MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR On behalf of the City of St. John’s, I am pleased to extend warm greetings to the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra as you launch your 2025/2026 season, Obsessed, Onstage, Onfire. This year’s theme reflects the passion, dedication, and energy the NSO brings to our community year after year. Through inspiring performances, meaningful education prog rammes, and steadfast community engagement, the NSO cont inues to ignite a love of music that enriches the cultural fabric of our city. My sincere thanks go to the musicians, staff, volun teers, patrons, and sponsors who make each season possible. Your commitment ensures that the symphony not only thrives, but also continues to inspire audiences of all ages. On behalf of Council, I congratulate the NSO on another exciting season and wish you every success as you share your extraordin ary talent with our community.
Warm regards,
Danny Breen Mayor of St. John’s
Message fro
m the Lieute
nant Govern or
As Honorary Patron of the Newfo undland Symphony Orchestra, it is my great pleasure to extend greetings and very best wishes for the 2025-2026 season. The NSO is a wonderful orc hestra, which has served to cultivate and profile many of the exceptional artists we have in our province. The gift of the NS O’s rich orchestral music has become an integral part of the cul tural fabric of Newfoundland and Labrador. Again this year, a variety of performances are planned, sure to delight audiences and inspire us all. This season is the first under the artistic leadership of Music Director Simon Rivard. Congratu lations on your new role, and welcome! I hope you will enjoy the perfor mances the NSO has in store this year. To everyone involved: the musici ans, staff, crew, and all who hav e a hand in producing this season, I thank you and wish you the best.
Joan Marie J. Aylward, O.N.L
dor
Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labra
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We acknowledge the province of Newfoundland and Labrador as the traditional territory of diverse Indigenous groups, and we acknowledge with respect the diverse histories and cultures of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Innu, and Inuit of this province. We strive for respectful relationships with all the peoples of this province as we search for collective healing and true reconciliation and honour this beautiful land together.
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Friday, September 26, 2025 • St. John’s Arts & Culture Centre Presented by the City of St. John’s
Julien Proulx, conductor • The Greenwich Trio Lana Trotovšek, violin Heather Tuach, cello Yoko Misumi, piano
PROGRAMME Ludwig van Beethoven Concerto for Violin, Violoncello,
35 min.
and Piano in C Major, Op. 56
1. Allegro 2. Largo (attacca) 3. Rondo alla polacca
INTERMISSION
Anna Clyne
Restless Oceans
3 min.
Antonin Dvořák
Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88
38 min.
I. Allegro con brio II. Adagio III. Allegretto grazioso - Molto vivace IV. Allegro ma non troppo
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GUEST S THE GREENWICH ARTIST TRIO Greenwich Trio brings together Slovenian violinist Lana Trotovšek, Canadian cellist Heather Tuach, who has replaced original cellist Stjepan Hauser, and Japanese pianist Yoko Misumi. Since their formation in 2006, the ensemble has earned a distinguished reputation, garnering awards such as the Solti Foundation and Tunnell Trust Awards, as well as the top prize at the Beethoven Society of Europe Chamber Music Competition. The Trio has been mentored by the Amadeus Quartet, Alban Berg Quartett, Guarneri Quartet, Beaux Arts Trio, Trio Fontenay, and legendary musicians such as Menahem Pressler, Bernard Greenhouse, Ivry Gitlis, Stephen Kovacevich, Ralf Gothóni, Arnold Steinhardt, Valentin Erben, and Eberhardt Feltz. They captivated audiences at international festivals including the Festival Internacional de Santander, Rheingau Musik Festival, Festival Ljubljana, Festival Estoril Lisboa, Cheltenham Music Festival, Rye Arts Festival, and The Bath Festival. They regularly perform at Conway Hall Sunday Concerts in London. Their journey also includes a debut at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw in 2009 and a performance at the opening festival of London’s Kings Place in 2008. Notably, they toured at Madrid’s Royal Palaces, organised by Patrimonio Nacional. Greenwich Trio has recorded Beethoven and Mendelssohn piano trios for Meridian Records, Beethoven’s ‘Archduke’ Trio for Hedone Records, and most recently the complete Brahms Trios for Linn Records. For this most recent recording, Greenwich Trio achieved critical acclaim, receiving five stars from BBC Music Magazine, Classica, Diapason, and more. This recognition further emphasises their dedication to delivering exceptional performances that resonate with both critics and music lovers alike.
www.greenwichtrio.com Guest artist appearance is supported in part by a generous gift from the estate of the late Dr. Angus J. Neary.
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CONDUCTOR
JULIEN PROULX Named Artistic Director of the Year at the 2022 Opus Awards, Julien Proulx has been at the helm of the Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville (OSD) since 2014, where his thoughtful and audacious programming has revitalized the musical life of his community.
A generous and imaginative musician, his ability to think outside the box led him to explore alternative musical ventures during the pandemic, including innovative digital projects and unique concert events. By turning restrictions into opportunities, he found new ways of reaching audiences while empowering musicians to express their creativity. With the OSD, Julien Proulx has twice been awarded the Prix Opus Régions by the Conseil québécois de la musique: first in 2018 for the orchestra’s Prince et Tsar concert and then in 2020 for its Bel Canto concert, two events where the vocal arts took centre stage. A cellist and singer by training, he is also a renowned choral conductor, frequently leading performances of symphonic choral repertoire. Julien Proulx was conductor-in-residence for the I Musici de Montréal chamber ensemble, working under Maestro Yuli Turovsky. He has also conducted orchestras across Canada, including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Orchestre Métropolitain, Les Violons du Roy, the Orchestre du Festival international de Lanaudière and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Whether as a teacher or in his role as artistic director, Julien Proulx is always eager to mentor up and coming conductors and musicians and to share his passion for music with the public.
www.julienproulx.com
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VIOLIN 1 Heather Kao Dominic Greene Andy Kao Anastasia Kiseleva Whit Fitzgerald Gabriel Brodeur Natalie Finn Claire Boudreau Amanda Yee Rachael Hammond
VIOLIN 2 Nancy Case-Oates Carole Bestvater Ilyas Duissen Jacquelyn Redmond Hannah Yaremko Zhongli Hu Stewart Gillies Cathy Anstey Sofiia Terzioglu Karen Hawkin
VIOLA Ema Shiroma-Chao Chantelle Jubenville Rosaura Aguilar Emily Pynn Norma Noseworthy Jonathan Stevenson
MUSICIANS CELLO
HORN
Nathan Cook Nulibeth Ortiz Amy Collyer-Holmes Nancy Bannister Katherine Shipley
Emily Dunsmore Doug Vaughan Michelle Stevenson David Natsheh
BASS
Katie Sullivan Jill Dawe
Frank Fusari Denise Lear Nick Howlett Matthew Hardy
FLUTE
TRUMPET
TROMBONE Darren McDonald Erin Sullivan
Michelle Cheramy Sarah Comerford
BASS TROMBONE
OBOE/ ENGLISH HORN
TUBA
Annie Corrigan Grace Noseworthy
CLARINET Glenn Rice Brenda Gatherall
Andrew Cooper Catherine Tansley
PERCUSSION Rob Power Etienne Gendron
BASSOON Grant Etchegary Nicole Hand
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PROGRAM NOTES MASTERWORKS 1: Boundless Energy Program Notes provided by: Dr. Annalise Smith
Described by composer Anna Clyne (1980) as a “defiant piece that embraces the power of women,” Restless Oceans (2018) is a short but dynamic showpiece for orchestra, evoking the power of nature and the human spirit. Opening with pulsating chords reminiscent of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, the piece moves to a more meditative zone where the voices of the musicians blend with their instruments, before the piece’s boundless energy once again returns for a climactic finish. Restless Oceans borrows its name from Audra Lorde’s poem, “A Woman Speaks,” which both celebrates and advocates for the power of black women. Similarly energetic, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, Op. 56 (1803– 04) encourages us to take a more nuanced view of one of the most prominent composers in the Western canon. Beethoven is best known for his ruggedly heroic Romantic style, which often takes the simplest motive (“da da da dum”) and uses it as the building block for his large-scale, experimental works. In contrast, the Triple Concerto points towards the Classical era of Mozart and Haydn, with more traditional forms and symmetrical phrases. This choice is, in part, a response to the challenge of writing a Triple Concerto. To give each soloist a chance to shine, Beethoven focused on melodic development and the interplay between the piano, cello, and violin, rather than harmonic and motivic transformation. Beethoven also had to think carefully about balance. To be heard over the orchestra, the cello often plays in its higher register, forcing the violin to favour its higher register as well. While many of Beethoven’s piano works of this period are highly virtuosic, the piano here is simpler, potentially because the composer originally intended it for one of his pupils, the teenage Archduke Rudolph of Austria. While the Triple Concerto is not Beethoven at his most romantic, the playful and lyrical piece remains a testament to the composer’s Classical roots and his ability to infuse these more traditional forms with his own unique voice.
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PROGRAM NOTES (cont ’d)
Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904) also turned to his roots when composing Symphony No. 8 in G Major (1889). While the composer’s 7th symphony, written in 1885, had been philosophically inspired by the struggles of the Czech people for cultural and political autonomy, the stormy work avoided any direct musical references to the composer’s homeland. In contrast, the 8th symphony directly evokes both the landscape and music of Bohemia. The opening movement begins somewhat somberly in the low strings, but soon transforms into a joyous celebration of nature, characterized by the bird call motif heard in the flute. The second movement continues to evoke Bohemian landscapes, conveying the pastoral tranquility of the countryside and the tumult of a passing thunderstorm. The third movement begins as a melancholy waltz, but brightens in the middle section with a lilting tune that Dvořák borrowed from his opera, The Stubborn Lovers. The final movement, a set of theme and variations, maintains the overall cheerful mood of the symphony. While the opening trumpet fanfare may suggest a military connection, for Dvořák and his Bohemian compatriots, the trumpets were not a call to war, but a call to dance.
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/WomensFilmFestival @sjiwff #sjiwff36 WomensFilmFestival.com
st. john’s international women’s film festival oct 21–25, 2025
UPCOMING CONCERTS
A STANDING
OVATION
FOR OUR SUPPORTERS
Photo: Brad Clarke NSO Staff Simon Rivard, Music Director Martin MacDonald, Principal Pops Conductor Hugh Donnan, CEO Lynn Ann Pye, Patron Relations Manager Jennifer Brennan, Education & Outreach Coordinator Maria Penney, Marketing & Development Manager Dominic Greene, Personnel Manager Steve Power, Production Manager/Video Production/Editing Jenny Griffioen, Librarian Kyle McDavid, Graphic Designer
NSO Board Tom Hickey (Chair) Jessica Chapman (Vice-Chair) Paul McDonald (Past Chair) Douglas Wright (Treasurer) Conor Stack (Corporate Secretary) Michelle Davis (Exec. Committee Member) Heather McKinnon Andrea Rose Duncan Fitzpatrick Glenn Colton
Alana Walsh-Giovannini Aimee Letto Robert Decker Jennifer Massey Jing Xia Karen Bulmer Chris Williams Amanda Mansfield Robert Thompson Charlie Byrne
P.O. Box 23125 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J9 709-722-4441 nso@nsomusic.ca
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