Memphis Symphony Program Book 2010-11 Season Vol. 4

Overture MeMphis syMphony orchestra

2010–2011 season

•

VoluMe 4

Vive la France!

March 12-13 • First Tennessee Masterworks Series Mei-Ann Chen, conductor Karen Busler, flute | Women of the Memphis Symphony Chorus

French Favorites March 18 • Paul & Linnea Bert Chamber Series Andrew Grams, guest conductor

Salute to Gershwin april 9 • MSO Pops Series Stilian Kirov, conductor

Ode to Joy april 30

First Tennessee Masterworks Series Mei-Ann Chen, conductor Memphis Symphony Chorus • University of Memphis Concert Singers •

Joshua Bell Plays Tchaikovsky May 12 Mei-Ann Chen, conductor

©2011 Memphis Symphony Orchestra • 585 S. Mendenhall Rd., Memphis, TN 38117 • (901) 537-2525 • MemphisSymphony.org

Christopher A. Webb Vice President Private Client Services

Caprice O. Devereux, CFP® Senior Vice President Trust Services

Bruce B. Hopkins Executive Vice President & Manager Private Client Services Wealth Management & Trust Divisions

Barbara Patronis Senior Vice President Private Client Services

Paul Craft Senior Vice President Private Client Services

ALWAYS A SOUND INVESTMENT With the arrival of new Maestro Mei-Ann Chen, the future of the Memphis Symphony has never been brighter. At First Tennessee, that’s music to our ears. Which is why the members of our Wealth Management Team are proud supporters of the symphony.

And why our company is proud to invest its heart and soul in the continued enrichment the symphony offers our city.

PROUD TO SUPPORT THE MEMPHIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

©2010 First Tennessee Bank National Association. Member FDIC. www.firsttennessee.com

Table of Contents 24 32 40 44 56

Vive la France!

French Favorites Salute to Gershwin Ode to Joy Johua Bell Plays Tchaikovsky

11 Opus One

23 Sponsor Spotlight

14 Mei-Ann Chen

Music Director

23 Advertiser Listing

15 Stilian Kirov

Assistant Conductor

63 Membership Benefits

38 Letters to Beethoven 64 Contributions

16 Susanna Perry Gilmore

Concertmaster

70 Honorariums

and Memorials

17 Lawrence Edwards

Director of the MSO Chorus

73 Letter from the

League President

18 Orchestra Roster

74 Patron/Ticket

Information

20 Memphis Symphony

Orchestra Governance

and Staff

Overture Magazine is a publication of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, published four times during the 2010-2011 concert season. The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is a qualified 501(c)(3) deductible organization funded by gifts from you, ticket sales and contracted services. We are recipients of grants from ArtsMemphis and the Tennessee Arts Commission. Our legally incorporated name is the Memphis Orchestral Society, Inc. If you have included us in your will, please inform us so we may express our appreciation.

Editor: Denise L. Borton Design: Anthony Culotta Printed by Toof Commercial Printing

“Your attendance constitutes consent for use of your likeness and/or voice on all video and/or audio recordings and in photographs made during Symphony events.”

www.MemphisSymphony.org • For Tickets 901-537-2525 3

Thank You Sponsors!

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is fortunate to have many generous sponsors whose commitment to the arts in Memphis enables us to present the quality concerts our patrons have come to expect. At this printing of Overture, the following corporations, foundations and individuals have joined us as sponsors for the 2010-2011 season.

$100,000+

$50,000-$99,999

$25,000-$49,999

Paul & Linnea Bert

Sally & Wil Hergenrader

Jeniam Foundation

Thomas W. Briggs Foundation $15,000-$24,999

$10,000-$14,999

Arthur F. & Alice E. Adams Foundation

$5,000-$9,999

Carolyn & Scott Heppel Bena & George Cates MGM Resorts Foundation $2,500-$4,999

In Kind

The Estate of Sandy White

4

TENNESSEE’S LARGEST SELECTION

BUSTERS

VOTED #1 BEST LIQUOR STORE

COMMERCIAL APPEAL

BEST LIQUOR STORE MEMPHIS FLYER

preprint outside 16 AMEX

191 S. Highland @ Poplar | P. 901.458.0929 | www.bustersliquors.com Open Monday - Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

SpecialOffer Offer for Delta SkyMiles® CreditCardmembers Special Delta SkyMiles® CreditCredit Cardmembers Special Offerfor for Delta SkyMiles® Cardmembers from American Express from American Express from American Express

The Memphis Orchestra has partnered with American Express for a The MemphisSymphony Symphony Orchestra has partnered partnered with Express for The Memphis Symphony Orchestra has with American American Express for aa special offer allall Delta SkyMiles CreditCredit Cardmembers.

From nowFrom through through special offertoto to Delta SkyMiles Cardmembers. special offer all Delta SkyMiles Credit Cardmembers.

From now now through June 2010,30, when you when use your Delta SkyMiles Credit Card to pay for symphony 2011, yourSkyMiles Delta SkyMiles Credit to pay for JuneJune 2010, when you useyou youruse Delta Credit Card toCard pay for symphony concert tickets, you can enjoy you a 20% offenjoy savings*!

This promotion is made symphony concert tickets, can 20% off*!

To learn more about the concert you canfrom enjoy a 20%Express. off savings*! promotion possibletickets, through support American To mycardcan.com learn This more about the is made Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, Express. visit possible through support from American To learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, visit americanexpress.com/delta.

Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, visit americanexpress.com/delta.

*Terms & Conditions: Offer is good for up to (4) symphony concert tickets until June 30, 2010. Cannot be combined with other promotional offers.

*Terms & Conditions: Offer is good for up to (4) symphony concert tickets until June 30, 2011. Cannot be combined with other promotional offers. *Terms & Conditions: Offer is good for up to (4) symphony concert tickets until June 30, 2010. Cannot be combined with other promotional offers.

BOOKS & MUSIC COME TO LIFE

BORDERS

Family Tunes & Tales

prep outs 16

A series of free family concerts for young children age 2-8 at Borders.

Musicians from the Memphis Symphony Orchestra work in harmony to bring classic children’s tales to life through narration, music and a hands-on activity. Children listen to a storybook reading , and hear the story retold through music, featuring one of the chamber ensembles from the MSO- strings, brass, woodwinds or percussion.

Dates September 4—Brass Quintet October 9—Kinder A October 30—Woodwind Quintet November 13—Percussion December 18—Kinder Trio

in the cafe re o t s k o o B s r e d r o at B

6685 Poplar at Kirby Parkway, 901-754-0770 in the Carrefour Shopping Center

January 22—Percussion February 5—String A March 19—Brass Quintet April 16—Kinder B May 14—Woodwind Quintet

The Arts at

For more information go to Memphis Symphony.org Join us on Facebook, search “The Arts at Borders”

PINNACLE

print side 6

RIVER VIEW RETREAT and GOURMET BREAKFAST $189

RIVER INN

Join us for great food, service, and a fabulous view at this Popular “gathering place”

"Ter

$29

..." rific Hamburger - Commercial

Appeal

For Our Three Course Pre-concert Dinner

Executive Chef Drew Bryan will prepare exquisite salads, entrees and desserts from which to choose.

• Steak specials starting at $14.95 • Happy Hour 3 - 7 p.m.

• Breakfast - Saturday & Sunday • Voted "Best Gumbo" in town • River view patio seating

prep outs 16

Come in by 6 p.m. ( We open at 5) and our professional staff will have you out by 7:30.

Check our website for all of our menus.

Just Across the A.W. Willis Bridge • Always FREE PARKING 8 50 Harbor Town Square • 260-3333 • riverinnmemphis.com

FEDEX

Our support extends beyond our delivery routes. print

side 6

We understand. Something this good deserves all our support. At FedEx our greatest delivery may be the resources we give to our communities. FedEx is proud to support the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and all those who strive to improve the lives of those around us and the many places we call home.

fedex.com © 2010 Fedex. All rights reserved.

“We understand” is a registered service mark of FedEx.

Our Vibe.Our City.

Our ARTSMaestro.

MEMPHIS

prep outs 16 Photo: Rosalie O’Connor

www.artsmemphis.org

Open your Mind to

opus one

“...a fresh, creative powerhouse. ” - The Commercial Appeal

A new, radical music series, Opus One features unconducted performances by MSO musicians in venues that embody the soul of Memphis but are not usually associated with classical music. Audiences eat and drink, socialize, and listen to selections from the classical repertoire as well as from popular music genres ranging from swing to blues to rock and roll.

print side 6

Opus One brings to fruition the dreams of MSO musicians to keep symphony performances exciting, relevant, and fulfilling for today’s audiences. Unlike traditional symphony experiences, at an Opus One concert you’re likely to hear great music from a violinist and then chat about it over a drink; to listen to a trumpet player describe his first experience attending a concert between movements of a piece; or to hear one-of-a-kind collaborations between the best instrumentalists and the best stage performers Memphis has to offer.

Order your Opus One series subscription today! Call 901.537.2525

RACHELS

preprint outside 16

Fresh Cut Flowers ● House Plants ● Unique Accessories ● Garden Statuary ● Floral Happy Hours—Saturdays at 4pm—A Tradition

Rachel’s Flowers & Gifts

2486 Poplar Avenue ● Memphis ● 901-324-2137 In Memory of Sandy White Flowers for Masterworks and Pops Concert are provided by The R. S. “Sandy” White Foundation

Enjoy the Shows! the

2010-11 presents

Annie Get Your Gun Aug 20 – Sept 12, 2010 A DelicAte BAlAnce Sept 24– Oct 10, 2010 Sherlock holmeS: the FinAl ADventure Oct 15 – 31, 2010

2009-2010 production photos courtesy of Skip Hooper.

A chriStmAS cArol * Dec 3 – 23, 2010

Season

[title oF Show] Jan14 – 30, 2011 AmADeuS Feb 4 - 20, 2011 cABAret March 11 – April 3, 2011 richArD iii April 8 – 23, 2011 Picnic April 29 – May 15, 2011 crAzY For You June 3 – 26, 2011

You can experience gun-totin’ giddiness to gorgeous Gershwin tunes this year at Theatre Memphis. With a variety of entertaining shows in our 2010-11 season, see the drama, music and mystery on the Lohrey and Next Stages. Memberships start at only $100 which include six tickets to use in any combination on any unrestricted show. You also get a Member Card that gets discounts to Dinstuhl’s Fine Candies, Fratelli’s, Poplar Perk’n, adult tickets to A Christmas Carol* and any additional tickets to the other shows, plus discounts to TM’s special events and ShoWagon children’s events and camps. * A Christmas Carol is not part of the season membership package but season members get discounts on adult full price tickets.

Season sponsored by the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation Theatre Memphis receives generous support from

unrivaled performance. unending applause.

purchase tickets online www.theatrememphis.org or call 682.8323

Mei-Ann Chen music director

One of the most sought-after young conductors in America, Mei-Ann Chen has just begun her tenure as Music Director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Equally exciting and generating much anticipation is her recent appointment as Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta (only the second person to hold this position), beginning in July, 2011. Among Ms. Chen’s upcoming debuts are the symphonies of Chicago, Columbus, Edmonton (AB), Pacific, Phoenix, Victoria (BC), BBC Scottish, Graz in Austria, and Netherlands Philharmonic at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Previous guest conducting appearances include all the principal Danish orchestras, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the symphonies of Alabama, Atlanta, Baltimore, Bournemouth, Fort Worth, Kalamazoo, National, Oregon, Seattle, Toledo, Toronto and Trondheim in Norway, Taiwan National, as well as Chautaqua Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival and Norrlands Opera in Sweden.

The first woman to win the Malko Competition (2005), Ms. Chen has served as Assistant Conductor of the Oregon Symphony, and has recently completed highly successful tenures as Assistant Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony and Baltimore Symphony; these two positions were sponsored by the League of American Orchestras. Recipient of the 2007 Taki Concordia Fellowship, she has appeared jointly with Marin Alsop and Stefan Sanderling in highly acclaimed subscription concerts with the Baltimore Symphony, Colorado Symphony and Florida Orchestra.

In 2002, Ms. Chen was unanimously selected as Music Director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic in Oregon, the oldest of its kind and the model for many of the youth orchestras in the United States. During her five-year tenure with the orchestra, she led its sold-out debut in Carnegie Hall, received an ASCAP award for innovative programming, and developed new and unique musicianship programs for the orchestra’s members. She was honored with a Sunburst Award from Young Audiences for her contribution to music education.

Born in Taiwan, Mei-Ann Chen was discovered by Benjamin Zander and Mark Chuchill while the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra from the New England Conservatory toured Taiwan in 1989. Ms. Chen became the first student in New England Conservatory’s history to receive double master’s degrees simultaneously in violin and conducting, and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the University of Michigan where she studied with Kenneth Kiesler. www.MemphisSymphony.org

14

Stilian Kirov

assistant conductor The 2010-11 season marks Stilian Kirov’s first as Assistant Conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Memphis Youth Symphony Program. In 2011, Mr. Kirov was also appointed as Conducting Fellow of the Seattle Symphony where he will begin his residency in the 2011-2012 season. He previously served as Music Director and founder of the Art Symphony Orchestra in New York and has conducted major orchestras in France, Germany, Italy, Greece, United States and in his native country Bulgaria. Stilian Kirov was awarded numerous prizes and merits including the Orchestra Preference Award and Third Prize at the 2010 Mitropoulos Conducting Competition, the 2009 Charles Schiff Conducting Award for outstanding achievement at the Juilliard School and the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship, among others.

Mr. Kirov is a laureate of the 2010 Young Talented Conductors Edition organized by the Adami Association in France and has conducted Orchestre Colonne at the laureates’ concert in Salle Gaveau in Paris. Mr. Kirov was also awarded The David Effron Conducting Fellowship at the Chautauqua Music Festival during the summer of 2010.

Stilian Kirov served as assistant conductor at the National Repertory Orchestra in 2009 and l’Orchestre de l’Opéra de Massy in France for the 2005-2006 Season. He also worked as a cover conductor for Princeton Symphony in 2009-2010 and for a coproduction between Opéra de Massy and Opéra National de Montpellier in 2005. Mr. Kirov has conducted major orchestras including the Memphis Symphony, Orchestre Colonne (France), Orchestra of Colors (Greece), New World Symphony, The Thüringen Philharmonic Orchestra (Germany), Sofia Festival Orchestra, Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra “Leopolis” (Ukraine), The Juilliard Orchestra, The Sofia Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. He has studied with such distinguished conductors as Michael Tilson Thomas, Gianluigi Gelmetti, George Manahan, Dominique Rouits, and graduated from the Orchestral Conducting Program of The Juilliard School, where he studied with Maestro James DePreist.

As a pianist, Mr. Kirov is a gold medalist of the “Claude Kahn” International Piano Competition in Paris, and has worked with eminent conductors such as Maestro James Conlon, Roberto Abbado and James Levine.

15

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Susanna Perry Gilmore concertmaster

Susanna Perry Gilmore joined the Memphis Symphony Orchestra as Concertmaster in 1997.

Since then she has frequently been featured as a soloist, including performances of the W. A. Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, Alban Berg Violin Concerto, Max Bruch Scottish Fantasy, J.S. Bach Brandenburg Concerti, Karl Amadeus Hartmann Concerto Funebre, W.A. Mozart Sinfonia Concertante, and Antonio Vivaldi Four Seasons. Ms. Gilmore maintains an active schedule of solo recitals and chamber performances and was nationally broadcast twice on NPR’s Performance Today in August 2009. She currently holds the position of Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Violin at the University of Memphis and is the Valade Violin Fellow at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in Michigan.

During her tenure in Memphis, Ms. Gilmore’s performance abilities have contributed to a wide variety of musical programs. In October 2008 she and her husband collaborated with the Tennessee Shakespeare Company to compose, arrange and perform Celtic music for the production of As You Like It and she also arranged and adapted the music of Bela Bartok for the October 2009 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She will appear in both dramatic and musical roles in the upcoming film, Narcissus, filmed on location in Lithuania. Ms. Gilmore has twice been named Premier String Player in the region by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; she has appeared on recordings by Kallen Esperian, Shelby Lynne, Ruby Wilson, and the Naxos and Dorian record labels. She has also served as a faculty member and guest artist at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, Hot Springs Music Festival, and the Grand Canyon Music Festival.

Ms. Gilmore received her Bachelor’s in Music at Oxford University, England and spent a year of post-graduate study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she studied with violinist Yfrah Neaman. She then received her Master’s degree in Violin Performance at New England Conservatory in Boston under the instruction of James Buswell. Prior to her studies in England, Ms. Gilmore studied with Christian Teal at the Blair School of Music and with Mimi Zweig at Indiana University.

Before joining the Memphis Symphony, Ms. Gilmore spent two years as a member of the Rackham String Quartet, a nationally touring ensemble based in California. She was also a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival, the Norfolk Music Festival, and the Sarasota Chamber Music Festival.

When not working as a classical violinist, Ms. Gilmore plays the Irish fiddle with her husband Barry in the band Planet Reel and spends time with her two daughters Katy and Zoe. She performs on a 1776 Joseph Odoardi violin. www.MemphisSymphony.org

16

Lawrence Edwards

director of the mso chorus Lawrence Edwards has been Artistic Director of the Memphis Symphony Chorus since the 19871988 season. Professor Edwards has also been Director of Choral Activities for the University of Memphis’ Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music since 1987; his responsibilities there include directing University Singers, Sound Fuzion and the University Chamber Choir. He is also the coordinator of Graduate Studies in Conducting. His ensembles travel internationally with recent tours in China and Europe. During summers, Dr. Edwards also teaches graduate classes at Villanova University in Philadelphia, PA. He is active as a choral clinician, working with junior and senior high school honor choirs throughout the nation.

Dr. Edwards received his undergraduate degree in music from Seattle Pacific University, where he directed the Seattle Pacific Singers. He holds both Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Music from the University of Illinois at Champaign, where he studied orchestral conducting with Romanian conductor Mircia Cristescu. Prior to assuming his position at the University of Memphis and the Memphis Symphony, he was Director of Choral Activities, Music Director and Conductor of Musical Theatre at West Virginia University at Morgantown.

