OKCPHIL program for 20-21 season, June 5, 2021 Classics Concert "German Dexterity and Panache"

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BRENT HART, President Oklahoma Philharmonic Society, Inc. Welcome to the (re)IMAGINE(d) 2020-21 season. It has been a long journey to get here and, on behalf of the OKC Phil family, we are so happy to have you join us. Music has the power to heal, to inspire and to unite in unmatched ways and I hope that you have enjoyed connecting with us through social media since last season. None of us could have imagined how much we would long for the opportunity to be together for this concert.

The OKC Phil plays a leading cultural role in Oklahoma City, providing Classics, Pops and Discovery concerts. Maestro Alexander Mickelthwate along with Executive Director Agnieszka Rakhmatullaev and her team have worked tirelessly to bring music to the stage, and your screens, this season. New this year, we are adding smaller ensemble performances in community settings to connect with new audiences. In addition to these performances, our community engagement and music education programs reach music lovers of all ages.

We are grateful to our patrons, donors and volunteers for your ongoing support. We also thank the Orchestra League and the Associate Board for their volunteer and fundraising efforts that make these programs possible. Now sit back, leave the world outside and enjoy the story that unfolds through each note.

KRISTEN BRANDT FERATE, President Oklahoma City Orchestra League This Season the Oklahoma City Philharmonic embarks on a (re)IMAGINE(d) adventure.

The Oklahoma City Orchestra League is honored to support this historic undertaking. The orchestral experiences offered this season will change the collective perspective.

The Orchestra League, founded in 1948, will move forward with our great and celebrated legacy. We will support music education and fundraising efforts of the Philharmonic. We will share in the knowledge gained from new forms of musical education, volunteerism and appreciation.

The Orchestra League membership offers a chance to witness history and help shape the future of symphonic music in our great city. I invite you to join us!

More information can be found at www.okcphil.org/about-us/orchestra-league

DAVID WHITE, President Associate Board On behalf of the Associate Board, welcome to the 2020-21 (re)IMAGINE(d) season. While the offerings may look a little different than in previous years you can always expect the same excellent entertainment and artistry from our Oklahoma City Philharmonic.

From Beethoven to Broadway, we have something in store for everyone.

The Associate Board brings together civic-minded young professionals to support and fulfill the mission of the PHIL. There’s more to the Philharmonic than concerts.

From classrooms to community outreach, the OKCPHIL is working to spread the joy of orchestral music across our state--and the Associate Board is proud to be a part of that work.

Thank you for supporting the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, we look forward to seeing you again soon. Enjoy the show!

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AGNIESZKA RAKHMATULLAEV Welcome to the OKCPHIL’s (re)IMAGINE(d) Season.

After a long pause, we are thrilled to be back and thank you for joining us on this journey!

While the majority of concert stages across the country remain silent, we wanted to find a way to continue our mission and bring live orchestral music to you and our community. With everyone’s safety and well-being as our top priority, we had to reimagine nearly every single aspect of our operations: from programming choices for each concert, to accommodating the needs of our patrons, continuing our partnership with area schools, and many more. Orchestrating the plan for each individual area required creative thinking, out-of-the-box approaches, collaboration, and a lot of hard work. We are pleased to present to you this unique season, shaped around the challenges of the unprecedented times we live in.

While this season might look and feel different, many of its components will remain the same, perhaps with a few twists.

The OKCPHIL’s Classics and Pops series will continue to bring high-caliber performances, presented in smaller settings to create a more intimate experience. The programming will

continue to be shaped by Maestro Mickelthwate’s artistic vision and desire to combine traditional repertoire with today’s music. And, of course, you will continue to be blown away by the talented musicians of our orchestra, some of whom will be featured as guest soloists. As part of this unique season, you will also notice a few new and exciting initiatives. Our concerts will be digitally available for those patrons who are not able to join us in the hall. Additionally, our musicians will frequently be performing in smaller settings in venues across the city, as part of our expanded Education and Community Engagement programs. We are excited about these new opportunities, as we broaden our reach, serve more people, and become more accessible in a different way.

Of course, none of this would be possible without YOU, our loyal patrons! We are sincerely grateful for your ongoing support, generosity, flexibility, and understanding that allow us to keep the music playing on our main stage, on your screen, or in your neighborhood. While we continue to navigate these turbulent waters, the OKCPHIL is committed to serving our mission as we strive to bring healing, unity, and hope to our entire community.

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ALEXANDER MICKELTHWATE Beginning his third season as Music Director of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Conductor Alexander Mickelthwate’ s exciting musical programming has created a buzz across the city, drawing people from all walks of life to the concert hall. Originally from Germany Mickelthwate is also Music Director Emeritus of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in Canada.

Since starting his Winnipeg tenure in 2006 he played a pivotal role in the rejuvenation and turnaround of the Winnipeg Symphony which culminated in a highly successful and critically acclaimed performance at Carnegie Hall in May 2014. The New York Times noted the performance was “conducted expertly,” and the New York Classical review stated “under music director Alexander Mickelthwate, they play with excellent intonation and such a fine overall blend and balance of sound that, on their own terms, they may be the best orchestra to appear in the week’s worth of concerts.”

Deeply rooted in his German heritage, Norman Lebrecht wrote about Mickelthwate’s interpretation of Mahler’s 10th Symphony with the Winnipeg Symphony: “Both Mahler 10 performances were intense and engaging. Every twist and turn in the score was fresh and surprising to my ears.”

And his interpretation of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 prompted the pianist Anton Kuerti to write a letter to the newspaper saying, “I would like to call attention to the stunning performance heard after the intermission. To play Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 with the passion, profundity, emotional intensity, subtlety and degree of perfection achieved by conductor Alexander Mickelthwate and the Winnipeg Symphony can only be called miraculous.”

In North America Alexander has guest conducted the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Saint Luke’s, Milwaukee Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony, among others.

His European debut was with the Hamburg Symphony. He also conducted the BBC London, Stuttgart Radio Orchestra, Royal Scottish, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and NDR Hannover. Other notable performances include the Sao Paulo Symphony and the Simon Bolivar Orchestra in Venezuela. He made his Australia debut with the Adelaide Symphony and the Tasmania Orchestra where he recorded the Mozart piano concerti Nos. 7 and 10 with the Silber Garburg Duo. Alexander Mickelthwate has worked several times with Dame Evelyn Glennie conducting the world premiere of two new

percussion concerti by Vincent Ho. He also worked with Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Yuja Wang, Dawn Upshaw, Plácido Domingo, Ben Heppner, Horatio Gutiérrez, Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos and Sarah Chang, among many others, and he worked very closely with a wide range of composers including Phil Glass, Steve Reich, Sofia Gubaidulina, Kaija Saariaho, John Adams, John Luther Adams and Mason Bates.

