A New Beginning 2023-24 season
Timothy Farrand
Nittany Valley Symphony Music Director & Conductor
An exciting new chapter Welcome to our first full season since COVID shut us down in March 2020. The members of the Nittany Valley Symphony (NVS) are delighted to be back in action again and look forward to a full concert season in 2023-24. During the COVID years we were kept busy thinking and planning our way forward with ever-shifting sands. In addition to the uncertainty of the duration of the lock-down, we were coping with the passing of Michael Jinbo, who had been our leader for more than 30 years. We are thankful for everyone who didn’t give up on NVS, and especially for those of you who continued your financial support over the past few uncertain years. All of the behind-the-scenes hard work, and your steadfast support, have paid off as we prepare for our exciting new chapter. Last season, while we were beginning to search for a conductor for an unscheduled season without a place to rehearse or play, we had a communication from Timothy Farrand, who offered to help us in any way he could. We invited him to be our Guest Conductor, and it was instant chemistry. Tim brought new life and energy to us last season, and so we are delighted to introduce him to you as our new Music Director and Conductor. I invite you to read Tim’s full biography on the following pages, and to mark your calendar for our full concert season, which is outlined in this publication. Thank you again for your support in the past. We look forward to seeing you in the audience for our performances this season. Elinor Lewis President, Board of Directors Nittany Valley Symphony
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Meet Timothy Farrand, Music Director and Conductor After serving as guest conductor last season, Timothy Farrand has joined the Nittany Valley Symphony (NVS) as its permanent Music Director and Conductor. Farrand, a conductor, pianist and writer, has served as the Music Director of the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra and the Penn State Campus Orchestra, and worked for five years as the Assistant Conductor of the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra (PCO) under Music Director Yaniv Attar. Additionally, Farrand has appeared as a Guest Conductor with the Altoona Symphony Orchestra and the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra (WSO). He looks forward to returning to PCO and WSO as a Guest Conductor in 2024. He has held roles as the Assistant Conductor of the Penns Woods Musical Festival, Penn State University Orchestras, and spent five years as the conducting assistant to Maestra Teresa Cheung at the Altoona Symphony Orchestra. In 2019, Farrand made his operatic debut as the Music Director for the world premiere of the opera Leavings, which included performances at the Penns Woods Music Festival and Penn State Opera Theatre. Starting his conducting studies at an early age, Farrand has participated in several workshops and festivals in the United States and abroad, where he had the privilege of working with conductors 4
Harold Farberman, Mark Gibson, Apo Hsu, Donald Portnoy, Maurice Peress, and Paul Vermel, among many others. He spent two summers studying at the International Conducting Workshop and Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he was mentored by Larry Rachleff and Donald Schleicher. For the past four years, Farrand has been an adjunct instructor at Penn State University and maintains an active piano studio in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. As an educator, he strives to create a supportive atmosphere where students can develop their creativity and discover new avenues for expression. In the Spring of 2021, Farrand founded Arts Undivided LLC, which advocates for active “exploration of the arts fueled by curiosity.” Through Arts Undivided, he produces content pertaining to a variety of art forms and artists with a focus on finding the connections that transcend boundaries, and advocating for the development of an open acceptance of ideas from across the spectrum of human experience. Farrand received a bachelor of music degree in piano performance from Penn State, studying with Dr. Timothy Shafer. He continued his studies at Penn State as a graduate teaching assistant, where he received a master of music degree in orchestral conducting under the mentorship of Gerardo Edelstein, as well as a master of arts degree in music theory and music history. He currently resides with his wife Tara in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and maintains an active teaching and performing schedule centered on the use of the arts to strengthen our communities. 5
Romanticism Sunday, September 24, 2023, 3 p.m. Bellefonte Area High School What better way to open a season than with romance? Conducted by Timothy Farrand and featuring soloist Julia Wolcott, this concert has a mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar; the finished and the unfinished. Schumann: Manfred, op. 115: Overture Schubert: Symphony No. 8 (7) in B minor (Unfinished) Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder, WWV 91 Julia Wolcott, soprano Svendsen: Romeo and Juliet Fantasie
Elgar’s Enigma Tuesday, January 23, 2024, 7:30 p.m. Penn State Eisenhower Auditorium Elgar’s Enigma Variations are a series of musical portraits of some of his closest friends, a testament to friendship, love, and the support one receives from their community. The “enigma” is that Elgar claimed the theme is based upon some other very famous melody and that, when played together, the two would fit perfectly together. Elgar never revealed the musical answer. Mendelssohn: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, op. 27 Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, op. 22 Timothy Shafer, soloist Elgar: Enigma Variations, op. 36 6
Winter holiday ensembles
Friday, December 8, 2023, 8:30 p.m. Bellefonte Presbyterian Church Saturday, December 9, 2023, 1 p.m. Church of the Good Shepherd The program strives to fill our audience with holiday cheer as they get into the spirit of the season. We will perform a variety of classical works alongside traditional carols and songs of the season. We will even have an audience sing-along!
Concert venues Bellefonte Area High School 830 East Bishop Street, Bellefonte
Church of the good Shepherd 867 Gray’s Woods Blvd., Port Matilda
State College Area High School 650 Westerly Parkway, State College
Penn State Eisenhower Auditorium 102 Eisenhower Rd, University Park
Bellefonte Presbyterian Church 201-203 North Spring Street, Bellefonte
Ticket information
Tickets to Nittany Valley Symphony concerts are $25 for adults and $5 for students, and may be purchased in advance by going to our website at https://www.nvs.org/tickets or using the camera app on your smartphone to scan this QR code: Tickets also may be purchased at the door on the day of the concert. For season subscription information, please see page 11. 7
Family Concert Sunday, February 25, 2024, 3 p.m. Bellefonte Area High School NVS presents “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” an exploration of Edvard Grieg and his friends. Combining music with storytelling, we travel to the Norwegian mountains to learn about Norway’s most famous composer, Edvard Grieg. The program includes selections from Grieg’s Norwegian Dances and Peer Gynt, including audience favorites Morning Mood and In the Hall of the Mountain King, alongside Frederick Delius’ On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Johan Svendsen’s Norwegian Folk Melody, and Percy Grainger’s Irish Tune from County Derry. This concert is designed for the whole family and will last approximately one hour.
Democratic Vistas Friday, April 19, 7:30 p.m. Bellefonte Area High School The title for this program comes from Walt Whitman, who wrote a book titled Democratic Vistas in 1871 as an attempt to inspire a generation of American artists to create a new vision of national unity following the divisions that overwhelmed the country after the Civil War. Unity, and more specifically the unity of a community, is the central focus of this program. Copland: Our Town Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor, op. 104 Kim Cook, soloist Still: Symphony No. 2 in G minor “Song of a New Race” 8
About the Nittany Valley Symphony The Nittany Valley Symphony is a community orchestra that has been performing in Centre County since 1967. Our mission is to inspire and enrich our diverse community through live concerts of the highest caliber symphonic music performed by professional and amateur musicians. As a community symphony, our musicians come from all walks of life. While our “day jobs” may include everything from real estate agents to professors to small business owners to artists, we all share a love of creating beautiful music. The symphony was organized in 1967 by Ann Keller of State College, Pennsylvania, to perform at the first Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. It has performed every year since then, with the exception of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, which were canceled due to the COVID pandemic. After a short, two-concert season in 2022-23, symphony members are excited to be able to program a full season this year.
Principals Strings Violin 1 - Joanne Zagst Feldman Violin 2 - Jack Hayden Viola - Matt Kumjian Cello - Carol Lyon String Bass - Islander Fernandez Woodwinds Flute - Cathy Herrara Oboe - Barry Kroeker
Clarinet - Brandy Davis Bassoon - Trina Gallup Brass French Horn - Kathryn Beck Trumpet - Herb McKinstry Trombone - Bob LaBarca Tuba - Jaden Adkins Percussion Timpani - Kyle Haust
Photos and program design by Annemarie Mountz. Photo of Elinor Lewis on page 3 by Michael Black/Black Sun Photography. 9
Support the Symphony The Nittany Valley Symphony is a nonprofit symphonic orchestra receiving partial funding from private foundations, businesses, individual donors, and grants. Special thanks goes to the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts) and the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau. Please consider joining our family of supporters to keep programming high and ticket prices low.
Donation Levels Maestro’s Circle: $4,000 or more Includes up to four complimentary season tickets Orchestra Partner: $1,000-$3,999 Includes up to four complimentary season tickets Honorary Conductor: $750-$999 Includes up to three complimentary season tickets Benefactor: $500-$749 Includes up to two complimentary season tickets Associate: $200-$499 Includes one complimentary season ticket Patron: $100-$199 Includes recognition in all concert programs To support the Symphony, please contact the NVS office by phone at (814) 231-8224, fill out and mail the form on the facing page, go to https://www.nvs.org/donate on the web, or use the camera app on your smartphone to scan this QR code: 10
Subscription Form Name Address City State Email Day Phone Evening Phone
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Season Tickets
Value Comparison: Single Adult tickets at the door are $25.
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4-Concert Series (Adult) @ $90.00.............................. = $ 4-Concert Series (Student) @ $20.00........................... = $
Special Event: Family Concert # Adult Tickets @ $10.00.............................................. = $ # Student Tickets @ $5.00............................................ = $ Contributions to NVS Maestro’s Circle ($4,000 or more) Orchestra Partner ($1,000-$3,999) Honorary Conductor ($750-$999) Benefactor ($500-$749) Associate ($200-$499) Patron ($100-$199) Contribution total.................................................... = $ Do not send me complimentary tickets.
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Total.......... = $ Check enclosed. Payable to Nittany Valley Symphony Visa Mastercard Card # Exp: Signature CVV: Mail this form and payment to: Nittany Valley Symphony • P.O. Box 1375 • State College, PA 16804 Orders may be faxed to (814) 231-0140 For more information, call (814) 231-8224 11
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