PROGRAM NOTES AND COMPOSER FEATURE

from NRO 2023 Season Program Book

PROGRAM NOTES AND COMPOSER FEATURE

Music Director Emerita of Canada’s Victoria Symphony, Tania Miller, returns to the NRO for this concert that will enchant you and linger in your memory.

Quinn Mason is an exciting new talent, recently serving as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Classical Roots composer-inresidence for 2022. Mason set out to “create a composition that was the very embodiment of happiness and cheerfulness, an accessible work that would put any listener in a good mood.” Bring your friends and family…you definitely want to share some happiness and cheer!

NRO violinist William Thain and NRO cellist Clare Choi team up for Brahms’ spectacular Double Concerto. Each soloist has a hugely virtuosic part, and together, they will thrill you with gorgeous melodies and stunning athleticism in one of Brahms’ greatest works.

To close the concert, we turn the spotlight to one of Igor Stravinsky’s stunning scores for Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes: Petrushka. Heard here in the 1947 version, Stravinsky’s musical depiction of the chilling puppet psychodrama is inventive and still fresh more than a century after its composition. The famous Petrushka chord, with its searing bitonality, powerfully conveys the story’s many ambiguities. There’s nothing ambiguous about how great Stravinsky’s music is — come hear for yourself his genius.

Riverwalk Center, Breckenridge

Saturday, July 15 at 6:00 PM

Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award – Gerry Fricke

Tania Miller conductor

William Thain, violin

Clare Choi, cello

ON THE PROGRAM

Quinn Mason (b. 1996)

A Joyous Trilogy

I. Running

II. Reflection

III. Renewal

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

-INTERMISSIONIgor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

Petrushka (1947)

Part I: The Shrovetide Fair

Part II: Petrushka’s Cell

Part III: The Moor’s Room

Part IV: The Shrovetide Fair (Evening)

Composer Feature

Quinn Mason

Quinn Mason (b. 1996) is a composer and conductor based in Dallas, Texas. He currently serves as the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s Artist in Residence. He recently served as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Classical Roots composer in residence for 2022 (the youngest composer appointed to that role) and as KMFA’s inaugural composer in residence.

Quinn has been described as “a brilliant composer just barely in his 20s who seems to make waves wherever he goes.” (Theater Jones) and “One of the most sought-after young composers in the country” (Texas Monthly).

An avid and passionate writer, Quinn maintains his own classical music blog and contributes guest articles to other blogs, such as the Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy. Quinn is a member of ASCAP and the Conductor’s Guild.

Concerto for Violin and Violincello with Orchestra in A minor, Op. 102

William Thain, violin and Clare Choi, cello

I. Allegro

II. Andante

III. Vivace non troppo

Breckenridge’s Favorite Family Sports Bar and Arcade

Delicious pizza, juicy burgers, tasty sandwiches, fresh salads, spicy wings and a $5 kids menu plus a newly-remodeled arcade with modern and retro games for the whole family. 30 beers on tap (50+ bottles) and 30 HDTV’s with satellite sports coverage (NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA, MLB and more!) Open daily at 11 a.m. with a full menu and full-service bar until midnight. Proud sponsor of the National Repertory Orchestra.