After guest conducting the Simon Bolivar Orchestra and experiencing the life-changing power of the El Sistema program in Venezuela for underprivileged children, Alexander played an instrumental part in creating Sistema Winnipeg.

For three years Alexander created a critically acclaimed Indigenous Festival in Winnipeg. Passionate to connect with all cultures, he created artistic collaborations between First Nations and western cultures that culminated in the performances of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Revueltas’ Les Noches de loss Mayas with new choreographies of contemporary and First Nations dance.

The Winnipeg New Music Festival is an international institution.

Alexander broadened the repertoire and created many new collaborations connecting with different audiences. Because of the programming of the festival the WSO was chosen to perform at the Spring for Music Festival at Carnegie Hall in 2014.

A few of the most creative projects of the festival for Alexander were the performance of movie director Guy Maddin’s Brand Upon a Brain with narration by actress Isabella Rossellini, the workshopping of a new opera Tesla by movie director Jim Jarmusch and composer Phil Klein, and a production of Gavin Bryar’s The Sinking of the Titanic at PanAm Pool.

Alexander has conducted for President Jimmy Carter and the Queen of England, and he received the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Key to the City of Winnipeg.

Born and raised in Frankfurt Germany to a musical family, Alexander received his degree from the Peabody Institute of Music.

He studied conducting under Fredric Prausnitz and Gustav Meier as well as with Seiji Ozawa, Andre Previn, Daniel Barenboim and Robert Spano at Tanglewood. Following his tenure as Assistant Conductor with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which he completed in 2004, Alexander was Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for three years, under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen.

He is married to fashion designer Abigail Mickelthwate and has two sons.

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OKLAHOMA PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY, INC.

P R O V I D I N G

I N S P I R A T I O N

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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Lifetime Directors

Officers

Debra Kos Kristian Kos David McLaughlin Margaret Freede Owens Donald Rowlett Kelly Sachs Jennifer Schultz Michael Sweeney Glenna Tanenbaum J. Mark Taylor Tony Welch Cheryl Brashear White David White Renate Wiggin Nick Wu

Jane B. Harlow Patrick Alexander

Brent Hart President

Directors

Jane Jayroe Gamble President Elect

Steve Agee Robyn Birdwell Lori Dickinson Black Phil Busey Robert Clements Lawrence H. Davis Veronica Pastel Egelston Kristen Ferate Joy Hammons Dean Jackson Michael E. Joseph Kathy Kerr Wesley Knight

Melissa Scaramucci Vice President Kevin Dunnington Treasurer Jerrod Shouse Secretary Jeff Starling Immediate Past President

Honorary Directors Richard Sias

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Tara Burnett Associate Director of Development

Daryl Jones Box Office Operations Manager

Chris Stinchcomb Concert Operations & Guest Artist Liaison

Jeana Gering Education Manager

Chris Merkle General Manager

Corbin Taggart Customer Service Representative

Daniel Hardt Finance Director

Agnieszka Rakhmatullaev Executive Director

Susan Webb Marketing & P.R. Director

Judy Hill Administrative Assistant

Whitney Redding Development and Volunteer Coordinator

Stephen Howard Development Operations Manager

Ulises Serrano Digital Strategies Coordinator

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Classical KUCO 90.1 Garman Productions

Morningstar Properties Oklahoma City Police Association

George Ryan Stubble Creative, Inc.

The Skirvin Hotel Titan AVL

Photographers: Michael Anderson, David Bricquet, Rick Buchanan, Heather Hanson, Mutz Photography, Shevaun Williams and Associates, Ulises Serrano

THE OKLAHOMA PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY, INC. 424 Colcord Drive, Ste. B • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 Tickets: 405-842-5387 • Administration: 405-232-7575 • Fax: 405-232-4353 • www.okcphil.org

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AFFLIATED PARTNERS

The Oklahoma City Philharmonic Foundation was established to provide leadership and endowment expertise to help ensure a stable financial base for orchestral music and musical excellence in Oklahoma City for generations to come. Distributions from the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Foundation provide a meaningful and secure source of annual income for the Philharmonic’s operations, continually confirming the importance of endowment in an organization’s longrange planning and overall success.

Current officers and directors of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Foundation are: OFFICERS Douglas J. Stussi President Charles E. Wiggin Vice President Louise Cleary Cannon Treasurer Penny M. McCaleb Secretary DIRECTORS Steven C. Agee Patrick B. Alexander J. Edward Barth L. Joe Bradley Teresa Cooper T.A. Dearmon Paul Dudman Thomas J. Enis Mischa Gorkuscha Jane B. Harlow Brent Hart Michael E. Joseph Harrison Levy, Jr. Duke R. Ligon Jessica Martinez-Brooks Michael J. Milligan Alice Pippin Jeff Starling Richard Tanenbaum

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Kristen Ferate President Debra Kos President-Elect Julia Hunt Secretary Newt Brown Treasurer Meredith Blecha-Wells Development VP Marion Burcham Membership VP Sherry Rowan Education VP Joan Bryant Communications VP Wendi Wilson Past President, Ex-Officio Agnieszka Rakhmatullaev Executive Director Oklahoma City Philharmonic (Ex-Officio, Advisory) BOARD OF DIRECTORS Helen Chiou Jeannie Drake Yvette Fleckinger Sue Francis Jane Krizer Patsy Lucas Geetika Verma Heather Walter Dwayne Webb Orchestra League Office 424 Colcord Dr., Ste. B Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 Phone: 405.232.7575 Fax: 405.232.4353 e-mail: league@okcphil.org website: www.okcorchestraleague.org

OFFICERS David White President Christa Bentley President-Elect Jay Scrambler Secretary Sam Rainbolt Membership Chair Kelsey Karper Marketing Chair Tyler Larson Events Chair DIRECTORS J. Cruise Berry John Cannon Peter Harlin Patrick E. Randall, II Kara Simpson Desiree Singer Jennifer Stadler Collin Walke Jabee Jackie Zamarippa

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ALEXANDER MICKELTHWATE, Music Director and Conductor JOEL LEVINE, Founder and Music Director Emeritus AGNIESZKA RAKHMATULLAEV, Executive Director

FIRST VIOLIN

Gregory Lee, Concertmaster Gertrude Kennedy Chair Marat Gabdullin, Associate Concertmaster Densi Rushing, Assistant Concertmaster Sam Formicola Hong Zhu Beth Sievers James Thomson Benjamin Shute Deborah McDonald Janet Gorton Lu Deng Ai-Wei Chang*

