FIND YOUR SERENITY AT THE SYMPHONY
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Do you find serenity at the symphony? Does a night at the symphony help you relax, recharge, and restore? Do you think of us as your symphony?
Whether you come for the escape, the inspiration, or simply the joy of experiencing something beautiful, we’re honored to be part of your life.
But there is a good chance you know people who don’t realize that this is the effect a symphony concert has on a person. Instead, they might think of themselves as just not being a “symphony person” or that they need some kind of insider knowledge about the music to enjoy it. I can understand why people think that, but I also think it is completely wrong!
So if you know someone who could use a little relaxing, recharging, or restoring, why not share with them why you go to symphony? Tell them what you experience at our concerts, and what makes a symphony night special to you. If you are like me, a symphony concert isn’t only about the music, it’s about what the music does to you and for you.
Terry Boyle | 617-821-7745 | tboyle@landvest.com
Joanna Dresser | 617-584-6855 | jdresser@landvest.com
Betsy Lawrence | 508-317-8669 | blawrence@landvest.com
Gretchen Almy | 508-889-2519 | galmy@landvest.com on the South Coast.
Boston HQ: 888 Boylston Street, Suite 520 | 617-723-1800 landvest.com
By sharing the serenity and inspiration you find at the New Bedford Symphony, you are helping people you care about and you will be helping us create an even more vibrant and connected symphony community.
We look forward to welcoming your friends and family into our musical family!
David M. Prentiss NBSO President and CEO
Yaniv Dinur is the winner of the 2019 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Fellow Award and Music Director of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. He is lauded for his insightful interpretations and unique ability to connect with concertgoers of all ages and backgrounds, from season subscribers to symphony newcomers.
Season 24/25 marks the beginning of Dinur’s third contract with New Bedford Symphony and his eighth season as music director. Under his leadership, the New Bedford Symphony has been nationally recognized for its bold, engaging programming and artistic quality, leading to the League of American Orchestras selecting the orchestra to perform at the 2021 League Conference. Dinur recently concluded a successful tenure as Resident Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, during which he conducted hundreds of concerts. Recognizing his leadership and impact, the Milwaukee Business Journal selected him as a 40 Under 40 honoree, an award for young professionals making a difference in the community.
Yaniv Dinur made his conducting debut at the age of 19 with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, which led to multiple return engagements. Since then, he has conducted orchestras around the world, including the Israel Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, Houston Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, New World Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Portugal Symphony Orchestra, Sofia Festival Orchestra/Bulgaria, State Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Torino Philharmonic, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Recent and upcoming guest conducting highlights include subscription debuts with the Rochester Philharmonic, Orchestra Filarmonica de Madrid, New Hampshire Music Festival, Boca Raton Music Festival, Edmonton Symphony, and Present Music in Milwaukee, and returns to the Milwaukee, Tulsa and Tallahassee Symphony Orchestras. Dinur has collaborated with world-renowned soloists such as Pinchas Zukerman, Yefim Bronfman, Itzhak Perlman, Karen Gomyo, Vadim Gluzman, and Augustin Hadelich.
Dinur is the winner of numerous awards, among them the 2017 and 2016 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Awards, 2nd Prize at the 2009 Mata International Conducting Competition in Mexico, and the Yuri Ahronovitch 1st Prize in the 2005 Aviv Conducting Competition in Israel. He is also a recipient of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and the Zubin Mehta Scholarship Endowment.
A passionate chamber music performer, Dinur is the founder and artistic director of the Winterlude chamber music series at the Villa Terrace Museum in Milwaukee, as well as the Milwaukee Summer Chamber Music Festival at the Charles Allis Art Museum, where he performs with musicians from the Milwaukee Symphony.
Born in Jerusalem, Dinur began studying the piano at the age of six with his aunt, Olga Shachar, and later with Prof. Alexander Tamir, Tatiana Alexanderov, Mark Dukelsky, and Edna Golandsky. He studied conducing in Israel with Dr. Evgeny Zirlin and Prof. Mendi Rodan, and holds a Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, where he was a student of Prof. Kenneth Kiesler.
Yaniv Dinur, Music Director
Music Director Sponsors: Allan and Priscilla Ditchfield, Susan and Dexter Mead
Violin I
Jesse Holstein, Concertmaster
Ethan Wood, Assistant Concertmaster
Dr. Clinton Levin Memorial Chair
Ealain McMullin
Bryce Martin
Jennifer Memoli
Kyra Davies
Melody Albanese Kelly
Linda Scenna*
Theo Ramsey
Emma K. Powell
Violin II
EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks, Principal
Geoff and Judy Swett Chair
David Rubin
Nozomi Murayama
Fariba Hunold
Raluca Dumitrache
Sophia Bernitz
Adam Jeffreys
Juiri Yu
Yeonji Shim
Open
Viola
Anna Griffis, Principal
George Grimshaw Memorial Chair
Chris Nunn
Elisa Birdseye
Rebecca Hallowell
Maureen Heflinger
Sofia Nikas
Sachin Shukla
Sam Kelder
Cello
Leo Eguchi, Principal
Patricia Plum Wylde Chair
Shay Rudolph*
Pamela M. Hoffer Memorial Chair, endowed in perpetuity
Peter Zay
Bonnie Harlow
Stefan Gabriel
Fabrizio Mazzetta
Backkyoung Cho
Claire Park
Bass
Pete Walsh, Principal
Irene Gudewicz Memorial Chair
Bebo Shiu
Nathan Varga
Kiefer Fuller
Luke Rogers
Flute
Timothy Macri, Principal
Josef N. Cobert Memorial Chair, endowed in perpetuity
Vanessa Holroyd
Heather Parsons and Andrew Kotsatos Chair, endowed in perpetuity
Oboe
Laura Shamu, Principal
Nancy and Jack Braitmayer Chair, endowed in perpetuity
Laura Pardee Schaefer
Kathy Wattles Chair
Clarinet
Nicholas Brown, Principal
Charles Parsons Memorial Chair
Margo McGowan
Bassoon
Michael Mechanic, Principal
Janet and Bill Coquillette Chair
Rachel Juszczak
Horn
Michael Bellofatto, Principal
Dorothy Malone and Rhoda Gayle Memorial Chair
Paulina Aguirre
Cile and Bill Hicks Chair, endowed in perpetuity
Nick Auer
Brianna Kirkland
Trumpet
Andrew Sorg, Principal
Kyle Spraker
Geoff Shamu
Trombone
Seth Budahl, Principal
Albert J. Lamoureux Memorial Chair
Robert Hoveland*
James Monaghan
Tuba Open
Timpani
Eric Huber, Principal
Ann and Hans Ziegler Chair, endowed in perpetuity
Percussion
Evan Glickman†, Principal
Dylan Barber
Harp
Maria Spraker
Keyboard
Pei-yeh Tsai, Principal
Sandra Bilodeau Chair
* On leave
Learning in Concert is an in-school partnership program with the NBSO and over forty local elementary schools. It uses a concept-based arts integration model where a musical concept is explored alongside other art and academic areas that authentically share the same concept. The Learning in Concert program is designed as a unified, comprehensive, three-phase curriculum project spanning an entire school year. The curriculum for the 2024-25 school year explores the concept of balance in orchestration and texture, and balance in the living parts of an ecosystem.
