Orchestra Family Reunion! Sensory Friendly Concert

Sunday, May 19, 2024

FRIENDLY CONCERT

Orchestra Family Reunion!

Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 2:30 pm

Allen-Bradley Hall

Ryan Tani, conductor

Jack Allen, actor

Pip Buffington, actor

Matthew Huebsch, actor

Rebekah Farr, stage director

Amy Hogle, ASL interpreter

Liz Wick, ASL interpreter

Concept and Script by Katie Cummings, John Van Slyke, and Rebecca Whitney

ALAN MENKEN/arr. Danny Troob

“Be Our Guest” from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

EDVARD GRIEG

“Praeludium” from Holberg Suite, Opus 40

PAUL DUKAS

Fanfare to precede La Péri

MAURICE RAVEL

Menuet from Le Tombeau de Couperin

ARTURO MÁRQUEZ

Conga del Fuego Nuevo

VALERIE COLEMAN

Umoja, Anthem for Unity, for orchestra

JOHN WILLIAMS

“Main Title” from Star Wars

The length of this concert is approximately 50 minutes.

RYAN TANI

conductor

Ryan Tani is in his first season as assistant conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In 2021, he completed his two-year tenure as the Orchestral Conducting Fellow for the Yale Philharmonia under Music Director Peter Oundjian, where he was the recipient of the Dean’s Prize for artistic excellence in his graduating class. Committed to meaningful community music-making in the state of Montana, Tani has directed the Bozeman Chamber Orchestra, Bozeman Symphonic Choir, Second String Orchestra, and MSU Symphony Orchestras. He frequently serves as cover conductor for the St. Louis, Colorado, and Bozeman symphonies and also recently served on the faculty at the Montana State University School of Music.

Tani recently concluded his tenure as music director of the Occasional Symphony in Baltimore. A fierce advocate of new music, Tani curated over 20 commissions from Baltimore-based composers during his fouryear directorship of OS. As resident conductor of the New Music New Haven series, he has collaborated, under the guidance of Aaron Jay Kernis, with Yale University composition students and faculty.

Tani is also a graduate of the Peabody Institute, where he studied conducting with Marin Alsop and Markand Thakar, and at the University of Southern California, where he studied voice with Gary Glaze. In 2015, he was declared the winner of the ACDA Undergraduate Student Conducting Competition at their national conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition to his studies at Yale and Peabody, Tani has also studied conducting with Larry Rachleff, Donald Schleicher, Gerard Schwarz, Grant Cooper, and José-Luis Novo. Tani currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he can be found in the park with his dog, playing board games with friends and family, in the library with a good book, or in the practice room with his violin.

ABOUT THIS PERFORMANCE

Welcome to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s sensory friendly concert event, “Orchestra Family Reunion!” Sensory friendly concerts include modifications geared for those on the autism spectrum or with any kind of sensory sensitivity, but all are welcome! Our three onstage actors will help guide everyone through the performance. Feel free to get up and move and dance and even change seats if you would like. The house lights will remain up and the theater doors will be open, so if you need to leave for a little while and then come back to the hall, you are welcome to do so. Please see the additional information below regarding resources and locations available that we hope will contribute to a positive experience for all in attendance today!

During today’s concert we will join some family members coming together for a reunion! With the help of the families of the orchestra (strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion) and pieces of music including the Praeludium from Greig’s Holberg Suite, the Conga del Fuego Nuevo of Arturo Márquez, and even some of John Williams’s music from Star Wars, we’ll discover that each member of a family might look different, sound different, act different, and have a different part to play, but when everyone comes together, amazing things happen!

2024

The Bradley Symphony Center is proud to be a KultureCity Certified Sensory Inclusive Venue. More information can be found at www.kulturecity.org

Stay connected! Visit mso.org

IMPORTANT LOCATIONS AND AVAILABLE RESOURCES

If at any time you need assistance or have a question during today’s concert, please find an MSO Ambassador wearing a yellow lanyard or an MSO Volunteer.

Sensory bags, noise-reduction headphones, and weighted lap pads are available for check out from the Coat Check or by finding an MSO Volunteer. Sensory bags include one pair of noisecanceling headphones, three unique fidget tools, one feeling thermometer, and one KC VIP Lanyard. These are available for check out at any MSO performance.

Quiet Areas can be found in the following locations:

Historic Exhibit – Lower Level (Mobile Sensory Unit located here) Please be aware that sometimes there is a buzzing sound in this area due to our humidifying system.