SECOND VIOLIN

Katrin Stamatis, Principal McCasland Foundation Chair Catherine Reaves Sophia Ro Brenda Wagner Sarah Sanford-Brown Corbin Mace Angelica Pereira Cindy Zhang Laura Young* Ashley Cooper*

VIOLA

Royce McLarry, Principal Mark Neumann Joseph Guevara Kelli Ingels Steve Waddell Donna Cain Brian Frew Shaohong Yuan* Lacie Savage* Julie Dodge*

CELLO

Jonathan Ruck, Principal Orchestra League Chair Tomasz Zieba, Associate Principal Meredith Blecha-Wells

Valorie Tatge Emily Stoops Jim Shelley Angelika Machnik-Jones Jean Statham Rob Bradshaw* Ann Wilson*

BASS

Anthony Stoops, Principal Larry Moore Parvin Smith Mark Osborn Jesus Villarreal* Christine Craddock* Kara Koehn*

FLUTE

Valerie Watts, Principal Parthena Owens Nancy Stizza-Ortega

PICCOLO

Nancy Stizza-Ortega

OBOE

Lisa Harvey-Reed, Principal Dan Schwartz Katherine McLemore

CONTRABASSOON Barre Griffith

HORN

Kate Pritchett, Principal G. Rainey Williams Chair James Rester Mirella Gable Matthew Reynolds

TRUMPET

Karl Sievers, Principal Jay Wilkinson Michael Anderson

TROMBONE

John Allen, Acting Principal Philip Martinson

TUBA

Ted Cox, Principal

TIMPANI

Jamie Whitmarsh, Principal

PERCUSSION

Patrick Womack, Acting Principal Roger Owens

ENGLISH HORN

HARP

Dan Schwartz

Gaye LeBlanc Germain, Principal

CLARINET

PIANO

Bradford Behn, Principal Tara Heitz James Meiller

BASS/E-FLAT CLARINET James Meiller

BASSOON

Rod Ackmann, Principal James Brewer Barre Griffith Larry Reed*

Peggy Payne, Principal

PERSONNEL MANAGER John P. Allen

MUSIC LIBRARIAN Jose Batty

STAGE MANAGER Leroy Newman

*Denotes Substitute and Extra Musicians Please Note: The seating positions of all string sections change on a regular basis.

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PLANNED GIVING

O F T H E O K L A H O M A P H I L H A R M O N I C S O C I E T Y, I N C .

The Oklahoma Philharmonic Society, Inc. is honored to recognize its Encore Society members — visionary thinkers who have provided for the future of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic through their estate plans.

Anonymous (3)

Joel Levine and Don Clothier

Steven C. Agee, Ph.D.

John and Caroline Linehan

Patrick and Linda Alexander

Mr. and Mrs. Marvin C. Lunde, Jr.

Gary and Jan Allison

Mrs. Jackie Marron

Dr. Jay Jacquelyn Bass

Mr. and Mrs. John McCaleb

Louise Cleary Cannon

Jean and David McLaughlin

Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Clements

W. Cheryl Moore

Thomas and Rita Dearmon

Carl Andrew Rath

Dr. and Mrs. James D. Dixson

Mrs. Catherine Reaves

Hugh Gibson

Mr. and Mrs. William J. Ross

Pam and Gary Glyckherr

Drs. Lois and John Salmeron

Carey and Gayle Goad

Mr. and Mrs. William F. Shdeed

Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Gowman

Richard L. Sias

Carol M. Hall

Doug and Susie Stussi

Ms. Olivia Hanson

Larry and Leah Westmoreland

Jane B. Harlow

Mr. John S. Williams

Dr. and Mrs. James Hartsuck

Mr. and Mrs. Don T. Zachritz

Mr. and Mrs. Michael E. Joseph

THANK YOU The Oklahoma Philharmonic Society, Inc. is grateful for the support of caring patrons who want to pass on a legacy of extraordinary music to future generations. You can join this special group of music enthusiasts by including a gift for the OKC Philharmonic’s future in your own will or estate plan. For more information on how to become an Encore Society member, contact Tara Burnett at (405) 232-7575 or tara@okcphil.org.

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MEET THE MUSICIANS

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE MUSIC

DR. MEREDITH BLECHA-WELLS

BRADFORD BEHN

Praised for her “beautifully full and lyrically strong tone”

by Gramophone Magazine, Dr. Meredith Blecha-Wells is a sought-after performer and instructor. She has played throughout much of the United States, as well as Europe, Australia, South America, Asia, and Africa. Dr. Blecha-Wells is currently Professor of Cello at Oklahoma State University where she was awarded the Distinguished Music Faculty award. She received a Bachelors of Music and a Masters of Music in Cello Performance from Indiana University and a Doctorate from the Eastman School of Music studying under Janos Starker, Helga Winold, and Alan Harris.

Bradford Behn, principal clarinet with the OKCPHIL, grew up in Carlisle Massachusetts, and earned Bachelor and Master degrees in music performance at Northwestern University under the mentorship of Robert Marcellus. Brad has performed in orchestras around the country, including Boston, Colorado, Utah, and the San Antonio Symphony Orchestras. Previously Brad has held positions with the Tulsa and Fort Collins Symphony Orchestras.

What would you like the OKCPHIL patrons to know about you?

My husband and I started a non-profit called the Global Pedagogy Initiative. Our mission is to provide access to music education for those living in the developing world.

So far we have worked with communities in Haiti, Tanzania, Thailand, and Columbia. This is my passion project!

What would you like the OKCPHIL patrons to know about you?

The orchestra musicians are grateful to you for supporting us. Here’s where I wish I had an emoji showing a smiley face :) well that’s one, but it is kind of old-school!

What other ways do you enjoy engaging in the community?

I own and operate a mouthpiece factory in Edmond OK, (Behnmouthpieces.com) where I make clarinet accessories for an international clientele. In addition I teach private students, and I enjoy driving my Miata.

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GIFTS TO THE PHILHARMONIC The Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledge the commitment and generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies that support our mission. To help us provide inspiration and joy to the community through live orchestral performances and a variety of education and community engagement programs, please contact the Philharmonic’s Development Office at (405) 232-7575.

This Annual Fund recognition reflects contributions made in the 2020-2021 season. Contributions of $250 and above are listed through April 26, 2021.

If your name has been misspelled or omitted, please accept our apologies and inform us of the error by calling the phone number listed above. Thank you for your generous support!

CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS & GOVERNMENT Express their generous commitment to the community.

UNDERWRITER $40,000 & Above Allied Arts Foundation Delaware Resource Group of Oklahoma, LLC E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation Inasmuch Foundation Kirkpatrick Foundation Inc. Oklahoma Arts Council Oklahoma City Orchestra League, Inc. The Oklahoman The Skirvin Hilton Hotel

OGE Energy Corp.

