Music for Families 2016-17 Season Program Guide

SEASON PROGRAM GUIDE 2016-17

TURN TO PAGES 20-21 FOR FULL CONCERT INFORMATION SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

YOUR SEASON PROGRAM GUIDE Welcome to Music for Families.......................................................................4 Letter from the Music Director........................................................................ 5 Meet the San Francisco Symphony.................................................................6 Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall.................................................................... 7 Pre-concert Preparation.....................................................................................8 Your Important Role!...........................................................................................9 Stage Seating of the San Francisco Symphony.....................................10–11 Instruments of the Orchestra......................................................................... 12 Building Blocks of Music.................................................................................. 16 Members of the San Francisco Symphony................................................. 18 Music for Families Conductors....................................................................... 19 Music for Families Concerts.................................................................... 20–21 SFSkids.org.......................................................................................................... 22

San Francisco Symphony music education programs receive generous support from the Hewlett Foundation Fund for Education, the William Randolph Hearst Endowment Fund, the Agnes Albert Youth Music Education Fund, the William and Gretchen Kimball Education Fund, the Sandy and Paul Otellini Education Endowment Fund, the Hurlbut-Johnson Fund, The Steinberg Family Education Endowed Fund, the Jon and Linda Gruber Education Fund, and the Howard Skinner Fund. Additional endowment funds are provided by Maryon Davies Lewis, Ms. Marianne Goldman, Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence J. Stupski, Mr. & Mrs. Matthew E. Kelly, Grant & Dorrit Saviers, Mrs. Agnes R. Shapiro, Elinor F. Howenstine, Marianne & Richard H. Peterson, and David & Marilyn Pratt. Institutional support is provided by the Zellerbach Family Foundation and Grants for the Arts. Additional support is provided by members of the San Francisco Symphony Music Education Alliance including generous contributions from Bank of America, Bank of the West, The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation, First Republic Bank, Gap Foundation, The Morrison & Foerster Foundation and Individual Partners and Employees of Morrison & Foerster LLP, Neiman Marcus, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Pandora, Prologis, PwC, and the Wells Fargo Foundation. We are also grateful to the many individual donors who help make our music education programs possible

WELCOME TO MUSIC FOR FAMILIES! THANK YOU for joining us at the San Francisco Symphony for Music for Families. We are proud to present this series of four Saturday afternoon matinee performances, which have been specially designed to introduce children and their parents to the wonders of a live symphony concert.

You and your family are in for a treat when you come to Davies Symphony Hall to hear the Grammy Award–winning San Francisco Symphony! You’ll spend quality time together experiencing some of the world’s greatest music, performed by one of the world’s great orchestras in one of the world’s great concert halls. It will be an unforgettable experience, and a guaranteed wonderful time for all!

This Season Program Guide has been created especially for you. It includes all kinds of information about the Orchestra, the conductors, Davies Symphony Hall, and lots of fun facts.

We love hearing from you! Please email us at family@sfsymphony.org to let us know what you felt was most exciting about the Music for Families concert you attended. Email addresses will not be used for any promotional purposes and will be deleted upon receipt of your message.

We hope you enjoy these concerts, and that you will cherish the time spent with your family in the company of great music and great musicians.

Enjoy!

San Francisco Symphony

4

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

LETTER FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR Dear Friends, I grew up listening to my father’s piano playing and my maternal grandmother's singing. My father and grandmother had both been nurtured by the theater, and I suspect music had been a part of their lives for as long as they could remember. But my mother, who loved history and who was a teacher, also deeply loved and appreciated music of all kinds. Before I knew it, I too was sharing in this expressive language, singing and playing the piano. I still remember the thrill of listening with my family to Bach's D minor Piano Concerto, Stravinsky’s Petrouchka, and Ellington's “Take the A Train.”

Music was one of the threads that bound my family together. It can do the same for any family, with its power to be all-embracing and deeply personal at the same time. I think it's wonderful that you have committed yourself to sharing music with your children.

To make what awaits you even richer, we’ve prepared this guide to what you will experience when you come to the concert hall. It’s a privilege for all of us in the San Francisco Symphony family to be a part of your family’s life. We hope the time you spend with us will give you cherished memories, and will be the introduction to rich lives sustained by the richness of music, a lifelong relationship with this, our wonderful art.