Mei-Ann’s Circle of Friends…thank you to the following supporters for their generosity in welcoming Mei-Ann to Memphis.

For more information call Ellen Rolfes, at 901-537-2500.

Phyllis Berz Kathy Blair Peggy Bodine Ritche Bowden Hal Brunt Bena Cates Mikki Cobbins Nancy Coe Deborah Craddock Kaki Crews

Marsha Evans Allison Garrott Billie Jean Graham Buzzy Hussey Barbara Hyde Rose Johnston Dorothy Kirsch Ellen Klyce Florence Leffler Suzana Lightman 17

Freddie McEwan Bicki McDonnell Mabel McNeill Gloria Nobles Mary Alice Quinn Carol Prentiss Alice Rawlins Ellen Rolfes Gayle Rose Diane Rudner

Janet Seessel Bonnie Smith Ann Stokes Margaret Tabor Andie Uiberall Anneliese Watts Becky Wilson

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Memphis Symphony Orchestra mei-ann chen, music director

VIOLA Jennifer Puckett, Principal

Mei-Ann Chen, Music Director and Conductor Stilian Kirov, Assistant Conductor Dr. Lawrence Edwards, Memphis Symphony Chorus Artistic Director Vincent de Frank, Founder and Conductor Emeritus James Richens, Composer-in-Residence Emily Klyce Fisher Guest Artist Chair

The Corinne Falls Murrah Chair

Michelle Walker, Assistant Principal Marshall Fine, Assistant Principal Irene Wade Michael Barar Karen Casey Kent Overturf Beth Luscombe CELLO Ruth Valente, Principal The Vincent de Frank Chair

VIOLIN 1 Susanna Perry Gilmore, Concertmaster

Iren Zombor, Assistant Principal Milena Albrecht, Assistant Principal Phyllis Long Jonathan Kirkscey Jeffrey Jurciukonis Susan Rice (on leave 2010-2011 season) Mark Wallace

The Joy Brown Wiener Chair

Paul Turnbow, Assistant Concertmaster The Maxine Morse Chair

Marisa Polesky, Assistant Principal Barrie Cooper, Assistant Principal Laurie Pyatt Wen-Yih You Jessica Munson Greg Morris Long Long Kang

CONTRABASS Scott Best, Principal Christopher Butler, Acting Assistant Principal Andrew Palmer David Troupe Jeremy Upton Sara Chiego

VIOLIN 2 Gaylon Patterson, Acting Principal The Dunbar and Constance Abston Chair

Heather Trussell, Acting Assistant Principal Erin Kaste Neal Shaffer Ann Spurbeck Lenore McIntyre

www.MemphisSymphony.org

FLUTE Karen Busler, Principal The Marian Dugdale McClure Chair

Todd Skitch Sarah Beth Hanson 18

PICCOLO Sarah Beth Hanson

TRUMPET Scott Moore, Principal

OBOE Joseph Salvalaggio, Principal Saundra D’Amato Shelly Sublett, Assistant Principal

Susan Enger John McKenzie

The Smith & Nephew Chair

TROMBONE Greg Luscombe, Principal James Albrecht Mark Vail

ENGLISH HORN Shelly Sublett

TUBA Charles Schulz, Principal

CLARINET James Gholson, Principal Rena Feller Nobuko Igarashi

TIMPANI Frank Shaffer, Principal

BASS CLARINET Nobuko Igarashi

PERCUSSION John Sprott, Principal Ed Murray, Assistant Principal

BASSOON Jennifer Rhodes, Principal Michael Scott Christopher Piecuch

HARP Marian Shaffer, Principal The Ruth Marie Moore Cobb Chair

CONTRABASSOON Christopher Piecuch

KEYBOARD Adrienne Park, Principal The Buzzy Hussey and Hal Brunt Chair

HORN Samuel Compton, Principal The Morrie A. Moss Chair

Robert Patterson Caroline Kinsey Ion Balu

19

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Memphis Symphony Orchestra governance & staff Paul Bert MSO Chairman Retired Corporate Executive

Louis Jehl MSO Treasurer Diversified Trust

Paul Berz Ritche Manley Bowden Arts Advocate

Bryan Jordan MSO Secretary President & CEO First Horizon National Corp

Dr. Karen Bowyer College Administrator Dyersburg State Community College

Natalie Kerr Physician UT Medical Group, Inc

George Cates Retired Executive

Suzana Lightman Arts Advocate

Darrell Cobbins Business Owner Universal Commercial Real Estate

Joanna Lipman Arts Advocate Alec McLean Vice President New South Capital Management

Mark Crosby Attorney / Partner Crosby & Higgins LLP

Lisa Mendel Chorus Representative University of Memphis

Joe DeVivo President, Orthopedic Smith & Nephew

Gloria Nobles Arts Advocate Board Emeritus

Michael Edwards President, Mid-South First Tennessee

G. Dan Poag CEO Poag & McEwen Lifestyle Centers

Ryan Fleur President & CEO Memphis Symphony Orchestra Billie Jean Graham League Representative

Carol Prentiss Vice President River Oaks Investments

Steven L. Guinn Vice President Highwoods Properties

Robert Quinn Corporate Vice President FedEx

Larry J. Hardy Retired Corporate Executive

Dr. Charles Schulz Musician Representative Memphis Symphony

Scott Heppel Retired Corporate Executive

Janet Seessel Arts Advocate

Buzzy Hussey Business Owner Babcock Gifts

www.MemphisSymphony.org

Charles Shipp Business Owner Shipp Architectural Firm

20

Michael Uiberall Immediate Past Chair CPA Watkins Uiberall

Administration Ryan Fleur, President & CEO Accountability Anita Redden, Chief Financial Officer

Anneliese Watts Vice President Morgan Keegan

Grace McAlister, Finance Manager

Alonzo Weaver Vice President Memphis Light, Gas & Water

Rodney Gilchrist, Technical Support Artistic Engagement Jenny Compton, Music Librarian

Jeff Weintraub Attorney Weintraub, Stock & Grisham

Laura Mirahver, Orchestra Personnel Manager Susan Miville, Director of Musician Engagement

Past Chairs Dunbar Abston, Jr. Newton P. Allen, Esq.* Walter P. Armstrong, Jr.* Leo Bearman, Jr., Esq.* Troy Beatty* Paul Bert Jack R. Blair Robert L. Booth, Jr. Judge Bailey Brown* Robert E. Cannon* George E. Cates Charles P. Cobb, Esq.* Nancy R. Crosby* George E. Falls, Jr. David B. Ferraro Lewis E. Holland William F. Kirsh* Martha Ellen Maxwell Dr. Joseph Parker* G. Dan Poag Thomas M. Roberts Jeff Sanford P.K. Seidman* Michael Uiberall Joseph Weller Dr. Russel L. Wiener (*deceased)

Patron Engagement Nicki Inman, Vice President of Patron Engagement Denise Borton, Director of Patron Engagement & Marketing Clark McGee, Patron Engagement Assistant Chris Owens, Patron Engagement & Advancement Manager Ellen Rolfes, Advancement Specialist Nicole Ward, Manager of Patron Engagement Planning Team Veronica Bashbush, Director of Strategic Operations Rhonda Causie, Director of Grants & Innovation Ricardo Callender, Grants & Accountability Specialist

21

For Tickets 901-537-2525

More Ways Than Ever.

In the book, online, or on your mobile device. Find the local information you are searching for.

Anytime. Anywhere.

To advertise call 1-800-GET-REAL.

Š2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other AT&T marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies.

10-12745 PNT_08/04/2010

22

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC Ranked as one of the 100 largest law firms by The National Law Journal, Baker Donelson includes more than 570 attorneys and public policy and international advisors in 15 offices across the southeastern United States and Washington, D.C. While providing legal services is our focus, it is how we deliver them that sets us apart. Baker Donelson commits to a deep understanding of a client’s business, to enable us to anticipate clients’ needs and assist in their decision making processes. Because we offer consistent, knowledgeable guidance based on their specific goals and objectives, clients view us as a valued business partner.

Since its origin in 1888, the Firm has come to understand the importance of involvement in the communities in which we live and work, and included in the Firm’s core values is a commitment to charitable and civic support. Through the years the Firm has provided extensive pro bono representation and generous support to more than 40 charitable and non-profit organizations across the country.

We are therefore especially proud of the opportunity to sponsor the excellent programs of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

Advertisers

For information about advertising in Overture, call Denise Borton at 537-2516

American Express.......................................5 ArtsMemphis...........................................10 AT&T Real Yellow Pages .......................22 Ballet Memphis.......................................77 Borders......................................................6 Busters.......................................................5 CA Media................................................78 Concerts International.............................43 Currents Fine Dining................................8 FedEx.........................................................9 First Tennessee............. Inside Front Cover Germantown Performing Arts Center......81 Highwoods Properties.............................37 Interim Restaurant & Bar........................79

Lunanova.................................................42 Mednikow Jewelers....................Back Cover Memphis Boy Choir................................85 Memphis Marriott Downtown................84 Meeman Center.......................................83 Opera Memphis......................................83 The Peabody Hotel Memphis..................79 Pinnacle Airlines Corp...............................7 Rachel’s Flowers & Gifts..........................12 Roadshow BMW............ Inside Back Cover Smith & Nephew....................................82 Tennessee Arts Commission....................80 Theatre Memphis....................................13 23

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Karen Busler

flute

Karen Busler, a native Memphian, holds The Marion Dugdale McClure Principal Flute Chair of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. She has been a frequent soloist during her nearly four decade tenure with the MSO as well as performing the major orchestral repertoire for flute. As part of the Symphony, she also plays Principal

Flute for Opera Memphis.

Mrs. Busler is a charter member of the IRIS Orchestra and was a featured soloist

in the 2004-2005 season. She is also a frequent soloist with the Memphis Chamber

Music Society. She was the teaching, coaching, and performing Flute Mentor for the

Hot Springs Music Festival in Hot Springs, Arkansas from 2001 to 2009 and was the

featured soloist with the Festival Orchestra in 2005 performing the Nielsen Flute Concerto.

Her most highly regarded milestones have been her Benefit Concerts for the

International Children’s Heart Foundation (ICHF), as producer, director, coordinator,

and featured performer. Those efforts raised many thousands of dollars for the

humanitarian work of the ICHF.

In addition to her playing responsibilities, Mrs. Busler founded a new concert series, The Assisi Concerts of which she is Executive and Artistic Director, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.

She toured Alaska in 1999 and 2002 with the Rosetta Trio, of which she is a

founding member. She has judged competitions and performed as a member of the

National Flute Association. She is also Life Member of the Renaissance Music Circle.

Recordings include Symphonic Elvis with the MSO, IRIS, A New Orchestra, vol. 1,

and Kallen Esperian’s three CD’s; American Treasure, An Enchanted Reverie, and

Lover Come Back.

Mrs. Busler enjoys coaching advanced students for orchestral, festival, or college

auditions. She is also an active real estate investor, bringing her disciplined focus to another of many interests in her life.

Mrs. Busler studied with Paul Eaheart at the University of Memphis where she earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Performance with honors. While at the U of M she won the Concerto Competition and the coveted Performer’s Certificate. She also studied with the late Murray Panitz, Principal Flutist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and has played in many Master Classes for Jean-Pierre Rampal and Paula Robison.

www.MemphisSymphony.org

24

Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.- Cannon Center for the Performing Arts Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 2:30 p.m.- GPAC

Memphis Symphony Orchestra FIRST TENNESSEE MASTERWORKS SERIES MEI-ANN CHEN, Conductor Stilian Kirov, Assistant Conductor Karen Busler, Flute Women of the Memphis Symphony Chorus, Dr. Lawrence Edwards, Director

CLAUDE DEBUSSY Nocturnes

I. Nuages [Clouds]

II. Fêtes [Festivals]

III. Sirènes [Sirens]

Memphis Symphony Chorus Women

JONATHAN DOVE

agic Flute Dances M

Stilian Kirov, Conductor

Karen Busler, Flute

INTERMISSION

HECTOR BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique, Opus 14

I. Reveries and Passions: Largo Allegro agitato e appassionato assai

II. A Ball: Waltz - Allegro non troppo

III. In the Country: Adagio

IV. March to the Scaffold: Allegretto non troppo

V. Dream of the Witches’ Sabbath: Larghetto - Allegro

Sponsored by:

Mei-Ann’s Circle of Friends

25

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Women of the Memphis Symphony Chorus Dr. Lawrence Edwards, Artistic Director Jeremy T. Warner, Assistant Conductor Liz Parsons, Rehearsal Accompanist Alto 1 Lily S. Axelrod Sarah G. Baum Patricia S. Carreras Laura J. Crane Kim Eggert Pamela Gold Deborah K. Goodman * Charlsy D. Henley Anita Hester * Anita I. Lotz Lisa Lucks Mendel * Kelley Muller-Smith * Martha Pearson Wesson * Terron K. Perk * Ashley A. Rieves Chandra D. Savage Chrisann Schiro-Geist Charissa M. Shiver Betty M. Smith Terri V. Watts Tresea L. Wells

www.MemphisSymphony.org

Alto 2 Cindy Armistead Melanie M. Bradshaw Wanda L. Caldwell Kathie Fox Barbara Frederick Jennifer N. Friedman Vicki C. Hornsby Leisa B. Kinnin Jean Matthews Shana N. Moore Vivian H. Norman Marsha T. Rider Stephony L. Robinson Patricia D. Rogoski Mary Seratt * Jamie L. Walker Jackie B. White * Janice G. White Soprano 1 Sarah D. Barlow Linda Brittingham Marcia Buster Tiffany Cadenhead Janet Carnall * Becky R. Darnell Claire E. Fox Leslie A. Goldberg Sandra J. Hunt * Jennifer D. Lancaster Gwendolyn Reese Pauls M. Wood

26

Soprano 2 Ruth K. Allen Elizabeth H. Buls Aimee L. Cancienne Dianne Curtiss Chelsea C. Digby Jeannine Edwards Roberta K. Gibboney Betsy Hamric Theresa A. Hayes Beth Hoople Shay M. Kearney Rosalyn M. Lake Molly K. Rice Elizabeth M. Rodgers Diane R. Senger Kathryn E. Smith Karen B. Springer Oma R. Strickland LaChelle D. Walker Deb Dallas Walker Paula L. Wallace Linda H. Waltz Nancy M. Wiggs Jaime S. Yaich *Denotes current board member

Program Notes

Program notes made possible by

Claude Debussy Nocturnes Duration: 25 minutes Composed in 1899 Claude Debussy was born in St. Germain-en-Laye, France, on August 22, 1862, and died in Paris, France, on March 25, 1918. The first performance of all three Nocturnes took place at the Concerts Lamoureux in Paris on October 27, 1901. Nocturnes are scored for female chorus (Sirènes), piccolo, three flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, three bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, two harps, cymbals, military drum and strings. Approximate performance time is twenty-five minutes.

The three Nocturnes occupied French Impressionist composer Claude Debussy from 1892-1899. His original title for the composition was Trois Scènes au Crépuscule (Three Scenes at Dusk), after poems by Henri de Régnier. In 1892, Debussy told his sponsor, Prince André Poniatowski, that the work was “almost finished, that is to say that the orchestration is entirely laid out and it is simply a question of writing out the score.” However, two years later, Debussy told the eminent Belgian violinist, Eugène Ysaÿe, that he now intended the piece to be a concerto for violin and orchestra. In a letter of September 22, 1894, Debussy informed Ysaÿe: “It is an experiment with the different combinations that can be obtained from one colour—like a study in grey.”

Once again, Debussy apparently changed course, and from 1897-1899, he worked on what is now known as the three Nocturnes for orchestra. Debussy completed the score in December of 1899. The first two movements of Nocturnes—Nuages (Clouds) and Fêtes (Festivals)—premiered at the Concerts Lamoureux in Paris on December 9, 1900. On October 27, 1901, the Concerts Lamoureux gave the first performance of the entire work, including the third-movement, Sirènes (Sirens), which includes a wordless female chorus.

The title of Debussy’s orchestral work may have been inspired by paintings of the same name by American Impressionist, James McNeill Whistler. Musically, nocturnes are usually quiet and reflective in character. However, as Debussy commented: “The title ‘nocturnes’ is to be interpreted here in a general and, more particularly, in a decorative sense. Therefore, it is not meant to designate the usual form of a nocturne, but rather all the various impressions and the special effects of light that the word suggests.”

Debussy also provided the following descriptions of the three Nocturnes: I. Nuages (Clouds)—“‘Nuages’ renders the immutable aspect of the sky and the slow, solemn motion of the clouds, fading away in gray tones lightly tinged with white.”

II. Fêtes (Festivals)—“‘Fêtes” gives us the vibrating, dancing rhythm of the atmosphere with sudden flashes of light. There is also an episode of the procession (a dazzling fantastic vision) which passes through the festive scene and becomes merged in it.

But the background remains persistently the same: the festival with its blending of music and luminous dust participating in the cosmic rhythm.”

27

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Program Notes III. Sirènes (Sirens)—“Sirens,” featuring a women’s chorus, portrays, “the sea and its innumerable rhythms; then amid the billows slivered by the moon the mysterious song of the sirens is heard; it laughs and passes.”

Ken Meltzer

Jonathan Dove The Magic Flute Dances Duration: 19 minutes Composed in 2000 Jonathan Dove was born in London, England, on July 18, 1959. The Magic Flute Dances is scored for solo flute, two flutes, doubling on piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, percussion and strings. Approximate performance time is seventeen minutes.

The Magic Flute Dances, a concerto for flute and orchestra by the contemporary British composer, Jonathan Dove, is based upon Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s final opera. The Magic Flute premiered at the Vienna Theater auf der Wieden on September 30, 1791. On December 5, 1791, just a little over two months after the opera’s premiere, Mozart was dead at the age of only 35.