The Pre-K Music and Literacy program is a program based on the NBSO’s children’s book entitled, “A Concert at the Zoo” written by David MacKenzie, Dave Prentiss, and Terry Wolkowicz and illustrated by Olivia Coucci. Throughout the story, an animal name is linked to an instrument name that shares the same number of syllables and the same syllable stress patterns. Dr. MacKenzie composed a piece for Cello and Narrator that incorporates elements of word stress and intonation into the musical structure allowing the musical instrument to “speak” the text. During the classroom visits, the students practice speaking and drumming the animal/instrument rhythmic word patterns.
The NBSO also launched a new music program with the New Bedford High School Parenting Teens program where students met each week with Education Director Terry Wolkowicz to learn how to compose music that can be used for their child’s nightly bedtime routine.
The K-12 Music Keyword Equity Database is a new, free online database created for music educators to help them find music listening examples by BIPOC composers to be used in class. The database allows teachers to search using a specific music theory term, compositional technique, or musical element that is planned for an upcoming lesson. To learn more, or to explore the database yourself, visit www.equity.nbsymphony.org.
The Southeastern Massachusetts Youth Orchestras (SEMAYO) provide orchestral training and performance opportunities for young musicians up to age 21 in an educational environment in which they learn from professional musicians and one another.
Finally, the NBSO is continuing with its Pathway to Performance program where New Bedford Public School students receive scholarships to fund weekly, free, private music lessons.
The NBSO expresses its deep appreciation to all who support our concerts, educational programs and community outreach. Donations of $100 or more received between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024 are listed below.
$100,000+
Dr. Roger Allen
Anonymous
$25,000+
Nancy Braitmayer
Howard and Fredericka Stevenson
$10,000+
Baldwin Wealth Partners
Tom Barry and Nancy Shanik
Cile and Bill Hicks
Wendy and Ken Joblon
Sara H. Johnston
Andy Kotsatos and Heather Parsons
Susan and Dexter Mead
Sandria Parsons
Geoff and Judy Swett
Ann and Hans Ziegler
A Friend of NBSO
$5,000+
Bristol County Savings Bank
Concerts at the Point
Janet and Bill Coquillette
Ralph Eustis, in memory of Merry Eustis
Drs. James T. Griffith and Susan J. Leclair
Dr. Edward Hoffer and Madeleine
Deschamps Hoffer
Lilian Kemp and David Marks
Paul and Denise Lamoureux
Wayne Matelski
Diana Nichols
Harry and Pam Norweb
Jane and Neil Pappalardo
Margaret-Ann Rice, in memory of Clifton V. Rice
Barry and Meg Steinberg
Margot Stone
Vineyard Wind
Richard and Patricia Wecker
Anonymous
$2,500+
Albert Fox Facial Plastic Surgery Center
Joel and Lisa Alvord
Christina Bascom
Jan and Chuck Bichsel
Sandra Bilodeau
Mary Jean and Bill Blasdale
Lizanne and Malcolm Campbell, in honor of Yaniv Dinur and the wonderful NBSO musicians
Gail Davidson
Helen DeGroot
Michael Esposito and Cynthia Redel
Fiber Optic Center, Inc.
Suzanne and George Gebelein
Richard and Sharon Grahn
Hawthorn Medical Associates
Maryellen and James S. Hughes
Trudy Kingery
LandVest
Frances Levin
Michael Malone and Debra Gayle
Susan Eldredge Mead
Ed Ottensmeyer and Anne Donnellon
Richard Pline and Roseann Radosevich
Karen and Jim Prieur
Mr. and Mrs. Terry Reideler
Margot and Mark Schmid
Jamey and Laura Shachoy
Shepard Turf Management, Inc.
Rachael Kolb and Thomas Stritter
The Symphony Shop
The Tow Foundation Inc., in honor of David Tobias
Whaling City Sound
Drs. Laima and Bert Zarins
Anonymous
$1,000+
Milton and Marilyn Adams
Pat and John Baillieul
Hope Lincoln Baker
Douglas Balder and Joan DeCollibus
Michael and Margie Baldwin
David and Laurie Barrett
Bianca and Michael Bator
Ana and Dudley Bauerlein
Charlotte Berman
Ellen and Tom Bowler
Edward C. and Elizabeth H. Brainard
Irene and Norman Buck
Betty Ann and Jack Cannell
David Cole and Betty Slade, in memory of Robert Harding
Sheila Powers Converse
Dwight and Loretto Crane
Douglas and Cindy Crocker
James and Edwina Cronin
Wendy and Ray Cullum
Andrea and Emmanuel Daskalakis
Michael K. Davis
John and Zelinda Douhan
Jeffrey Dover and Tania Phillips
Jeffrey Dover and Tania Phillips, in honor of Ed Ottensmeyer and Anne Donnellon
Breck and Jeanne Eagle
Randall Elgin and Mark Whalen
Tom and Barbara Farquhar
Rebecca Welch Foley
Jim and Margaret Forbush
Drs. Albert and Cynthia Fox
Elsie R. Fraga
John Paul Garber and Katri M. Huypaä-Garber
The Gladstone Family Fund
Marjorie and Nick Greville
Philip Guymont and Susan McLaren
Tom and Ava Hallam
Maryann Hayes
Jack and Leslie Howard
Heidi and Arthur Huguley
Gary P. Johnson and Luana Josvold
Nan Johnson and Alan Minard
David and Jen Kaiser
Betsy and Rusty Kellogg
Diane and Peter Lafond
Dr. Raina and Stephen Lamade
Scott and Monica Laurans
Sarah Lederman
Ken Lipman
John and Doris Ludes
Holly and Joe McDonough
Joe Nauman
Connie Nelson
John Newton and Janice Weber
Donald and Genie Rice
Kitt and Heather Sawitsky
Robert B. Smith
Southcoast Health
Jane Ross Stankiewicz and Mark Southworth
C. Winfield and Winifred B. Swarr
Richard Tabors and Mary Ellen Lees
In memory of Joan Underwood
Rhonda and Roy Veugen
Henry and Marion Wainer, in honor of Terry Wolkowicz
Marge Waite and Neal Weiss
John and Mallory Waterman
Kathy Wattles
R. Davis Webb, Jr. and Jennifer W. Webb
Janet Whitla
Vincent Mor and Margaret S. Wool
A supporter of NBSO
$500+
Virginia and Myles Boone
Bruce Brown, in memory of Dr. Charles Parsons
Dr. Peter Campisano and Joyce Tower
Russell and Lorraine Carey
Gloria Clark
Robert Darnton
Bob and Sue Daylor
Robert and Patricia DeAngelis
Kathy Dinneen
Roy and Arline Enoksen
Janet and Bob Feingold
Marie L. Fontaine
Drs. James T Griffith and Susan J Leclair, in memory of Ruth Prentiss
Jim Harrison
Nicholas and Susan Iwanisziw
Fran and Will Keene
Edith Lauderdale
John and Victor Pinheiro - Luzo Auto Center
Jean MacCormack
Lloyd and Ann Macdonald
Marilyn and Raymond Melanson
Morningstar Family
Carolyn Osteen
Anne Donnellon and Ed Ottensmeyer, in honor of Janice Weber
Geraldine Perry-Lopes
William Prescott
Cecilia and Chris Ross
Christopher Saulnier, in honor of Margo Saulnier
Susan C. Schenker Family Charitable Giving Fund
Charlotte D. Smith
John and Eileen Sorrentino
Alan Steinert, Jr.
