seen, glimpsed through the dense mass of foliage of a forest, rustling with the solicitations of the wind. In this environment the human person becomes forgetful, escaping his own anguish and gluing himself to the immense everything in an attitude of astonished contemplation; and even the warbling of the nightingale (flute) responded to by the song of the quail (oboe) accompanied by the cry of the cuckoo (clarinet) must not be considered as elementary instrumental translations of birds’ voices but, rather, as competing elements to strengthen the accent of absorbed ecstasy that characterizes the second movement of the Symphony.

The Allegro of the third movement (“Happy meeting of peasants”) is fundamentally characterized by a rustic dance rhythm, intoned by the oboe to the accompaniment of the bassoon and taken up by the horn: which then, passing from the ternary rhythm to the binary one, takes on the character of a whirling and frenetic patrol, interrupted, at the height of its unleashing, by the sinister rumbling of thunder, produced by a dark bass tremolo. It is the harbinger of the storm. The storm breaks out with overpowering violence, dragging everything into its ruin, amidst syncopations of sinister flashes, while cellos and double basses fan gusts of wind on the thick and trembling moan of the violins and prolonged laments cross the instrumental team to indicate the anguished bewilderment of the men in front to the fearful unleashing of nature. But the hurricane finally subsides and then ends. The following Allegretto translates, through a song of marked pastoral intonation, the feelings of gratitude and joy after the hurricane. The clarinet intones a calm and pacifying rural melody which, echoed by the horn, then passes to the violins and seems to want to tap into the most remote areas of the sky. In its development, always marked by happy gratitude, it takes on a more human tone, almost a choir of people who have rediscovered, after temporary confusion, the healthy taste of life, in a nature replete with activity and once again permeated by the radiant and beneficial sunlight.

MESSAGE FROM THE MAESTRO

Dear friends and supporters of The Villages Philharmonic,

On February 27th, we returned for this magnificent Gala event to our original location “ Church On The Square “ which today is the foyer of The Sharon L. Morse Performing Art Center. The warmth, the joy of participating in this event from all of you and all of us was extraordinary and your support touched the hearts of each of us and all this makes me even more full of passion and commitment to work diligently to ensure that we can reach even higher levels and above all give more and more to this wonderful audience that is you.

This evening we host two extraordinary flautists who will perform for the first time at The Sharon and for the first time with our orchestra, with great joy I welcome Charina Quintana and Giovanni Mugnuolo, who will interpret Saverio Mercadante’s concerto in D major for two flutes and orchestra.

Following, we’ll have the return of an extraordinary pianist, musician and a person of quality who is now part of The Villages Philharmonic family, Antonio Pompe Baldi, who will perform the concerto in C minor number 3 by Ludwig van Beethoven.

For our second half we will perform Beethoven’s Symphony N.6 in F Major Opus 68. This symphony is one of the most beautiful symphonies that the composer wrote, sometimes it is difficult to say which is the most beautiful symphony as each page of this musical literature is full of exhilarating moments, however, this symphony is truly particular in that the composer, unlike everything he wrote before and everything he wrote after, in the Sixth Symphony, we find the only moment in which the composer writes descriptive music. This symphony was born in a particular moment of the composer’s life when the deafness that afflicts him leads him to moments of personal crises that leave him with little hope as he envisions the end of his life, it is only after he decides to leave the city and connect with nature that he finds himself and truly understands that even if deafness afflicts him, God gave him an important mission to compose music as a message of love for humanity. The composer describes in the music of his composition one complete day from sunrise to sunset and everything that accompanies the various events of the day. In the morning the singing of the farmers, The awakenings of nature, the working in the fields, and the storm that suddenly arrives with everyone seeking shelter until the sun shines again and calm reigns after the storm. The great writer Johann Wolfgang Von Ghoete, who was a great admirer of Ludwig van Beethoven, while listening to symphony number 6 in F major he writes this message: In Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony the idyllic tranquility of a georgic contemplation erupts.

If we consider what this great writer says about this symphony, we can realize that in this context of nature, the composer finds himself with the desire to live and love life and his music, for these are God given gifts that inspire him to use

MESSAGE FROM THE MAESTRO

his abilities into to bring a message of love for humanity through music. In fact, up until the ninth symphony he would still write wonderful pages of musical literature which are an artistic and cultural heritage for humanity.

Thanks for your support. Music is a wonderful gift for those who follow it, especially for those who listen to it because music brings wonderful moments of our lives to each of us, emotions and memories of what our past has been and through what we will perform and listen to our present for project ourselves into the future and grow more and more to then give a testament of love and passion to future generations who will follow us.

Thank you with all my heart. Musically yours,

Pasquale Valerio, Music Director and Founder

MAESTRO

PASQUALE VALERIO, MAESTRO

Pasquale Valerio is an internationally acclaimed Orchestral Conductor. In 2004 he founded The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra, became its musical director, and is still engaged in concerts and tours throughout Florida and worldwide. Maestro Valerio was also the founder of the Lake Sumter Chamber Orchestra as well as co-founder and conductor of the Florida Lakes Symphony from 2005 to 2006.

He collaborates with various European orchestras such as the Philharmonic Orchestra ‘900 of the Teatro Regio Opera in Turin, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Prague, the Virtuosi of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the Virtuosi of the Philharmonic of Bacau, the “A. Scarlatti” Symphony Orchestra of Naples, Orchestra Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

In 2006 had the opportunity to assist Sir Antonio Pappano, current Music Director of the Royal Opera House in London This collaboration represented a great point of reference for maestro Valerio and indelibly marked his experience of conducting growth. From 2007 to 2009 he collaborated with the internationally known Viotti music festival in Vercelli, Italy and in May 2018 he began an ongoing cooperation with the North California Music Festival as guest conductor. Pasquale Valerio was born in Naples to a family linked to cultural traditions and founding religious values. The great passion for music was evident from the first years of his life, but, only towards the tenth year of age did he begin his musical studies, first with the piano, and subsequently, at the age of thirteen years, when he began studying trumpet. It is in this period that Pasquale met Maestro Filippo Veniero, an important musical guide for subsequent studies. He studied trumpet at the school of Maestro Francesco Lentini, Bari Conservatory, with whom he obtained the middle completion and, subsequently under the guidance of Maestro Diego Benedusi, he obtained the superior completion of trumpet.

After completing his trumpet studies, he collaborated as an instrumentalist with orchestras of major opera and symphonic institutions including the Opera House “Teatro di San Carlo in Naples “and with other major opera orchestras and symphonic institutions. Simultaneously he studied Composition and Score Reading at the School of Maestro Filippo Veniero.

The meeting with two conductors, J Withney and Gunther Smidth (United States) conditioned the musical journey and made it possible that in 1998 Pasquale resumed his studies started in Naples with F. Veniero. Also important was the meeting with the famous conductor Anton Coppola in 1999, who became Pasquale’s mentor and guide.

MAESTRO

Pasquale is a guest collaborator at festivals and international competitions, including:

International Piano Competition “F. Schubert” in San Cristoforo Virtuosi of the Bacau Philharmonic, Romania, Viotti Music Festival, Camerata Ducale, Italy, Piano Festival of Carrara/Arezzo Orchestra 900’ of the Teatro Regio of Turin, Oída Symphony Orchestra (Arezzo) Philharmonic Orchestra of Benevento, New Orchestra Scarlatti and Florida Philharmonia

In the academic year 2023 he was appointed Visiting Professor of Conducting Studies at the “London Performing Arts Academy” and at the end of 2023, appointed Honor Roll of “ALTAMURA MERCADANTE FEST”.

