FESTIVAL HIGH SCHOOL CHORALE GETS READY FOR GALA HOLIDAY POPS
AFTER ATTENDING THE 1993 NYSSMA ALL-STATE MIXED CHORUS CONCERT IN ROCHESTER, PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR JEFF TYZIK HATCHED AN IDEA FOR HIS GALA HOLIDAY POPS CONCERTS.
“I thought, these students are fabulous. How can we have them on the concert?”
From the podium
Eight years later, conductor reunites with RPO for
Handel’s greatest hit is among Warren-Green’s favorite things By
MIKE CIDONI, Movements Senior Writer
Conductor Christopher WarrenGreen‘s introduction to Handel’s Messiah was a religious experience.
“It goes right back to childhood, 7 years old, when I sang in a church choir,” he said via Zoom call from his home in England. Little could young WarrenGreen have known that his alternately authentic and modern interpretation of Handel’s greatest hit would become
to be home with family—including their three children and stepchildren and the grandchildren— for the holidays.
“Sometimes I’ve crawled in from somewhere overseas, like Canada, on Christmas Eve—you know, on the redeye—just to get home.” Warren-Green said. “I’ve fallen asleep most of Christmas Day. But we always spend it together, and it must be at home.”
For the first time since 2016, Warren-Green reunites with the RPO to conduct Messiah for one performance only, Thursday, December 12. “It’s a tradition,” he explained. “I can’t do without it now. It has to be every winter, every Christmas—one or two Messiahs. It’s like always a feeling, a craving to do.”
Warren-Green speaks about Handel and Messiah with the enthusiasm of a fanboy and the deep knowledge of post-graduate professor. “You’ll have to stop me, or I’ll go on and on,” he said, with a chuckle, moving on to the greatest hit within Handel’s greatest hit, the Hallelujah chorus.
“All these many, many, many, many years later, the Hallelujah hymns bring people to their feet,” Warren-Green noted. “By that point in the performance, you’ve built that audience up to a frenzy. But why is Hallelujah so beloved? I mean, just listen to the words: (Warren-Green sings) “Hallelujah! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth…”
Warren-Green’s day jobs are serving as principal conductor and music director of the London Chamber Orchestra (LCO) and as conductor laureate of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. No wonder after all that globe hopping, the conductor and his wife, LCO Artistic Director and Concertmaster Rosemary Furniss, opt
Tickets start at $30 and are available at RPO.ORG | (585) 454-2100; or stop by RPO Patron Services, 255 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14604 (M–F, 10 AM to 5 PM, except holidays)
HANDEL’S MESSIAH DEC 12 7:30 PM
ANTICIPATION: High school students and RPO members share the stage ahead of Gala
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
For Chorale, holidays are something to sing about
Tyzik:
‘There’s nothing more touching than the human voice’
By LAUREN MACDONOUGH, Movements Staff Editor
Holiday Pops 2023
D’Agostino, Nitsch, and 2023 Gala Holiday Pops guest artist Shayna Steele
Jeff Tyzik had a lightbulb moment back in 1993 while watching the New York State School Music Association’s Winter Area All-State Mixed Chorus. Each year hundreds of the best music students from across the state unite and perform in various ensembles. Tyzik’s attendance of the Mixed Chorus concert left him with an idea that became a critical part of his Gala Holiday Pops tradition. “I thought, ‘These students are fabulous. How can we have them on the concert?’”
Thirty-one years later, the Festival High School Chorale remains an RPO holiday-concert fixture thanks to codirectors Brenda Nitsch, a retired Webster Thomas High School chorus director and 2008 RPO Outstanding Musician Educator Award winner; and Anthony D’Agostino, current Victor High School chorus director. Nitsch has been involved with the chorale since the mid ‘90s and has sent over 200 students throughout her 31 year teaching career to sing at Kodak Hall. “It’s an honor to be able to direct this chorale,” Nitsch said. D’Agostino, who came on board as co-director just two years ago, listened to Gala Holiday Pops recordings as a child. As a music educator, he sent his students to work under his former choir director Amy Story (Canandaigua Academy). “Now with this opportunity to direct, I wanted to follow in her footsteps,” D’Agostino continued.