Quiet Room – Main Level (nearest Orchestra Left)

Phone Booths – 2nd Level (across from restrooms) These booths will be equipped with a bean bag chair and some fidgets. We ask that these tools stay in the booths.

Food and Beverages are available for purchase in the Main Level Ellen and Joe Checota Gallery of the Pavilion. Drinks with lids and food are allowed in Allen-Bradley Hall during this performance.

All restrooms in the Bradley Symphony Center are wheelchair accessible. In addition, we have several Gender Neutral/Family Bathrooms with baby changing tables we’d like to call to your attention. Their locations are as follows:

Historic Exhibit – Lower Level

Ellen & Joe Checota Gallery – Main Level

Ellen & Joe Checota Atrium – 2nd Level

Assisted listening devices, braille programs, and large print programs are available at any MSO performance. Find an MSO Volunteer to inquire.

This performance will also feature ASL interpreters, located in House Center Right.

All levels of the Bradley Symphony Center are accessible by elevator. Booster seats are available at any MSO performance.

JACK ALLEN

actor

Jack is elated to be making his Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra debut. He has performed in Pink Umbrella Theater Company’s original productions as Greyson in the musical Kaleidoscope, Honk in Bigger Top, and Sunshine in SHINE! and is excited to perform in their upcoming summer musical production Portraits. Jack is an intern at Children’s Hospital Wisconsin and a 2023 graduate of Nicolet High School, where he performed in multiple theater and musical productions. Jack thanks the MSO and all arts organizations working to include people of all abilities—the sky’s the limit when everyone is included! Jack hopes you enjoy today’s MSO concert, and may the force be with you!

MATTHEW HUEBSCH actor

Matthew Huebsch is a Milwaukee area actor. He is happy to make a return to the MSO! Over the past couple of decades, he has performed with a variety of Milwaukee theatres, including the Constructivists, Danceworks, and Skylight Music Theatre. He is also a co-founder of Kidsplay, a comedy theatre for kids, celebrating 20 years in 2024. When not acting, Matthew spends time with his family and enjoys photography, motorcycling, and dabbling in digital video production.

PIP BUFFINGTON

actor

Peregrine “Pip” Buffington (they/them) is delighted to be working with the MSO. Pip is an autistic, non-binary actor who loves to tell stories of all kinds through music, dance, acting, and writing. Their debut performance was as Oliver Anderson in Pink Umbrella Theater Company’s Kaleidoscope by Patrick Thompson last summer. Pip’s late grandfather, though not a musician himself, taught them to have a deep appreciation for orchestral, classical, and opera music. Pip would like to welcome everyone to the adventures of learning about music—those as young as their nearly two-year-old daughter, those as old as their 95-year-old grandmother, and everyone in between or outside them. As you will hear them say often throughout this production, “we need to make sure we include everyone.”

AMY HOGLE

asl interpreter

Amy is a dedicated sign language interpreter with a passion for facilitating communication and fostering inclusivity. With extensive training in American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, she brings clarity and understanding to diverse settings. Amy is committed to bridging linguistic and cultural gaps, empowering both deaf and hearing communities to connect effectively. Fun fact: she has been in the field 37 years and just celebrated 35 years in her position with UW - Milwaukee’s Accessibility Resource Center.

LIZ WICK

asl interpreter

Liz is passionate about American Sign Language (ASL) and dedicated to improving communication and fostering inclusion. She works tirelessly to unite deaf and hearing communities and ensure mutual understanding. Liz also appreciates how music and the arts help people express themselves when they cannot find another way. As a sign language interpreter at UW-Milwaukee for 20 years, she’s committed to her work. Fun fact: Liz enjoys riding the snow on a snowboard and the open road on her motorcycle.

SPECIAL THANKS

We wish to acknowledge the following for their guidance and support. Their assistance has helped to make this Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Sensory Friendly concert possible.

Katie Cummings, Pink Umbrella Theater Company

Mary Stone, Stepping Stones Educational Services

Pink Umbrella Theater Company Teaching Artists

Erin Dietsche, Rebekah Farr, Molly Kiefer, Noah Stone, Kayla Tillisch, Morgan Tillisch

White House of Music for providing and staffing Instrument Petting stations

Today’s MSO Ambassadors, who include MSO staff, board members, musicians, chorus members, and community volunteers