Michael Tilson Thomas Music Director San Francisco Symphony

MUSIC FOR FAMILIES 2016-17

5

MEET THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY The Orchestra began in 1911, 105 years ago, as the San Francisco Symphony. The second concert the Symphony ever performed was a concert specifically for school children on December 12, 1911.

In one year, the Orchestra plays more than 220 concerts in San Francisco and on tour. Over 400,000 people hear the Orchestra in a year's time.

THE MUSICIANS

There are 104 men and women who play in the Orchestra full-time.

Sometimes extra musicians are added for special works, and sometimes not all 104 musicians play, depending upon what the music requires.

The musicians have a 52-week season, i.e., they work year-round. Their fulltime profession is as musicians, and many also teach other musicians.

THE INSTRUMENTS

San Francisco Symphony musicians' instruments are the best available.

They come from all over the world, and range in value from $5.50 (a simple percussion instrument, like a bird call), to over $400,000 for some of the finest stringed instruments. Most instruments range from $2,000 to $60,000. Most are owned by the musicians, but some special instruments are purchased and owned by the Symphony, such as the timpani and celesta.

Instruments also range in age. Violins, violas, cellos, and basses are often 200 or more years old. Brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments are usually much more modern, with most being made in the last 50 years and some being brand new.

6

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

LOUISE M. DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL Just as AT&T Park is home to the Giants, and City Hall (where the mayor works) is home of San Francisco's government, Davies Symphony Hall is the home of the San Francisco Symphony.

QUICK FACTS

• The first-ever concert at Davies Symphony Hall: Sep 16, 1980 • Number of concerts per year: more than 220 • Number of seats: 2,751

WHY DOES THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY NEED A SPECIAL BUILDING?

Davies Symphony Hall was built specifically so a symphony orchestra would sound best when performing on stage. It is actually two buildings: the concert hall and the public lobbies, one inside the other. The concert hall is protected from all outside noises by a system of passageways that separate the lobby area from the music-making. The hall is so quiet that when a pin is dropped on the stage of the empty hall, you can hear its sound in the second tier.

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DIFFERENT SHAPES INSIDE DAVIES SYMPHONY HALL?

Sound needs space to travel in, surfaces to bounce off, and soft material (like plush chairs or human beings) to absorb it. Everything in the hall is designed to allow the best possible sound for the San Francisco Symphony, from the rectangular shape of the hall’s main floor to the risers on stage and the “egg-carton” protrusions on the ceiling.

Because different pieces use different instruments that all make different sounds, the banners on the side and the plastic shields hanging from the ceiling can move and change the way sound travels in the hall.

MUSIC FOR FAMILIES 2016-17

7

PRE-CONCERT PREPARATION Attending a symphony orchestra concert is very exciting. People attend concerts all over the world to hear an orchestra performing music live!

The purpose of this Music for Families Season Program Guide is to provide information and ideas for you and your family to help prepare for a wonderful series of programs.

When an audience comes to a concert knowing what to look and listen for, the trip becomes both a musical and fun learning experience!

WHAT TO WATCH AND LISTEN FOR BEFORE THE MUSIC STARTS:

• Shortly before the concert starts, all of the Orchestra members assemble on stage. Just like athletes, musicians must warm up before they play.

They warm up both their bodies and their instruments! Some musicians warm up backstage, usually in a quiet space, while other musicians will come out onto the stage to limber up their fingers, lips, lungs, and eyes in preparation for the concert.

• The concertmaster (first violinist) will enter and begin the tuning. It is most appropriate for the audience to applaud the entrance of the concertmaster.

• Listen and watch carefully as the concertmaster signals for the oboe to play the note “A”. The Orchestra will make a wonderful sound as they all tune to this note. This tuning to the oboe’s “A” happens in orchestras all over the world!

• After the tuning is finished, the conductor will enter and take his place on the podium. Both the concertmaster and conductor are greeted by the audience with applause.

• The conductor begins the concert!

8

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

YOUR IMPORTANT ROLE Being an audience is an important role. Musicians don’t want to play for themselves—they want to play for you! Try not to be late—you might miss some of the great music!

Here’s a secret: the musicians know when you’re listening and enjoying their performance, and that makes them play even better!

MUSIC FOR FAMILIES 2016-17

HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO BEING THE BEST AUDIENCE MEMBER POSSIBLE:

• Leave chewing gum, food, and drink outside of the concert Hall • Turn off cameras and recording devices • Silence cell phones • Sit quietly and remain seated during the performance

9

18

15

14

16 17

13

9 10

5

6

1

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY SEATING A symphony is a large group of musicians that play instruments together. A symphony is also like a big family—there's a place for everybody, and everybody is in their place.

