FestivalCitySymphony-NotanIrishConcert_single

Monte Perkins, Conductor presents

“NOT AN IRISH CONCERT”

with Milwaukee pianist Jeannie Yu March 17, 2013 3:00 PM Pabst Theater 144 E. Wells

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PROGR A M

Leonore Overture No. 3

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 43

Ludwig van Beethoven Sergei Rachmaninoff

Jeannie Yu, piano Intermission

Symphony No. 8, Opus 93 1. Allegro vivace e con brio.

2. Allegretto scherzando.

3. Tempo di menuetto.

4. Allegro vivace.

Ludwig van Beethoven

FCS SPECIAL GUESTS SUPER READERS---children who have earned free tickets for themselves and their families by participating in Milwaukee Public Library’s SUPER READERS program. .

PAJAMA JAMBOREE FANS---families who attend our children’s “pops” concerts and earn an opportunity to ‘sample’ one of our “Symphony Sundays” programs.

CIVIC MUSIC ASSOCIATION (CMA) SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION PARTICIPANTS—Young music students who have participated in CMA’s audition for scholarship awards have received a complimentary pass for themselves and their family to enjoy great music, well performed at a ”Symphony Sundays” concert of their choice. of participants in the history of the competition and 51 of those participants practiced every day.

***Festival City Symphony is a member organization of Association of Wisconsin Symphony Orchestras, the Creative Alliance, VISIT Milwaukee, an affiliate member of UPAF, and a program partner at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center.

FCS made the Business Journal’s “Book of Lists” 2002 – 2007, 2010, and 2012.*** 2

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T H A N K S TO O U R S P O N S O R S Festival City Symphony would like to take this opportunity to thank its sponsors, without whom these programs would not take place.

Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Franklyn and Barbara Esenberg Fund

F E S T I VA L C I T Y S Y M P H O N Y Conductor/Artistic Director......................................................................................................... Monte Perkins Executive Director............................................................................................................................ Linda E. Jones Education Director............................................................................................................................ Jayne Perkins Artist and Development Coordinator..........................................................................Lesley Conger-Hatch Librarian.............................................................................................................................................Christine Treter Assistant Librarians................................................................................................. Robert and Martha Kriefall Board of Directors Franklyn Esenberg, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Theodore Zimmer, Secretary/ Treasurer JoAnn Norris Charlane O’Rourke Robert Stack

C O N D U C TO R ’ S N O T E S Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! A note on today’s title: We plan our repertoire and schedule our soloists quite far in advance, and often have to do it before we have the specific concert dates. When today’s concert fell on St. Patrick’s Day, we had already confirmed a program of Beethoven and Rachmaninoff, so we wanted to warn everyone not to expect a program of Danny Boy and Wearing o’ the Green. Hence we titled today’s show, Not An Irish Concert.

We open with one of the four overtures that Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) wrote for his only opera, Fidelio. The way they are known today has nothing to do with the order in which they were composed. When first produced in 1804, the opera was titled Leonore and included what we now call the Leonore Overture No. 2. The opera was not a success. Beethoven revised it extensively for a production in 1806, in which he exchanged the Leonore Overture No. 3, which we will play for you today. For a further revised version in 1807 (never produced) he added the Leonore Overture No. 1, and it wasn’t until 1814 that the opera was put into the form we know today, called Fidelio, and using the Fidelio Overture. While writing four overtures may have been aggravating to Beethoven, it provided concert halls with four wonderful works. In today’s concert, pay special attention to the dramatic off-stage trumpet call.

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C O N D U C TO R ’ S N O T E S

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In 1812, Beethoven completed both his Seventh and Eighth Symphonies. With the Seventh, he continued his groundbreaking advances on the form. The Eighth was premiered in 1814 on a concert that included the Seventh, and Beethoven was irritated by the audience’s indifference to it, saying his new piece was a much better work. The Eighth Symphony is the more joyful work, often described as a “…symphony of laughter, the laughter of a man who has lived and suffered, scaling the heights, achieved the summit…” It would be ten more years before he would write his great final Ninth Symphony.

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943) was one of the greatest pianists and composers for piano of all time. He was already acknowledged as both by his twentieth birthday.

Despite his four symphonies, three operas and many songs, his four piano concertos and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, that we will perform today, are the works for which he is remembered. The Rhapsody was his final work for piano and orchestra, premiered in 1934 by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski with Rachmaninoff as soloist. The theme he used is taken from the last of the Caprices, op. 1, of Niccolo Paganini (1782 – 1840), infamous violinist and composer. In choosing it, he joined Brahms, Liszt, and Schumann, all of whom had written variations on the same theme. Rachmaninoff’s masterful orchestration provides exceptional color throughout the theme and twenty-four variations. We are extremely happy that Milwaukee pianist Jeannie Yu is again joining us to perform this magnificent composition.

We thank you for coming today to hear our concert of German and Russian music.

Afterwards, enjoy a large plate of corned beef and a beer. I’m going to.

ABOUT OUR SOLOIST - JEANNIE YU Jeannie Yu, pianist, was awarded first prize in the Frinna Awerbuch Piano Competition in New York, the Flint Symphony International Concerto Competition, the Portland Symphony International Concerto Competition, and the Kingsville Piano Competition in Texas. She also earned the prestigious Gina Bachauer Memorial Scholarship Award, a full scholarship for the bachelor and master’s degree programs at The Juilliard School of Music. Subsequently she was awarded an accompanist fellowship at the Peabody Conservatory of Music where she received her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree.

Dr. Yu has performed as soloist with the Flint Symphony, Portland Symphony, Marina del ReyWestchester Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, Des Moines Brandenburg Symphony, the Xiamen Symphony Orchestra in China, Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, Festival City Symphony, and the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra.

As a soloist and collaborative artist she has performed on WQXR in New York, WOI in Des Moines, WFMT in Chicago, and numerous chamber music series such as the Northwestern University Winter Chamber Music Series, the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music North, Three Bridges Chamber Music Festival, Frankly Music Series, and the Rembrandt Chamber Players Series in Chicago of which she is an Associate Member.

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ABOUT OUR SOLOIST - JEANNIE YU

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Dr. Yu has performed and taught master classes as a faculty member of the Alfred University Summer Chamber Music Institute, the Ohio Wesleyan Summer Chamber Music Festival, the Milwaukee Chamber Music Festival, and the Troy Youth Chamber Music Institute. She is a member of the Trio Antigo based in Madison, WI and Florestan Duo in Milwaukee, WI which has recently recorded the complete works for cello and piano by Beethoven.

“FROM THE STEPPES” Sunday, April 28, 2013 3:00 PM “Children’s Program Notes” 2:45 Pabst Theater 144 E. Wells We end our “Symphony Sundays” season with another audience request: Mussorgsky’s “Pictures At An Exhibition”. Promenade through the gallery with us as we “see” ten pictures ending with the majestic “Great Gate of Kiev”. Also on the program, Borodin’s “Symphony No. 2” is a patriotic salute to Russia and features many well-known themes used in the popular American musical “Kismet”.

ADMISSION: $14, Adult • $8 child, student, senior festivalcitysymphony.org 414-963-9067 festivalcitysymphony@wi.rr.com Not an Irish Concert

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M E E T F E S T I VA L C I T Y S Y M P H O N Y M U S I C I A N - M A R Y PAT M I C H E L S MARY PAT MICHELS has played VIOLA with Festival City Symphony for 17 years Birthplace: Eagle, Wisconsin Education: UW-Milwaukee: BFA in Music Performance (Violin and Viola) Music Education Certification (Instrumental Music and General Music) UW-Milwaukee: Graduate Work What I enjoy most about playing the violin and viola: I enjoy playing with my friends and colleagues. Seeing and hearing the reaction of the audience at a concert or the guests at a wedding is also very rewarding.

What I enjoy least about playing the violin and viola: I don’t like to practice. Performing/Rehearsing in quartets, with my students, and in orchestras is way more fun than practicing alone at home!

Instruments I play: Violin, viola, piano, organ Other musical involvements: •School District of West Allis-West Milwaukee – Orchestra Director, Suzuki Instructor, WAWM Shining Strings - Director, WAWM Music Department Liaison • MYSO – Progressions Orchestra Director • Wisconsin Philharmonic – Principal Viola, Personnel Manager, Music Librarian • Lakeside Strings – Manager, First Violin • Private Studio – 15 violin and viola students Non-musical activities: Cross-stitching and Scrabble – I don’t have much time for these, however.

Music I play on my iPOD, CD player: Whatever I’m preparing for the next orchestra gig! Listening is very helpful to the practice/preparation process!

Favorite musical memory: • As a student – playing for the opening ceremony at the Aberdeen Youth Orchestra Festival in Scotland. We played the national anthems for the countries represented by the participating orchestra. There was nothing like the feeling we all had playing the Star-Spangled Banner in a foreign country.

