Marc David, conductor
Message from the Premier
Congratulations to the esteemed Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra on their 20232024 season. The NSO is a cultural arts institution in Newfoundland and Labrador. Its ambitious and varied programming each year attracts regular audience members, and new fans alike. Over the last number of years, their inclusion of performances based on iconic pop culture have been met with enormous popularity and have drawn audiences of all ages. The NSO has a strong commitment to community partnerships, reaching over 10,000 students in 2022-23 with their in-school, virtual and interactive programs and providing online concerts, free of charge, to more than 80 senior’s homes. Congratulations, as well, to Marc David, now in his final full season as Music Director, on his outstanding artistic achievements during his long career with the NSO The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is a proud supporter of the NSO and values its contributions to our province’s arts and cultural sector. All the best for a successful season.
Message from the Mayor
On behalf of Council, it is my pleasure to congratulate the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra on its 61st Anniversary, Celebrating the year of the Arts. The City of St. John’s is a proud supporter of the arts and of this vibrant organization. With multiple performances every season, the educational experiences and entertainment provided to all ages is amazing. This season promises to entertain like no other and we are extremely fortunate to have talented musicians as the heartbeat of our musical community whom are there to share their talent and love of music with us all. The NSO board, staff, volunteers and sponsors work diligently each and every year to bring these shows to our community. Allow me to express my appreciation for your hard work and dedication and thank you for the significant contributions you make to the truly unique culture of our City. Best wishes –
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.
SINFONIA 3: Oh, What a SOUND!
D. F. Cook Recital Hall, Memorial University School of Music
Marc David, conductor
with special guests, Newman Sound Men’s Choir
Jennifer Hart, conductor Leslee Heys, collaborative pianist
PROGRAMME
3 Pieces for String Orchestra - K. Bissel
I. Andante con moto II. Adagio III. Vivace
Serenade for Strings - A. Dvořák
I. Moderato II. Tempo di Valse III. Scherzo: Vivace IV. Larghetto V. Allegro vivace
INTERMISSION
Der Herr segne euch - J.S. Bach
The Blue Danube - J. Strauss II
Small group: Rob Ball, Peter Cowan, Hugh Donnan, Daniel Dumaresque Correa, Chris Stevenson, Noah Williams, Todd Woodland
Cantique de Jean Racine – G. Fauré
Cape St. Mary’s – O. Kelland, arr. L. Heys
Solo: Todd Woodland
General Taylor – Traditional, arr. S. Carroll
Solo: Matthew Snelgrove
Special thanks to our accommodations partner:
SINFONIA 3
Pride, versatility and musical excellence…
These terms best describe Newman Sound Men’s Choir. Founded in 2005, Newman Sound is named after a rugged yet scenic region in Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador. Currently under the leadership of Artistic Director, Jennifer Hart, the choir has realized an ever-growing loyal audience and a high local, national and international reputation having established an exciting and eclectic repertoire across the genres of classical, pop and folk, including some outstanding arrangements and original compositions by several singers within the choir.
Newman Sound is more than just a group of guys who love to sing! A true community choir of more than thirty dedicated singers, choir members come from every age and walk of life, bringing with them a wealth of experiences and perspectives but most importantly, a love of making music together.
Scott Antle
Rob Ball
David Brake
Glen Chafe
Jamie Chippett
Peter Cowan
Joel Cox
Quenton Currie
Brian Dominic
Hugh Donnan
Gerard Dunphy
Daniel Dumaresque Correa
Jim Fifield
Daniel Gosse
Nick Hender
Paul House
Keith Matthews
Mike O’Dea
Darrell Roberts
Keeghan Stoodley
Josh Smee
Gregory Snelgrove
Keith Snelgrove
Ken Snelgrove
Matthew Snelgrove
Chris Stevenson
Aidan Whittle
Conor Whittle
Noah Williams
Todd Woodland
Violin 1 Heather Kao Dominic Greene Andy Kao
Ilyas Duissen
Daniel Fuchs
Violin 2 Nancy Case-Oates Carole Bestvater Elena Vigna
Natalie Finn
Viola Kate Read Ema Shiroma-Chao Chantelle Jubenville
Rosaura Aguilar
Cello Nathan Cook Sandra Pope Amy Collyer-Holmes
Bass Frank Fusari
Piano Leslee Heys
NSO Staff
Marc David, Music Director/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)
Ian Penney (Vice-Chair)
Paul McDonald (Past-Chair)
Douglas Wright (Treasurer)
Conor Stack (Corporate Secretary)
Jessica Chapman
Heather McKinnon
Michelle Davis
Andrea Rose
Alana Walsh-Giovannini
Aimee Letto
Robert Decker
Jennifer Massey
Jing Xia
Karen Bulmer
Amy Collyer-Holmes
Elizabeth Wright
Robert Thompson
Keith Bissel (1912-1992), a lifelong champion of Canadian music, began his career as a schoolteacher in Toronto. After earning his music degree, Bissell continued to work in the education system alongside his work as a composer and conductor. In 1960, the year he composed Three Pieces for String Orchestra, Bissell took a sabbatical to study with Carl Orff—the composer of Carmina Burana—and would later incorporate Orff’s pedagogical methods into his own teaching.
When Anton Dvorak (1841-1904) wrote the Serenade for Strings (1875) he was a relatively unknown composer. Seeking recognition outside his hometown of Prague, Dvorak began submitting his work to various European music festivals. Having already won the Austrian Prize competition in 1874, Dvorak submitted the Serenade—amongst several other pieces—to the 1877 competition. Johannes Brahms, one of the judges, was so taken with his music that he sent it to his publisher. The subsequent publication of Dvorak’s work kickstarted his international career.
Scholars believe that Johann Sebastien Bach (1685-1750) wrote the Canata Der Herr denkett an uns quite early in his career, possible for the wedding of Johann Lorenz Stauber who had married Bach and his first wife in 1707. Der Herr segne euch (1708), originally a duet for tenor and bass, features an imitative violin line that borrows from the cantata’s opening sinfonia. The text, “May the Lord bless you more and more, you and your children,” conveys the overall joyful mood of the cantata.
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899), often known as “the Waltz King,” was instrumental in popularizing this dance in Vienna during the second half of the nineteenth century. Though today we think of The Blue Danube (1866) as an instrumental piece, it was originally written for the Vienna Men’s Choral Association, with a text that mingles descriptions of the sights one might see sailing down the Danube with a fierce sense of Viennese pride in the river’s beauty. While the piece originally received a mixed reception, a purely instrumental version written for the 1867 Paris World’s Fair saw the piece achieve widespread success.
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was just nineteen when he wrote Cantique de Jean Racine (1864-65) for the composition competition at the École Niedermeyer de Paris. The piece earned Fauré first prize. The text, written by seventeenth-century dramatist Jean Racine, is a paraphrase of the Latin hymn sung during matins, or early morning, in monastic communities.
Made broadly popular by the Great Big Sea album Play, General Taylor is a variant of the sea shanty Stormalong, which dates to the mid nineteenth-century. The eponymous General Taylor refers to US President Zachary Taylor, who served as a military general during the Mexican American war. Some folk scholars suggest the reference to Taylor was added to Stormalong in tribute to the President, who died just 16 months after taking office.
Otto P. Kelland (1904-2004) was working as the prison warden of the St. John’s Penitentiary in 1947 when a sea captain told him of a conversation he had had with a homesick sailor who longed to return to his life on the sea off the coast of southeast Newfoundland. It took Kelland just twenty minutes to pen the lyrics to Let Me Fish off Cape St. Mary’s. This ode to life on the water has been recorded dozens of times, and stands today as an anthem to traditional life in Newfoundland.
- Notes courtesy of Dr. Annalise Smith