The story of Mozart’s The Magic Flute takes place in ancient Egypt. As the curtain rises, a serpent pursues the Prince Tamino. The Three Ladies, attendants to the Queen of the Night, rescue Tamino. They show the Prince a portrait of the Queen’s daughter, Pamina, and Tamino immediately falls in love with her. Tamino and his new friend, the bird-catcher Papageno, go off to search for Pamina. The Three Ladies give the Prince a magic flute to assist him in times of need.

Pamina is being held in the temple of the High Priest Sarastro. There, Tamino undergoes several trials before being allowed to marry Pamina. In one of the trials, Tamino must remain silent. Pamina interprets this silence as the end of Tamino’s love for her. Pamina is about to kill herself, but the Three Boys stop her and lead the Princess to Tamino. In the final trial, Tamino and Pamina—aided by the magic flute—pass through fire and water. Tamino and Pamina are united, as everyone hails the triumph of the powers of light over darkness.

This happy conclusion serves as the starting point for Mr. Dove’s concerto. The composer has provided the following commentary on The Magic Flute Dances: What happens to the magic flute at the end of Mozart’s opera? Does Tamino give it back to the three ladies? Does it lie in a box, forgotten, at the back of a cupboard? Or does it, perhaps, when no-one’s looking, come out and dance, singing to itself about Tamino’s adventures? When Emily Beynon asked me for a concerto that had some connection with Mozart, I thought this could be an opportunity to let the flute out of its box, not to play the music it plays in the opera, but to play the music it has heard other people sing. www.MemphisSymphony.org

28

Program notes made possible by

The concerto begins with music from the moment before Tamino and Pamina walk through fire and water, while the flute plays fragments of ideas it will explore later.

The opening chords of the overture open a door into the flute’s imaginary world, and usher in its first reminiscence: the Queen of the Night, a character with whom it seems particularly fascinated. In the next section the flute dances around ideas from the overture; a short cadenza (a recollection of Tamino fleeing from the serpent) leads to the moment Tamino sees Pamina’s portrait. The next memories are a little confused—Papageno left alone, no-one answering his pipes. His isolation is echoed

by Pamina’s, bewildered by Tamino’s silence. The vibraphone announces the three helpful boys; their music becomes a kind of passacaglia. First a scherzo, made out of Pamina and Papageno’s duet, and then, with the flute once again entranced by the Queen of the Night, the opening chords of the overture return, closing the memory door.

Jonathan Dove Ken Meltzer Hector Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, Opus 14 Duration: 49 minutes Composed in 1830 The course of Western musical history was changed on the night of September 11, 1827 because a 23-year-old student at the Paris Conservatory decided to go to the theater.

Although he spoke not a word of the language, he was completely overwhelmed by the visiting English Players’ production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and by the attractive Irish actress who played the part of Ophelia. “A feeling of intense, overpowering sadness overcame me,” he wrote in his memoirs. “I fell into a nervous condition, like a sickness of which only a great writer on physiology could give any adequate idea.” Seeing her again four days later in Romeo and Juliet, he summarily declared, “I shall marry that woman and upon that drama I shall write my greatest symphony.”

Thus began Hector Berlioz’s incredible courtship of Harriet Smithson and the intense, improbable drama which did lead to his greatest work, the Symphonie fantastique.

The first act of what might otherwise read as an unlikely tragic-comic Romantic melodrama opened with a passionate letter in which the obscure young composer declared his intentions; the object of his affections politely ignored it. Next, on learning that Harriet was of Irish decent, Berlioz dashed off a series of songs on Irish texts of Thomas Moore. Finally, he rented a room near her Paris apartment in the hope that they might meet “accidentally.”

When the composer learned that his beloved had returned to London, he was thrown into inconsolable despair. “I am again plunged in the anguish of an interminable and inexhaustible passion, without motive and without cause,” he wrote to a friend. On hearing scurrilous rumors of her allegedly loose sexual behavior—Miss Smithson was, 29

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Program Notes in fact, something of a prude—Berlioz decided to channel his suicidal rage into a vast symphonic project which would not only declare his undying love for the actress, but would also, he fervently hoped, win her in the process.

Largely inspired by this post-adolescent passion, but also by the recently-published French translation of DeQuincy’s Confessions of an English Opium Eater, Berlioz’ Episode in the Life of an Artist (as the Symphonie fantastique was originally called) marked one of the great turning points in musical history. It was the first major orchestral work of the 19th century to have a non-musical idea as its central organizing principal. For unlike Beethoven’s Eroica and Pastorale Symphonies, works that had been written to implied programs, the Symphonie fantastique was purposefully structured to tell a coherent, albeit somewhat fantastic and unlikely, story. And since Romanticism was an essentially literary movement, Berlioz’s symphony—with its ability to express such heretofore inexpressible themes of hopeless love, uncontrollable passion, despair, madness and death—revealed that music was a quintessentially Romantic art. “Program Music,” which begins with the Symphonie fantastique, would soon become one of the essential modes of Romantic musical expression and would have an incalculable influence on the development of composers as diverse as Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Ravel and Richard Strauss.

The literary and musical thread which binds the sprawling Symphony together is a theme associated in Berlioz’s mind with Harriet Smithson, an idée fixe, which, significantly enough, was not a musical expression but a term supplied by the recently invented science of psychology. The idée fixe will recur at various key points in the symphony, providing much of its literary as well as musical unity.

The fantastic story around which the symphony was organized is both elaborate and specific, and although Berlioz suggested that a listener could enjoy the work without access to the program, it was his hope that is should always be made available to increase the listener’s understanding and involvement: “A young musician of morbidly sensitive temperament and explosive imagination poisons himself with opium in a fit of lovesick despair. The dose of the narcotic, too weak to kill him, plunges him into a deep sleep accompanied by the strangest visions, during which his sensations, his emotions, his memories are transformed in his sick mind into musical thoughts and images. The loved one herself has become a melody to him, and idée fixe as it were, that he encounters and hears everywhere.”

In the first movement, Reveries, Passions, he “recalls first that soul-sickness, those intimations of passion, those apparently groundless depressions and elations that [he] experienced before he first saw the woman [he] loves.”

At which point, the soaring idée fixe is heard for the first time in the violins and flute.

In an animated, richly various Allegro, the theme—“the volcanic love that suddenly inspires him”—is now developed in such a way to express “his frenzied anguish, his jealous rages, his returns to tenderness, his religious consolations.”

The second movement, A Ball, presents a scene in which “He sees his beloved… in the tumult of a brilliant fete.” When the beloved actually appears, the key changes abruptly 30

Program notes made possible by

and the naively simple waltz tune is replaced by a graceful variation on the idée fixe melody.

The symphony’s slow movement, Scene in the Country, was written in conscious homage to the Beethoven of the Pastorale Symphony. “One summer evening in the country he hears two shepherds playing (oboe and English horn); this pastoral duet, the scene around him, the light rustling of the trees gently swayed by the breeze, some hopes he had recently conceived, all combine to restore an unwonted calm to his heart, and impart a more cheerful coloring to his thoughts; but she appears once more (the idée fixe, now heard in the woodwinds), his heart stops beating, he is agitated with painful presentiments… (A loud eruption by the full orchestra). One of the shepherds resumes his artless melody; the other no longer answers him. The sun sets… the sound of distant thunder (rumbling glissandi in the timpani)… solitude… silence…”

From the melancholy and passionate longing of the first three movements, the symphony now moves into the realms of the macabre and the supernatural. In The March to the Scaffold, “he dreams that he has killed his beloved, that he is condemned to death, and led to execution. The procession advances to the tones of a march which is now somber and wild, now brilliant and solemn. The dull sound of the tread of heavy feet follows without transition. At the end, the idée fixe reappears for an instant (a piercing scream in the clarinet), like a last love-thought interrupted by the final stroke (which is delivered over the roll of drums and a grim fanfare from the brass).”

After mysterious tremolo string chords and a twisted variation on the idée fixe—a sinister, trilling dance in the clarinets—the symphony’s finale, called Dream of the Witches Sabbath, is launched by the tubas and bassoons intoning the Dies Irae from the medieval mass for the dead. “He sees himself at a witches Sabbath in the midst of a frightful group of ghosts, magicians, monsters of all sorts, who have gathered together for his funeral. He hears strange noises, groans, ringing laughter, shrieks to which other shrieks seem to reply. The idée fixe again appears but has lost its timid and noble character; it has become an ignoble, trivial and grotesque dance tune: it is she who has come to the witches’ Sabbath… Howls of joy at her arrival… she takes part in the diabolic orgy…

Funeral knells, burlesque parody on the Dies Irae. The witches’ dance and the Dies Irae are heard together.”

Unfortunately for all concerned, the Symphonie fantastique eventually has its desired effect. While she missed the tumultuous, hugely successful premier on December 10, 1830, Harriet was finally prevailed upon to attend a performance two years later.

Deeply moved by the music she inspired, she finally agreed to meet the man who would become her husband on October 3, 1833. Needless to say, the fairy-tale marriage was a disaster from the beginning, as the composer quickly discovered that his Juliet was in fact a querulous, untamable shrew. After several years of torment, they finally agreed to separate.

Jim Svejda

31

Andrew Grams conductor

As one of America’s most promising and talented young conductors, ANDREW GRAMS has already appeared with many of the great orchestras of the world including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C., and the orchestras of Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, New Jersey and others in the United States. On the international arena, he has conducted the Montreal Symphony, the Orchestre National de Lyon, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Melbourne Symphony, the Orchestra of Santa Cecilia Rome, the Residentie Orchestra of the Hague, the Hamburg Symphony, and the Malmo Symphony to name a few.

Maestro Grams was a protege of Franz Welser-Moest and served as Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra from 2004 to 2007.

Mr. Grams made his first subscription series appearance with the Cleveland Orchestra in May, 2006 conducting Schoenberg’s Second Chamber Symphony and conducted his first series of full-length subscription concerts with the Cleveland Orchestra in November, 2006.

He also led programs with the orchestra at the Blossom Music Center in 2006 and 2007 and returns to lead the orchestra again at the Blossom Music Center in July, 2010.

The 2010-11 season witnesses a major debut for Grams with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London alongside debut appearances with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and the Orchestra of the Beethovenhalle Bonn. Grams returns to the podium with the Residentie Orchestra several times this year as well and also makes welcome repeat visits with the Hamburg Symphony, the Malmo Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra Ottawa and the Utah Symphony.

Last season saw Maestro Grams at the helm of the Residentie Orchestra of the Hague, L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (RTE), the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, the Seoul Philharmonic, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa among others. In the United States, Grams made two highly acclaimed last-minute debuts with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Kansas City Symphony.

In 2002, Grams was appointed the assistant conductor of the Reading Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania and returned to conduct that orchestra again in 2005. He was selected to spend the summer of 2003 studying with David Zinman, Murry Sidlin and Michael Stern at the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival, and returned to that program again in 2004.

A Maryland native raised in Severn, Andrew Grams began conducting at the age of 17, when he directed the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. In 1999 he received a bachelor of music degree in violin performance from the Juilliard School, and in 2003 he received a conducting degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he worked with Otto-Werner Mueller.

Also an accomplished violinist, Mr. Grams was a member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra at Lincoln Center from 1998 to 2004, serving as acting associate principal second violin in 2002 and 2004. In addition, he has performed with ensembles including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the New Jersey Symphony. www.MemphisSymphony.org

32

Friday, March 18, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.- Buckman Performing and Fine Arts Center

Memphis Symphony Orchestra chamber orchestra series chamber orchestra series ANDREW GRAMS, Conductor

MAURICE RAVEL Le Tombeau de Couperin

I. Prélude

II. Forlane

III. Menuet

IV. Rigaudon

MAURICE RAVEL

Pavane pour une infante défunte

GEORGES BIZET Symphony No. 1 in C Major

I. Allegro vivo

II. Adagio

III. Allegro vivace

IV. Allegro vivace

33

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Program Notes Maurice Ravel Le tombeau de Couperin Duration: 16 minutes Composed in 1919 Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure, Basses-Pyrénées, France, on March 7, 1875, and died in Paris, France, on December 28, 1937. The first performance of the orchestral version of Le tombeau de Couperin took place in Paris on February 28, 1920, with Rhené-Baton conducting the Pasdeloup Orchestra. Le tombeau de Couperin is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, trumpet, harp and strings. Approximate performance time is seventeen minutes.

As with many of Maurice Ravel’s finest orchestral pieces, Le tombeau de Couperin originated as a work for solo piano. In October of 1914, Ravel informed Roland-Manuel: “I have begun 2 series of piano pieces: (1) a French suite—no, it isn’t what you think: La Marseillaise will not be in it, but it will have a forlane and a gigue…”

The outbreak of World War I halted Ravel’s progress on this and other works. As the composer recalled in his 1928 autobiographical sketch: “At the beginning of 1915 I enlisted in the army, and because of this my musical activities were interrupted...”

At first, Ravel tended to the wounded. Later, Ravel joined the Thirteenth Artillery Regiment as a truck driver. His duties involved the nocturnal transportation of war materials, a responsibility that often placed the composer’s life at risk. As Ravel wrote in April of 1916 to his friend, the singer Jane Bathori: I very much regret having to miss your little reunion, my dear friend, and I hope that you will excuse me: I’m far away from Paris and far away from music; I’m a poilu (annotator’s note: a term used for French soldiers during World War I), dressed in goatskin, with helmet and gas mask, who drives on forbidding roads, even in the midst of the “gigantic struggle.” The service is beginning to get interesting, to the point that I’ll end up forgetting about my lovely dreams of aviation.

The composer took great pride and even delight in his wartime status, often signing his correspondence “Conducteur (‘Driver’) Ravel.”

In the autumn of 1917, Ravel was discharged from military service and “then finished Le tombeau de Couperin.” Ravel used the piece as an opportunity to pay tribute to those who had given their lives during the War. Each movement of Le tombeau de Couperin is dedicated to a friend of the composer who died in the conflict.

In 1919, Ravel orchestrated four of the work’s original six movements. The orchestral version of Le tombeau de Couperin received its premiere on February 28, 1920, with Rhené-Baton conducting the Pasdeloup Orchestra. Later that year, the Swedish Ballet staged three movements of Le tombeau de Couperin.

The title (“The Tomb of Couperin”) refers to the Parisian composer François Couperin (1668-1733). Nevertheless, Ravel insisted: “The homage is directed less in fact to Couperin himself than to French music of the eighteenth century.” The piece is in the style of a Baroque suite, with an introduction followed by a series of dances.

I. Prélude. Vif—The lively Prélude features vibrant (and fiendishly challenging) music for the solo oboe.

34

Program notes made possible by

II. Forlane. Allegretto—A Forlane (Forlana) is a sprightly 18th-century court dance of northern Italian origin. The violins introduce the skipping principal theme of this movement, which maintains the utmost delicacy throughout.

III. Menuet. Allegro moderato—The Menuet (Minuet) is another courtly dance, cast in triple meter. The winds are prominently featured in this elegant movement.

IV. Rigaudon. Assez vif—The Rigaudon (Rigadoon) is a lively dance popular in France and England during 17th and 18th centuries. The finale’s vigorous outer sections frame a more reflective episode (Moins vif), notable for its lovely wind solos.

Ken Meltzer Maurice Ravel Pavane pour une infante défunte Duration: 6 minutes Composed in 1910 Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure, Basses-Pyrénées, France, on March 7, 1875, and died in Paris, France, on December 28, 1937. The premiere of the orchestral version of Pavane pour une infante défunte took place in Paris on December 25, 1911, at the Concerts Hasselmans, Alfredo Casella conducting. The orchestral version of Pavane pour une infante défunte is scored for two flutes, oboe, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, harp and strings. Approximate performance time is six minutes.

Maurice Ravel originally composed his Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a dead princess) in 1899 for solo piano. In explaining the work’s enigmatic title, Ravel insisted: “I let myself be led into writing that title because of the pleasure I got from the assonance of the words.” He further commented: “It is not a funeral lament for a dead child, but rather an evocation of the pavane that could have been danced by such a little princess as painted by Valasquez at the Spanish Court.” Ravel dedicated the Pavane to his friend, the Princess Emond de Polignac. The Princess, born in the United States as Winnaretta Singer, was the heiress to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune, and a great patron of the arts.

Ravel was somewhat bemused by the Pavane’s immense popularity, both in its original piano and 1910 orchestral versions. “I no longer see in it any virtues but, alas, I do see its faults—the influence of (French composer Emmanuel) Chabrier, very flagrant and its poor form.” Still, Ravel maintained definite opinions as to how the piece should be performed. Charles Oulmont recalled: One evening I sat down to play the piano for one of my mother’s soirées, not knowing that Ravel was one of the many guests. I played, from memory of course, his Pavane.

When I had finished the piece Ravel came up to me. I taxed him with not having warned me by some sign that he was in the audience. He ignored my complaint and, with a grimace that defies description, murmured: “Listen, dear boy, remember another time that I wrote a Pavane for a dead princess.”

“But...”

“And not a dead Pavane for a princess.”

35

Program Notes

Program notes made possible by

Ravel’s delicately scored Pavane is in rondo form. The slow tempo (Lent), duple meter and pervasive elegance recall the original stately court dance of the 16th and 17th centuries. A solo horn offers the haunting principal theme that returns at the work’s mid-point and conclusion. These presentations of the main theme alternate with two graceful interludes.

Ken Meltzer Georges Bizet Symphony No. 1 in C Major Duration: 28 minutes Composed in 1855 Georges Bizet was born in Paris, France, on October 25, 1838, and died in Bougival, France, on June 3, 1875. The first performance of the Symphony in C Major took place in Basel, Switzerland, on February 26, 1935, with Felix Weingartner conducting. The Symphony in C Major is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings. Approximate performance time is twenty-seven minutes.

French composer Georges Bizet began work on his Symphony in C Major on October 29, 1855. The composer was just four days past his 17th birthday, and a student at the Paris Conservatory. Bizet completed the Symphony within a month’s time. The work was neither published nor performed during the course of Bizet’s tragically brief life.