The work of assembling the 145-student chorale begins each fall as Nitsch and D’Agostino wade through more than 200 nominations from music teachers in 20 school districts across a seven-county area. They prepare music folders, send out sheet music, and make voice part
recordings for each song so students and teachers can rehearse on their own—away from their bustling school, choir, and extracurricular obligations. The chorale finally unites for the first time on the Sunday before the Gala Holiday Pops concerts. D’Agostino says, “We stress that ‘even after our four-hour Sunday afternoon rehearsal, your learning doesn’t stop here. You have from now until Wednesday to be even more prepared because Wednesday, you’re in front of ‘The Boss.’”
Students are all smiles ahead of performance.
While Tyzik may be “The Boss,” he said he hopes this opportunity is a balance of hard work AND celebration for the students. “I wanted to include as many young people on stage to experience a concert with a world-class orchestra in a world-class hall,” Tyzik explained, adding he wants these students “to understand what we do and have fun. It fits perfectly into our mission as an orchestra.” For some students, this concert is the first chance to perform with an orchestra as some school districts do not have a symphony or string orchestra in their music program.
Students are expected to learn a handful of holiday classics: “The First Noel,” “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” “O Holy Night.” But the program wouldn’t be complete without Tyzik’s gospel arrangement of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah. “The kids love Tyzik’s ‘Hallelujah’. They get so into it, and you can just see Jeff smile from ear to ear,” says D’Agostino.
The lessons learned in preparing for these concerts stick with students beyond their school days. Tyzik regularly runs into Festival High School Chorale alumni who express gratitude for their experience. Alumni number in the thousands, so there’s no shortage of stories, including from this writer. As a sophomore at Fairport High School, I was honored to be selected for the 2000 Festival High School Chorale. Now, over 20 years later, I’m equally thrilled to have the opportunity to cover this story for Movements in my capacity as director of marketing for the RPO. And, if you happen to see me at this year’s Gala Holiday Pops concerts, I’m the one singing along to the “Gospel Hallelujah” in her Kodak Hall seat year after year.
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra presents Gala Holiday Pops: Friday, December 20 at 8 PM Saturday, December 21 at 2 and 8 PM Sunday, December 22 at 2 PM
Tickets start at $30 and are available at RPO.ORG | (585) 454-2100; or stop by RPO Patron Services, 255 East Ave., Rochester, NY, 14604.
PREPARATION: Voices and instruments blend for the first time on stage in a Gala Holiday Pops rehearsal.
GALA HOLIDAY POPS SUPPORTED
Program from 2000 Gala Holiday Pops
in tune
RPO Musicians Play Holiday Favorites
Between The Nutcracker, Handel’s Messiah, and Gala Holiday Pops, RPO musicians perform a good share of sounds of the season.
Movements asked four of them what they like to hear when they’re home for the holidays:
Stephen Laifer, RPO Fourth Horn: When it comes to holiday music, some of my friends may describe me as ‘the Grinch.’ I generally don’t have holiday music playing in my own home. But I have to say the groovier Jeff Tyzik arrangements that you’ll hear when you come to our Holiday Pops concerts are definitely worth a listen.
Joshua Newburger, RPO Principal
Viola: I’ve always enjoyed the Charlie Brown Christmas album the most. As viola player, we don’t get exposed to a lot of jazz. I mean, we get to listen to it. But we don’t get to play a lot of jazz other than pop shows. So, for me, that was my first introduction to jazz, and I got hooked on it when I was in high school, and I’ll listen to it six or seven times every holiday season all the way through.
Anna Steltenpohl, RPO Oboe/ English Horn: You know, I like The Nutcracker as a piece of music. But we perform it so much that by Christmas time I’m tired of it. So, leading up to Christmas? I’ve got two young kids: a 7-year-old and an almost 4-yearold. And they love that song I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. (Laughs.) They just play it nonstop! But, for me, I don’t like to think about Christmas music before December.
Herb Smith, RPO Trumpet: When Christmastime comes, there’s always certain pieces I have to hear. And I don’t just go and play them; they must come on the radio or come to my attention in a store. One is Nat King Cole -- The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire). That first note of the strings, the piano… Then Nat King Cole comes in with that groovy voice of his. It’s just like, “Ahhhh…” I love that.
And the other song that tells me it’s Christmas is Donny Hathaway—This Christmas. “Da da da da da, da da da da da da…” When I hear those two songs, it’s Christmas!
in harmony
Voices
world-premiere
of Today showcases
works for RPO Patron’s gift inspires RPO’s ‘transformative’ initiative
Composer Derrick Skye and RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs
New and world-premiere compositions abound in the current and upcoming Philharmonics seasons thanks to the RPO’s new five-year initiative Voices of Today, which celebrates and promotes diverse creative voices in the American concert music landscape.
This initiative enables the RPO to commission, perform, record, film, and perpetuate new orchestral works for today and tomorrow’s generations of music lovers in Rochester and beyond.
Voices of Today was made possible by a gift from a Rochesterarea patron of the arts Stephen Ashley, given in loving memory and honor of his late wife Janice Ashley. According to RPO Music Director Andreas Delfs, Ashley challenged the RPO to return with “something transformative” for the orchestra and for Rochester.
Delfs found inspiration from the past to come up with an initiative that looks forward. “Voices of Today is about the RPO connecting with its storied legacy, and about returning to its roots,” he explained, noting that from the 1930s to 1950s, the RPO frequently presented and premiered new, significant compositions, and was widely considered a classical-recording powerhouse.
“With Voices of Today, we have the platform to build relationships with composers and other creatives in meaningful ways,” said RPO Vice President of Artistic Planning and Operations James Barry.
Among the RPO’s most recent collaborations were January’s near-capacity performances of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with Rochester’s nationally acclaimed Garth Fagan Dance company. “This gift has opened the door for us to expand partnerships and collaborations with cultural organizations that make up the vibrant artistic community in Rochester to tell and preserve their unique stories,” Barry continued.
Full-length performance videos (at left, Rite of Spring) are among many assets to be found at www.rpo. org/voices-oftoday (below)
Three Voices of Today commissions have been unveiled in 2024: Eye of Mnemosyne by Sarah Kirkland Snider (April), To Seek is Jubilance by Derrick Skye (May), and Sensational Dynamism: Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra by James Lee III (November). The next world premiere is Sinfonia Concertante for Oboe, Bassoon, Violin, Cello, and Orchestra by Roberto Sierra, set for next March. The Skye, Lee, and Sierra works will be included on the fall 2026 release of the first of five Voices of Today-series albums from Azica Records to be produced by Grammy winner Alan Bise.
rpo.org/voices-of-today
For those who can’t wait for the record to drop, get a sneak preview on the just-released multi-media Voices of Today online hub (www.rpo.org/voices-of-today) for previews and more.
voices of
JANUARY
SUNDAY
12
Afternoon Philharmonics
Concert is January 12
Spend a Sunday afternoon with the philharmonic sounds of your RPO as we present Bruch’s Romantic Violin Concerto with guest conductor Maximiano Valdes and violinist Timothy Chooi (his brother Nikki played on Fountains of Rome in October!). The performance is Sunday, January 12 at 2 PM in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre and features music from Ginastera, Shostakovich, and Bruch.
NOTEWORTHY
Follow the Yellow Brick Road with Your RPO
Your RPO will perform the music of The Wizard of Oz as the film plays on the big screen at the West Herr Auditorium Theatre next month. Scott Terrell conducts your RPO for the 1939 family film classic on Wednesday, January 15 at 7 PM.
“Conducting a live orchestra to the singing, particularly in some of the classic films, is one of the more terrifying things to do,” says Terrell. “If you’re off by a second, the fans [in the audience] are on to you.”
11 & 12
THE WIZARD OF OZ JAN 15 | 7 PM
Read more about performing live music to film in our October Movements feature story, then bring the whole family for a special movie night.
Music and Dance and Animals: Oh My!
Your RPO and the Rochester City Ballet are teaming up once again this season, this time to present Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals on our OrKIDstra Series next month. RPO Assistant Conductor Jherrard Hardeman leads this musical menagerie which showcases different animals through music and movement. Join your RPO and RCB on Sunday, January 26 at 2 PM at Hochstein Performance Hall and don’t forget to come early for fun, engaging themed activities!
CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS JAN 26 | 2 PM
Anatomy of a photo shoot: Behind-the-scenes look at capturing music in pictures
Capturing “music that moves” in still images sounded challenging. So, to see how it’s done, we tagged along with during a rare, RPO full-dress rehearsal at Eastman Theatre.
“Shooting a live rehearsal gives me a lot less control than I’m used to,” said Smillie. “I have to capture the drama in the music as it’s being made. I can’t ask a musician to hold a pose or to do another take. Once the moment is gone, it’s gone.”
Smillie has worked with the RPO since 2020 to help capture images used to create the orchestra’s advertising and marketing materials you see online, in print, in the theater, and in your mailbox.
When it comes to working on stage with the orchestra, Smillie said he tries to be respectful of the musicians’ personal space as they perform. “We’re all there to do a job. I just try to immerse myself in the scene without being a distraction.”
