La Jolla Music Society Season 55 Program Book 1 Oct-Dec 2023

2023—2024

THE CONRAD Home of La Jolla Music Society

SEASON

Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends

OCTOBER–DECEMBER1 TheConrad.org · 858.459.3728

OCTOBER

JANUARY

ISATA KANNEH-MASON, piano

SEAN MASON QUARTET*

Piano Series

Concerts @ The JAI

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2023 • 7:30 PM

SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 2024 • 5 PM & 7:30 PM

THIBAUDET/BATIASHVILI/CAPUÇON TRIO*

PETER HILLARY* 70 Years of Everest

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2023 • 7:30 PM Revelle Chamber Music Series

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024 • 7:30 PM

MARIACHI HERENCIA DE MÉXICO & MARISOL “LA MARISOUL” HERNÁNDEZ*

Speaker Series

TATIANA EVA-MARIE & AVALON JAZZ BAND*

Global Roots Series

Concerts @ The JAI

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023 • 3 PM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2024 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM

SPECIAL EVENT: LILA DOWNS DOS CORAZONES

TONY SIQI YUN*, piano

Balboa Theatre

LUCAS & ARTHUR JUSSEN*, pianos

SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 2024 • 3 PM

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2023 • 7 PM

Discovery Series

BANDA MAGDA*

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024 • 7:30 PM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2023 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM

Piano Series

Concerts @ The JAI

LAKECIA BENJAMIN AND PHOENIX

SUNDAY, JANUARY 28, 2024 • 5 PM & 7:30 PM

NOVEMBER

Concerts @ The JAI

TURN IT OUT W/ TILER PECK & FRIENDS*

FEBRUARY

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 • 7:30 PM Dance Series Civic Theatre

LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO* 50TH ANNIVERSARY

SILKROAD ENSEMBLE WITH RHIANNON GIDDENS* AMERICAN RAILROAD

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2024 • 7:30 PM Dance Series Balboa Theatre

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2023 • 7:30 PM Global Roots Series Balboa Theatre

BALOURDET QUARTET

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2024 • 3 PM

SPECIAL FAMILY EVENT: COCO LIVE-TO-FILM CONCERT*

Discovery Series

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2023 • 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM

BLUE NOTE 85TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

ALISA WEILERSTEIN FRAGMENTS 2

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023 • 7:30 PM ProtoStar Innovative Series Co-produced by the San Diego Symphony

MAO FUJITA*, piano

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2024 • 7:30 PM Jazz Series WINTERFEST

Gala

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2023 • 3 PM Discovery Series

FLOR DE TOLOACHE*

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2023 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM Concerts @ The JAI

DECEMBER MICHELE CAFAGGI — THE MAGIC OF BUBBLES*

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2023 • 10 AM & 11:30 AM

CONNECT TO THE CONRAD RENÉE FLEMING*, soprano & INON BARNATAN, piano ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 • 8 PM Recital Series

CLARICE & SÉRGIO ASSAD

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2024 · 6 PM & 8:30 PM Concerts @ The JAI

AROD QUARTET

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2024 • 7:30 PM Revelle Chamber Music Series

AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE TRIO*

ConRAD Kids Series The JAI

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2024 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM

SEONG-JIN CHO, piano

ANDY MANN* Making Waves: Summit to Sea

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2023 • 3 PM Piano Series

DAVINA AND THE VAGABONDS HOLIDAY SHOW

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2023 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM Concerts @ The JAI

MATTHEW WHITAKER QUARTET*

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2023 • 5 PM & 7:30 PM Concerts @ The JAI

2 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

Concerts @ The JAI

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2024 • 7:30 PM Speaker Series

MARCH LAWRENCE BROWNLEE, tenor

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2024 • 7:30 PM Recital Series Co-produced by San Diego Opera

MARIA IOUDENITCH*, violin & KENNETH BROBERG*, piano SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2024 • 3 PM

HIROMI: THE PIANO QUINTET FEATURING PUBLIQUARTET*

Discovery Series

SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2024 • 3 PM

KRONOS FIVE DECADES EVENT KRONOS QUARTET AND SAM GREEN: A THOUSAND THOUGHTS

YEFIM BRONFMAN, piano

FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024 • 7:30 PM ProtoStar Innovative Series

KINGS RETURN

ProtoStar Innovative Series

FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024 • 7:30 PM Piano Series

MAY

SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM

KAKI KING*

MEOW MEOW*

ConRAD Kids Series The JAI

Concerts @ The JAI

SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2024 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2024 • 10 AM & 11:30 AM

BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET

JUNCTION TRIO CONRAD TAO, piano; STEFAN JACKIW, violin; JAY CAMPBELL, cello

Jazz Series

Revelle Chamber Music Series

Concerts @ The JAI

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024 • 7:30 PM

ALPHABET ROCKERS*

SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2024 • 3 PM ConRAD Kids Series

NRITYAGRAM DANCE ENSEMBLE* ĀHUTI

SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024 • 3 PM

BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL* DANCE ME

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2024 • 7:30 PM Dance Series Civic Theatre

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2024 • 7:30 PM THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2024 • 7:30 PM

PABLO FERRÁNDEZ*, cello

Dance Series

Recital Series

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO

CHARLES McPHERSON & FRIENDS Featuring John Beasley and The Next Generation

FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2024 • 7:30 PM Global Roots Series

THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2024 • 7:30 PM

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2024 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM

RAY CHEN, violin & JULIO ELIZALDE, piano*

Concerts @ The JAI

Recital Series

SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024 • 3 PM

THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2024 • 7:30 PM

APRIL JAKUB JÓZEF ORLIŃSKI* WITH IL POMO D’ORO BEYOND SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2024 • 3 PM Revelle Chamber Music Series

QUATUOR ÉBÈNE*

FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2024 • 7:30 PM Revelle Chamber Music Series

ABEL SELAOCOE & MANCHESTER COLLECTIVE* SIROCCO SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 2024 • 7 PM ProtoStar Innovative Series

JAZZ PIANO MINI FESTIVAL

JIJI*, guitar

Discovery Series

TERRY VIRTS* How to Astronaut

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2024 • 7:30 PM Speaker Series

BRUCE LIU*, piano

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024 • 7:30 PM Piano Series

JUNE LARRY & JOE*

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2024 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM Concerts @ The JAI

CHRIS THILE

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2024 • 7:30 PM

HERBIE HANCOCK

Global Series

Jazz Series Balboa Theatre

SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2024 • 5 PM & 7:30 PM

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024 • 7:30 PM

THE CHARLES McPHERSON QUINTET* Concerts @ The JAI

DAYRAMIR GONZÁLEZ* & HABANA enTRANCé* FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM

*LJMS debut

HIROMI’S SONICWONDER*

Dates, times, programs, artists, and venues are subject to change.

All events take place in The Baker-Baum Concert Hall unless noted.

Concerts @ The JAI

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024 • 7:30 PM Jazz Series

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Elegant Dining, Exceptional Moments

Thoughtfully Prepared by Executive Chef Kelli Crosson For reservations, call (858) 777-6635

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WE ARE CALIFORNIA’S

BUSINESS BANC. Proud Partner and the Official Bank of

LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY Every day, business owners, entrepreneurs, executives and community leaders are being empowered by Banc of California to reach their dreams and strengthen our economy. With more than $10 billion in assets and over 30 banking locations throughout the state, we are large enough to meet your banking needs, yet small enough to serve you well.

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TOGETHER WE WIN

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WELCOME TO THE LOT...

CINEMAS/ RESTAURANT/ BAR/ CAFÉ/

La Jolla 7611 Fay Ave, La Jolla CA, 92037 (858) 777- 0069 Liberty Station 2620 Truxtun Rd, San Diego CA, 92106 (619) 566- 0069

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A SYMPHONY O F TA S T E George’s at the Cove is a Proud Community Partner in support of

THE CONRAD The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center

experience g e o rg e s a t t h e co v e . co m •

858.454.4244 •

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1 2 5 0 P ro s p e c t S t re e t , L a J o l l a , C A 9 2 0 3 7

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Proud partner in support of The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center A one minute walk from THE CONRAD LUNCH | DINNER | HAPPY HOUR SATURDAY & SUNDAY BRUNCH

7550 FAY AVENUE, LA JOLLA, CA 92037 | 858 454-5013 berninisbistro.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

11

ISATA KANNEH-MASON

14

THIBAUDET/BATIASHVILI/CAPUÇON TRIO

18

MARIACHI HERENCIA & LA MARISOUL: HEREDEROS

21

LILA DOWNS: DOS CORAZONES

22

TURN IT OUT WITH TILER PECK & FRIENDS

23

SILKROAD ENSEMBLE WITH RHIANNON GIDDENS: AMERICAN RAILROAD

26

DISNEY PIXAR’S COCO LIVE-TO-FILM CONCERT

28

ALISA WEILERSTEIN: FRAGMENTS 2

30

MAO FUJITA

32

SEONG-JIN CHO

36

ARTISTS’ PROFILES

40

CELEBRATING LATIN ARTISTS, MUSIC AND CULTURE

46

CONCERTS @ THE JAI

48

CONCERTS DOWNTOWN

52

SPEAKER SERIES

53

THE ConRAD KIDS SERIES

54

JAZZ PIANO MINI FESTIVAL

55

FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS

56

BOARD & STAFF OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY

58

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT | DONOR LISTINGS

59

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THE CONRAD Home of La Jolla Music Society

Winter Season

From classical, jazz, and dance to global music, exciting speakers, and family concerts, each season Artistic Director Leah Rosenthal brings the best artists in the world to the San Diego community. This season, our most thrilling to date, will feature more than 80 artists, including superstars like Renée Fleming, Herbie Hancock, Branford Marsalis, Kronos Quartet, Tiler Peck, Chris Thile, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet as well as many inspiring new faces like Isata Kanneh-Mason, Bruce Liu, Lakecia Benjamin, Hiromi, Seong-Jin Cho, and many more.

SummerFest

La Jolla Music Society’s acclaimed chamber music festival, SummerFest, curated by award-winning pianist and festival Music Director Inon Barnatan, engages more than 80 of the world’s finest musicians to perform at The Conrad throughout the month of August. In addition to remarkable mainstage performances, SummerFest offers over 50 free and opento-the-public educational activities. To learn more, visit TheConrad.org/SummerFest.

Learning and Engagement

La Jolla Music Society’s award-winning Learning and Engamement Programming provides unmatched access and learning opportunities to more than 11,000 students and community members throughout San Diego County annually.

With learning and engagement at the heart of our mission, we work closely with each visiting artist and ensemble to create outreach activities that highlight their unique talents and expertise at both The Conrad and in the community. With our state-of the-art video and streaming capabilities at The Conrad, we are able to provide live streaming for events such as our annual SummerFest and education events for free in our Digital Concert Hall.

The Conrad

The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center opened in 2019 and serves as a gathering place for cultural, arts education, and community activity. As the permanent home of La Jolla Music Society, The Conrad hosts world-class performances presented by LJMS and other local arts organizations in its four outstanding performance and activity spaces, The Baker-Baum Concert Hall, The JAI, The Atkinson Room, and the picturesque Wu Tsai QRT.yrd.

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Land Acknowledgment

The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center acknowledges the ancestral, unceded territory of the Kumeyaay people, on which The Conrad was built.

We hold great respect for the land and the original people of the area where our performing arts center is located. The Kumeyaay continue to maintain their political sovereignty and cultural traditions as vital members of the San Diego community.

Welcome to La Jolla Music Society’s 55 Winter Season th

Dear Friends, Welcome back to The Conrad for a major milestone season—La Jolla Music Society’s 55th, and our fifth in our beautiful home!

A few weeks ago we closed another record-breaking SummerFest, a series of exquisite concerts programmed by brilliant Music Director Inon Barnatan, who curated an eclectic program of beloved and lesser-known works performed by some of the world’s most talented chamber musicians, whose skill and personalities exuded in their work. The full houses and enthusiasm we saw, along with steadily growing attendance, tells us that you are as excited as we are to launch this new Winter Season.

Our 55th anniversary season is the biggest we’ve ever presented, with 78 concerts featuring more than 100 artists from around the world. Artistic Director Leah Rosenthal, celebrating her 15th year with us, continues to bring global superstars and world-renowned virtuosi as well as exciting emerging talents and delightful lesser-known performers she discovers. Thanks to Leah, we bring you stars like Renée Fleming, Herbie Hancock, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Yefim Bronfman, Branford Marsalis, the Kronos Quartet, Tiler Peck, Chris Thile, and Rhiannon Giddens, while also introducing you to exciting artists like Mao Fujita, Ballets Jazz Montréal, Hiromi, Flor de Toloache, Meow Meow, Maria Ioudenitch, Tony Siqi Yun, and Dayramir González, among many others.

We encourage you to take in many of these concerts and experience the full breadth of what LJMS offers and to make The Conrad your home for the performing arts.

Warmly,

Todd Schultz President & CEO La Jolla Music Society

Our Mission: The mission of La Jolla Music Society is to enhance cultural life and engagement by presenting and producing a wide range of programming of the highest artistic quality, and to make The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center a vibrant and inclusive hub.

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ISATA KANNEH-MASON, piano SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2023 · 7:30 PM THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL

HAYDN

(1732–1809)

Easter Sonata Allegro assai moderato Largo e molto espressivo; Poco più mosso Scherzo: Allegretto Allegro con strepito

INTERMISSION

F. MENDELSSOHN (1805–1847)

PRELUDE 6:30 PM Lecture by Kristi Brown Montesano

La Jolla Music Society’s 2023–24 season is supported by The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Banc of California, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, ProtoStar Foundation, Vail Memorial Fund, ResMed Foundation, Bright Events Rentals, Cafe Coyote, Rancho Coyote, Giuseppe's, Ace Parking, Brenda Baker and Steve Baum, Raffaella and John Belanich, Gordon Brodfuehrer, Mary Ellen Clark, Bert and Julie Cornelison, Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Angelina and Fred Kleinbub, Dorothea Laub, Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong, Jeanette Stevens, Debra Turner, Sue and Peter Wagener, and Bebe and Marvin Zigman.

Piano Sonata in C Major, Hob.XVI:50 Allegro Adagio Allegro molto

SCHUMANN Kinderszenen, Opus 15 (1810–1856) Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (From Foreign Lands and Peoples)

Curiose Geschichte (Curious Story)

Hasche-Mann (Blind Man’s Bluff)

Bittendes Kind (Pleading Child)

Glückes genug (Happiness)

Wichtige Begenbenheit (An Important Event)

Träumerei (Dreaming) Am Camin (At the Fireside) Ritter vom Steckenpferd (Knight of the Hobbyhorse) Fast zu ernst (Almost Too Serious) Fürchtenmachen (Frightening) Kind im Einschlummern (Child Falling Asleep) Der Dichter spricht (The Poet Speaks) CHOPIN (1810–1849)

Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Opus 58 Allegro maestoso Scherzo: Molto vivace Largo Finale: Presto non tanto Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano

Isata Kanneh-Mason appears by arrangement with Enticott Music Management.

Isata Kanneh-Mason records exclusively for Decca Classics.

Isata Kanneh-Mason last performed for La Jolla Music Society in the Revelle Chamber Music Series on April 23, 2022.

14 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

ISATA KANNEH-MASON - PROGRAM NOTES

Program notes by Eric Bromberger

Piano Sonata in C Major, Hob.XVI:50

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN Born March 31, 1732, Rohrau, Austria Died May 31, 1809, Vienna Composed: 1794 Approximate Duration: 13 minutes

Haydn’s approximately sixty keyboard sonatas are almost unknown to general audiences, who are daunted by their sheer number and more readily drawn to the famous nineteenth-century piano sonatas that followed. Yet there is some very fine music here indeed. Haydn’s Sonata in C Major is one of a set of three he composed in London in 1794 and dedicated to pianist Therese Jansen, presumably with her talents in mind. Everyone notes the full sonority of these sonatas, and this has been explained in different ways. Some believe that these sonatas consciously echo the sound of the series of grand symphonies Haydn was then writing for London orchestras. Others have felt that the brilliance of these sonatas is the best evidence of Therese Jansen’s abilities, while still others explain it as a sign that the English fortepianos were much more powerful than the instruments Haydn was used to in Vienna.

Whatever the reason, Haydn’s Sonata in C Major rings with a splendid sound. The opening Allegro is full of forthright energy. The initial pattern of three notes repeats throughout: it is sounded tentatively at first, then quickly repeated in full chords. Haydn plays this pattern out with great energy and brilliance across the span of a fairly lengthy movement (more than half the length of the entire sonata).

The central movement is an expressive Adagio in abbreviated sonata form whose main subject is built around the rolled chords heard at the very beginning. The concluding Allegro molto, barely two minutes long, is full of high comedy. It feels like a very fast waltz that starts and stops and modulates throughout, as if the composer cannot quite make up his mind how he wants it to go. Haydn of course knows exactly how he wants it to go, and this lurching, stumbling dance should leave us all laughing.

Easter Sonata

FANNY MENDELSSOHN HENSEL Born November 14, 1805, Hamburg Died May 14, 1847, Berlin Composed: 1828 Approximate Duration: 22 minutes

There is general agreement that the two most prodigiously talented young composers in history were Mozart and Mendelssohn, and there were many parallels between the two. Both were born into families perfectly suited to nurture their talents. Both showed phenomenal TABLE OF CONTENTS

talent as small boys. Both began composing as boys, and from the earliest age, both had their music performed by professional musicians. Both became virtuoso keyboard performers. In addition, both played the violin and viola and took part in chamber music performances. Both composed voluminously in every genre. Both drove themselves very hard. Both died in their thirties.

But there is uncanny further parallel between the two: both Mozart and Mendelssohn had older sisters whose musical talents rivaled their own. Mozart’s sister Maria Anna, five years his senior, performed as a child with her brother in all the capitals of Europe, where they were put on display by their ambitious father. She also composed (none of her music has survived), but a serious career in music was out of the question for a woman at the end of the eighteenth century. She married in 1784 and grew estranged from her brother—they did not see each other over the final years of his life.

Fanny Mendelssohn, four years older than Felix, had a much closer relation with her brother. Like Felix, she began composing at an early age, and some of her songs were published under her brother’s name. She too was discouraged from making a career in music, and at age 24 she married the painter Wilhelm Hensel and had a son. But music remained a passion for her, and she composed an orchestral overture, chamber music, works for piano, and a great deal of vocal music; late in her brief life, Fanny overcame her family’s opposition and began to publish music under her own name. Fanny remained extremely close to her brother throughout her life, and her sudden death from a stroke at age 41 so devastated Felix that he collapsed on hearing the news and never really recovered—his own death six months later at age 38 was triggered at least in part by that shock.

