1
Ambassador
2024 Spring Concerts
Auditorium
Welcome to the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras’ spring concerts! We are so proud of the hard work each student has put in this year and the personal growth they have achieved. It takes discipline, courage and teamwork to perform on this stage and we applaud every member of the PYSO for graduating to a new level of musical proficiency.
Coming up on my sixth month mark as CEO of the Pasadena Symphony Association, I couldn’t be more excited about where we are at this moment. As we usher in a new chapter with the appointment of renowned conductor Brett Mitchell to Music Director, we continue to nurture the next generation of musical talent through PYSO. We are thrilled to share that PYSO has expanded by an astounding 50% in the past two years, increasing from 7 to 11 ensembles and serving more than 700 4th to 12th grade students. We’ve expanded our All City Orchestra to 3 Pasadena Unified school sites, and this summer, we’re launching our inaugural PYSO Summer Camp. This tuitionfree summer program is open to all PUSD students in grades 4 - 8, currently enrolled in their school instrumental music program. With support from the district, we’ll even provide students with a PUSD instrument for the week if they don’t have their own.
We are grateful to all our PYSO conductors and coaches who provide exemplary musical instruction and who also serve as critical mentors to help guide our students’ learning and personal growth. We are also thankful to all our PYSO parents and care givers who demonstrate a commitment to support the many benefits that music education and playing in an ensemble provides their children.
We invite you to attend any of our main stage events at Ambassador Auditorium and the beautiful gardens of the Los Angeles County Arboretum through our Student Access Program, which provides no-cost access to concerts for more than 3,000 students and their families each year. As we work to encourage a love of music in the audiences of tomorrow, let these young artists be your guide.
Enjoy the show!
Andrew Brown Chief Executive Officer Pasadena Symphony Association
2 Welcome!
About the PYSO
The Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras (PYSO) have been training tomorrow’s leaders since 1972. Now in its 52nd year, PYSO is considered among the finest youth orchestra programs in the country and is the centerpiece of the Pasadena Symphony Association’s education offerings. PYSO offers 11 ensembles, serving students from 29 cities throughout Los Angeles County and the San Gabriel Valley, 17 school districts and 84 schools. In addition, PYSO provides Pasadena Unified School District with teaching artists to directly support music teachers in the classroom.
PYSO students are immersed in rigorous repertoire, learn the art of ensemble playing, and explore their potential in a supportive environment. Students study a primary instrument and participate in weekly ensemble practice and instrumental sectionals.
Ensemble playing opportunities are available for all PYSO students no matter where they are in their musical studies. Following an audition, students will be placed in an appropriate ensemble based on their age and ability. Students may stay in a rising ensemble for up to 3 years, depending on their level of playing as well as their personal commitment and maturity level. Each ensemble has its pathway from section player to principal, and each student’s journey will be different.
OVERTURE STRINGS & STRING ORCHESTRA
WIND ENSEMBLE
PRELUDE STRINGS
For more information on each ensemble, please visit our website at: bit.ly/pyso_ensembles
3
PHILHARMONIC
SINFONIA
SYMPHONY
ACO Strings and Prelude Strings
Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 9:00am
ACO Jackson & McKinley Strings
April Guthrie, Conductor
French Folk Song and Variations Traditional
ACO Field Strings
Heather Lockie, Conductor
Bohemian Folk Song Traditional
ACO Jackson, McKinley & Field Strings
April Guthrie, Conductor
"Raindrops" from 12 Curtain Raisers
Prelude Strings
Kyle Smith, Conductor
Stephen Chin
William Tell Overture (Finale) Gioachino Rossini
Arr. Richard Meyer
Honor and Glory Soon Hee Newbold
Moon Waltz Traditional
Gauntlet
Arr. Albert Wang
Doug Spata
ACO Strings & Prelude Strings Combined
Kyle Smith, Conductor
At the Grasshopper Ball
Richard Meyer an education program of the
4
ACO JACKSON
April Guthrie, Conductor
Violin
Joshua Carlson
Guimstor Chávez
Lily Cobleigh
Ruth DePaz Hernández
Andy Gutierrez
Emily Korompis
Matheney Larane
Laila Molina-Sangana
Oliver Pritchard
Felix Rodriguez-Collins
Charlotte Romero
Abner Sanchez
Cello
Isabelle Aaron
Anjali De La Torre
Madeline (Maddie) Montes
Double Bass
Taylor Carlson
ACO MCKINLEY STRINGS
April Guthrie, Conductor
Violin
Jenny Alvaro
Vida Hernandez
Stephanie Jimenez
Ximena Lopez
Jayla Perez
Aixa Rivera
Marc Ruballos
Cello
Joelle Fleischman
ACO FIELD STRINGS
Heather Lockie, Conductor
Violin
Key Ardito
Leena Babtiwale
Caliya Chiu
Naran Erdenesuren
Juliane Flores
Evelyn Ho
Elijah Ko
William Kwok
Mina Majano
Fatima Morales
Zariah Nunes
Alessandra Schwartz
Kietsai Sora-lee
Hailey Tran
Emma Tran
Alexa Tran
Bridget Yi
Merida Zhang
Viola
Angelina Che
Lia Lin
Lucian Wong
Cello
Jeremy Chen
Miles Chuang
Mandakh Erdenesuren
Shu Shu Huang
Margot Jennings
Lucas Sun
Skylar Wong
*A special thank you to Kristine Llanderal and Melissa Lai for helping at ACO rehearsals this season.