Tyler Media Co./Magic 104.1FM and KOMA W&W Steel, LLC

GOLD SPONSORS $5,000 - $9,999 Bank of Oklahoma Clements Foods Foundation Garman Productions Mekusukey Oil Company, LLC The Metro Restaurant

PLATINUM SPONSORS $10,000 - $39,999

SILVER SPONSORS $3,000 - $4,999

405 Magazine Ad Astra Foundation American Fidelity Foundation Devon Energy Corporation Express Employment International HSPG and Associates, PC I Heart Media Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores Mathis Brothers Furniture Co., Inc. MidFirst Bank

The Friday Intrinsic Health OK Gazette

BRONZE SPONSORS $2,250 - $2,999 The Black Chronicle Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company

MATCHING GIFT COMPANIES AND FOUNDATIONS Double the impact of an individual’s gift.

American Fidelity Foundation Bank of America Matching Gifts Program

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The Boeing Company Inasmuch Foundation

GOLD PARTNERS $1,500 - $2,249 Charlesson Foundation Morningstar Properties, LLC

SILVER PARTNERS $1,000 - $1,499 Trade Mechanical Contractors, Inc.

BRONZE PARTNERS $500 - $999 Hatton Enterprises Parrish DeVaughn Injury Lawyers Tom Johnson Investment Management LLC

BUSINESS MEMBERS $250 - $499 The Kerr Foundation, Inc.

GIFTS TO THE PHILHARMONIC MAESTRO SOCIETY Providing leadership support.

Underwriter $25,000 and above

Guarantor $10,000 and above

Benefactor $5,000 - $9,999

Phil G. and Cathy Busey Freede Family Foundation Joel Levine and Don Clothier Jean and David McLaughlin George Records Mr. Richard L. Sias and Alice and Phil Pippin Glenna and Dick Tanenbaum

Steven C. Agee, Ph.D. Linda and Patrick Alexander Marilyn and Bill Boettger Lawrence H. and Ronna C. Davis Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Evans, II Mr. and Mrs. John A. Frost Jane B. Harlow Andria and Paul Heafy Mary Ann Holdrege Mr. and Mrs. J. Clifford Hudson Mr. Albert Lang Larry and Polly Nichols Doug and Susie Stussi Renate and Chuck Wiggin

Mark and Julie Beffort Mrs. Betty D. Bellis-Mankin Mr. and Mrs. John Biggs Dr. and Mrs. L. Joe Bradley Louise Cleary Cannon and Gerry Cannon Mrs. Teresa Cooper James B. Crawley Mr. and Mrs. David C. DeLana Gerald and Jane Jayroe Gamble John and Claudia Holliman Donald Rowlett Ruth Mershon Fund

INDIVIDUALS Providing essential support for the Annual Fund.

Patron ($3,500 - $4,999) Mike and Dawn Borelli Mrs. Bonnie B. Hefner Michael J. Sweeney, Jr.

Sustainer ($2,250 - $3,499) Dr. and Mrs. Dewayne Andrews Dr. and Mrs. John C. Andrus Larry and Sarah Blackledge Mrs. Carole S. Broughton Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Browne Bruce Campbell Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Clements Mr. and Mrs. Sidney G. Dunagan David and Druanne Durrett Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Fleckinger Frank Goforth and Nancy Halliday Sam and Joy Hammons Brent Hart and Matt Thomas Dr. and Mrs. James Hartsuck Tom and Cindy Janssen

Kim and Michael Joseph Kathy and Terry Kerr Debra and Kristian Kos Dr. and Mrs. Patrick McKee Todd and Mary Margaret Miller Annie Moreau, MD Ms. Veronica Pastel Egelston Mr. William G. Paul Mrs. Ruby C. Petty Mr. and Mrs. Jerry W. Plant Drs. Gary and Mary Porter Mr. H.E. Rainbolt Drs. Lois and John Salmeron Dr. and Mrs. Hal Scofield Jerrod and Jamie Shouse John and Katherine Spaid Jim and Debbie Stelter Mr. and Mrs. John E. Stonecipher Mrs. Billie Thrash Donna Kennedy Vogel Mrs. Janet Walker

Ron and Janie Walker John and Lou Waller Dr. James and Elizabeth Wise Mrs. Anne Workman Jeanise Wynn

Associate ($1,500 - $2,249) Mrs. Mary Louise Adams Virginia and Albert Aguilar Mr. and Mrs. Louis Almaraz Ms. Zonia Armstrong Sterling and Cheryl Baker Dr. and Mrs. William L. Beasley William and Melissa Beck Nick and Betsy Berry Dr. and Mrs. Charles F. Bethea Dr. and Mrs. Philip C. Bird Robyn Birdwell and Mark Fixley Ms. Pamela Bloustine Mr. and Mrs. Del Boyles Mrs. Phyllis Brawley CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

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SPECIAL EVENT GIFTS

Thank you to the following who believed in our mission by supporting the 2020 Symphony Show House!

Headlining Show House Patron

Benefactor

Mrs. Josephine Freede Glenna and Dick Tanenbaum

Mr. and Mrs. John Biggs John and Sue Francis Dick and Julia Hunt Margaret and Drake Keith John and Anna McMillin Angela Miller Drs. John and Lois Salmeron Benjamin Williams

Silver Patron Lance and Cindy Ruffel Jean and David McLaughlin

Bronze Patron Teresa Cooper Dr. and Mrs. William L. Parry Mrs. June Tucker Dr. Don and Eleanor Whitsett The Meinders Foundation

Friend Ms. Janice B. Carmack Carole Doerner Mrs. Lou Kerr/The Kerr Foundation, Inc. Cinda Lafferty

Larry and Deanna Pendleton Meg Salyer Judith Clouse Steelman

Supporter Joe and Kerry Bocock Alix Darden Karen Delaney Lu Ann Faulkner-Schneider Linda Mason Pamela Parker Kate Pritchett and Neal Kellogg Myrna Ranney Michael Winters Bev Wood

Thank you to the Talented Designers who made the 2020 Symphony Show House a Reality!

Elizabeth Richardson, Adorn Rosinna Gies, Amini’s Galleria Rachael Gruntmeir, The Black Scintilla Tuesday Fay and Halah Songer, Bob Mills Furniture Abbie Wilkerson, Aleks Payne, Victor Goetz and Doris Medrano, Calvert’s Plant Interiors Crystal Carte, Carte’s Interiors Shara Castillo, Castle Rock Granite Cindy Raby, Cindy Raby Interiors Patti Williams, The Enchanted Cottage Nora Johnson, Johnson Manor Interior Design Katelynn Henry, Steve Calonkey and Steve Simpson, Henry Home Interiors Patty Tippit, Home Dazzle Jeff Muse and Beth Ketchum, K&N Interior Fabrics Lezley Lynch, Lezley Lynch Designs Dr. Kari Lopez, Renae Brady and Tracy Knoche, LOREC Ranch Home Furnishings

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Lynda Savage, Lynda Savage Art Nathan R. Hughes and Maria Magana, Mathis Design Studio Keven Calonkey Carl, ASID, NCIDQ, Cassidy Brunsteter, Allied ASID, and Lance Whitlow, Mister Robert Fine Furniture & Design Cindy Curley and Ryan Johnson, Norwalk Design Ronette Wallace, OTW Interiors and Suburban Contemporary Furniture Deb Johnson, Paint Inspirations, Inc. Duff Jack, Suburban Furniture Julie Miller, Tin Lizzie’s J. Mark Taylor, RID, Assoc. ASID, Traditions Fine Furniture & Design Pam Smart, Vintage Gypsy Steve Winters and Lisa Smallwood, Winter House Interiors

THANK YOU

Endowment Campaign Donors In celebration and in honor of Maestro Joel Levine and the founders of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.

Louise Cleary Cannon In Memory of Bill Cleary Lawrence H. and Ronna C. Davis The Estate of Lois Marie Fees The Kirkpatrick Family Fund Joel Levine and Don Clothier Michael and Catherine Reaves Susan Robinson Glenna and Dick Tanenbaum Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Clements Ms. Barbara Crabtree The Payne Family Mrs. Josephine Freede Pam and Gary Glyckherr In Memory of Jackson Cash Lamb Jane B. Harlow Kim and Michael Joseph Doug and Susie Stussi Dr. and Mrs. Dewayne Andrews Anonymous In Honor of June H. Parry Mr. J. Edward Barth Valerie and Joe Couch Molly and Jim Crawley David and Jan DeLana Annie Moreau, M.D. Mr. William G. Paul Presbyterian Health Foundation Leah and Larry Westmoreland Anne W. Workman Mr. and Mrs. Don T. Zachritz Karen Beckman Linda and Morris Blumenthal Jo Carol Cameron Ms. Janice B. Carmack Shirley E. Dearborn, M.D.

Gwen Decassios Charles and Dorothy Ellis John and Sue Francis Stephen P. and Nancy R. Friot Ms. Joan Gilmore Jerry H. and Judy Johnson L. M. Johnston, Ph.D. The Kerr Foundation, Inc. Gerry Mayes Ronald T. and Linda Rosser McDaniel Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Perri Dr. and Mrs. Marvin D. Peyton Gary and Carol Sander John W. and Rose Steele Mrs. Dorothy J. Turk Dr. Don and Eleanor Whitsett Anonymous Dr. and Mrs. John C. Andrus Norwood Beveridge Carla Borgersen In Honor of Maestro Joel Levine Mr. and Mrs. Bob G. Bunce Dr. and Mrs. Don R. Carter Ms. Martha A. Custer Mr. and Mrs. Sam Decker Sarah Jane Gillett In Memory of Ken McKinney Julia and Dick Hunt Colonel (ret.) Dean and Mrs. Jeanne Jackson Patricia Matthews Ms. Carol McCoy Cheryl Moore Judy and Wes Morrison Michael and Ginger Penn Ms. Margaret L. Price Tommie and Gary Rankin Dean Rinehart Janice and Lee Segell Cindy Solomon Tom and Venita Springfield K. Kay Stewart Paula and Carl Stover Dorothy and Udho Thadani

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GERMAN DEXTERITY AND PANACHE June 5, 2021 8:00 P.M.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE MUSIC

CLASSICS MARAT GABDULLIN, VIOLIN ALEXANDER MICKELTHWATE, CONDUCTOR

CHRIS STINCHCOMB

MONTGOMERY, J ....... Banner*

Emerging Artist Series

MOZART, W ............... Violin Concerto No. 2 in D major, K. 211*

HOST WITH THE MOST I don’t know what the perfect word would be to describe myself or my job, but I do know boring would be an antonym. As Guest Artist Liaison, I am primarily tasked to entertain and care for all incoming guest artists but that doesn’t accurately describe what actually happens. In the twelve years I’ve been with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, I’ve been a giant pink bunny on stage for a spring concert with Pink Martini, given Debbie Reynolds unsolicited/wanted fashion advice, stood guard over Yo-Yo Ma’s cello as he walked through the Memorial grounds on a rainy, pitch-black, February night, booked countless flights, met the most amazing musicians, and shared dinners with people with whom I would never have thought I’d have the privilege. These adventures and the fact that I love entertaining and showing others what is magical about our city translates to my job being truly delightful. Outside of my job duties I love Sante Fe, New Mexico and the opera and try to combine these two things into a vacation every summer, I enjoy moonlighting at my friend’s shoe store; Betsy King. A Shoe Boutique, and have become quite the pandemic cook. Life should be an adventure where you learn, fail or succeed then take those lessons and apply them.

Allegro moderato Andante Rondeau (Allegro)

Marat Gabdullin, violin

STRAUSS, R .............. Der Bürger als Edelmann (Le bourgeois gentilhomme),

Orchestral Suite, Op. 60*

Overture to Act I (Jourdain–The Bourgeois) Minuet The Fencing Master Entrance and Dance of the Tailors Minuet of Lully Courante Entrance of Cléonte Prelude to Act Two (Intermezzo): Dorante and Dorimène–Count and Marchioness The Dinner (Table Music and Dance of the Kitchen Boy)

*First Performance on this series

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Listen to a broadcast of this performance on KUCO 90.1 FM on Wednesday, June 23 at 8 pm and Saturday, June 27 at 8 am on “Performance Oklahoma”. Simultaneous internet streaming is also available during the broadcast.

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MARAT GABDULLIN “Marat Gabdullin, a native of Russia, began studying violin at the age of five. At age seven he was the soloist in a performance of the Vivaldi Violin Concerto in A minor with the Ufa Chamber Orchestra in Russia. After studying at the Specialized Music Schools of Ufa and Kazan, Dr. Gabdullin graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the Ufa State Academy of Art in 2006 after which he garnered teaching positions at the Ufa Special Music School and the Academy of Art in Russia.

In 2007, Dr. Gabdullin moved to the United States. Here he attended Oklahoma City University where, in 2009, he earned his Master’s Degree. In 2010, Dr. Gabdullin was awarded a Mark Allen Everett Fellowship to pursue a Doctoral degree at the University of Oklahoma from which he graduated in 2015.

Dr. Gabdullin joined the OKCPHIL one year after moving to the United States, and is currently the Associate Concertmaster. Additionally, he is Concertmaster for the Norman Philharmonic, plays with the Lawton Philharmonic, and is first violin of the Oklahoma Strings and Mid-American string quartets which involves him in nearly every music event around the state. In addition, Dr. Gabdullin has performed for such Broadway musicals/shows as “The Addams Family”, “Mannheim Steamroller”, “The Phantom of the Opera”, “Stevie Wonder’s Key of Life Tour”, and “The Book of Mormon”.

Dr. Gabdullin is an award-winning performer throughout the state and abroad. In the United States, he’s won the ESO

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Mendelssohn Concerto Competition (2009), OCC Concerto Competition (2009) and OU Concerto Competition (2010).

Among the other awards he has garnered is a prestigious “Russian Performing Award” (Moscow), and a gold medal from the Delphic Games. Recently, Dr. Gabdullin received a Gold Remi Award at the WorldFest International Film & Video Festival for his music video “The Ocean”.

As a soloist, Dr. Gabdullin appeared with the Norman Philharmonic, Enid Symphony Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Community Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Bashkortostan (Russia), the Ufa Theatre of Opera and Ballet Orchestra (Russia), the Symphonic Orchestra of Volgograd (Russia), the Kazan chamber Orchestra “La Primavera” (Russia), and the Ufa Youth Chamber Orchestra “Evo Moderno” (Russia). Dr. Gabdullin is one of the foremost violinists of Oklahoma, offering wide ranging diversity with cross-cultural appeal.

Dr. Gabdullin has been teaching violin for over 15 years.

In the US Dr. Gabdullin taught violin for the OU Sooner Strings Program and is currently teaching at the Oklahoma Conservatory of Music.

In addition to his career, Dr. Gabdullin is an inventor having invented and built the “Violinatron”, the world’s first self-amplified hybrid electric violin. He is also an awardwinning video producer who regularly records for movie productions.

Dr. Gabdullin currently lives in Edmond with his wife and their beautiful daughter.”

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Banner Jessie Montgomery First Performance: 10/29/1944 Conductor: Victor Alessandro First Performance on this Series Born: December 8, 1981, in New York City Work composed: 2014 Work premiered: September, 2014, at the New Word Center, Miami, Florida Instrumentation: Two flutes (one doubling piccolo), oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, timpani, kick drum, snare drum, tom-tom, and strings, plus a string quartet

This summer, Jessie Montgomery begins a three-year appointment as composer-in-residence of the Chicago Symphony. As part of that affiliation, she will compose three orchestral pieces for that orchestra, consult on its performances of others of her works, and program the orchestra’s MusicNow contemporary music series.

A graduate of the Juilliard School and New York University, she is a graduate fellow in composition at Princeton University and professor of violin and composition at The New School. She appears regularly as a violinist with the Silkroad Ensemble and Sphinx Virtuosi (for which she also served as composer-in-residence). Since 1999, she has been affiliated with the Sphinx Organization, which is devoted to championing and providing opportunities for AfricanAmerican and Hispanic musicians. As a violinist, she is a two-time laureate of the Sphinx Competition, having been awarded second place in 2001 and its Silver Achievement Award in 2006.

Montgomery has fulfilled commissions from many musical establishments, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and National Choral Society, and is currently composing works commissioned by the National Symphony, New World

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Symphony, Carnegie Hall, and the Sphinx Organization.

She is currently working on a project (co-commissioned by organizations in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain) that will re-imagine Scott Joplin’s opera Treemonisha, fitting his music to a new libretto that places greater emphasis on the women’s roles and providing an orchestration that uses African and Western instruments.

From the Composer: Jessie Montgomery offers this comment about Banner: Banner is a rhapsody on the theme of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Drawing on musical and historical sources from various world anthems and patriotic songs, I’ve made an attempt to answer the question: “What does an anthem for the 21st century sound like in today’s multi-cultural environment?”

In 2009, I was commissioned by the Providence String Quartet and Community MusicWorks to write Anthem: A tribute to the historical election of Barack Obama. In that piece I wove together the theme from “The Star Spangled Banner” with the commonly named Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”

by James Weldon Johnson (which coincidentally share the exact same phrase structure). Banner picks up where Anthem left off by using a similar backbone source in its middle section, but expands further both in the amount of references and also in the role play of the string quartet as the individual voice working both with and against the larger community of the orchestra behind them. The structure is loosely based on traditional marching band form where there are several strains or contrasting sections, preceded by an introduction, and I have drawn on the drum line chorus as a source for the rhythmic underpinning in the finale.

Within the same tradition, I have attempted to evoke the breathing of a large brass choir as it approaches the climax of the “trio” section. A variety of other cultural anthems and American folk songs and popular idioms interact to form various textures in the finale section, contributing to a multi-layered fanfare.

—JMK

“Music is my connection to the world,” she has written. “It guides me to understand my place in relation to others and challenges me to make clear the things I do not understand.

I imagine that music is a meeting place at which all people can converse about their unique differences and common stories.” She wrote Banner in 2014 as a 200th-anniversary tribute to “The Star Spangled Banner,” the words of which CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

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were penned on September 14, 1814, by Francis Scott Key and fitted to an existing tune (“Anacreon,” by the English composer John Stafford Smith). After long service as a patriotic ode in the United States, the song was adopted as the United States’ National Anthem in 1931. Key, a prominent attorney, was a slaveholder who ended up freeing seven enslaved workers on his Maryland estate, hiring one as a salaried farm foreman. He was a founding member of a group that advocated sending enslaved persons back to Africa, a plan that brought him into profound disagreement with the mainstream abolitionist movement. He has understandably become a flashpoint due to his complicated relationship with slavery; a year ago, protesters active in the incipient Black Lives Matter movement toppled a statue of him in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. “‘The Star Spangled Banner’ is an ideal subject for exploration in contradictions,” wrote Montgomery when her work was premiered, in 2014, and its political resonance has only become greater since then. “For most Americans the song represents a paradigm of liberty and solidarity against fierce odds, and for others it implies a contradiction between the ideals of freedom and the realities of injustice and oppression. As a culture, it is my opinion that we Americans are perpetually in search of ways to express and celebrate our ideals of freedom—a way to proclaim ‘we’ve made it!’ as if the very action of saying it aloud makes it so. And for many of our nation’s people, that was the case: through work songs and spirituals, enslaved Africans promised themselves a way out and built the nerve to endure the most abominable treatment for the promise of a free life. Immigrants from Europe, Central America, and the Pacific have sought out a safe haven here and though met with the trials of building a multi-cultured democracy, continue to find rooting in our nation and make significant contributions to our cultural landscape. … A tribute to the U.S. National Anthem means acknowledging the contradictions, leaps and bounds, and milestones that allow us to celebrate and maintain the tradition of our ideals.”

Violin Concerto No. 2 in D major, K.211 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart First Performance on this Series Born: January 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria Died: December 5, 1791, in Vienna, Austria His name: You may know him as Amadeus, but he preferred Amadé and used the latinized form Amadeus only in jest.

Work composed: Spring 1775, completed on June 14 in Salzburg Work premiered: No information exists about this work’s early performance history.

Instrumentation: Two oboes, two horns, and strings, in addition to the solo violin Cadenzas: Mozart did not provide cadenzas for this work. In this performance, Marat Gabdullin plays cadenzas by TK.

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We think of Mozart as being a composer first and foremost, but in his day he was also renowned as a musical performer.

He was acknowledged as one of the finest keyboard virtuosos of his day, but he was also an accomplished string player, having been tutored in the violin by his father, Leopold, whose extensive violin treatise (published the year of Wolfgang’s birth) stands as a monument of 18th-century pedagogy. The young Mozart became adept enough to serve as a court violinist—eventually as concertmaster—in his native Salzburg, and he never relinquished the ability to demonstrate musical ideas convincingly with violin in hand. Once he left Salzburg for Vienna, he seems to have preferred playing the violin’s alto cousin, the viola, which he often did in chamber music.

Nonetheless, nearly all the music he wrote for solo stringplayer features the violin, most notably his 33 full-scale sonatas and two sets of standalone variations for violin and piano (more than half of these dating from his maturity) and his five concertos for violin and orchestra. His Concertone for Two Violins and Orchestra and his famous Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola round out the list of his extant concerted string works (not counting some serenades and divertimentos in which the violin is spotlighted as an occasional soloist), and in his chamber-music catalogue we might highlight his two superb Duos for Violin and Viola.

There also survive three standalone movements for violin and orchestra: the Adagio in E major (K.261), Rondo in B-flat major (K.261a), and Rondo in C major (K.373).

PROGRAM NOTES Mozart Takes a Bow Johann Andreas Schachtner (1731-95) was a trumpeter, violinist, and cellist in the Salzburg musical establishment, a close friend of the Mozart family, and a librettist or literary collaborator for several of Mozart’s early stage works. Shortly after Mozart’s death, the composer’s sister, Nannerl, asked Schachtner to write his recollections of Mozart, which he sent to her on April 24, 1792. His memoir includes an account of Mozart’s first steps as a violinist, which took place at a trio rehearsal at the Mozarts’ home, during which Johan Wenzl played first violin, Schachtner played second, and Leopold Mozart (the composer’s father) played viola. (Apologies in advance to our distinguished second violin section.): Little Wolfgang asked to be allowed to play second violin. As he hadn’t had any lessons yet, your Papa reproved him for his silly begging, thinking he would be unable to make anything of it. Wolfgang said: “You don’t need to have taken lessons to play second violin.” When your Papa insisted that he go away at once and not bother us, he began to cry, and went off in a sulk with his little fiddle. I asked that he be allowed to play alongside me. At last your Papa said: “Play along with Herr Schachtner, then, but so softly that you can’t be heard, or you’ll have to go.” Soon I noticed to my amazement that I was superfluous.

Quietly I laid my violin aside and watched your Papa, who had tears of wonder and pleasure running down his cheeks. Little Wolfgang played through all six trios. He was so elated by our applause that he said he could play the first violin part. We let him do it for a joke, and almost died of laughter. His fingering was incorrect and improvised, but he never got stuck.

—JMK

Mozart may have composed his concertos for his own use, but if that was the case they were deemed so excellent that other musicians soon mastered them as well. Apparently the first virtuoso to pick them up was Antonio Brunetti, a Neapolitan who was appointed Court Music Director in Salzburg on March 1, 1776, and succeeded Mozart as concertmaster the following year, after one of Mozart’s periodic fallings-out with his employer, the PrinceArchbishop Colloredo. (Colloredo was himself an amateur violinist; it’s not inconceivable that he, too, might have tried his hand at Mozart’s concertos.) On October 9, 1777, Leopold Mozart wrote a letter to his son (on tour in Augsburg) in which a relevant comment appears: “Brunetti now praises

you to the skies! And when I was saying the other day that after all you played the violin passibilmente, he burst out: ‘Cosa? Cazzo! Se suonava tutto! Questo era del Principe un puntiglio mal inteso, col suo proprio danno.’ [‘What?

Nonsense! Why, he could play anything! That was mistaken idea the Prince persisted in, to his own loss.’]”

It was formerly thought that Mozart composed all five of his violin concertos in quick succession, completing them from April 14 through December 20, 1775, in accordance with the dates inscribed on his autograph scores. It turns out that here, as with many of his coeval symphonies, things have been confused through later date-tampering with the manuscripts.

Musicological consensus now seems to be that the Concerto No. 1 may date from 1773, with the other four following in 1775.

That information comes as something of a comfort since the first concerto is a far less compelling accomplishment than the others, and it clarifies that the Concerto No. 2 represents Mozart embarking on his mature contributions to the genre. It is, in fact, a tightly constructed work and its themes are beautifully integrated in the balance of the overall composition to a degree that had been achieved in few of the composer’s earlier works. This is a fine example of how Mozart was perfecting his technique in an essentially RococoClassical idiom before striking out in the more adventurous direction typified by experimental passages in his three ensuing violin concertos. The violinist is given a good workout, operating within a considerably wider range than Mozart’s First Violin Concerto had required, and our composer shows attention to subtle distinctions of orchestration, as when he enriches the orchestration of the minuet theme when it returns as a rondo refrain in the finale.

Der Bürger als Edelmann (Le bourgeois gentilhomme), Orchestral Suite, Op. 60 Richard Strauss First Performance on this Series Born: June 11, 1864, in Munich, Bavaria (Germany) Died: September 8, 1949, in Garmisch, Germany Work composed: 1911-18 Work premiered: Although music from this work had been heard in stage productions from 1912 through 1918, this orchestral suite was first performed on January 31, 1920, with the composer conducting at the Prinz-Eugen-Palais in Vienna.

Instrumentation: Two flutes (doubling piccolos), two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, trumpet, trombone, timpani, cymbals, tambourine, triangle, bass drum, snare drum, glockenspiel, harp, piano, and strings

Richard Strauss and his principal opera librettist, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, had achieved masterful collaborations in Elektra (premiered in 1909) and Der Rosenkavalier (1911), and they would go on to create others in Ariadne auf Naxos (1912/16), Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919), Die ägyptische Helena (1928), and Arabella (1933). The period that gave rise to Ariadne auf Naxos involved a good deal of casting about. Hofmannsthal initially pondered preparing “a little CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

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comedy which takes place at a castle in Bohemia, a young heiress with three suitors who, to please her, bring an opera company and a troupe of harlequins to the castle.”

“I suppressed the idea entirely,” he continued in his letter to the composer, “so as not to endanger your work by combining it with the premiere of a Hofmannsthal comedy.”

One marvels that the egos didn’t crush each other.

This idea gave way to Hofmannsthal’s plan to prepare an evening combining Molière’s stage-piece Le bourgeois gentilhomme (in a German translation, as Der Bürger als Edelmann) with a short chamber opera on the Ariadne myth. The latter would be presented as if it were an after-dinner entertainment for the characters in the play, taking the place of the Turkish Masquerade that figured in Molière’s original.

The project dragged on through three stage incarnations that tried out the “straight theatrical” and the operatic elements in differing balances. Of these, the opera Ariadne auf Naxos (with its opera-within-an-opera) entirely overshadows the other two (unveiled in 1912 and 1917), which are more unwieldy hybrids—half theatre, half opera—that presented almost insuperable problems for casting as well as for audience expectations, not to mention confusions of genre and narrative.

Nonetheless, Strauss’ incidental music for these ventures was delightful—in fact, downright brilliant, for those who cared to delve into its subtleties rather than merely be charmed by its smiling surface. He decided to salvage

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the best of it by assembling an orchestral suite, an idea he expressed as early as September 1915. In the end, his suite was not introduced until 1920, and it included nine movements of music. Six of the items had appeared in the original 1912 theatre piece, while movements five through seven were written expressly for the 1917 incarnation.

Strauss had a soft spot for Molière’s comedy, which had been unveiled in 1670 with music by Jean-Baptiste Lully.

It recounts the travails of Monsieur Jourdain, who has attained sudden wealth but not the refinement to go with it.

Hilarity attends his efforts to find his way by trial and error, but mostly by error, in the rarefied reaches of high society.

Strauss differed from his audiences in holding in high regard even the bifurcated, half-theatre-half-opera versions he had essayed with Hofmannsthal. As it happens, the very last performance he attended in any theatre was of Der Bürger als Edelmann, given at the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich in 1949, just months before his death. In an interview at that time, he said: “I worked into it themes by Lully, who wrote the original music for Le bourgeois gentilhomme.

That play can always make me laugh, when Jourdain says, ‘Nicole, bring me my slippers,’ what is that? – ‘That is prose, Monsieur Jourdain.’ – ‘Then I have been speaking prose all my life, and never knew it!’”

The most direct borrowing from Lully is the theme of the minuet movement—or, as Strauss called it, “the charming, famous Minuet by Lully.” But the other sections at least owe their general character, and even some of their melodic contours, to the polished style of the French Baroque, which perfectly underscores the play’s world of dancingmasters, fencing-teachers, and obsequious tailors. The most extended section is the concluding dinner music, which includes some referential pleasures by way of quotations.

The menu includes Salmon from the Rhine (presented with an allusion to the aquatic wave music from Wagner’s Das Rheingold), Leg of Mutton à l’italien (bleating of sheep from Strauss’ tone poem Don Quixote), and a Little Dish of Thrushes and Larks (a touch of birdsong from Der Rosenkavalier).

JAMES M. KELLER James M. Keller recently completed 25 years as Program Annotator of the New York Philharmonic and is in his 21st as Program Annotator of the San Francisco Symphony.

He is the author of Chamber Music: A Listener’s Guide (Oxford University Press).

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HOUSE NOTES

CIVIC CENTER COVID-19 HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS INCLUDE:

• Masks will be required over nose and mouth for all patrons upon entry and throughout the performance

• 6 foot social distancing will be required

• Temperature checks will be performed upon entry

• Hand sanitizing stations will be readily available throughout the building

• As you exit the theater please allow the rows closest to the exit to rise and exit first, then the next row and the next…

think of it like a wedding.

RESTROOMS are conveniently located on all levels of the theater. Please ask your usher for guidance.

LATECOMERS and those who exit the theater during the performance may be seated during the first convenient pause, as determined by the management, and as is possible while maintaining safe social distancing.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES must be turned off and put away during the performance (no calling, texting, photo or video use please).

BEVERAGES: Bottled water is permitted in the theater at the Classics Series concerts. Beverages are permitted in the theater at the Pops Series concerts; however, bringing coffee into the theater is discouraged due to the aroma. Beverage stations will be located on floors 1-4.

SMOKING in the Civic Center Music Hall is prohibited. The Oklahoma City Philharmonic promotes a fragrance-free environment for the convenience of our patrons.

FIRE EXITS are located on all levels and marked accordingly. Please note the nearest exit for use in case of an emergency.

ELEVATORS are located at the south end of the atrium of the Civic Center Music Hall.

CHILDREN of all ages are welcome at the Philharmonic Discovery Family Series and Holiday Pops performances; however, in consideration of the patrons, musicians and artists, those under five years of age will not be admitted to evening Classics and Pops concerts unless otherwise noted.

BOOSTER SEATS for children are available in the Civic Center lobby. Please inquire at the Box Office.

VIDEO MONITORS are located in the lobby for your convenience.

WHEELCHAIR AVAILABLE SEATING – Persons using wheelchairs or with walking and climbing difficulties will be accommodated when possible. Those wishing to use the designated wheelchair sections may purchase the wheelchair space and a companion seat. Please inform the Philharmonic or Civic Center Box Office staff of your need when ordering tickets so that you may be served promptly and appropriately. Please request the assistance of hall ushers to access wheelchair seating.

HEARING LOOPS have been installed. Ask your audiologist to activate the telecoil in your hearing aid or cochlear implant.

Due to the mechanics of the stage, the hearing loops do not reach the pit section but are available at concession stands, the Box Office and the Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre. The copper wire in the floor and telecoil work together to connect the hearing device to the theater’s sound system using a magnetic field which dramatically improves sound clarity for patrons using hearing devices.

LOST & FOUND is located in the Civic Center office (405-594-8300) weekdays 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

PHILHARMONIC TICKET OFFICE may be contacted by calling 405-TIC-KETS (405-842-5387) or you can visit the Philharmonic Ticket Office located on the first floor of the Arts District Garage at 424 Colcord Drive in Suite B. The Philharmonic Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and by phone on concert Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

CIVIC CENTER BOX OFFICE hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and two hours prior to each performance. (405-594-8300) Programming has been kept to a one hour format with no intermission as a Covid-19 safety measure for Staff and Audience alike.

Artists and Programming Subject to Change.

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