The Easter Sonata (that title originated with the composer) has had a complex history. Fanny composed this four-movement sonata in April and May of 1828, when she was only 22. She is known to have performed it several times, and her brother once played it from memory, so the piece was widely known within the Mendelssohn family.

But with the deaths of both Fanny and Felix in 1847, the manuscript vanished, and the music was forgotten for over a century. Then in 1970 the manuscript was found in Paris in the possession of a French collector; because the manuscript was signed “F. Mendelssohn,” it was assumed to be the work of Felix. But careful musicological work in 2010 established that the manuscript was in Fanny’s hand and had been cut out of the album of manuscript paper in which she worked. Finally, nearly two centuries after it was written, the Easter Sonata was published with a proper attribution.

The title Easter Sonata needs some explanation. Fanny composed it during a period when the entire family was

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ISATA KANNEH-MASON - PROGRAM NOTES

involved in preparations for a performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in 1829, a performance that would be led by Felix. Both the Easter Sonata and the St. Matthew Passion deal with the passion—the death—of Christ and not with the resurrection. One should be careful about searching for scene painting in the Easter Sonata—Fanny was more concerned with atmosphere than with pictorial representation, and only in the last movement do we detect some attempt at setting a scene.

The Allegro assai moderato is in a generalized sonata form, alternating its dancing opening idea in 9/8 with a soaring second subject. There are moments of turbulence here, and much of the writing is very difficult (Fanny was by all accounts a superb pianist). The slow movement, marked Largo e molto espressivo, sets a solemn mood, and at its center comes a long fugue in E minor. This movement proceeds without pause into the Scherzo, marked Allegretto, which dances agilely and features great cascades of sound across the range of the keyboard; the Molto vivace coda of this movement gradually breaks the main theme down into fragments. The last movement is marked Allegro con strepito (“noisy, loud”). This is a very dramatic movement, and some have heard here the shouts of the crowd crying out to have Christ crucified, while others hear the earthquake that was said to accompany Christ’s death. After all this violence, the Easter Sonata concludes with a fantasia on the old chorale tune Christe, du lamm Gottes (“Christ, You Lamb of God”).

Kinderszenen, Opus 15

ROBERT SCHUMANN Born June 8, 1810, Zwickau, Germany Died July 29, 1856, Endenich, Germany Composed: 1838 Approximate Duration: 17 minutes

Kinderszenen, one of Schumann’s most frequently performed compositions, originated in an almost incidental remark that the teenaged Clara Wieck made to her future husband: she told him one day that he sometimes seemed like a child to her (this was apparently meant as an incidental observation rather than a furious denunciation).

Schumann was struck by this remark, and in February 1838—while Clara was absent on a seven-month concert tour—he composed about thirty very short piano pieces that he regarded as “reminiscences of an older person” about memories of childhood (Schumann was 27 at the time).

From these, he chose thirteen and published them under the title Kinderszenen: “Scenes from Childhood.” To Clara he wrote: “You will like them, but you must forget that you are a virtuoso. They make a great impression—especially on myself!—when I play them.”

Schumann was very much attracted to the world of the child (Clara’s remark contained a large measure of

16 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

truth), and he composed a good deal of music for children, including the 43 pieces in the Album for the Young of 1848.

Schumann was quite right that one need not be a virtuoso to play the Kinderszenen, though some of them are certainly difficult enough: he intended these “adult” reminiscences to be playable by children, and everyone who has had at least a couple of years of piano lessons has performed some of them. It should be noted that, despite the specific titles, Schumann was not aiming for exact pictorial representation in these pieces: as was often the case with this composer, he wrote the music first and then went back later and decided what they were “about.” Schumann commented that “the titles were given afterward and these titles are, in fact, nothing but directions for the performance of the music.”

In any case, listeners will discover that they already know many of these charming pieces. They are all brief (the shortest lasts about half a minute), each conveys one specific impression, and there is an endearing innocence about all thirteen. The longest of them, Träumerei, has become almost the archetype of the dreamy romantic piano piece, but all listeners will discover old favorites along the way as this music—nicely calculated to charm both children and adults—unfolds.

Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Opus 58

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Born March 1, 1810, Żelazowa Wola, Poland Died October 17, 1849, Paris Composed: 1844 Approximate Duration: 30 minutes

Chopin wrote the Piano Sonata in B Minor, his last large-scale composition for piano, during the summer of 1844, when he was 34. He composed the sonata at Nohant, the summer estate in central France he shared with the novelist George Sand. That summer represented a last moment of stasis in the composer’s life—over the next several years his relationship with Sand would deteriorate, and his health, long ravaged by tuberculosis, would begin to fail irretrievably. Dedicated to Madame la Comtesse Emilie de Perthuis, a friend and pupil, the Sonata in B Minor was published in 1845. Chopin himself never performed it in public.

Chopin’s sonatas have come in for a hard time from some critics, and this criticism intensifies to the degree that they depart from the formal pattern of the classical piano sonata. But it is far better to take these sonatas on their own terms and recognize that Chopin—like Beethoven before him—was willing to adapt classical forms for his own expressive purposes. The Sonata in B Minor is a big work—its four movements stretch out to nearly half an hour.

The opening Allegro maestoso does indeed have a majestic beginning with the first theme plunging downward out of the silence, followed moments later by the gorgeous second

ISATA KANNEH-MASON - PROGRAM NOTES

subject in D major, marked sostenuto. The movement treats both these ideas but dispenses with a complete recapitulation and closes with a restatement of the second theme. The brief Molto vivace is a scherzo, yet here that form is without the violence it sometimes takes on in Beethoven. This scherzo has a distinctly light touch, with the music flickering and flashing across the keyboard (the right-hand part is particularly demanding). A quiet legato middle section offers a moment of repose before the returning of the opening rush.

Chopin launches the lengthy Largo with sharply dotted rhythms, over which the main theme—itself dotted and marked cantabile—rises quietly and gracefully. This movement is also in ternary form, with a flowing middle section in E major. The finale—Presto, non tanto—leaps to life with a powerful eight-bar introduction built of octaves before the main theme, correctly marked Agitato, launches this rondo in B minor. Of unsurpassed difficulty, this final movement—one of the greatest in the Chopin sonatas—brings the work to a brilliant close.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PRELUDE 6:30 PM

Lecture by Michael Gerdes

JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET, piano LISA BATIASHVILI, violin & GAUTIER CAPUÇON, cello FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2023 · 7:30 PM THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL

HAYDN

(1732–1809)

RAVEL

(1875–1937)

Piano Trio in E Major, Hob.XV:28 Allegro moderato Allegretto Rondo: Allegro Piano Trio in A Minor Modéré Pantoum: Assez vif Passacaille: Très large Finale: Animé INTERMISSION

La Jolla Music Society’s 2023–24 season is supported by The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Banc of California, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, ProtoStar Foundation, Vail Memorial Fund, ResMed Foundation, Bright Events Rentals, Cafe Coyote, Rancho Coyote, Giuseppe's, Ace Parking, Brenda Baker and Steve Baum, Raffaella and John Belanich, Gordon Brodfuehrer, Mary Ellen Clark, Bert and Julie Cornelison, Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Angelina and Fred Kleinbub, Dorothea Laub, Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong, Jeanette Stevens, Debra Turner, Sue and Peter Wagener, and Bebe and Marvin Zigman.

MENDELSSOHN Piano Trio in C Minor, Opus 66 (1809–1847) Allegro energico e con fuoco

Andante espressivo

Scherzo: Molto allegro quasi presto

Finale: Allegro appassionato Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano; Lisa Batiashvili, violin;

Gautier Capuçon, cello

Mr. Thibaudet's worldwide representation: Harrison Parrott Mr. Thibaudet records exclusively for Decca Classics.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet last performed for La Jolla Music Society in a Special Event on April 5, 2019. This performance marks Lisa Batiashvili's and Gautier Capuçon’s La Jolla Music Society debuts.

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THIBAUDET/BATIASHVILI/CAPUÇON TRIO - PROGRAM NOTES

Program notes by Eric Bromberger

Piano Trio in E Major, Hob.XV:28

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN Born March 31, 1732, Rohrau, Austria Died May 31, 1809, Vienna Composed: 1794 Approximate Duration: 16 minutes

Haydn’s two extended visits to England in the 1790s came a as a revelation to the sixty-year-old composer. More accurately, they came as a shock. For thirty years Haydn had been Kapellmeister to the Esterhazy family at their remote palace forty miles east of Vienna. There, as a staff musician, Haydn had worn a uniform, conducted and composed, and put on concerts for his prince and invited guests. But when Prince Nikolaus died in 1790 and the impresario J.P. Salomon invited Haydn to England, the composer discovered—to his astonishment—that he was famous. Salomon’s concerts were open to the enthusiastic English public, which bought tickets, crowded the halls, and cheered Haydn’s music. Haydn was introduced to George III, had an extremely active social life (at the end of his first week in England, he observed that he had “had to dine out six times up to now, and if I wanted, I could have an invitation every day”), and made a huge amount of money. He called his years in England the “happiest” of his life and observed pointedly that he “became famous in Germany through England.”

One of the most invigorating aspects of Haydn’s years in England was his contact with a middle-class audience, which not only came to hear music but also played it. This may help explain why he composed a number of piano trios while in England—it was music that could be purchased and performed by the growing number of amateur musicians in England. The present Trio in E Major is one of a set of three that Haydn appears to have begun in London and finished in Vienna; it was published in London in 1797.

This music may be progressive in the sense that it was composed with an emerging middle class in mind, but its roots lie in a form that was in the process of disappearing, the accompanied sonata. We may think of this piece as a piano trio, but Haydn did not: he published this set of trios under the title “Sonatas for the pianoforte with an accompaniment for the violin and violoncello.” Where later composers would balance the musical duties more evenly, Haydn felt that the piano is the dominant instrument here, with the two stringed instruments playing a subordinate role: the cello often doubles the pianist’s left hand, though the violin is offered somewhat more independence. The Trio in E Major is marked by the lyric spirit that was a part of Haydn’s chamber music in these years. The Allegro moderato is based on the piano’s singing opening phrase, in which every single note is decorated by a gracenote; the Allegretto features the piano prominently, and the trio concludes with a brisk rondo marked Allegro.

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Piano Trio in A Minor

MAURICE RAVEL Born March 7, 1875, Ciboure, Basses-Pyrenées Died December 28, 1937, Paris Composed: 1914 Approximate Duration: 28 minutes

In February 1914 Ravel went to St. Jean-de-Luz, a small village on the French coast near the Spanish border, to work on two projects he had planned for some time: a piano concerto using Basque themes and a piano trio. He soon abandoned plans for the concerto, but the first movement of the trio went much better, and he had it complete by the end of March. He struggled with the rest of it, though. It took until mid-summer to get the middle movements done, and by the time he began the last movement, he had something else to worry about—World War I broke out just as he began work. Anxious to serve in the military (he would later drive an ambulance for the French army), Ravel was nevertheless extremely agitated, particularly about leaving his aged mother behind. To a friend, he wrote: “If you only knew how I am suffering. From morning to night I am obsessed with one idea that tortures me . . . if I leave my poor old mother, it will surely kill her . . . But so as not to think of all this, I am working—yes, working with the sureness and lucidity of a madman. At the same time I get terrible fits of depression and suddenly find myself sobbing over the sharps and flats!”

Pushed on by this furious work, the Piano Trio was complete by the end of August.

The Piano Trio is one of Ravel’s finest chamber works, featuring brilliant writing for all three performers and a range of instrumental color rare in a piano trio. The first movement, Modéré, opens with the piano alone playing a theme of delicate rhythmic suspension. Ravel called this theme, in 8/8 time, “Basque in color.” A second idea, first heard in the violin, is taken up by the other instruments, but the development section of this sonata-form movement is relatively brief. The movement comes to a close as a fragment of the first theme dissolves to the point where the piano is left quietly tapping out the rhythm in its lowest register.

Ravel called the second movement Pantoum, and exactly what he meant by that is still open to question. A “pantoum” is a form of Malay poetry in which the second and fourth lines of one stanza become the first and third of the next.

Whatever Ravel meant, this movement is colorful, full of racing rhythms, harmonics, and left-handed pizzicatos. The center section is particularly dazzling: the strings stay in a racing 3/4, while the piano’s chorale-like chords are in 4/2.

At the close, the opening material returns.

The third movement is a passacaglia with ten statements of the eight-bar theme. These begin quietly, become freer and louder, then gradually resume their original form as the movement comes to its quiet close. The third statement of the TheConrad.org · 858.459.3728

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THIBAUDET/BATIASHVILI/CAPUÇON TRIO - PROGRAM NOTES

theme—for violin accompanied by simple chords from the piano—is ravishing.

The finale, marked Animé, is agitated. Whether this reflects Ravel’s own agitation at the time of its composition remains an unanswerable question, of course, but what is clear is that this movement has an energy and sweep unknown to the first three. It opens with swirling harmonic arpeggios from the violin, and this sensation of constant motion is felt throughout. The main theme—first heard in the piano—bears some rhythmic resemblance to the opening theme of the first movement, but the mood of this movement is far different. The finale is big music—not big in the sense of straining to be orchestral, but big in scope and color. Full of swirling arpeggios, trills, and tremolos, the movement flies to its searing conclusion on a stinging, high A-major chord.

Piano Trio in C Minor, Opus 66

FELIX MENDELSSOHN Born February 3, 1809, Hamburg Died November 4, 1847, Leipzig Composed: 1845 Approximate Duration: 30 minutes

Mendelssohn wrote his second and final piano trio in April 1845, just two years before his death at age 38.

This trio comes from between the composition of two of Mendelssohn’s best-known works—the Violin Concerto of 1844 and the oratorio Elijah of 1846—and was completed only weeks after the première of the Violin Concerto on March 13, 1845. It is dedicated to the German composerviolinist Ludwig Spohr, whom Mendelssohn had met when he was a boy of 13 and Spohr was 38.

This music is anchored firmly on its stormy outer movements. The markings for these movement are important.

Not content to name them simply Allegro, Mendelssohn makes his instructions more specific and dramatic: energico e con fuoco and appassionato. These qualifications are the key to the character of this music—one feels at climactic points that this piano trio is straining to break through the limits of chamber music and to take on the scope and sonority of symphonic music.

The piano immediately announces the dark, murmuring main theme of the first movement; this idea recurs continually through the movement, either rippling quietly in the background or thundering out fiercely. Violin and cello share the soaring second theme, and the development is dramatic. By contrast, the Andante espressivo brings a world of calm. The piano sings the main theme, a gently rocking chordal melody in 9/8 time, and is soon joined by the strings.

The propulsive Scherzo: Molto allegro quasi presto rockets along in dark G minor; a steady rustle of sixteenth-notes underpins the entire movement. The trio section switches to bright G major before the return of the opening material and a sudden close on quick, quiet pizzicato strokes.

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The finale gets off to a spirited start with the cello’s lively theme, and unison strings share the broadly ranging second idea. One of the unusual features of this movement is Mendelssohn’s use of the old chorale tune known in English as “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow,” first heard quietly in the piano. As the movement nears its climax, the chorale grows in power until—with piano tremolando and multiple-stopped strings—it thunders out boldly.

MARIACHI HERENCIA DE MÉXICO HEREDEROS WITH SPECIAL GUEST LA MARISOUL SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2023 · 3 PM THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL Marisol Hernandez, vocals Arturo Garza, Enoc Guerrero, Isaias Lopez, Bryana Martinez, Miguel Torres, Jose Vargas, violins Pedro Aguayo, Jose Gonzalez, Marco Villela, trumpets Carlos Rojas, guitarron Alonso Orozco, vihuela Israel Alcala, Melanie Juarez, guitars Julio Perez, harp

PROGRAM La Jolla Music Society’s 2023–24 season is supported by The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Banc of California, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, ProtoStar Foundation, Vail Memorial Fund, ResMed Foundation, Bright Events Rentals, Cafe Coyote, Rancho Coyote, Giuseppe's, Ace Parking, Brenda Baker and Steve Baum, Raffaella and John Belanich, Gordon Brodfuehrer, Mary Ellen Clark, Bert and Julie Cornelison, Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Angelina and Fred Kleinbub, Dorothea Laub, Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong, Jeanette Stevens, Debra Turner, Sue and Peter Wagener, and Bebe and Marvin Zigman.

Mariachi Herencia de México appears by arrangement with IMG Artists, LLC, 7 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019.

212-994-3500

Works to be announced from stage.

There will be a 20-minute intermission.

ABOUT ¡Viva el Mariachi! A new generation takes mariachi to whole new heights—Latin GRAMMY®-nominee Mariachi Herencia de México presents Herederos (The Heirs) with special guest GRAMMY®-winner La Marisoul. Simultaneously honoring the past, celebrating the present, and creating the future of regional Mexican music, Mariachi Herencia de México and La Marisoul share the stage for an unforgettable night of Mexican music and culture.

This performance marks Mariachi Herencia de México’s and La Marisoul’s La Jolla Music Society debuts.

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LILA DOWNS

DOS CORAZONES DÍA DE MUERTOS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2023 · 7 PM BALBOA THEATRE

PROGRAM LA MISTERIOSA Lila Downs, vocals, jarana, hand percussion George Saenz Jr, music director, trombone, accordion Lautaro Burgos, drums Nakeiltha Campbell, percussion Josh Deutsch, trumpet, keys Rafael Gomez, electric & acoustic guitars Luis Guzman, bass Sinuhe Padilla, acoustic guitar, jarana, bajo quinto

PRODUCTION TEAM Alex McIntire, audio engineer - A1 / FoH Paris Lawson, audio engineer - monitors Johnny Moreno, lighting & video direction / design Benito Cohen Downs, teleprompter Vicente Sanchez, Ms. Downs’ Assistant Casey Fatch, tour manager Kat Cook, tour director

Works to be announced from stage.

This performance has no intermission.

ABOUT La Jolla Music Society’s 2023–24 season is supported by The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Banc of California, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, ProtoStar Foundation, Vail Memorial Fund, ResMed Foundation, Bright Events Rentals, Cafe Coyote, Rancho Coyote, Giuseppe's, Ace Parking, Brenda Baker and Steve Baum, Raffaella and John Belanich, Gordon Brodfuehrer, Mary Ellen Clark, Bert and Julie Cornelison, Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Angelina and Fred Kleinbub, Dorothea Laub, Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong, Jeanette Stevens, Debra Turner, Sue and Peter Wagener, and Bebe and Marvin Zigman.