10

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

19 20

11 12

7

8

4

2

21 3

1. Violins 2. Violas 3. Cellos 4. Double Basses 5. Piccolo 6. Flutes 7. Oboes MUSIC FOR FAMILIES 2016-17

8. English Horn 9. Bass Clarinet 10. Clarinets 11. Bassoons 12. Contrabassoon 13. French Horns 14. Harp

15. Timpani 16. Cymbals 17. Bass Drum 18. Trumpets 19. Trombones 20. Tuba 21. The Conductor 11

VIOLIN VIOLA

BOW

HARP CELLO

DOUBLE BASS

THE STRING FAMILY String instruments are made of wood. They have strings stretched across the top. You play the instrument by moving a bow across the strings or by plucking the string with your finger.

12

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

FLUTE BASSOON PICCOLO BASS CLARINET

CLARINET

OBOE

ENGLISH HORN

THE WOODWIND FAMILY Most woodwind instruments are made of wood, but flutes can be made of metal. You play the instrument by blowing air into the tube.

MUSIC FOR FAMILIES 2016-17

13

TROMBONE

TRUMPET

TUBA FRENCH HORN

THE BRASS FAMILY Brass instruments are made of metal. They are played by buzzing your lips and blowing air into the tube.

14

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

CYMBALS TRIANGLE

SNARE DRUM

TAMBOURINE

TIMPANI BASS DRUM

THE PERCUSSION FAMILY Percussion instruments can be made of wood, metal, seeds, vegetables, nuts, and a whole lot more. They are played by using your hands to hit, shake, scrape, or rub them.

MUSIC FOR FAMILIES 2016-17

15

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF MUSIC Your concerts during this season’s Music for Families will introduce you to a wide variety of orchestral music.

Let’s take a look at some of these building blocks that will be introduced during this season’s Music for Families concerts:

Everyone can enjoy music without any explanation—that’s why it’s known as the universal language.

What makes symphonic music especially great is how composers (the people who write the music) use all the musical building blocks to construct a piece that is still being played hundreds of years later.

The smallest building block of music is a note. A note is simply a sound made on an instrument.

NOTE

MELODY

Simply put, melody is that part of music you can sing along to, the sequence of notes that make the “tune” of the music. Think about the songs “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or the National Anthem—those are two very famous melodies. Melodies are often the part of music you remember after hearing a concert.

RHY THM

If melody is the part of the music you want to sing along to, rhythm is the part of music that makes you want to dance. It is the beat or pulse of the music. A composer determines music’s rhythm by changing the length of the notes.

16

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

DYNAMICS

Dynamics describe the volume of the music. Composers use dynamics in their music to change the mood of the music, to bring out different melodies and rhythms, and to make the music expressive.

Here are some of the words and symbols that composers use, followed by what each one means: Fortissimo ( ff ): Really loud

Forte ( f ): Loud

Mezzo forte ( mf ): Medium loud

Pianissimo ( pp ): Really soft

Piano ( p ): Soft

Mezzo piano ( mp ): Medium soft

Crescendo: Soft to loud

Decrescendo: Loud to soft

p

f

f

p

ORCHESTRATION

Orchestration refers to which instruments a composer chooses to have play at certain times. Each instrument in the orchestra has certain qualities of sound and ranges of notes that it can play. The variety of instruments in an orchestra gives composers a nearly limitless number of sound combinations. Sometimes composers add unusual instruments to their piece, or even invent their own!

TEMPO

Tempo is the speed of the music. A faster tempo can make the music feel excited, happy, or even angry, while slower tempos can make it feel sad or peaceful. A composer indicates which tempo his or her piece should be played by writing it at the beginning of the music, usually in Italian.