2023.24 SEASON

KEN-DAVID MASUR

Music Director, Polly and Bill Van Dyke Music Director Chair

EDO DE WAART

Music Director Laureate

RYAN TANI

Assistant Conductor

CHERYL FRAZES HILL

Chorus Director, Margaret Hawkins Chorus Director Chair

TIMOTHY J. BENSON

Assistant Chorus Director

FIRST VIOLIN

Jinwoo Lee, Concertmaster, Charles and Marie Caestecker Concertmaster Chair

Ilana Setapen, First Associate Concertmaster

Jeanyi Kim, Associate Concertmaster

Alexander Ayers

Yuka Kadota

Elliot Lee**

Ji-Yeon Lee

Dylana Leung

Kyungah Oh

Lijia Phang

Yuanhui Fiona Zheng

SECOND VIOLIN

Jennifer Startt, Principal, Andrea and Woodrow Leung Second Violin Chair

Timothy Klabunde, Assistant Principal (2nd Chair)

John Bian, Assistant Principal (3rd Chair)

Glenn Asch

Lisa Johnson Fuller

Paul Hauer

Hyewon Kim

Alexandra Switala**

Mary Terranova

VIOLA

Robert Levine, Principal, Richard O. and Judith A. Wagner Family Principal Viola Chair

Georgi Dimitrov, Assistant Principal (2nd Chair), Friends of Janet F. Ruggeri Viola Chair

Samantha Rodriguez, Assistant Principal (3rd Chair)

Alejandro Duque, Acting Assistant Principal (3rd Chair)

Elizabeth Breslin

Nathan Hackett

Erin H. Pipal

Helen Reich

CELLO

Susan Babini, Principal, Dorothea C. Mayer Cello Chair

Nicholas Mariscal, Assistant Principal*

Shinae Ra, Acting Assistant Principal (2nd Chair)

Scott Tisdel, Associate Principal Emeritus

Madeleine Kabat

Peter Szczepanek

Peter J. Thomas

Adrien Zitoun

BASS

Jon McCullough-Benner, Principal, Donald B. Abert Bass Chair*

Andrew Raciti, Acting Principal

Nash Tomey, Acting Assistant Principal (2nd Chair)

Brittany Conrad

Teddy Gabrieledes**

Peter Hatch*

Paris Myers

HARP

Julia Coronelli, Principal, Walter Schroeder Harp Chair

FLUTE

Sonora Slocum, Principal, Margaret and Roy Butter Flute Chair

Heather Zinninger, Assistant Principal

Jennifer Bouton Schaub

PICCOLO

Jennifer Bouton Schaub

OBOE

Katherine Young Steele, Principal, Milwaukee Symphony League Oboe Chair

Kevin Pearl, Assistant Principal

Margaret Butler

ENGLISH HORN

Margaret Butler, Philip and Beatrice Blank English Horn Chair in memoriam to John Martin

CLARINET

Todd Levy, Principal, Franklyn Esenberg Clarinet Chair

Benjamin Adler, Assistant Principal, Donald and Ruth P. Taylor Assistant Principal Clarinet Chair*

Taylor Eiffert*

Madison Freed**

E-FLAT CLARINET

Benjamin Adler*

BASS CLARINET

Taylor Eiffert*

Madison Freed**

BASSOON

Catherine Van Handel, Principal, Muriel C. and John D. Silbar Family Bassoon Chair

Rudi Heinrich, Assistant Principal

Beth W. Giacobassi

CONTRABASSOON

Beth W. Giacobassi

HORN

Matthew Annin, Principal, Krause Family French Horn Chair

Krystof Pipal, Associate Principal

Dietrich Hemann, Andy Nunemaker French Horn Chair

Darcy Hamlin

Kelsey Williams**

TRUMPET

Matthew Ernst, Principal, Walter L. Robb Family Trumpet Chair

David Cohen, Associate Principal, Martin J. Krebs Associate Principal Trumpet Chair

TROMBONE

Megumi Kanda, Principal, Marjorie Tiefenthaler Trombone Chair

Kirk Ferguson, Assistant Principal

BASS TROMBONE

John Thevenet, Richard M. Kimball Bass Trombone Chair

TUBA

Robyn Black, Principal, John and Judith Simonitsch Tuba Chair

TIMPANI

Dean Borghesani, Principal

Chris Riggs, Assistant Principal

PERCUSSION

Robert Klieger, Principal Chris Riggs

PIANO

Melitta S. Pick Endowed Piano Chair

PERSONNEL MANAGER

Françoise Moquin, Director of Orchestra Personnel

LIBRARIAN

Paul Beck, Principal Librarian, Anonymous Donor, Principal Librarian Chair

Matthew Geise, Assistant Librarian and Media Archivist

PRODUCTION

Tristan Wallace, Production Manager/Live Audio

* Leave of absence 2023.24 season

** Acting member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra 2023.24 Season