FEATURED ARTISTS

ANTONIO POMPA-BALDI, VPO GUEST CONCERT PIANIST

Born and raised in Foggia, Italy, Antonio Pompa-Baldi won the Cleveland International Piano Competition in 1999 and embarked on a multifaceted career that continues to extend across five continents. A top prize winner at the 1998 Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition of Paris, France, Antonio Pompa- Baldi also won a silver medal at the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. With a concerto repertoire including more than 60 works, Mr. Pompa-Baldi recently performed cycles of all the Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos, the five Beethoven Piano Concertos, and both Brahms Concertos with various orchestras. He has played recitals in most major venues over the world. In 2019, he was a returning guest at the third edition of the Lang Lang International Piano Festival in Shenzhen, China, continued his honorary guest professorship at the Beijing China Conservatory, and was named honorary professor at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music.

Pompa-Baldi studied with two important exponents of the great Neapolitan School: Annamaria Pennella, and Aldo Ciccolini. He also received guidance in masterclass settings from Paul Badura Skoda and Jörg Demus, among others. Mr. Pompa-Baldi appears at the world’s major concert venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Cleveland’s Severance Hall, Milan’s Sala Verdi, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Shanghai’s Grand Theatre, and Paris’ Salle Pleyel, to name a few. He has collaborated with leading conductors including Hans Graf, Krzysztof Urbánski, James Conlon, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Theodore Kuchar, Benjamin Zander, Louis Lane, and Keith Lockhart. He has performed with ensembles and colleagues such as Takacs String Quartet, trumpeter Alison Balsom, cellist Sharon Robinson, violinists Ivan Zenaty and Ilya Kaler, and principals of the Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Juilliard Quartet, among others.

Among the stops on his tours, he performed in Vienna (Austria), London (UK), Paris (France), New York (USA), Auckland (New Zealand), Jerusalem (Israel), Kiev (Ukraine), Cape Town (South Africa), and throughout China (Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou), as well as in Poland, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Spain, and many other places around the globe.

Mr. Pompa-Baldi has recorded well over 30 CDs to date, for various labels including Centaur Records, Harmonia Mundi, Steinway, TwoPianists, Azica, and Brilliant Classics. Among them, the complete piano and chamber music works of Grieg, the Josef Rheinberger Piano Sonatas, the complete Hummel Piano Sonatas, and CDs dedicated to Brahms, Schumann, Liszt, Respighi, and Rachmaninoff.

For the Steinway label, Pompa-Baldi recorded songs by Francis Poulenc and Edith Piaf, arranged for solo piano, as well as a CD titled “Napoli”, which features new

FEATURED ARTISTS

piano versions of famous Neapolitan songs, elaborated by Roberto Piana. Among his latest releases are his transcription for solo piano of the Respighi B minor Violin Sonata , an d S uites by D ebussy, Luca Moscardi and Barber for piano duo. Recorded with his wife, pianist Emanuela Friscioni, this latest album was published with the title “Suite Nothings” by the Steinway label.

Antonio Pompa-Baldi is a Steinway Artist since 2003. He is also a Steinway Recording Artist, as well as one of the most prominently featured artists in the Spirio recording catalogue. He is often invited to judge international piano competitions such as the Cleveland, Hilton Head, E-Competition (Minneapolis), BNDES Rio de Janeiro, Chopin USA (Miami) and Edward Grieg (Bergen), among many others. He serves as president of the jury and artistic advisor for the San Jose International Piano Competition since 2005.

Pompa-Baldi is on the Piano Faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he also serves as Head of the Piano Department. His students have been prizewinners in important competitions such as Marguerite Long, Hilton Head, Isang Yun, and Gina Bachauer. He is regularly invited to teach masterclasses in countless Universities, Music Schools, and Festivals in the US and all over the world.

In 2015, Pompa-Baldi founded the Todi International Music Masters festival, of which he is also Artistic Director and Faculty Member. This summer festival takes place every August in the beautiful Italian town of Todi. It features 15 concerts in 15 days, with internationally renown faculty members, and students from all over the world.

Antonio Pompa-Baldi serves as Vice Director for Education for the Lang Lang Art World organization in Hangzhou, China, and is on the advisory board of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation of New York.

CHARINA QUINTANA

FLUTE Professor at the Conservatory of Music of the Canary Islands. Yamaha Artist

Born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where she began her musical studies with Pedro Madina and later studied with Pedro de Armas at the Conservatory of Music of Las Palmas. She received a scholarship from the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria Foundation and completed her advanced flute studies at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid under the guidance of Vicente Martínez, graduating with honors and she receives an award for her musical trajectory.

She attended training courses and workshops with notable flutists such as Juana Guillén, Benot Fromanger, and Will Offerman. She also pursued specialized Pedagogy and Didactics courses at the Music Academy Stuttgart and participated in various pedagogical training courses with Trevor Wye, Verena Maschat, and

FEATURED ARTISTS

Luchy Mancisidor.

In 1989, she has won an opposition competition as a Flute Teacher at the Conservatory of Music of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and since 2005, she has been actively teaching at the Conservatory of Music of the Canary Islands. Concurrently, she develops an intense artistic activity both as a soloist and in chamber music.

She has played as principal flutist for the Diego Durón Orchestra, Sinfonic Orchestra of Las Palmas, and Orquesta Sinfónica del Atlántico. She collaborated with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, the Orquesta Filarmónica Giuseppe Verdi de Salerno (Italy), and the Orquesta Sinfónica Italiana (Italy). She has performed as a soloist with the “Altamura Classical Orchestra,” “Chamber Orchestra at Enna,” the “Rotary Chamber Orchestra,” and recently with the “Sinfonic Orchestra of the Bari Metropolitan Tawn” on May 26 and 27, 2023. Currently, she is a flutist co-soloist with the Community Orchestra of Gran Canaria.

As a guest artist, she has participated in Musical Weeks, Chamber Music Cycles, and Festivals in Spain, Bulgaria, Portugal, and Italy. She has also been invited as a jury member in distinguished International Competitions such as the “Sibelius International Competition” in Finland, “EAAA Odin” in Ireland, the International Competition “A Tutto Flauto,” or the “International Music Competition Cittá di Treviso” in Italy.

Charina Quintana imparts workshops, and masterclasses on repertoire, flute pedagogy, and Circular Breathing Technique in various conservatories and music academies. Several composers have dedicated their works to her, including Massimo Voltarai, F. Crespo, Marco Tamanin, Marco Massimiliani, Alfredo Cornachia, Sergio Galan Pardo, and Michele Cellaro. She is the founding president of the Flutists Association of the Canary Islands “AFLAUCAN,” aimed at promoting literature for flute ensembles. She serves as the Artistic Director of the “FlauTeam Fest” (Festival dedicated to ensembles) held in the Canary Islands. Additionally, she co-founded, along with flutist Giovanni Mugnuolo, the “Altilia Ensemble” project, prioritizing research and dissemination of the works of composer Saverio Mercadante.

In 2021, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Mercadante, she was invited to Altamura, the composer’s hometown, to interpret his unpublished music. There, on August 18 of the same year, she received the “Attestato di Merito” (Recognition) for the excellent interpretation of his music. On September 23, she was appointed “Ambassador of the Music of Mº Saverio Mercadante and the city of Altamura,” Bari (Italy), for her research, review, and dissemination of his work.

On December 17 of the same year, at the Mercadante Theater in Altamura, she premiered a fantasy written by G. Rabboni based on the opera “Leonora” by the composer from Altamura. Subsequently, the world premiere of her “Concerto for Two Flutes and Orchestra” took place in the prestigious Scarlatti Hall of

FEATURED ARTISTS

the Conservatorio de Música “San Pietro a Majella” in Naples on October 12, 2022, and on May 26 and 27, 2023, with the “Orquesta Sinfónica de la Ciudad Metropolitana de Bari.”

Since December 2021, she has been a Yamaha Artist.

GIOVANNI MUGNUOLO

The musical career of Giovanni Mugnuolo stared from a very young age. He was originally taught by his father. From there, his talent was developed to enable him to study at the Academy of Music, Matera, under the tuition of Mario Giannotti. In a quest to perfect his musical talent, he studied under Jean-Claude MASI, Naples and also with the famous flautist Peter-Lukas GRAF at the International Academy of Music, Sion and Basilea (Switzerland). He has also studied chamber music with Bruno Canino at the Academia Chigiana, Siena ( Italy).

In 1976 he won an eminent competition at the la “ Fenice Theatre”Venice in which he played first flute.

He has also played first flute in the Syinphony Orchestra of Bari, in the regional Lucana Orchestra and in Chamber Orchestra of Frankfurt. He has a wide repertoire, and plays from Baroque to modern music. He is able to exhibit as a soloist or as part of an orchestra. He has played in orchestras like “ Antica e Nuova Musica” and “ I Soloisti Dauni” and “ Fiati di Parma” and Diapason Ensemble. He has taken part in international festivals for “ Tibor Varga”in Sion (Switzerland) and the Festival Pontino and International Festival of Matera. He has secured recording sessions with RAI and Vaticano Radio and DDR. He has also performed in Europe, USA and Russia where he gained praise from both music critics and member of the public. He wasdelighted to riceve honorary membership of the Museum Skryabin of Moscow. In 1981 he gained the certificate of Academic in the Royal Academy Philharmonic of Boulogne ( Italy)

He currently theaches students on courses in Ravello, Ischia, Paestum and the Academy of Music in Lausanne ( Switzerland). Most recently, he is holder of the flute at the Academy of Music in Castelfranco Veneto – Venice ( Italy) artistic director:International Competition” A tutti Flauto” in Venice and appointed ambassador of Saverio Mercadante’s music in the world and artistic director the “Festival Altamura Mercadante Fest” of 23 September 2021.

FEATURED ARTISTS

DEREK RATZENBOECK, VPO GUEST CONCERT MASTER

Derek Ratzenboeck is a multi faceted violinist and has experienced a diverse career as a performer and recording artist. He is a member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and is an Associate 2nd Violin with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. From the halls of Lincoln Center to the soundtrack recordings of the Oscar winning film Joker to the film sets of Greatest Showman and Maestro, Derek can be seen and heard in many aspects of the entertainment industry. He shared the stage with Tony Bennett for his 90th Birthday Celebration alongside Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, and Andrea Bocelli. In addition, he appeared on the Today Show, LIVE with Kelly and Ryan, and performed at the Rainbow Room with Trisha Yearwood for her Frank Sinatra inspired album release.

Derek previously held the position of Principal Second Violin of the Louisville Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Louisville Bach Society, and Guest Concertmaster of Sinfonia Gulf Coast. His career has taken him around the world performing at premiere concert halls while touring with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, New York City Opera, Vienna Mozart Philharmonic, and the Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra in Europe, Russia, Armenia, China, Japan, Brazil, and North America.

As an avid chamber musician and recitalist, Derek has had numerous recitals broadcasted by WUOL Louisville Classics, Radio Nederland, North German Radio (NDR), and the Bavarian Radio (BR) and was featured in WMP’s “Strad for Lunch” series in NYC. He also appears and tours with the Knights, has been a member of the New Baroque Soloists, and performed in the Central Vermont Chamber Music, Crested Butte, Música Mallorca, Classical Tahoe and Napa Valley Festivals. In addition, Derek collaborates with independent choreographers such as Gabrielle Lamb (Pigeonwing Dance), highlighted in Dance Magazine, Cherylyn Lavagnino (CLD Dance), and Skyla Schreter.

Derek received his bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance from Indiana University School of Music, postgraduate studies at Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and a Master of Music Degree from the Hochschule fur Musik in Munich, Germany, studying with great pedagogues such as Henryk Kowalski, Jens Ellerman, Alexander Kerr, and Vesko Eschkenazy.

FEATURED ARTISTS

MEET A VPO ORCHESTRA MEMBER

ANTONIO POMPA-BALDI

Concert Pianist

Head of Piano Department

Distinguished Professor & Artist-in-Residence Cleveland Institute of Music

Vice Director for Education Lang Lang Art World—Hangzhou, China

Founder and Artistic Director Todi International Music Masters, Italy

ORCHESTRA ROSTER

FLUTE

Nicolas Real, Principal

Tanja Agretier

OBOE

Amy Collins, Principal

Chanmi Kim

CLARINET

Jason Gibbs, Principal

Dominique Snider

BASSOON

Chris Eberle

Ashley Heintzen

FRENCH HORN

Joseph Lowinsky, Principal

Dann O’Donnell

TRUMPET

John De Paola, Principal

Tarcisio D’Addona

ALTO TROMBONE

Nicola Ferro

TENOR TROMBONE

Domenico Brasiello

TYMPANI

Chris Nolin

FIRST VIOLIN

Derek Ratzenboeck, Concertmaster

Stewart Kitts

José Guédez

Carlos Jaques

Mark Lambert

David Dajiang

Cindy Qi

Baoling Xu

Michael De Jesus

Sandy Kitts

SECOND VIOLIN

Gregory Carreno, Principal

Elizabeth Kitts

Israel Mendez

Luisamar Navarro

Yenifer Laurens

Luisa Maria Zambrano

Eduardo Castro

Isabella Diaz

Elaina Cook

VIOLA

Angelo Goderre, Principal

Juan Carlos Siviero

Oana Potur

Andrea Oliveira

Francia Laurens

Joshua Cordova

Rafael Ramirez

Milica Bolder

CELLO

David Calhoun, Principal

Olga Beliaieva

George Alexander

Valentina Aleksandra Hernandez Espitia

Helen Lewis

DOUBLE BASS

Kevin Gallagher, Principal

John Di Mura

Jonathan Ingram

Anthony Michael McCabee

VPO DONORS 2023-24 CONCERT SEASON

ORCHESTRA CIRCLE

$10,000+

Dr. Robert & Karen

Chaikin

Margaret M. Dick

Linda Ferens

Maurice & Betsy Joy

Dean & Audrey

Throndsen

MAESTRO CIRCLE

$5,000 – $9,999

Augusto Bernardini

Jeff & Ursula Bergman

Jason Goedken

David & JoAnne Kelch

Diane Kupchak

Peter & Mary Jane

Moeller

Mary Thomas

Don & Bonnie Waggoner

SYMPHONY CIRCLE

$2,500 – $4,999

Avrum Abramowitz

Steve & Donna Bell

Bonnie Carnes

Sarah Jordan

CONCERTO CIRCLE

$1,000 – $2,499

Anonymous Donor

John Canner

Dennis R. Carney

David Colvin

Charlotte Conway

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph

DeVuono

Charlotte & John Gates

Jeanne Geoffrion Pod

Ralph Gingery

Jay & Lesly Ginsberg

Carol Guglielm

Richard & Estella Hoag

Janet Howell

Diane Kupchak

Doris Martin

George Neal

Mike Whitfield & Darlene Pruett

Richard & Charlotte

Rahm

Ken & Mary Shutts

Dr. & Mrs. Winfred

Stringer

Abbott & June Webber

Keith & Randee

Workowski

OVERTURE CIRCLE

$500 – $999

Katheryn Batman

Robert Becker

Roger & Julie Cooper

Ruth DiMare

Barbara Dipol

Noel Kott

William & Sharron Leonhirth

Robert & Sara McPhail

Clint & Michelle

Newman

Paul & Dorian Schnirring

Joan Spires

Kathy Sumner

Dr. Laurie Ullery

Andrea Ziccarelli

SUITE CIRCLE

$100 – $499

Bernie & Elizabeth

Albrecht

Gene Armani

Randall & Gemma

Benjamin

Linda Boese

Doug & Sharon Bretz

Dora Bryan

Thomas & Linda Casey

Irene Coen

Marie Connolly

Kenny & Elizabeth Constant

Glenda Crandall

James & Karen Donavan

Mary Dzuro

Louise Elwood

Greg & Mary Feichtel

Jack & Nancy Fieldman

Leslie Flanders

Mia Ford

William & Gail FraserGiacchi

Lisa French

Peter Fritz & Carol Mangan

Mary Ann Garback

Alan Geller

Greg & Carolynn Gilbert

Sheldon & Shelley