5
PRELUDE STRINGS
Kyle Smith, Conductor
Violin
Jacob Castaneda
Grace Chan
Luke Chen
Jayne Chiang
Richard Feng
Jovannie Hoo
Noelle Kim
Eden Lau
Berton Lau
Ethan Li
Iris Li
Graciela Lopez
Augustine Lowe
Daisy Pfeiffer
Oliver Pritchard
Sofia Rusconi
Arpi Simonian
Dashiell Stephens
Mia Still
Harper Streb-Quintel
Annabel Tam
Katherine Ter-Harutyunyan
London Terry
Charlotte Tom
Enze Tong
Naneh Vachents
Kende Volkan-Kacso
Eden Williams
Carol Williams
Zi Rui (Toby) Wong
Caleb Jeremiah Wong
Sophia Wu
Vivienne Wu
Karis Yeung
Leah Yin
Victor Zhang
Viola
Corise Bates
Dalton Chen
Aariel Lee
Penelope Park
Olivia Solis
Emily Zhang
Kemi Zhang
Cello
Isabelle Chen
Kailyn Duong
Xingze Feng
Audrey Hsiao
Alexander Jarvis
Henry Kittle
Elias Lopez
Therese McCulley
Emma Paik
Gideon Ramirez
Edwin Ting
Alice Walsh
6
FREE CONCERT! presents JUNE 1, 2024 Gates 6:00pm Concert 8:00pm PASADENA CITY HALL
About the All City Orchestra
The Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras (PYSO) All City Orchestra ensembles provide tuition-free, weekly group lessons to strings, woodwind and brass students in 4th, 5th and 6th grade who are currently enrolled in a school music program in the Pasadena Unified School District.
The All City Orchestra is an education initiative launched by the Pasadena Symphony Association in 2012 to provide small group and full ensemble instruction for students in partnership with Pasadena Unified School District faculty.
The All City Orchestra is a beginner ensemble available to all PUSD students in grades 4 to 6 who are enrolled in their school music programs, and has recently expanded to hold rehearsals at three school sites: Jackson, Field and McKinley Elementary Schools.
7
For more information on each ensemble, please visit our website at: bit.ly/pyso_ensembles ALL CITY ORCHESTRA: WINDS
CITY ORCHESTRA: STRINGS
ALL
ACO Winds, Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra & Overture Strings
Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 1:00pm
ACO Winds - Nathan Stearns, Conductor
4th Grade Instrument Demos
Flutes - Call and Response
Trombones - Our First Notes
Trumpet - Call and Response
Clarinets - Musical Switcharooni
5th Grade
The Three Little Pigs Nathan Stearns
Wind Ensemble - Gary Yearick, Conductor
Triumphant Journey
Chant and Tribal Dance
Normandy Beach (Concert March)
Steve Hodges
David Shaffer
John Edmondson
Bazaar Randall D. Standridge
String Orchestra - Michael Nelson, Conductor
Overture to King Arthur
Dos Fuegos
For the Star of County Down
Henry Purcell
Arr. Carrie Lane Gruselle
Robert Sieving
Arr. Deborah Baker Monday
Overture Strings - Michael Nelson, Conductor
L'estro Armonico
Contrasts in E minor
Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?
Blue Fire Fiddler
Antonio Vivaldi
Johann Sebastian Bach
Arr. Bob Lipton
Francis L. Feese
Arr. Carrie Lane Grusell
Soon Hee Newbold
8
an education program of the
Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra & Overture Strings
Michael Nelson, Conductor
Egmont Overture
ACO WINDS
Nathan Stearns, Conductor
4th Grade
Flute
Brisa Barreto
Raul Flores
Josiah Gutierrez
Ian Loyola
Nicolas Medina
Lia Rubio
5th Grade
Flute
Emi Padilla
Haddie Pipkin
Tamayo
Clarinet
Kayleen Cortez
Alyssa Gonzalez
Jordeni Roque
Trumpet
Emiliano Rodriguez
Jake Taylor
Clarinet
Harrison Garcia
Ollin Marquez
Sofia Treto
Connor Tritt
WIND ENSEMBLE
Gary Yearick, Conductor
Flute
Archana
Ananthanarayanan
Ava Barrios
Henry Cheng
Rachel Cho
Addison Kim
David Moss
Sophia Tran
Ayano Wakui
Jamie Wu
Joaquin Zajac
Alvin Zhang
Ludwig van Beethoven
Arr. Richard Meyer
Trombone
Mateo Aguilar
Byron Mayoral
Cesar Montes
Pablo Patron
Trumpet
Giovanna Campos
Costanzo
Ethan Melahouris
Kenny Romero
Mateo Valverde
Trombone
Kiran Robinson
Clarinet
Ethan Chu
Jonathan Krum
Kiley Lee
Colin Yun
Rachel Zhou
Bass Clarinet
Crystal Chien
Oboe
Jerome Hwang
Aden Zaidi
Alto Saxophone
Juliet Levine
Elliott Park
Tenor Saxophone
Carter Bradley
Patience Lam
Ian Pan
French Horn
Elisha Cho
Angelina Lee
Trumpet
Cameron Chen
Jacob Der
Aditya Katake
Siwoo Kim
Marko Strohm
Percussion
Parker Johnson
Anwitha Nakshatri
Theo Wisch
*A special thank you to Kristine Llanderal and Melissa Lai for helping at ACO rehearsals this season.
9
STRING ORCHESTRA
Michael Nelson, Conductor
Violin 1
Maia Atkinson
Luke Castaneda
Coco Choi
Hana Cole
Elise Dermovsesian
James Enney
Etienne Gagne
Ryan Kam
Torrance Li
Angela Li
Calista Pang
Winni Wang
Macy Zhu
Violin 2
Katherine Chen
Aaron Chu
Julian Cruz
Quinn Ford
Ziyu Gan
Camille Kallay
Katherine (Kate) Lee
Rebecca Liu
Amelie Ostray
Emma Santini
Effie Streb-Quintel
Lyla Stuart-Alban
Eugene Tang
Penelope Vuong
Sam Ying
Viola
Jayden Jakubiak
Naomi Kim
Owen Landon
Jieying (Judy) Tan
Maia Tshing
Kelsey West
Lucas Yeh
OVERTURE STRINGS
Michael Nelson, Conductor
Violin 1
Richard Cui
Naomi Jones
Yaeanne Lee
Caroline Lin
Noah Lu
Mateo Okon
Rebecca Pan
Isabelle Teng
Sean Tsai
Maebh Wu
Shayna Xu
Yuki Zhang
Violin 2
Nicholas Chan
Rita Chu
Ella Garlett
ChenJie Gu
Raiana Gutierrez
Aurelia Hsu
Eva Huo-Stevens
William Janeczko
Elizabeth Ong
Ivan Pan
Grant Saiyasombat
Stella Shen
Viola
Conor Kaw
Cameron Kim
Will Guangyin Mei
Ryukei Morimoto
Avery Thiel
Cello
Elia Braunlich
Daisy Chen
Wei Ham
Ashley Hong
Samantha Kim
Alexis Lee
Cello
Samuel Bortnik
Aria Hwu
Annya Lee
Araceli Prasarttongosoth
Gabriel Salisbury
Alice Sun
Ella Wang
Evangeline Wong
Double Bass
Raine Beheshti
Lindsey Huynh
Gia Ilog
Derrick Lee
Evelyn Lockerbie
Lily Peng
Yat Hin Adam Sun
Thomas Umutyan
Wan-Hsing Wang
Arden Yang
Skye Zhou
Double Bass
Jack Bransby
Carrie Rao
Quentin Sloan
10
Join us for our 2024-25 Season!
The Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras (PYSO) have continually offered outstanding musical training and personal development for young musicians throughout the San Gabriel Valley for more than 50 years. PYSO fosters dedication, excellence, fellowship and passion in the development of those who are not only outstanding young musicians, but outstanding young individuals.
We are now accepting audition applications for the 2024-25 Season! Auditions will be held on May 18-19, 2024.
ENSEMBLES
More than 500 students participate in PYSO from 48 schools throughout Los Angeles county. Students can audition into 7 challenging and rigorous ensembles that serve students in grades 6-12:
• Prelude Strings
• String Orchestra
• Wind Ensemble
• Overture Strings
• Symphony
• Sinfonia
• Philharmonic
FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit:
bit.ly/PYSOauditions
APPLICATIONS OPEN NOW! QUESTIONS? EMAIL: ACHU@PASADENASYMPHONY-POPS.ORG
an education program of the
Symphony & Sinfonia
Saturday, April 27, 2024
5:00pm
SYMPH ONY
Jack Taylor, Conductor
Symphony No. 5 (Finale)
Appalachian Morning
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Arr. Richard Meyer
Robert Sheldon
Acrobats (for String Orchestra) Richard Meyer
Band of Brothers Suite
Salute to Ol' Blue Eyes:
Music of Frank Sinatra
I've Got Your Under My Skin Strangers in the Night
That's Life
The Lady is a Tramp
SIN FO NIA
Pin Chen, Conductor
Symphony No. 1 in C minor
I. Adagio, Allegro energico
Minnesota Swale
Serenade for Small Orchestra
Michael Kamen
Arr. Roy Phillippe
Adapt. Jack Taylor
Arr. John Moss
Emilie Mayer
Beth Anderson
Ralph Vaughan Williams in A minor
III. Intermezzo and Trio
V. Finale
Special thank you to Beth Anderson for providing and allowing usage of the parts and score of Minnesota Swale free of charge.
12
SYMPHONY - Jack Taylor, Conductor
Violin 1
Sophie Aguiar
Roy Amaral
Mei Callaham
Kadence Hwu
Sophia Krum
Kayla Lee
Max Lee
Victor Lee
Eliana Li
Priscilla Miao
Katelyn Ng
Paisley Park
Andrew Suda
Olivia Tan
Kevin Wang
Isabella Wilson
Amelia Wu
Henry Yoo
Anita Zheng
Violin 2
Evangeline Bransby
Elleina Caine
Ethan Castaneda
Jiarui (Aaron) Dai
Claire HeylerErickson
Aidan Hofer
Sophia Iknadossian
Lucas Kittle
Chuhan (Gina) Kong
Delilah Lee
Jayden Lee
Sean Lee
Jared Levine
Jasmine Liao
Nathan Leo Luhur
Jonathan Roesner
Kirsi Williams
Joseph Young
Riley Yu
Eudora Yuan
Viola
Emilio Alban
Ethan Chandra
Benicio Haro
Leon Holloway
Daniel Huss
Jolie Ji
Cello
Jeremiah Chun
Samantha Descalzi
Alyssa Guo
Cameron Huss
Annie Liu
Daiju Mori
Ian Nam
Raquel Rosado
Kenji Ross
Olivia Tanouye
Elijah Tshing
Nicole Tu
Jimmy Wu
Double Bass
Bradley Utomo
Flute
William Hsieh
Evolet Sun
Isabelle Whiting
Isabelle Yan
Erica Yu
Aurora Zajac
Brianna Zhu
Zita Zhu
Clarinet
Zoe Chen
Justin Kim
Braveton Lin
Sierra Mercer
Oboe
Justin Kong
Yifang Lou
Corbin Paxton
Bassoon
Luke Hoang
SINFONIA - Pin Chen, Conductor
Violin
Cadence Chan
Danica Chen
Helena Chen^
Jeremy Chen
Celine Chih
Julien Collet
Tiffany He
Lucas Hong
Anna Hua
Rodrigo Jaime
Claire Jung
Minda Lai
Jiwoo Lee
Kayce Lee
Viviam Liao
Cathleen Lu
Megan Mak
Kate Masuda^
Lauren Poplock
Shelby Sartor
Alto Saxophone
Liam Chang
Levi Sulbaek-Andersen
Caleb Wang
Tenor Saxophone
Gabriel Nicoll
Luke Taylor
Baritone Saxophone
Christopher Rappaport
French Horn
Joshua Cooper
Lucia Lois
Itusi Yoshioka
Trumpet
Willa Earnest-Blum
Mariah Ellis
Albus Lingfan Lu
Trombone
Joseph Cooper
Kelly Law
Theodore Zee
Tuba
Jingrou Wu
Percussion
Katie Hong
Eluisa Schulitz
Nora Wang**
Kevin Xie*
Nina Xu
Allison Yue
Malena Zamora
Viola
Ari Euredjian*
Benicio Haro
Daniel Huss
Jeremy John
Emily Kaw
Aiden Lee^
Cello
Tyler Chin^
Judy Ku
Michelle Li
Julia Lin
Joseph Mandella
Minju Oh
Connor Pak
Madelin Rentmeester*
Colette Yerrid
Double Bass
Casey Chen*
Cameron Huss
Kendall Suehiro
Flute
Aidan Ko
Jolee Kuo
Chloe Lee*
Allyson Wang
Clarinet
Suh Joon (Ian) Kang
Suh-Hyun (Ethan)
Kang
Noah Mukherjee*
Noah Tandoc
Qingcheng (Eric) Yang
Oboe
Alexander Hsieh*
Elijah Joung
Alto Saxophone
Quinne Fang
French Horn
Joyce Garcia
Trumpet
Diego Gonzalez
Jackson Kidd*
Sarina Lin
Percussion
Daniel Huang
** Concertmaster * Section Principal ^ Assistant Principal
13
Congratulations to Our Graduating Seniors!
CL ASS OF 2024
14
We apologize for any errors or omissions.
Ari Euredjian Sophia Fogel
Joy Gao Diego Gonzalez
Max Goodman
Aidan Hofer Yuuto Izumi
Maya Jen
Rena Jeoung
Ian Kang
Emily Kaw
Hannah La Porte
Steven Lee
Victoria Lee
Sarina Lin
Chloe Luong
Enrique Perez
Nicholas
Stanton
Owen Su
Kendall Suehiro
Ashlee Sung
Ellen Tang
Hayley Tang
Isaac Tiu
Danielle Tsai
Chloe Vuong
Ava Ye
Emily Yen
Max Yep Joaquin Zikman-Fung
Amiruthaa Amudharasan
Jasmine Chao Kayson Chen Ruby Chew
Celine Chih
Chloe Choe Austin Eng
Not pictured
Philharmonic
an education program of the
Saturday, April 27, 2024
8:00pm
Chris Kim, Conductor
Ashlee Sung, Soloist
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso Camille Saint-Saëns (for Violin and Orchestra)
Pictures at an Exhibition Modest Mussorgsky
Orch. Maurice Ravel
I. Gnomus
II. The Old Castle
III. Tuileries
IV. Bydlo
V. The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks
VI. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle
VII. The Market at Limoges
VIII. The Catacombs (Sepulchrum romanum)
IX. The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba Yaga)
X. The Great Gate of Kiev
15
PHILHAR MONIC
Chris Kim, Conductor
Violin 1
Lily Bingham
Sophia Buda
Jasmine Chao
Chloe Choe
Austin Eng
Yuuto Izumi
Maya Jen
Hannah La Porte
Chloe Luong
Julian Rife
Mallika Sheshadri^
Madeline Son
Ashlee Sung**
Ian Teigen
Danielle Tsai^
Bai Xue
Violin 2
Ruby Chew
Noah Choe
Sophia Fogel
Joy Gao
Max Goodman*
Lio Itaya
Jamie Lee
Steven Lee
Audrey Lord
Eyla Najafi
Lev Sakae Taira*
Ellen Tang
Hayley Tang
Chloe Vuong
Viola
Victoria Lee
Meridith Southard
Owen Su *
Vitali Sei Taira
Ruiyi Zhang
Faith Zhou
Valeri Zhu
Cello
Amiruthaa Amudharasan
Kayson Chen*
Phoebe Cho
Kaitlyn Hong*
Chloe Hsin
Austin Kuo
Phoebe Lee
Liam Reilly
Isaac Tiu
Shannon Tsai
Matthew Wu
Emily Yen
Double Bass
Josiah Chun
Nicolas Stanton Flute
Claire Buda
Thomas Chung*
Rena Jeoung
Katie Li
Clarinet
Trisha Chakraborty
Jesse Chen
Ava Ye*
Joaquin ZikmanFung
Oboe
Brendan Kuo
French Horn
Nathan Cho
Wilson Jaroch
Trumpet
William Meier
Maxwell Shen
Sebastian Thompson*
Trombone
Ellis Kopcho
Enrique Perez
Maxwell Yep
Tuba
Jasper Kugler
Harp
Hart LippSmith
** Concertmaster
* Section Principal
^ Assistant Principal
PYSO CONCERTO COMPETITION WINNER
Ashlee Sung
Ashlee Sung is 18 years old and a senior at Arcadia High School. Ashlee has been playing the violin since age 3 and has been studying violin with Sharon Harman at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music since 2019. She also takes music theory classes, performs in recitals, participates in summer chamber intensives, and tutors younger violin students at PCM. Ashlee also loves to compose music and is a part of the LA Phil Composer Fellowship Program. Having a strong passion for music, Ashlee aspires to continue studying music in the future.
16
Pasadena Symphony and POPS
Artistic Staff
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Brett Mitchell
PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR
Michael Feinstein
PYSO PHILHARMONIC CONDUCTOR
Chris Kim
PYSO SINFONIA CONDUCTOR
Pin Chen
PYSO SYMPHONY CONDUCTOR
Jack Taylor
PYSO STRING ORCHESTRA & OVERTURE STRINGS CONDUCTOR
Michael Nelson
PYSO WIND ENSEMBLE CONDUCTOR
Gary Yearick
PYSO PRELUDE STRINGS CONDUCTOR
Kyle Smith
PYSO ALL CITY CONDUCTORS
April Guthrie, Heather Lockie, Nathan Stearns
Pasadena Symphony and POPS
Administrative Staff
DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE
Kevin Batton
INTERIM CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Dana Bean
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Andrew Brown
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Alex Chu
DIRECTOR OF PATRON SERVICES & TICKETING
Tim Harwick
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Michael Kramberg
INTERIM DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATION
Andrea Laguni
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Christa Lorenz
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Marisa McCarthy
OFFICE MANAGER
Nina Montoya
EDUCATION MANAGER
Brian O'Donnell
MARKETING & PATRON SERVICES ASSOCIATE
Erica Sharp
GENERAL MANAGER
Bella Sunshine
PYSO Sectional Coaches
VIOLIN
Jean Lee, Heather Lockie, Elizabeth Hedman, Kris Rahamad, Jen Simone, Alejandra Moreno Gonzalez, Florence Titmus, Kaitlin Wolfberg
VIOLA
Kelly Christ, Carrie Holzman-Little, Kris Rahamad
CELLO
April Guthrie, Nadine Hall, Morgan Little, Ryan Sweeney
DOUBLE BASS
Ryan Baird, Nick Leonard, Alan Wang
WOODWINDS
Marley Eder, David Miller, Sierra Schmeltzer
BRASS
Nathan Johnson, Tawnee Lillo, Lisa McCormick, Dr. Mark Miller, Nathan Stearns
PERCUSSION
Quentin Purviance
PYSO Student Managers
Ruby Chew
Yeonho Jeong
Danielle Tsai
17
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Support for the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras is provided, in part, by:
The Rose Hills Foundation
The Green Foundation
The Youssef & Kamel Mawardi Fund
M. Brian McMahon & Janice Lee-McMahon
Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts
Fund the Future Music Education Donors:
Anonymous
Jane & Dan Armel
Shana Bayat & Tarun Kapoor
Eric W. Bell & Susanne Spangler
Mr. & Mrs. Paul F.
Bennett
Dean & Karen Billman
Mickey Bilsky
Adele Binder
John Bird
Kaylyn & Larry Blank
Chanel & Loakim Boutakidis
Doug Brown
Celia Butler
Karen Calborn
Kristen & Anthony Cannizzo
Cheryl & Philip Cannon
Annette Castro
Catherine "Tink
Cheney & Barry Jones
Sandra Choi
Carl W. Cooper & Lynn Van Dam
Cooper
Rhonda Cotton
Stephanie & Leo Dencik
Richard Schulhof
Mike Don
Sharla & Dick Durant
Georgianna Bray
Erskine
Sarah Etemadi
Chip Fairchild
Mr. & Mrs. George Forbes
Jens Weiden
Mr. & Mrs. Ken Gouw
Joseph L. Grosso & Loren Escandon
Brian & Elizabeth Hall
Kristin & Berkeley
Harrison
Dena Harte
Mary & Erwin Helmich
Greg Holcomb & Todd Nickey
Bryan Johns & Alec Call
Manny Kaplan
Raymond & Cinty
Kepner
Kay Kochenderfer
Toomey & Frank
Toomey
Marlene R. Konnar & John D.
Baldeschwieler
Joyce Law
Gayle Levant
Ann Peppers Foundation
Audrey Prims
The Helen & Will Webster Foundation
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
Sean, Christine & Riley Yu
Mary Lyons
Fred Manaster
Leslie & Baird Marble
Liam McGuiness
Heidi & Steve McLean
Robert & Kimberly Michero
Shelley & Phil Miles
Fritz & Angela Miller
Eric Miller
Tony & Norah Morley
Judith & Donald Norquist
Debi & Stan Parkhurst
Barbara & Tony Phillips
Jake Poxson
Mary Jane Prout
Keith Renken
Cheryl Rigali
Rosemary & Robert Risley
Rey & Vivian Rodriguez
Paul Rusnak
McNally & David Sagal
John & Gayle Samore
Shadi & Jennifer Sanbar
Julie Saper
Supervisor Kathryn Barger
Jeannine Scheinhorn
Vicki & Brad Schwartz
Rich & Ellyn Semler
Kathy Seuylemezian
Jamie Shaheen
Bill & Susan Shieff
Gita Singh
Gregg Smith
Barbara Mann
Steinwedell
Melanie & Steve Summers
Ben Tam
Jack Taylor
Angel & Jeff Throop
Lindsay & Bill Tilney
Linda Tolbert
Beatrice Usher
Irene Van Blerkom
Andrew Van Horn & Kristine Chase
Doug Waite
Sarita & Booker T. White
Reginald A. Wilson & English A. Heisser
Kimberly Winick & Lawrence Chamblee
Scott Witter
Diana Yang
Eric Yap
Amy Zakiewicz
PYSO would like to extend a special thanks to the Pasadena Unified School District, Conductors, Coaches, Staff, Volunteers, Student Managers, and parents! Your dedication, energy, and spirit allow our students to excel to new heights each season.
GIFTS GIVEN IN MEMORY OF DREW FLAHERTY
The Pasadena Symphony lost one of our family this summer when our Chief Operating Officer, Drew Flaherty passed away suddenly. Drew was the heartbeat of the organization and the driving force behind our operations for the past decade. We will always remember Drew as a warm, kind, fun person who was a stalwart in the California orchestral community. His loss is deeply felt, but his love for music and passion for togetherness and laughter lives on. Drew’s family is honored by those who have given in his memory.
Pam & Jerry Ackrich
The Adamick Family
Janet Wendy Anderson
Patty & John Anderson
Brenda Baity & Scott Long
Alison Bjorkedal & Phil Yao
Laurel Bossi
Ronald Bossi
MaryAnn Bozek
Nancy & Martin Chalifour
Panela & David Conley
Diane & Michael ConleyHinchey
Jana & Steve Cooley
The Dickson Family
Valerie DiLoretta
Jim & Marge Dixon
Patrick Dowling
Eli & Jean Essa
Dr. Alan Fisher
Peter & Linda Flaherty
Jonathan Flaksman
Joanne Freed & Richard C. Mendelson
The Girard Family
Jeff Hacker
Nadine Hall
Judith Henderson
Matthew Henning
Elizabeth Hentz
Sara Hiner
Judd Hollander
Cyndee Howard
Deborah R. & Bradley D. Howard
Chuck Jones
Andrew Kassan
Joanne Kennedy
Ray & Cinty Kepner
Kay Kochenderfer-Toomey & Frank Toomey
Judy & Brad Kolb
Marlene R. Konnar & John D. Baldeschwieler
Aimée Kreston & Andrew Picken
Cynthia Leary
Arlene Lesh
Marisa McCarthy
Shannon McCarty
Priscilla McClure
Rebecca Meneses
Jacqueline A. Miller
Rob Moore
Judith Moss
Sandy Norton
Thomas Porro
Rosemary & Robert Risley
Kenneth Shapiro
Barbara Porro-Smith
Erik Rynearson
Jamie Shaheen
Timothy Stang
Season Straaberg
Scott Vandrick & Tony Foster
Christine Wagner
19
SUBSCRIBE TO SAVE 30% UP
TO
AT THE LA ARBORETUM 2024
MICHAEL FEINSTEIN
Principal Pops Conductor
Harlem Nights: Duke, Ella and the Legacy of the Harlem Renaissance
JUNE 29, 2024
Michael Feinstein, conductor
Michael Cavanaugh: Singer Songwriters
Catherine Russell & Byron Stripling, soloists
Waterloo: A Tribute To ABBA
JU LY 13 , 2024
Larry Blank, conductor
Michael Feinstein Sings Tony Bennett & Frank Sinatra
JULY 27, 2024
Larry Blank, conductor
AUGUST 10, 2024
Larry Blank, conductor California Dreamin’
AUGUST 24 , 2024
Michael Feinstein, conductor Soloists TBA
Oscar Meets Tony
SEPTEMBER 7, 2024
Michael Feinstein, conductor
Victoria Clark & Norm Lewis, soloists
20 SUBSCRIBE TODAY! PASADENASYMPHONY-POPS.ORG | 626.793.7172
PYSO Sinfonia Program Notes
Minnesota Swale
Beth Anderson
A “swale” is a meadow or a marsh where a lot of wild plants grow together. The composer discovered the word when a horse named Swale won the Kentucky Derby in 1984. Since her work is primarily collage of newly composed musical swatches, she has used the name extensively--Rosemary Swale and Pennyroyal Swale for string quartet, Brass Swale and Saturday/Sunday Swale for brass quintet, Guitar Swale for two guitars, etc. This swale includes an improvised percussion cadenza.
History:
Commissioned and premiered by the Minnesota Synfonia with Jay Fishman conducting; performed by the Hewlitt-Packard Orchestra five times, Wellesley College Orchestra, conducted by Joel Suben; recorded by Opus One in 1995 in Bratislava with the Slovak Radio Symphony. This piece is available on New Music For Orchestra, Opus One #CD156.
About the composer:
Beth Anderson (www.beand.com) is a composer of new romantic music, textsound works, and music theater events. Her early work was considered postCagian, non-academic but eventually, the music became more lyrical while often retaining the cut-up quality of the minimalists. Her all-Beth Anderson recordings are out on Other Minds (Namely 2020), MSR (The Praying Mantis and the Bluebird, 2013), Albany (Quilt Music, 2004), New World (Swales & Angels, 2004), and Pogus (Peachy Keen-o, 2003). Opus One has released Revel, with the Richmond Symphony and Minnesota Swale with the Bratislava Radio Orchestra. Her music is available from the composer and from Antes/Bella Musica in Germany.
Special thank you to Beth Anderson for providing and allowing the usage of the parts and score of Minnesota Swale free of charge.
1
PYSO Philharmonic Program Notes
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (for Violin and Orchestra)
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835- 1921)
Camille Saint-Saëns penned his first composition at the age of three. By the time he was 11, he had debuted as a concert pianist, and his reputation was firmly cemented as a “child prodigy”. His prolific works ranged from concertos to operas, choral works to symphonies. Much later in life, he happened to be alive during the emergence of recorded music, and he made some of the earliest contributions in that area, both as an accompanist and soloist.
Saint-Saëns wrote his Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in 1863, at the age of 28. This piece was written specifically for Pablo Sarasate, a world famous 19-yearold Spanish concert soloist. A fellow early bloomer who made his concert debut at eight, Sarasate began attending the Paris Conservatory at 12 to hone his skills, and shortly after was traveling the world, dazzling audiences with his delicate tone, precise intonation, and perfect technique. Sarasate’s clout was so great that other composers including Lalo and Bruch composed concertos specifically for him.
Since this was already the 4th piece he’d written for Sarasate, Saint-Saëns wanted him to at least break a sweat this time around. Saint-Saëns made sure to cover a lot of ground in the relatively short piece, which begins with a slow, melancholy start leading to a difficult cadenza, culminating in a faster, Spanish-style section, demonstrated through the syncopation and chromaticism often found in Spanish folk music. Saint-Saëns even took a compositional risk and superimposed the 2/4 solo violin part over the 6/8 orchestral accompaniment. Sarasate accepted the challenge and subsequently performed the piece throughout Europe and the United States, where its fame inspired fellow composers Georges Bizet (Carmen) and Claude Debussy (La Mer, Clair de Lune) to pen their own arrangements for violin and piano, as well as 4 handed piano.
This is not a concerto for the casual violinist. It was written specifically for one of the greatest violinists of all time, to showcase all the techniques he had amassed in his then brief but prolific career. In fact, TwoSet Violin, the famous duo that often posts on YouTube, made an entire video solely focused on trying to learn the notoriously “impossible” staccato up-bow technique featured in the piece. Tonight’s soloist deftly handles this moment, and the rest of the piece, without hesitation.