The score for the Symphony in C was one of several manuscripts Bizet’s widow bequeathed to French composer Reynaldo Hahn. In September of 1933, Hahn donated the score to the Paris Conservatory. While visiting the library of the Conservatory, Bizet’s first English-language biographer, D.C. Parker, reviewed the manuscript. Parker referred the Symphony to the great Austrian conductor, Felix Weingartner. It was Weingartner who conducted the Symphony’s world premiere, in Basel, on February 26, 1935, nearly 80 years after the work’s composition.

Since its long-delayed premiere, the Bizet Symphony in C Major has enjoyed considerable popularity, both in the concert hall and on recordings. Although Bizet was only seventeen when he composed the work, the Symphony already reflects the remarkable gifts for melody and beguiling instrumental sonorities so evident in such mature Bizet masterpieces as the Incidental Music to L’arlésienne (1872) and the operas, The Pearl Fishers (1863) and Carmen (1875).

The Bizet Symphony in C is in four movements. The lively opening movement (Allegro vivo) features two principal themes. The energetic first theme, introduced at the very outset, predominates. The oboe presents the contrasting lyrical second principal theme. The oboe takes center stage in the ensuing slow movement (Adagio), singing the haunting and exotic principal melody. The third movement is a vivacious Scherzo (Allegro vivace), with a central trio section that evokes the sound of bagpipes.

The Symphony closes with a brilliant finale (Allegro vivace), glowing with an infectious energy and joie-de-vivre from start to finish.

Ken Meltzer 36

© 2010 Highwoods Properties

Memphis’ First LEED-Certified Office Building Built by the NAIOP 2009 Developer of the Year

Triad Centre III at 6070 Poplar Avenue features earth-friendly materials, water-saving systems, improved lighting, and remarkably lower utility bills. For more details on how greener offices can benefit your business environment, call (901) 683-2444.

Highlights from the 2011|2012 season Gil Shaham

Susanna Perry Gilmore

Join Mei-ann chen and the Mso as they bring you these exciting concerts and more!

September 17 & 18, 2011

February 18 & 19, 2012

Mussorgsky

Pictures at an Exhibition

Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet gil sHaHaM, violin

October 22, 2011

February 25, 2012

Broadway rocks!

classical Mystery tour: a triBute to tHe Beatles

Four Broadway vocalists join the MSO on stage to perform favorite legendary theatrical rock tunes.

December 17, 2011

HoMe for tHe Holidays

Let the MSO put a musical yuletide log on the fire with this beloved evening of holiday carols and songs.

This critically acclaimed tour brings the Fab Four to Memphis for a “live” performance with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

tickets (901) 537-2525 Get your subscription today!

Memphissymphony.org Home for the Holidays MSO preview_Overture ad_0311.indd 1

37

3/1/11 4:59 PM

Letters to Beethoven A MSO Arts Infusion Project with Shelby County Schools Rhonda Causie, Director of Grants & Innovation Memphis Symphony Orchestra

Feature Story

Letters to Beethoven is a new educational collaboration between the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Shelby County Schools. Based on a successful program of the San Francisco Symphony, Letters to Beethoven leads students on a journey of self-exploration as they examine the life and music of Ludwig van Beethoven, an extraordinary artist who overcame the limits of physical disability and left one of history’s greatest musical legacies.

Participating teachers at ten Shelby County Arts Infused Schools are guiding students, grades 2 - 8, in an aesthetically integrated study of Beethoven through standard classroom subjects – music, language arts, history, and science. Students are finding the connections between their own lives and Beethoven’s life, which continues to influence the world of music and culture two centuries after his death.

To culminate this special project, each participating student is writing Beethoven a personal letter. Please take a moment to read the letter of Lacey Loft, a Shelby County student who has made a warm and wonderful connection to the life and work of this great composer (See next page.). Other exemplary letters will be selected for reading and publication in coming months. Look for a display of student letters in the Cannon Center lobby at the performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on April 30th.

The Shelby County Schools Arts Infusion Project (AIP) is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Professional Development for Arts Educators Program. AIP supports the implementation of high-quality professional development models in music, dance, drama, media arts, visual arts, and folk arts. AIP strengthens the capacity of teachers and schools to deliver standards-based programs that raise student achievement so that all students can meet challenging State academic content standards.

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is pleased to collaborate with Shelby County Schools to execute aspects of the Arts Infusion Project.

www.memphissymphony.org

38

Dear Beethoven,

you tell me in my ea r? Would er isp wh u yo uld iends, , what co d? I ha ve ma ny fr If you were near as your best frien er th mo ur yo g how you felt ha vin . close to my family r? Would you tell but I am also very whisper in my ea u yo uld co at wh , mu sic If you were near acher? I ha ve a

r as your mu sic te he fat ur yo ight age g br vin e t at th me how it felt ha to ta ke lessons. Bu ar ye nd co otse my is is llowing in your fo teacher, too! Th wonder if I am fo I o! to r, ose mp of a co of ten, I am sort me r? Would you tell steps… whisper in my ea u yo uld co at yo wh , re a year unger If you were near iences that you we aud ll te r he fat ve your know my real age. how it felt to ha like everyone to uld wo I ll me ? re we ea r? Would you te than you really u whisper in my yo uld co at but wh it, , you liked If you were near n really tell that ca I ? sic mu in u were how interested yo every week ! u feel it. I ta ke lessons e lov ea r? How did yo how much? I you whisper in my uld co at at nine. wh ed , rt ar a ha lf. I sta If you were ne re only seven and we u Yo e? ag ung performing at a yo steps! ll me along in your foot ng mi co ea r? Would you te I think I am you whisper in my uld co at sh I wh wi , I ar e. awesom If you were ne I bet it wa s very t? ar oz M r fo m rfor ily! how it felt to pe for friends and fam I ha ve to sett le t bu u, yo r you tell me fo d m oul could perfor my ea r? W uld you whisper in co at wh , ar ne is Fur El ise!

If you were composition? Mine al on rs pe e rit vo fa Would you tell me the name of your isper in my ea r? wh u yo uld co at , wh on the top If you were near uld put your ha nd wo u Yo ? sic mu ur rd to fected yo written. It wa s ha how being deaf af pla y what you’ve uld wo ne been eo ve som ha is mu st of the pia no when hearing them. Th an th r he rat my s, ce te e no me to fa believe you felt th u’ve really inspired Yo up. ve ga r ve But you ne a real challenge. ude! th a positive attit own challenges wi Future Composer, Lacey Loft

39

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Destan Owens

vocalist

In addition to starring in Rent, Destan Owens has starred on Broadway in Smokey Joe’s Cafe and Chicago.

His other theatrical credits include The Who’s Tommy, Dreamgirls, Stormy Weather: The Lena Horne Story, Soul Possessed, It Happened in Little Rock, Carmen, Trouble in Tahiti and A Little Night Music. Owens’ screen credits include “Marie and Bruce,” “Get Rich or Die Trying” and “Across the Universe.” Regional: Michael Jackson’s Sisterella, Debbie Allen’s Souls Possessed (Luke), Maurice Hines’ Yo’ Alice (Dr. Cat E. Pillar, PhD); Special appearances: Deborah Cox, Monica Mya, The Doobie Brothers featuring Michael McDonald, Sam Harris and Brian May of Queen Mr. Owens holds a Bachelors degree in Musical Theatre from Oklahoma City University.

Teri Dale Hansen vocalist

Miss Hansen made her Broadway debut in THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE and began her career starring in London’s West End as “Magnolia” in Hal Prince’s Tony award winning production of SHOW BOAT. She starred as “Rose” in the film version of Kurt Weill’s STREET SCENE (BRAVO! Channel as well as the Premiere production in Berlin at the Theatre Des Westens). Miss Hansen starred in the Broadway national tours of THE MUSIC MAN as “Marian Paroo”, “Guenevere” in CAMELOT, as “Magnolia” in SHOW BOAT, and most recently, in the world premiere of BROADWAY DREAMS at the Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau, Germany. Miss Hansen returned to the Festival again to reprise her role of “Rose” for the world premiere of “Street Scenes”. Miss Hansen appears regularly at the Lincoln Center where she performs Gershwin as a part of their prestigious “Meet the Artist” series.

Miss Hansen is a Kennedy Center Irene Ryan Award nominee, proud graduate of Florida State University and alumnae of the Houston Opera Studio. Miss Hansen’s solo CD “Into Your Arms…Love Songs of Richard Rodger’s” is available worldwide and through her websitewww.terihansen.net

www.MemphisSymphony.org

40

Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. - Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

Memphis Symphony Orchestra salute to gershwin STILIAN KIROV, conductor Destan Owens, Vocalist Teri Dale Hansen, Vocalist Joseph Joubert, Piano

GEORGE GERSHWIN

Crazy For You Overture

Fascinatin’ Rhythm S’Wonderful They Can’t Take That Away From Me The Man I Love Rhapsody in Blue

INTERMISSION

An American in Paris I’ve Got Rhythm They All Laughed Swanee Variations I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’ Variations Summertime There’s a Boat Dat’s Leavin’ Bess You Is My Woman

Sponsored by:

41

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Joseph Joubert

piano

Mr. Joubert’s accomplishments are wide ranging and his talent has taken him not only across the continent, but also throughout the world. Mr. Joubert has performed with the Manhattan Symphony, the Bronx Arts Ensemble, the New Philharmonia, the West Palm Beach Symphony, the Mobile Symphony, the Marin Symphony, the Lancaster Symphony and the Colonial Symphony. Mr. Joubert has appeared in New York City’s major concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and Alice Tully Hall. For two seasons, Mr. Joubert served as staff pianist for the Metropolitan Opera Company’s revival of Porgy and Bess. In that production, the Company opened featuring Mr. Joubert as pianist “Jasbo Brown.” Abroad, he has performed in the International Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy and in Nice, France. Mr. Joubert has performed at the Pushkin Museum Of Arts in Moscow, Russia.

Mr. Joubert was the pianist/ associate conductor for the Broadway Show “The Color Purple” and has credits with additional arrangements. Most recently Mr. Joubert was an orchestrator for the film “Nights In Rodanthe” starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere.

Currently Mr. Joubert is keyboardist and assistant conductor of the 2009 Tony Award Show “Billy Elliot”. Mr. Joubert just released his first solo piano CD “Total Praise- Classic Hymns For Piano.”

Thank you Baptist Hospital for sponsoring the March Masterworks concert.

42

NOTICE:THIS AGENCY IS A RECIPIENT OF TAXPAYER FUNDING. IF YOU OBSERVE AN AGENCY DIRECTOR OR EMPLOYEE ENGAGING IN ANY ACTIVITY WHICH YOU CONSIDER TO BE ILLEGAL, IMPROPER, OR WASTEFUL, PLEASE CALL THE STATE COMPTROLLER’S TOLL-FREE HOTLINE:1-800-232-5454

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is a proud member of the League of American Orchestras

Your gift is important to us! We have made every effort to report gifts correctly; however, if we have made an error, please bring it to our attention by contacting Nicki Inman at 901-537-2519 or nicki.inman@memphissymphony.org

43

Jennifer Check soprano

Celebrated by the New York Times for her “rare talent that can send chills down a listener’s spine even in familiar music,” Jennifer Check returns to the Metropolitan Opera in the 201011 season for Voce dal Ciel in Don Carlo. Other performances in this and coming seasons include Almera in the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters (Gotham Chamber Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia) and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Memphis Symphony Orchestra). Last season, she sang Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and returned to the Metropolitan Opera to reprise Nella in Gianni Schicchi, the Priestess in Aida, and the Fifth Maid in Elektra in addition to singing Marianna in Der Rosenkavalier and Dorotea in Stiffelio; Utah Symphony for Verdi’s Requiem; and the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra for Rossini’s Stabat Mater and joined the Phoenix Symphony for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

She is an alumnus of The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and received her Bachelor of Music Degree from Westminster Choir College. Her accolades include first place awards from the Loren L. Zachary Competition, Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, Oratorio Society of New York Solo Competition, Liederkranz Foundation, and the Mario Lanza Scholarship Auditions. She received a Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation, the Zarzuela Prize in Placido Domingo’s Operalia Competition, and the Leonie Rysanek memorial prize from the George London Foundation.

Christin-Marie Hill mezzo-soprano

Praised as a “powerful, warm-hued mezzo-soprano” by the New York Times and “majestic in voice and appearance” by the Boston Globe, the young American mezzo-soprano Christin-Marie Hill is captivating audiences and critics alike with her thrilling performances.

In 2010-11 Christin-Marie Hill sings as soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with both Richmond Symphony and Memphis Symphony Orchestra; Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody, also with Memphis Symphony Orchestra; Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Anchorage Symphony Orchestra; and Verdi’s Requiem with Lynn University. In the 2009-10 season she sang Monisha in Joplin’s Treemonisha with Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris); as soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Des Moines Symphony; with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in Donald Sur’s work entitled Slavery Documents; and appeared in recital at New York City’s Middle Collegiate Church. Ms. Hill made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2008-09 as Petrovna in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar’s Bride with the Opera Orchestra of New York, and appeared in Peter Eötvös’ Angels in America with Oper Frankfurt.

A native of Evanston, Illinois, her distinctions include a fellowship in voice from the University of Illinois as well as career grants from the San Francisco Opera, the Rislov Foundation, the Kaplan Foundation, and the 2005 Elardo International Opera Competition. Ms. Hill holds bachelor’s degrees in French literature and sociology, and a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Illinois. www.MemphisSymphony.org

44

Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. - Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

Memphis Symphony Orchestra FIRST TENNESSEE MASTERWORKS SERIES MEI-ANN CHEN, Conductor Jennifer Check, Soprano Christin-Marie Hill, Mezzo-Soprano Richard Clement, Tenor Mark Schnaible, Bass Memphis Symphony Chorus University of memphis university singers Dr. Lawrence Edwards, Director

OSVALDO GOLIJOV Sidereus

JOHANNES BRAHMS Rhapsody for Alto, Male Chorus, and Orchestra, Opus 53

Christin-Marie Hill, Mezzo Soprano

INTERMISSION

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125, “Choral”

I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso

II. Molto vivace

III. Adagio molto e cantabile

IV. Presto - Allegro assai - Allegro assai vivace

Jennifer Check, Soprano Christin-Marie Hill, Mezzo-Soprano Richard Clement, Tenor Mark Schnaible, Bass

Sponsored by:

45

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Richard Clement tenor

Grammy-winning American tenor Richard Clement has performed with most of America’s major orchestras and music directors, bringing tonal beauty and superb musicality to repertoire from the baroque to the contemporary. He recently earned particular acclaim for the title role of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with the North Carolina Symphony and Sacramento Choral Arts Society and Orchestra. In addition he premiered and recorded Theofanides’ The Here and Now with Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony, including performances in Atlanta and at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Mr. Clement has been guest soloist with the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, Cincinnati, Houston, San Francisco, and Toronto Symphonies, and collaborated with such conductors as Marin Alsop, Daniel Harding, Jesús López-Cobos, Bobby McFerrin, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Hugh Wolff.

Mr. Clement studied voice at Georgia State University and the Cincinnati Conservatory, where he received his Master of Music degree. Recordings include Britten’s War Requiem with the Washington Choral Society, Bartók’s Cantata Profan with the Atlanta Symphony (both Grammy winners) and Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame. Mr. Clement is currently on staff as a visiting lecturer at Atlanta’s Georgia State University.

Mark Schnaible bass

Mark Schnaible continually impresses audiences both in the United States and abroad with his bass-baritone voice and dramatic intensity. He was described by Germany’s leading opera magazine Das Opernglas as “a strong, rich and warm-colored voice with assured style.” His portrayal of Freidrich in the North American stage premiere of Wagner’s Das Liebesverbot was critically acclaimed. He reprised Bizet’s Clovis et Clotilde with conductor Jean-Claude Casadesus and the Lille National Orchestra, whose performance would later be released on the Naxos label.

Mark Schnaible recently received outstanding recognition for his interpretation of Biterolf in the new Robert Carsen production of Tannhäuser, which was conducted by Seiji Ozawa at the Tokyo Opera Nomori Festival. He sang a broadcast performance of Escamillo in Carmen with the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony Orchestra under Michael Stern.

A native of Iowa, Mark Schnaible lived for nearly ten years in Europe. He is a past winner of the prestigious Marseille International Opera Competition and has subsequently appeared often in France.

46

OPUS oNe

Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s

PRESENTS

OPUS oNe

Opus One: BASS INSTINCTS with special guest Amy LaVere

Thursday, May 19 7:30 p.m.

901-537-2525 | OpusOneMemphis.com * Programs and artists are subject to change without notice.

Meeks Financial Group

47

Memphis Symphony Chorus Dr. Lawrence Edwards, Artistic Director Jeremy T. Warner, Assistant Conductor Liz Parsons, Rehearsal Accompanist Alto 1 Lily S. Axelrod Christie Barchenger Sarah G. Baum Patricia S. Carreras Laura J. Crane Kim Eggert Elaine Fields Pamela Gold Deborah K. Goodman * Charlsy D. Henley Anita Hester * Anita I. Lotz Lisa Lucks Mendel * Kelley Muller-Smith * Martha Pearson Wesson * Terron K. Perk * Ashley A. Rieves Chandra D. Savage Chrisann Schiro-Geist Charissa M. Shiver Betty M. Smith Terri V. Watts Tresea L. Wells Alto 2 Cindy Armistead Melanie M. Bradshaw Wanda L. Caldwell Kathie Fox Barbara Frederick Jennifer N. Friedman Vicki C. Hornsby Leisa B. Kinnin Jean Matthews Shana N. Moore Vivian H. Norman Marsha T. Rider Stephony L. Robinson Patricia D. Rogoski Mary Seratt * Jamie L. Walker Jackie B. White * Janice G. White

Bass 1 Stephen Alsobrook * Steve D. Broome Irvine Cherry Stan Craig Ted A. Gibboney Wes L. Kirkpatrick Reggie M.. LeSueur Benjamin D. Maxwell Martin “Skip� Monfort Keith M. Nichols Eugene M. Reyneke Sandeford J. Schaeffer, III Jeremy T. Warner William G. Weppner Barry F. White Bass 2 Bob Brittingham Bob Brown David P. Comperry Kenneth S. Goldsby Michael J. Herr Boyd R. Highfield, III Ryan Johnson Joseph S. Matesich David G. Orland David M. Patterson Jack Seubert Lewis R. Wright * Soprano 1 Sarah D. Barlow Linda Brittingham Marcia Buster Tiffany Cadenhead Janet Carnall * Becky R. Darnell Claire E. Fox Leslie A. Goldberg Sandra J. Hunt * Jennifer D. Lancaster Gwendolyn Reese Pauls M. Wood 48

Soprano 2 Ruth K. Allen Elizabeth H. Buls Aimee L. Cancienne Dianne Curtiss Jennifer J. Dickerson Chelsea C. Digby Jeannine Edwards Roberta K. Gibboney Betsy Hamric Theresa A. Hayes Beth Hoople Shay M. Kearney Rosalyn M. Lake Molly K. Rice Elizabeth M. Rodgers Diane R. Senger Kathryn E. Smith Karen B. Springer Oma R. Strickland Katie Sucha LaChelle D. Walker Deb Dallas Walker Paula L. Wallace Linda H. Waltz Nancy M. Wiggs Jaime S. Yaich Tenor 1 JohnPaul R. Abbott Clint M. Early, Jr Russell W. Hardeman Rick W. Johnson Matthew R. Lott * Shane Rasner Tenor 2 David L. Harrison * Reginald Hinson John T. Killmar Christopher R. Marshall Roderick L. Vester Mathew M. Vrabel Jaime Yanes

University Singers University Singers Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music University of Memphis Lawrence Edwards, Conductor Jeremy Warner, Assistant Liz Parsons, Accompanist

Soprano Megan Carolan Maggie Gill Abigail Green Ashley Haralson Julie Jacobson Rachel Lessey Margaret McMurray Melanie Scarborough Jacquelyn Skoog Lily Stegall Tanisha Ward Karah Watkins

Tenor Alex Aitkin Jonathan Glisson David Johnson Michael Mathenia Ramon Moses Brett Nelson Kevin Owen Landon Rodgers Jeffery Smith Max Swift Dante Webb

Alto Rebekah Anderson Ariel Campbell Lauren Capaci Jackie Cooper Molly Johnson SunKyung Lee Becca Payne Anna Palazola Shauntyce Plowden Veda Polk Lanita Smith Arthella Williams Amber Wilson

Bass Jacob Burton Jordan Caviezel Nathan Dumser Jason Dwyer James Green Logan Green Matthew Hayner Dedrick Howard Niquolas Springer Jeremy Warner

49

Program Notes Osvaldo Golijov Sidereus Duration: 11 minutes Composed in 2010 Osvaldo Golijov’s chamber orchestra work Sidereus began its 35-city tour in Memphis, with a world premiere by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra on October 16, 2010.

Commissioned by a consortium of 35 American orchestras to honor the former League of American Orchestras President and champion of classical music, Henry Fogel, Sidereus will be performed by ensembles including Reno Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New England Conservatory Philharmonia, Florida Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and many more in coming months.

Excerpt from an interview with Osvaldo Golijov: How did you come to be chosen to compose a piece for the Henry Fogel Commissioning Consortium? When did you learn about it?

The League of American Orchestras put this project together back in 2008 to honor Henry Fogel. I learned, I think, through Linda Golding. I like and respect Henry Fogel, so I accepted the project.

What is your relationship to Henry Fogel?

I know the work he did in Chicago and the League, and was always impressed with his mind, his longterm thinking, his love for what orchestras represent in our society, and his wisdom in helping orchestras not only to survive but to thrive, through strategies that are specific to each of the orchestras’ communities and conditions. We did a public talk in Chicago a few years ago, and I found his questions about my music thought provoking.

What does the title, Sidereus, refer to?

A book by Galileo: Sidereus Nuncius or “Sidereal Messenger.” (It’s more commonly translated as “Starry Messenger” but to me the word “sidereal” is more beautiful.) He wrote it after observing the moon for the first time with the telescope. He also discovered Jupiter’s moons, and started to get into trouble with the Vatican because of the incontrovertible evidence of the intelligent observation.

What ideas are behind the piece? Is the celestial reference in the title reflected structurally or harmonically?

The realizations of Galileo referred to the new discoveries in the surface of the moon. With these discoveries, the moon was no longer the province of poets exclusively. It had also become an object of inquiry: Could there be water there? Life? If there was life, then the Vatican was scared, because, as Cardinal Bellarmino wrote to Galileo: How were the people there created?

How would their souls be saved? What do we do about Adam? Wasn’t he supposed to be the first man? How do we explain the origin of possible life elsewhere? What about his rib? It’s the duality: the moon is still good for love and lovers and poets, but a scientific observation can lead us to entirely new realizations.

I’d say it’s the same with Van Gogh’s self-portraits; they are both incredibly expressive and pure in pattern. You see that those same brushstrokes that delve into the depths of human experience and questions also reflect the patterns of galaxies, nebulae, and exploding supernovae.

50

Program notes made possible by

In Sidereus, the melodies and the harmony are simple, so they can reveal more upon closer examination. For the “Moon” theme I used a melody with a beautiful, open nature, a magnified scale fragment that my good friend and longtime collaborator, accordionist Michael Ward Bergeman came up with some years ago when we both were trying to come up with ideas for a musical depiction of the sky in Patagonia. I then looked at that theme as if through the telescope and under the microscope, so that the textures, the patterns from which the melody emerges and into which it dissolves, point to a more molecular, atomic reality. Like Galileo with the telescope, or getting close to Van Gogh’s brushstrokes.

While many of your earlier works draw from both your Jewish and Argentinean heritage, Azul marked an expansion for you compositionally. Does Sidereus follow this change of direction?

More or less. Actually, I’d say yes, but in a simpler way than Azul. Azul has the harmonic variety, contrast, and development of a full concerto. Sidereus is an overture.

Many of your works are written with specific musicians in mind—Dawn Upshaw, the Schola Cantorum de Caracas—or are custom scored to include non-traditional instruments. But in this case, you were commissioned to write a piece for chamber orchestra—actually 35 chamber orchestras. How did this affect the composition process? What does it mean to write one piece to suit 35 different orchestras?

It certainly felt more abstract, writing a piece to be interpreted by 35 or more ensembles with different expectations, different audiences, different personalities. The challenge was trying to create something that would serve them all.

Were you in touch with any of the orchestras or individual musicians through the process?

Not really during the process, just at the end with Mei-Ann Chen, the Music Director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. I have to say, she’s a great musician. I revised the opening section between Thursday’s rehearsal and the dress, and she and the orchestra totally nailed it, great attitude and musicianship.

Typically following a world premiere there is a significant period for revisions but in this case the piece begins touring immediately after the premiere. How will this affect the revision process?

Well, I will tinker a little more with a dark theme that opens the piece and reappears in the middle.

It’s sort of an ominous question mark that tears the fabric of a piece that is essentially spacious and breathes with a strange mixture of melancholy and optimism. I hope to make all revisions very soon, so that the tour can continue. (And so I can start work on my next piece!)

It is rare for any composer to have a piece interpreted by 35 orchestras in a lifetime, let alone within one year. Will you be traveling to any of the performances?

I wish I could. Apart from the premiere in Memphis, I will be relying mostly on performance recordings. But yes, this is a rather unusual honor to have a piece of my music performed by so many orchestras in such a short time.

Osvaldo Golijov interviewed by Sarah Baird Knight, 2010.

51

Program Notes Johannes Brahms Alto Rhapsody, Opus 53 Duration: 13 minutes Composed in 1869 Johannes Brahms was born in Hamburg, Germany, on May 7, 1833, and died in Vienna, Austria, on April 3, 1897. The first performance of the Alto Rhapsody took place in Jena, Germany, on March 3, 1870, with Pauline Viardot-Garcia as soloist. The Alto Rhapsody is scored for alto solo, male chorus, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns and strings. Approximate performance time is thirteen minutes.

Johannes Brahms first met Robert Schumann (1810-1856) and his wife, Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896) at their Düsseldorf home in September of 1853. The Schumanns were immediately taken by Brahms’s talents as a pianist and composer.

Robert Schumann championed the young Brahms, hailing him in an October, 1853 article as someone “fated to give us the ideal expression of the times.”

After Robert Schumann’s failed suicide attempt in February of 1854, and death on July 29, 1856, Brahms became a close friend and confidant of Clara. Brahms and Clara Schumann would remain friends for the remainder of her life, although the relationship was not without their challenges.

Brahms held great affection for the Schumanns’ seven children and in particular, their daughter, Julie (1845-1872). It appears that Brahms had romantic feelings for the beautiful young woman. But in July of 1869, Julie announced her engagement to Count Victor Radicati di Marmorito, whom she met on a visit to Italy.

Clara Schumann, who had no inkling of Brahms’s love for Julie, immediately told him of the engagement. In her diary, Clara wrote that Brahms “seemed not to have expected anything of the sort, and to be quite upset.” A few weeks later, Clara noted, “Johannes is quite altered, he seldom comes to the house and speaks only in monosyllables when he does come. And he treats even Julie in the same manner, although he always used to be specially nice to her.”

Julie Schumann married the Count di Marmorito on September 22, 1869. That afternoon, following the ceremony, Brahms visited Clara at her home. As Clara described in her diary: Johannes brought me a wonderful piece…the words from Goethe’s Harzreise, for alto, male chorus, and orchestra. He called it his bridal song. It is long since I remember being so moved by a depth of pain in words and music. This piece seems to me neither more nor less than the expression of his own heart’s anguish.

The Alto Rhapsody, one of Brahms’s most beautiful and moving choral works, is a setting of three verses from Goethe’s 1777 poem, Harzreise im Winter (Harz Journey in Winter). A brooding orchestral introduction (Adagio) sets the stage for the opening verse—set as a recitative for the alto soloist—describing a lonely man’s aimless wanderings. The second verse (Poco andante), an aria for the soloist, is a vivid portrait of the man’s tortured state. In the final verse (Adagio), the key shifts from C minor to a radiant C Major, as the alto and male chorus join voices in a moving prayer for the suffering man’s redemption. www.MemphisSymphony.org

52

Program notes made possible by

Solo Alto Rhapsody Aber abseits wer ist’s?

Im Gebüsch verliert sich der Pfad, Hinter ihm schlagen Die Sträuche zusammen, Das Gras steht wieder auf, Die Öde verschlingt ihn.

But who is that, apart?

In the bushes, he loses his path, Behind him the branches Spring back together, The grass stands up again, The wasteland engulfs him.

Ach, wer heilet die Schmerzen Des, dem Balsam zu Gift ward?

Der sich Menschenhass Aus der Fülle der Liebe trank?

Erst verachtet, nun ein Verächter, Zehrt er heimlich auf Seinen eigenen Wert In ungenügender Selbstsucht.

Ah, who can heal the pain Of one for whom balsam turned to poison?

He who drank hatred of men From the abundance of love?

First despised, now despising, He secretly consumes His own worth In useless selfishness.

Solo and Chorus Ist auf deinem Psalter, Vater der Liebe, ein Ton Seinem Ohre vernehmlich, So erquicke sein Herz! Öffne den umwölkten Blick Über die tausend Quellen Neben dem Durstenden In der Wüste.

If there is in your Psalter, Father of Love, a sound His ear can hear, Refresh his heart with it!

Open his clouded gaze To the thousand springs Beside the soul who thirsts In the desert.

Text by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

Ken Meltzer

Inaugural Competition

May 25-27, 2011 Cannon for the Performing Arts Ludwig vanCenter Beethoven 53

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Program Notes Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125, “Choral” Duration: 67 minutes Composed in 1824 A few months before his death, in a letter written to his old friend Count Andrei Razumovsky – the long-time Russian ambassador to Vienna and the man for who the three “Razumovsky” Quartets were written – Beethoven, who was not known for making such pronouncements, said matter-of-factly, “I am just now publishing the greatest symphony I have yet written.” Few would have agreed with the composer’s assessment of the work in 1826 or, for that matter, during the next several decades; not because of any open hostility to the Ninth Symphony, but because for the better part of a generation its daunting complexity (to say nothing of its utter novelty) kept performances so scarce that few were able to make a considered judgment. As late as 1850, Beethoven’s friend, the composer Ludwig Spohr was wondering – given the fact that the fourth movement was “so ugly, in such bad taste, and in the conception of Schiller’s Ode so cheap” – how such a genius as Beethoven could have even written it down, while an American Admirer in 1868 was forced to confess, “The general impression it left on me is that of a concert made up of Indian war-whoops and angry wildcats.”

That one of the central creative works of Western civilization should have taken so long to be fully appreciated is hardly surprising. For the Ninth, even more than the composer’s pathbreaking Eroica Symphony, so completely reset the parameter of symphonic thinking, so drastically revised the scale and scope of the symphony itself, that nothing in serious music would ever be the same again. With the Ninth, the classical symphony reached the final stage of its evolution barely three quarters of a century after it had come into being; afterwards, there was nothing left but the floodgates of Romanticism, which the Ninth, more than any other musical work, helped to open. Yet oddly enough, the Symphony is also the most Janusfaced of Beethoven’s compositions, since it manages to point the way to the future by glancing into the past. For not only is sonata form expanded to its outermost limits, but also, in its use of fugue and variation form, the Symphony leans heavily on the spirit of the Baroque.

In one sense, work on the Ninth Symphony began in 1785, the year Friedrich Schiller published his “Ode to Joy.” The young Beethoven was deeply moved by Schiller’s ecstatic paean to human brotherhood and may even have attempted to set it to music before leaving Bonn in 1792. At least two other aborted settings were mad before 1817, the year he decided to incorporate it into a D minor Symphony which he had been planning for three years. Six eventful years later, years which also saw the composition of the Missa Solemnis and the Diabelli Variations, the Symphony was substantially complete.

Various listeners from Schubert to Schoenberg have heard, in the opening bars of the first movement, a depiction of the primal void which preceded the coming of the light. For sixteen bars, over expectant, tremolo strings, fragments of a theme are traded between the first violins and basses and back again. In bar seventeen, the theme erupts with savage fury, only to be swallowed again in blackness. After a wealth of secondary ideas are presented – Beethoven had long since outgrown a sonata movement which depended on only one or two themes – an epic development follows. Which Wagner described as “a struggle conceived in the greatest grandeur of the soul contending for happiness against the oppression of that inimical power which places itself between us and the joys of the earth.” A dirge-like melody in the oboe introduces the menacing coda. Over the sinister roll of the timpani, the principal theme gradually reasserts itself until, with its final shattering reappearance, the movement ends with all of its conflicts left unresolved.

Breaking with all precedent, Beethoven places his scherzo before the slow movement, a scherzo whose germinal three-note motif—legend has it—came to the composer as he walked out of a dark room into the blazing sunlight. In spite of its obvious family resemblance to 54

Program notes made possible by

the principal theme of the first movement, the scherzo theme is for the most part treated humorously, beginning with a will-o-the-wisp exposition in the form of a fugue. A serene, good-natured trio, alternately hymn-like and impish, momentarily breaks the tension; the jagged insistent music of the scherzo returns and speed the movement to its breakneck conclusion.

The great Adagio assai, for all its apparent artlessness, is in fact a set of enormously skillful double variations on the movement’s two principal themes: the reflective, vaguely melancholy violin melody which opens the argument, and the yearning second subject which would have such a hypnotic effect on generations of composers to come. One of those composers, Hector Berlioz, insisted rather breathlessly that “if my prose could only give the vaguest approximation of these melodies, then music would have found a rival in written speech such as the greatest of poets could never conceive.” (This was the same Berlioz who after hearing the Fifth Symphony for the first time insisted he was unable to say anything intelligible for a week.)

The peace that the Adagio so carefully establishes is brutally shattered by the violent chord that begins the Symphony’s Finale. Out of the impatient, angry chaos the themes of each of the three preceding movements pass in review, only to be cut off by the recitative-like ruminations of the cellos and basses. Hints of a new theme appear in the woodwinds, a folklike tune that the now mollified cellos and basses announce with the utmost simplicity, to be joined in their turn by the violas and the violins. After the theme blazes momentarily in the full orchestra, the chaotic music returns, only to be cut off abruptly by the sound of a human voice.

After nearly a century and three quarters, the effect of the baritone’s unprecedented appearance remains electrifying. No symphony had ever used voices before, nor would one use them quite as eloquently again. For here, the supreme master of symphonic discourse frankly admits that music, alone, is incapable of articulating the message contained in the simple injunction the composer added as a prelude to Schiller’s poem: “O Friends, not these sad sounds; rather let us raise our voices more joyfully.”

The body of the movement, the long planned setting of Schiller’s Ode to Joy, is a series of variations on the folk-like theme, first by the baritone, who leads the chorus and then the solo quartet, This is followed by syncopated march variation for the tenor and chorus, a turbulent orchestral fugue, a choral fugue of incomparable grandeur, and on through the exultant coda, in which the untold millions are embraced by that loving Father who dwells beyond the stars.

Reactions to what is widely held to be Western music’s most all-embracing expression of what is most exalted and divinely inspired in the human spirit seem to become only more enthusiastic with the passage of time, from Beethoven’s generally level-headed French biographer Romain Rolland, who thought, in essence, that the Ninth Symphony was simply too great even to exist, to the Japanese electronics magnate whose passion for the music—shared to an almost fanatical degree by his fellow countryman—determined the playing time(about 70 minutes) of the compact disc.

Even in that paragon of propriety, Boston’s Symphony Hall, the Ninth has been known to release some uncharacteristic passions. Once, following an exceptionally exalted performance led by Serge Koussevitzky, one of the city’s most eminent social dragons made her way backstage to congratulate the conductor. In a scene not seen in the Hub of the Universe before or since, the great lady—overcome with feeling—fell to her knees before the temperamental Russian and announced, “Mr. Koussevitzky, you are God!” With vast solemnity, the conductor nodded and said, “Yes madame, and it is a terrible responsibility.”

Jim Svejda

55

Joshua Bell violin

For more than two decades, Joshua Bell has enchanted audiences worldwide with his breathtaking virtuosity and tone of rare beauty. He came to national attention at the age of 14 in a highly acclaimed orchestral debut with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. A Carnegie Hall debut, the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, and a recording contract further confirmed his presence in the music world. Today he is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra leader. His restless curiosity and multifaceted musical interests have taken him in exciting new directions that have earned him the rare title of “classical music superstar.” In addition to his concert career, Bell enjoys chamber music collaborations with artists such as Pamela Frank and Steven Isserlis. Highlights of Bell’s 09-10 season include performances at the Hollywood Bowl, Verbier, Tuscan Sun, Mostly Mozart, Salzburg, Tanglewood, Menuhin, Gstaad and Enescu festivals and a return to the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall. Western hemisphere engagements include appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony and The National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. Bell performs at the Huberman Festival with the Czestochowa Philharmonic and returns to Moscow to perform with the Russian National Orchestra. 2010 will see Bell on a European and U.S. recital tour which includes Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, and the Wigmore Hall in London; a performance for the World Economic Forum, and dates in Paris, Budapest, Madrid, Athens, Zurich and Istanbul, as well as a tour to Asia with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

An exclusive Sony Classical artist known for his breadth and daring choices of repertoire, Bell has created a richly varied catalogue of recordings. Recent releases include the soundtracks for Angels & Demons and Defiance, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, The Red Violin Concerto by John Corigliano, The Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic, The Essential Joshua Bell, Voice of the Violin and Romance of the Violin which Billboard named the 2004 Classical CD of the Year, and Bell the Classical Artist of the Year.

Since his first LP recording at age 18, Bell has made critically acclaimed recordings of the concertos of Beethoven and Mendelssohn both featuring his own cadenzas, Sibelius and Goldmark, as well as the Grammy Award winning Nicholas Maw concerto.

His Grammy-nominated recording Gershwin Fantasy premiered a new work for violin and orchestra based on themes from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Its success led to a Grammy nominated all-Bernstein recording that included the premiere of the West Side Story Suite as well as a new recording of the composer’s Serenade. continued on page 58 www.MemphisSymphony.org

56

Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. - Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

Memphis Symphony Orchestra joshua bell plays tchaikovsky MEI-ANN CHEN, Conductor JOSHUA BELL, violin

FRANZ SCHUBERT

Overture to Rosamunde, D. 644

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2 in D major, Opus 36

I. Adagio Molto - Allegro con brio

II. Larghetto

III. Scherzo: Allegro

IV. Allegro Molto

INTERMISSION

PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Concerto in D major for Violin and Orchestra,

Opus 35

I. Allegro moderato

II. Canzonetta: Andante

III. Finale: Allegro vivacissimo

Joshua Bell, Violin

Joshua Bell appears by arrangement with IMG Artists LLC, Carnegie Hall Tower, 152 West 57th Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Mr. Bell records exclusively for Sony Classical.

Sponsored by:

57

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Joshua Bell

continued from page 56

With the composer and double bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer, Bell appeared on the Grammy-nominated crossover recording Short Trip Home and a disc of concert works

by Meyer and the 19th-century composer Giovanni Bottesini. Bell also collaborated with Wynton Marsalis on the Grammy-winning spoken word children’s album, Listen to the Storyteller and Bela Fleck’s Grammy Award winning Perpetual Motion. He has twice performed on the Grammy Awards telecast, performing music from Short Trip Home and West Side Story Suite. Bell holds a Grammy Award and Mercury Music Prize for the Maw concerto recording with Sir Roger Norrington and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Germany’s Echo Klassik for Sibelius/Goldmark concerto recording with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He received the Gramophone Award for his recording of the Barber and Walton violin concertos and Bloch’s Baal Shem. Bell is the recipient of the 2008 Academy of Achievement award for exceptional accomplishment in the arts, and in 2009 was honored by Education Through Music for his dedication to sharing his love of classical music with disadvantaged youth.

Bell and his two sisters grew up on a farm in Bloomington, Indiana. As a child, he indulged in many passions outside of music, becoming an avid computer game player and a competitive athlete. He placed fourth in a national tennis tournament at age 10 and still keeps his racquet close by. Bell received his first violin at age four after his parents, both psychologists by profession, noticed him plucking tunes with rubber bands he had stretched around the handles of his dresser drawers. By 12 he was serious about the instrument, thanks in large part to the inspiration of renowned violinist and pedagogue Josef Gingold, who had become his beloved teacher and mentor. In 1989, Bell received an Artist Diploma in Violin Performance from Indiana University. His alma mater also honored him with a Distinguished Alumni Service Award only two years after his graduation. He has been named an “Indiana Living Legend” and received the Indiana Governor’s Arts Award. In ‘05 he was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame and he is the recipient of coveted The Avery Fisher Prize.

58

Program Notes

Program notes made possible by

Franz Schubert Overture to Rosamunde, D. 644 Duration: 10 minutes Composed in 1823 Franz Schubert was born in Vienna, Austria, on January 31, 1797, and died there on November 19, 1828. The first performance of Rosamunde took place at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on December 20, 1823. The Overture to Rosamunde is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani and strings.

In the autumn of 1823, Franz Schubert received a request to compose incidental music for a new play, Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus. The play’s author, Wilhelmina von Chézy, also wrote the libretto for Carl Maria von Weber’s opera, Euryanthe, which premiered in Vienna on October 25, 1823. Rosamunde had its first performance at the Vienna Theater an der Wien on December 20 of that year.

In both cases, von Chézy was the subject of relentless attacks by the Viennese critics. One writer accused her of having “in a single year been the undoing of two great composers.” Rosamunde lasted just two performances before it was withdrawn forever.

The beautiful music that Schubert composed for this failed project fared much better than von Chézy’s play. Given the brief amount of time Schubert had to complete the music for the premiere of Rosamunde, it is not surprising that he borrowed extensively from earlier compositions. The work known as the Rosamunde Overture originally appeared in his music for the 1820 melodrama, The Magic Harp.

The Rosamunde Overture begins with an extended and dramatic slow introduction (Andante) featuring striking juxtapositions of loud and soft dynamics. A concluding fortissimo chord and brief pause precede the principal Allegro vivace section, launched by the first violins’ sprightly melody. The clarinets and bassoons introduce the lyrical second principal theme. A reprise of these themes leads to the Rosamunde Overture’s exuberant final measures.

Ken Meltzer Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Opus 36 Duration: 32 minutes Composed in 1802 Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized in Bonn, Germany, on December 17, 1770, and died in Vienna, Austria, on March 26, 1827. The first performance of the Symphony No. 2 took place in Vienna at the Theater-an-der-Wien on April 5, 1803, with the composer conducting. The Symphony No. 2 is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings.

59

Program Notes By the close of the 18th century, Ludwig van Beethoven had firmly established himself as one of Vienna’s most important pianists and composers. In a letter dated June 29, 1801, to his friend, Franz Wegeler, Beethoven described his happy circumstances: My compositions are bringing in a deal of money, and indeed I have almost more commissions than I can satisfy. Moreover, for each work I can have six or seven publishers, or even more if I choose to concern myself with the business; they no longer make agreements with me; I state my terms and they pay up...

In that same letter, Beethoven, then thirty years old, revealed the onset of a condition that would plague him for the remainder of his life: “But now that envious demon, my bad health, has played me a scurvy trick, namely: for the past three years my hearing has grown steadily weaker...”

Beethoven, desperate to save his hearing, consulted with several physicians.

Finally, in mid-year of 1801, Beethoven came under the care of Johann Adam Schmidt, a professor at Vienna’s Josephine Academy, a medical school for army physicians.

Beethoven had great confidence in Dr. Schmidt’s abilities. By November of 1801, Beethoven felt that his symptoms were improving.

The following year, Dr. Schmidt recommended that Beethoven remove himself from the stresses of Viennese life and spend some time in the country. And so in April of 1802, Beethoven relocated to the beautiful country village of Heiligenstadt, where he remained until the early fall.

During the stay in Heiligenstadt, it appears that Beethoven experienced a further decline in his hearing. Beethoven was forced to confront the possibility, even the likelihood, that he would become totally deaf. It was, of course, the cruelest joke Fate could play upon Beethoven. He would soon become a pianist unable to perform in public, and a composer unable to hear his own musical creations.

It is not surprising that Beethoven spent much time contemplating the meaning of his life. One of the products of this soul-searching process was the immortal document known as the “Heiligenstadt Testament,” written in October of 1802. Addressed to his two brothers, the Testament was found among Beethoven’s papers after the composer’s death in 1827.

In the “Heiligenstadt Testament,” Beethoven confessed: But how humiliated I have felt if somebody standing beside me heard the sound of a flute in the distance and I heard nothing, or if somebody heard a shepherd sing and again I heard nothing—Such experiences almost made me despair, and I was on the point of putting an end to my life—The only thing that held me back was my art.

For indeed it seemed to me impossible to leave this world before I had produced all the works I felt the urge to compose; and thus I have dragged on this miserable existence—a truly miserable existence…

Around the same time Beethoven penned the “Heiligenstadt Testament,” he put the finishing touches on a work begun the previous year, the Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Opus 36. The D Major Symphony received its premiere the following April 5 at Vienna’s Theater-an-der-Wien. The concert also featured Beethoven’s First Symphony, as well as the premieres of the composer’s Third Piano Concerto and the oratorio, Christ on 60

Program notes made possible by

the Mount of Olives. During the concert, Beethoven appeared as both piano soloist and conductor.

In 1801, Beethoven announced to his friend, Wenzel Krumpholz: “I am only a little satisfied with my previous works. From today on I will take a new path.” Musical historians usually designate the 1803 “Eroica”, Opus 55, as the commencement of Beethoven “new path”—at least in terms of symphonic composition. It is interesting, then, to read the following critique, published in the Vienna Zeitung für die Elegante Welt in May of 1804: “Beethoven’s Second Symphony is a crass monster, a hideously writhing wounded dragon, that refuses to expire, and though bleeding in the Finale, furiously beats about with its tail erect.”

Upon closer inspection, it is not difficult to find the elements of the Symphony No. 2 that so troubled the critic. It is true that the Second Symphony is on the epic scale of the composer’s “Eroica.” On the other hand, the D-Major Symphony presents frequent and gripping employment of dynamic contrasts, striking dissonance and brilliant thematic manipulation. All of these elements point the way to the revolutionary style so indelibly associated with Beethoven. That Beethoven was able to write such vibrant, masterful, and indeed, high-spirited music while in the grips of a stunning personal crisis is testament to the spirit of a man who once vowed: “I will seize Fate by the throat; it shall certainly not bend and crush me completely.”

The Symphony No. 2 opens with an extended and dramatic slow introduction (Adagio molto) that offers hints of the ensuing vibrant Allegro con brio. The slow second movement (Larghetto), based upon two graceful melodies, also features moments of tension in the central development section. The third-movement Scherzo (Allegro) focuses upon a three- note motif, tossed about the orchestra in playful dialogue. The Scherzo’s central Trio section opens in restrained fashion, but soon offers its own boisterous energy. The Symphony’s finale (Allegro molto) opens with a raucous orchestral statement, setting the stage for a whirlwind of activity, capped by the exuberant final bars.

Ken Meltzer

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Concerto in D Major for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 35 Duration: 33 minutes Composed in 1878 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Kamsko-Votkinsk, Russia, on May 7, 1840, and died in St. Petersburg, Russia, on November 6, 1893. The first performance of the Violin Concerto took place in Vienna, Austria, on December 4, 1881, with Adolf Brodsky as soloist and Hans Richter conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. In addition to the solo violin, the D-Major Concerto is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his only Violin Concerto during the spring of 1878. Tchaikovsky dedicated the Concerto to Leopold Auer, the great Hungarian-born 61

Program Notes

Program notes made possible by

violinist, who was living and teaching in St. Petersburg. Auer, however, declined to play the Concerto.

It was violinist Adolf Brodsky who took up the cause for Tchaikovsky’s Concerto, serving as soloist for the first performance, which took place in Vienna on December 4, 1881. Hans Richter conducted the Vienna Philharmonic. Tchaikovsky greatly appreciated the courage displayed by Brodsky in premiering the work: He has not yet fully established his position in Vienna and I know very well that it was difficult and nerve-wracking for him to appear before a Viennese audience with a concerto by an unknown composer, and a Russian one to boot. For that reason I am doubly grateful to him for the service he has rendered me.

The extent of Brodsky’s courage becomes even clearer when the circumstances of the premiere are examined. The reaction by the audience and critics was unfavorable, to say the least. The performance inspired the prominent Viennese critic, Eduard Hanslick, to write one of the most (in)famous reviews in music history.

The Russian composer Tchaikovsky is surely not an ordinary talent, but rather an inflated one, with a genius-like obsession without discrimination or taste. Such is also his latest, long and pretentious Violin Concerto. For a while it moves soberly, musically, and not without spirit. But soon vulgarity gains the upper hand, and asserts itself to the end of the first movement. The violin is no longer played; it is pulled, torn, drubbed.

The Adagio is again on its best behavior, to pacify and win us. But it soon breaks off to make way for a finale that transfers us to a brutal and wretched jollity of a Russian holiday. We see plainly the savage vulgar faces, we hear curses, we smell vodka.

Friedrich Visser once observed, speaking of obscene pictures, that they stink to the eye. Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto gives us for the first time the hideous notion that there can be music that stinks to the ear.

For several months after the concert, Tchaikovsky carried a copy of the review and, to the end of his days, could recite verbatim Hanslick’s caustic prose.

Still, Brodsky persevered in his advocacy of the Concerto, playing it throughout Europe. In time, the merits of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto became clear. Even Leopold Auer finally performed the work, as did such protégés as Mischa Elman and Jascha Heifetz. Fittingly, however, it was Adolf Brodsky to whom Tchaikovsky dedicated this beloved masterpiece.

The Concerto is in three movements. The first (Allegro moderato) opens with an orchestral introduction, but it is not long before the soloist enters with a brief opening passage, yielding to the flowing, principal theme. The brief and extraordinarily beautiful second movement (Canzonetta. Andante) leading without pause to the Concerto’s whirlwind Finale (Allegro vivacissimo). The writing for the soloist throughout the Finale is brilliant, perhaps nowhere more so than in the thrilling closing pages.

Ken Meltzer

62

Membership Benefits Symphony Fund 2010-2011 The Symphony Fund consists of all unrestricted contributed income to the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Contributions are made annually by individuals and families, private foundations, corporations, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the Greater Memphis Arts Council and other entities. Together, these contributions provide two-thirds of the MSO’s annual operating budget, helping to fulfill our mission of creating meaningful experiences through music.

Visionary $25,000+ ($1,395 non-tax deductible) Your personal concert by an orchestra ensemble Plus all below Pacesetter $15,000 - $24,999 ($395 non-tax deductible) Private use of the Cannon Center VIP Lounge on the concert evening of your choice (some restrictions apply) Plus all below Sustainer $10,000 - $14,999 ($395 non-tax deductible) A CD chosen for you by Mei-Ann Chen Plus all below Benefactor $5,000 - $9,999 ($380 non-tax deductible) Invitation to a private, post-concert reception with Maestro Mei-Ann Chen and a guest artist featured in the Masterworks Series Plus all below Patron $2,500 - $4,999 ($330 non-tax deductible) Invitation to the annual Donor Recognition Party Plus all below Partner $1,000 - $2,499 ($280 non-tax deductible) Admission to the donors-only Golden Circle Room, during intermission, at Masterworks and Pops concerts* Plus all below Associate $600 - $999 ($180 non-tax deductible) Invitation to a backstage tour of the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts by Ryan Fleur preceding a concert Plus all below Member $300 - $599 ($180 non-tax deductible) Eight passes for free parking at the Cook Convention Center, good for Masterworks or Pops concerts Plus all below Friend $75 - $299 Acknowledgment in Overture, the MSO concert magazine, in all volumes published during the season Plus below Supporter Acknowledgment in Overture, the MSO concert magazine, in at least one volume published during the season. Early notification of events. *In the 2010-2011 season, please note that this Golden Circle reception benefit will begin at the “Partner” level of $1,000-$2,499. Current donors at the Associate level will be grandfathered in for a donation of $800 or above in 2010-2011.

63

Contributions Individuals, corporations, foundations, ArtsMemphis, the Tennessee Arts Commission and others make annual contributions to support our Symphony. Because the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, like orchestras throughout the country, obtains less than 30% of its income from ticket sales, these gifts and grants are crucial to our ability to provide music of the highest quality. The following community members have expressed their support for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra between January 1, 2010 and February 1, 2011. We are most appreciative.