Elaine and Geoff Swaebe
William Tifft and Ellen Bruzelius
Bob Trahan and Denyse Conrad
Anna Whitcomb and Samuel Knight
Anne Whitney
Robin Worcester
Grace and David Wyss
Anonymous, in memory of Anna L. Tracey and Annabelle Thielman
$250+
Chris and Trish Arnold
Peg Bacon
Joel Brenner and Victoria Pope
Camilla Brooks and Margaret Egan
Dan and Jennifer Bungert
Dan Calano and Kate Thompson
Ms. Janice Z. Clark
Patricia and Peter Dean
Tommie and Jack Desmond
Kate and David Fentress
Anne and John Gorczyca
Jane B. Goulet
John and Gretchen Graef
Patricia and Duncan Gratton
Kevin Halligan and Sheilah Sullivan
Sandra S. Hewitt
Lesley Hill and Alan Stone
Mark and Nancy Keighley
The Kemp Family, in memory of Dr. Charles Parsons
Mary Ellen Kennedy
Audrey G. Knapp
Edward and Nancy Kurtz
Mr. and Mrs. Scott Lang
Sasha Lauterbach and Peter Sturges, in honor of Sally Johnston
Elizabeth Lufkin
Robert and Carolyn Lytle
Christopher Makepeace and Marilyn Whalley
Hank Mastey
Carolee Matsumoto and David Gilbertson
Freddy and Alex McFerran
William and Beth Miller
Ed and Anne Motley
Jayne Abbott Mucciarone
Michael and Margaret Nash
Norma M. Olivier
Maura and Brian Packham, in honor of Yaniv Dinur
Gisele Pappas
Susan and Daniel Perry
Larry and Jackie Philla
Steven and Debra Pickup
Kathy Reed
Michael Rocha, MD
The Selley Family
Ann Silva
Louis and Arlene Silverstein
Paul and Karen Snyder
Judith and Kristian Stoltenberg
Nicholas and Deborah Sullivan
June and William Swanson
Sarah Bucknell Treco
Rillis Watkins
John and Virginia Wilkens
Diana M. Worley
Anonymous fund at The Rhode Island Foundation
$100+
Meg and Bob Ackerman
Thomas Anders and Constance Bowe
Dana Anderson
Taylor Baldwin
Carol and Brien Barnewolt
Tessa and Jack Belkin
Arthur Bennett
Christina and Ron Biron
Nina Blumenthal and Scott Corin
John and Jennifer Brindisi
Deborah Persons Brooke
Carol Brown
Mr. and Mrs. John Bullard
Patricia and Richard Burke
Virginia Callas
Charles F. Carlstrom
Chi Hau Chen
Jessica Chester
Thomas Ciesielka and Christine Hoh
Bob Clancy and Kathi Rogers
Bill Clements
Penny Cole
Nelson Coluzzi
Natalie Costa-Marron, in memory of Vincent Marron
Chuck Cotter and Marilyn Saint-Aubin
Michael Couture and Diane
Brown-Couture
Michael and Jennifer Coye
David Croteau
Bob and Vickie Cunningham
Judith Davis
Mark and Rhonda Dearing
Arthur M. Deascentis
John DeSimas
Karl and Sheila Dlugosinski
John and Mary Beth Dowd
Don and Jane Dufault
Ben Dunham and Wendy RolfeDunham
Al Easterday
Anne Eisenmenger and Patrick Lester
Tobey Eugenio
Elizabeth S. Eustis
Kathy and Jim Feeney
Feingold Bonnet-Hébert, P.C., in memory of Clifton V. Rice
Linda and Peter Fenton
Sandra Ford
Angela and Dennis Fusco
Ms. Lavinia Gadsden
Jody and David Gastfriend
Gordon W. Goodfellow
Paul and Carole Griffith
Sissy and Mike Halter
Ann M. Harris
Helena and Ken Hartnett
Luther Damon Howard III
Eric and Jaime Huber
J. Indomenico
Elizabeth Isherwood-Moore
Marsha Jackson, in memory of Myra Bensen
Ilene and Richard Jacobs
Anne and David Jarvis
Margaret and Derrick Jones
Barbara and Ron Kaplan
Peter Kaplan, in honor of Barbara Kaplan
Henry and Andrea Keene
John D. Kelleher and Viki A. Fowler
Nora and Claire Kelly
Roberta and Kevin Kennedy
Nancy Knutsen
Michael and Susan Kramer
Ronni Krasny
Rob and Beth Ladd
Elizabeth M. Lafleur
Paul and Denise Lamoureux, in memory of Ruth Prentiss
Catherine and Henry Lanier
Raymond Lantz
Chris and Cynthia Latham
Margaret and Frederick Law
Douglas and Elizabeth Leatham
Joyce LeBlanc
Deborah Lee
Martin Lipman and Barbara Pearl
Michael and Beth Luey
Judith N. Lund
Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. MacGregor
Stephen Swain and Barbara Maddocks
Bettina Borders and Victor Mailey
Mary Mandeville
Gayle Mandle
Joan B. May
Peggy McDonough
Marlene R. Meyer, in memory of Sr.
Dorothy Donovan, O.S.F.