Here are some common markings for tempo: Adagio: Slowly

Moderato: Moderately

Vivace: Fast and lively

Andante: At a walking pace

Allegro: Quickly and brightly

Presto: Extremely fast

MUSIC FOR FAMILIES 2016-17

17

THE ORCHESTRA Michael Tilson Thomas Music Director & Conductor Herbert Blomstedt Conductor Laureate Christian Reif Resident Conductor Ragnar Bohlin Chorus Director Vance George Chorus Director Emeritus

FIRST VIOLINS

Alexander Barantschik Concertmaster Naoum Blinder Chair Nadya Tichman Associate Concertmaster San Francisco Symphony Foundation Chair Mark Volkert Assistant Concertmaster 75th Anniversary Chair Jeremy Constant Assistant Concertmaster Mariko Smiley Paula & John Gambs Second Century Chair Melissa Kleinbart Katharine Hanrahan Chair Yun Chu Sharon Grebanier Naomi Kazama Hull In Sun Jang Yukiko Kurakata Catherine A. Mueller Chair Suzanne Leon Leor Maltinski Diane Nicholeris Sarn Oliver Florin Parvulescu Victor Romasevich Catherine Van Hoesen

SECOND VIOLINS

Dan Carlson Principal Dinner & Swig Families Chair Helen Kim Associate Principal Audrey Avis Aasen-Hull Chair Paul Brancato Assistant Principal Dan Nobuhiko Smiley The Eucalyptus Foundation Second Century Chair Raushan Akhmedyarova David Chernyavsky John Chisholm Cathryn Down Darlene Gray Stan & Lenora Davis Chair Amy Hiraga Kum Mo Kim

Kelly Leon-Pearce Elina Lev Isaac Stern Chair Chunming Mo Polina Sedukh Chen Zhao

VIOL AS

Jonathan Vinocour Principal Yun Jie Liu Associate Principal Katie Kadarauch Assistant Principal John Schoening Joanne E. Harrington & Lorry I. Lokey Second Century Chair Gina Cooper Nancy Ellis David Gaudry David Kim Christina King Wayne Roden Nanci Severance* Adam Smyla Matthew Young

CELLOS

Michael Grebanier Principal Philip S. Boone Chair Peter Wyrick Associate Principal Peter & Jacqueline Hoefer Chair Amos Yang Assistant Principal Margaret Tait Lyman & Carol Casey Second Century Chair Barbara Andres The Stanley S. Langendorf Foundation Second Century Chair Barbara Bogatin Jill Rachuy Brindel Gary & Kathleen Heidenreich Second Century Chair Sébastien Gingras David Goldblatt Christine & Pierre Lamond Second Century Chair Carolyn McIntosh Anne Pinsker*

BASSES

Scott Pingel Principal Lee Philip† Acting Associate Principal Stephen Tramontozzi Richard & Rhoda Goldman Chair S. Mark Wright Lawrence Metcalf Second Century Chair Charles Chandler Lee Ann Crocker Chris Gilbert Brian Marcus William Ritchen

FLUTES

Tim Day Principal Caroline H. Hume Chair Robin McKee Associate Principal Catherine & Russell Clark Chair Linda Lukas Alfred S. & Dede Wilsey Chair Catherine Payne Piccolo

OBOES

Eugene Izotov Principal Edo de Waart Chair Christopher Gaudi† Acting Associate Principal Pamela Smith Dr. William D. Clinite Chair Russ deLuna English Horn Joseph & Pauline Scafidi Chair

CL ARINETS

Carey Bell Principal William R. & Gretchen B. Kimball Chair Luis Baez Associate Principal & E-flat Clarinet David Neuman Jerome Simas Bass Clarinet BASSOONS Stephen Paulson Principal Steven Dibner Associate Principal Rob Weir Steven Braunstein* Contrabassoon

HORNS

Robert Ward Principal Nicole Cash Associate Principal Bruce Roberts Assistant Principal Jonathan Ring Jessica Valeri Jeff Garza†

TUBA

Jeffrey Anderson Principal James Irvine Chair

HARP

Douglas Rioth Principal

TIMPANI

Edward Stephan Principal Marcia & John Goldman Chair

PERCUSSION

Jacob Nissly Principal Raymond Froehlich Tom Hemphill James Lee Wyatt III

KEYBOARDS

Robin Sutherland Jean & Bill Lane Chair

LIBRARIANS

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY Michael Tilson Thomas Music Director Christian Reif Resident Conductor Herbert Blomstedt Conductor Laureate Sakurako Fisher President Brent Assink Executive Director

Rebecca Blum Director, Orchestra, Education, and Strategic Initiatives Bradley Evans Interim Orchestra Personnel Manager Amy Sedan Interim Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager

Margo Kieser Principal Librarian Nancy & Charles Geschke Chair John Campbell Assistant Librarian Dan Ferreira Assistant Librarian Peter Grunberg Musical Assistant to the Music Director Robert Doherty Stage Manager Michael “Barney” Barnard Stage Technician Roni Jules Stage Technician Mike Olague Stage Technician

TRUMPETS

Mark Inouye Principal William G. Irwin Charity Foundation Chair Douglas C. Carlsen† Acting Associate Principal Peter Pastreich Chair Guy Piddington Ann L. & Charles B. Johnson Chair Jeff Biancalana

TROMBONES

Timothy Higgins Principal Robert L. Samter Chair Nicholas Platoff Associate Principal Paul Welcomer John Engelkes Bass Trombone

* On leave † Acting member of the SFS The San Francisco Symphony string section utilizes revolving seating on a systematic basis. Players listed in alphabetical order change seats periodically.

Alexander Barantschik plays the 1742 Guarnerius del Gesù violin, on loan from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Second Century Chairs are supported in part by the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Foundation, ensuring the ongoing artistic excellence of the San Francisco Symphony’s string sections.

Christian Reif’s appointment as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra is generously supported by the Paul L. and Phyllis Wattis Endowment Fund.

18

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

MUSIC FOR FAMILIES CONDUCTORS

EDWIN OUT WATER is Music Director of Ontario’s

CHRISTIAN REIF joins the San Francisco Symphony

Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (KWS) and Director of Summer Concerts at the San Francisco Symphony.

He has conducted the New York and Los Angeles philharmonics, as well as the orchestras all over the world, from the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra to the New Zealand Symphony.

as Resident Conductor and Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO) in the 2016–17 season.

He first appeared with the orchestra in 2015, in what the San Francisco Chronicle called “a powerful symphony debut.”

Mr. Outwater has a long history of participating in the Symphony’s Education programs. He served as Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony from 2001 to 2006, and from 2001 to 2005 he was Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. During that time he conducted the world premiere of The Composer is Dead by Nathaniel Stookey and Lemony Snicket. He leads the orchestra in two concerts in the Music for Families series this season on December 3 and January 28.

Before his appointment as Resident Conductor at the San Francisco Symphony, Christian served as the Conducting Fellow with the New World Symphony in Miami, which included serving as the cover conductor for music director Michael Tilson Thomas. Mr. Reif conducts the Music for Families concerts on March 11 and June 3.

MUSIC FOR FAMILIES 2016-17

19

MUSIC FOR FAMILIES CONCERTS Shake up the family routine with the San Francisco Symphony. Come at 1pm for loads of fun activities in the lobby. Then, get ready for even more fun and excitement at the 2pm concert! Our 2016–17 Music for Families Concerts are designed to bring kids and parents together in an atmosphere that not only entertains, but inspires.

SAT, DEC 3, 2PM

WILD SOUNDS Composers throughout history have been inspired by the wonders of the animal kingdom.

We’ve unleashed a fun-filled musical tribute to creatures great and small, featuring Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, stories about favorite furry friends, and more.

Conducted by Edwin Outwater.

SAT, JAN 28, 2PM

MUSIC AROUND THE WORLD: LATIN AMERICA Join us on a musical journey through the works of some of our favorite Latin American composers.

From vibrant Mexican folk rhythms to the allure of the Argentine tango, guest artists help bring the experience to life with unique instruments and musical traditions from different cultures.

Conducted by Edwin Outwater.

20

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

SAT, MAR 11, 2PM

HOW TO BUILD AN ORCHESTRA Did you know that it takes over a hundred people working together to make a symphony orchestra sound great? Learn what makes the heart of the Symphony beat… and boom… and sing. We’ll take you on a tour of the key sections of an orchestra, then show how they collaborate to make music come to life.

Conducted by Christian Reif.

SAT, JUN 3, 2PM

MUSIC TO YOUR FEET Sound and movement come together on stage to engage the senses and get you and your kids up on your feet. From storybook classics like Swan Lake and Cinderella to some of our favorite orchestral dance pieces, you’ll learn about the basics of rhythm and meter, while grooving along with live dancers and the SF Symphony.

Conducted by Christian Reif.

MUSIC FOR FAMILIES 2016-17

21

DISCOVER LISTEN PLAY PERFORM COMPOSE CONDUCT Explore the exciting world of music with the San Francisco Symphony’s website for kids: SFSKIDS.ORG! Use your desktop or laptop computer to enhance your Music for Families concert experience and have fun learning even more about music! If you are without an internet connection at home, access the site on your next visit to your local public library.

VISIT

SFSKIDS.ORG FUN & GAMES WITH MUSIC

22

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY