Pops 1 - Day of the Dead by IBPSA

In collaboration with: Paso del Norte Chamber Orchestra The Las Cruces Symphony Youth Orchestra Michele’s Dance Academy: Ballet Folklorico Pasos del Alma 28

Letter from the President

Dear Patrons,

Welcome to our 2023-24 season of the finest symphonic music, performed by our dedicated orchestra under the direction of Maestro Ming Luke. This will be a season of change as we try new things and collaborate with other arts organizations in exciting ways. Whether it be joining our music with the arts of ballet and drama, the joining of cultures in celebration of Día de los Muertos, the joining our instruments with choral voices for the holidays, or just humming along with our favorite tunes from the movies, we recognize that music has the ability to touch everyone. As the saying goes, “Where words fail, music speaks”. We also recognize our responsibility to educate and develop the next generation of musicians through the development of our The Las Cruces Symphony Youth Orchestra and our newly formed Junior Orchestra! We are excited that the Youth Orchestra will again be joining us onstage, not once, but twice this season. Our mission is to present and promote music of the highest quality for the region’s enrichment and to serve our community. This would not be possible without the financial support of you who are here, our season sponsors, business advertisers, and donors. We are truly thankful for your generosity and look forward to your continued support.

Sincerely,

Michael Chang LCSA President 4

Las Cruces Symphony Association

The mission of the Las Cruces Symphony Association is to present and promote music of the highest quality for the region’s enrichment, and to serve our community as a musical, cultural, and educational resource

2023-24 Board of Directors Michael Chang

Marc A. Moffett

Laura Self

Larry Hill

Barbara Ross

Catherine Zaharko

Scott Lucas

Carmen Rustenbeck

Executive Board Michael Chang, President

Marc A. Moffett, Vice-President Larry Hill, Secretary Carmen Rustenbeck, Treasurer Ex-Officio Carmen Rustenbeck, Interim Executive Director Ming Luke, Music Director

The Las Cruces Symphony Association is the administrative and governing arm of the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, governed by a Board of Directors composed of local community members. A successful symphony orchestra is a partnership between the music director, musicians, administrative staff, board of directors, donors, and patrons. Acting on behalf of all who have a vested interest in the LCSO, the Board of Directors is responsible for the good stewardship of the Symphony. For more information about the LCSA Board o f Directors and membership possibilities, please contact the LCSA at 575-646-3709.

Become a Donor

Pops One: Día de los Muertos

Director’s Circle

The Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra Ming Luke, Music Director & Conductor

Director’s Circle − $750.00 (Limited)

In collaboration with

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Priority seating ticket

Paso del Norte Chamber Orchestra from Juarez − Jorge Martinez-Rios, Music Director

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VIP Green Room pre-concert reception with drop-in from the Maestro

Michele’s Dance Academy: Ballet Folklorico Pasos del Alma − Marissa Cordero, Director

Dancers: Adrianna Cordero, Liliana Delgado, Alina Flores, Alexandra GoodTracks, Melody Hernandez, Renesmae Martinez Las Cruces Symphony Youth Orchestra − Jorge Martinez-Rios, Music Director

present

Director’s Circle− $2,500.00 (Couples Option)

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Intermission reception

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Private entry to theatre

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Invitation to all post-concert meet and

2 priority seating tickets

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All of the single Director’s Circle benefits + the following

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2 additional season tickets next to (or close to) your priority tickets

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greets, with conductors and muscicians

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2 guests at all pre-concert and intermission receptions

Valet parking when available

Conga Del Fuego Nuevo – Arturo Marquez Suite 1 from The Three-Cornered Hat – Manuel De Falla Suite 2 from The Three-Cornered Hat – Manuel De Falla

~ Intermission ~

Corporate Sponsorships Meet your corporation’s philanthropic goals and highlight your community responsibility. Corporate Sponsorships are a great return on investment!

El Cihualteco – Arr. Eric Choate (with Ballet Folklorico, “Pasos del Alma”) La Culebra – Arr. Manuel Esperon La Llorona – Arr. Valentino Salado Erick Giovanni

Son de la Negra – Arr. Javier Gutierrez Chavez (with Ballet Folklorico, “Pasos del Alma”) Huapango Del Oso – Gabriel Musella The Children of Sanchez – Chuck Mangione/Arr. Bob Phillips and Jerry Dennison Danzon No. 2 – Arturo Marquez (with the Las Cruces Symphony Youth Orchestra)

Allegro Corporate Sponsorship − $10,000+

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Customized benefits to fit your organization’s unique needs

Bellissimo Business Sponsorship − $6,500

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Ideal for entertaining clients with high quality performances and gifting employees

Maestro Professional Sponsorship − $3,5000

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Perfect for raising your business’s community profile and enjoying some of the finer things in life

All sponsorships include VIP tickets, special events, advertising benefits, private theatre entrance, and more. For more information, contact the Las Cruces Symphony office at 575-646-3709 or visit our website: https://lascrucessymphony.com/support-us/

Ways to Give

Pops One: Día de los Muertos

Annual Fund For more than 62 years, the LCSO has been a leader among the arts in Las Cruces, employing more than 70 musicians who live and work in our area. Ticket sales only support about 40 percent of the cost of producing concerts. That is why we depend generous donations from our patrons. Please consider making a contribution to support the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra at one of the suggested donation levels and help to ensure the future of a professional symphony in Las Cruces.

• Grandioso: $5,000 and up • Appassionato: $2,000-$4,999 • Maestoso: $1,000-$1,999 • Scherzo: $500-$999 • Rondo: $250-$499 • Dolce: $50-$249 Contact the Las Cruces Symphony office at 575-646-3709 or visit our website: https://lascrucessymphony.com/support-us/

Adopt a Chair The Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra is a community supported orchestra, requiring the ongoing support of people willing to invest in the future of live performance. An “Adopt a Chair” sponsor provides funding for a specific musician’s salary; thus, establishing long-term sustainable funding for our orchestra. The sponsorship is not designated for a specific musician, but rather for the “chair” or position in the orchestra. Levels (per year)

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Music Director Concertmaster Principal Section Player

$5,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500

Benefits

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Name recognition on personnel page Name recognition on LCSO website Personal introduction between sponsor and musician with photo op Invitation to post-concert receptions and special events

The origins and history of Día de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” are shrouded in mystery and controversy in history circles. Celebrated on or between October 31 and early November depending on region, modern Día de los Muertos events are quite common throughout Mexico and in Hispanic communities throughout the Americas. Today most events are often joyous celebrations of lost loved ones. According to a recent article in National Geographic: “Traditions connected with the holiday include honoring the deceased using calaveras [various masks and other representations of skulls] and marigold flowers known as cempazúchitl, building home altars, called ofrendas, with the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these items as gifts for the deceased.” Poetry, dance, and folklórico music are also regular parts of these celebrations, and, in the classical music world, many works have been created that explore and complement these traditions.

Arturo Marquez (b. 1950) Both Danzon No. 2 and Conga Del Fuego came to international prominence in 2007 when they were used on an extensive tour and subsequently recorded, respectively, on the albums Fiesta and Discoveries, featuring Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolíver Youth Orchestra. This was one of the tours and series of recordings that exposed the great success of the Venezuelan teaching method called El Sistema to the world. The teaching methods have now been adopted worldwide, and Dudamel, of course, has gone on to be one of the most successful globe-trotting conductors in the classical music world. Born into a musical family steeped in the Mexican salon music, folklórico, and mariachi traditions, Arturo Márquez incorporates all these styles into his classical music language. His series of Danzónes have become quite popular in use by ballet companies, and, along with Conga Del Fuego, stands with only a few other works by Mexican contemporary composers that have made their way into the mainstream of classical music. Márquez currently lives in Mexico City, where he is in great demand for new commissions. He trained at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música in Mexico City and was later awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and completed a Masters in Fine Arts in Composition at the California Institute of the Arts.

LCSO Donors

Program Notes: Día de los Muertos

Manuel De Falla (1876 – 1946) Considered perhaps the most important Spanish composer of the early twentieth century, De Falla is best remembered today for his ballet music from The ThreeCornered Hat (El sombrero de tres picos) and a handful of other pieces that have made it into the standard classical orchestral and chamber music repertoires. Percussionist Luis Herrera Albertazzi describes De Falla’s music as, “a combination of poetry and asceticism that represents the spirit of Spain at its purest.” Commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev for the Ballet Russe, The ThreeCornered Hat was premiered in London in 1919. Diaghilev and the Ballet Russe had been very active in Paris for a number of years at this point, discovering and commissioning new composers, including Igor Stravinsky (who introduced De Falla to Diaghilev), and pioneering new styles of ballet choreography that broke from classical ballet traditions. For this new work, choreographer Léonide Massine explored Spanish dance traditions that were not at all common in the ballet world at that time. The work is based on music drawn from a pantomime titled The Magistrate and the Miller’s Wife (El Corregidor y la molinera). The music is playful and full of gestures common in Spanish folk music and flamenco. The work traditionally opens with a mezzo-soprano singing in the Andalusian flamenco style known as cante jondo (literally “deep song” in Spanish). A second song also returns much later in the work. While the LCSO will not be joined by a singer on this concert, it is important for context to understand that these short, poignant sections of the work set a tone of overcast sadness that contrasts with much of the playful music that makes up the body of the music for the ballet. The ballet proceeds with typical love intrigues, mistaken identities, and plot twists that, like opera, require a certain suspension of reality but that lend themselves to moving the story along and offering appropriate music for the dance. The music blends neo-classical traditions with a certain sense of impressionism. It is quite accessible and features several orchestral soloists to great advantage throughout the various sections. Keen ears will also pick up a quick and playful nod to the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony at one point in the second suite (Farruca). Today, the various movements/sections of the work are organized into two “suites,” labeled simply “Suite No. 1” and “Suite No. 2.” While they are still used in the world of ballet, it is far more common to hear one or both suites performed in the concert hall.

Rondo: $250-$499 Frank Belyan & Paul Mach Ben Holberg Shirley Cruse Charles & Linda Tharp Jim Maxon Dolce: $50-$249 Lee Beatty Karen Casci Jeffrey Brown Larry & Connie Candelaria Thomas & Joan Dormody Lois Grant & Richard Pratt Sally Ann Harper Kennan Newtson Ann Sallemi Wayne Flowers Garn Harris David Card Ellie Chalekian Youth Orchestra Founders Circle: Caryl Kotulak Jennifer Taylor Richard & Joy Pearce Ann Carlson Larry & Connie Candelaria

Grandioso: $5,000 and up

Appassionato: $2,000-$4,999 Glennis L. Adam Maestoso: $1,000-$1,999 David Brown & Mary Beagle Elmer & Nancy Houghten James Gerwels & Tiffany Reimann Richard & Joy Pearce Julie Marineau Philip & Louise Silano Doug & Tina Bailey Scherzo: $500-$999 Arturo & Maria Elena Jurado Caryl Kotulak Janet Hampton Irv & Barb Ross Richard & Susan Emery Darrel W. Dodson Linda A. Shubeck Helen Zagona Francie Casillas Sue Lashley

Youth Orchestra Sponsors Mary Ann Willson Lois Grant Grant & Tenya Price Ellen Michnovicz Jeffrey Brown Lucia Greene Ann Goldsberry Philip & Louise Silano Lee Beatty Emroy Shannon Kathryn Treat Gay Lenzo Barbara C. Davis Arturo & Maria Elena Jurado Don & Pat Johnson Ellie Chalekian Doug & Tina Bailey Roger C. Young Shevek Barnhart

Marlene Mayfield Gordon Butler & Martha Ludeman Jim Maxon Lydia Evans Thomas & Joan Dormody Edward Aylesworth James Gerwels & Tiffini Reimann Karen Billings Henry & Marti Taylor Ilse Pokorny Susan Williams Kennan Newtson Juliana Boxer Richard Hiss Shirley Cruse Glennis L. Adam Frank & Cally Williams Peter & Dael Goodman Leora Zeitlin

LCS Youth & Junior Orchestras

Program Notes: Día de los Muertos

Chuck Mangione (b. 1940) Born in Rochester, New York, and educated at the Eastman School of Music, trumpet and flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione enjoyed “overnight” fame on the jazz scene when he joined drummer Art Blakey’s band in the mid-1960s. Mangione later fronted a series of groups that began to explore various styles of jazz fusion, often featuring Mangione’s work as a composer/arranger, as well as his emerging style of improvisation featuring the flugelhorn. He had some success in the jazz world fronting both small and large jazz groups throughout the 1970s, but he came to international prominence with an album (and hit single) Feels So Good in 1977. Building on the success of that album, originally recorded with his most iconic jazz quintet, Mangione began extensive touring fronting both the original quintet and a big band, sometimes augmented by a full symphony orchestra. That success led to a well-received live album (Live at the Hollywood Bowl) and the commission to create the film soundtrack for the movie Children of Sanchez. While the film today is largely forgotten, the music from the soundtrack has become a mainstay of the jazz, marching band, and Drum Corps International world. From the early 1980s until today, there are few students in the high school and college band world who have not played at least some of Mangione’s music.

Gabriel Musella (b. 1963) Gabe Musella is well known in the band world as both an important music educator and composer. A graduate of Texas Tech University, where he studied composition with James Sudduth, Keith Bearden, and Mary Jeanne Van Appledorn, Musella has deep ties to the El Paso/Las Cruces area. Among mentors listed on his website are local music educators Kenny Capshaw and Rick and Barbara Lambrecht, all of whom have served on the faculties of both NMSU and UTEP and are noted area band directors and professional musicians. After the mass shooting in El Paso in 2019, Musella was commissioned to create Ciudad de Paz, which the UTEP Symphonic Band premiered in November of the same year. To date, Huapango Del Oso is one of his few works for full symphony orchestra. It was commissioned by the Breckendorff Middle School Orchestra (Katy, TX) and premiered at the 65th annual Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, one of the most famous music education festivals in America. Like many of Musella’s compositions, the work became an immediate success in the world of music education, but, again like many of his works, it transitions nicely to the professional concert stage.

Program Notes: Día de los Muertos

Art Builds Community

La Llorona – Traditional (Arr. Salado/Giovanni) The tale of La Llorona is one of the most famous Mexican ghost stories. While there are many permutations of the tale, basically it explores the life of an indigenous woman who falls in love with a Spanish conquistador. She bares his children, or she has children from a previous relationship in which the soldier has no interest. Either way, he abandons or has no interest in her. In a fit of rage, she drowns her children and is now destined to roam near waterways, often wailing in her unending grief. She is sometimes also referred to as “the crying woman.” In common practice, tales of La Llorona are used to scare children to keep them from swimming in unsafe waters. Basically, “be good or La Llorona will come and get you!” This traditional folk song has been a mainstay of Mexican music for many years, and today it has taken root in many different musical cultures and found its way into a number of classical music works as well.

La Culebra – Traditional (Arr. Manuel Esperon) La Culebra is another traditional Mexican folk song and dance that basically means “snake dance” in Spanish. Like La Llorona, there are many versions of the story, but basically there are too many snakes in a given village (or field, or home, etc.). The women find the snakes, and then the men swing their hats and stomp their feet to try and drive the snakes away. According to an educational Mexican dance website titled simply Mexican Dance: “Dancers form a serpentine line (the shape of a snake). The women enter first, followed by the men. The women wave their skirts in a circular, swishing pattern. The men stomp their feet. The dancers use zapateado; this means the lively tapping footwork you hear that they make by striking their heels on the ground.” All these dance moves are graphically represented in the music as well.

Every great city needs a great symphony! There is something special about live music. Something special about the moment your concert master initiates the final tuning of the orchestra; about the moment your conductor takes the podium; about the moment Ming’s baton drops and the first chords from your Symphony transport you into a fabulous musical journey. The Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra is a source of joy and discovery for the people who are engaged in this community. It is an irreplaceable chance for music lovers of all ages and backgrounds to be a part of something unique; an experience that cannot be duplicated by streaming performances online or flying to distant places to watch some other city’s symphony. As great as those things can be, they are fundamentally different. Listening today, you will not just experience beautiful works of music. You will not just experience them in the company of other like-minded people. But you will experience them in the company of hundreds of your neighbors and fellow Las Crucians. In this way, these performances weave together our community.

Thank you for joining us! 10

Classics Three: Space & Earth

Program Notes: Día de los Muertos

Sponsored by A Circle of Symphony Friends

The Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra Ming Luke, Music Director & Conductor in collaboration with

Las Cruces Symphony Youth Orchestra, Jorge Martinez-Rios (Music Director) present

Bedrich Smetana Die Moldau (with the Las Cruces Symphony Youth Orchestra) Heather Pinkham Nowhere and Nowhen Piano Concerto Soloist, Heather Pinkham Claude Debussy La Mer

El Cihualteco – Traditional (Arr. Eric Choate) Son de la Negra – Traditional

(Arr. Javier Gutierrez Chavez) Both El Cihualteco and El Son de la Negra are traditional Jalisco son style pieces best known today from the world of modern mariachi music. El Cihualteco is considered a standard in the world of mariachi music, first coming to prominence in America on a Smithsonian Folkways recording made in the late 1930s/early1940s by the ground-breaking band Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. Common to much mariachi music, this piece makes brilliant use of a musical technique known in the classical music world as “hemiola,” which literally means forcing groups of three beats into the space of two (or vice-versa). The effect is particularly noticeable in the chorus of the song: “Ay, sí, sí, ay, no, no, ay, sí, sí, ay, no, no. Ay sí, ay no, ay sí, ay no. De veras sí, de veras no, cuando ellas quieren no quiero yo. Al cabo sí, al cabo no.” (Ay, yes, yes, ay, no, no, ay, yes, yes, ay, no, no. Ay, yes, ay no, ay yes, ay, no. Really yes, really no, what I told you, you forgot. In the end, yes, in the end, no.) El Son de la Negra (The Son of the Black Woman) was made popular by composer Blas Galindo in the early 1940s when it was included in his suite titled Sones de mariachi, though the piece has roots that go much further back in folk music history. Today, it is often referred to as the “second national anthem of Mexico.” It is also used in the 7th inning stretch at all El Paso Chihuahua home games, and if you are a good dancer, you might even find yourself up on the big screen!

Program Notes by Jim Shearer. Portions of these notes are drawn from MUSIC 101: An Active Listening Guide for a Generation Online by James E. Shearer. Kendall Hunt Publishing Co. Used by permission. 18

Pops Two: The Silver Screen

Pops One: Personnel

Conductor: Ming Luke

The Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra