MESSAGE FROM THE PREMIER On behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, I am delighted to extend warm congratulations and best wishes to the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra as it embarks on its 2026-2027 season. This year’s program promises an inspiring journey through beloved masterworks, celebrated guest artists, cherished seasonal traditions, and exciting new musical experiences for audiences across our province. The NSO continues to enrich Newfoundland and Labrador’s cultural landscape by bringing people together through the transformative power of music. Your commitment to artistic excellence, community engagement, and accessibility ensures that audiences of all ages and backgrounds can experience the joy and wonder of live orchestral performance. As musicians, Hon. Tony Wakeham staff, volunteers, supporters, and patrons gather for another remarkable season, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador we wish you continued success both on and off the stage. May this year be filled with memorable performances, standing ovations, and meaningful connections forged through music. Congratulations on an exciting season ahead, and thank you for the invaluable contribution you make to the cultural life of our province.
NANT GOVERNOR MESSAGE FROM THE LIEUTE
As Honorary Patron of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, I am so pleased to extend greetings and very best wishes for the 2026-2027 season. A wonderful variety of performances are planned, and the NSO will once again delight audiences and profile many of the exceptional artists we have in our province. The NSO’s orchestral music is an integral part of the fabric of the arts in our province and is truly a gift to us all. I hope you enjoy each show that the NSO has in store this year. To everyone involved: the musicians, staff, crew, and all who contribute to producing each performance, thank you. I look forward to this season!
Joan Marie J. Aylward, O.N.L Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
OR MESSAGE FROM THE MAY On behalf of St. John’s City Council, it is my pleasure to welcome audiences to another exciting season of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. The NSO has long been an important part of the cultural fabric of our city, bringing people together through the power of music and creating memorable experiences for residents and visitors alike. We are proud to support the NSO and its ongoing efforts to make music accessible, engaging, and meaningful. Best wishes for a successful and inspiring season.
Danny Breen Mayor of St. John’s
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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 distinct 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.
MASTERWORKS 2
FLIGHTS OF FANCY Friday, November 13, 2026 • St. John’s Arts & Culture Centre
Julia Mirzoev, violin Tania Miller, conductor
PROGRAMME Andrea Tarrodi
Birds of Paradise
10 min.
Édouard Lalo
Symphonie espagnole, op. 21
33 min.
I. Allegro non troppo II. Scherzando: Allegro molto III. Intermezzo: Allegretto non troppo IV. Andantae V. Rondo: Allegro INTERMISSION
Antonín Dvořák
Symphony no. 6 in D Major, op. 60
42 min.
I. Allegro non tanto II. Adagio III. Scherzo (Furiant): Presto IV. Finale: Allegro con spirito
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CONDUCTOR
TANIA MILLER Canadian Conductor Tania Miller has distinguished herself as a dynamic interpreter, musician and innovator. On the podium, Maestra Miller projects authority, dynamism and sheer love of the experience of making music. As one critic put it, she delivers calm intensity . . . expressive, colourful and full of life . . . her experience and charisma are audible.” Others call her performances “technically immaculate, vivid and stirring”. Tania Miller is in her third season as Artistic Director of the Brott Music Festival in Canada and the Artistic Director and Conductor of the National Academy Orchestra of Canada and of Brott Opera. Maestra Miller recently debuted with the Janacek Philharmonic in Ostrava, Czechia, the National Symphony in Mexico City, and the Xalapa Symphony with upcoming performances with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra in Denmark. Recent concerts include the Madison Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, I Musici de Montreal, Winnipeg Symphony, Baton Rouge Symphony, New Haven Symphony, South Bend Symphony, Toronto Soundstreams, and London Symphonia. Miller has conducted the KBS Symphony in Seoul, and the Virtuoso Chamber Orchestra at the World Orchestra Festival in Daegu, South Korea with concerts in Daegu, Hwaseong, and Seoul. She has appeared as a guest conductor in Canada, the United States and Europe with such orchestras as the Bern Symphony Orchestra, NFM Wroclåw Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orchestra Métropolitain de Montreal, Vancouver Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, Naples Philharmonic, Hartford Symphony, Madison Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic and numerous others. Maestra Miller conducted Brott Opera productions of Puccini’s La Boheme (2026), Bizet’s Carmen (2025), Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (2024), Vancouver Opera’s 2024 production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Calgary Opera’s production of Lehar’s Merry Widow, and a recent Vancouver gala performance highly acclaimed soprano, Sondra Radvanovsky. She has conducted numerous opera productions as Artistic Director of Michigan Opera Works and as guest conductor of Opera McGill in Montreal. Miller was Music Director of Canada’s Victoria Symphony for 14 years, and was named Music Director Emerita for her commitment to the orchestra and community. She has distinguished herself as a visionary leader and innovator with a deep commitment to contemporary repertoire and composers and has gained a national reputation as a highly effective advocate and communicator for the arts. Ms. Miller has a Doctorate and Masters degree in Conducting from the University of Michigan.
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JULIA MIRZOEV GUEST T ARTIS violin Violinist Julia Mirzoev is noted for her warm tone, grace, and fierce attack (California Music Center). A native of Toronto, Canada, Julia has been featured on the Canadian Broadcasting Center’s “Top 30 Classical Musicians Under 30”, CBC radio 94.1, and classical 96.3 FM. Her awards include top prizes including the prize for the commissioned work at both Michael Hill and the Irving M. Klein international competition, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal competition, grand prize at the Canadian Music Competition, and first prizes at the Crescendo International competition and Cremona music festival competitions. As an internationally recognized soloist known for her vivid interpretations and dynamic stage presence, Julia’s performances have taken her across North America, Europe, and New Zealand. A passionate chamber musician, Julia has been a winner of the Yale Chamber Music competition, and has been a fellow at the Sarasota, Manchester, Toronto, Yellow Barn, and Perlman Music Program festivals. Her notable collaborations include performances with Roger Tapping, Anthony Marwood, Natasha Brofsky, Barry Shiffman, Alexander Kerr, Julie Albers, Violaine Melançon, Alasdair Beatson, Mark Fewer, and members of the Doric, Danish, Escher, and New Orford String Quartets. Julia is also a founding member of the Myriade String Quartet, coached by André Roy, who have been selected to compete in the live rounds of the Banff, Wigmore Hall and Trondheim String Quartet competitions. Recent appearances include performances with the Montréal Chamber Music Festival, Amici Ensemble, the Happenstancers, the Art of Time Ensemble, and the Banff String Quartet Festival. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Mcgill University, and the Yale University school of music, Julia has received the Broadus Erle graduating prize at the Yale School of music, and the Golden Violin grand prize at Mcgill University. Her mentors include Andrew Wan, Ani Kavafian, Jonathan Crow, Barry Shiffman, and Jacob Lakirovich. Having grown up in a family of musical pedagogues, Julia takes pride in sharing her devotion to creative music-making with her students. In addition to her private studio, Julia currently coaches at the Royal Conservatory’s Taylor Academy and L’Orchestre des Jeunes du Mont-Royal. She has also taught at the Arcadia Music school in Toronto, the JVL Music in Summer festival, and has led violin sectionals for the Mount Royal Youth orchestra of Montréal, and the McGill University school of music. A Rebanks Fellowship alumni of the Royal Conservatory, Julia is grateful for the support of the Canada Arts Council instrument bank for the loan of the 1747 “Palmason” Janarius Gagliano. Ms. Mirzoev’s appearance is supported in part by a generous gift from the estate of the late Dr. Angus J. Neary.
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VIOLIN 1 Heather Kao* Dominic Greene Andy Kao Anastasia Kiseleva Gabriel Brodeur Rachael Hammond (OCP) Lauren Smee Natalie Finn
VIOLIN 2 Nancy Case-Oates* Carole Bestvater Elena Vigna Amanda Yee Jacquelyn Redmond Cathy Anstey Stewart Gillies
VIOLA Kate Read* Ema Shiroma-Chao Chantelle Jubenville Rosaura Aguilar Samuel Farquharson (OCP) Jonathan Stevenson
CELLO Nathan Cook* Amy Collyer-Holmes Leah Mezo-Willingham Sandra Pope Patrick Junemann Nancy Bannister
MUSICIANS BASS Frank Fusari* Denise Lear Jim Vivian Mario Miranda
TRUMPET
FLUTE Michelle Cheramy* Sarah Comerford Victoria Dubois
OBOE/ ENGLISH HORN Annie Corrigan* Valerie Holden
Katie Sullivan* Jill Dawe
TROMBONE Darren McDonald* Erin Sullivan
BASS TROMBONE Andrew Cooper*
TUBA
CLARINET Glenn Rice* Brenda Gatherall
Catherine Tansley*
BASSOON Grant Etchegary* Nicole Hand
Rob Power* Etienne Gendron* Noah Mercer (OCP)
HORN
HARP
Emily Dunsmore* Doug Vaughan Michelle Stevenson Mara Pellerin
*Indicates principal
PERCUSSION
Kristan Toczko*
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PROGRAM NOTES MASTERWORKS 2: Flights of Fancy Program Notes provided by: Dr. Annalise Smith Tonight’s concert features three works that aim to evoke specific locales and ideas, inviting the audience to imagine a variety of landscapes, cultures, and creatures. Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodi (b. 1981) first wrote Birds of Paradise for string orchestra in 2008. This short piece was inspired by an episode of BBC’s Planet Earth that featured several Birds-ofParadise, a family of birds known for their bright plumage and elaborate courtship rituals. Expanded to full orchestra in 2013, this piece evokes the varied creatures one might encounter exploring the forests these birds call home. Composer Édouard Lalo (1823–1892) may have been French by birth, but his Spanish ancestry shines through in his Symphonie Espagnole (1875). Though titled a symphony by Lalo, the work is properly a violin concerto in five movements (though it was not uncommon in the first half of the twentieth century for performances to omit the third movement in order to better reflect the traditional fourmovement structure of the symphony). Originally written and performed by Spanish virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate, Symphonie Espagnole was part of a vogue for Spanish idioms in France at the end of the century. George Bizet’s seminal opera “Carmen” premiered just a month after Lalo’s concerto, and both works feature a version of the Habanera, a type of popular dance that originated in Cuba before crossing over to Europe. Reflecting Lalo’s heritage, the work also exemplifies nineteenthcentury exoticism, in which the “other”—be they from Asia, the Middle-East, or Spain—was evoked through unusual scales, timbres, and dance rhythms, providing a moment of musical escapism for the audience. While exoticism was common in all nineteenth-century arts, by the end of the century this aesthetic ideal competed with the rise of nationalism, the inherent belief that music could (and should) represent and glorify one’s own nation and heritage. In music, nationalism was often a reaction to the dominant cosmopolitan German style codified in the likes of Beethoven and Brahms.The Czech composer Antonin Dvořák (1841–1904) infused his works with idioms of his native folk music, eventually becoming so successful at promulgating a national style that he was brought to the USA at the end of the nineteenth century to help the country develop its own symphony voice. Yet Dvořák’s commitment to his national heritage did not always serve the composer’s career. Dvořák wrote Symphony No. 6 (1881) specifically for the Vienna Philharmonic after a successful performance of his Third Rhapsody in 1879. Yet despite being the symphony’s dedicatee, conductor Hans Richter delayed the premiere multiple times. Suspecting anti-Czech sentiment, a frustrated Dvořák arranged for the work to be performed in Prague by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Dvořák’s suspicions were correct; some musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic had opposed performing the work of a Czech composer two years in a row. Ironically, scholars believe Dvořák tried to make this symphony particularly German in order to appeal to Viennese audiences, including musical references to Viennese composers and dances. The finale, for example, shares the same instrumentation, key, tempo, and general mood of the finale of Brahm’s second symphony.
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