Notes by: PYSO Staff
Pictures at an Exhibition
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) & Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
It was Ravel who told Serge Koussevitzky about these fascinating pieces and fired his enthusiasm. At the time, around 1922, the Pictures were quite unknown, and the Russian publishing house of Bessel, which had issued them in 1886 in a
2
version heavily edited by Rimsky-Korsakov, had so little faith in them that it had no difficulty going along with Koussevitzky’s stipulation that Ravel’s transcription should be reserved for a number of years for his exclusive use, since clearly there was nothing in it for the publishers. The Mussorgsky/Ravel Pictures quickly became a Koussevitzky specialty, and his fantastic 1930 recording with the Boston Symphony turned the work into an indispensable repertory item. What would particularly have pleased Ravel is the way the popularity of “his” Pictures led pianists to rediscover Mussorgsky’s.
Ravel was not the first musician to orchestrate Pictures, having been anticipated by Mikhail Tushmalov in 1891 and by Sir Henry J. Wood in 1920. During the time that Ravel’s score was available only to Koussevitzky, an orchestration appeared by Leonidas Leonardi, and later there were scorings by Leopold Stokowski, Lucien Cailliet, and Walter Goehr—not to forget the electronic version by Tomita, Elgar Howarth’s transcription for the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, the Yamashita reduction for solo guitar, Keith Emerson’s rock presentation, and Vladimir Horowitz’s own rethinking for piano.
In this whole scene, Ravel’s edition is the time-tested survivor, and for good reason: he is Mussorgsky’s peer, and his transcription stands as a model of what we would ask for in such an enterprise by way of technical brilliance, imaginative insight, and concern for Mussorgsky’s own name.
The Pictures are “really” Victor Hartmann’s. He was a close and important friend to Mussorgsky, and his death at only 39 in the summer of 1873 was an occasion of profound and tearing grief for the composer. The critic Stasov organized a posthumous exhibition of Hartmann’s drawings, paintings, and architectural sketches in St. Petersburg in the spring of 1874, and by June 22, Mussorgsky, having worked at high intensity and speed, completed his tribute to his friend. He imagined himself “roving through the exhibition, now leisurely, now briskly in order to come close to a picture that had attracted his attention, and at times sadly, thinking of his departed friend.” The roving music, which opens the suite, he calls Promenade.
I. Gnomus — According to Stasov, “a child’s plaything, fashioned, after Hartmann’s design in wood, for the Christmas tree at the Artists’ Club... It is something in the style of the fabled Nutcracker... The gnome accompanies his droll movements with savage shrieks.”
II. The Old Castle (Il vecchio castello) — There was no item by that title in the exhibition, but it presumably refers to one of several architectural watercolors done on a trip of Hartmann’s to Italy. Stasov tells us that the piece represents a medieval castle with a troubadour standing before it. Ravel decided basically to make his orchestra the size of the one Rimsky-Korsakov used in his edition of his opera Boris Godunov, the most famous of earlier orchestrations of Mussorgsky, but not, alas, as honorable as Ravel’s. He went beyond those bounds in adding percussion and, most remarkably, in his inspired use of the alto saxophone here.
III. Tuileries — The park in Paris, swarming with children and their nurses. Mussorgsky reaches this picture by way of a Promenade.
3
IV. Bydlo — The word is Polish for cattle. Mussorgsky explained to Stasov that the picture represents an ox-drawn wagon with enormous wheels, but adding that “the wagon is not inscribed on the music; that is purely between us.”
V. The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks — A costume design for a ballet, Trilby, with choreography by Petipa and music by Gerber, and given in St. Petersburg in 1871. A scene with child dancers was de rigueur in a Petipa spectacular. Here we have canaries “enclosed in eggs as in suits of armor, with canary heads put on like helmets.” The ballet is preceded by a short Promenade.
VI. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuÿle — Mussorgsky owned two drawings by Hartmann... [who] had spent a month in 1868 at Sandomierz in Poland. Mussorgsky’s manuscript has no title, and Stasov provided one... “Goldenberg and Schmuÿle.” Another small alteration here: Mussorgsky ends with a long note, but Ravel has his Goldenberg dismiss the whining Schmuÿle more abruptly.
VII. The Market at Limoges — Mussorgsky jots some imagined conversation in the margin of the manuscript: “Great news! M. de Puissangeout has just recovered his cow…Mme. de Remboursac has just acquired a beautiful new set of teeth, while M. de Pantaleon’s nose, which is in his way, is as much as ever the color of a peony.” With a great rush of wind, Mussorgsky plunges us directly into the [catacombs].
VIII. The Catacombs (Sepulchrum romanum) — The picture shows the interior of catacombs in Paris with Hartmann, a friend, and a guide with a lamp.
Promenade: Con mortuis in lingua mortua (Among the dead in the language of the dead) — A ghostly transformation of the Promenade, to be played “con lamento.”
IX. The Hut on Fowls’ Legs — A clock in 14th-century style, in the shape of a hut with a chicken head and on chicken legs, done in metal. Mussorgsky associated this with the witch Baba-Yaga, who flew about in a mortar in chase of her victims.
X. The Great Gate of Kiev — A design for a series of stone gates that were to have replaced the wooden city gates, “to commemorate the event of April 4, 1886.” The “event” was the escape of Tsar Alexander II from assassination. The gates were never built, and Mussorgsky’s majestic vision seems quite removed from Hartmann’s plan.
Notes by: Michael Steinberg (edited for length)
4