Anne Mozzone
Robin Muise, in memory of Peter J. Muise
Regina M. Mullen
James Murray
Betts and Wisner Murray
Tony and Carol Oliva
Bruce J and Pamela Oliveira
Margaret Olney
Thomas and Alice Openshaw
Teresa and Maurice Ouellette
Hripsime Parsekian
James Perry
Gil Perry and Donna Sachs
Winifred S. Phyfe
John and Emily Pinheiro
Susan Portnoy and Family, in memory of Dr. Bernard Portnoy
Jane and Dennis Pucello
Branden Quental
Karen Quigley and Russell Hensel
Tara Rajaniemi and Elliott Talley
Paula Rego
Nancy and Tom Revene
Edward and Cynthia Ritter
Cecilia Roberts
Mr. Michael Rogovsky - Artist
Cecilia and Chris Ross
Marion Salm
Edward Sefranka and George Tinkham
Joanne Seymour and Brian Ruh
Caroline Shamu and Peter Sorger
Larry and Louise Shwartz
Mark and Janet Silverman
Paula and Michael Sitarz
Christopher and Marlene Smith
Anne Morton Smith
Conee Sousa
Conee Sousa, in memory of Dolores
Sousa
Joseph and MaryAnne Sousa, in memory of Dolores Sousa
Sally Spooner
Robert and Judith Sterns, in honor of the birthday of Frances Levin
Margot Stone, in memory of Ruth Prentiss
Sylvia and Eiv Strand
Mary and Christopher Strasser
June Strunk
Law Offices of Jane E. Sullivan
Suzanne Sullivan
David and Jan Tatelbaum
John Temple and Ann Miller
Mary L. Tomlinson
Bob Unger and Barbara LeBlanc
Sarah Van Vleck
Michael and Blair Walker
Ellen and Larry Walsh
Sara D. Waters
Ken Weber
Philip and Bailey Whitbeck
Ronald and Sylvia White
Dr. Natalia Whitley and Raymond Whitley
A Grateful Fan
Anonymous
Anonymous, in memory of Leonard Poyant
Leaving a Legacy
Dr. Roger Allen
Allan and Priscilla Ditchfield
Michael Esposito and Cynthia Redel
Dorthy A. Hebden-Heath
Paul and Denise Lamoureux
Sandria Parsons
Janet Whitla
Foundations
Association for the Relief of Aged Women
Patricia Plum Wylde
Anonymous
Business Partnerships
Albert Fox Facial Plastic Surgery Center
Baldwin Brothers
Bristol County Savings Bank
Diana Henry Realty
Fiber Optic Center, Inc.
Hawthorn Medical Associates
Howe Allen Realty
LandVest
Minuteman Press On the Go
Servedwell Hospitality
Shepard Turf Management, Inc.
South Coast Almanac
Sylvia Group of Insurance Agencies
The Symphony Music Shop
Tri-County Music Association
Vineyard Wind
Whaling City Sound
Your Theater
Barr Foundation and The Klarman Family Foundation through the Barr-Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative
BayCoast Bank
The Howard Bayne Fund
The Carney Family Charitable Foundation
Enable Hope Foundation
Grimshaw-Gudewicz Charitable Foundation
Island Foundation, Inc.
Leonard and Hilda Kaplan Charitable Foundation
The Markel Family Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh
Massachusetts Cultural Council
The Nelson Mead Fund
New Bedford Day Nursery Fund
Special Support
Acushnet Foundation Fund, Creative SouthCoast Initiative, The Allan and Priscilla Ditchfield Fund, Stasia Gorczyca Endowment Fund for the New Bedford Symphony, Henry H. Crapo Fund, Jacobs Family Donor Advised Fund, The Wintrub and Barton Family Fund
Learning in Concert program support provided by Concerts at the Point for Fall River, Westport, and Tiverton elementary schools, and by Up with Schools Arts for Little Compton and New Bedford private schools. Educational program support is provided in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Board of Trustees
Sandria R. Parsons, Chair
Geoff Swett, Treasurer
Prof. Susan J. Leclair, Clerk
Jan Bichsel
Janet Coquillette
Robert B. Feingold, Esq.
Albert J. Fox, MD
Kevin Hamilton
Eric Huber
Symphony Volunteers
Barbara Bell
Bianca Bator
Virginia Callas
Helen Comeau
Maria Dickinson
Karen Gardner
Jane Goulet
Jeannie Gulbranson
Pam Hagberg
Kathy Johnson
Margaret Jones
Andrea Marcovici
Raina V. Lamade
Paul A. Lamoureux
Alvin Marcovici, MD
Susan Mead
Jennifer Memoli
Edward Ottensmeyer
Barry Steinberg
Margot Stone
Alexandra Woodruff
Advisory Council
Talbot Baker Jr.
Andrea Daskalakis
Priscilla Ditchfield
Michael A. Esposito
Richard & Sharon Grahn
Thomas W.Hallam II
Dorothy A. Hebden-Heath
Sally Johnston
Andy Kotsatos
Symphony Staff
Philip Lima
Michael P. Malone
Pamela Norweb
Margot Schmid
Michael Sudofsky
Marjorie Waite
Janet Whitla
Ann Ziegler
In anticipation of his 100th birthday in October, 2024, vibraphonist, bandleader and composer Terry Gibbs decided to give his fans and anyone else who wants to listen, a fantastic present. It is a newly unearthed recording called Vol 7: The Lost Tapes, 1959 by the Terry Gibbs Dream Band
“ This was a band of 16 guys who were in the prime of their musical lives, all of us in our early thirties They were loving this chance to play music that made them feel as good as the audience felt,” said Terry in July, 2024. All of that energy comes through on this recording. Terry adds, "You will feel like you are sitting in the front row of the club."
Warning: This recording should be played loud on a good sound system.
whaling city sound
Barbara Mitchell
Pal Moniz
Symphony Soirée Committee
Gina Boone
Marlissa Briggett
Deb Hanley
Nan Johnson
Sally Johnston
Jordan Latham
Susan Mead
Pam Norweb
Sandria Parsons
Jane Stankiewicz
Margot Stone
Ann Ziegler
Anne Mozzone
Marianne Mueller
Susana Pacheco
Madeline Reid
Judy Robinson
Marion Salm
Pat Stringer
Louise Travers
Barbara Van Inwegen
Marge Waite
Joanna McQuillan Weeks
Ray Whitley
Anne Whitney
Spencer Aston, Youth Orchestra Senior Conductor
Elisa Birdseye, Librarian
Mike Daniels, Youth Orchestra Coordinator
Matthew Gomes, Finance Director
Wesley Hopper, Personnel Manager
Adam Jeffreys, Education Specialist
Roberta Kennedy, Director of Concert Operations
David M. Prentiss, President and CEO
Abigail Smith, Operations and Program Coordinator
Conee Sousa, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Rhonda Veugen, Director of Philanthropic Engagement
Janice Weber, SCCMS Artistic Director
Terry Wolkowicz, Education Director
Production Services
Amanda Quintin Design, Print Design
Minuteman Press of New Bedford, Printing Services
Richard Van Inwegen, Photography
Sound Dynamics Associates, Audio Recording
Spectrum Marketing Group, Website Design
Strengthening your Orchestra’s Future
Leaving a bequest or other planned gift is a meaningful way to show your support and commitment to the future of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and its ability to bring live orchestral music and music education to audiences and families throughout the Southcoast. The process is simple, but the impact will be felt for generations to come.
If you have included NBSO in your estate plans or would like to discuss or learn more about gift planning, please contact Rhonda Veugen, Director of Philanthropic Engagement at rveugen@nbsymphony.org or call 508.999.6276 x225.
The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra would like to thank and recognize those who have graciously committed to Leaving a Legacy and investing in our future with a planned gift.
Dr. Roger H. Allen Children’s Education Programs Fund, Allan and Priscilla Ditchfield, Michael Esposito and Cynthia Redel, Dorthy A. Hebden-Heath, Paul and Denise Lamoureux, Sandria Parsons, Janet Whitla, Patricia Plum Wylde, Anonymous
The Endowment Funds of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, which include the Symphony 100 Fund and the David MacKenzie Fund for Music, provide the critical support we need today, and in the years ahead, to sustain a high quality of concerts and educational programs. Thank you to the following individuals for their generous support.
$1,000,000
Gidwitz Endowment Fund for the Future
$250,000+
Patricia Plum Wylde
Anonymous
$100,000 – $249,999
John and Nancy Braitmayer
Milan Heath Memorial Fund
Ann and Hans Ziegler
Anonymous
$50,000 – $99,999
Lucile and William Hicks
Pamela M Hoffer Memorial Chair
Heather Parsons and Andrew Kotsatos
The Parsons Family Education Fund
$25,000 – $49,999
Michael and Margherita Baldwin
The Shulamith Friedland Memorial Fund
Paul and Denise Lamoureux
Anonymous
$10,000 – $24,999
The Barbara and Hershel Alpert Fund for Music Education
Jim and Carol Dildine
The Frauwirth Music for Youth Fund
Prof. James T. Griffith and Prof. Susan J. Leclair
Ellen Hocker
Nan Johnson and Alan Minard
The Lillian Lamoureux Music Scholarship Fund
Susan and Dexter Mead
Barry and Meg Steinberg
Geoff and Judy Swett
Anonymous
$5,000 – $9,999
Robert Booth
Gertrude Trumbull Burr
Allan and Priscilla Ditchfield
Michael Esposito and Cynthia Redel
Drs. Cynthia and Albert Fox
Norman J. and Maryellen Shachoy
Dean and Janet Whitla
Terry and Chris Wolkowicz
Chamber Music Fund
The Gladstone Family Fund
John Newton and Janice Weber
Ed Ottensmeyer and Anne Donnellon
Sandria Parsons
Margaret-Ann Rice
Richard and Patricia Wecker
Patricia Plum Wylde
Ann and Hans Ziegler
Furtado Family Scholarship Fund
Raymond and Marilyn Melanson
Kristian and Judith Stoltenberg
To make an endowment gift or for information about endowment naming opportunities please contact us at 508-999-6276 or development@nbsymphony.org.
To donate to the Furtado Family Scholarship Fund, contact the NBSO at 508-999-6276.
For nearly sixty years, members of the Furtado family have made music with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. During that time, their talent and passion for music have made a major contribution to the growth and impact of the NBSO in the community. Moreover, as teachers they have shared that talent and passion with countless students throughout the South Coast, enriching the lives of those students and our community as a whole.
In recent years, four members of the family—Judith Stoltenberg, Teresa Ouellette, Susan Bouley, and Marilyn Melanson—played in the orchestra. Upon the completion of the 2017-18 season, they informed the NBSO that it was time to bring this amazing musical run to a close and retire from the orchestra.
But a musical legacy like that of the Furtado family can never really “retire.” To recognize this and to thank the Furtado family for all it has done for the NBSO and the music community of the South Coast, the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra is very pleased to announce that it has established the Furtado Family Scholarship. This scholarship, which will provide financial aid to students in the NBSO’s youth orchestra programs, will be just one of the many ways that the Furtado family’s legacy of making music and bringing the joy of music to others will always be a part of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and the South Coast community.
“Welcome to another season of superb chamber music performed by artists of the NBSO. This year baritone Philip Lima joins us for an adventurous vocal program; clarinetist Nicholas Brown interprets trios of Brahms and Khachaturian; and maestro Yaniv Dinur lends his virtuosity to the Brahms Piano Quintet. Throughout the season, masterworks traversing three centuries disport with an eclectic array of works that lift the spirit while pleasing the senses and teasing the intellect. With special gratitude to Patty Plum Wylde for her sponsorship of our opening concert, we look forward to embarking on another superb journey with you, our steadfast supporters. Thank you so very much!”
October 12 & 13, 3 PM
Special Performance: October 11, 7 PM
New Bedford Whaling Museum
A DAZZLING VOCAL JOURNEY Featuring Philip Lima, baritone
TRIO NOVEMBER 30 & DECEMBER 1
THREE AWESOME TRIOS
FEBRUARY 1 & 2
TWIN METEORS AND A TWINKLING STAR
ELAN MARCH 29 & 30
ELEGANCE, INTELLECT, SURPRISE, DELIGHT
MAY 3 & 4
MAGIC POTIONS
Saturday Concerts: 3:00 PM
St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church | 124 Front Street, Marion
Sunday Concerts: 3:00 PM
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church | 351 Elm Street, South Dartmouth
Individual Concert Tickets: $25
Save 20% by subscribing to all 5 concerts for just $100!
Visit nbsymphony.org or call the NBSO office: 508-999-6276 ext. 222
Spencer Aston, Senior Conductor
2024–2025 Concert Schedule:
Sunday, November 24, 2023 | 3:00 PM Sunday, December 15, 2023 | with NBSO, 3:30 & 7:00 PM Sunday, March 2, 2024 | 3:00 PM Sunday, May 19, 2024 | 3:00 PM
The Southeastern Massachusetts Youth Orchestras bring together talented young musicians from across the Southeastern Massachusetts region to participate in an educational and artistic experience in a full orchestra setting. Membership in the Southeastern Massachusetts Youth Orchestras is open to students of grade school age through age 21.
Rehearsals take place at the College of Visual and Performing Arts, UMass Dartmouth.
Consider attending our fourth annual SEMAYO Summer Camp, July 2025! New members are always welcome and all students are accepted after a placement audition.
For
and
visit
or email youth@nbsymphony.org
The NBSO partners with local organizations, agencies, and regional music organizations to create experiences that connect people of all ages and cultures. Examples include:
AHA! New Bedford
Alma del Mar Charter School
ArtNet
Association for the Relief of Aged Women
Buttonwood Park Zoo
Buy Black NB
Buzzards Bay Brewing
Cape Verdean Association in New Bedford
Co-Creative Center
Dartmouth Public Libraries
Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust
DATMA
Discovery Language Academy
Gomes Elementary School English Language
Learners Parents Council
Greater New Bedford Youth Alliance
Groundwork
Haskell Gardens
New Bedford Historical Society
New Bedford Parks and Recreation
New Bedford Public Schools
NB Roots & Branches
New Bedford Whaling Museum
Our Sister Schoool
Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Gardens Museum
Taunton River Watershed Alliance
The Drawing Room
Third EyE Youth Empowerment
United Way Foster Parents Council
Youth Opportunities Unlimited
Community of Music
The NBSO is also committed to sharing information about upcoming concerts by our Musical South Coast colleagues. (All local music organizations are welcome to contact us to be included!)
Arts in the Village
Buzzards Bay Musicfest
Concerts at the Point
Delight Consort
Fall River Symphony
Greater New Bedford Choral Society
Music
Music from Land’s End
Seaglass Theater Company
Showstoppers
Sippican Choral Society
South Coast Children’s Chorus
Southeastern Massachusetts Festival Chorus
Tri-County Symphonic Band
Zeiterion Performing Arts
We believe that music should be accessible to everyone.
Since 1915, YOUR New Bedford Symphony Orchestra has been making powerful connections throughout the Southcoast. In addition to the magic we bring to the stage, the NBSO provides life-changing music programs to over 8,000 children a year.
This is exactly what you will see and hear in a new video highlighting NBSO’s mission and our impact in the community.
Each and every dollar donated makes a difference and helps us create incredible musical performances, provide free community concerts for families and develop new educational programs, inspiring creativity, expression and joy.
Join us. Spread the word. Make a donation. 100% of every gift goes directly to preserving and promoting the love of music and musicians and passing it on to the next generation.
Music. Education. Community… WE ARE YOUR SYMPHONY!
Thank you for your support!
SATURDAY . JAN 18 . 7:30PM
BRONSPIEGEL AUDITORIUM, NEW BEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL
Legend of Zelda | Shuki Levy
Starfield (Main Title) | Inon Zur
Theme from Fallout 4 | Inon Zur
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Main Theme
Hans Zimmer
Return Fire (Ride of the Valkyries) | Richard Wagner
Cyberpunk 2077 (Clair de Lune) | Claude Debussy
Gerda: A Flame in Winter (Die Meistersinger Overture)
Richard Wagner
INTERMISSION
Super Mario Bros. (Main Theme) | Koji Kondo
Dragonborn - Skyrim Theme | Jeremy Soule
Music from Minecraft | Daniel Rosenfeld
An Early Harvest (From Everyon’s Gone to the Rapture)
Jessica Curry
Saint Row IV & Forza Horizon 3 (Ode to Joy from Symphony No. 9) | Ludwig Beethoven
Fortnite (Main Title) | Rom Di Prisco
Please remember to turn off anything that beeps or glows. As a courtesy to the performers and your fellow concertgoers, no flash photography.
SATURDAY . FEB 15 . 7:30PM
BRONSPIEGEL AUDITORIUM, NEW BEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL
Yaniv Dinur, conductor
Bella Hristova, violin
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy – Overture
David Ludwig: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
I. Dances
II. Ceremony
III. Festival
The performance by Bella Hristova is supported by a generous gift from Wendy and Ken Joblon.
INTERMISSION
Manuel de Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat, Suite No. 1
Introduction
Afternoon
Dance of the Miller’s Wife
The Corregidor
The Grapes
Alexander Scriabin: Poem of Ecstasy, Op. 54
Concert Sponsor:
Please remember to turn off anything that beeps or glows. As a courtesy to the performers and your fellow concertgoers, no flash photography.
– John A. Logan
Bulgarian-American violinist Bella Hristova has won international acclaim for her “expressive nuance and rich tone” (New York Times) and “impressive power and control” (Washington Post). An Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, she has also won First Prize in the Michael Hill International Violin Competition, First Prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and Laureate of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.
Bella has performed extensively as a soloist with orchestras in North and South America, Asia, Europe, and New Zealand. In addition to her many appearances with orchestras, Bella has performed recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and performs frequently with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Following multiple tours of New Zealand with renowned pianist Michael Houstoun, the pair have recorded the complete Beethoven and Brahms violin sonatas. A champion of music by living composers, Bella Hristova has commissioned composers including Joan Tower and Nokuthula Ngwenyama. In 2016, Bella was the featured soloist for a consortium of eight major orchestras for a new concerto commission written for her by her husband, acclaimed composer David Serkin Ludwig. The world premiere recording of the concerto was recently released with JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
508-996-3991 | hawthornmed.com
Dartmouth | New Bedford | Wareham | Fall River
ADULT MEDICINE
ALLERGY/IMMUNOLOGY
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
CARDIOLOGY
DERMATOLOGY
ENDOCRINOLOGY
FAMILY MEDICINE
GASTROENTEROLOGY
GENERAL SURGERY
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
NEPHROLOGY
NEUROLOGY
NEUROSURGERY
OBSTETRICS/GYNECOLOGY
ONCOLOGY/HEMATOLOGY
ORTHOPEDICS
OTOLARYNGOLOGY
PAIN MANAGEMENT
PEDIATRICS
PULMONOLOGY
RHEUMATOLOGY
URGENT CARE
UROLOGY
VASCULAR SURGERY
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Bella began violin studies at the age of six in her native Bulgaria. She later studied with Ida Kavafian at the Curtis Institute of Music, and Jaime Laredo at Indiana University. She plays on a 1655 Amati violin and lives in New York City with her husband David and their four beloved (but poorly behaved) cats.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian composer, 1840-1893)
Estimated length: 20 minutes
In 1869, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, then a music professor at the Moscow Conservatory, met and fell in love with a young violin student, Eduard Zak. The two maintained a passionate affair for the next four years, until Zak’s suicide at age 19. Tchaikovsky’s love for Zak never wavered; 14 years after the boy’s death, Tchaikovsky wrote in his diary, “The sound of his voice, the way he moved, but above all the way he used to look at me … The death of this boy, the fact that he no longer exists, is beyond my understanding. I believe I have never loved anyone as much as he … his memory is sacred to me.”
A year earlier, Tchaikovsky had made the acquaintance of Mily Balakirev, the leader of “The Mighty Five,” a group of Russian composers that also included Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Although Tchaikovsky chafed at what he termed Balakirev’s stubbornness and “narrowness of view,” he nonetheless valued the older composer’s opinion. Balakirev suggested Tchaikovsky write an overture to Romeo and Juliet, and also provided a detailed outline of the musical program, complete with suitable keys. For his part, Tchaikovsky was drawn to the story of Romeo and Juliet, which reminded him in some ways of his affair with Zak, particularly its heartbreaking conclusion.
The title Fantasy Overture is significant: rather than portray the specific storyline, Tchaikovsky created a musical dream incorporating the primary themes of love and conflict. The ferocity of the warring Montagues and Capulets, and Romeo and Juliet’s famous love theme are woven into a colorful tapestry. Romeo and Juliet became the perfect vehicle for Tchaikovsky to express his enduring love for Zak.
Popularity can be a mixed blessing. Over time, the famous love theme has suffered from overexposure. For some, it has become an unfortunate cliché, spawning endless parodies in popular culture, from commercials and the James Bond film Moonraker to SpongeBob SquarePants and South Park. It can be difficult for today’s audiences to hear this music unironically, but in the context of the complete overture, this lush, intensely emotional theme works effectively as a powerful illustration of an all-consuming, star-crossed passion.
“Admissions”
David Ludwig (American composer, b. 1974)
Estimated length: 22 minutes
Award-winning composer/pianist David Ludwig maintains an active and diverse career collaborating with many of today’s leading soloists, ensembles, filmmakers, choreographers, and writers. An accomplished artist who has achieved recognition in a wide range of media, Ludwig has been described as “a composer with something urgent to say” (Philadelphia Inquirer) whose music is “arresting and dramatically hued” (The New York Times) and “supercharged with electrical energy and raw emotion” (Fanfare Magazine).
Ludwig has received many prestigious awards and honors, including the 2022 Stoeger Prize given by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the largest chamber music award of its kind. After serving on the composition faculty of The Curtis Institute of Music for nearly two decades, Ludwig was appointed Dean and Director of Music at the Juilliard School in 2021.
“I started working on my violin concerto right around the time I got married to Bella Hristova,” Ludwig writes, “who (without coincidence) is the violinist I wrote the piece for. I only know of a few concertos written by composers for first performances by their spouses, and I don’t know of any that are motivated by the idea of marriage itself, as this one is. My concerto comes with musical references to partnership, empathy, and communion, as it imagines the before, during, and after a traditional wedding ceremony.
“Even though the violin concerto doesn’t tell a specific story, I couldn’t help but write something personal. Both of our backgrounds are Eastern European, and the piece is full of dance music from that part of the world, including several dances from her native Bulgaria. And like me, Bella comes from a musical family, including her father, Yuri Chichkov, whom she never got a chance to meet before he passed away while she was still a child. Chichkov was a wonderful and well-known Russian composer, who himself wrote a violin concerto. After a year of hunting, I tracked down that concerto and quoted from his second movement at a place in my own second movement – as a way to include him in our marriage. There are lots of other quotes in the piece, but that one is the most significant to me.
“Ken
“The first movement ‘Dances’ begins with a loud crash – a jarring but transformative start to something new that transitions into a waltz-like music soon after. All told there are four dances in the first movement, connected by a cadenza and concluded by a Rachenitsa [Bulgarian folk dance in 7/8 time]. The second movement ‘Ceremony’ follows the progression of the wedding ritual. A slow unraveling processional is woven throughout the fabric of this movement, ending in musical rings created by the rise and fall of the violin against solo instruments in the orchestra. The third movement ‘The Festival’ is my version of a Krivo Horo or ‘Crooked Dance’ that captures the way people attempt to walk home after a great party. The music is celebratory to the end, reflecting the coming together of a community inspired by two people promised to preserve each other’s well-being for the rest of their lives.”
Manuel de Falla (Argentinian composer, 1876-1946)
Estimated length: 12 minutes
In 1916, impresario Serge Diaghilev brought his Ballets Russes to Spain for the first time. While there, he approached Manuel de Falla about collaborating on a Spanish-themed ballet. They decided to create an expanded version of de Falla’s earlier work, a pantomime called El corregidor y la molinera (The Magistrate and the Miller’s Wife).
At the premiere, reviewers praised the ballet for its “spirit, character and temperament,” and hailed de Falla’s score “as national in form and character as anything well could be.” Other critics praised de Falla for incorporating “for the first time in Spanish music an [essentially Spanish] sense of humor,” and “a Spanish outlook on [folklore] and…music in general.” De Falla believed folklore should be an inspiration, but not the sole basis for a work: “Music’s essential elements, its sources of inspiration, lie in the nations, in the peoples,” he said. “I am opposed to music founded upon authentic folkloristic documents. On the contrary, it seems to me that the composer must draw sounds and rhythm from natural, living sources and use them according to their substance, rather than in their superficial offerings.”
Suite I begins with an announcement from the timpani, then transitions into the first scene. On a warm afternoon, the miller and his wife Frasquita try to teach a blackbird how to sound the hours (winds shrill various birdcalls); Frasquita eventually succeeds. She then performs a flirtatious fandango with a heavily Spanish flavor, pretending not to notice the passing magistrate’s lecherous gaze. She teases him, offering him grapes while keeping them just out of reach. As he lurches for the elusive grapes, the clumsy magistrate stumbles and falls. The miller and Frasquita help the magistrate to his feet, pretending to fuss over him. The magistrate, realizing they are making fun of him, leaves in a huff, while Frasquita and her husband reprise the sexy fandango
Alexander Scriabin (Russian composer, 1871-1915)
Estimated length: 22 minutes
Alexander Scriabin died before he could fully express the musical and philosophical ideas that consumed his creative imagination. His mystical, enigmatic style eludes easy categorization, and his interests in philosophy and theosophy (defined by the Concise Oxford Dictionary as “any of various philosophies professing to achieve a knowledge of God by spiritual ecstasy, direct intuition or special individual revelation”) directed all his creative endeavors in later life. Musicologist Gerard McBurney points out Scriabin’s interest in Orientalist philosophies and religions: “He was very much influenced by the new vogue for spiritualisms of one kind or another … Inspired by all these things that he’d read, Scriabin came more and more to regard his music not just as music but as a kind of liturgy, a kind of religious experience that involved a transformation of the inner self of human beings.” Scriabin was a man ahead of his time; his obsession with transformative religious and sexual experiences are more in keeping with the hippie countercultural adventures of the late 1960s.
In later life, Scriabin wrote poetry; The Poem of Ecstasy began as a turgid, lengthy poem of over 200 lines, titled Orgiastic Poem. “Very often in the poem, Scriabin can’t think of any proper Russian words to express what he has to say, so he makes up nonsense words which suggest breathing, gasping for breath, sexual responses of one kind or another,” says McBurney. Eventually Scriabin abandoned the poem and transformed his ideas into music. “If you look at the poem, it seems that some of the fragments of themes – and there aren’t any real tunes in this piece, only fragments of themes – some of the fragments of themes must have begun as settings of the words of the poem.”
When The Poem of Ecstasy premiered in Russia in 1909, Scriabin provided the following comments for the program book:
“The Poem of Ecstasy is the Joy of Liberated Action. The Cosmos, i.e., Spirit, is Eternal Creation without External Motivation, a Divine Play of Worlds. The Creative Spirit, i.e., the Universe at Play, is not conscious of the Absoluteness of its creativeness, having subordinated itself to a Finality and made creativity a means toward an end. The stronger the pulse beat of life and the more rapid the precipitation of rhythms, the more clearly the awareness comes to the Spirit that it is consubstantial with creativity itself. When the Spirit has attained the supreme culmination of its activity and has been torn away from the embraces of teleology and relativity, when it has exhausted completely its substance and its liberated active energy, the Time of Ecstasy shall arrive.”
© Elizabeth Schwartz
-Johannes Brahms
FRIDAY . MARCH 14 . 7:30PM SATURDAY . MARCH 15 . 7:30PM
I. Allegro con brio
II. Largo
III. Rondo: Allegro
INTERMISSION
Adolphus Hailstork: Symphony No. 3
I. Vivace
II. Moderato
III. Scherzo
IV. Finale THE FIREMAN CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS, TABOR ACADEMY
Concert Sponsor:
Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer (1770-1827)
Estimated length: 34 minutes
Ludwig van Beethoven began working on his third piano concerto in 1796, composed most of it in 1800, and continued tinkering with it until the day of its premiere at one of his subscription concerts. The over-ambitious program actually featured three new works: the Piano Concerto No. 3, the Symphony No. 2, and the oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives. Perhaps fearing this program would not prove substantial enough, Beethoven also included his First Symphony. Time constraints prevented Beethoven from writing down the solo part in time for the first performance. When Beethoven asked his friend Ignaz von Seyfried to turn pages for him during the concert, Seyfried had no idea how difficult this seemingly simple task would be. Seyfried recalled:
“I saw almost nothing but empty leaves; at the most on one page or the other a few Egyptian hieroglyphs wholly unintelligible to me scribbled down to serve as clues for him; for he played nearly all of the solo part from memory, since, as was so often the case, he had not had time to put it all down on paper. He gave me a secret glance whenever he was at the end of one of the invisible passages, and my scarcely concealed anxiety not to miss the decisive moment amused him greatly and he laughed heartily at the jovial supper which we ate afterwards.”
In the Third Concerto, Beethoven created a new stylistic framework for the piano concerto genre. The Allegro con brio is structured around a short, unadorned rhythmic motif and a contrasting lyrical countermelody, which become the basis for a stormy musical dialogue between orchestra and soloist. In the Largo, Beethoven made a significant – and radical – decision regarding tonality. The key, E major, is harmonically very distant from that of C minor, an unheard-of choice for the time. In another departure from convention, it is the soloist who unveils the slow theme and its accompanying melody, before the orchestra. Later, the soloist becomes the orchestra’s accompanist, with a stream of flowing arpeggios rippling quietly underneath the primary melody. The refrain of the Rondo: Allegro has a bouncy energy, which neatly offsets several contrasting interludes that range from tautly edgy to lyrically expansive. The two outer movements perfectly capture both the Sturm und Drang and the heroic qualities that Beethoven perceived in the key of C minor, a key he chose for many of his most significant works, including the Symphony No. 5. Beethoven had another motivation for writing a piano concerto in C minor; by doing so, he paid homage to Mozart, specifically Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24, K. 491, also in C minor. During a rehearsal of K. 491, Beethoven remarked to the English composer J. B. Cramer, “Ah, Cramer, we shall never be able to do anything like that.” In his biography of Beethoven, Lewis Lockwood respectfully disagrees. “The Third breaks new ground in regions where Mozart had never traveled – in its dramatization of musical ideas, its juxtapositions of intensity with lyricism, [and] its decisive contrasts.”
Adolphus Hailstork, American composer (b. 1941)
Estimated length: 34 minutes
By his own reckoning, Adolphus Hailstork has spent much of his life bridging two distinct musical cultures. Born and raised in Rochester, NY, Hailstork first heard European classical music at home on the radio. In an interview, Hailstork talked about being drawn to the music’s exciting sound, and his childhood desire to write such music himself. Young Hailstork’s other primary musical influence came from the years he spent in the choir of the Anglican church he and his family attended in Rochester (Hailstork affectionately describes the ritual style of this church as “exceedingly High, with all the bells and smells.”)
Hailstork completed conservatory and doctoral degrees in music before exploring Black musical idioms such as spirituals, the Motown Sound, soul music, and the crossover appeal of Aretha Franklin’s gospel-inflected hits. A prolific writer with over 300 compositions in his catalog, Hailstork, at 83, shows no signs of slowing down. He composes in virtually every genre – “I always wanted to be diverse,” he remarked in a 2023 interview. Some of Hailstork’s compositions reflect his classical training, others employ Black vernacular, and some incorporate both.
Recent works include the 2018 oratorio The World Called (based on Rita Dove’s poem Testimonial); Still Holding On, commissioned and premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in February 2019; and A Knee on the Neck, a requiem cantata and tribute to George Floyd for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra, which premiered in Washington D. C. in March 2022.
In his comments for Symphony No. 3, Hailstork writes, “The goal in my Third Symphony was to write a piece that was lighter in approach than my second. I created a snappy little trumpet tune that intrigued me and used it as the point of departure.”
The “snappy little trumpet tune” opens the Vivace, as different sections of the orchestra begin to riff on countermelodies to the original tune. The up-tempo energy of the Vivace spirals and eddies as the tune breaks up into colorful shards and fragments. A contemplative section, anchored on a bed of slow pulses, features solos for trumpet, flute, piccolo, and xylophone. Throughout the Vivace, Hailstork uses the rhythmic structure of the “snappy tune” to generate ebullient outbursts. The Moderato contrasts the Vivace’s restless energy with a serene interlude for strings. A wind chorus joins in, followed by understated brasses; this warm, luxuriant sweep of sound is redolent of lazy summer afternoons. The Scherzo’s off-kilter harmony flashes among different tonalites with a nervous energy reminiscent of the “snappy tune.” In the Finale, Hailstork continues to reference the “snappy tune,” either directly or through rhythmic variations. The Scherzo’s agitation also reappears, as Hailstork pairs solos and percussion “comments” in treble instruments with deep growls from the brasses, winds, and strings’ lowest registers. The Moderato’s gentle calm also returns, before the “snappy tune” makes its joyful final appearance. © Elizabeth Schwartz. All rights reserved.
A hundred years after the Zeiterion first opened its doors, and 40 years since its last major renovation, we’re embarking on a top-to-bottom building transformation and creating a true community space for the arts!
Construction has begun and we'll need your help to get to the finish line. Visit zeiterion.org/donate.
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For more information, go to nbsymphony.org/become-a-sponsor or call 508.999.6276 x225.
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Thank you to our 2024–2025 Business Partners