Sustainer - ($10,000-$14,999) Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz Kitty Cannon Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Craddock Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. Regions Bank Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Seessel III Craig A. Simrell & Mark Greganti Bonnie & Chapman Smith Mr. & Mrs. Henry Turley Andie & Michael Uiberall Watkins Uiberall, PLLC Mr. & Mrs. Joseph C. Weller

Virtuoso ($100,000+) Anonymous (2) Arts Memphis FedEx Corporation First Tennessee Bank The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Impresario - ($50,000-$99,999) Anonymous Paul & Linnea Bert Jane S. Dutcher First Tennessee Foundation Hyde Family Foundation Mr. Milton T. Schaeffer Tennessee Arts Commission

Benefactor - ($5,000-$9,999) Anonymous (3) Violet Apperson Belz Enterprises Jack & Kathleen Blair Borders Books & Music Mr. & Mrs. Marion S. Boyd, Jr. Buckeye Technologies, Inc. Carrefour at Kirby Woods Bill and Foy Coolidge Diversified Trust Pam and Steve Guinn Larry J. Hardy Lowry Howell Dr. & Mrs. Masanori Igarashi International Paper Foundation Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation Dorothy O. Kirsch Marti & Mike Laslavic The Marston Group, PLC J. W. & Emily McAllister Phillip & Mabel McNeill MGM Resorts Foundation nexAir Mr. & Mrs. Paul Rogers Schadt Foundation, Inc. Charles Shipp Ann & Jim Vining

Visionary - ($25,000-$49,999) Anonymous AutoZone, Inc. Thomas W. Briggs Foundation Mr. & Mrs. George E. Cates Scott & Carolyn Heppel Sally & Wil Hergenrader Smith & Nephew Mrs. Thomas N. Stern The Jeniam Foundation Pacesetter - ($15,000-$24,999 ) Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation Bank of America Charitable Foundation Baptist Memorial Health Care Phyllis & Paul Berz Hal Brunt & Buzzy Hussey Kim & Bryan Jordan Marion & James McClure National Endowment for the Arts Susan & Robert J. Quinn Roadshow BMW The Scheidt & Hohenberg Families SunTrust

www.MemphisSymphony.org

64

Jack & Cristina Ward Frank & Houston Watson

Mrs. Louise Cannon Dan & Rhonda Causie Dr. Fenwick W. Chappell Kaki Crews Dr. V. Glenn Crosby Dr. & Mrs. Ray E. Curle Barbara A. Denley Lisa Dixon Marcia & John Dunlap Jason Dunn Drs. Lawrence Edwards & D. Shane Rasner Mr. & Mrs. David B. Ferraro Mr. William H. French III Barbara & Hiram Fry Allison Garrott Marylon R. Glass Sally & Michael Gordon Billie Jean Graham Mimi & Dr. Ronald Grossman Judith & John Hansen David O. Hill & Elisabeth Hills Mr. & Mrs. Walter B. Howell, Jr. Terri & Don Hutson Barbara Hyde Nicki & Brian Inman Dr. & Mrs. Eric E. Johnson Ms. Freddie Johnson Kathy Junkin Dr. Natalie Kerr Susan Kingston Delores Kinsolving Dr. & Mrs. Sheldon Korones Marcia & Jerry Kronenberg Mr. & Mrs. George Lapides Florence Leffler LeMay + Lang Daniel Lewis Dr. & Mrs. William E. Long Al & Janet Lyons Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Marshall William D. & Marcia B. Mathis III Martha Ellen Maxwell Bickie McDonnell Freddie McEwan Mr. & Mrs. Alexander D. McLean Lisa & Gordin McMurtry Mabel McNeill Jean & Michael McSwain Dr. & Mrs. Dan Meadows Dr. Lisa & Dr. Maurice I. Mendel

Patron - ($2,500-$4,999) Amro Music Stores Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation Florence & Scott Bohon Dr. Karen A. Bowyer Mr. & Mrs. John H. Coats Mikki & Darrell Cobbins Nancy and Chuck Coe Mike and Carolyn Edwards Mr. & Mrs. John S. Evans Ryan Fleur & Laura Banchero Farrell Calhoun, Inc. Martha & Robert Fogelman and Bradley and Robert Fogelman Peter Formanek Kathy & J. W. Gibson Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Goodman Dr. Suzanne Gronemeyer & Mr. Ellis Delin Mr. Sigmund F. Hiller Lisa & Louis Jehl Ellen Cooper Klyce Mr. Edwin Koshland III League of American Orchestra Suzana & Michael Lightman Joanna & Josh Lipman Morgan Keegan & Co., Inc. Dave and Jeanne Miller Ron & Jessica Morris Robert G. Patterson, Jr. & Patricia Gray Mr. & Mrs. Joseph H. Powell Carol W. Prentiss CAPT & Mrs. Robert R. Proctor, USN (Ret.) Alice Rawlins Jenny & Graham Smith Mrs. Charles E. Walker Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Weintraub Partner - ($1,000-$2,499) Anonymous Ben & Kathy Adams Peter & Fran Addicott Kay Farish & Roger Arango Richard W. Barnes & Peter R. Pauciello Peggy Bodine Joseph Boeckmann, Jr. Ritche Manley Bowden Canale Foundation

65

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Contributions Nancy & Rodgers Menzies Michael Lightman Realty Co. Gloria P. Nobles Marianne Parrs Robert G. & Jane M. Patterson, Sr. Elisabeth & Lewis Perry Chloee & Dan Poag Anca Pop Mary Alice Quinn Anita Redden Robert D. Goldfarb Foundation Dr. & Mrs. Brown Robertson Ellen R. Rolfes Gayle S. Rose Diane Rudner Jeff Sanford & Cynthia Ham William W. Siler Ron & Linda Sklar Bruce & Jane Scharding Smedley Bruce & Gillian Steinhauer Anne Stokes Margaret Tabor Lura Turner Dr. Eugene A. Vaccaro Family Mr. & Mrs. William M. Vaughan, Jr. Lee & Nancy Wakeman Patricia & Charles Walker Dr. Jane Walters Dr. & Mrs. Otis S. Warr III K. C. & Jeff Warren Anneliese Watts Martha & Lee Wesson Barry White & Dr. Janice Garrison Mr. and Mrs. C. Thomas Whitman Joy & Russel Wiener Mike & Gay Williams Becky Wilson

Joe & Martha Dooley Sara G. Folis Ms. Barbara A. Frederick Dot and Luther Gause Mr. & Mrs. Jerrold Graber Jewish Foundation of Memphis Edward & Linda Kaplan Sue Kaplan Dr. Peter G. & Susan J. Law Mr. David Lee Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church Jean Mosow Dr. & Mrs. Frank and Sarah Ognibene Mr. & Mrs. J. A. O’Neill, Jr. Cynthia Ross Mr. and Mrs. Joe and Carol Lee Royer Andrea & Dr. Craig Sander Suzanne Satterfield, M.D. & John Pickens, M.D. Mary M. Seratt Ryals & Gwendolyn Thomas Ms. Susan Van Dyck & Dr. James Newcomb Dr. Robert Vidulich & Ms. Diane Sachs Graham and Megan Warr Dr. Ethelyn Williams-Neal Mr. Winston Wolfe

Member - ($300-$599) Mary Nell & Pervis Ballew Dianne & John Beauregard Mrs. Irvin Bogatin Denise & Scott Borton Reggi and Sharon Burch Gary Carlson The Chester J. Claudon Family Jim and Pat Corbitt Laura & Robert Crane Lewis Donelson Susan & David Ellison Fredrika & Joel Felt Arthur Fulmer, Jr. Dr. Phillip George Paul & Marisa Hess Judith & Howard Hicks Bill & Marian Himmelreich William B. Keiser, Jr. Father Albert Kirk Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd C. Kirkland, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Jerry D. Kirkscey Ms. Yoriko Kitai

Associate - ($600-$999) Charles S. & Stephanie Baer Carol & Bert Barnett Carol Beachey & Donald Voth Mr. & Mrs. Stanley L. Bilsky Mr. & Mrs. Emile A. Bizot III Phyllis & Tandy Brannon Buster’s Liquors and Wines Joanne & George Buzard Gloria & Irvine Cherry Mrs. Ruth M Cobb Mary Davis

www.MemphisSymphony.org

66

Jennifer Lyons Ethel T. Maxwell Jake McFadden Lucius and Holley McGehee Shirley W. McRae Dr. Shamim Moinuddin Madeleine Moore Mickey & Pat Moran Arnold & Mary Lynn Perl Johnny & Kim Pitts Geraldine Rhodes Mr. & Mrs. Curtis E. Ringold Jocelyn & William Rudner Joseph & Mary Scheuner Mr. John Seubert Mrs. Jane A. Sharpe Estelle & John Sheahan Marshall and Maida Smith Dr. William W. Walker & Ms. Mary L. Belenchia Dick & Dianne Warder Mr. & Mrs. Alonzo Weaver, Jr. Elsa & David Williams Oneida Wittichen Dr. George R. Woodbury & Dr. Cathy M. Chapman

Ron & Anise Belz Eugene Bernstein Dr. & Mrs. Michael P. Berry Flona & Lance Binder Dr. & Mrs. H. Delano Black Mr. & Mrs. James C. Blackburn Mr. Sam Blair Clark & Yolanda Blatteis Modine & Lee Bolen Jan & John Boudreaux Martha & James Boyd J. Richard Briscoe Caroline Brown Anne Brown Mr. and Mrs. Monte & Grace Brown Gregory Buckley & Susan Berry-Buckley Dr. & Mrs. Paul Burgar Judy & Charles Burkett C. J. & Joyce Burti Eleanor & Gerald Byrne Mr. & Mrs. Irvin Califf Dr. Patty & Dennis Calvert Mr. James Campbell Daniel Case Claude Chafin Dr. Nancy A. Chase Ruby Chittenden David Ciscel Andrew & Julie Clarke Chuck & Scottie Cobb Fred Cochran Allen E. Cohen Bart & Hazel Cohen Jenny & Samuel Compton Frank Cook Jeff & Lisa Cook Jane Coop William Craddock Ann & Drury Crawley Scott & Meg Crosby Elaine & Loren Crown Dale & Gina Cunningham Chuck Curtis Steve Davis Phili & Terry Deboo Drs. Robert & Heather Donato Mr. & Mrs. William Dozier Jed Dreifus Dr. Michael R. Drompp John & Alice Dudas

Friend - ($75-$299) Anonymous (10) Mack Acuff Gwendolyn & John Ahlemann Marilyn Albert John Albertson Sylvia G. Alimena Marilyn & Franklin Allen Roosevelt & Jo Ann Allen Mr. & Mrs. Alfred Alperin Doralina Anghelescu Frank Anthony Dot Arata William Austin Diana Bailey Mary Baird Mr. & Mrs. Austin Baker Mr. Gary Baldwin Sue & A.E. Balkin Mrs. Frank Barton, Jr. John & Wanda Barzizza Mary & Allen Battle Dr. & Mrs. Tom Beasley Robert Bell Mr. & Mrs. Jack A. Belz

67

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Contributions Charles & Patricia Dudley Betty B. Duke Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Duncan Betty & Robert Ebbers Dr. Donald L. Edwards Karen English English Speaking Union Dr. & Mrs. John Fain James & Sue Ferguson Jackie & David Flaum Caroline Fruchtman Christine & William Fulliton Kathleen C. Gardner Mr. & Mrs. E. W. Gaudet, Jr. Emily & Jerry Gay Robyn & Ted Gibboney Mr. & Mrs. John Gibson Jeremy Gill & Amy Clithero Gill Mary Gill John Gilmer Joan Gips Susan Lawless-Glassman & Richard Glassman Rose and Wesley Goldfarb Capt. P. James Googe, Jr. Guardsmark, Inc. Dorothy Gunther Pugh Bela & Nan Hackman Mr. Reb Haizlip Clarence & Harriett Halmon Robert Hamilton Maurice Hamm Betsy Hamric Robert Hanusovsky Dr. Jean S. Hayden Mr. & Mrs. William A. Heine Janet D. Held Emil Henry Wil & Sally Hergenrader Sara Holmes Dr. & Mrs. Horace K. Houston, Jr. Bobby and Eva Hussey Joanna Hwang Mr. & Mrs. Antonino Incardona Susan & Frank Inman David & Ann James Dr. & Mrs. Russell James Warren & Claire Johnson Nancy Lou & Mott Jones Betty Jones Mr. & Mrs. Robert K. Jones

www.MemphisSymphony.org

Betty Lou & Warren Jones Don Kern Brian Kiel Dr. & Mrs. Morris D. Klass Mr. & Mrs. Roger C. Knapp Janie & Martin Kocman William & Betty Koval Barry Kuhn Mr. & Mrs. Bob Laman Ms. Patsy Lane Frank M. Langford, Jr. Ms. Demetra Lawrence Mr. Shelby R. Lee III Sandra Leftwich Kristin Lensch & Tim Huebner Dr. & Mrs. Michael J. Levinson Lipscomb & Pitts Col. George M. Livers Aron Livnah & Rose Merry Brown Mrs. Esther K. Lubin Jose & Nancy Magallanes Frank & Mary Markus Nelda & Freeman Marr Nancy Masterson Shannon G. Matta, Ph.D. Rebecca Mayall Diane & Kit Mays Grace McAlister Michael McCanless Dave McConnico Marion McDonald Mr. & Mrs. James W. McDonnell, Jr. Jeremy C. McGee Speed McLean Mary Allie & Denton McLellan Richard McStay Sylvia & Ron McSwain Simone & Logan Meeks Memphis Ballet Memphis Marriott Downtown Dr. Thomas E. Merchant & Ms. Martha K. Tibbs Ms. June E. Merrell Mr. & Mrs. John E. Minton Dr. & Mrs. David M. Mirvis Mr. P. D. Moncrief Pam & Fred Montesi Mrs. Houston Niller Moore Virginia & Tom Moss Ed & Anne Motley Alan’s Carpetland

68

Ken Neill Stephen & Mary Nelson Drs. Thomas J. & Monika Nenon Mr. W. Lytle Nichol IV Julie & William Nicholson David C. Nischwitz Mr. Greg Nomland Cecile & Frederick Nowak Patrick O’Sullivan C. P. Owen Jr. Mr. Robert C. Owens Joy Ozbirn Ronald Pfeiffer Hajnal & Lawrence A. Pivnick Mark Poag Marianne Popper Mr. & Mrs. Robert Propst Gay Quaintance Brenda & Robert Rachor Karen & James Ralston Ann Kendall Ray Betsy Reeder Eugene Reyneke Jimmy and Mary Jane Richens Mr. & Mrs. Neil Ringel Christina & Richard Roberts Dr. & Mrs. E. William Rosenberg Dr. & Mrs. Richard T. Ross Martha H. Routh Thelma Rudd Vincent Samuel Dr. & Mrs. Walter C. Sandusky, D.D.S Marcia Schlesinger Marian & Frank Shaffer Jill & Scott Shanker Mrs. Constance F. Shelton Mr. Roy Shepherd Bonnie and Bill Siler Bill & Cheryl Simco Elizabeth L. Simpson Kenneth & Mary Sipley Dr. & Mrs. Marvin Skaggs Alisa & Arwin Smallwood Ms. Karen Spacek & Mr. William Solmson Dr. Bernard Spiegel Sheri L. Spunt, M.D. Charles & Mary Stagg Dorothy Steen Jill & Kenneth Steinberg Fred & Joan Stephenson

Betty & Vaughn Stimbert Fred & Shirley Stinson Leslie Stratton Ms. Harriett Surprise Hermione S. Swindoll Daniel Taylor Denise Taylor Mr. Parrish Taylor Robin & William Taylor Dr. & Mrs. Terry Templeton The Pillsbury Foundation Dr. Gabor Tigyi & Dr. Louisa Balazs David Tipton Barbara B. Turner Joan & James Vogel Dr. Don B. Vollman Peggy & Dennis Waleri Walker & Associates, Inc. Evelyn Walpole Gerald & Julie Walton Nicole Ward VistaCare Health Services Inc. Susan S. Webb Mr. Jules Weiss Diane & Walker Wellford Bill Weppner James Werkhoven Dr. & Mrs. Benton Wheeler Wiggins & Kathy Wilder Julia Wilkins Mr. & Mrs. Page Williamson Mrs. Barbara H. Wilson Betsy Wilson Elise & Robert Wilson Patricia Wilson Tripp Stewart Wingate Mac Winker Mr. Jerry Wolfe Josephine M. Wood Nick and Charlotte Woodward Dorothy Work Laura Burgoyne and Becky Wright Peggy Wroten Jocelyn Wurzburg Berje & Katherine Yacoubian Mr. & Mrs. Keith M. Young Dr. Herbert D. Zeman Qihong Zhou

69

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Honorariums and Memorials The following Honorarium and Memorial contributions were made to the Symphony Fund between January 1, 2010 and January 7, 2011.

In Honor of Michael Barar

Anonymous

In Honor of Jay Bearman

Dr. Margaret A. Halle

In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Ron Belz

Anonymous

In Honor of Paul Bert

Mr. & Mrs. George E. Cates

Mr. and Mrs. William Watts

Jennifer Lyons

In Honor of Paul Berz

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Gordon

In Honor of George and Bena Cates

Mr. and Mrs. C. Thomas Whitman

In Honor of Mei-Ann Chen

Mr. & Mrs. George E. Cates

Ms. Delores Kinsolving

Ms. Mary Alice Quinn

In Honor of Ruth Cobb

Ms. Jane B. Battle

Mr. & Mrs. Charles P. Cobb, Jr.

Dr. & Mrs. Horace K. Houston, Jr.

In Memory of Charles P. Cobb, Sr.

Ms. Caroline Bartusch

Mr. & Mrs. Milton S. Binswanger, Jr.

Dr. & Mrs. H. Delano Black

Mr. & Mrs. Jack R. Blair

Mrs. Charles P. Brown

Dr. & Mrs. Paul Burgar

Mrs. Bland W. Cannon

The Chester J. Claudon Family

Mr. Charles Curtis

Mrs. Jean M. de Frank

Mrs. Jane S. Dutcher

Mr. & Mrs. John S. Evans

Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Hoffsommer

Dr. & Mrs. Horace K. Houston, Jr.

Mrs. Virginia Klettner

Mr. & Mrs. Michael S. Laslavic

Dr. & Mrs. William E. Long www.MemphisSymphony.org

Dr. & Mrs. Kit S. Mays

Ms. Marion McDonald

Dr. & Mrs. J.Lucius McGehee

Mr. W. Lytle Nichol IV

Mrs. Gertrude Parker

Mr. G. Dan & Dr. Chloee Poag

Mrs. Marianne Popper

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph H. Powell

Ms. Ann K. Ray

Mr. & Mrs. James Richens

Mrs. Emily Ruch

Dr. & Mrs. John W. Runyan, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Frank W. Shaffer

Mr. Frank Stubblefield

Mr. & Mrs. Reede Taylor

Lucy Van Zant

Dr. & Mrs. Russel L. Wiener

Mrs. Corinne Murrah Wilson

In Honor of Sam Compton

Ms. Sylvia G. Alimena

In Memory of Nancy Crosby

Dr. & Mrs. Owen B. Tabor

Dr. & Mrs. Russel L. Wiener

In Memory of Charles Crump

Mr. & Mrs. David B. Ferraro

Ms. Sandra Leftwich

In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Donelson

Mrs. Ruth M. Cobb

In Memory of Jan Donelson

Mr. & Mrs. Jack R. Blair

In Honor of Jane S. Dutcher

Mrs. Norma P. Rogers

In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. John Evans

Anonymous

In Honor of Ryan Fleur

Mr. & Mrs. George E. Cates

In Memory of Leonard Fry

Dr. & Mrs. Russel L. Wiener

70

In Honor of Thomas Garrott

Mr. & Mrs. W. A. Coolidge, Jr.

