Music for Families 2017-18 season program guide

SEASON PROGRAM GUIDE 2017-18

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 James Irvine Foundation, The Bernard Osher Foundation, the Eucalyptus Foundation, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, the Francis K. and Charles D. Field Foundation, the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation, The Kimball Foundation, the Alexander M. and June L. Maisin Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the Sidney E. Frank Foundation, The Joseph and Mercedes McMicking Foundation, The Walther Foundation, the Zellerbach Family Foundation and the Harold L. Wyman Foundation. Additional support is provided by the corporate partners of the Music Education Alliance including generous contributions from the Wells Fargo Foundation, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Neiman Marcus, The Morrison & Foerster Foundation and Individual Partners and Employees of Morrison & Foerster LLP, Bank of America, Macy’s, Golden State Warriors, Airbnb, Bank of the West, Box, The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation, First Republic Bank, Gap Foundation, Hanson Bridgett LLP, Pandora, Prologis, and PwC. We are also grateful to the many individual donors who help make our music education programs possible.

TURN TO PAGES 20-21 FOR FULL CONCERT INFORMATION

Music for Families is made possible through the generosity of Chevron.

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

WELCOME TO MUSIC FOR FAMILIES!

LETTER FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Michael Tilson Thomas Music Director San Francisco Symphony

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MEET THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY The Orchestra began in 1911, 106 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 107 men and women who play in the Orchestra full-time.

Sometimes extra musicians are added for special works, and sometimes not all 107 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.

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

QUICK FACTS

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.

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

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY

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.

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.

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WHY DOES THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY NEED A SPECIAL BUILDING?

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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!

YOUR IMPORTANT ROLE

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.

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!

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

• 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!

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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.

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1. Violins 2. Violas 3. Cellos 4. Double Basses 5. Piccolo 6. Flutes 7. Oboes MUSIC FOR FAMILIES 2017-18

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 FLUTE VIOLA

BASSOON PICCOLO BASS CLARINET

BOW

CLARINET

OBOE

HARP CELLO

DOUBLE BASS ENGLISH HORN

THE STRING FAMILY

THE WOODWIND 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.

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

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TROMBONE CYMBALS TRIANGLE TRUMPET

SNARE DRUM

TUBA

TAMBOURINE

TIMPANI

FRENCH HORN

BASS DRUM

THE BRASS FAMILY

THE PERCUSSION FAMILY

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

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.

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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:

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

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.

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

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

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.

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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

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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 Jeremy Constant Assistant Concertmaster Mariko Smiley Acting Assistant Concertmaster 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 Sarah Knutson†

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

Eliot 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 Daniel G. Smith 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

MUSIC FOR FAMILIES CONDUCTORS 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 James Button 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 Daniel Hawkins

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

Margo Kieser Principal Nancy & Charles Geschke Chair John Campbell Assistant Librarian Matt Gray Assistant Librarian

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

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

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 Guy Piddington Ann L. & Charles B. Johnson Chair Jeff Biancalana

TROMBONES

DANIEL BARTHOLOMEW-POYSER Born in Montréal,

CHRISTIAN REIF has been the Resident Conductor

Quèbec, Daniel is now a resident of Calgary, Alberta, where he has been Artistic Director of Players Chamber Ensemble, Assistant Conductor of the Calgary Civic Symphony, Director of the University of Calgary AllCity Wind Ensemble, Orchestral Director of Ambrose University College, and teacher of music at Glenmore Christian Academy. Daniel made his San Francisco Symphony debut last season conducting the popular Deck the Hall holiday concerts. He returns this season to conduct the Dec. 2 Music for Families concert, as well as the 2017 edition of Deck the Hall.

of the San Francisco Symphony and Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO) since 2016.

He first appeared with the orchestra in 2015, in what the San Francisco Chronicle called “a powerful symphony debut.” As SFS Resident Conductor, Christian Reif works closely with San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, and frequently conducts the San Francisco Symphony throughout the year, including SFS’s Concert for Kids, Adventures in Music, Music for Families concerts, and SoundBox.

Daniel studied at the University of Calgary and earned the Faculty of Fine Arts Gold Medal. He then completed a Bachelor of Education and a Diploma of Fine Arts in Advanced Wind Conducting. After teaching for four years, Daniel studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester England, where he earned his Master of Philosophy in Music Performance. Daniel plays piano, tuba, and cello

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

TUBA

Jeffrey Anderson Principal James Irvine Chair

* On leave † Acting member of the SFS

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 February 3, April 28, and May 19.

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.

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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 2017-18 Music for Families Concerts are designed to bring kids and parents together in an atmosphere that not only entertains, but inspires.

DECEMBER 2, 2PM

APRIL 28, 2PM

STRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

WORK HARD PLAY HARD

THE LIVES OF COMPOSERS AND CONDUCTORS

THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC-MAKING

Do you ever wonder how a piece of music was created? How does a composer string together so many different notes and instruments to create something that sounds amazing? The final composition might sound complicated, but the building blocks of music are very basic: pitch, rhythm, melody, harmony, and dynamics. Join the SF Symphony and conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser as they take apart great works of music and put them back together.

Composing and conducting are big jobs: composers imagine the music and write it down, and conductors work with orchestras to bring the music to life. But how do they come up with and communicate their ideas, and what inspires their musical talents? Get a glimpse of the diverse backgrounds and creative lives of these musical magicians as the SF Symphony and Resident Conductor Christian Reif explore the music of Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and other great American musical heroes.

Conducted by Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser

Conducted by Christian Reif

FEBRUARY 3, 2PM

MAY 19, 2PM

The musical traditions of Asia have inspired composers and musicians for centuries. The unique sounds of Japanese taiko drums, Chinese folksongs, and Indonesian percussion have even been woven into the fabric of symphony orchestras with extraordinary results. Join the SF Symphony and Resident Conductor Christian Reif as they take you on a fascinating tour of music that celebrates Asian cultures, from composers such as Bright Sheng, Maurice Ravel, and Lou Harrison.

What happens when composers think outside the box to create music with completely new and surprising sounds? The history of classical music is full of adventurous artists who did exactly that, from Haydn to Stravinsky to John Cage! This concert explores how these brave thinkers paved the way for future musical innovators, and even invites the audience to help the orchestra create a brand-new musical spectacle together!

Conducted by Christian Reif

Conducted by Christian Reif

MUSIC AROUND THE WORLD: ASIA

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THE BOLD AND THE BRAVE

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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 AVAILABLE ON DESKTOP AND LAPTOP COMPUTERS.

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