VPO DONORS 2023-24 CONCERT SEASON

Goldseker

Doris Goodwin

Richard Hall

David & Kathleen Haviland

Debbie Halye

Richard & Susan Jacobs

Dan & Carol Johns in Honor of Ann Whipple

Marlene Knopf

Brad Koozman

James Langendorfer in Honor of

Anna Whipple

Gregory & Bonnie Larson

Stefano & Karen Marcuard/Shaw

Gayle Marra

Eileen McCabe

James McQuiniff

Nick & Donna Meister

Harold & Roberta Messenheimer

Kathleen Miller

Thomas Murphy

Fritz & Debbie Neal

John Nickelson

Phillip Oliveira

Bob & Georgann Ozbolt

Robert A. Phillips

Ron & Grace Ranger

Jeremy & Barbara

Reynolds

Norman Lee & Terri Schaffer

Henry Safford

Frank & Deborah Salerno

Paul & Rita Segnatelli

Andrew & Mary Sloan

George Stenz

Ronald Streib

Tony & Joanne Sutylo

Donna Thompson

Roy & Jackie Ullrich

Richard & Grace Waller

Robert & Joan Waller

Marie Washburn

Jeffrey Wheeler

Anna Whipple

Tera White

Theresa R. White

Carole Williamson

Bob & Debbie Wilson

Patricia Wilson

Mary Yankowski

Stuart & Barbara Yowell in honor of Anna Whipple

Joseph Zientara

ARIA CIRCLE

Up to $99

Barbara Athanasiou

Susan Escobedo

Paul F. Gaecke

Jordan Galvarino

Paul & Ann Hagerty

Valery Heyduk

K. L. Hoffman

Irene Hong-McAtee

Lora MacPherson

Margaret Mecheski

Joanne Michalski

Donald Mooty

Robert Muzzi

Patrice Pastore

Geraldine Piscitelli

Marianne Reinhard

Sally Rowe

Erika Schaffer

Joyce Smidt

Robert Smidt

Robert & Charlene Soos

Robert & Glenda Supino

Joy Turpie

C & H Van Benthuysen

Eric Williams

Susan Wright

MEMORIAL DONATIONS

Bill Barnes: Susan Escobedo

Fred Boyd: Frank & Janet Argenziano

Fred Boyd: Mr. & Mrs. Manning

Fred Boyd: Don & Janet Schiegel

Carolyn Johnson: Richard Johnson

BUSINESS PARTNERS

Blackston Financial Advisory Group

FMK Restaurant Group

Francesco’s Ristorante

Fross & Fross Wealth Management

Havana Country Club & Legacy Restaurant at Nancy Lopez Country Club by Suleiman Family Restaurants

Royal Décor Company Sheds N More

BEHIND THEcurtain tour

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of your favorite shows at The Sharon? Want to share footprints with some of the world’s biggest stars?

Back by overwhelming demand... The Sharon: Behind the Curtain Tour!

Visit SignificantProductions.org/tour for more information.

PRIVATE BOX experience

ENJOY YOUR NEXT SHOW AT THE SHARON LIKE A VIP!

• Private experience for up to 15 guests.

• Private lounge for the evening including home-like furnishings, private facilities, and direct access to the auditorium box for comfortable viewing of your show.

• Upgrades available such as a private bartender or personalized celebratory furnishings.

To explore accommodations and availability, please contact Yasmeen@SignificantProductions.org for a private consultation.

ADVERTISE

with us

Increase your visibility by marketing your message to The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center’s local, engaged audience, as well as advertise in The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol’s Programs and our monthly Digital Newsletter, The Scoop!

For information on prices, ad sizes, and availability, please email us at marketing@significantproductions.org.

JAYLENO