In Memory of Michael Gompertz

Ms. Joan B. Gips

In Memory of Reverend George D. Gracey

Mrs. Jane S. Dutcher

Mr. & Mrs. Michael S. Laslavic

In Honor of Steve Guinn

Anonymous

In Honor of Scott & Carolyn Heppel

Piper Gray

In Honor of Dr. Kenneth Hopkins

Dr. Frank A. Anthony

In Honor of Robert E. Horrell

Piper Gray

In Honor of Mrs. Buzzy Hussey & Dr. Hal Brunt

Mr. & Mrs. W. A. Coolidge, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. John T. Crews, Jr.

In Memory of Veronica Hyde

Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Hoffsommer

In Honor of Dorothy O. Kirsch

Dr. & Mrs. Edward S. Kaplan

In Honor of Mr. & Mrs. George Lapides

Anonymous

In Honor of Marti Laslavic

Mrs. Jane S. Dutcher

Mr. & Mrs. Mark LaCroix

Jeremy C. McGee

In Honor of Florence Leffler

Dr. & Mrs. William E. Long

In Honor of Jack Lewis

Dr. Margaret A. Halle

In Memory of Mr. Ronnie Lightman

Mr. & Mrs. William Rudner

In Honor of Joanna Lipman

Mr. Corey B. & Mrs. Mary Trotz

In Honor of William and Sissy Long

Dr. & Mrs. Edward S. Kaplan

In Honor of Myron Mau

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Seessel III

In Honor of Eloise Mays

Dr. Margaret A. Halle

In Memory of Margaret McClanahan

Mrs. Jane S. Dutcher

Mr. & Mrs. Michael S. Laslavic

In Memory of Lewis Kavanaugh McKee

Mr. & Mrs. Glenn Hoffsommer

In Honor of Memphis Symphony Chorus Board of Directors

Drs. Maurice & Lisa Mendel

In Honor of Nancy & Rodgers Menzies

Anonymous

In Memory of Madeleine Moore

Mrs. Houston N. Moore

Dr. & Mrs. W. Chapman V. Smith

Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Waleri

Mrs. John M. Wilson

In Memory of Helen Mosby

Dr. & Mrs. H. Delano Black

Dr. & Mrs. Edward S. Kaplan

Mr. G. Dan & Dr. Chloee Poag

In Memory of Rose Nischwitz

Mr. David C. Nischwitz

In Honor of Gloria Nobles

Mr. & Mrs. W. A. Coolidge, Jr.

In Honor of the Wedding of Doralina Anghelescu and Robert O’Connor

Dr. Becky Wright

In Memory Dr. Joseph Parker

Dr. & Mrs. Russel L. Wiener

71

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Honorariums and Memorials In Memory of Virginia Peterson

Dr. & Mrs. Russel L. Wiener

In Honor of Dan and Chloee Poag

Mr. C. P. Owen Jr.

In Honor of Susan and Bob Quinn

Ms. Betsy Wilson

In Honor of Ellen Rolfes

Mr. & Mrs. William S. Craddock, Jr.

In Honor of Rosalia Rudness

Dr. Margaret A. Halle

In Memory of Ted Rust

Dr. & Mrs. Russel L. Wiener

In Honor of Rudi Scheidt, Sr.

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Seessel III

In Honor of Marian & Frank Shaffer

Ms. Josephine M. Wood

In Honor of Dr. and Mrs. Marvin Skaggs

Mrs. Lyda Parker

In Memory of John Wesley Smith

Mr. & Mrs. Charles P. Cobb, Jr.

In Memory of Mimi R. Smith

Mrs. Bland W. Cannon

In Honor of Dr. and Mrs. Chapman Smith

Anonymous

In Honor of the 50th Anniversary of Ann and Peter Spurbeck

Mrs. Jane S. Dutcher

Mr. Barry & Mrs. Susanna Perry Gilmore

Mr. & Mrs. James Richens

www.MemphisSymphony.org

In Memory of Robert Spurbeck

Ms. Susan S. Webb

In Memory of Jake Stiles

Mr. & Mrs. Mark LaCroix

In Honor of Randy Turner

Mr. & Mrs. W. A. Coolidge, Jr. In Memory of Jay Uiberall

Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Belz

Mr. & Mrs. Paul Bert

Mr. Jason E. Dunn, CFA

Mr. & Mrs. David B. Ferraro

Mr. & Mrs. Steven L. Guinn

Mrs. Bernice Hussey & Dr. C. Hal Brunt

Dr. & Mrs. Edward S. Kaplan

Mr. & Mrs. Michael S. Laslavic

Ms. Ellen Rolfes

Mr. & Mrs. Frank W. Shaffer

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Shipp

Mr. Cory B. & Mrs. Mary Trotz

In Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Uiberall

Anonymous

Mr. & Mrs. George E. Cates

Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Cook

MSO Board of Directors

Dr. & Mrs. Stuart Shanker

In Honor of Joy Brown Wiener

Dr. & Mrs. H. Delano Black

Mrs. Van Pritchartt

In Honor of Russel L. Wiener

Dr. & Mrs. H. Delano Black

Mr. & Mrs. Oliver P. Cobb III

In Honor of Corinne M. Wilson

Ms. Betsy Wilson

72

Letter from the League President When our nation’s fathers conceived the idea for this great land which we Americans call “home,” they did so not thinking only of their “today.” Rather, they did so with a sense of an eye toward our “tomorrow.”

That is the challenge that awaits us as we strive to renew our spirit of commitment to the Memphis Symphony Orchestra as they create outstanding music that encourages and inspires us as well as entertains us. We must continue to work together to increase our membership, interest and season’s subscriptions to ensure an even more successful “tomorrow.”

In May we will be permanently placing the plaque honoring Joy Wiener at the Cannon Center.

We are planning a Spring Luncheon filled with surprises.

What a wonderful time to be a part of the Memphis Symphony League. We must not lose sight of these activities and the impact they will have on the League’s and the Symphony’s “tomorrow.”

Billie Jean Graham President Memphis Symphony League

2010-2011 Memphis Symphony League Membership Form (PLEASE PRINT) Name _____________________________________ Spouse’s Name ____________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________________________________ City __________________________________________ State _____________ Zip _________________________ Home Phone ____________________ Work Phone _____________________Cell Phone ______________________ Fax _______________________ E-mail Address _____________________________________________________

PAYMENT _____ I have enclosed a total of $______ (Single $40; Couple $50)

_____Check

Check# ________

_____Credit Card

Visa/Mastercard CC#_________________________ Exp. _________

Interested in volunteering?

Please mark the following events/activities in which you are interested: _____ Education Projects

_____ Concert Concierge

73

_____ Special Events

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Patron Information Your attendance constitutes consent for use of your likeness and/or voice on all video and/or audio recordings and in photographs made during Symphony events.

Box Office Location/Hours: The Box Office is located at 585 South Mendenhall Road, between Cadence Bank and Folk’s Folly. We are open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on concert Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Box Offices at the concert venues open 90 minutes prior to each performance and remain open until intermission begins.

Please note that for tickets for concerts at the Cannon Center on the night of concerts must be purchased through the Ticketmaster Box Office located in the east hallway.

Services and Will Call for MSO patrons are located near the box office at each venue.

Venues: Saturday First Tennessee Masterworks Series and Memphis Symphony Pops Series concerts are performed at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 North Main Street in downtown Memphis. Paid parking is available in the Cook Convention Center garage or surface lots. (Symphony in the Gardens is performed at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens at 4339 Park Ave.) Friday performances of the Paul and Linnea Bert Chamber Series are at the Buckman Performing & Fine Arts Center at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, 60 Perkins Extended in east Memphis. First Tennessee Germantown Sundays are performed at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre (GPAC), 1801 Exeter Road in Germantown. Free parking is available at Buckman and GPAC. Cameras and Recording Devices: No photos or video recordings are allowed during the performance due to potential injury to performers on stage Concert Spotlight: Free pre-concert lectures begin 45 minutes prior to each Masterworks series performance. Join us in the Cannon Center west mezzanine and the GPAC Dance Studio to get the inside scoop on the upcoming performance.

Coat Check: In the lobby of the Cannon Center and GPAC. Wheelchair Seating: Wheelchair seating is available upon request at each of our concert venues. Please call our Box Office for more information.

Ticket Information Subscriptions: Buy a series and save! Subscribers get the best seats in the house.

Plan for the music you love with our Masterworks, Pops, and Chamber series. As a subscriber, you will not only save off the single ticket price but also enjoy priority seating and ticket flexibility! Subscribers have the opportunity to purchase the best available seats for your series before tickets go on sale to the general public. You also have the same great seats all season and every year! Subscribers also have the opportunity to purchase tickets for special events before they are available to the general public! New season ticket patrons receive up to a 50% savings off the single ticket price. Returning subscribers receive a 33% discount for their second year and established (3+ year) subscribers save 20% off the full price. For subscriber services or to order, call the Box Office at (901) 537-2525 or visit www.MemphisSymphony.org. www.MemphisSymphony.org

74

Single Tickets: Tickets for all events are available through the MSO Box Office by phone, in person, or online at www.MemphisSymphony.org. Please note that vouchers and coupons may only be redeemed at the MSO office and must be done in person.

Gift Certificates: Give the gift of music! Gift certificates to the Memphis Symphony Orchestra may be purchased in any denomination. Please call the Box Office at (901) 537-2525 for details.

Refunds/Exchanges: There are no refunds or exchanges on single ticket purchases or returned tickets. Subscribers have the benefit of exchanging their subsription tickets. All subscription ticket exchanges are subject to availability. Ticket exchanges must be made three days before the date of the original performances.

Lost Tickets: Lost subscription tickets can be reprinted by calling the Box Office at (901) 537-2525 or visiting the Box Office prior to the concert.

Student Rush Tickets Student Rush Tickets are available for $5.00 (plus applicable processing fees) to regular series concerts based on availability. Please come to the venue box office 60 minutes prior to the performance. Students must show a valid student ID. A maximum of 2 tickets per ID is available. Students may also purchase tickets in advance at a 50% discount to select MSO concerts. All discount tickets are subject to availability.

Group Discounts: For more information, call our Box Office at (901) 537-2525.

Other Information • Please turn off all cell phones and pagers when the performance begins.

• Food and beverages are not allowed in the concert halls.

• Lost and Found is located at the box office. Management is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged property.

• Restrooms are located off the main floor, lobby and balcony areas of the concert hall.

Facilities for wheel chair bound patrons are also available in each main floor restroom.

• Parking information is located on the http://memphissymphony.org/directionsparking website.

First Aid • Contact an usher for assistance • Emergency Evacuation – In case of a fire or other emergency, please use the exit nearest to your seat, indicated by a lighted Exit sign. This is the shortest route out of the performing arts center. Please be sure to walk to the exit – do not run.

All concerts and performers are subject to change with or without notificiation.

75

For Tickets 901-537-2525

Mei-Ann Chen, ConduCtor

One night only!

Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Cannon Center for the Performing Arts

Tickets start at $30 (901) 537-2525 or MemphisSymphony.org

FUSE Ballet Memphis, Sept 11 Connections: Food BRIDGES, Oct 9

BALLET MEMPHIS

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Playhouse on the Square, Oct 30–Nov 7 Nutcracker The Orpheum, Dec 10–12

AbunDANCE: Where the Girls Are 2 Playhouse on the Square, Feb 19–27

preprint outside 16

Romeo & Juliet Playhouse on the Square, Apr 9–17 Connections: Earth & Sky Memphis Zoo, May 14

Season

Season subscriptions starting at just $60!

69 77

balletmemphis.org

COMM APPEAL

prep outs 16

78 70

mphs symphony 1/2pg 10-11_Layout 1 7/21/10 11:2

print CHEZ PHILLIPE side 6 at T h e P e a b o d y 149 Union Ave. Memphis, TN 38103 901.529.4188 www.peabodymemphis.com

INTERIM

TN ARTS COM

prep outs 16 TN ARTS COM

80

It’s Happening at GPAC 2010-2011 SEASON

Singular Sensations Judy Collins – Saturday, October 16, 8 p.m.

Betty Buckley – Broadway By Request Saturday, November 6, 8 p.m.

Marvin Hamlisch Saturday, March 19, 8 p.m.

Jazz McCoy Tyner – Sunday, September 12, 7 p.m.

HILARy HAHN

David Sanborn Thursday, October 7, 7:30 p.m.

Classical Recital

print side 6

Hilary Hahn, violin – Sunday, March 6, 7 p.m.

Rhapsody in Boop Sunday, January 23, 2 p.m.

David Finckel, cello Wu Han, piano - Philip Setzer, violin Tuesday, March 22, 7:30 p.m.

Steve Tyrell – Sunday, March 27, 7 p.m.

HaoChen Zhang, piano Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medalist Thursday, April 28, 7:30 p.m.

Russian National Ballet Theatre Les Sylphides and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet Sunday, January 2, 7 p.m.

GPAC Dance

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Thursday, February 3, 7:30 p.m.

The Vibe

Rocktoberfest 2010 Saturday, October 23, 7:30 p.m.

Ballet Grand Prix Saturday, February 19, 8 p.m.

Chris Thile & The Punch Brothers Saturday, November 20, 8 p.m.

Tango Buenos Aires – Sunday, March 20, 7 p.m.

The Second City – Friday, March 4, 8 p.m.

CND2 (Compañia Nacional de Danza) – Saturday, April 9, 8 p.m.

DAVID SANBORN MARVIN HAMLISCH

JuDy COLLINS

HAOCHeN ZHANG

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE CALL 901-751-7500 OR VISIT www.GPACweb.com Milton Schaeffer

Scheidt Family Foundation

Rediscover your go We are a generation that has never met a challenge we couldn’t run, bike or climb over.

Through innovative medical technologies and dedication to our local community, Smith & Nephew is proud to help improve people’s lives and challenge the status quo.

prep RICHARDS outs 16 Get back to your high-performance life. Visit:

RediscoverYourGo.com

82 74

RESERVE YOUR SEATS TODAY! 2010 2011

901.257.3100 OPERAMEMPHIS.org

OPERA MEMPHIS music by Giuseppe Verdi Orpheum Theatre Oct 7 & 9, 2010 - 7:30 pm

print side 6

music by Michael Ching a collaboration with

Playhouse on the Square

featuring

DeltaCappella and RIVA Playhouse on the Square Jan 21 - Feb 13, 2011

music by Giaochino Rossini a collaboration with

Mississippi Opera The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts Apr 16 at 7:30 pm Apr 17 at 3:00 pm

Opera Memphis thanks our generous season sponsors:

Rhodes offers programs of unique interest to the community.

Learning is an adventure and our Meeman Center courses provide opportunities to explore topics of interest from unique disciplinary perspectives. Join Rhodes faculty and fellow participants in engaged learning within fields of: • Arts

• Humanities

MEEMAN CENTER • Culture

• History

• Natural Sciences • World Religions • Self-Awareness • Social Sciences

Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning 2000 North Parkway Memphis, TN 38112 (901) 843-3965 Fax (901) 843-3947 rhodes.edu/meeman

MARRIOTT

preprint outside 16 MARRIOTT

84

The Memphis Boychoir & Memphis Chamber Choir

2010/11 Season Fall Recital Friday October 22, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

23rd Annual Service of Lessons and Carols Sunday December 12, 2010 at 4:00 & 7:00 p.m.

Recital at Saint George’s Episcopal Church Friday February 25, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

A Service of Tenebrae during Holy Week Wednesday April 20, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.

Spring Recital with Members of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra Friday June 10, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

85

Saint John’s Episcopal Church Central at Greer 901-323-8597 memphisboychoir.org

Symphony in the GardenS

Saturday, may 7 at 6:00 p.m Tickets (901) 537-2525 www.memphissymphony.org

Gates open at 4:00 p.m.

dixon Gallery & Gardens Located at 4339 Park Avenue

ticket priceS advance: Adult $15 | Child $10 day of concert: Adult $20 | Child $15 Members/subscribers 20% off sponsored by

with additional support from

for ticketS Memphis Symphony Orchestra (901) 537-2525 Dixon Gallery & Gardens (901) 761-5250

the new Bmw 3 series Coupe

roadshowbmw.com 1-800-334-4Bmw

joy is 34 years in the making.

Joy has a heritage. It is deeply rooted in a respect for what’s come before and a determination to carry that legacy into the future. This is Joy’s time-honored family tradition — to continue improving even when it seems there’s nothing left to improve. Case in point, the new BMW 3 Series Coupe. Its unparalleled performance proves its prowess with an all-new six-cylinder TwinPower Turbo engine designed to be more fuel-efficient and cleaner running without sacrificing any power. At the same time, its sleekly designed exterior redefines desire, ensuring that the Joy of driving is experienced for generations to come. The story of Joy continues at bmwusa.com/3seriesCoupe.

joy is the new Bmw 3 series Coupe.

Less emissions. More driving pleasure.

Bmw ultimate service

tm

you pay nothing for 4 years or 50,000 miles. Bmw no-cost maintenance covers everything but gas and tires.*

Brake Pads: $0

Brake Rotors: $0

Engine Belts: $0

Oil Changes: $0

Wiper Blade Inserts: $0

Scheduled Inspection: $0

405 N. Germantown Parkway • Memphis, TN • 901.365.2584 (Just North of Walnut Grove Road) www.roadshowbmw.com *For full details on BMW Ultimate Service™ visit bmwusa.com/ultimateservice. European model and optional metallic paint shown. ©2010 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.

the ultimate Driving machine

®