• Professionally – playing the viola solo of the Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante with the Concertmaster, Paul Lundin (Racine Symphony Orchestra).

Advice to young musicians: Surround yourself with strong musicians and teachers. Take every opportunity you are given to perform and learn your instrument whether it is a camp, a masterclass, or an audition. Practice at home so your lessons and rehearsals are more enjoyable!

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M E E T F E S T I VA L C I T Y S Y M P H O N Y M U S I C I A N - S T E V E N R I N D T STEVEN RINDT has played DOUBLE BASS with Festival City Symphony for 10 years Birthplace: Waukesha, Wisconsin Education: UW-Madison: Masters in Performance/Music Education – String Development UW-Milwaukee: BFA in Instrumental Music/ Teacher Certification What I enjoy most about playing the bass: The bassist image: “Before you get the “cool” part down you got to get the “bass player” bit down”.

What I enjoy least about playing the bass: Purchasing my vehicle around my instrument.

Instruments I play and teach: Violin, viola, cello, and bass Other musical involvements: Currently, I am the conductor and music director of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony’s Sinfonia and Associate Director of Orchestras at New Berlin Eisenhower. In 2009, I retired as director of orchestras at Nathan Hale High School and multiple elementary schools in the West Allis School District. Recently, I have served as interim director of the Chamber and Symphony Orchestras at UW-Whitewater (2009-2012) and interim director of orchestras at Marquette University (2007-2009). I have also served ten years at both the Interlochen Arts Camp as Junior Orchestra conductor and UW-Whitewater Summer Orchestra Camp as a conductor and faculty member. In 2001, I received the Music Teacher of the Year Award from the Civic Music Association of Milwaukee and in 2006 received the Music Teacher of the Year Award from Classical Music Station WFMR. I addition, I perform as a bassist with the Wisconsin Philharmonic and am a freelance bassist in the Milwaukee area.

Non-musical activities: Physical fitness and bicycling Music I play on my iPOD, CD player: Albinoni, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Elgar, Grieg, Holst, Janacek, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Respigi, Saint-Saens, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Vaughan Williams, John Barry, Ray Brown, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Diana Krall, Wynton Marsalis, Charles Mingus, Oscar Peterson, John Williams Favorite musical memory: I do not have any one favorite musical memory but am most fond of and reminisce of my music teaching memories: 1. Watching kids grow. 2. Hearing students laugh at my corny jokes.

Advice to young musicians: Quotes to remember beyond the notes: “Love what you do – and remember to nurture that love”, “It’s not the most talented person that succeeds but the person that put themselves on the line everyday”, “Be honest with yourself, you get out what you put in”, “The thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works”, “Achievement is talent plus preparation”, “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good, It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”

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PERSONNEL FIRST VIOLIN Pamela Simmons Concertmaster Marvin Suson Ass’t Concertmaster Catherine Bush Mary Stryck Sharon Slattery Al Bartosik Hilary Mercer Isabel Escalante Tony Perez Andrea Buchta Carol Christensen SECOND VIOLIN Ellen Scott Principal Juanita Groff Ruth Bryskier Laurie Asch Melissa Mann Cheryl Ann Fuchs Eva Szoke Marie Winget Tassia Hughes VIOLA Christine Treter Principal Olga Tuzhilkov Lynne Fields Jenna Dick Julie Roubik Korinthia Klein Mary Pat Michels

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CELLO Tom Smith Principal Elizabeth Bender Martha Kriefall Sacia Jerome Jared Snyder Carol Wittig Fang-Yi Shen BASS Charles Grosz Principal Kathryn Jursik Barry Clark Michael Gudbaur Steven Rindt FLUTE Lesley Conger-Hatch Principal Heidi Knudsen FLUTE/PICCOLO Kristen Fenske OBOE Suzanne Geoffrey Principal Suzanne Swenson ENGLISH HORN Meaghan Heinrich CLARINET Franklyn Esenberg Principal Linda E. Jones

BASSOON Carol Rosing Principal Steven Whitney HORN Wes Hatch Principal Nancy Cline Anne Maliborski Charles Payette TRUMPET Gerry Keene Principal Joe Burzinski TROMBONE Jacob Tomasicyk Principal Nick Castonguay BASS TROMBONE Mike Clobes TUBA Dan Neesley TIMPANI Robert Koszewski PERCUSSION Robert Kriefall Principal Josh Sherman John Broecker Bony Plog-Benavides HARP Claudine Cappelle