The concert will include new songs from “La Sánchez,” favorites from previous albums, as well as beloved rancheras and other traditional Mexican music. It is also a celebration of the Día de los Muertos tradition with ballet folklorico, calaveras, Catrinas, and culturally rich visual projections.

Lila Downs last performed for La Jolla Music Society in the Global Roots Series on May 4, 2022.

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PRELUDE 6:30 PM Interview hosted by Molly Puryear

Support for this program provided by members of the Dance Society and presenting sponsors:

Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon Bebe and Marvin Zigman

TURN IT OUT WITH TILER PECK & FRIENDS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 · 7:30 PM CIVIC THEATRE

Artistic Director and Curator Tiler Peck

PROGRAM THOUSANDTH ORANGE PAU S E

SWIFT ARROW

For up-to-date program information and dancer profiles please scan here:

PAU S E

TIME SPELL INTERMISSION

THE BARRE PROJECT, BLAKE WORKS II FEATURING India Bradley, Chun-Wai Chan, Michelle Dorrance, Jovani Furlan, Christopher Grant, Lex Ishimoto, Brooklyn Mack, Roman Mejia, Jillian Meyers, Mira Nadon, Tiler Peck, Aaron Marcellus Sanders, Quinn Starner, Byron Tittle, Penelope Wendtlandt

Choreography by Michelle Dorrance, William Forsythe, Alonzo King, Jillian Meyers, and Tiler Peck La Jolla Music Society’s 2023–24 season is supported by The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Banc of California, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, ProtoStar Foundation, Vail Memorial Fund, ResMed Foundation, Bright Events Rentals, Cafe Coyote, Rancho Coyote, Giuseppe's, Ace Parking, Brenda Baker and Steve Baum, Raffaella and John Belanich, Gordon Brodfuehrer, Mary Ellen Clark, Bert and Julie Cornelison, Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Angelina and Fred Kleinbub, Dorothea Laub, Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong, Jeanette Stevens, Debra Turner, Sue and Peter Wagener, and Bebe and Marvin Zigman.

Lighting Designer Brandon Stirling Baker

Assistant Production Stage Manager Angelina Pellini

Lighting Supervisors Coby Chasman-Beck Serena Wong

Production Manager/Sound Design Christopher Marc

Production Stage Manager Betsy Ayer

Assistant Production Coordinator Carly D. Shiner

Producer & Booking Representative Margaret Selby Selby/Artists Management This performance marks Turn it out w/Tiler Peck & Friends’ La Jolla Music Society debuts.

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TURN IT OUT WITH TILER PECK & FRIENDS - PROGRAM NOTES

PROGRAM THOUSANDTH ORANGE Choreography by Music by Costume Design by Lighting Design by Dancers Musicians World Première

Tiler Peck Caroline Shaw Harriet Jung & Reid Bartelme Brandon Stirling Baker India Bradley, Chun-Wai Chan, Jovani Furlan, Christopher Grant, Mira Nadon, Quinn Starner Emily Call, violin; Mads Falcone, viola; Betsy Rettig, cello; Basia Bochenek, piano August 5, 2019 Vail Dance Festival Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater Vail, CO

Thousandth Orange was commissioned by the Vail Dance Festival, Damian Woetzel, Artistic Director, and made possible through the support of Donna & Donald Baumgartner, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

PAU S E

SWIFT ARROW Choreography by Music by Costume Design by Dancers Musician World Première

Alonzo King Jason Moran Robert Rosenwasser Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia Basia Bochenek, piano May 1, 2021 John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Washington, D.C.

Om is the bow, the arrow is the individual being, and Brahman is the target. With a tranquil heart, take aim.

Lose thyself in Him, even as the arrow is lost in the target.

“Swift Arrow” composed by Jason Moran, licensed courtesy of Modern Works Music Publishing.

Swift Arrow is a commission by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Washington, D.C.

PAU S E

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TIME SPELL

SUBDIVISIONS OF TIME AND SPACE, AND INTERSECTIONS OF ISOLATION AND COMMUNITY, LONGING AND JOY Choreography by Michelle Dorrance, Jillian Meyers, and Tiler Peck in collaboration with and improvisation by the dancers Associate Choreographer Byron Tittle Music by Aaron Marcellus and Penelope Wendtlandt Costume Styling by Amy Page Lighting Design by Brandon Stirling Baker Sound Design by Christopher Marc Dancers India Bradley, Chun-Wai Chan, Michelle Dorrance, Christopher Grant, Lex Ishimoto, Roman Mejia, Jillian Meyers, Mira Nadon, Tiler Peck, Quinn Starner, Byron Tittle Musicians Aaron Marcellus and Penelope Wendtlandt World Première

March 4, 2022 New York City Center New York, NY

Compositions “inside armour,” “7 dead,” and “fly away" composed by Penelope Wendtlandt, licensed courtesy of Penelope Wendtlandt.

Time Spell is a commission by New York City Center.

Support for new dance works at City Center is provided by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

Additional support for Time Spell is provided by Virginia and Timothy Millhiser.

INTERMISSION

THE BARRE PROJECT, BLAKE WORKS II Choreography by William Forsythe Music by James Blake Production Design by William Forsythe Costume Design by Harriet Jung & Reid Bartelme, Tiler Peck Designs, EPTM LOS ANGELES & WEAR MOI Lighting Design by Brandon Stirling Baker Dancers Lex Ishimoto, Brooklyn Mack, Roman Mejia, Tiler Peck Digital World Première March 25, 2021 By CLI Studios at: clistudios.com Live World Première

March 4, 2022 New York City Center New York, NY

The creation of The Barre Project, Blake Works II was made possible by CLI Studios.

“200 Press,” written by James Blake Litherland (PRS). Published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Limited (GMR). Performed by James Blake.

Courtesy of 1-800-Dinosaur. “Buzzard & Kestrel,” written by James Blake Litherland (PRS). Published by Universal Music Publishing Group (GMR) and Buzzard and Kestrel LTD (ASCAP).Performed by James Blake. Courtesy of Hessle Audio. “Lindisfarne I,” written by James Blake Litherland (PRS). Published by Universal Music Publishing Group (GMR).Performed by James Blake. Courtesy of Universal Music Operations Ltd. “Lullaby For My Insomniac,” written by James Blake Litherland (PRS). Published by Sony SmashHits Music Publishing (GMR). Performed by James Blake.

Courtesy of Universal Music Operations Ltd.

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AMERICAN RAILROAD SILKROAD ENSEMBLE WITH ProtoStar Foundation RHIANNON GIDDENS

Support for this program provided by presenting sponsors:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2023 · 7:30 PM BALBOA THEATRE

For more information on American Railroad please scan here:

La Jolla Music Society’s 2023–24 season is supported by The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Banc of California, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, ProtoStar Foundation, Vail Memorial Fund, ResMed Foundation, Bright Events Rentals, Cafe Coyote, Rancho Coyote, Giuseppe's, Ace Parking, Brenda Baker and Steve Baum, Raffaella and John Belanich, Gordon Brodfuehrer, Mary Ellen Clark, Bert and Julie Cornelison, Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Angelina and Fred Kleinbub, Dorothea Laub, Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong, Jeanette Stevens, Debra Turner, Sue and Peter Wagener, and Bebe and Marvin Zigman.

Opus 3 Artists is the exclusive representative of Silkroad Ensemble.

Rhiannon Giddens, banjo, voice Shawn Conley, bass Pura Fé Crescioni, lap-steel guitar, voice Haruka Fujii, percussion Sandeep Das, tablas Karen Ouzounian, cello Mazz Swift, violin, voice Niwel Tsumbu, guitar Francesco Turrisi, frame drums, accordion Kaoru Watanabe, percussion Michi Wiancko, violin Wu Man, pipa Yazhi Guo, suona, Chinese percussion

PROGRAM

Works to be announced from stage.

There will be one 20-minute intermission.

This performance marks Rhiannon Giddens’ La Jolla Music Society debut.

Silkroad Ensemble last performed for La Jolla Music Society in the Protostar Innovative Series on April 3, 2022.

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SILKROAD ENSEMBLE WITH RHIANNON GIDDENS - PROGRAM NOTES

ABOUT As a social-impact organization and home to a GRAMMY® Award-winning musical ensemble, Silkroad works to inspire collaboration in innovative ways that add more equity and justice into the world through the power of the arts. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad reaches new heights through a commitment to new music, a re-sparked mission towards cultural collaboration, and a reinvigorated focus to high-quality arts education that both reflects its mission and the times in which we live.

Silkroad’s newest initiative, American Railroad, illuminates the impact of African American, Chinese, Indigenous, Irish, and other immigrant communities on the creation of the US Transcontinental Railroad and connecting railways in North America. Exploring the dissemination of cultures across the United States, the railroad was to North America what the Silk Road was to China, the Far East and Europe. These and other immigrant populations played a fundamental role in one of America’s most important technological and economic achievements of the 19th century—and shaped its cultural identity—yet their contributions have all too often been erased from history. This performance will amplify untold stories to paint a richer, more accurate picture of the origins of the American Empire which profoundly reverberate today, and the formation of our multifaceted American identities.

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Led by artistic director Rhiannon Giddens, each stop on the American Railroad tour will contextualize—or rather, re-contextualize—the railroad through music. Chinese traditional music on the suona and pipa are contrasted with the fiddle and banjo of Black musical traditions, or their Indigenous and Celtic counterparts. These cultural intersections reveal a thread of commonality despite their varied origins, and remind us of the intricately rich American story. As highlighted in the New York Times, Silkroad’s newest undertaking challenges modern perceptions of the American identity by highlighting stories untold and voices unheard.

The program features new, original music written by Ensemble members and outside composers.

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2023 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL Music performed live by Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México Conducted by Esin Aydingoz

DISNEY•PIXAR COCO

There will be one intermission PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FILM CREDITS Directed by LEE UNKRICH Co-Directed by ADRIAN MOLINA Produced by DARLA K. ANDERSON, p.g.a.

Tour Direction: Artist Management Partners Worldwide LLC Tim Fox ǀ Alison Ahart Williams Georgina Ryder

Executive Producer JOHN LASSETER Screenplay by ADRIAN MOLINA LEE UNKRICH

MATTHEW ALDRICH

Original Story by JASON KATZ MATTHEW ALDRICH

ADRIAN MOLINA

Original Score by MICHAEL GIACCHINO Original Songs by KRISTEN ANDERSON-LOPEZ & ROBERT LOPEZ and GERMAINE FRANCO & ADRIAN MOLINA

www.amp-worldwide.com

PROGRAM

Today’s performance lasts approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission.

© Disney/Pixar.

ABOUT La Jolla Music Society’s 2023–24 season is supported by The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Banc of California, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, ProtoStar Foundation, Vail Memorial Fund, ResMed Foundation, Bright Events Rentals, Cafe Coyote, Rancho Coyote, Giuseppe's, Ace Parking, Brenda Baker and Steve Baum, Raffaella and John Belanich, Gordon Brodfuehrer, Mary Ellen Clark, Bert and Julie Cornelison, Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Angelina and Fred Kleinbub, Dorothea Laub, Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong, Jeanette Stevens, Debra Turner, Sue and Peter Wagener, and Bebe and Marvin Zigman.

Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Héctor (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.

Disney and Pixar’s Coco is directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist Monsters University) and produced by Darla K. Anderson (Toy Story 3).

This performance marks Coco Live-to-Film Concert’s La Jolla Music Society debut.

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CO CO LIVE-TO-FILM CONCERT - PROGRAM NOTES

The performance is a presentation of the complete film Coco with a live performance of the film’s entire score.

Out of respect for the musicians and your fellow audience members, please remain seated until the conclusion of the end credits.

AMP presents Disney and Pixar’s Coco Live-to-Film Concert on Tour featuring a screening of the complete film with Oscar® and GRAMMY®-winning composer Michael Giacchino’s musical score performed by Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México.

In addition to the original score by Giacchino, Coco also features the Oscar®-winning song “Remember Me” by Oscar-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and additional songs co-written by Germaine Franco and co-director and screenwriter Adrian Molina.

ORQUESTA FOLCLÓRICA NACIONAL DE MÉXICO TOUR ROSTER VIOLIN

José Antonio Alatorre Roberto Carlos Morales Diana Abigail Salazar Claudio Liberato Zepeda

VIOLA

Brenda Bautista Sandra Mariel Espinoza

CELLO

Gomez Carlos Alberto Juarez Monica Andrea Morales

FLUTE

María Luisa Rivas

TRUMPET

Juan Luis Arias Benito Rodriguez

TUBA

Rodrigo Adan Velazquez

GUITAR

Joel Olmedo

GUITARRON

Sigfrido Gámez

VIHUELA

Axel Olmedo

HARP

Alejandra De Ita

PERCUSSION

Jorge Gualberto Galindo Enrique Vargas

TROMBONE

Pascual Flores Edgar Herrera

TOUR STAFF Erika Foley, Tour Manager Madison Lane, Production Manager Maria Esther Crimpalis, Orchestra Tour Manager José Alfredo Sánchez, Orch. Asst. Tour Manager Mario Alonso, Audio Engineer

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SPECIAL THANKS

Diane Burrell, Tour Logistics Coordinator Mike Kasprzyk, Black Ink Presents Mariano Bachrach, Sintec Tur Road Rebel

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ALISA WEILERSTEIN FRAGMENTS

Co-produced by the San Diego Symphony THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2023 · 7:30 PM THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL

FRAGMENTS 2 Alisa Weilerstein, cello This program is approximately 60 minutes with no intermission.

Leadership support for FRAGMENTS is generously provided by Joan and Irwin Jacobs.

Alisa Weilerstein, project creator Elkhanah Pulitzer, director Seth Reiser, scenic and lighting designer Molly Irelan, costume designer Hanako Yamaguchi, artistic producer/advisor

Patron support for FRAGMENTS is provided

by Judy and Tony Evnin, Clara Wu Tsai and Paul Sekhri.

Will Knapp, production manager Seth Reiser, lighting supervisor

FRAGMENTS has been made possible with commissioning support from Alphadyne Foundation, The San Diego Symphony, UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures, Carnegie Hall, Celebrity Series of Boston, The Royal Conservatory of Music and Washington Performing Arts.

Special thanks to Martha Gilmer for her leadership and counsel, and to Celebrity Series of Boston and Aspen Music Festival and School for their in-kind contributions.

La Jolla Music Society’s 2023–24 season is supported by The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Banc of California, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, ProtoStar Foundation, Vail Memorial Fund, ResMed Foundation, Bright Events Rentals, Cafe Coyote, Rancho Coyote, Giuseppe's, Ace Parking, Brenda Baker and Steve Baum, Raffaella and John Belanich, Gordon Brodfuehrer, Mary Ellen Clark, Bert and Julie Cornelison, Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Angelina and Fred Kleinbub, Dorothea Laub, Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong, Jeanette Stevens, Debra Turner, Sue and Peter Wagener, and Bebe and Marvin Zigman.

FEATURED FRAGMENTS COMPOSERS Today’s performance weaves together 18 short movements from works by Alan Fletcher, Ana Sokolovic, Caroline Shaw, Daniel Kidane, Giti Razaz, and Johann Sebastian Bach.

With the exception of the works of J.S. Bach, all of the music in this program has been commissioned by Alisa Weilerstein and FRAGMENTS. In each FRAGMENTS program, five or six composers are featured. There are 28 FRAGMENTS composers in total: Andy Akiho, Johann Sebastian Bach, Courtney Bryan, Chen Yi, Alan Fletcher, Gabriela Lena Frank, Osvaldo Golijov, Joseph Hallman, Gabriel Kahane, Daniel Kidane, Thomas Larcher, Tania León, Allison Loggins-Hull, Missy Mazzoli, Gerard McBurney, Jessie Montgomery, Reinaldo Moya, Jeffrey Mumford, Matthias Pintscher, Gity Razaz, Gili Schwarzman, Caroline Shaw, Carlos Simon, Gabriela Smith, Ana Sokolović, Joan Tower, Mathilde Wantenaar, and Paul Wiancko.

Further information on the composers and their works will be provided at the conclusion of the performance.

Alisa Weilerstein last performed for La Jolla Music Society during SummerFest on August 13, 2023.

30 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

FR AGMEN T S 2 - PROGRAM NOTES

In Alisa Weilerstein’s groundbreaking, multi-year performance series FRAGMENTS, new music by some of the most compelling composers of our time meets the timeless beauty of J. S. Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello in an immersive, multisensory audience experience. In FRAGMENTS 1, individual movements from Bach’s first suite are thoughtfully integrated with selected new works from five composers to create a wholly original emotional arc. Enhanced by responsive lighting and scenic architecture, the music is performed without pause or printed program details, creating an atmosphere of enchantment, adventure, and discovery. With FRAGMENTS, cellist Alisa Weilerstein creates a space for performer, composer, and listener that is at once physically intimate and philosophically expansive.

ARTIST STATEMENT by Alisa Weilerstein In early December of 2020, during yet another of what seemed to be endless lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I started scribbling ideas down on paper, anticipating a time when we would be able to reconvene with one another in the concert hall. I knew I wanted to create a visceral, emotional, and personal concert experience that would embrace the world we live in without sacrificing the intellectual aesthetic qualities that make our artform— concert music—such a singular mode of human expression and communication. I also was searching for a way to strip away our own natural instincts to categorize and contextualize everything we hear and see. I thought, what would our experience of music be like if we could be given the chance to simply listen first?

The entire FRAGMENTS project integrates all of Bach’s cello suites with 27 new commissions in original multi-sensory productions, to make six programs, each an hour long for solo cello. Every program, or fragment, is played without pauses and the program details are distributed after the performance. The composers who have been commissioned to write for FRAGMENTS are diverse with respect to compositional approach, race, gender, age, nationality, and ethnic background. There is also an even mix of well-known voices and young composers or composers whose work has heretofore not been adequately appreciated by the wider public. I asked all the composers to write multi-movement pieces for solo cello and to kindly grant me permission to insert the movements at different points throughout the program. That being said, FRAGMENTS is not a project about people who write music but rather about the music they write. The context and narrative in the sense that we are used to in our artform are far less important than listening to how these disparate voices interact with one another and create an entirely original, unified whole.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Although FRAGMENTS began as a flickering of thoughts and images, it has become something much greater. The remarkable group of artists with whom I am collaborating on this project and their joyful and thoughtful enthusiasm has been nothing short of inspirational to me.

At its core, FRAGMENTS is about deep connection; links between disparate compositional voices, between concert music and theater, and most importantly, between audience and performer. I invite you to embark upon this adventure with us.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE by Elkhanah Pulitzer FRAGMENTS suggests various stages in life, emotional landscapes, drifts into memory, structural interplay between musical colors and their associative powers, and much more.

Music by twenty-seven living composers woven with Bach’s cello suites merge old and new to create infinite possibilities.

This approach of combining unique voices into a tapestry is what lies at the heart of this multi-year project. The ability to hear each voice while also seeing how it connects and responds to others is what shifts FRAGMENTS from a series of distinct solo works to one of musical voices in community, creating a continuum from the past to our present moment to effect new meaning.

The design of FRAGMENTS elevates the senses to provide an opportunity to go deeper into the music. Each FRAGMENT is framed within a unique installation borne of an emotional and architectural response to the musical arc Alisa curates and performs. The lighting within each FRAGMENT amplifies the music, while the scenic elements frame Alisa to awaken a new space within the familiar hall. The overall effect is that Alisa in performance and the hall itself take on an enlivened hue enhancing our overall experience and exciting our senses towards deeper listening to her extraordinary playing.

This invitation to embark on a musical journey of old and new is intentionally without hierarchy or narrative.

History, biography, a sense of place and timeline fall away to celebrate the primacy of varying musical voices in dialogue. Sound paints on our soul a picture that conveys human truths beyond words, and our aim with each FRAGMENT is to illuminate and embrace the music Alisa performs towards more profound connection.

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PRELUDE 2 PM

Musical Prelude by students from the Colburn School

MAO FUJITA, piano SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2023 · 3 PM THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL

Support for the Discovery Series and Musical Prelude provided by:

Gordon Brodfuehrer Jeanette Stevens

CHOPIN

(1810–1849)

Polonaise in C-sharp Minor, Opus 26, No. 1 Polonaise in E-flat Minor, Opus 26, No. 2 Polonaise in A Major, Opus 40, No. 1 Polonaise in C Minor, Opus 40, No. 2 Polonaise in F-sharp Minor, Opus 44 Polonaise in A-flat Major, Opus 53 Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major, Opus 61

INTERMISSION

LISZT

Piano Sonata in B Minor, S.178 Lento assai; Andante sostenuto; Allegro energico Mao Fujita, piano

(1811–1886)

La Jolla Music Society’s 2023–24 season is supported by The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Banc of California, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, ProtoStar Foundation, Vail Memorial Fund, ResMed Foundation, Bright Events Rentals, Cafe Coyote, Rancho Coyote, Giuseppe's, Ace Parking, Brenda Baker and Steve Baum, Raffaella and John Belanich, Gordon Brodfuehrer, Mary Ellen Clark, Bert and Julie Cornelison, Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Angelina and Fred Kleinbub, Dorothea Laub, Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong, Jeanette Stevens, Debra Turner, Sue and Peter Wagener, and Bebe and Marvin Zigman.

This performance marks Mao Fujita’s La Jolla Music Society debut.

32 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

MAO FUJITA - PROGRAM NOTES

Program notes by Eric Bromberger

Seven Polonaises

Two Polonaises, Opus 40

Born March 1, 1810, Żelazowa Wola, Poland Died October 17, 1849, Paris

No. 1 in A Major “Military” No. 2 in C Minor Composed: 1838–9 Approximate Duration: 12 minutes

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN The first half of this recital offers the six polonaises that Chopin published during his lifetime, as well as a hybrid variant of the form, the great Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major. It does not include any of the nine polonaises he wrote as a boy while still in Poland, works that he never intended to be published. The polonaise—as its name implies—is of Polish origin, but that title does not begin to suggest how deeply this form is embedded in the national character. In triple time, it was originally intended as ceremonial music and could be sung or danced as part of festive processionals. By the eighteenth century, it had become a dance form, but Chopin took it a step further in his polonaises for solo piano. He had left Poland at age 20, never to return, and as an anguished exile he watched the suffering of his homeland under Russian subjugation.

While his polonaises do not have explicit programs, it is clear that this form had unusual meaning for him and that he invested it with an emotional intensity rare in his music.

Was Chopin pouring out his feelings about his native country in this music? He insisted that all his music was abstract and should be understood only for itself, but his audiences—particularly his audiences in Poland—believed his polonaises to be expressions of nationalistic sentiment.

Two Polonaises, Opus 26 No. 1 in C-sharp Minor No. 2 in E-flat Minor Composed: 1834–5 Approximate Duration: 15 minutes

Chopin composed the two polonaises of his Opus 26 in 1834–5: they were the first examples of the form he had written since moving from Poland to Paris four years earlier.

The brusque opening gesture of the Polonaise in C-sharp Minor, which Chopin marks Allegro appassionato, leads to more lyric material in the characteristic polonaise rhythm.

The middle section slows down a little (Chopin nevertheless marks it con anima), and the melodic line makes an unusual excursion into the left hand before the return of the opening material and a surprisingly quiet close.

The Polonaise in E-flat Minor is more dramatic than its predecessor, despite its pianissimo beginning. Chopin marks this quiet opening Maestoso, and its suppressed strength quickly breaks out to sweep across the keyboard—Chopin’s marking agitato for this passage is exactly right. The central episode, in B major and built on staccato chords, preserves some of the atmosphere of the beginning; the opening material returns and rushes the polonaise to its close, a conclusion made all the more effective by the sudden drop in dynamics in its final seconds.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chopin composed the two polonaises of his Opus 40 during the years 1838–9, and he performed them in Paris at one of his rare public concerts, on April 26, 1841. The dramatic Polonaise in A Major is one of his most famous works, and it is easy to see why this heroic music has attracted a number of interpretations: some felt that it depicts the victory of the Hussars of Subieski, and a generation ago this music acquired the nickname “Military.” Given its powerful character, that does not seem an inaccurate nickname, though it certainly did not come from the composer. The pounding opening section, with both parts repeated, gives way to a center section in D major, where a wide-spanned melody sings above characteristic polonaise rhythms. There are some dramatic trills in the latter stages of this section, and they help power the music back to the opening section, which is recapitulated literally, this time without repeats.

Though he completed the first of these two polonaises in Paris, Chopin did not finish the Polonaise in C Minor until January 1839, when he and George Sand had gone to Majorca. Despite the storms that would pass through, Chopin loved it there. To a friend he wrote: “I am at Palma among palms, cedars, cactuses, olive-trees, oranges, lemons, aloes, figs, pomegranates . . . The sky is like turquoise, the sea like emerald, the air as in heaven . . . In a word, a superb life!” The polonaise he completed in Majorca is less extroverted than its predecessor. In the opening section, the melodic interest is entirely in the left hand, which plays in octaves throughout, and the dynamic remains fairly quiet through this opening, though there are moments of agitation here as well. The middle episode, in A-flat major, is marked espressivo, but this too grows more dramatic as it proceeds. The ending brings a surprise: rather than offering the expected repeat of the opening section, Chopin merely invokes a memory of it, and suddenly this polonaise is over.

Polonaise in F-sharp Minor, Opus 44 Composed: 1841 Approximate Duration: 11 minutes

Chopin wrote the dramatic Polonaise in F-sharp Minor in 1841, when he was 31 years old and living in Paris. This work actually combines two traditional Polish dances, the polonaise and the mazurka. A polonaise is a stately old dance in triple time, though Chopin makes it here seem not so much stately as extremely dramatic: its main themes occur almost as an incidental part of the virtuoso octave runs Chopin requires of his performer. The middle section is based on the mazurka, an old Polish country-dance, also in TheConrad.org · 858.459.3728

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MAO FUJITA - PROGRAM NOTES

triple time. This lyric section, much more relaxed than the opening polonaise, provides an episode of welcome relief before the opening material returns.

Polonaise in A-flat Major, Opus 53 Composed: 1842 Approximate Duration: 7 minutes

Chopin’s last polonaise, the Polonaise in A-flat Major, is one of his grandest works: exciting, dramatic, and harmonically adventurous. Composed in 1842, it is somewhat in the manner of the “Military” Polonaise, but this one is even more powerful, more dynamic. One feels this from the first instant, where the ominous, muttering runs create a sense of expectancy and of power tightly restrained. That power bursts out when this polonaise does begin to dance, but this is not the polite dance of the ballroom—this one explodes across the keyboard, driven along by thunderous runs, trills, and complex chording.

A series of arpeggiated chords leads to the center section (sometimes compared to the pound of horses’ hooves): here the rapid left-hand octaves accompany a stirring right-hand melody that has been compared to trumpet calls (and it is easy to understand how this dramatic music can call forth such dramatic interpretations). This center section—quite lengthy and itself divided into further subdivisions—leads to a return of the fiery dance from the opening section, but now Chopin abbreviates this dance and drives the polonaise directly to its exciting close.

Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major, Opus 61 Composed: 1845–6 Approximate Duration: 13 minutes

Written in 1845–6, the Polonaise-Fantaisie is one of Chopin’s final works—and one of his most brilliant.

A polonaise is usually in three parts: a first subject, a contrasting middle section, and a return of the opening material. The Polonaise-Fantaisie keeps this general pattern but with some differences: Chopin writes with unusual harmonic freedom and incorporates both themes into the brilliant conclusion—doubtless he felt that he had reshaped the basic form so far that it was necessary to append the “fantaisie” to the title.

The Allegro maestoso introduction is long and rather free, while the first theme group—in A-flat major—is remarkable for the drama and virtuosity of the writing. This makes the quiet middle section, in the unexpected key of B major and marked Poco più lento, all the more effective: a chordal melody of disarming simplicity is developed at length before the gradual return of the opening material. The final pages are dazzling—Chopin combines both themes and at one point even makes one of the accompanying figures function thematically as the Polonaise-Fantaisie winds down to its powerful final chord.

34 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

Piano Sonata in B Minor, S.178

FRANZ LISZT

Born October 22, 1811, Raiding, Hungary Died July 31, 1886, Bayreuth Composed: 1852–53 Approximate Duration: 30 minutes

Liszt wrote his Sonata in B Minor in 1852–53 and dedicated it to Robert Schumann. The first public performance took place four years later in Berlin in 1857, when it was played by Liszt’s son-in-law Hans von Bülow.

The Sonata in B Minor is in all senses of the word a revolutionary work, for Liszt sets aside previous notions of sonata form and looks ahead to a new vision of what such a form might be. Schumann himself, then in serious mental decline, reportedly never heard the piece but could not have been especially comfortable with the dedication of a piece of music that flew so directly in the face of his own sense of what a sonata should be. Another figure in nineteenthcentury music, however, reacted rapturously: Wagner wrote to Liszt to say, “The Sonata is beautiful beyond any conception, great, pleasing, profound and noble—it is sublime, just as you are yourself.”

The most immediately distinctive feature of the sonata is that it is in one continuous span rather than being divided into separate, discrete movements. Despite the singlespan structure, Liszt achieves something of the effect of traditional three-movement sonata form by giving the work a general fast-slow-fast shape. The entire sonata is built on just four themes, all introduced in the opening moments: the slowly-descending scale heard at the very beginning, marked Lento assai; the jagged, leaping theme in octaves that follows immediately—this is marked Allegro energico; dovetailed into this is a propulsive figure of repeated eighth-notes, played first deep in the left hand; and a powerful hymn-like theme marked Grandioso and stamped out over steady accompaniment. These themes undergo a gradual but extensive development—a process Liszt called “the transformation of themes”—and are often made to perform quite varied functions as they undergo these transformations. For example, the propulsive left-hand figure, which sounds so ominous on its first appearance, is later made to sing in unexpected ways, while the jagged Allegro energico theme becomes the subject for a fugue at the opening of the third “movement.” At the end, Liszt winds all this energy down, and the sonata concludes on a quiet recall of the slowly descending Lento assai from the very beginning. After so much energy, the sonata vanishes on a very quiet B deep in the pianist’s left hand.

The Sonata in B Minor was to some extent shaped

by Schubert’s “Wanderer” Fantasy of 1822, a work Liszt knew and greatly admired—he performed it often and made an arrangement of it for piano and orchestra. In the “Wanderer” Fantasy Schubert built an extended work in

MAO FUJITA - PROGRAM NOTES

several contrasted sections, all based on a theme from his song Die Wanderer. Liszt allows himself more themes, but his technique is exactly the same as Schubert’s: a single span of music evolves out of the ingenious transformation of just a few thematic ideas. Over the succeeding generations that idea would attract composers as different as Schoenberg (Chamber Symphony No. 1) and Sibelius (Seventh Symphony).

The Sonata in B Minor is extremely dramatic music, so dramatic that many guessed that it must have a program, as so much of Liszt’s music does. But Liszt insisted that this is not descriptive or programmatic music. He wanted his sonata accepted as a piece of “pure music,” to be heard and understood for itself.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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35

PRELUDE 2 PM

Lecture by Kristi Brown Montesano Support for this program provided by presenting sponsors:

Helen and Keith Kim

SEONG-JIN CHO, piano SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2023 · 3 PM THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL

HAYDN

(1732–1809)

Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn Miroirs Noctuelles Oiseaux tristes Une barque sur l’océan Alborada del gracioso La vallée des cloches

INTERMISSION

MOZART

Adagio in B Minor, K.540

LISZT

Selections from Années de pèlerinage, Deuxième année: Italie, S.161 Sonetto 47 del Petrarca Sonetto 104 del Petrarca Sonetto 123 del Petrarca Après une lecture de Dante: Fantasia Quasi una Sonata Seong-Jin Cho, piano

RAVEL

(1875–1937)

La Jolla Music Society’s 2023–24 season is supported by The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Banc of California, The Lodge at Torrey Pines, ProtoStar Foundation, Vail Memorial Fund, ResMed Foundation, Bright Events Rentals, Cafe Coyote, Rancho Coyote, Giuseppe's, Ace Parking, Brenda Baker and Steve Baum, Raffaella and John Belanich, Gordon Brodfuehrer, Mary Ellen Clark, Bert and Julie Cornelison, Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, Angelina and Fred Kleinbub, Dorothea Laub, Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong, Jeanette Stevens, Debra Turner, Sue and Peter Wagener, and Bebe and Marvin Zigman.

(1756–1791)

(1811–1886)

Mr. Cho records exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon.

More information on Seong-Jin Cho can be found at www.seongjin-cho.com Management for Seong-Jin Cho: Primo Artists, New York, NY www.primoartists.com

Piano Sonata in E Minor, Hob.XVI:34 Presto Adagio Vivace molto

Seong-Jin Cho last performed for La Jolla Music Society in a Special Event on April 7, 2022.

36 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

SEONG-JIN CHO - PROGRAM NOTES

Program notes by Eric Bromberger

Piano Sonata in E Minor, Hob.XVI:34

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN Born March 31, 1732, Rohrau, Austria Died May 31, 1809, Vienna Published: 1784 Approximate Duration: 13 minutes

Haydn’s 62 keyboard sonatas offer some of his most original work, yet this large body of music remains largely unfamiliar to audiences today. The keyboard sonatas span Haydn’s creative career—he wrote the earliest about 1750, when he was 18, the last in 1794 when he was 62—and they have defied easy categorization. These sonatas can be quirky, sometimes consisting of unusual numbers of movements presented in unexpected sequences. They have baffled many performers and audiences, and as late as 1950 the distinguished piano pedagogue Ernest Hutcheson suggested that it did no real harm to the music if performers played individual movements from the sonatas rather than playing them complete. Over the last half-century, we have learned to value these sonatas on their own terms rather than dismissing them because they do not conform to familiar expectations.

The Sonata in E Minor was published in London in January 1784, though it appears to have been written several years earlier. Haydn was at this point a mature composer: he turned 62 in 1784, and he had already composed nearly 80 of his 104 symphonies. The sonata’s opening Presto is quite brilliant, with virtuoso passagework and rapid exchanges between the pianist’s hands. After the complex textures of the opening movement, the Adagio—once again in sonata form—seems clarity itself: all the musical interest here is in the right hand, while the left provides understated accompaniment. Haydn proceeds without pause into the finale, marked Molto vivace. It is in rondo form, and the infectious principal theme returns constantly, shaded and colored differently on each appearance, until Haydn drives the sonata to its firm conclusion.

Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn

MAURICE RAVEL Born March 7, 1875, Ciboure, Basses-Pyrenées Died December 28, 1937, Paris Composed: 1909 Approximate Duration: 2 minutes

In early 1909 Jules Écorcheville, editor of the journal Revue musicale de la S.I.M., wished to observe the centenary of the death of Joseph Haydn, who had died in May 1809. He asked a group of eight French composers to write a short piece based on the musical equivalents of the letters of Haydn’s last name, as determined by Écorcheville: H A Y D N B A D D G TABLE OF CONTENTS

Two of those composers—Camille Saint-Saëns and Gabriel Fauré—declined the invitation (Saint-Saëns objected to Écorcheville’s musical equivalents), but the remaining six composers each wrote a brief piece to honor that earlier master: Ravel, Debussy, d’Indy, Widor, Hahn, and Dukas. These were published in the Revue musicale, and on March 11, 1911, Ennemond Trillat gave the public première of all six at a concert of the Societé Nationale at the Salle Pleyel.

Ravel set his piece in a form that Haydn would have recognized, a minuet, but he abandoned Haydn’s three-part form and instead composed a graceful little dance based on the five-note sequence. What makes his Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn so ingenious is that Ravel treats that sequence in a way that might have pleased Arnold Schoenberg: he gives us those notes forward, backward, and inverted, carefully pointing out these uses by writing Haydn’s name backwards and upside-down in the score as they appear. This makes the music sound terribly learned, and it is not. Instead, this graceful and affectionate gesture toward the music of Haydn is pure Ravel.

Miroirs

MAURICE RAVEL Composed: 1904–5 Approximate Duration: 28 minutes

Ravel wrote the five-movement set of piano pieces entitled Miroirs in the years 1904–5, when he was thirty years old. This was the period of scandal that arose when the faculty of the Paris Conservatory one more time blocked Ravel’s attempt to win the Prix de Rome, claiming that he broke too many “rules.” They were in effect denying the prize to a young man who had become an established composer, and the resulting outcry led to the resignation of some of those who had opposed him. A century later, Miroirs may still sound exotic, but no listener today will find this music difficult. The title Miroirs suggests that Ravel’s attempt here is to reflect an image, and each of the pieces that make up Miroirs piano suggests a “soundpicture” of its title.

The opening title, Noctuelles, translates as “Night Moths,” and the music suggests the fluttering, clumsy flight of moths. The music spills and swirls its way to a calmer center section before the moths resume flight, and the piece ends on delicate wisps of sound. The second piece, Oiseaux tristes (“Sad Birds”), was the first to be written. Ravel himself called this “the most typical in the collection” and described its content: “These are birds lost in the mazes of an extremely dark forest during the hottest hours of summer.” Repeated notes, exotic swirls of sound, and extensive use of rubato mark his portrait of the birds.

Audiences may find the third piece, Une barque sur l’océan (“A Barque on the Ocean”), familiar, for Ravel orchestrated TheConrad.org · 858.459.3728

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SEONG-JIN CHO - PROGRAM NOTES

it shortly after publishing Miroirs. Here is one of Ravel’s most successful efforts at tone-painting: waves shimmer and fall, the wind whistles, and the boat glides and surges across the water. The fourth piece, Alborada del gracioso, is also well-known in its orchestral guise, though Ravel did not orchestrate it until 1918. The title of this colorful music does not translate easily, and the English rendering “Morning Song of the Jester” is prosaic. Himself of Basque origins, Ravel had a special affection for Spanish music throughout his life, and the rhythmic vitality of Alborada shows this influence clearly. The final piece—La vallée des cloches (“The Valley of the Bells”)—is a tone-painting of the sound of church bells. This movement is written on three staves, and Ravel—who said that the inspiration for this music was the church bells of Paris that would ring out at noon—gives us a huge range of bell-sounds, from deep tolling bells to high bells that ring out brightly. Some sense of this music may be found in Ravel’s instructions to the pianist. He asks that the performance be “very gentle and without accents” and specifies twice that the playing should be très calme.

Adagio in B Minor, K.540

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Born January 27, 1756, Salzburg Died December 5, 1791, Vienna Composed: 1788 Approximate Duration: 10 minutes

This brief Adagio is one of Mozart’s least-known works for solo piano—and one of his finest. He wrote it on March 19, 1788, during what must have seemed a period of numbing transition for the 32-year-old composer. He had worked for most of the previous year on Don Giovanni, but that opera—successful at its Prague première—had not won over the Viennese so readily, and now Mozart was beginning to sense that his position in his adopted city had deteriorated.

His financial situation was increasingly precarious, and that summer would come moves to cheaper apartments and painful appeals to friends for assistance.

The Adagio is dark and expressive music, yet one needs to be extremely careful about making easy connections between this music and the details of Mozart’s life. Someone once observed that Mozart would no more consider writing music about how he was feeling than he would consider writing music about what he had had for breakfast—the features of his own life were not the subject of his art. We know virtually nothing about the background of the Adagio or why Mozart wrote it.

What we can feel is the greatness of the music itself, and critics have made some staggering claims on its behalf.

Alfred Einstein calls the Adagio “one of the most perfect, most deeply felt, and most despairing of all his works,” while Arthur Hutchings names it “Mozart’s finest single

38 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

work for solo piano.” Yet this music is difficult to describe.

One can speak (accurately) of its chromatic writing, surprising dynamic contrasts, unusual leaps across the range of the keyboard, and lean textures without ever getting at the intense quality of this music or at its curious fusion of bleakness and grace. Rather than trying to make tempting connections between Mozart’s life and his art, it is far better to take this brief Adagio for what it is: some of the most expressive music Mozart ever wrote.

Selections from Années de pèlerinage, Deuxième année: Italie, S.161

FRANZ LISZT

Born October 22, 1811, Raiding, Austria Died July 31, 1886, Bayreuth, Germany Composed: 1837–9 Approximate Duration: 37 minutes

Liszt and his mistress Marie d’Agoult made an extended visit to Italy in 1838–9, and they fell in love with the country, its people, its art. While in Italy, Liszt began to sketch a second collection of piano pieces in the manner of the first book of Années de pèlerinage (“Years of Pilgrimage”). Where the first collection was devoted to physical locations in Switzerland, now Liszt changed his focus: the seven pieces of Italie were inspired by varied works of Italian art. While in Italy, Liszt and Marie d’Agoult read through the sonnets of Petrarch together, and Liszt was so struck by these poems that the following year he wrote three songs that set Petrarch’s sonnets 104, 47, and 123.

These appear to have been the first songs composed by Liszt, who was 28 at the time. These dramatic songs have been described as operatic, for they were written for high tenor and go up to high C-sharp. Liszt immediately transcribed the three songs as piano pieces, and these transcriptions were published as a set—in a slightly different order—in 1846.

Several years later, Liszt returned to these piano pieces and revised them for inclusion in the second book of Années de pèlerinage.

While the impulse behind these three pieces is lyric, Liszt turned the piano versions into virtuoso keyboard works: moments of melting lyricism will give way almost instantly to bravura writing that demands an absolutely first-class pianist simply to get the notes. All three may end very quietly, but along the way comes some very dynamic and exciting music. Sonetto 47 opens with a brief but impetuous introduction before settling into the main melody of the song, which Liszt marks both con intimo sentimento and sempre dolce and which sings gracefully on syncopated rhythms. The song-theme is elaborated—and the introductory material returns in various forms—before the music closes with a quiet reminiscence of the central theme.

By contrast, the famous Sonetto 104 opens powerfully (Agitato assai), as befits the troubled topic of this sonnet, but

SEONG-JIN CHO - PROGRAM NOTES

this abrupt beginning quickly gives way to the melody of the song, which is then extended at length. The writing for piano is particularly impressive here, with difficult chordal passages, powerful writing in octaves, great cadenza-like flourishes, and chains of thirds. After all this energy, the peaceful main theme returns to draw the music to its close on quietly-arpeggiated chords.

The subject of Sonetto 123 is more peaceful, and Liszt marks this setting Lento placido and specifies that the performance should be dolcissimo and espressivo. Despite an occasional outburst, this music remains generally restrained, and in the closing moments there is some lovely use of the piano’s ringing high register, which helps lead the music to its delicate conclusion.

The final work of this set is a sort of companion-piece to the three Petrarch settings, and it was published as the seventh (and final) piece of the Italian book of Années de pèlerinage. Liszt borrowed the elaborate name Après une lecture de Dante from a poem by Victor Hugo and appended his own description fantasia quasi sonata; the work is sometimes known as the Dante Sonata. It was written in 1839, the same year as the Petrarch settings, and it was apparently very difficult for Liszt: Marie d’Agoult wrote to a friend to say that its composition “was sending him to the very devil.” Certainly the topic gripped Liszt, for it here inspires some of his most vivid tone-painting.

The Dante Sonata opens with powerful descending octaves meant to depict the entry into hell and doubtless inspired by the line “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.”

Liszt underlines this association by having the octaves descend on the interval of a tritone. This unsettling interval (a diminished fifth) has been associated for centuries with the devil: its unresolved dissonance was referred to as the diabolus in musica, and its use was forbidden in some circles. Here that ominous sound makes an ideal accompaniment for our descent into hell, and soon we are plunged into the torment of the damned on music that Liszt marks lamentoso. Liszt biographer Alan Walker notes that one of Liszt’s students—on information provided by the composer—copied the following lines from The Inferno into his own score at this point:

hell), though Walker points out that this is ingeniously derived from the horrifying lamentation theme. Liszt then extends both these ideas through some furious development—the work is not so much in the sonata form that its title implies as a sort of free expansion of the fundamental themes. There are moments of radiant calm along the way, but finally Liszt drives the Dante Sonata to a close that is both dramatic and sonorous.

Here sighs, with lamentations and loud moans, Resounded through the air pierced by no star, That e’en I wept at entering. Strange tongues, Horrible cries, words of pain, Tones of anger, voices deep and hoarse, With hands together smote that swelled the sounds, Made up a tumult, that for ever whirls Round through that air with solid darkness stained, Like to the sand that in the whirlwind flies.

Consolation comes with the singing and serene second subject (perhaps a vision of heaven from out of the pit of TABLE OF CONTENTS

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ARTISTS’ PROFILES Esin Aydingoz, conductor

Gautier Capuçon, cello

Esin Aydingoz is a conductor and composer in animation, silent films, documentaries, TV series, video games, and stage musicals. Originally from Turkey, she moved to the United States to study at Berklee College of Music, where she recently served as the Assistant Chair of the Screen Scoring Department.

She was nominated by the Society of Composers & Lyricists for the prestigious David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent for scoring the feature film Simchas and Sorrows, and her cello arrangement of Paint It Black, featured in Tim Burton’s Golden Globe-nominated Netflix series Wednesday, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Charts, with over 17 million Spotify plays.

Her latest documentary score, for Black Barbie, premiered at SXSW, and her music for The Monster of the Desert and Noor both won multiple awards, including Best Score, on the indie film circuit. Aydingoz has conducted live-to-picture on tour with the Berklee Silent Film Orchestra and has created arrangements for multiple Disney recordings and performances, performed by GRAMMY-Award winning artists such as Lalo Schifrin, Booker T. Jones, and 2003 Eurovision winner Sertab Erener.

Performing internationally with many of the world’s foremost conductors and instrumentalists, Gautier Capuçon is also a passionate ambassador for the Orchestre à l’École Association, which brings classical music to more than 40,000 school children across France. In January 2022 Capuçon launched his own Foundation to support young and talented musicians.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Capuçon brought music directly into the lives of families around France for free during his musical odyssey Un été en France. Capuçon performs an extensive array of works each season and regularly premieres new commissions. Current projects include collaborations with Lera Auerbach, Danny Elfman, and Thierry Escaich. Capuçon’s recordings have won multiple awards; his latest album, Sensations (2022), explores short pieces from a range of different genres.

His album of romantic works by Brahms and Rachmaninoff in collaboration with Andreas Ottensammer and Yuja Wang was also released in 2022 by Deutsche Grammophon. 2020’s Warner Classics album Emotions features music from composers such as Debussy, Schubert, and Elgar and has achieved gold status in France. Capuçon plays a 1701 Matteo Goffriller cello named “L’Ambassadeur.”

Lisa Batiashvili, violin Georgian-born German violinist Lisa Batiashvili is the Artistic Director of Audi Sommerkonzerte, Ingolstadt, and for the recent festival performed Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No.1 with Santtu-Matias Rouvali and the Münchner Philharmoniker. In 2022–23 she returned to the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and toured with Royal Concertgebouworkest, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Batiashvili regularly appears on stage with orchestras including the Berliner Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Staatskapelle Dresden, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and Boston Symphony Orchestra, among others. Her latest album, Secret Love Letters with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Philadelphia Orchestra, was released in August 2022. She has won the MIDEM Classical Award, the Choc de l’année, the Accademia Musicale Chigiana International Prize, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival’s Leonard Bernstein Award, and the Beethoven-Ring.

Batiashvili plays a Joseph Guarneri “del Gesu” from 1739, generously loaned by a private collector.

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Seong-Jin Cho, piano Seong-Jin Cho caught the world’s attention in 2015 when he won First Prize at the Chopin International Competition in Warsaw. He regularly performs with the world’s most prestigious orchestras including Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, New York Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Highlights of Cho’s 2023–24 season include his debut at the Salzburger Festspiele with the Mozarteumorchester and Ivor Bolton, and a return to London’s BBC Proms with the Philharmonia Orchestra. He returns to the Concertgebouworkest, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Boston Symphony Orchestra, giving performances in both Boston and Carnegie Hall, and debuts with the Cleveland Orchestra and San Francisco and Chicago Symphony Orchestras. He also performed with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko in Korea, and with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Andris Nelsons in Korea and Japan. Cho appears in the world’s most prestigious concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Berliner Philharmonie, Musikverein Wien, Konzerthaus Wien, the Barbican, Suntory Hall, Walt Disney Hall, and Verbier Festival.

His latest recording is his solo album, The Handel Project, released in February 2023.

ARTISTS’ PROFILES

Lila Downs, voice Winner of six Latin GRAMMYs and one GRAMMY, celebrated singer Lila Downs is one of the most powerful and unique voices that exist today. With a symbolic stage presence and emotional storytelling through song, her singing transcends all language barriers. Born and raised in both Oaxaca and Minnesota, Lila Downs is the daughter of a Mixtec Indigenous woman and AngloAmerican father. She has written narratives of Indigenous resistance protecting the original vision of the sacred plants and food of her Oaxacan culture while keeping the traditions of the American continent. As a passionate human rights activist, Lila Downs’ lyrics often focus on stories ranging from social injustice to the suppressed Latin American stories of women of indigenous and working-class origins. Her music embraces influences from the folkloric and ranchera music of Mexico to the music of the southern United States, crossing barriers and generating sounds that go from folk, jazz, folkloric blues, indigena, and ranchera to hip hop.

Mao Fujita, piano Born in Tokyo, pianist Mao Fujita was still studying at the Tokyo College of Music in 2017 when he took First Prize at the prestigious Concours International de Piano Clara Haskil in Switzerland, along with the Audience Award, Prix Modern Times, and the Prix Coup de Coeur, which first brought him to the attention of the international music community. He was also the Silver Medalist at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Fujita has appeared in recital at international festivals including the Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Tsinandali, and Riga-Jurmala festivals, among others, and he made his US recital debut at Carnegie Hall in January 2023.

Recent and upcoming orchestral highlights include performances with the Gewandhausorchester, Munich Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Philharmonique de Radio France, Konzerthaus Berlin, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, RAI, Filarmonica della Scala, and Lucerne Festival orchestras, while his many conductor relationships include Vasily Petrenko, Christoph Eschenbach, Riccardo Chailly, and Andris Nelsons. Fujita’s studio recording of Mozart’s complete piano sonatas was released in October 2022, following a series of performances of the complete sonatas at the Verbier Festival in 2021, which he also performed over five concerts for his debut at Wigmore Hall.

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Michael Giacchino, composer

Composer Michael Giacchino’s credits feature the popular and acclaimed films The Incredibles, War for the Planet of the Apes, Ratatouille, Star Trek, Jurassic World, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Coco. His 2009 score for the Pixar hit Up earned him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe®, the BAFTA, the Broadcast Film Critics’ Choice Award, and two GRAMMY Awards. Giacchino studied filmmaking at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. After college, he landed a marketing job at Disney and began studies in music composition, first at Juilliard, and then at UCLA. He moved from marketing to producing in the Disney Interactive Division, writing music for video games. Moving to DreamWorks Interactive, he composed the score for the video game adaptation of The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the first PlayStation game to have a live orchestral score, recorded with members of the Seattle Symphony. Giacchino went on to score numerous video games, including Steven Spielberg’s Medal of Honor series. His work in video games sparked the interest of J.J. Abrams, beginning a long-standing relationship that would lead to scores for the hit television series Alias and Lost, and the films Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek, Super 8, and Star Trek Into Darkness. In June 2018, Giacchino premiered his first work for symphony orchestra, Voyage, commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of NASA. In July 2019, a third movement was added for the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing.

Rhiannon Giddens, banjo and voice

Two-time GRAMMY Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and instrumentalist, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, and composer of opera, ballet, and film, Rhiannon Giddens has centered her work around the mission of lifting up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been overlooked or erased, and advocating for a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins through art. NPR named her one of its 25 Most Influential Women Musicians of the 21st Century, and American Songwriter called her “one of the most important musical minds currently walking the planet.”

She wrote the opera Omar with film composer Michael Abels (Get Out, Us, Nope) which received the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music, and, with her partner, Francesco Turrisi, she wrote and performed the music for Black Lucy and the Bard, which was recorded for PBS’ Great Performances; she has appeared on the ABC hit drama Nashville and throughout Ken Burns’ Country Music series, also on PBS. Giddens has published children’s books and written and performed music for the soundtrack of Red TheConrad.org · 858.459.3728

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ARTISTS’ PROFILES Dead Redemption II, one of the best-selling video games of all time. She sang for the Obamas at the White House; is a threetime NPR Tiny Desk Concert alum; and hosts her own show on PBS, My Music with Rhiannon Giddens, as well as the Aria Code podcast produced by New York City’s NPR affiliate WQXR.

Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernandez, voice Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernandez is a Los Angeles-born singer and founding member of La Santa Cecilia, a GRAMMYwinning and multi–GRAMMYnominated quartet comprised of Mexican-American musicians.

Their authentic bilingual repertoire blends music genres like the bolero, cumbia, tango, swing, among other genres, with lyrics that speak of the Latinx and immigrant identity. In 2020, La Marisoul released her first solo album, La Marisoul and The Love Notes Orchestra Vol.1, with re-imagined versions of bolero classics such as “Un Telegrama” and “Bonita,” accompanied by a live 24-piece orchestra. With her powerful and captivating vocals that sing about love, loss, and disappointment, La Marisoul has become the voice of a new bicultural generation in the United States.

Molly Irelan, costume designer, FRAGMENTS

Molly Irelan is a Los Angelesbased Costume Designer.

She prides herself on a holistic approach to her work and is formally trained in the history and construction of garments as well as costume design. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Costume History and Design from the University of Redlands, an Associate degree in Fashion Design from the Art Institute of Portland, and a Master’s in Costume Design from the UCLA. Irelan has designed the operas Elixir D’Amour (2017), Il Due Figaro (2018), and Cold Mountain (2019) at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Amadigi (2016) and Orphée (2020) at UCLA, Rev 23 (2020) at Prototype Festival, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning p r i s m (2018) in Los Angeles, New York, Sao Paolo, and the Kennedy Center. For the screen Irelan designed the opera miniseries desert in (2021) and the feature Mirror Flores (2021). In 2022 she designed La Clemenza di Tito at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, The Tragedy of Carmen at Velaa Island in the Maldives, The Central Park Five at Long Beach Opera, Onegin at Music Academy of the West, and Il Due Figaro at The Handel and Haydn Society in Boston. Most recently, she designed the world premiere of Kate Soper’s The Romance of the Rose (2023) as well as The Feast (2023), a collaboration between Long Beach Opera and Martha Graham Dance Company.

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Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano The eldest of the multi-talented, multi-award-winning KannehMason family, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason is in great demand internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. In 2022–23 she stepped into her role as Artist-in-Residence with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, returned to Dortmund’s Konzerthaus, and made multiple visits to both the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

Other highlights of the season include recital performances at the Barbican, Queen Elizabeth, and Wigmore halls in London, the Philharmonie Berlin, National Concert Hall Dublin, Perth Concert Hall, Prinzregententheater Munich, and the Sala São Paulo. As concerto soloist, Kanneh-Mason has appeared with the Orchestra of Opera North, Barcelona Symphony, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, and Orchestra of Norwegian Opera, among others, and recently made her debut with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Her 2019 album, Romance–the Piano Music of Clara Schumann, entered the UK classical charts at No. 1. It was followed in 2021 by Summertime, an album of 20th-century American repertoire. In November 2021, along with her cellist brother, Sheku, KannehMason released her first duo album, entitled Muse. An ECHO Rising Star in 2021–22, she is also the recipient of the coveted Leonard Bernstein Award.

Mariachi Herencia de México The historic tradition of mariachi music has its roots of origin in cities such as Guadalajara and Mexico City. As the ever-evolving genre’s influence spread, it reached Chicago and birthed the Mariachi Herencia de México. The energetic, virtuosic Latin GRAMMYnominated group has issued chart-topping albums and performed across the North American continent. Nuestra Herencia, their 2017 debut album, topped the Latin streaming charts. 2018’s Herencia de la Tierra Mía was produced by celebrated industry veteran Javier Limón and charted atop all major streaming services. 2019’s Esencia topped industry charts, while a second volume issued in 2020 performed similarly. In 2022, Herederos appeared as the group was performing a successful North American tour.

ARTISTS’ PROFILES

Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México The Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México stands out for its ability to fuse pre-Hispanic instruments with instruments from the colonial era, thus creating a unique and distinctive sound that evokes the rich history and culture of Mexico. The orchestra is made up of expert musicians who are highly trained in the interpretation of a wide variety of genres and styles of Mexican folk music, such as Mariachi, Jarana, Son, and Huapango, among others. In addition, its repertoire includes songs and instrumental pieces dating from pre-Hispanic and colonial times, which allows the players to connect with the country’s historical and cultural roots. Among the instruments used by the Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México are traditional pre-Hispanic drums, such as the Huehuetl and Tepobaztli, as well as flutes, ocarinas, and other pre-Hispanic wind instruments. They also use guitars, violins, double basses, and other stringed instruments that date back to colonial times. In conjunction with the dancers of the Ballet Folclórico Nacional de México by Silvia Lozano, the Orquesta Folclórica manages to transmit to the public the energy, passion, and diversity of Mexican culture through its music and dance.

Tiler Peck, curator, dancer, and choreographer Tiler Peck is widely recognized as one of the top American ballerinas of our time. A Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet (NYCB), an actress, choreographer, author and designer, Peck continues to evolve as an artist and add to her extensive repertoire. She added the title of curator when she launched and starred in the Los Angeles Music Center’s presentation of BalletNOW. She was the subject of the Hulu feature documentary Ballet Now, and also choreographed the box office smash action movie John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum.

Peck starred in CLI Studios’ A New Stage and the world premiere of William Forsythe’s The Barre Project (Blake Works II), and was executive producer on both. The first ballerina ever to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, she guested on Dancing with the Stars for three seasons and on Julie Andrews’ Netflix series, Julie’s Greenroom. Peck had the honor of performing for President Obama at the 2012 and 2014 Kennedy Center Honors. She was the 2004 Mae L. Wien Award winner, the Janice Levin Honoree for 2006–07, winner of the Leonide Massine’s Positano Premia La Danza for International Emerging Artists, and a 2004 recipient of a Princess Grace Foundation–USA Dance Fellowship. Peck curated and directed the inaugural

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Artists at the Center for New York City Center, marking her NYC choreographic debut and featuring premieres from William Forsythe, Alonzo King, Jillian Meyers, and Michelle Dorrance.

Elkhanah Pulitzer, director, FRAGMENTS Elkhanah Pulitzer’s recent projects include directing John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, which premiered at San Francisco Opera in September 2022 and was presented by Barcelona’s Liceu Opera in October 2023.

In addition to collaborating with Alisa Weilerstein on Fragments, this season she tours Europe with her production of David Lang’s prisoner of the state, which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic in 2020 and was subsequently performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican. Past projects also include a live tour of Esperanza Spalding’s album 12 Little Spells and DIORAMA, an art installation at the I.O.U. in San Francisco. Pulitzer has directed projects with the Los Angeles Philharmonic including John Adams’ Nixon in China and Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, which was also staged at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center.

She directed John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary at the San Francisco Symphony, and Lucia di Lammermoor and Judas Maccabaeus at Los Angeles Opera. Pulitzer has collaborated on next-generation projects with San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Omaha, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, and the Canadian Opera Company. Theater directing credits include work with Impact Theater, Cutting Ball, Riverside Theater, and Ensemble Theater Company. She was honored with the Opera America Success Award for her libretto Dream of the Pacific, an opera composed by Stephen Mager commissioned and performed by Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Pulitzer also serves as board vice president of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, which advances experimentation in art curation, installation and live programming.

Seth Reiser, set and lighting designer, FRAGMENTS

Seth Reiser is a New York-based designer who works in theatre, opera, dance, and music. Reiser’s recent work includes Handel’s Aci Galatea é Polifemo with the Philharmonia Baroque Opera in San Francisco directed by Christopher Alden; Henze’s El Cimarrón at Festival Impulso in Mexico City directed by Robert Castro; the set and lighting design for Bernstein’s MASS at the LA Philharmonic and the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer; J.S. Bach’s Matthew Passion (Berlin Philharmonic) at the Park Avenue Armory directed by Peter Sellars; Claude Vivier’s Kopernicus at Theatre TheConrad.org · 858.459.3728

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ARTISTS’ PROFILES Cardin in Paris, directed by Peter Sellars; John Adam’s Gospel According to the Other Mary at the San Francisco Symphony directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer; Sufjan Stevens’ Round Up at BAM; Messiaen’s Des Canyon Aux Etoiles with the St. Louis Symphony, directed by Deb O’Grady, which was seen throughout the United States, at the Sydney Opera House and the Barbican; and The Indian Queen in Concert with MusicAeterna, directed

by Robert Castro which toured Germany. Reiser also regularly designs lighting for San Francisco Symphony’s Sound Box concerts.

Silkroad Ensemble

Yo-Yo Ma conceived Silkroad in 1998, recognizing the historical Silk Road as a model for radical cultural collaboration—for the exchange of ideas, tradition, and innovation across borders.

In an innovative experiment, he brought together musicians from the lands of the Silk Road to co-create a musical language founded in difference, thus creating the foundation of Silkroad: both a touring ensemble comprised of world-class musicians from all over the globe and a social-impact organization working to make a positive impact across borders through the arts. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad leads social impact initiatives and educational programming alongside the creation of new music by the GRAMMY Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano Jean-Yves Thibaudet has performed worldwide, recorded more than 50 albums, and built a reputation as one of today’s finest pianists, delighting in music beyond the standard repertoire, from jazz to opera. His professional friendships crisscross the globe and have led to collaborations in film, fashion, and visual art. This season, Thibaudet continues his multi-season focus on Debussy’s Préludes, and will also perform several recitals and smallensemble concerts with close friends and new collaborators, including Renée Fleming, Midori, Itzhak Perlman and Friends, and Michael Feinstein. He also appears as soloist in eight different pieces this season, performed with eleven orchestras.

Thibaudet is the first-ever Artist-in-Residence at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. His extensive catalog has received two GRAMMY nominations, two ECHO Awards, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Diapason d’Or, the Edison Prize, and Gramophone awards, among others. He performs on the soundtracks of the films Wakefield, Atonement (Academy Award for Best Original Score), Pride and Prejudice, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and The French Dispatch, and has a cameo in Bruce Beresford’s film about Alma Mahler, Bride of the

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Wind, with his playing showcased throughout. Among Thibaudet’s commendations is the Victoire d’Honneur, a lifetime career achievement award and the highest honor given by France’s Victoires de la Musique. He is also in the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame and was named Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in 2012.

Hanako Yamaguchi, artistic producer/ advisor, FRAGMENTS In addition to producing FRAGMENTS, artistic producer and consultant Hanako Yamaguchi also recently served as artistic advisor to the Celebrity Series of Boston, WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and Little Island (NYC).

Over her 30-year tenure at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Yamaguchi emerged as a key leader in Lincoln Center’s evolution from classical music presenter to commissioner and producer of multidisciplinary presentations, involving music, dance, theater, film, and the spoken word. As Director of Music Programming, Yamaguchi was a co-creator of the White Light Festival, a force behind the revitalization of the Mostly Mozart Festival, and curator/ producer of the long-standing Great Performers concert series. She is currently a board member of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA), a global association of arts management leaders who come together with the shared goal of strengthening and developing the arts internationally.

Alisa Weilerstein, cello One of the foremost cellists of our time, Alisa Weilerstein is in high demand as a solo recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist with leading orchestras worldwide. She was recognized with a MacArthur Fellowship in 2011. An authority on Bach’s music for unaccompanied cello, Weilerstein recently released a best-selling recording of his solo suites on the Pentatone label, streamed them in her innovative #36DaysOfBach project, and deconstructed his beloved G-major prelude in a Vox.com video, viewed almost 1.5 million times. Her discography also includes chart-topping albums and the winner of BBC Music’s Recording of the Year award. As Artistic Partner of the Trondheim Soloists, she regularly tours and records with the Norwegian orchestra.

She is an ardent champion of contemporary music, and has premiered and championed important new works by composers including Pascal Dusapin, Osvaldo Golijov, and Matthias Pintscher. Other career milestones include a performance at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at nine years old, Weilerstein is a staunch advocate for the T1D community.

Winter Season 2023–24 Prelude Lecturers, Interviewers, and Performers Kristi Brown Montesano, Piano Series lecturer

Chair of the Music History Department at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, Kristi Brown Montesano is an enthusiastic “public musicologist.” She is an active lecturer for the LA Philharmonic, the Opera League of Los Angeles, the Salon de Musiques series, and Mason House Concerts. Her book, The Women of Mozart’s Operas (UC Press, 2007), offers a detailed study of these fascinating roles; more recent scholarly interests include classical music in film, women in classical music, and opera for children.

Michael Gerdes, Revelle Chamber Music and Recital Series lecturer

Michael Gerdes is Director of Orchestras at San Diego State University, where he conducts the San Diego State Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Opera Orchestra. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Selected by the San Diego Union-Tribune as one of three “Faces to Watch in Classical Music” during his first year as Director of Orchestras, Gerdes is focused on creating a thriving orchestral community at San Diego State University.

Robert John Hughes, Jazz Series interviewer

Journalist, broadcaster, musician, author, and record producer Robert John Hughes has interviewed hundreds of musical artists in classical, jazz, pop, rock, R&B, and blues, including Sting, Wynton Marsalis, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon, B.B. King, Adele, and

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Peter Gabriel. As a record producer and member of the GRAMMY® Academy, Hughes has released five albums of live performances by artists heard on San Diego FM station 102.1 KPRi. Hughes has hosted La Jolla Music Society Preludes since 2018.

Molly Puryear, Dance Series interviewer

Molly Puryear brings passion for dance and nonprofit administration to her position as Executive Director of Malashock Dance. Puryear has worked with Malashock Dance since 2006, and previously served in the role of Education Director. She strategically aligns artistic and educational efforts to create a dynamic relationship between programs, the communities they serve, and the organization’s valuable funders. Puryear is committed to serving the San Diego community through the development and administration of vibrant dance programs. She believes that dance is an avenue for personal expression that engages people from all walks of life.

The Colburn School, Discovery Series Musical Preludes

A performing arts institution located in the heart of Los Angeles, the Colburn School trains students from beginners to those about to embark on professional careers. The academic units of the school provide a complete spectrum of music and dance education united by a single philosophy: that all who desire to study music or dance should have access to top-level instruction. Each year, nearly 2,000 students from around the world come to Colburn to benefit from the renowned faculty, exceptional facilities, and focus on excellence that unites the community. colburnschool.edu

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CELEBRATING LATIN ARTISTS, MUSIC AND CULTURE! HISPANIC

Sunday, October 15, 2023 • 3 PM

HERITAGE MONTH

MARIACHI HERENCIA DE MÉXICO with special guest “LA MARISOUL” HEREDEROS

The Baker-Baum Concert Hall A new generation takes mariachi to new heights when Latin GRAMMY nominees Mariachi Herencia de México presents Herederos (The Heirs). Their bilingual repertoire blends genres like bolero, cumbia, tango, and swing with lyrics that speak of the Latino and immigrant identity.

They are joined by GRAMMY winner Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernandez, founding member of La Santa Cecilia, who has become the voice of a new bicultural generation in the United States.

HISPANIC

HERITAGE MONTH

Sunday, October 22, 2023 • 7 PM

LILA DOWNS

DOS CORAZONES: DÍA DE MUERTOS Balboa Theatre Honor the traditions of Día de Muertos with GRAMMY award-winning Lila Downs, one of the most influential and representative artists of Mexican music in Latin America. Her unforgettable sound is influenced by ranchera music from Mexico and South America, folk, jazz, blues, and hip hop.

Saturday, November 11, 2023 3:30 PM (Spanish) & 7:30 PM (English)

The 20-member Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México performs live alongside a screening of the smash hit film COCO. This special event will be one your family won’t forget!

FEATURING ORQUESTA FOLCLÓRICA NACIONAL DE MÉXICO

The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

For tickets and details visit TheConrad.org 46 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

LEARN MORE

Thursday, November 30, 2023 6 PM & 8:30 PM

FLOR DE TOLOACHE The JAI

The Latin GRAMMY Award–winning, all-female Flor de Toloache mixes tradition and innovation, breaking boundaries with its edgy, versatile, and fresh take on traditional Latin American music.

Friday, April 19, 2024 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM

DAYRAMIR GONZALEZ & HABANA enTRANCé The JAI

Since winning Havana’s JoJazz festival in 2004 and 2005, Cuban pianist Dayramir González has gone on to win three Cubadisco awards for his 2007 debut album, Dayramir & Habana enTRANCé. Hear this Latin Jazz phenomenon in our cabaret-style space with table service, cocktails, and small bites!

Thursday, May 16, 2024 • 7:30 PM

PABLO FERRÁNDEZ, cello The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

The prize-winning Spanish cellist returns to The Conrad playing works by Bruch, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, and Franck. A captivating performer, “Ferrández has the lot: technique, mettle, spirit, authority as a soloist, expressivity and charm” (El País).

Saturday, June 1, 2024 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM

LARRY & JOE The JAI

Venezuelan joropo maestro Larry Bellorín and GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass star Joe Troop fuse their respective North and South American folk traditions to prove that music has no borders. Their bilingual program in English and Spanish includes storytelling, humor, and sing-alongs for a unique evening you won’t soon forget.

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CONCERTS @ THE JAI BANDA MAGDA FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2023 6 PM & 8:30 PM

FLOR DE TOLOACHE THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2023 6 PM & 8:30 PM The Latin GRAMMY Award–winning, all-female Flor de Toloache mixes tradition and innovation, breaking boundaries with its edgy, versatile, and fresh take on traditional Latin American music.

Even if you don’t speak any of the six languages the members of New York’s Banda Magda sing in, you still will be transported into beautiful imagery with tales of love and devotion, as strong as the bonds between the band’s diverse musicians. Led by firecracker performer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Magda Giannikou, Banda Magda moves from samba to French chanson, from Greek folk tunes to Colombian cumbia and Afro-Peruvian lando.

DAVINA AND THE VAGABONDS HOLIDAY SHOW

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2023 6 PM & 8:30 PM

MATTHEW WHITAKER QUARTET SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2023 5 PM & 7:30 PM Phenomenal 22-year-old pianist Matthew Whitaker has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and now shares his irrepressible musicianship with his quartet in the intimate space of The JAI.

The incomparable Davina returns to The JAI for two fun holiday-themed shows like no other! Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene with their high-energy live shows, top musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism, and Sowers’ commanding stage presence. You’ll have a blast singing along with Davina to your holiday favorites.

48 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

SEAN MASON QUARTET SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 2024 5 PM & 7:30 PM

TATIANA EVA-MARIE & AVALON JAZZ BAND DISCOVERY ARTIST

FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2024 6 PM & 8:30 PM

A jazz pianist and composer based in New York City, Sean Mason is emerging as one of the premier talents of his generation. He has performed and toured with jazz legends including Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Herlin Riley, among many others, and was featured on Branford Marsalis’ film score to the acclaimed Netflix production of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Hear him and the members of his quartet for the first time in San Diego!

LAKECIA BENJAMIN AND PHOENIX SUNDAY, JANUARY 28, 2024 5 PM & 7:30 PM

Voted “Rising Star Alto Saxophonist” in the 2020 Downbeat Critics Poll and “Up and Coming Artist of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association, charismatic and dynamic young saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin fuses traditional conceptions of jazz, hip hop, and soul. For this JAI debut, Benjamin features the quartet from her 2023 release Phoenix, an album that also featured cameos by some of Benjamin’s heroes including Wayne Shorter, Angela Davis, Dianne Reeves, and Patrice Rushen.

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Growing up, Tatiana Eva-Marie was influenced by her father’s New Orleans jazz records and her mother’s heritage of Klezmer and Romany folk music.

Acclaimed as a “millennial shaking up the jazz scene” by Vanity Fair, who included her in a list of rising jazz stars alongside Cyrille Aimée and Cécile McLorin Salvant, Eva-Marie’s original arrangements and lyrics are inspired by her French and Romany heritage and her love for the Parisian art scene of the 1920s to 1960s.

CLARICE & SERGIO ASSAD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2024 6 PM AND 8:30 PM

The musical history of the Assad Family began in the 1950s with Seu Jorge, a self-taught mandolinist, and his wife Dona Ica, praised by the LA Times as “The Billie Holiday of Brazil.” Together they passed on to their children, Sérgio, Odair and Badi, their passion for music, but they never imagined that it would blossom into the phenomenon that would make Assad musicians known all over the world.

Now Sergio and Clarice, a composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist in her own right, bring this legacy of brilliance to The JAI. TheConrad.org · 858.459.3728

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CONCERTS @ THE JAI AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE TRIO

KINGS RETURN

During his 15-year career, Ambrose Akinmusire has paradoxically situated himself in both the center and the periphery of jazz, masterfully weaving inspiration from other genres, arts, and life in general into compositions that are as poetic and graceful as they are bold and unflinching.

Kings Return made a triumphant SummerFest debut in 2021, bringing audiences to their feet with their a cappella stylings inspired by gospel, jazz, R&B, soul, and classical music. The group became internet sensations in 2016 when they started posting videos to social media from the stairwell where they rehearsed and now have more than 10 million views across digital platforms.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2024 6 PM & 8:30 PM

MEOW MEOW

SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024 6 PM & 8:30 PM

SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 2024 5 PM & 7:30 PM

DAYRAMIR GONZÁLEZ & HABANA enTRANCé

“Post-post-modern diva” Meow Meow has hypnotized and inspired audiences globally with unique creations and sell-out seasons, from New York’s Lincoln Center and Berlin’s Bar Jeder Vernunft to London’s West End and the Sydney Opera House, specializing in the Weimar repertoire and French chanson. Named one of the “Top Performers of the Year” by The New Yorker, this spectacular artist has been called “sensational” (The Times), a “diva of the highest order” (New York Post), and “a phenomenon” by the Australian press.

Cuban piano phenomenon Dayramir González began his professional career as a pianist and composer with former Irakere member Chucho Valdés’ Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble Diákara at the age of 16. Since winning Havana’s JoJazz festival in 2004 and 2005, González has gone on to win three Cubadisco awards for his 2007 debut album, Dayramir & Habana enTRANCé, and the 2013 Wayne Shorter Award for most outstanding jazz composer.

50 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024 6 PM & 8:30 PM

LARRY & JOE SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2024 6 PM & 8:30 PM

Venezuelan joropo maestro Larry Bellorín and GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass and oldtime star Joe Troop from North Carolina are two virtuosic multi-instrumentalists who fuse their respective Venezuelan and Appalachian folk traditions on the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, upright bass, guitar, and maracas to prove that music has no borders. Their bilingual program in English and Spanish includes storytelling, humor, and singalongs for a unique evening you won’t soon forget.

La Jolla Music Society is proud to partner with GRNFC Hospitality Group, founded by one of San Diego's most established chef/restaurateurs, Giuseppe Ciuffa.

Enjoy a savory small bites menu, delicious cocktails, and the opportunity to order before you arrive!

Giuseppe’s at The Conrad is the perfect culinary pairing to your musical experience.

CHARLES & FRIENDS FEATURING JOHN BEASLEY AND THE NEXT GENERATION SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2024 6 PM & 8:30 PM

Our inaugural Jazz @ The JAI Guest Curator, legendary award-winning saxophonist Charles McPherson, and John Beasley, two-time GRAMMY winner, pianist, and composer, curate a program from Duke Ellington through the eras of jazz up to what’s happening now. John Beasley is joined by a roster of rising star jazz artists.

John Beasley, piano; Giveton Gelin, trumpet; Erena Terakubo, alto saxophone; Russell Hall, bass; Anthony Fung, drums

CHARLES & FRIENDS FEATURING THE CHARLES McPHERSON QUINTET SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2024 5 PM & 7:30 PM

Our jazz Guest Curator Charles McPhersons’ New York band performs all over the world and is acclaimed by audiences everywhere. Now the internationally renowned legend brings the best jazz musicians on the scene together for two intimate shows in The JAI, celebrating their new CD release.

Charles McPherson, saxophone; Terell Stafford, trumpet; David Wong, bass; Jeb Patton, piano; Lewis Nash, drums

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CONCERTS DOWNTOWN LILA DOWNS DOS CORAZONES: DÍA DE MUERTOS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2023 · 7 PM BALBOA THEATRE

TURN IT OUT W/ TILER PECK & FRIENDS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 · 7:30 PM CIVIC THEATRE

Honor the traditions of Día de Muertos with LJMS favorite Lila Downs, one of the most influential and representative artists of Mexican music in Latin America. Known for the importance she gives to issues such as social justice within her music, Downs is a singular and powerful voice, both as a singer and an activist, bridging traditions from across the Americas, with influences ranging from folk and ranchera music from Mexico and South America, to North American folk, jazz, blues, and hip hop.

Following sold-out runs in London and New York, award-winning New York City Ballet principal dancer, choreographer, actress, and designer Tiler Peck brings her new show to San Diego!

AMERICAN RAILROAD SILKROAD ENSEMBLE WITH RHIANNON GIDDENS

50TH ANNIVERSARY LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO

Conceived by Yo-Yo Ma in 1998, Silkroad Ensemble is a model for cultural collaboration and the exchange of ideas, tradition, and innovation across borders. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director and 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad reaches new heights through a commitment to new music and arts education. Silkroad’s newest initiative, American Railroad, illuminates the impact of African American, Chinese, Irish, and Native American communities on the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad and America’s Westward Expansion.

Look no further for top-notch ballet that’s also uproariously funny! The world’s foremost all-male comic ballet company, famed for performing en travesti and on pointe, is back with another sensational program spoofing some of your favorite works—for the first time in San Diego. The virtuosity and technical prowess of these dancers amaze even as they exaggerate the foibles, accidents, and underlying incongruities of serious dance.

As pioneers of diversity and acceptance, the Trocks’ mission continues: to bring the pleasure of dance to the widest possible audience.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2023 · 7:30 PM BALBOA THEATRE

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2024 · 7:30 PM BALBOA THEATRE

SPEAKER series A Changemaker Production

HERBIE HANCOCK

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024 · 7:30 PM BALBOA THEATRE

PETER HILLARY

70 YEARS OF EVEREST

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024 · 7:30 PM THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL

Herbie Hancock is a true icon of modern music. Throughout his explorations, he has transcended limitations and genres while maintaining his unmistakable voice.

With an illustrious career spanning five decades and 14 GRAMMY Awards, including Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters, he continues to amaze audiences across the globe.

ANDY MANN

MAKING WAVES: SUMMIT TO SEA

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2024 · 7:30 PM THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL

BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL DANCE ME MUSIC BY LEONARD COHEN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2024 · 7:30 PM CIVIC THEATRE

TERRY VIRTS

HOW TO ASTRONAUT

THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2024 · 7:30 PM THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL Under Louis Robitaille’s artistic direction, in collaboration with stage director Eric Jean and 14 dazzling dancers, three international choreographers—Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Ihsan Rustem—evoke in “five seasons” the grand cycles of existence, as captured in the music and poems of Leonard Cohen. The revered torch singer’s words find new expression through dance in this stylish, sexy, and innovative program, which received Cohen’s blessing before he passed.

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The ConRAD Kids series MICHELE CAFAGGI THE MAGIC OF BUBBLES

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2023 · 10 AM & 11:30 AM THE JAI It’s all about the BUBBLES when Italian clown and actor Michele Cafaggi comes to town!

Michele Cafaggi studied acting, circus arts, mime, clowning, and theatrical improvisation between Milan and Paris and has performed in research theater and company theater.

But he found his true calling when he became the first artist in Italy to develop a giant bubble technique to create an entire theatrical show dedicated to soap bubbles. Since 1993 he has performed as a street and theater artist in Italy and across four continents and 20 countries, collaborating with theatres, youth aggregation centers, retirement homes, prisons, schools, kindergartens, and hospitals. Now it’s time for his giant bubbles to take over San Diego!

ALPHABET ROCKERS SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2024 · 3 PM THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL

Alphabet Rockers make music that makes change! Founded by Kaitlin McGaw (she/her) and Tommy Shepherd (he/him/they), this intergenerational group creates brave spaces to shape a more equitable world through hip hop. You and your little ones will explore elements of hip hop together, have shared moments to express and uplift affirmations and reflections, and get your bodies MOVING in celebration and joy!

KAKI KING

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2024 · 10 AM & 11:30 AM THE JAI A new LJMS commission sees one of the most acclaimed rock guitarists creating a show all about the wild and wonderful world of BUGS! Composer and musician Kaki King is considered one of the world’s greatest living guitarists, known both for her technical mastery and for her constant quest to push the boundaries of the instrument. Hailed by Rolling Stone as “a genre unto herself,” Kaki has released nine albums and toured extensively, presenting in such prestigious arts centers as the Kennedy Center, MoMA, LACMA, The Met and Smithsonian Design Museum. She has created music for numerous film and TV soundtracks, including August Rush and Into the Wild, for which received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score. Now she brings her formidable talents to The Conrad in an exciting and fun show all about bugs, to delight kids and adults alike.

54 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

JAZZ PIANO MINI FESTIVAL In honor of JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH In April, the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian celebrate Jazz History Month. To honor the legacy and history of this music, we have curated a weekend of performances by some of the most revered jazz pianists of our time as well as masterclasses, panel discussions and more taking place at The Conrad and throughout San Diego.

HERBIE HANCOCK

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024 · 7:30 PM BALBOA THEATRE Herbie Hancock is a true icon of modern music.

Throughout his explorations, he has transcended limitations and genres while maintaining his unmistakable voice. With an illustrious career spanning five decades and 14 GRAMMY Awards, including Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters, he continues to amaze audiences across the globe.

DAYRAMIR GONZÁLEZ & HABANA enTRANCé

FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024 · 6 PM & 8:30 PM THE JAI

Cuban piano phenomenon Dayramir González began his professional career as a pianist and composer with former Irakere member Chucho Valdés’ Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble Diákara at the age of 16. Since winning Havana’s JoJazz festival in 2004 and 2005, González has gone on to win three Cubadisco awards for his 2007 debut album, Dayramir & Habana enTRANCé, and the 2013 Wayne Shorter Award for most outstanding jazz composer.

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HIROMI

sonicwonder

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024 · 7:30 PM THE BAKER- BAUM CONCERT HALL

Ever since the 2003 release of her groundbreaking debut, Another Mind, pianist Hiromi has astonished audiences with a creative energy that eclipses the boundaries of jazz, classical, and pop, taking improvisation and composition to new heights of complexity and sophistication. Taking the stage as part of the electrified four-piece ensemble sonicwonder, Hiromi builds on the spark of collaboration to create something magnificent.

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Free Community Events at The Conrad Our popular FREE outdoor Wu Tsai QRT.yrd Concert Series is now expanded to fall! Plan to meet up with friends at The Conrad and enjoy some great salsa, jazz or classical together—or come solo and make some new friends!

Donations to La Jolla Music Society help support these free events and our other Learning and Engagement activities!

Salsa Night with the Manny Cepeda Quartet Wednesday, October 18 Salsa class at 5:30 PM • Performance at 6:30 PM Bring your dancing shoes!

Brightfeather Duo

Wednesday, October 25, 2023 • 12:30 PM

Celebrate Día de Muertos with Mariachi Juvenil and students from La Jolla Music Society's Community Music Center Friday, November 3 • 4:30 PM Including themed arts & crafts

Joshua White Trio

Tuesday, November 14, 2023 • 4:30 PM

56 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

Holiday Open House Thursday, December 7, 2023 • 4 PM

Celebrate the holidays with La Jolla Music Society at this festive, FREE event for the whole family! You won’t want to miss seeing the Wu Tsai QRT.yrd transformed into a Winter Wonderland.

Enjoy a cider or classic hot cocoa, storytime, crafts for kids, and finish your holiday shopping with local artisans at our holiday market. Featuring live musical performances of holiday favorites from the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus with a special guest appearance by Davina Sowers from Davina and the Vagabonds!

The Wu Tsai QRT.yrd Concert Series will return with more exciting performances and our Community Arts Open House in the spring.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS · 2023–24

LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY STAFF

H. Peter Wagener – Chair Vivian Lim – Vice Chair Bert Cornelison - Treasurer Sharon Cohen - Secretary

Todd R. Schultz – President & CEO Leah Rosenthal – Artistic Director Inon Barnatan – SummerFest Music Director

Steve Baum Mary Ann Beyster Marla Bingham Eleanor Y. Charlton Ric Charlton Mary Ellen Clark Ellise Coit Ann Parode Dynes Jennifer Eve Debby Fishburn Stephen Gamp Lehn Alpert Goetz John Hesselink Susan Hoehn Diana Lombrozo Sue Major Richard A. Norling Arman Oruc Tom Rasmussen Sylvia Ré Sheryl Scarano Marge Schmale Jeanette Stevens Stephanie Stone Debra Turner Lise Wilson Bebe L. Zigman HONORARY DIRECTORS Brenda Baker Stephen Baum Joy Frieman, Ph.D. Irwin M. Jacobs Joan K. Jacobs Lois Kohn (1924—2010) Helene K. Kruger (1916—2019) Conrad Prebys (1933—2016) Ellen Revelle (1910—2009) Leigh P. Ryan, Esq. Dolly Woo

The Conrad · Home of La Jolla Music Society 7600 Fay Avenue, La Jolla, California 92037 Admin: 858.459.3724

ADMINISTRATION Karin Burns – Director of Finance Brady Stender – Finance & Administration Manager Breanne Self - Finance & Administrative Assistant PROGRAMMING Anne-Marie Dicce – Artistic Planning Manager Grace Smith – Artistic Operations Manager Carly Cummings – Artistic Operations Coordinator John Tessmer – Lead Artist Liaison Jade Lewenhaupt, Maya Greenfield-Thong – Artist Liaisons Eric Bromberger – Program Annotator LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT Allison Boles – Director of Learning & Engagement Carly D’Amato – Learning & Engagement Coordinator Serafin Paredes – Community Music Center Director Xiomara Pastenes – Community Music Center Administrative Assistant Community Music Center Instructors:

Noila Carrazana, Marcus Cortez, Ian Lawrence, Marko Paul, Eduardo Ruiz, Juan Sanchez, Rebeca Tamez DEVELOPMENT Ferdinand Gasang – Director of Development Camille McPherson – Individual Giving and Grants Officer Anne Delleman – Development Coordinator VENUE SALES & EVENTS Nicole Slavik – Venue Sales & Events Director Juliet Zimmer – Venue Sales Manager Calvin Caldua – Event Manager MARKETING & TICKET SERVICES Stephanie Thompson – Communications & Public Relations Director David Silva – Marketing Manager Cristal Salow – Data & Marketing Analysis Manager Mariel Pillado – Graphic Designer Marsi Bennion – Box Office & Guest Services Manager Patrick Mayuyu – Box Office & Guest Services Assistant Manager Kaitlin Barron – Box Office & Guest Services Lead Associate Sam Gilbert – Box Office & Guest Services Associate Mitch Cook – Box Office & Guest Services Associate Shaun Davis – House Manager OPERATIONS & PRODUCTION Tom Jones – Director of Production & Technology Jamie Coyne – Production Manager Tom Mehan – Facilities Manager Ryn Schroeder – Production Coordinator Thomas Thomas – Technical Director Colin Dickson – Facilities Coordinator Yoni Hirshfield – Technical Coordinator Kim Chevallier – Security Supervisor Jonnel Domilos – Piano Technician

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THANK YOU! The wonderful array of musical activity that La Jolla Music Society offers would not be possible without support from its family of donors. Your contributions to La Jolla Music Society help bridge the gap between income from ticket sales and the total cost to present the finest musicians and the best chamber music repertoire in San Diego.

Your generosity also supports our programs in the local schools and throughout the community.

On the following pages La Jolla Music Society pays tribute to you, the leading players who make it possible to share the magic of the performing arts with our community.

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ANNUAL SUPPORT La Jolla Music Society depends on contributed income for more than 60% of its annual budget. We are grateful to all of our contributors who share our enthusiams and passion for the arts. Every donor is a valued partner and they make it possible for one of San Diego’s premier music organization to present year-round.

It is our honor to recognize the following donors.

FOUNDER Brenda Baker and Steve Baum ($250,000 and above) The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture Joan and Irwin Jacobs The Conrad Prebys Foundation ANGEL Raffaella and John Belanich ($100,000 - $249,999) Mary Ellen Clark Lynda Fox Estate Dorothea Laub Debra Turner Clara Wu Tsai and Joseph Tsai BENEFACTOR Ric and Eleanor Charlton ($50,000-$99,999) Peter Cooper and Erik Matwijkow Julie and Bert Cornelison Silvija and Brian Devine Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon Lehn and Richard Goetz Angelina and Fredrick Kleinbub Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong Marge and Neal Schmale Joyce and Ted Strauss Family Trust Sue and Peter Wagener Anna and Edward Yeung Bebe and Marvin Zigman 60 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

ANNUAL SUPPORT

GUARANTOR

($25,000 - $49,999)

Mary Ann Beyster Marla Bingham and Gary Gallagher Barbara Enberg Jennifer and Kurt Eve Ingrid and Ted Friedmann Jeanne Herberger John Hesselink Susan and Bill Hoehn Inamori Foundation JP Morgan Chase The Lodge at Torrey Pines Viviana and Enrique Lombrozo Sue and John Major Arlene and Lou Navias Jeanne and Rick Norling Peggy and Peter Preuss Steven and Sylvia Ré Sheryl and Bob Scarano Sempra Energy Jeanette Stevens Haeyoung Tang Vail Memorial Fund Lise Wilson and Steve Strauss

SUSTAINER

($15,000 - $24,999)

Judith Bachner and Dr. Eric L. Lasley Banc of California | Stephen Gamp Gordon Brodfuehrer Katherine and Dane Chapin Cafe Coyote and Rancho Coyote Wines Sharon L. Cohen Ellise and Michael Coit County of San Diego Community Enhancement Fund Jendy Dennis Endowment Fund Martha and Ed Dennis Ann Parode Dynes and Robert Dynes Monica Fimbres Debby and Wain Fishburn Pam and Hal Fuson

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Brenda and Michael Goldbaum Teresa and Harry Hixson Helen and Keith Kim Las Patronas Diana and Eli Lombrozo Monarch Cottage Arman Oruc and Dagmar Smek ProtoStar Foundation Thomas Rasmussen and Clayton Lewis Stacy and Don Rosenberg Stephanie and Nick Stone Elizabeth Taft Abby and Ray Weiss

SUPPORTER

($10,000 - $14,999)

Anonymous Alison Alpert Dede and Mike Alpert Jeffrey Barnouw Jim Beyster Bjorn Bjerede and Jo Kiernan Boys and Girls Foundation Gordon Brodfuehrer Goldman Sachs Raymond Chinn Valerie and Harry Cooper Una Davis and Jack McGrory Nina and Robert Doede Sue and Chris Fan Joy Frieman Wendy Frieman ResMed Foundation Leigh P. Ryan Dr. Seuss Foundation Maureen and Thomas Shiftan Susan Shirk and Samuel Popkin Thalassa Journey LLC Dolly and Victor Woo

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ANNUAL SUPPORT

AMBASSADOR ($5,000 - $9,999)

Anonymous (3) Julie and Edgar Berner Ginny and Bob Black Karen and Jim Brailean Lisa and David Casey George and Tallie Dennis Nina and Robert Doede The Hon. Diana Lady Dougan JWDA Architects Sarah and Mike Garrison Buzz and Peg Gitelson Lisa Braun Glazer and Jeff Glazer Molly and Thomas Grieco Margaret Stevens Grossman and Michael Grossman Richard Harris and Sonya Celeste-Harris Pati Heestand Norma Hidalgo-Del Rio Barbara and Paul Hirshman Theresa Jarvis Barbara Kjos Carol Lazier and Jay Merritt Sylvia Liwerant Kathleen and Ken Lundgren Marilyn and Stephen Miles Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation Elaine and Doug Muchmore Joyce and Ron Nelson Shelby and Courtland Palmer Marina and Rafael Pastor Linda Platt Vivien Ressler Catherine Rivier James Robbins and Jill Esterbrooks Kathleen Roche-Tansey and David Tansey Patty Levaur Rome Clifford Schireson and John Venekamp Todd R. Schultz Reesey and David Shaw Mao and Doctor Bob Shillman Gerald and Susan Slavet Gloria and Rod Stone Susan and Richard Ulevitch Ayse Underhill

Jo and Howard Weiner Lisa Widmier Shara Williams and Benjamin Brand Mary and Joseph Witztum

AFICIONADO ($2,500 - $4,999)

Judith Adler Emily and Barry Berkov Carolyn Bertussi Isabel and Stuart Brown Janice and Nelson Byrne June Chocheles Debbe Deverill Diane and Elliot Feuerstein Richard Forsyth Carrie Greenstein Rossina Grieco Cheryl Hintzen-Gaines and Ira Gaines Gail and Edward Miller Daphne Nan Muchnic Nancy Linke Patton and Rip Patton Robert and Allison Price Carol Randolph and Robert Caplan Eva and Doug Richman Jonathan Scheff Jathan Segur Gwynn Thomas Diana and Roger Van Duzer Mary Walshok Western States Arts Federation Armi and Al Williams Carol Young Betty Zeng

ASSOCIATE

($1,000 - $2,499)

Anonymous (2) Sue Andreasen Arleene Antin and Leonard Ozerkis Joan Jordan Bernstein William Boggs Center for World Music Li-Rong Lilly Cheng

62 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

Anthony Chong and Annette Nguyen Chong Ann Craig Peggy Cravens D’Addario Foundation Lu Dai Caroline DeMar Renée and James Dunford Girard Foundation Lynn Gorguze and Scott Peters Warren Green Andrea Harris Laura and Geoffrey Hueter Audrey Jacobs Dwight Kellogg Sallay and Tae Kim Melvin Knyper James Kralik Jain Malkin Eileen A. Mason Margaret McKeown and Peter Cowhey Ted McKinney Susan and Doug McLeod William Miller and Ida Houby Sandra Miner Norman Needel Virginia Oliver Anonymouse William Pitts and Mary Sophos Pledgeling Foundation Sandra Redman Anne and Ronald Simon William Smith and Carol Harter Joanne Snider David Snyder Beverly and Alan Springer Jean Sullivan Daniel Swain Victor A. Van Lint Yvonne Vaucher Erika Walter Karen Walter Patricia and Christopher Weil Bart Ziegler

ANNUAL SUPPORT

FRIEND

($500 - $999)

Anonymous (2) The Leonard B. and Martha M. Allen Fund Terence Balagia Gene and Mary Barduson DeAnn Cary Dr. Kathleen Charla Elizabeth Clarquist Eric Cohen and Bill Coltellaro Rick and Linda Dicker Jeane Erley Ferdinand Marcus Gasang Mary Gegax Jeff and Patt Hall Lulu Hsa Dr. Nancy Kossan Kathleen Kovacs Dr. Carol Lynne Krumhansl Lewis Leicher Dr. Greg Lemke Ruth and Ronald Leonardi Charles Letourneau Gerald and Ann Lipschitz Elizabeth Lucas Lynn and Charles McPherson Esther Nahama Sigrid Pate Sharon Rearwin and Tom Delmer Esther Rodriguez Teri Rodriguez Tom Son and Eunmi Lee Leland and Annemarie Sprinkle Lester Stiel Anne Turhollow Karen L. Valentino Paul Viani Suhaila White LaShawn C. Williams Desiree M. Wilson Marty and Olivia Winkler

ENTHUSIAST ($250 - $499)

Anonymous Robin Allgren Kristin Alpert Bruce H. Athon Steve Axel Mary Lonsdale Baker Abdul Rahman Bitar Scott Brinkerhoff Marc Brown Dr. Kathy Chambery Dr. Tiffany Chow Amy Corton Sue Dramm Dr. Robert C. Fahey Derek Floyd L. Michael Foley Dr. Claire Friedman Bruce Galanter Margie and Paul Grossman Phyllis and Gordon Harris Dr. David K. Jordan Dr. and Mrs. H. Koshkarian Patricia M. Lending Jayne Lindberg Robin Lipman Pamela and Martin Morriss Brigitte and Richard Obetz Renee Levine Packer Dr. Timothy Palmer Carol Plantamura William Purves and Don Schmidt Dr. Ellen M. Quandahl Rick Rand Jean-Luc and Jaqueline Robert Laura A. Romero Dr. Barbara Rosen Cristina and Victor Saldivar Dr. James F. Sallis Deborah Serra Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz Lee Talner Monica Valdez N.B. Varlotta Ms. Joyce Williams

CONTRIBUTOR ($150 - $249)

Usama Abdali Dean and Nancy Abelon Barbara Alderson Carol and Bruce Boles Robin Boyer Nadia Chohan Lorna Cullen Mary Devlin Douglas Doucette Dr. Zofia Dziewanowska Daniel Farkas Jean Fort Beverly Fremont Arlene Glube Mee R. Kim William Larsen Hugh Lawrence Elaine Litton Dr. Carol Manifold Drs. William Miller and Ida Houby Yelena Moiseyeva Joani Nelson Antje Olivie Jan Parsons Julie Phaviseth Naomi Philip Manuel Pia Laurayne Ratner Caroline Robert Barry Rosenbush Kiran Sanfone Trudy Sargent Reissa Schrager-Cole Sharron Seal Mark Silver Jen-Yi Wang Eugene Woodard Tanya Young

This list is current as of September 1, 2023. We regret any errors.

Please contact Annie Delleman at ADelleman@TheConrad.org or 858.526.3445 to make a correction.

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TRANSFORMATIVE SUPPORT Our gratitude to these Medallion Society Pillars founding members who have made significant four-year commitments that will help us better serve all of the San Diego region. The Conrad can be a catalyst to bring thousands of adults and children together through a common appreciation of the performing arts, which enhance the artistic fabric of our community.

Brenda Baker and Steve Baum $1 MILLION and above

Mary Ellen Clark $400,000 and above

Irwin and Joan Jacobs $1 MILLION and above

Dorothea Laub

Raffaella and John Belanich

$500,000 and above

$400,000 and above

Debbie Turner

Julie and Bert Cornelison

Herbert Solomon and Elaine Galinson

$400,000 and above

$200,000 and above

$200,000 and above

Angel and Fred Kleinbub $200,000 and above

Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong $200,000 and above

Sue and Peter Wagener $200,000 and above

Thank you to these Pillars in the community.

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MEDALLION SOCIETY

DANCE SOCIETY

CROWN JEWEL

SAPPHIRE

GRAND JETÉ

Brenda Baker and Steve Baum Joan and Irwin Jacobs

John Hesselink Keith and Helen Kim Bebe and Marvin Zigman

Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon Marvin and Bebe Zigman

DIAMOND Raffaella and John Belanich Mary Ellen Clark Dorothea Laub Debra Turner

RUBY Julie and Bert Cornelison Silvija and Brian Devine Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon Angelina and Fred Kleinbub Vivian Lim and Joseph Wong Sue and Peter Wagener

EMERALD Barbara Enberg Arlene and Louis Navias

GARNET Pam and Hal Fuson Peggy and Peter Preuss Anna and Edward Yeung

TOPAZ Anonymous Joan Jordan Bernstein Mary Ann Beyster Virginia and Robert Black Dr. James C. and Karen A. Brailean Buzz and Peg Gitelson Drs. Lisa Braun-Glazer and Jeff Glazer Margaret Stevens Grossman and Michael Grossman Theresa Jarvis Kathleen and Ken Lundgren Elaine and Doug Muchmore Don and Stacy Rosenberg Leigh P. Ryan Sheryl and Bob Scarano Neal and Marge Schmale Jeanette Stevens Gloria and Rodney Stone Susan and Richard Ulevitch Shara Williams and Benjamin Brand Dolly and Victor Woo

We are honored to have this extraordinary group of friends who have made multi-year commitments to La Jolla Music Society, ensuring that the artistic quality and vision we bring to the community continues to grow.

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JETÉ Marla Bingham and Gary Gallagher

ARABESQUE Jeanette Stevens

POINTE Carolyn Bertussi

We are grateful for each patron for their passion and support of our dance programs.

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PLANNED GIVING LEGACY SOCIETY Anonymous (2) Brenda Baker and Steve Baum June L. Bengston* Joan Jordan Bernstein Bjorn Bjerede and Jo Kiernan Dr. James C. and Karen A. Brailean Gordon Brodfuehrer Wendy Brody* Barbara Buskin* Trevor Callan Geoff and Shem Clow Anne and Robert Conn George and Cari Damoose* Teresa and Merle Fischlowitz Lynda Fox* Ted and Ingrid Friedmann Joy and Ed* Frieman Sally Fuller Maxwell H. and Muriel S. Gluck* Dr. Trude Hollander* Eric Lasley Theodora Lewis Joani Nelson Maria and Dr. Philippe Prokocimer Bill Purves Darren and Bree Reinig Jay W. Richen* Leigh P. Ryan Jack and Joan Salb*

Johanna Schiavoni Pat Shank Drs. Joseph and Gloria Shurman Karen and Christopher Sickels Todd R. Schultz Jeanette Stevens Joyce and Ted Strauss* Elizabeth and Joseph* Taft Norma Jo Thomas Dr. Yvonne E. Vaucher Lucy and Ruprecht von Buttlar Ronald Wakefield John B. and Cathy Weil Carolyn Yorston-Wellcome* and H. Barden Wellcome* Karl and Joan Zeisler Josephine Zolin

REMEMBERING LJMS IN YOUR WILL It is easy to make a bequest to La Jolla Music Society, and any amount makes a difference.

Here is a sample of language that can be incorporated into your will: “I hereby give ___% of my estate (or specific assets) to La Jolla Music Society, Tax ID 27-3147181, 7600 Fay Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037, for its artistic programs (or education, general operating, or where needed most).”

The Legacy Society recognizes those generous individuals who have chosen to provide for La Jolla Music Society’s future. Members have remembered La Jolla Music Society in their estate plans in many ways—through their wills, retirement gifts, life income plans, and many other creative planned giving arrangements. We thank them for their vision and hope you will join this very special group of friends. If you have included LJMS in your estate plans, please let us know so we may recognize you. *In memoriam

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FOUNDATIONS

GIFTS IN HONOR/MEMORY

Boys and Girls Foundation The Catalyst Foundation: The Hon. Diana Lady Dougan The Clark Family Trust Enberg Family Charitable Foundation The Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund: The Carroll Family Fund Drs. Edward & Martha Dennis Fund Sue & Chris Fan Don & Stacy Rosenberg Shillman Charitable Trust Inamori Foundation The Jewish Community Foundation: Jendy Dennis Endowment Fund Diane & Elliot Feuerstein Fund Galinson Family Fund Joan & Irwin Jacobs Fund Theodora F. Lewis Fund Liwerant Family Fund The Allison & Robert Price Family Foundation Fund Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation Muchnic Foundation The Conrad Prebys Foundation ProtoStar Foundation ResMed Foundation Rancho Santa Fe Foundation: The Susan & John Major Fund The Oliphant Fund The San Diego Foundation: The Beyster Family Foundation Fund The M.A. Beyster Fund II The Karen A. & James C. Brailean Fund The Hom Family Fund The Scarano Family Fund The Shiftan Family Fund Dr. Seuss Foundation Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving: Ted McKinney & Frank Palmerino Fund The Shillman Foundation The Haeyoung Kong Tang Foundation Vail Memorial Fund Thomas and Nell Waltz Family Foundation The John H. Warner Jr. and Helga M. Warner Foundation

In Memory of George Damoose, from: Ferdinand Gasang Margie and Paul Grossman Mary Manak Martin and Pamela Morris

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In Honor of Joy Frieman, from: Ferdinand Gasang Sylvia Geffen Susan & Richard Ulevitch In Honor of OJ Heestand, from: Scott Benson In Honor of Susan and Bill Hoehn's 50th Anniversary, from: Martha & Ed Dennis In Memory of George Katz, from: Barbara and Paul Hirshman In Memory of Teddie Lewis, from: Ferdinand Gasang Dolly and Victor Woo In Honor of Leah Rosenthal, from: Bart Ziegler In Memory of Joanne Snider: Ferdinand Gasang Jud, Lee Ann, and Tyler Groshong Glenn Mosier Kevin Persaon and Stephen Murphy Renee Roth Reissa Schrager-Cole and Hilary Cole Kerry Symonds Dolly and Victor Woo In Honor of Jeanette Stevens: Derek Floyd

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY La Jolla Music Society reaches over 11,000 students and community members annually. LJMS works with students from more than 60 schools and universities, providing concert tickets, performance demonstrations, and master classes.

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CORPORATE & FOUNDATION SPONSORS

VAIL MEMORIAL FUND

CORPORATE PARTNERS

PHOTO CREDITS: Cover: T. Peck courtesy of artist; Pg. 11: The Baker-Baum Concert Hall courtesy of The Conrad; Pg.12: The Baker-Baum Concert Hall © Steve Uzzell; Pg.13: T. Schultz © Sam Zausch; Pg.14: I. Kanneh-Mason © David Venni; Pg.18: J. Thibaudet © Andrew Eccles, L. Batiashvili © Chris Singer, G. Capuçon courtesy of artist; Pg.21: Mariachi Herencia de México courtesy of artists, Marisol "La Marisoul" Hernandez courtesy of artist; Pg.22: Lila Downs courtesy of artist; Pg.23: T. Peck & dancers courtesy of artist; Pg.26: R. Giddens & Silkroad Ensemble © Adam Gurczak; Pg.28: Coco Live-to-Film Concert logo courtesy of The Walt Disney Company; Pg.32: M. Fujita © Dovile Sermokas; Pg.36: S. Cho © Christoph Koestlin; Pg.40-41: E. Aydingoz courtesy of artist, L. Batiashvili © Chris Singer, G. Capuçon © J. Bort Warner, S. Cho © Christoph Koestlin, L. Downs courtesy of artist, M. Fujita © Dovile Sermokas, Michael Giacchino courtesy of artist; 42-43: R. Giddens © Ebru Yildiz, M. Hernandez © Humberto Howard, I. Kanneh-Mason © David Venni, Mariachi Herencia de México courtesy of artists, Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México courtesy of The Walt Disney Company, T. Peck © Mark Mann, J. Thibaudet © E. Caren; Pg. 44: A. Weilerstein © Marco Borggreve; Pg. 45: K. Brown Montesano © Elisa Ferrari, M. Gerdes courtesy of artist, R. John Hughes courtesy of artist, M. Puryear courtesy of artist; Back Cover: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo © Zoran Jelenic

68 THE CONRAD | HOME OF LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY · 2023-24 SEASON

JOIN OUR FAMILY

For more than 50 years, La Jolla Music Society has nurtured a love of music by keeping one vision in mind: To present diverse programs of great music performed by the best musicians in the world.

Today, that vision has reached beyond the intimate beauty of the chamber music ensemble and into new and diverse offerings such as orchestras, jazz ensembles, dance companies, renowned speakers, and robust education programs.

This impressive growth has been carefully conducted by an active and highly committed volunteer board of directors and dedicated staff. But most importantly, La Jolla Music Society’s progress has been sustained by the generosity of the community and ticket buyers.

...WITH A GIFT TODAY! TheConrad.org/donate To make a donation by phone or if you are interested in sponsoring an artistic or education program, please contact Ferdinand Gasang, Director of Development, at 858.526.3426 or FGasang@TheConrad.org

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THE CONRAD Home of La Jolla Music Society

Resilience Fund Protect arts programming.

Ensure a future filled with live performances.

Donate Today TheConrad.org or call 858.459.3728

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LA JOLLA MUSIC SOCIETY

WinterFest Gala with Renée Fleming, Soprano & Inon Barnatan, Piano

Mary Ellen Clark, Gala Chair Raffaella and John Belanich, Honorees Wednesday, February 14, 2024 · 4 PM The Conrad TheConrad.org · 858.459.3728

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2019 NINE-TEN SummerFest Program Ad.pdf 1 05/29/2019 9:55:32 AM

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QUALITY SERVICE EXPERIENCE INNOVATION Chairs to China

Linens to Lighting

Tables to Tents

bright.com • 858.496.9700

Proud Supporter of the La Jolla Music Society Los Angeles • West Los Angeles • Santa Barbara • Orange County • San Diego Palm Springs • San Francisco • Sonoma • Saint Helena • Healdsburg • Phoenix

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Foundation

The ResMed Foundation is pleased to support your excellent programs in musical arts education.

Board of Trustees Edward A. Dennis, PhD Chairman

Mary F. Berglund, PhD Treasurer

Peter C. Farrell, PhD, DSc Secretary

Charles G. Cochrane, MD Michael P. Coppola, MD Anthony DeMaria, MD Sir Neil Douglas, MD, DSc, FRCPE Klaus Schindhelm, BE PhD Jonathan Schwartz, MD Kristi Burlingame Executive Director

7514 Girard Avenue, Suite 1-343 La Jolla, CA, USA, 92037

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Tel 858-361-0755

ResMedFoundation.org

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"Candor is La Jolla's hidden gem!"

Brian L. — Tripadvisor

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COMING UP...

JANUARY SEAN MASON QUARTET*

SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 2024 • 5 PM & 7:30 PM Concerts @ The JAI

PETER HILLARY* 70 Years of Everest

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024 • 7:30 PM Speaker Series The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

TATIANA EVA-MARIE & AVALON JAZZ BAND*

CONNECT TO THE CONRAD RENÉE FLEMING*, soprano & INON BARNATAN, piano ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 • 7:30 PM Recital Series The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

CLARICE & SÉRGIO ASSAD

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2024 · 6 PM & 8:30 PM Concerts @ The JAI

FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2024 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM

AROD QUARTET

TONY SIQI YUN*, piano

Revelle Chamber Music Series The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

Concerts @ The JAI

SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 2024 • 3 PM Discovery Series The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

LUCAS & ARTHUR JUSSEN*, pianos

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024 • 7:30 PM Piano Series The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2024 • 7:30 PM

AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE TRIO*

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2024 • 6 PM & 8:30 PM Concerts @ The JAI

ANDY MANN* Making Waves: Summit to Sea

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2024 • 7:30 PM

LAKECIA BENJAMIN AND PHOENIX

Speaker Series The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

Concerts @ The JAI

*LJMS debut

SUNDAY, JANUARY 28, 2024 • 5 PM & 7:30 PM

FEBRUARY LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO* 50TH ANNIVERSARY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2024 • 7:30 PM Dance Series Balboa Theatre

BALOURDET QUARTET

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2024 • 3 PM Discovery Series The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

BLUE NOTE 85TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2024 • 7:30 PM Jazz Series The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

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Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo