Spartanburg Philharmonic - HearHere, Fall 2025

SPARTANBURG PHILHARMONIC

Music Director, John Young Shik Concklin

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With faith as our foundation and you as our inspiration, your days unfold like a beautiful score—filled with moments of joy, purpose, and community. Whether you’re enjoying the quiet rhythm of nature or the vibrant energy of shared experiences, your next act awaits on a stage set for living well.

Authors

Dr. Rachel Bani

Diana Maley Berti

Kathryn Boucher

Dr. Peter B. Kay

Photographers

Kavin Bradner

Chandler Crawford

Peter B. Kay

Dr. Cabe Loring

Paula Morgan

Avery Owens

Katherine Poss

Mark Olencki

Avery Owens

Katherine Poss

Design Cover

Peter B. Kay Chandler Crawford

Dr. Julie Sexeny

Hannah Simpson

Sarah F. Tignor

Dr. Chris Vaneman

Connect with the Spartanburg Philharmonic!

See photos and video of the symphony on stage, backstage, and behind the scenes. Learn more about music and musical life, and stay up-to-date about our upcoming events. Like, Follow, Watch, and Listen!

/SpartanburgPhil

/SpartanburgPhilharmonic

August

Zimmerli Series (page 39)

Espresso Series (page 27)

Bluegrass Spartanburg (page 31)

Youth Orchestra (page 52)

Music Sandwiched In (page 22)

Community Events

Event Date Venue

Ben Smith & Kathy Robinson: The Seasons

Disney's "Oceans"

September

Paint & Sip

Arbor Wind Trio

Debussy: La Mer

ContraBand Bootleg Jazz

Blazin' Brass

October

Foothills Oompah Band

Wed 8/27 Spartanburg Cyrill-Westside Library

Wed 8/27 Fr8yard

Thurs 9/4 New Groove Brewery

Wed 9/10 Landrum Library

Sat 9/13 Twichell Auditorium

Wed 9/24 Spartanburg Cyrill-Westside Library

Fri 9/26 Chapman Cultural Center

Wed 10/8 Landrum Library

KrÜger Brothers with the Spartanburg Philharmonic Sat10/11 Twichell Auditorium

Converse University Woodwinds

Phantom of the Opera

SPYO: Fall Concert

November

Wirewood

Bluegrass Spartanburg

Fireside Collective

December

Harp Ensemble

Wed 10/22 Spartanburg Cyrill-Westside Library

Fri 10/24 Chapman Cultural Center

Sun 10/26 Twichell Auditorium

Wed 11/5 Spartanburg Cyrill-Westside Library

Wed 11/19 Spartanburg Cyrill-Westside Library

Thurs 11/22 Chapman Cultural Center

Wed 12/3 Spartanburg Cyrill-Westside Library

Hub-City Holiday Sat 12/6 Twichell Auditorium

The Nutcracker Fri 12/12 Twichell Auditorium

The Nutcracker Sat 12/13 Twichell Auditorium

The Nutcracker

Philharmonic Brass

Sun 12/14 Twichell Auditorium

Wed 12/17 Spartanburg Cyrill-Westside Library

SpartanburgPhilharmonic.org/Events

Twichell Auditorium at Converse University Box Office Hours

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, M-Th 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, F

(864) 596-9018

580 East Main Street Spartanburg, SC 29302

Zimmerli Series & Youth Orchestra Individual Tickets

SpartanburgPhilharmonic.org/box-office-venues

Chapman Cultural Center Box Office Hours

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, T-Th 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, F Closed Mon

(864) 583-2776

200 East Saint John St. Spartanburg, SC 29306

Espresso & Bluegrass Series Individual Tickets

Restrooms: Restrooms in Twichell Auditorium are located off of the first floor lobby and next to the handicap accessible entrance in the auditorium. Restrooms at the Chapman Cultural Center are located to the left and right of the main entrance lobby.

Seating: Twichell Auditorium uses a reserved seating system for our Zimmerli Series concerts, so please keep your ticket with you at all times to verify section and seat specifics should there be any confusion. Chapman Cultural Center also uses a reserved ticket system for Bluegrass Spartanburg. For our Espresso Series, Chapman uses a General Admission system and does not reserve seating.

Late seating: For the listening pleasure of our audiences, late arriving patrons will not be seated while music is being performed. Latecomers will be seated at the first appropriate pause in the program (typically during applause). Additionally, we ask that patrons who must leave prior to the end of a performance exit only between selections if at all possible.

Ticket donation: We are unable to issue refunds for unused tickets. However, if you are unable to attend a concert, we encourage you to donate your tickets back or give them to a friend. When you donate your tickets to the Spartanburg Philharmonic, you not only receive a donation tax receipt, but you also share your seat with another music lover. If you would like to give in this way, please notify our ticket office at least 24 hours prior to the performance.

If a concert is canceled or rescheduled due to inclement

Spartanburg Philharmonic Administrative Offices

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, M-F

(864) 948-9020

200 East Saint John St. Spartanburg, SC 29306

Season Tickets

weather, a tax letter will be provided for any ticket returned within 24 hours after the original concert date.

Accessibility: The Spartanburg Philharmonic is committed to providing an environment that is welcoming and inclusive to all patrons. Persons requiring assistance are encouraged to call the respective box offices for direct assistance in purchasing the appropriate tickets.

Please note that Twichell Auditorium does not currently have an elevator for balcony seats. Wheelchair accessibility is located at the side entrance of the auditorium. The Chapman Cultural Center is fully ADA compliant, and the theater has state-of-the-art hearing assistance technology. In addition to traditional amplification devices, such as headphones, the theater is equipped with “The Loop” technology.

Food/Beverage: No food or drink, other than bottled water, is allowed in Twichell Auditorium.

Cameras, cell phones, recording devices, watch alarms, and similar devices: To ensure a quality experience for everyone, the use of flash-photography or video/audio recording equipment is strictly prohibited. Patrons are asked to turn off or mute (not just turn to vibrate) all personal electronic devices prior to the performance.

In Case of Emergency:

Prior to the performance, we request that you familiarize yourself with the locations of all exits in case of an emergency. If the power to the building should be interrupted for any reason, generators will begin within 10 seconds for lighting.

The Mission of the Spartanburg Philharmonic is to enrich, inspire, and educate of all stages and walks of life through live performances of high-quality music.

Welcome to the Spartanburg Philharmonic!

We’re so glad you’re here

Whether this is your first concert or your fiftieth, your presence tonight is a powerful reminder of how essential music is to our community. Each performance you attend helps sustain not only our orchestra but also the programs and partnerships that make the Spartanburg Philharmonic such a vital part of this region – Music Sandwiched In, Spartanburg Music Trail, Link Up, and much more!

This season, we’re proud to offer something for everyone—from orchestral concerts that showcase the brilliance of the symphonic tradition, to intimate bluegrass performances that celebrate Appalachian roots, to our incredible Spartanburg Philharmonic Youth Orchestra that nurtures the next generation of musicians and music lovers.

As we look ahead, we’re filled with excitement— because in just three years, we’ll be celebrating our 100th anniversary! This historic milestone is more than a moment in time; it’s a celebration of a century of musicmaking and community-building, and we want you to be a part of every step leading up to it.

If you believe in the power of music to inspire, connect, and uplift—help us spread the word. Tell your friends, neighbors, coworkers, and fellow music lovers why the Spartanburg Philharmonic matters. Your voice is one of our most powerful tools in growing this community.

Thank you for being with us. We can’t wait to share what’s ahead.

Dr. Cabe Loring President of the Board of Directors

Kathryn H. Boucher Executive Director

Karen Parrott Past President

Dr. Cabe Loring, President

Francisca Yanez Secretary

Perrin Dent Patterson Vice President

David Smart Treasurer

Chris Strickland Vice President

Dr. Chandra Hopkins Vice President

Dr. Mark Ferguson Vice President

Samantha Larkins President Elect

Marshall Jordan Dr. Curt Laird

Bob Ireland

John Cribb

Rachel Chalmers

Sharon Doyle

Kay Maddox Greg Murphy

Amy Oakes

Myrella Samuels Dr. Bill Scott

Switi Thakkar

Dr. Sidney Fulmer Lifetime Board Member

Sarah Tignor Kathy Zimmerli Wofford

Peter Grzan

Dr. David Ike

Marilyn Nguyen

James A. Reese Claudia Albergotti Ruffin

Ross Hammond

Dr. Rick Orr

Welcome!

We are thrilled to welcome the Philharmonic’s five new Board members to our team (see page 7). Their expertise, passion for music, and commitment to our mission will be invaluable as we work together to enrich our community through the power of music. Our board plays a crucial role in guiding the organization’s vision, supporting our musicians, and ensuring the sustainability of our artistic endeavors. We are confident that their unique perspectives and skills will contribute significantly to our ongoing success and help us achieve new heights in our programming, outreach, and engagement efforts.

As they join our dedicated team, we look forward to the fresh ideas and energy they will bring. Our orchestra thrives on collaboration and innovation, and their involvement will

be key to navigating the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. We encourage Board members to share insights, ask questions, and actively participate in discussions and initiatives. Together, we will continue to create transformative musical experiences for our audiences, foster a vibrant cultural community, and inspire the next generation of musicians and music lovers. Welcome aboard!

• Dr. David Ike

• Marshall Jordan

• Marilyn Nguyen

• James Reese

• Claudia Albergotti Ruffin

Karen Parrott, Kathryn Boucher, and Cabe Loring in the lobby of the Chapman Cultural Center before an Espresso concert.

John Young Shik Concklin

MUSIC DIRECTOR, SPARTANBURG PHILHARMONIC

John Young Shik Concklin, conductor, is the tenth Music Director of the Spartanburg Philharmonic. He began as a violist in the Philharmonic, made his conducting debut in 2018 to wide acclaim with two John Williams concerts, returned as a Music Director Finalist in 2022, and came in at the last moment as a substitute conductor later that year. He is praised for his clear beat, strong sense of rhythm, inviting gravitas, and innovative mind.

Concurrently, John serves as Music Director of the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra and Conductor with the Atlanta Music Project and Piedmont Chamber Orchestra. For the 2023/24 season, he is also a Music Director Finalist with the Walla Walla Symphony in Washington State. John was National Finalist for the 2019-2020 American Prize in Conducting, has competed internationally at the Almaty Conducting Competition, the Nino Rota Conducting Competition, and as the only American in the Città di Brescia Conducting Competition, and has appeared numerous times to cover conduct the Atlanta, Nashville, and Kansas City Symphony Orchestras.

Previous positions include Associate Conductor of the Georgia Symphony, Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, and faculty appointments at Vanderbilt, Clemson, Furman and Converse Universities He has been a fellowship conductor at the Aspen Music Festival, a teaching assistant at the Brevard Music Center, and a finalist at the New World Symphony and Debut Orchestras.

A flexible musician, John has also performed at the Super Bowl Halftime Show and has collaborated with Monica, a Grammy-winning R&B artist.

John studied at Vanderbilt and Yale Universities and the Cleveland Institute of Music. His mentors include David Zinman, Carl Topilow, Shinik Hahm, and Robin Fountain. He received further training from Lorin Maazel and Michael Tilson-Thomas.

John and his wife, Lauren Maxwell, co-founded Mozart for a Cause, an annual fundraising event for local causes.

www.JohnConcklin.com

Left: John recording Classical Conversations at Isla's on Main Right: John conducting Symphonie Fantastique (Sept. 2024)

Katherine Henderson Poss Development Manager

Hannah Simpson Education & Community Engagement Manager

Robert G. Borden Orchestra Librarian & Youth Orchestra Operations Manager

Susan Wines Music Director, Youth Orchestra & Symphony Conductor

Dr. Joshua Miller Youth Orchestra Prelude Conductor

Ashlyn Scheuch Youth Orchestra Site Coordinator

Andrew Merideth Orchestra Personnel Manager

Kathryn H. Boucher Executive Director

Dr. Peter B. Kay General Manager & Composer in Residence

Avery Owens Marketing & Audience Experience Manager

The goal of the Spartanburg Philharmonic’s Orchestra Committee is to amplify our musicians’ voices throughout the organization and ensure that communication runs smoothly among musicians, staff, and board. Committee members provide a musician’s insights on operational issues as well as artistic policies like outlining a new process for how to select the next concertmaster. We also mediate complaints and conflicts among musicians and staff. Some members serve on multiple committees – we had two members serve on the recent Music Director search committee – to facilitate communication among groups. At least one member of the orchestra committee attends each board meeting to convey the considerations and concerns that are unique to the world of working musicians. This participation ensures that musicians are a part of the decision making at the highest level of the organization.

Orchestra Committee members are elected from among the core musicians of the orchestra, those members who

have won their spot in the orchestra through audition. We represent most of the instrument families – strings, brass, and woodwinds with current members – and have experience playing in more than a dozen orchestras across the region which helps us stay current with best practices from the field. Our day jobs range from college professor to middle school orchestra director to financial advisor to work-from-home mom, and these varied experiences bring diverse perspectives to our decision making. We are proud to represent the musicians of the Spartanburg Philharmonic and are deeply grateful for the tremendous support from the community, the board of directors, and the staff who have kept the organization financially and operationally sound. We look forward to continuing to support our fellow musicians

Custom Custom

Ian Bracchitta Principal Bass

Alvoy Bryan Jr. Principal Viola

Theresa Jenkins Russ Violin Section Kelly Vaneman Associate Principal Oboe

Diana Maley Berti Orchestra Committee Chair, Viola Section

When arts and businesses partner, everyone profits. With corporate partnerships, our concerts and events provide invaluable exposure to prospective and current clients, educate the public about your business initiatives, offer networking opportunities with clients, and provide benefits for employees.

For full details regarding our Corporate Partnership packages, please contact: Kathryn Boucher, Executive Director kathryn@spartanburgphilharmonic.org

Donations given to Chapman Cultural Center’s Annual United Arts Fund supports Spartanburg Philharmonic through a General Operating Support Grant.

Chapman Cultural Center is a proud supporter of Spartanburg Philharmonic and their mission.

We gratefully acknowledge the following donors who made generous commitments to the Spartanburg Philharmonic. This list reflects gifts received July 2024 through June 2025.

Benefactor ($25,000+)

The Balmer Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. William Barnet III

Mr. and Mrs. George Dean Johnson, Jr.

Mrs. Nelly Zimmerli

Maestro ($10,000-$24,999)

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Babb

Dr. Barry Bodie and Ms. Laurel D. Johnson

The Alfred Moore Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen P. Parrott

Mr. and Mrs. Glen Warner

The Joe R. & Joella F. Utley Foundation

Virtuoso ($5,000-$9,999)

Mrs. Joan B. Gibson

Mr. and Mrs. Roger Habisreutinger

In Memory of CRI, MD

Elbert W. Rogers Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. John S. McBride, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Nederostek

Mrs. Corry W. Oakes III

Dr. and Mrs. Rick Orr

Baton ($2,500-$4,999)

Anonymous

Arkwright Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. John Cribb

Ms. Laura Henthorn

Dr. Leslie W. Howard, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Lehner

Dr. and Mrs. Caleb Loring IV

Mrs. Betty Luce

Mr. and Mrs. V. C. McLeod III

Don and Mary Miles

Mr. and Mrs. Wiley North

Clint and Amy Brown North

David and Jennifer Smart

Ms. Switi Thakkar

Mr. and Mrs. H. Peter Theiler

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Weisman

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Wilson

Ms. Kathy Zimmerli Wofford

Principal ($1,000-$2,499)

Anonymous

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Baker

Mrs. Susan H. Baker

Mr. Robert Borden

Ms. Kathryn H. Boucher

Ms. JoAnn Bristow

Mr. and Mrs. James Burchfield

Mr. James Cheek

Mr. and Mrs. Leland Close

Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Cogan

Mrs. Cecilia Cogdell

Mr. and Mrs. Halsey Cook

Mr. Reed Cunningham

Dean and Pam Davis

Mr. and Mrs. Frederick B. Dent, Jr.

Allen and Sharon Doyle

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Dunleavy

Mr. and Mrs. David Ellis

Fellow Musician ($500-$999)

Laura Allen and Roger Sullivan

Mrs. Ruta Allen

Dr. Joel Atance and Ms. Kara Bui

Mr. and Mrs. James Bagwell

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Barnet

Ms. Karen E. Bjelland

Ms. Harriet Bolen and Mr. Jim Brown

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Reed Brown

Dr. and Mrs. Ernest Camp III

Mr. Mark Carlson

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Cheatham

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Cote

Mr. and Mrs. Bill Fitch

In Memory of Elizabeth H. Floyd

Dr. and Mrs. Mark Ferguon

Phyllis and Robert Frank

Mrs. Elaine T. Freeman

Mr. and Mrs. Ken Frick

Mr. Peter Grzan

Drs. Chandra and Boone Hopkins

Ms. Maureen Johannigman

Cindy and Keith Kelly

Dr. and Mrs. Louis Knoepp, Jr.

Dr. Curt Laird

Clint and Samantha Larkins

Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay Little

Col. and Mrs. Robert N. Maddox

Mr. and Mrs. William C. Mayrose

John McAllister and Katee Castleman

Mr. E. T. McLean

Dr. and Mrs. Donald H. McClure

Ms. Judy McCravy

Mr. Lawrence Flynn III

Mr. and Mrs. James Glenn

Mr. and Mrs. Brandt Goodwin

Mr. and Mrs. Ross Hammond

Dr. and Mrs. John A. Harrill, Jr.

Butch and Syd Harris

Ms. Mary Ann Hipp

Dr. and Mrs. David A. Holt

Carter and Geordy Johnson

Rear Admiral and Mrs. Stephen Johnson

Ms. Wallace Eppes Johnson

Steve and Lori Josefski

Mrs. Dorothy C. Josey SpartanburgPhilharmonic.org/GiveNow

Mr. and Mrs. Mack McKeithan

Mrs. Walter Montgomery, Jr.

Mrs. Paula Morgan

Mr. Jeffrey Nye

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Parmenter

Mr. and Mrs. G. Garrett Scott

Dr. and Mrs. Peter Sereque

MG(R) Edwin E. Spain III and Mary B. Spain

Mr. and Mrs. E. Donald Stevens

Michel and Eliot Stone

Mr. and Mrs. Chris Strickland

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Troup

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Wildman

Dr. and Mrs. Auburn Woods

Kristi and Kim Keith

Carlin and Alexander Morrison

Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Powell

Dr. Bill Scott

Ms. Joy Shackelford

Ms. Johanna Lewis and Mr. Richard Spiers

Kim and Aaron Toler

Donna and Jody Traywick

Mr. and Mrs. W. Burnham Uhler

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Van Geison

Mr. and Mrs. Marshall T. Walsh

Robert and Francisca Yanez

Patron ($250-$499)

Patty and C. Mack Amick

Mrs. Dianne Bagnal

Mr. and Mrs. Bert D. Barre

Diana and Alden Berti

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Blexrud

Mr. and Mrs. W. Waller Caldwell Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Jan Caldwell

Mr. Charles Clementson and Dr. Blair Clementson

Mr. and Mrs. J. Derham Cole

Dr. Jean Dunbar

Mr. William Edwards

Members

( $100-$149)

Mr. David Anderson

Ms. Pat Wilks Battle

Beth and Orin Beach

Cyndi and David Beacham

Mr. and Mrs. Chris Berg

Mr. and Mrs. Louie W. Blanton

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Brannon

Mr. and Mrs. John Brock

Dr. John Burchfield

Robert and Maggie Burnette

Dr. and Mrs. William W. Burns

Dr. Andrew Taber and Ms. Alyson Campbell

Ms. Rachel Chalmers and Mr. Hayden Raabe Chalmers

Mr. and Mrs. John Thomas Claggett

Mr. and Mrs. Dexter Cleveland

Ms. Barbara Colvin

Ms. Carolyn Concklin

Mr. Bill and Mr. Martin Cooper-Meek

Mr. and Mrs. William V. Cummings

Mr. and Mrs. James C. Curry

Ms. Lynda Davis

Ms. Lisa Davis

Mr. Dennis Easler

Mrs. Angelina Eschauzier

Mr. James Farmer

Dr. and Mrs. Charles M. Fogarty

Mrs. Sharon Free

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ferguson

Linda and Bruce Greenberg

Mrs. Lucy Hummers

Dr. and Mrs. David Ike

Leon Russ and Dr. Theresa Jenkins Russ

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas N. King

Michael and Claire Klatchak

Mr. and Mrs. Horace C. Littlejohn, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lyle

Mr. and Mrs. Boyce Miller

Ms. Cabell Mitchell

Dr. and Mrs. Mark Monson

Mr. Dwight F. Patterson, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel O'Connell

Ms. Katherine Poss

Dr. and Mrs. Jan H. Postma, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Jason Sikma

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Strasburger

Ms. Sarah Tignor and Dr. Kevin DeLapp

Douglas and Rita Weeks

Mr. and Mrs. Taylor White

Mr. Heiner Gallmann

Col. (Ret.) James D. and Jackie George

Mr. Mark Jason Haddox

Tom and Traci Hamilton

Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Hansen

Ms. Linda Chappell Hays

Mr. and Mrs. Ken Henderson

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Houston

Jim and Nicole Hunt

Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Hyatt

Dr. and Mrs. William A. James

Ms. Jane Johnson

Ms. Kathleen Jones

Dr. Thomas N. and Janet E. Kias

Dr. and Mrs. Larry Kibler

Dr. and Mrs. Bert Knight

Mr. and Mrs. George Loudon, Jr.

Susan and Harold Luhrsen

Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley Martin

Thorne and Harrison Martin

Mr. and Mrs. Paul McChesney

Mr. Matthew McClelland

Dr. Cavert K. McCorkle

and Mr. Charlie Burns

Linda and Clint Montgomery

Dr. and Mrs. Tom Moore

Mr. and Mrs. John P. Moore

Ms. Hazel Morgan

Mr. Reed Mueller

Ms. Rebecca Mueller

Dr. and Mrs. W. Harold Nixon

Ms. Jean W. Ogden

Mr. and Mrs. W. Gerald Palmer

Mr. and Mrs. Jim Patterson

Dr. Terry O. Pruitt

Senator Glenn G. Reese

Ms. Elizabeth Refshauge

Claudia and Stuart Ruffin

Ms. Myrella Samuels

Mr. and Mrs. Wilson P. Smith, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Sturm

Helen and John Tipton

Malinda and Charles Tulloh

Ms. Sandra G. Turner

Mr. Arnie Tuttle

Phyllis and Greg Valainis

Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Wade

Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence N. Warren, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul D. Weaver

Ms. Linda Sangster West

Ms. Libbo Wise

Mr. and Mrs. Bob Wynn

Mr. Steven Zides

LEGACY SOCIETY FUNDS

Many donors feel strongly about preserving the legacy of classical music in the community. They are able to do so by remembering the Spartanburg Philharmonic in their wills, or by creating a planned gift to benefit the Philharmonic. These gifts can be un-restricted, or designated for a special purpose such as the endowment of the Philharmonic.

The array of giving options and the ways you can incorporate them into your planning are as varied as the circumstances they serve. We are always available to provide you with further information and suggestions on gifts that fit your lifestyle and philanthropic goals.

THE UTLEY LEGACY SOCIETY

We have created the Utley Legacy Society to provide a fund through which friends can make bequests in a number of different ways. The easiest method is an instruction in a Will to leave a specific dollar amount to Spartanburg Philharmonic. It is a simple matter to add a codicil to an existing Will, giving the direction to make a gift from your estate to the Society. Gifts may also be made by giving appreciated securities or other assets, by way of charitable trust, through gift of life insurance, or by gifts of retirement account assets.

If you have chosen to remember the Philharmonic in this manner, we would like to hear from you and to include you either by name or anonymously (your choice) as a member of the Legacy Society. Members will enjoy a variety of Spartanburg Philharmonic activities as major donors.

THE JERRIE LUCKTENBERG CONCERTMASTER CHAIR ENDOWMENT

Dr. Jerrie Lucktenberg - former Concertmaster of the Greater Spartanburg Philharmonic (now the Spartanburg Philharmonic), artist, pedagogue, and author - retired from her position during the Philharmonic’s 2002-2003 season. To help ensure the presentation of Spartanburg’s professional orchestra in our community, Dr. Lucktenberg made a generous gift of $50,000 towards the endowment of the Concertmaster Chair. With your help, the Philharmonic has matched this gift, fully endowing the chair as the Jerrie Lucktenberg Concertmaster Chair. We hope you will be inspired to follow Dr. Lucktenberg’s generous lead.

For information about supporting a Legacy Society Fund, contact Kathryn Boucher, Executive Director: kathryn@spartanburgphilharmonic.org | 864.948.9020

Dr. Joe Roy Utley & Dr. Joella Utley

Zimmerli Espresso Bluegrass

"I enjoy the Spartanburg Philharmonic because it brings world class music to our community and creates an uplifting experience for me, every time I attend. There’s a strong sense of connection with the musicians and the director that keeps me coming back! Subscribing each year is like becoming part of something meaningful and inspiring. I truly look forward to it!"

Wanda Hyatt

"Be it Zimmerli or Bluegrass, we subscribe because it’s more than entertainment, it’s a chance to connect with our community and be moved by music that stays with us long after the final bow!"

Brandt Goodwin

"We enjoy the variety and quality of music at Espresso concerts! These concerts are a lot of fun and are quite eclectic! There are so many things going on in our community now and we find it’s important to prioritize and emphasize what we enjoy most with a subscription!"

Mark Carlson

The Spartanburg Philharmonic is proud to announce the establishment of the Music Educator of the Year Award, which is dedicated to honoring outstanding music educators in Spartanburg County. This prestigious award celebrates the exceptional dedication, creativity, and passion of local music teachers who inspire and cultivate a love of music in their students.

Nomination Deadline: January 31, 2026

SpartanburgPhilharmonic.org/Educators

Announcement: March 2026

The Spartanburg Philharmonic is proud to announce Mary Ada Poole as the recipient of its inaugural Music Educator of the Year Award for the 2024-2025 season. This new annual honor celebrates outstanding contributions to music education and recognizes educators who have made a lasting impact on the cultural fabric of Spartanburg and beyond.

A native of Spartanburg, Mary Ada Poole is a lifelong advocate for music and music education. She began her career in Spartanburg School District 7 in 1961, later moving to District 6 in 1975, where she continued to teach until her retirement from public school education in 1994. Her influence continued well beyond retirement, as she taught in the Converse University Pre-College program (now Lawson Academy), conducted the Converse University Youth Chamber Orchestra, and maintained a private studio for aspiring musicians.

Most recently, Poole shared her talents with students at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind, extending her legacy of inclusion and excellence in teaching.

In addition to her educational impact, Poole has had a distinguished performance career. She began playing with the Spartanburg Symphony (now Spartanburg Philharmonic) as a young musician and has performed under several conductors, including the renowned Dr. Henry Janiec. Her resume also includes performances with the Asheville, Hendersonville, Charleston, and Augusta Symphonies. She served as Dean of Students at the Brevard Music Center and held leadership roles in the South Carolina Music Educators Association, where she served as President of the orchestra division from 1985–1987.

Mary Ada Poole’s commitment to nurturing musical talent and advancing orchestral education has been recognized statewide. The Palmetto Chamber Orchestra previously established a scholarship in her honor for young, talented students.

“Mary Ada Poole embodies the spirit of music education in Spartanburg,” said Kathryn Boucher, Executive Director of the Spartanburg Philharmonic. “Her legacy is one of passion, dedication, and unwavering service to generations of young musicians. We are thrilled to honor her with this well-deserved recognition.”

Presented by Spartanburg Philharmonic

WEDNESDAYS

12:15 - 1:00 PM

Note: Due to construction at the downtown library, MSI will be held in the Westside and Landrum locations this fall.

Music Sandwiched In

Celebrating over 25 years of Music Sandwiched In, Spartanburg Philharmonic is proud to present an exciting line up of performers for its popular series at the Spartanburg County Public Library Headquarters! MSI is on-going throughout our season, and all concerts are free and open to the public . All are welcome!

Fall

Aug. 27

Ben Smith & Kathy Robinson: The Season

Cyrill-Westside Library

Sept. 10

Arbor Wind Trio Landrum Library

Sept. 24

ContraBand Bootleg Jazz

CYRILL-WESTSIDE

Spartanburg County Library 525 Oak Grove Rd, Spartanburg

LANDRUM

Spartanburg County Library 111 Asbury Dr #1402, Landrum

In Partnership with:

Read more online:

Cyrill-Westside Library

Oct. 8

Foothills Oompah Band Landrum Library

Oct. 22

Cyrill-Westside Library

Nov. 5

Cyrill-Westside Library

Nov. 19

Cyrill-Westside Library

Converse University Woodwinds

Wirewood

Bluegrass Spartanburg

Dec. 3 Harp Ensemble

Cyrill-Westside Library

Dec. 17

Cyrill-Westside Library

Programs

Philharmonic Brass

Discovering Rolandi

Hannah Simpson Education & Community Engagement Manager

Have you ever read about someone and thought, “Absolutely, yes, we could be friends?" Enter Gianna Rolandi (1952 - 2021), internationally acclaimed coloratura soprano and Spartanburg Music Trail honoree. Part of the Spartanburg Philharmonic's ongoing work with the Music Trail is gathering histories, articles, artifacts, and stories related to each musician honored on the trail. This summer, I was sitting in the Kennedy Room at the downtown Library with piles of articles, covering the entire surface of the desk, and as I started reading about Gianna, I felt an instant sense of camaraderie and connection. Gianna comes across as passionate, intelligent, and (if I’m totally honest) a teeny bit exhausting. She tried her best to keep whoever was interviewing her on track and focused, dodging countless clichéd questions about her personal life. She shared her extensive daily vocal routine to one reporter, trying to impress upon them the complexity of her craft and the effort it takes. When your body is your instrument, and your voice is your livelihood, is it any wonder that Gianna reported she wouldn’t talk to anyone after noon?

Gianna reflected on her college experience in another article: “Our idea of a good time was to play chamber music at night. I don’t imagine that’s what normal college kids do.” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud in the middle of the quiet Kennedy Room. The quote immediately made me think back to my own college experience of sneaking into Gardner-Webb’s chapel in the middle of the night to play music with friends. Memories of laughing in a dorm room over dramatic recitations using the outdated text of yet another piece of Leider had me grinning from ear to ear. Maybe that’s the prevailing reality with those of us who major in music; we’re all a little bit abnormal in our search to create art.

You can read the highlights of Gianna’s career on the Music Trail website, which include a decade and a half of experience on the stage with the New York City Opera, bringing to life over 30 roles, including Sophie/Der Rosenkavalier (debut, 1979), Olympia, and the title role/Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol. Gianna sang on stages worldwide, and upon retiring from performing in 1994, taught the next generation of singers. She never forgot her Spartanburg roots and made numerous visits to perform and encourage the growth of our musical community. I’ve just begun to scratch the surface of Gianna

and her career, and I am excited to continue learning about all of our Spartanburg Music Trail honorees. I encourage you to stop by a Music Trail sign when you’re walking downtown, and make a connection to these incredible musicians.

Learn more about Gianna Rolandi and other honorees online: SpartanburgMusicTrail.com

Rolandi's Music Trail sign can be found on East Main Street downtown, between Church and Liberty streets.

NOMINATE a MUSICIAN

The Spartanburg Philharmonic is the custodian of the Spartanburg Music Trail, and we welcome nominations for future inductees. The Music Trail honors people from the Spartanburg area who have made a national or international impact in the world of music. We generally induct new members every two to three years.

Please use the form online to nominate honorees. We are grateful for all suggestions and will consider every nominee. The Music Trail Committee of the Spartanburg Philharmonic makes the final selections of Music Trail inductees.

SpartanburgMusicTrail.com/Nominate

Guidelines:

• Impact: Nominees must have made a significant and demonstrable impact on the national or international music landscape.

• Connection to Spartanburg: Nominees must have been born in, or have spent a substantial portion of their lives in, the Spartanburg area.

• Eligible Professions: Individuals may be vocalists, instrumentalists, composers, songwriters, or others whose careers have meaningfully influenced the field of music at the national or international level.

• Living or Deceased: Both living and posthumous nominations are eligible.

• Individual or Group: Nominations may be submitted for individuals or groups (e.g., bands or ensembles).

• Self-Nominations: Self-nominations will not be accepted. However, individuals may nominate family members, friends, or others.

• Multiple Nominations: You may submit nominations for more than one individual or group; however, duplicate nominations for the same person or group are not counted.

Nominations for the next round of honorees are due by January 31, 2026

Espresso Series

Kick-start your weekend with a short shot of music! Join us for complimentary light appetizers, wine, and craft brews during our preconcert social-hour. Then enjoy our Friday evening, one-hour Espresso concerts with programs that span genres and sounds. From the beautiful and enduring music of the past to popular hits from today—there is something for everyone!

Blazin' Brass

FRIDAY

Sept. 26, 2025

5:30 PM Happy Hour

6:30 PM One-hour Concert @ the Chapman Cultural Center

Ignite your senses with “Blazin’ Brass,” a thrilling concert featuring a powerhouse brass ensemble performing works inspired by fire, passion, and renewal. As winter fades and the warmth of spring approaches, let the bold and brilliant sounds of trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba spark new energy. This program is ablaze with dynamic music that embodies the heat and intensity of the flame.

Phantom of the Opera

FRIDAY

Oct. 24, 2025

5:30 PM Happy Hour 6:30 PM One-hour Screening @ the Chapman Cultural Center

Step into the haunting world of Phantom of the Opera with this cinematic and musical experience. The Spartanburg Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble will provide a live, original score— arranged by Peter B. Kay —accompanying a trimmed-down, hour-long version of the iconic 1925 silent film. Witness the chilling tale of mystery, romance, and obsession as it unfolds on the big screen, brought to life through the power of live music. This unforgettable evening combines the artistry of film and orchestra, offering a one-of-a-kind journey into the heart of the Phantom’s dark domain. Perfect for film enthusiasts and music lovers alike, this event is a spellbinding addition to the Espresso Series.

“Feast your eyes — glut your soul, on my accursed ugliness!”

The Phantom at 100

One hundred years ago, Universal Picture’s The Phantom of the Opera premiered at the Astor Theatre in New York. In its opening shot, audiences saw a stagehand hold up a lantern and look directly to the camera, as if offering a warning. He moves to the side in fear, and we watch the shadow of a man in hat and cape, the Phantom, move along the walls behind him. One cannot help but think of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, which suggests there is more to reality than the shadows we see against the wall.

With the title card that follows, which explains that the Paris Opera House (a sanctuary of “song lovers”) was built atop “hidden dungeons” and “medieval torture chambers,” we begin to question what all the Parisian opulence might be covering up. What indeed has this society repressed that will come back to haunt it? Is the Phantom a figment of the imagination or an actual person? A monster or human? A patron of the arts, or of the black arts?

We also may begin to wonder about the “song lovers” mentioned; is that in reference to those represented in the operas proper, or the two song lovers we’ll later meet in the characters of singer Christine Daaé and the Phantom himself? We learn soon enough the Phantom is fixated on Christine in particular, whom he visits as both an “angel’s voice” and a

Dr. Julie Sexeny

Professor & Chair of English, Wofford College

“Master,” and is the one who grants her the talent to make audiences fall at her feet. The film resists our ability to feel safe and secure at any moment, as we identify with both Christine and the Phantom, with the desire for greatness, yes, but mostly for love and recognition. The tension derives from a realization that we’re caught within a series of Faustian bargains: the Phantom’s power seems to hail from an evil spirit, which the Phantom uses to grant Christine her talent, so long as she rejects the advances of her lover Raoul and devotes herself solely to her Art and Master.

Even though audience members are introduced to the Phantom early on in multiple ways, Christine herself is quite slow to the realization. It is only later, when she finally goes to her “Master” by walking through her dressing room’s mirror, into the Opera House’s inner world and underbelly, does she first set eyes on the masked face of the Phantom and recoil, “You, you are the Phantom!” His response, “If I am the Phantom, it is man’s hatred that has made me so.” How are we as the audience implicated in the Phantom’s existence? And what does our hatred have to do with it?

The question recalls the multiple endings of the film’s story leading up to the film’s release. Apparently, Universal took issue with the novel’s ending, thinking it insufficiently dramatic,

because in that original story, Christine and the Phantom kiss each other sympathetically, and it is Christine’s pity of him that causes him to die. Screenwriter Elliott Clawson included a scene with a kiss at the end but has the Phantom flee the Opera House, pursued by the vengeful brother of a hanged stagehand. In this version, the Phantom escapes to a bridge where he hangs by his “strangler’s lasso,” which the stagehand’s brother then cuts, causing him to fall to his death.

The studio rejected that version, however, and another has the Phantom and Christine hiding at her house, where he claims to be dying and asks her for a kiss, which she grants. He offers her a wedding ring for her and Raoul. When the police arrive, the Phantom falls to the ground, dying of a broken heart.

During filming, the ending changed yet again under direction by Rupert Julian. Christine promises to marry the Phantom, but when the police enter his lair in the basement of the Opera House, he dies on the organ where he was composing his opera, Don Juan Triumphant. Test audiences reacted negatively to this version and the studio once again revised the ending, deciding that the Phantom should not be redeemed: “Better to keep him a devil to the end,” said studio executives, according to film preservationist Scott MacQueen.

So Universal hired a new director, Edward Sedgwick, to take over the project and re-shoot multiple scenes. But the screening of this Sedgwick version was so wildly unpopular with audiences that the studio quickly reverted back to the Julian cut — save for the ending. In this ending — which became the ending — the Phantom is hunted down by a mob, beaten to death and thrown into the Seine.

How are we supposed to feel about The Phantom?

Lon Chaney, the actor who played the Phantom in the 1925 version and who famously did his own make-up, said to cameraman Virgil Miller, “Virg, make me look frightening and repulsive, but at the same time make the audience love me.” Chaney seemed to intuit something about the fascination audiences would have with the Phantom’s depiction.

We may want to contemplate why a redemptive ending in which the Phantom receives a gesture of love and acceptance from Christine (and thus us) was rejected in favor of him being hunted by a mob and beaten to death. Why didn’t audiences respond with humanity — a recognition of likeness — to someone who looks so different? Does the Phantom mirror some facet of ourselves that we dare not look at? Is the feeling of horror a defense against seeing our own worst tendencies? Feast your eyes, glut your soul, and decide for yourself.

The Krüger Brothers and The Carolinas

I first heard the Krüger Brothers when a childhood friend, then living in California and apparently feeling homesick, sent me Carolina in the Fall. He said he’d taken to listening to the Krügers and other bluegrass groups during his long commute down the Ventura Freeway. While the West Coast lacked the vibrant fall foliage of the blue ridge mountains, the sounds of Appalachia helped my friend feel settled in his new locale; the audio equivalent of easing into a weathered rocking chair.

The Krüger Brothers, born in Switzerland, sound right at home in Wilkes County, NC. In a 2024 interview, banjo player Jens Krüger said being a professional musician has been the only career path he has ever pursued. After their family moved from Zurich to the eastern Swiss countryside, Jens and brother Uwe came across albums by Flatt & Scruggs and Doc Watson abandoned by their family restaurant’s previous owner. They were hooked.

“Doc Watson was one of the greatest ambassadors the USA ever had,” Jens theorized. “The music Doc played and sang sounded similar to the old German folksongs we grew up on, but there was a drive and sophistication that fascinated us… [We] felt inspired by him for so long before we immigrated to this country.”

Never ones to slouch, the brothers’ reverence for landscapes, people, and musical traditions of the South has never stopped them from experimenting with the form. Check out 2011’s Appalachian Concerto, where Jens peppers his five-string playing with flamenco and Indian sitar-style embellishments.

Avery Owens Marketing Manager

Uwe’s distinctive blend of fingerstyle and flatpicking helps him find ways to fill in the musical space like an expert arranger, and bass player Joel Landsberg (the only member of the group born stateside) has a jazz background that helps bring unique instrumental harmonies to the forefront. The band has christened their distinctive sound: New Carolina Music.

“You drive around [North Carolina] and see people playing on their porch, which you don’t see anywhere else nowadays,” Uwe once remarked. “Music is not a spectator sport here.”

Music soundtracks our memories, and has a unique way of anchoring us to a particular place or moment in time. The Krüger Brothers remind us that sometimes, one song is all it takes is to transport you home.

Bluegrass Committee Chair, Peter Grzan, with Jens KrÜger

Bluegrass Spartanburg

Bluegrass Spartanburg welcomes a variety of bluegrass bands that span from traditional to contemporary, bringing their down-home roots mixed with rock-infused jams for all to enjoy. Hear award-winning talent and the hottest bands in the industry right here in your own backyard!

The Krüger Brothers

SATURDAY

Oct. 11, 2025

7:00 PM @ Twichell Auditorium

Kick off the 2025-2026 Bluegrass Spartanburg season with an unforgettable evening featuring The Krüger Brothers alongside the full Spartanburg Philharmonic.

Known for their virtuosity and genre-defying blend of bluegrass, classical, and folk, The Krüger Brothers will take the stage at the historic Twichell Auditorium for this one-of-a-kind collaboration. This concert promises to be a thrilling fusion of traditional and orchestral sounds, elevating bluegrass to new heights in an expansive and acoustically-rich setting. Don’t miss this monumental start to the season, happening at 7PM for this special occasion. Perfect for music lovers of all genres, this is a performance that will resonate long after the final note.

Fireside Collective

SATURDAY

Nov. 22, 2025

Bluegrass Spartanburg is made possible by support from:

Andrew and Kitsy Babb

Catherine and Jim Burchfield

Dean and Pam Davis

Butch and Syd Harris

Don and Kay McClure

Clint and Amy Brown North

Cathy and Garrett Scott

Michele and Eliot Stone

Kim and Aaron Toler with the Philharmonic!

8:00 PM @ the Chapman Cultural Center

Out of the rich roots music traditions of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains comes the authentic sound of Fireside Collective. A band steeped in the technical proficiency of bluegrass music, their sound draws on blues, country, and folk traditions while being interpreted through the exciting instrumental interplay of an American jamband. Energetic, inspired solos featuring mandolin, dobro, and acoustic guitar are woven tastefully atop the rock-solid rhythm section of electric bass and drums. Formed in Asheville, NC in 2014, the ensemble has been winning over audiences across the country with their soaring vocals and heartfelt original music.

Music Lovers' Luncheon

HOSTED BY THE PIEDMONT CLUB OF SPARTANBURG

Did you know that during the week preceding a Zimmerli Concert, the Spartanburg Philharmonic hosts a delicious lunch at the Piedmont Club? You are invited to join us for a delectable meal and learn more about the fantastic pieces you will hear at Saturday evening’s performance.

The icing on the cake (and yes, you do get to visit the fanfavorite Piedmont Club dessert bar), is hearing directly from Music Director John Young Shik Concklin about the pieces which will be performed on Saturday night at the Zimmerli Series Concert. In addition to having lunch, this event is a wonderful way to become educated about and familiar with the pieces being performed at the upcoming concert.

“Learning about the composers’ lives and what they were experiencing at the time they wrote the pieces is so interesting. I find when I attend the Zimmerli Concert after attending a Music Lovers’ Luncheon, I gain much more from my experience at Twichell. I find myself listening to hear certain themes and messages from the composers while the pieces are performed,” said Charlene Lyle, a Music Lovers’

Luncheon regular. “I like meeting the conductor and getting to know him personally. After chatting with him, I feel like I’m watching a friend on stage and feel so proud to see him delivering a wonderful concert!”

Oftentimes, in addition to our Music Director John Young Shik Concklin attending Music Lovers’ Luncheon, the featured soloists will also attend and offer an excerpt of their performance. The intimate size of this audience offers attendees an opportunity to ask questions of the conductor and of the soloists. It’s a truly special offering, and one we urge you to attend.

Fall Date:

• Friday, Sept. 12

Piedmont Club members should RSVP to the Club. Non-Piedmont Club members should RSVP to:

avery@spartanburgphilharmonic.org (864) 278-9671

FLUTES & PICCOLOS

The highest, clearest sounding instruments in the woodwind family, the flutes and piccolos are seated in the middle of the stage, directly in front of the conductor.

HORNS

The heroic sound of the horns is instantly recognizable. The bell (or opening) of the horn faces away from the audience, and they are usually seated toward the back of the stage.

VIOLINS

OBOES & ENGLISH HORNS

The oboe and its larger sibling the english horn are seated next to the flutes. The oboe is the first thing you hear when the full symphony tunes at the beginning of a concert.

TRUMPETS

Brilliant and brassy, the trumpets power over the orchestra. They are usually seated toward the rear or side of the orchestra, facing the conductor.

The highest instruments in the strings family, the violins are the largest group on stage. They are typically divided into first and second violins and are seated immediately to the conductor's left.

CLARINETS

Clarinets come in a variety of sizes, from the small and highpitched E-flat, to the middle range B-flat, all the way down to the Bass Clarinet. They sit behind the flutes in the middle of the stage.

TROMBONES

Trombones are the only family of brass instruments that use a slide to change pitch instead of valves. Like the trumpets, they are usually seated behind the rest of the orchestra.

TIMPANI & PERCUSSION

Percussion is anything that you can strike or shake to make sound. The timpani (also called kettle drums) has been in the symphony for centuries. They are usually located behind or to the side of the rest of the orchestra. Other percussion instruments have slowly joined over the years as composers look for more colorful sounds.

VIOLAS

The violas are slightly larger and deeper sounding than the violins, and they blend well with most other instruments. They sit either in the middle of the stage in front of the oboes or to the conductor's immediate right.

BASSOONS

The bass instrument of the woodwind family, the reedy, almost growling nature of the bassoon is very recognizable. They sit next to the clarinets and behind the oboes.

TUBA

The tuba is the largest and deepest brass instrument. The bell faces upward toward the ceiling. You can usually spot the tuba near the trombones and low stringed instruments.

CELLOS

The cellos have an enormous range, sometimes playing the bass line and sometimes the high melody. Like the violas, the cello section is in the middle or to the conductor's right.

HARP

Although not always a part of the symphony, the harp adds beautiful, sweeping colors to the orchestral sound. The harp is usually seated near (or even in) the violin sections.

BASSES

The largest and lowest instrument in the string family, the basses are so big that musicians typically stand to play them. They are usually positioned near the cellos and the tuba.

Meet: Joanna Mulfinger CONCERTMASTER

Joanna Mulfinger is a native of Greenville, SC. She graduated from Bob Jones University and continued her education at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, MD, receiving a Masters Degree under the tutelage of renowned Russian pedagogue Victor Danchenko. While at Peabody, she was awarded the J.C. van Hulsteyn Prize for Outstanding Musical and Academic Contributions. She has pursued additional summer music studies at the Juilliard School in New York, the Hanns Eisler Hochschule Fur Musik in Berlin, Germany, and other festivals in France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada. Since returning to Greenville she has developed a large studio of private students, and has been on the faculty of several local universities.

Joanna appreciates learning about all kinds of music. In 2016 she learned and performed a new work for erhu, a stringed instrument of Chinese origin. And, in 2017, as a result of her interest in Baroque violin playing, she started a Baroque String Ensemble at Anderson University, which she led for four years. Professionally, she has performed with Baroque ensembles, including The Sebastians in New York and New Jersey, and is currently a member of Early Music New York.

Joanna is active at the Peace Center in Greenville, where she enjoys playing with National Tours of Broadway shows such

as Disney’s Lion King, Chicago, Phantom of the Opera, My Fair Lady, White Christmas, Something Rotten, Motown, Newsies, Porgy and Bess, The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Evita, West Side Story, and Wizard of Oz, among others. She is also in demand to accompany local performances of popular touring artists such as Smokey Robinson, Celtic Woman, TransSiberian Orchestra, Josh Groban, Mannheim Steamroller, Anne Murray, Wayne Newton, and Johnny Mathis.

As a chamber musician, Joanna is a member of several local ensembles including the Mulfinger String Quartet, Trio Tapestry (guitar, cello, violin), Tryptich Musica (piano, horn, violin), and Steve Eager and Friends, a band that covers pop and Broadway tunes.

She is an active orchestral musician. From 2007-2019 she was Assistant Concertmaster and then Concertmaster of the Spartanburg Philharmonic and returned in 2022, first as Interim Concertmaster and then on a permanent basis after the new Music Director was announced in 2023. She has been Principal Second Violin of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra since 2003.

Joanna performs on a 1653 Nicolo Amati violin, a violin she inherited from her mother.

Spartanburg Philarhmonic

Orchestra Members and Section & Chair Sponsors as of August 2025

Violin I

Mr. and Mrs. George Dean Johnson, Jr.

Joanna Mulfinger, Concertmaster

Endowed by the Dr. Jerrie Lucktenberg

Concertmaster Endowment

Courtney LeBauer, Associate Concertmaster

Mrs. Elaine Freeman

Debra Anthony

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Wilson

Carla Bilger

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Dunleavy

Robin Hague Els

Ms. JoAnn Bristow

Christine Hallett-Penney

Kathy Zimmerli Wofford

Randolyn Emerson

Mr. and Mrs. John Cribb

Abigail Inafuku

Mr. and Mrs. Chris Strickland

Tim McMurray

Mrs. Walter Montgomery, Jr.

Elisabeth Miller

Mr. and Mrs. Halsey Cook

Kathleen Robinson

Mr. and Mrs. David Ellis

Cello

Mr. and Mrs. Roger Habisreutinger

Ismail Akbar, Principal

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Baker

Kathy Foster, Assistant Principal

Arkwright Foundation

Katie Hamilton

Mrs. Betty Luce

Camille Johnson

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Parmenter

Violin II

Mr. and Mrs. William Barnet III

Simone Beach, Interim Principal

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Weisman

Ann Buttimer

Allen and Sharon Doyle

Michele Tate Cockram

Mr. E.T. McLean, in memory of Henry Janiec

Theresa Jenkins-Russ*

Mr. and Mrs. Wiley North

Allison Key

Ms. Kathryn H. Boucher

Jessica Martin

In Memory of CRI, M.D.

March Moody

Col. and Mrs. Robert N. Maddox

Emily Riesser

Mr. and Mrs. Leland Close

Alice Skaar

Mrs. Cecilia Cogdell

Stacey Wiley

Dr. and Mrs. Auburn Woods

Franklin Keel

Phyllis and Robert Frank

Meredith Keen

MG(R) Edwin E. Spain III and Mary B. Spain

Eric Scheider

Dr. and Mrs. Peter Sereque

Benjamin Smith

Drs. Chandra and Boone Hopkins

Viola

Dr. Barry Bodie and Ms. Laurel D. Johnson

Alvoy Bryan Jr.*, Principal

Endowed by friends and family in honor of Wallace Eppes Johnson

Arthur Ross, Assistant Principal

Mr. James Cheek

Daphne Bickley

Elbert Rogers Foundation

Amber Berthume

Mr. and Mrs. William C. Mayrose

Scott Garrett

Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay Little

Diana Maley Berti*

Mr. Peter Grzan

Katy Martin

Emily Poole

Ms. Switi Thakkar

Emma Smoker

Don and Mary Miles

Michael Weaver

Cindy and Keith Kelly

Bass

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Babb

Ian Bracchitta*, Principal

Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Cogan

Matthew Waid, Assistant Principal

Ms. Laura Henthorn

Rich Harbison

Mr. and Mrs. James Burchfield

Tom Hildreth

Clint and Samantha Larkins ,

Sponsoring a musician's chair or an instrument section is just one of the many benefits of annually donating $1,000 or more to the Spartanburg Philharmonic. Ask us about more opportunities to see your gift in action.

Musician chair sponsorship from $1,000 Section sponsorship from $5,000

Flute & Piccolo

Mr. and Mrs. John S. McBride, Jr.

Rhea Jacobus, Principal

Mrs. Susan H. Baker

Caroline Ulrich

Dr. and Mrs. Donald H. McClure

Jessica Sherer

Jennifer Dior

Dr. Curt Laird

Oboe & English Horn

Dr. and Mrs. Rick Orr

Kelly Vaneman*, Principal

Michele and Eliot Stone

Mary AllyeB Purtle

Robert Borden

Teil Buck

David and Jennifer Smart

Clarinet

Karen Hill, Principal

Dr. and Mrs. Louis Knoepp Jr.

Harry Hill‚ Jr.

Sarah Allen

Kyra Zhang

Mr. and Mrs. Frederick B. Dent, Jr.

Bassoon

Frank Watson, Principal

Dr. & Mrs. Caleb Loring IV

Rosalind Buda

Ms. Judy McCravy

Stephanie Lipka Rhyne

Jeffrey Nye

Saxophone

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Nederostek

Tom Wright, Principal

Horn

Karen and Stephen Parrott

Andrew Merideth, Principal

Mrs. Joan B. Gibson

Chris George

Mr. and Mrs. Mack McKeithan

Darian Washington

Dr. and Mrs. Mark Ferguson

Jordan Chase

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Troup

Ericka Grodrian

Mrs. Paula Morgan

Jeanette Schlimgen

Trumpet

The Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Foundation

Tyler Jones, Principal

Ms. Maureen Johannigman

Kenneth Frick

Mr. and Mrs. Mack McKeithan

Bruce Cox

Mr. and Mrs. G. Garrett Scott

Cody Beard

Trombone

Mr. and Mrs. Glen Warner

Mark Britt, Principal

Mr. and Mrs. V. C. McLeod III

John Grodrian

Mrs. Corry W. Oakes III

Rienette Davis

Mr. and Mrs. H. Peter Theiler

Eric Henson

Mr. and Mrs. Glen Warner

Tuba

John Holloway, Principal

Clint and Amy Brown North

Mike Taylor

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Wildman

Timpani

Patrick Lowery, Principal

Mr. and Mrs. E. Donald Stevens

Percussion

Adena McDaniel, Co-principal

Mr. Reed Cunningham

Matt McDaniel, Co-principal

Dr. Leslie W. Howard Jr.

Del Burton

John McAllister and Katee Castleman

Piano/Organ

Mrs. Nelly Zimmerli

Brennan Szafron, Principal

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Lehner

Steven Graff

Dean and Pam Davis

Harp

Emily Waggoner, Principal

Mr. and Mrs. Ken Frick

Debussy: La Mer

Sept. 13, 2025

7:00 PM

Online:

Amy Beach

Bal Masqué 5 min

W. A. Mozart

Selection of Arias 12 min

• Aprite Un po quegli occhi, from The Marriage of Figaro

• Deh, vieni alla finestra, from Don Giovanni

• Non piÙ andrai, from The Marriage of Figaro

Kenneth Overton, baritone

Gioachino Rossini

William Tell: Overture 12 min

INTERMISSION

Claude Debussy

La Mer, L. 109, CD. 111 25 min

Three Symphonic Sketches for Orchestra

I. From Dawn to Noon on the Sea

II. Play of the Waves

III. Dialogue of the Wind and Sea

BAL MASQUÉ AMY BEACH

(1867-1944)

COMPOSED 1894

INSTRUMENTATION

2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani & percussion, and strings

APPROXIMATE DURATION

5 minutes

If Rossini, Da Ponte, and Mozart were creators who lived “operatic” lives, full of drama and sudden reversals of direction, Amy Beach’s life could better be called novelistic. Born in the New England of Nathaniel Hawthorne and raised in the Boston of Henry James, she married into the upper crust of Edith Wharton; her lifelong passion for music was diverted into channels dictated by unbending societal strictures, but it never stilled, and she is now seen as perhaps the greatest of our country’s first generation of successful composers.

Beach was born Amy Cheney, the only daughter of a middle-class New Hampshire family, and showed her musical gifts well before her second birthday. Her mother, for reasons that remain unclear, alternately encouraged her and withheld musical study from her, and some years passed before she began regular piano lessons. She finally began lessons at six, and by eight had played a public recital of such brilliance that agents tried to persuade her parents to arrange concert tours. Instead, the family moved to a Boston suburb, in large part so that Amy could get intense musical instruction, and by 16 she was playing regularly in Boston’s most prestigious venues to acclaim from critics and audiences alike. In 1885, when she was 18, she was the featured soloist in the Boston Symphony’s season finale; it seemed that an international performing career would surely be her next step.

Instead, that summer she married Dr. Henry Harris Aubrey Beach, a wealthy surgeon and Harvard lecturer and a widower 24 years her senior. From that point she became Mrs. H. H. A. Beach, with all the opportunities, restrictions, and obligations of a wealthy society matron. It would have been unseemly in the extreme for a woman in such a position to be seen preforming onstage for money, so until her husband died, she was limited to two performances a year, with all proceeds going to charity.

Composition was respectable enough, however, and so Amy taught herself that discipline by reading every text on the subject she could get her hands and, mostly, by analyzing existing music, taking apart music by Beethoven, Brahms, and the like to see just how it was put together. Within a matter of years she had pretty well mastered the art, and the 1896 premiere of her “Gaelic” Symphony was so successful that even the most sexist critics -- and there were plenty of them -- had to acknowledge that she’d written a masterpiece (which they generally explained away by opined that she’d written “like a man,” in a manner no other woman could replicate).

Henry died in 1910, and she wasted no time in resuming her performing career, though until she died 33 years later, she remained “Mrs. H. H. A. Beach” on concert programs. Her compositional outlet slowed a bit as her

Spartanburg at the Time of Amy Beach

While Amy Beach was learning the art of musical composition, primed to become one of the first Women Composers in America, Spartanburg was laying the groundwork for its own musical legacy. In 1889, Converse College opened its doors to the public. As was expected for women’s colleges at the time, the curriculum emphasized art and music. However, Converse College surpassed its contemporaries in these areas and became one of the leading music schools in the region.

Converse University c.1890

concert career demanded time and attention, but she remained one of America’s most popular and respected composers of art song and piano and chamber music for decades. Bal Masqué dates to 1894, and its timing suggests that it may have been an orchestrational exercise, a palate cleanser, or both as she prepared to take on the “Gaelic” Symphony. Much of Beach’s large-scale music is characterized by elevation of tone

and seriousness of subject, but she was also a popular and gifted composer of songs and solo piano works. Bal masqué shows both talents. Written first for piano and then immediately orchestrated, it’s a charming miniature that uses the rhythms and cadences of the waltz to paint a vivid picture of the gaiety, effervescence, and ultimate ephemerality of a masked ball – and who would know better than a wealthy young society matron about such things? Beach continued

It’s easy to forget that an opera singer is an actor as well, and an actor of a very peculiar kind. His power comes from the music he sings, but his impact comes from the way he makes us in the audience feel that the music comes from and embodies a unique character – and most opera characters are, let’s face it, pretty peculiar themselves. How many of us interrupt ourselves while exchanging vows in our wedding, or, say, dying of tuberculosis, to burst into song? But an opera singer is asked to take those most un-naturalistic moments and, by some sort of artistic jujitsu, turn them into moments of heightened dramatic power.

I bring this up because in these three arias Kenneth Overton embodies three very different characters taken from two of Mozart’s operas – two of them, in fact, the hero and the villain of the same work.

In the 1780’s Mozart formed a fruitful partnership with the Italian writer Lorenzo Da Ponte, and the two men collaborated on three of the most beloved operas in the repertoire – Cosí fan tutte, Don Giovanni, and The Marriage of Figaro. (Da Ponte’s life story is barely more believable than that of his characters, as he fled from country to country in political exile or to escape debts, opened a grocery store in New York City, and ultimately ended up as Columbia University’s very first professor of Italian.) What makes the three Mozart-Da Ponte operas so unusual is the three-dimensionality given the characters

by both the music and the libretto: heroes suffer moments of silliness, buffoons are given moments of cleverness, and villains are given moments of humanity. And they’re often incredibly funny, as slapstick comedy and emotional gravity are twinned and twined together.

Two of tonight’s arias, Non più andrai and Aprite, un po quegli ochi, are taken from The Marriage of Figaro. Figaro’s true center of gravity is Susanna, a clever and loyal lady’s maid, on the eve of her wedding to the valet Figaro. Figaro’s master is the buffoonish lord of the manor, Count Almaviva, and Susanna’s mistress is the Countess. The Count is determined to claim the ancient right of droit du seigneur from Susanna (look that one up if you need to be reminded; HearHere is a family-friendly magazine), but at the same time he grows wildly jealous whenever he imagines his wife has noticed another man. The other characters conspire to trick the Count and, after a night of hi-jinks, we arrive at a happy ending, but along the way even Figaro gives way to an irrational fit of jealousy as he imagines Susanna being disloyal.

Non più andrai is sung early in the opera by the Count, who in his jealousy has imagined that the teenage page Cherubino is romancing his wife and to get him out of the house has enlisted the young page in the military. Military life is about the last thing Cherubino wants for himself, and in this

SELECTION OF ARIAS WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

(1756-1791)

LIBRETTIST Lorenzo Da Ponte

PREMIERED May 1, 1786 (Figaro) Oct. 29, 1787 (Don Giovanni)

INSTRUMENTATION

2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings, and mandolin

APPROXIMATE DURATION 12 minutes

Mozart continued

aria the Count paints a mocking picture for Cherubino of the “glories” he’ll experience as a soldier. By contrast Aprite, un po quegli ochi is Figaro’s aria as the action approaches its climax, as this usually-clever character surrenders to a foolish and irrational fit of jealousy and imagines that even Susanna has proven disloyal.

The third aria, Deh, vieni alla finestra, is a song of pure seduction sung by the title character in Don Giovanni. Don G (as the opera people call it) is Mozart and Da Ponte’s version of the familiar tale of Don Juan, the legendary

WILLIAM TELL: OVERTURE GIOACHINO ROSSINI

(1792-1868)

LIBRETTIST

Victor-Joseph Étienne de Jouy

PREMIERED Aug. 3, 1829

INSTRUMENTATION

2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani & percussion, and strings

APPROXIMATE DURATION

12 minutes

Had Rossini been willing to take advice from even so august a musical titan as Beethoven, Guillaume Tell would never have been written. In 1822 Rossini, whose comic operas such as The Barber of Seville had already made him famous, hunted up the older composer at his lodgings in Vienna. Beethoven, who by that point was almost completely deaf, received his visitor with what was, by his standards, comparative warmth:

Raising his head, he said to me, in Italian that was comprehensible enough, “Ah, Rossini, you are the composer of Il barbiere di Siviglia? I congratulate you; it is an excellent comic opera; I read it with pleasure, and it delights me. It will be played as long as Italian opera exists. Never try to do anything but comic opera; wanting to succeed in another genre would be forcing your destiny…. Look, serious opera – that’s not in the Italians’ nature. They don’t have enough musical science to deal with real drama; how could they acquire it in Italy?... In comic opera, nobody has the wit to match you, you Italians. Your language and your vivacity of temperament destine you for it."

In spite of his great admiration for Beethoven, Rossini wasted no time ignoring the master’s advice. Four of the five operas he composed

aristocratic playboy who travels from country to country seducing women. At the end of the opera the Don does receive his comeuppance and is dragged physically into the pits of hell (a moment for which Mozart employs the trombone for the first time in opera history), but along the way we get humanizing glimpses into his spirit and find ourselves rooting for him even at the same time we’re rooting against him – making him, in effect, opera’s first anti-hero. In Deh, vieni, we see the seducer at work, sexy text pairing with a romantic melody and a plucked mandolin accompanying the serenade.

after their meeting were serious ones, none more serious than Guillaume Tell. Guillaume Tell – “William Tell” to those of us who speak American – was Rossini’s farewell to the opera stage. After its successful premiere in Paris in 1829 Rossini retired from composition at the ripe old age of 37. He spent the remaining four decades of his life honing his skills as an amateur chef and enjoying, literally, the fruits of that labor.

As a dramatic work, William Tell seems to prove Beethoven’s point for him. Its plot can be summarized in a couple of sentences: Tell is a Swiss patriot renowned for his prowess with a bow; the despotic governor of his canton orders him to bisect an apple placed on his son’s head; Tell successfully does so, then turns the bow on the cruel governor. Yet the action takes no less than five hours to unfold, a flaw Rossini himself soon came to acknowledge: upon meeting a fan who told him of enjoying a performance of William Tell, the composer replied, “What, the whole thing?”

Tell’s Overture suffers from no such problem. Rossini composed his operas, all 39 of them, with Mozartean speed and effortlessness, and he was particularly nonchalant about their overtures. In writing them, he advised a young

Spartanburg at the Time of Mozart

In 1785, as Mozart sat in his Viennese home composing his operas, the county of Spartanburg was founded in the newly established United States of America. Named for the local Spartan Regiment that had fought at the famous Battle of Cowpens only 4 years prior, Spartanburg became a regional hub for farmers, tradesmen, and travelers from all over the country.

Spartanburg at the Time of Rossini

Officially incorporated in 1831, Spartanburg was a thriving mill town with many landmarks that still stand today. Merely a decade after the premiere of Rossini’s final opera, a young Spartanburger named William Walker published The Southern Harmony (1835), a compilation of hymns (using shape notes as notation) that took the country by storm. The collection is still in use today, and “Singin’ Billy Walker” is counted among the most influential musicians in early American history. His most lasting contribution to the world is the famous “Amazing Grace,” Walker’s musical setting of the 1764 poem by John Newton. You can learn more about Walker on the Spartanburg Music Trail: spartanburgmusictrail.com

colleague, “Wait till the necessity, whether it takes the form of a copyist waiting for your work or the coercion of an exasperated impresario tearing his hair out in handfuls. In my day all the impresarios in Italy were bald at thirty.”

Regardless of the circumstances of its composition, Tell’s overture is about as fine as any overture written before or since. The

lyrical duet between the English horn and flute in its opening section has become an archetype of lyrical, pastoral contentedness. But even it cannot hold a candle to the closing Allegro, which has been a favorite in radio, TV, and the movies, and which for generations of American children answered the riddle, “Where does the Lone Ranger take his garbage?”

Map of Spartanburg County, 1820

Rossini continued

LA MER CLAUDE DEBUSSY

(1862-1918)

PREMIERED 1905

INSTRUMENTATION

2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, english horn, 2 clarinets, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 cornets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani & percussion, 2 harps, and strings

APPROXIMATE DURATION

25 minutes

OK, people -- pop quiz! Impressionism: what is it?

Most all of us know, at least kinda sorta. We can picture the paintings, colorful, soft-edged and blurry, often depicting, say, water lilies, of artists like Monet. And many of us know music that we intuitively sense sounds like those paintings look, usually by composers in France around the turn of the 20th Century. But what made it “impressionist?” Who called themselves “impressionists?” And what exactly did that mean, anyway?

The term dates to the 1870’s, and like many of these labels, was concocted not by an artist but by a critic, as a term of abuse. Taking its name from Monet’s early painting “Impression: Sunrise,” it was coined in 1874 to dismiss art painted in nature, using expressive blending of color rather than clearly delineated lines and contours, and concerned with capturing the experience of a moment rather than a photorealistic depiction of a scene. But Monet and his friends like Renoir and Pissarro embraced the term, and they exhibited together and grew ever more popular through the 1880’s. Eventually they wanted to leave the label behind, feeling that it obscured their differences more than it explained their commonalities, but by then it was too late: “Impressionist” had stuck.

So, when audiences heard Debussy’s music in the 1890’s, “Impressionist” was a handy

Morgan Square c.1900

term they could slap on it. Debussy hated the word from the first: “Imbeciles call what I am trying to do Impressionism, a term employed with the utmost inaccuracy….” He wrote to his publisher. But it was undeniably true that Debussy’s music was different in crucial ways from everything that had come before, and undeniably true that they needed something to call it, to categorize it as different from what had come before. And it’s almost as undeniably true that Debussy’s music often really does sound the way Monet’s paintings look

Debussy was, very consciously, aiming to blur distinctions that had been accepted for more than a century. Before Debussy, composers had used music’s harmonies and melodies to establish, build, and ultimately release tension – that’s one of the main purposes of the major and minor scales melodies are built from, and one of the main purposes of the chord progressions that undergird jazz, rock, and traditional classical music. But what if, Debussy asked, you didn’t want to build tension? Well, you’d blur the contrasts between different chords, you’d allow harmonies to oscillate in circles instead of “progressing” to a goal, and you’d blur rhythms so that, sometimes, audiences weren’t sure when to tap their feet.

So, whether Debussy liked it or not, we’re not crazy when we call some of his music “impressionist.” Like La Mer, for instance!

Spartanburg at the Time of Debussy

With seven major railway lines converging on the city, likes spokes on a wheel, Spartanburg was well-known in the region as transportation’s “Hub City” when La Mer premiered in Paris. Nearly 20 passenger trains passed through the city every day and many more freight trains served the 40 or so textile mills in the county. The Spartanburg Opera House stood at the heart of the bustling Hub City, standing tall next to the familiar statue of General Daniel Morgan.

When, in the first years of the 20th Century, he was inspired to begin a large orchestral piece about the sea, he found the perfect inspiration for his musical exploration: how could sunrise on the sea be depicted by anything other than shimmering orchestral color, divorced from a regular rhythm or traditionally directional melody? How could the ceaseless lapping of waves on a shoreline not be depicted by circular, oscillating harmonies? How could the eternal dialogue among wind, rain, and sea

not be depicted by tumultuous motion that never seems to settle into a traditional chord progression?

As in Monet’s paintings, in La Mer Debussy doesn’t tell a story, and he blurs so many distinctions that sometimes we’re not quite sure where we are or what the artist is depicting. But he perfectly captures the experience of the sea: This, we can all agree, is what the ocean feels like

Kenneth Overton

GUEST ARTIST, BARITONE

Kenneth Overton is lauded for blending his opulent baritone with magnetic, varied portrayals that seemingly “emanate from deep within body and soul.” Kenneth Overton’s symphonious baritone voice has sent him around the globe, making him one of the most sought-after opera singers of his generation.

Kenneth is a GRAMMY™ AWARD WINNER for Best Choral Performance in the title role of Richard Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by JoAnn Falletta, awarded at the 63rd Grammy Awards, Year 2020.

Kenneth made his Metropolitan Opera debut in the Fall of 2021 as Lawyer Frazier in Porgy and Bess. Kenneth’s interpretation of the title role has been proclaimed as “breathtaking.” He has performed the role over 100 times at international houses such as the Deutsche Oper Berlin in the critically-acclaimed production from South Africa’s Cape Town Opera.

Recently, he reprised the role of Ralph Abernathy in I Dream with Opera Carolina and Charlottesville Opera, and starred as Germont in La Traviata for his stage debut with

Fort Worth Opera. He appeared in the World Premier of Adolphus Hailstork’s A Knee on the Neck, a solo recital at The Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University, Fort Worth Opera’s Gala Concert, and debuted Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem with the Oregon Symphony/ Resonance Ensemble.

www.KennethOverton.com

Dr. Chris Vaneman

The Johnson Collection & Debussy’s La Mer

A MULTIFACETED EXPERIENCE AT TJC GALLERY

Can You Paint the Sound of the Sea?

Art has the remarkable ability to deepen and enliven our experience of music, offering a visual language that complements and amplifies what sound alone can evoke. In the case of Claude Debussy’s 1905 symphonic work La Mer (see page 39), this interplay between the visual and auditory becomes especially profound—and the Spartanburg community is invited to experience both through an inspired collaboration between The Johnson Collection and the Spartanburg Philharmonic. On view at TJC Gallery in downtown Spartanburg until September 20, art and music converge in a multi-sensory exhibition that explores humanity’s eternal fascination with the sea. Centered around Debussy’s La Mer, a masterful orchestral work in three movements, six ocean-themed paintings curated by John Young Shik Concklin echo the moods, colors, and emotional tides of the Spartanburg Philharmonic’s 2025-2026 season opener (see ).

La Mer—literally “The Sea”—is not a piece of programmatic music in the traditional sense. Debussy, composing far from the coast and relying on memory and visual art for inspiration, once remarked that he preferred seascapes in painting and literature to the actual sea. Though he disliked the label “Impressionist,” his music shares much with the painters of that movement: blurred edges, subtle tones, and a focus on fleeting impressions of sunlight on a landscape. Like the broken brushstrokes of Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) or the dappled, vibrant scenes of Pierre-Augustus Renoir (1841 –1919), Debussy’s sonic textures evoke momentary shifts in light, shadow, and feeling. The Johnson Collection’s display of six paintings mirrors and advances this aesthetic through artistic trends in twentieth-century Art of the American South.

Sarah F. Tignor Director of The Johnson Collection

Impressionist in its composition and medium, James Herring’s (1887 – 1969) Beach Landscape, an oil on board, was most likely created en plein air (i.e., outdoors) around 1925. Paint is applied thickly and swirled in creams and peach pigments to convey billowing atmospheric clouds—visually representing La Mer’s first movement, “Dawn Until Midday.”

Debussy’s second movement, “Play of the Waves,” explores the sea’s capricious nature through fragmented motifs and rhythmic variation. The visual narrative of Malvin Gray Johnson’s (1896 – 1934) Roll Jordan Roll from 1930 tips the perspective of a boat in passage on rolling, undulated waves painted in deep, blackish blues peaked in sea-foam greens and teal. One central figure looks upward in prayer reflecting the artwork’s spiritual significance.

Troubled Waters by Elliott Daingerfield (1859 – 1932) suggests the merging of elemental forces recalling Debussy’s third movement, “Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea.” In his description of both musical and painting compositions, John Concklin gestures to Troubled Waters: “The colors are dark, but if we look and listen closely, we hear all kinds of hues within the palette. Inky blacks, foamy off-whites, emeralds, and chameleon-brown rocks all sing in chorus together.”

Together, these paintings and Debussy’s La Mer compose a conversation across disciplines—a dialogue between pigment and pitch, canvas and composition. Audiences are invited to listen with their eyes and see with their ears, immersing themselves in the shifting harmonies and hues of the sea. It is an experience not just of art and music, but of memory, imagination, and the boundless power of the ocean itself.

James Herring (1887-1969)

Beach Landscape

circa 1925, oil on academy board. Image courtesy of The Johnson Collection

The first movement begins in darkness. Dawn is approaching, and the weather for the day is unclear. Everything appears in a gray transition—the type of palette where the rich greens, blues, and taupes undulate. The light slowly illuminates the mist, peeking through. The air pressure is uneven, the wind and waves, unsure. A lone bird cruises by. A storm might be on the horizon, or perhaps it passed overnight. Then, in a moment of splendor, it all lifts away giving way to the midday sun. In that moment, we feel the transition to vibrant pastel. The zephyr blows to sea; the last droplets of cold rain dry out; the waves calm to a serene lapping tempo; the sun warms us all.

Malvin Gray Johnson (1896-1934)

Roll Jordan Roll

1930, oil on canvas. Image courtesy of The Johnson Collection

There is a dance at play as the music continues, one whose forces are felt but not seen — wind, current, gravity. It is on and through these powers that seafarers have traveled across generations.

This “symphonic sketch,” as the composer referred to the movements, is both rhythmic and also somehow devoid of pulse. The beat constantly changes and hides itself. Yet, the listener can sense that there is some unifying rhythmic force behind everything that propels it forward, sometimes sideways, and occasionally backward. The listener is like a boat on the waves without much of a sail—simply along for the ride, subject to the whims of invisible powers.

Humans have a habit of saying that we harness these energies, but are we ever fully in control or do we simply tell ourselves that is the case?

Elliott Daingerfield (1859-1932)

Troubled Waters

undated, oil on canvas. Image courtesy of The Johnson Collection

As La Mer comes to a decrescendo, the listener is party to a negotiation of sorts. The wind acts like a siren, beckoning the listener closer, varying its call until we can no longer withhold our attention. The waves push back, attempting to warn, even threaten, the listener away from danger.

We sense the immense power of these two forces that are larger, more complex, and more ancient than any of us could imagine. This dialogue existed long before we witnessed it and will continue long after we are gone. It’s both humbling and awe inspiring.

The colors are dark, but if we look and listen closely, we hear all kinds of hues within the palette. Inky blacks, foamy off-whites, emeralds, and chameleon-brown rocks all sing in chorus together. It feels like something is at stake, though we can’t quite work out just what.

Spartanburg’s Opera History

This season, the Spartanburg Philharmonic is diving into the world of opera. Not only will we be graced by baritone Kenneth Overton’s selection of Mozart arias (see page 39), we will also experience a fully-orchestrated adaptation of Rupert Julian’s 1925 silent film The Phantom of the Opera (see page 27). As the Philharmonic explores these works in their 2025–26 season, it is worth reflecting on the history of the genre, as well as Spartanburg’s own opera history.

Opera was born in the aristocratic courts of early seventeenth-century Italy as an entertainment reserved for society’s wealthiest and most powerful members. By the mideighteenth-century, opera was increasingly composed and performed for the general public, with genres like opera seria (serious opera) and drama giocoso (cheerful drama) bringing the stories of gods, nobles, and everyday people to the stage.

South Carolina claims a major milestone in American opera history. Many scholars believe that the first opera staged in what would later become the United States was produced in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1735. The work was a comedic English ballad opera, John Hippisley’s Flora, or Hob in the Well 1 . Since that time, South Carolina has produced brilliant operatic talent, including composer Carlisle Floyd, from Latta, whose Susannah has become one of the most performed American operas, and soprano Gwendolyn Bradley, a Bishopville native who graced many of the world’s greatest opera stages. Spartanburg’s own Gianna Rolandi sang major

University

operatic roles with the New York City Opera (see page 24). Charleston is also home to the prestigious Spoleto Festival, an international celebration of opera and the arts founded in 1977. Recently, the Spoleto Festival commissioned and premiered Omar, an opera by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, which won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in Music (2023).

Spartanburg’s operatic roots also run deep. In 1880, the City of Spartanburg erected an opera house with seating for 700, located on Main Street where the Masonic Lodge stands today. From fall through spring, evening performances were held almost every night, bringing diverse productions to local audiences. Shows ranged from A Message from Mars, with its novel electrical effects, to the popular melodrama East Lynne, and even Wagner’s Parsifal. The opera house welcomed major touring artists including soprano Madame Minnie Hauk and the Boston Symphony Club. Though the building was razed in 1907 to widen Main Street, its clock and bell can still be seen in the Morgan Square clock tower, an important reminder of the City’s musical past. 2

Despite the opera house’s demolition, opera continued to thrive in Spartanburg through academic institutions and festivals. In 1952, John McCrae—a South Carolinian who studied at Juilliard—was hired to lead an Opera Workshop at Converse College, the first such workshop in the Southeast. Between 1953 and 1995, the Spartanburg Music Festival

Dr. Rachel Bani Professor of Musicology, Converse

at Converse presented a full opera production each year, alongside scenes and one-act operas during the fall and winter seasons. 3 This tradition trained generations of young singers while enriching the cultural life of the region.

In 1987, Spartanburg’s operatic offerings expanded with the founding of the Spartanburg Repertory Opera (SRO) by Sherri Lynn Rouse, a member of the Spartanburg Philharmonic Music Club. Thanks to a matching grant from Belk Department Store, the SRO mounted its first full production, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. Over the years, the company staged up to four productions annually, with repertoire ranging from beloved works like Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Massenet’s Cendrillon, Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, to Gilbert and Sullivan operettas including Iolanthe, H M S Pinafore, and The Mikado

When interviewed about the company’s legacy, longtime performer, director, and board member John M. Roche reflected on how the Spartanburg Repertory Opera fulfilled artistic needs for musicians and music lovers in Spartanburg. The company featured local talent including high school and college students, offering them opportunities to perform major operatic roles close to home. The SRO also brought opera to the youngest citizens of Spartanburg through educational programs performed at local elementary schools. Sadly, the SRO shuttered during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic. While its days have passed, John

M. Roche hopes that “people remember the SRO fondly” and that their productions “brought joy to people’s hearts.” He continues, “Spartanburg has a lot to be proud of… this town has a lot of talented people, and it was a great privilege to be a part of [the SRO].” 4

Today, opera remains alive in Spartanburg thanks to institutions like the Spartanburg Philharmonic and Converse University’s Petrie School of Music. But ultimately, it is the community’s support that sustains this art form across the Upstate. From the grand opera house of Main Street to the productions of the Spartanburg Repertory Opera, the presence of opera in Spartanburg has always been a testament to the city’s cultural vitality. Opera is not just for the great concert halls of New York, London, or Milan—it is an art form meant for everyone. As this season’s Philharmonic programming shows, Spartanburg’s opera story is far from over. With each overture and aria, we are reminded of the City’s rich past and its bright future.

1 Michael Evenden. “Flora’s Descent; or Hob’s Re-Re-ReResurrection.” Eighteenth-Century Studies 44 no. 4 (2011): 565.

2 Joella F. Utley. “Converse College School of Music and the Community of Spartanburg, South Carolina: A Century of Musical Cooperation” (M.M. thesis, Converse College, 2007), 4–6.

3 Utley, 35–36.

4 Author interview with John M. Roche, July 14, 2025.

The Krüger Brothers

Oct. 11, 2025

7:00 PM

Online:

Excerpts from Music from the Spring 1

• Intro

• Up 18 North

• Watch the Clouds Roll By

• Luminous Waters

• Behiind the Barn

Harder than Steel

Appalachian Concerto, Part I

• Morning at Deep Gap

• E Pluribus Unum

• Wild Horses

Excerpts from Music from the Spring 1

• Run, Run, Run

• Wilkes County Breakdown

INTERMISSION

Excerpts from Music from the Spring 2

• Beautiful Nothing

• Intro Roll Away

• High Up in the Sky

• Intro Winterport

• Shower

Carolina in the Fall Fields of Gold

First Settlers, part 1 & 2

Welcome to Ogden

Programs subject to change. All timings are approximate.

H. Day Big Sky Country

John Powell, arr. Robert Longfield How to Train Your Dragon

Modest Mussorgsky, arr. Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov Night on Bald Mountain

Program Online:

Welcome to the Scene: Prelude Honors!

Hannah

Simpson

Education & Community Engagement Manager

The Spartanburg Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (SPYO) is growing! Each year, there has been an increase in the number of students auditioning for SPYO and a steady rise in musical skill. At the end of the 24-25 season, the available spots in the Symphony Ensemble (SPYO’s full orchestra with strings, winds, brass, and percussion) were limited, which left many talented musicians without a next step beyond the intermediate strings-only Prelude Ensemble. The increase in talented auditioning students inspired the team to start something new: Prelude Honors! Prelude Honors is a new chamber string ensemble that features a select group of students from Prelude. Prelude Honors students will rehearse their own set of music for an additional 30 minutes ahead of their Prelude rehearsal and perform at each Youth Orchestra concert. Students were selected based on their season audition scores. They will be under the direction of Dr. Joshua Miller.

The Youth Orchestra Ensembles:

SYMPHONY

Advanced Full Orchestra

Conductor: Susan Wines

Instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba, percussion, and strings (violin, viola, cello, and bass)

PRELUDE HONORS

Intermediate-Advanced

Conductor: Dr. Joshua Miller

Instruments: featured chamber ensemble of Prelude; strings only (violin, viola, cello, bass)

PRELUDE

Intermediate Ensemble

Conductor: Dr. Joshua Miller

Instruments: strings only (violin, viola, cello, bass)

The goal is to make Prelude Honors a full 3rd ensemble in 2026-27. As Spartanburg County continues to grow, the Youth Orchestra stands ready to serve our community by continuing to provide a place for musically inclined students to learn, create, and perform together. Join us next season!

Susan Wines

MUSIC DIRECTOR OF SPARTANBURG PHILHARMONIC YOUTH ORCHESTRA AND SYMPHONY CONDUCTOR

As a native of Spartanburg, Susan Wines’ enthusiasm for music and teaching began as a double bass player at Boiling Springs Middle School. Her eagerness and excitement for music continued to develop through teacher encouragement as well as participation in several honor orchestra opportunities throughout the state.

With nearly two decades of youth orchestra experience, it is with excitement that she joins the Spartanburg Philharmonic Youth Orchestra community as the Symphony Conductor at her alma mater - Converse University. Susan Wines holds a Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Music Education from Converse University, two Master of Education degrees from the American College of Education, and is pursuing a Doctorate of Music Education from Liberty University.

In addition to being the Director of Orchestras at Byrnes Freshman Academy and the Music Director and Symphony Conductor for Spartanburg Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, she is the master teacher for the North Greenville University String Project. She was instrumental in creating many student-centered music activities such as Greenville County’s All-County Honor Orchestras, SC ASTA Double Bass Workshop, as well as the annual SC ASTA Orchestra. Ms. Wines serves as the Executive Director of the SCMEA Orchestra Division and past president of the South Carolina Chapter of SC ASTA.

She has been recognized as a WYFF Golden Apple Teacher Award Recipient, Teacher of the Year, Music Club of Greenville’s Golden Note Award Recipient, South Carolina High School League’s “Heart of the Arts Award,” and most recently, the recipient of the Yamaha “40 under 40” national music educator recognition.

Joshua Miller PRELUDE CONDUCTOR

Although he didn’t originally set out to become a teacher, he received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Furman University. While in college, his plan was to become a dentist until he finally listened to the encouragement of those around him to consider teaching. The choice to become an orchestra teacher turned out to be one of the greatest decisions of his life. After graduation, Dr. Miller began his career in Anderson School District One teaching orchestra for grades 5-12.

In 2016, he moved back to his hometown and joined the faculty at Spartanburg School District Two. As a music educator, he holds two main philosophies: kids who trust you can learn anything, and fundamentals are key to musical success. He currently teaches at Boiling Springs Middle School where his program, his students, and his teaching have continued to grow each year.

In 2021, he was selected by his peers and administration to serve as Teacher of the Year. And this past year, he received the honor of being the WYFF News 4 Teacher of the Year. During his years as an orchestra teacher, his performance groups have earned numerous awards. Dr. Miller and his wife (Raven) currently reside in Inman, SC, with their son (Asher) and daughter (Ayla). He enjoys watching as much Netflix as possible and spending time with his family.

December 12-14, 2025

3:00 PM & 7:00 PM

In Partnership with:

Online:

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arr. Golan

Nutcracker, op. 71 86 min

Overture

ACT 1

Tableau I:

I. Lighting and Decorating the Christmas Tree

II. March of the Toy Soldiers

III. Little Gallop of the Children & Entrance of the Parents

IV. Dance Scene (Arrival of Drosselmeyer)

V. Grandfather’s Dance

VI. Clara and the Nutcracker

VII. The Battle

Tableau II:

VIII. A Pine Forest in Winter

IX. Waltz of the Snowflakes

INTERMISSION

ACT 2

Tableau III:

X. The Magic Castle in the Land of Sweets

XI. Clara and the Nutcracker Prince

XII. Divertissment

a. Chocolate

b. Coffee

c. Trepak

d. Dance of the Reed-Pipes

e. Tea

f. Neapolitan Dance

g. Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles

XIII. Dance of the Flowers

XIV. Pas de deux

a. Sugar Plum Fairy and Her Cavalier

b. Variation I: Tarantella

c. Variation II: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

d. Coda

XV. Final Waltz and Apotheosis

Programs subject to change. All timings are approximate.

The Nutcracker

THE NUTCRACKER PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY

(1840-1893)

PREMIERED 1892

INSTRUMENTATION

(Golan Reduction)

2 flutes/piccolo, 2 oboes/ engligh horn, 2 clarinets/bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 3 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani & percussion, harp, keyboard, and strings

APPROXIMATE DURATION

86 minutes

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

It has been over 130 years since the premiere of The Nutcracker, and Tchaikovsky’s iconic music has remained a staple for every holiday season across the globe. However, surprisingly, when the ballet was originally conceived, the reviews were lackluster. Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 fairy tale, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, the story was adapted for the ballet by Marius Petipa and Ivan Vsecolozhsky in St. Petersburg. Tchaikovsky and Petipa had seen great success from their previous ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, and hoped their luck would continue. Unfortunately, however, Petipa fell ill and much of the choreography had to be completed by his assistant. Although the audience loved Tchaikovsky’s music, some of which he had premiered earlier in the year (The Nutcracker Suite), critics were annoyed by the prominence of children in the ballet and the lack of plot in the second half. It wasn’t until George Balanchine choreographed

The Nutcracker for the New York City Ballet in 1954 that it really gained popularity. Since then, choreographers across the world have interpreted Tchaikovsky’s music to create a spectacular collaboration between the visual and the audial. This production features the beautiful choreography of Artistic Director Carlos Aguedelo, who says:

After thirty years of working on our Nutcracker productions, I continue to be inspired to improve my choreography every time I listen to Tchaikovsky’s amazing score. I discover musical nuances I never noticed before and I naturally want to echo those subtleties in the movement that carry the story forward. I am a traditionalist, and passionate about maintaining the purity of the story line. However, I also enjoy the process of fleshing out the mystery, the darker and scariest parts of the narrative that evolve into a passionate and romantic resolution in Act I. I do not strive to re-imagine the ballet in order to be different. I am more interested in making the dancing more brilliant and as nuanced as the musical score. I follow the lead of

the music, moving performers and the audience from reality, the Christmas Eve party, to the fantasy, giant mice and toy soldiers coming to life, after which the story finally transitions into the sweeping and enchanting Land of Snow. In the end we all surrender to the magic spell of

The Nutcracker!

Together, with a long history of choreographic innovation and Tchaikovsky’s enduring music, The Nutcracker really is a quintessentially Christmassy success.

MUSIC LISTENING GUIDE

While you’re watching, here are just a few wonderful moments to listen for. The magical combination of Tchaikovsky’s music and the visuals on stage contributes to The Nutcracker’s holiday wonder.

ACT I

Overture:

Listen for the high and light instruments playing their fast and bouncy rhythm. You can imagine these as the scurrying feet of excited children–the pitter-patter of eager holiday anticipation. The harp arpeggios and tremolo in the strings mimics the tree’s illumination with Christmas magic.

March of the Toy Soldiers:

The horns play a fanfare, signaling that it is time to dance! Listen for the children’s instruments you might remember receiving as a Christmas present like toy trumpets, toy drums, cuckoos, and cymbals!

Arrival of Drosselmeyer:

“Who is this mysterious man?” the tubas, trombones, horns, and violas ask. The key shifts from B-flat to E to echo the ambiguity of Herr Drosselmeyer. (This key change foreshadows a larger, thematic key change,

from B-flat in Act I to E major in Act II. The entrance of Drosselmeyer, and thus, his magical presents, are the first glimpse into this magical world!) Drosselmeyer’s ominous entrance is short-lived, however, and the mood lightens as he unboxes his toys; his melody turns into a waltz!

Clara and the Nutcracker:

The guests leave and the children are sent to bed, but Clara wishes to see her broken nutcracker once more. Listen for the emerging horns, forewarning something sinister will occur. The sound of the triangle is a chiming clock: it is midnight. Soon after, the bass clarinet, bassoon, and piccolo “squeak” to indicate the soon-arriving mice. The strings play an ascending motif, going up and up, and the orchestration becomes louder and fuller, like the rising, growing Christmas tree.

The Battle:

A battle occuring onstage is mirrored in the orchestra. The toy soldiers are characterized by high-pitched brass fanfares and drum rolls, whilst the woodwinds, especially the piccolo “squeak” to highlight the ominous mice.

Waltz of the Snowflakes:

As Clara and the Prince enter the wintry forest, the music suggests the swirling blizzard –perhaps the end of a storm and the beginning of a beautiful winter wonderland. Harp arpeggios cascade like the falling snow, and then the waltz begins. The rhythm is slightly modified, by spreading each “oom-pah-pah” across two bars of music instead of one. A few minutes in, a new color is introduced, made to sound like a children’s chorus. The ending horns declare not only triumph, but the ultimate feeling of holiday hope!

continued on page 55

Audiences packed the house for the 2023 Nutcracker performances with John Concklin conducting in the pit.

Composing Legal Solutions in Harmony with Your Life.

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World-Class Music on Wofford’s Stage

THE BENJAMIN B. DUNLAP CHAMBER

MUSIC SERIES

CANTUS

NOV. 17, 2025

MANHATTAN CHAMBER PLAYERS FEB. 9, 2026

SINTA QUARTET APRIL 16, 2026

ACT II

The Magic Castle:

As we enter the second act, a barcarole is played. This traditional folk song, originally sung by Venetian gondoliers, often indicates a transition between worlds in ballet. In this case, Clara is transported to the fantastical Kingdom of Sweets. The flutes’ use frullato, a flutter-tonguing technique, swirling sweetly up and down with the harp, like a cascading chocolate waterfall.

Clara and the Nutcracker Prince:

The Prince recounts his battle with the Mouse King, and musical themes from Act I reemerge. The bass strings play a low battle rhythm while the piccolo squeaks its mousy Sweet treats from all around the world now arrive! This dance features a trumpeting solo and castanets, trying to replicate the sounds of flamenco music.

Coffee:

Aiming to sound “oriental,” the Arabian Dance is actually based on a Georgian lullaby. The clarinets and strings play smooth, low and simple harmonies, and the higher violins play their modal, snake-like melody.

Trepak:

BAM! Here come the Russians! The entire orchestra is now in use, growing in intensity, and the turbulent tambourine accelerates until culminating in a raucous final chord!

Dance of the Reed-Pipes:

The Dance of the Reed Flutes is graceful, light, and playful! The flutes replicate the sound of a mirliton, which is both a reedy musical instrument and a sweet French cake.

Tea:

The flutes and piccolos twirl melodically in the Chinese Dance, while the bassoon bounces in the base and the strings use pizzicato for a complementary color. Later, the clarinets begin their arpeggiated accompaniment while some jingling bells chime, like the twinkling of Christmas tree lights.

Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles:

This fan favorite is based on a French folk song. Listen for the festive and fun tambourine.

Dance of the Flowers:

Nearing the end, the graceful melody of the waltz begins with a mystical and enchanting harp cadenza. The french horns and clarinet enter, leading the “oom-pah-pah” rhythm of the waltz. Finally, the strings play their iconic, luscious and sweeping melody! Watch the flowers “grow” on stage as the orchestra becomes fuller in the pit.

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy:

Now enters the Sugar-Plum Fairy, accompanied by the iconic celesta, which Tchaikovsky specifically ordered for this ballet. He described it as “something between a small piano and a Glockenspiel.” Listen to its delicate, colorful, and lyrical ringing which perfectly mirrors the sweetness of the dancer herself. Both the music and dance bring twinkly fairy-dust to life.

The Final Waltz and Apotheosis:

This is the celebratory ending to the most magical night! Listen for that same bararolle as we are escorted from the Kingdom of Sweets back into reality. Luckily, however, the magic of the Kingdom of Sweets endures; it is rediscovered through the joy of a beautiful Christmas morning.

Julia Smart

continued

Nutcracker

My Love of the Spartanburg Philharmonic

There I was, camped out in the back of Twichell Auditorium on a Tuesday night. It was a great place to study, my assignments spread out across my knees and the Spartanburg Philharmonic spread out across the stage (at that time, it was called the Spartanburg Symphony Orchestra and was presented by the Music Foudnation of Spartanburg, but today, it is all under the name: Spartanburg Philharmonic). In a way, they were pretty much doing the same thing I was: rehearsing for their upcoming concert. As a community orchestra, they were able to meet every Tuesday night, and I came right laong for the ride, whisked away on a flying, magic carpet into the worlds of symphonic music. This was how I first came to know the Spartanburg Philharmonic.

It was the fall of 1969, I was a freshman at Converse College, a young pianist with a passion for playing, studying and performing its great literature…which was lovely. But, the reality was that I only brought a very tiny slice of the world of music with me. I was totally unsuspecting of what waited for me behind the gates. It was as if I had been airlifted into a brand new space in time. I landed in the midst of a vibrant, energized, demanding fast-paced music world “on go!” A little like finding yourself in costume on center stage in the middle of Act II of some wonderful play, improvising until you finally found your way in. I can’t really express the magnitude of the changes that I experienced during that first semester. Let’s suffice it to say that I “truly, madly, deeply” fell in love with music. Those weekly orchestra rehearsals were certainly routine for many, but for me, they were a blissful part of the magic that led me to find my new place in the world as an aspiring musician.

Paula Morgan

Contributing Author

In 1974, I started my masters degree, began teaching through the Pre-College Program at Converse and married Charles Morgan, an English professor there. We were both music lovers, concert fiends, Nutcracker fans…you name it! One night we attended a Spartanburg Philharmonic concert (see page 67) featuring Gianna Rolandi, a renowned soprano/coloratura based at the New York City Opera. It was an especially dazzling evening as Gianna was one of Spartanburg’s own (see page 24). I remember that the music spoke to me so deeply, that I sat there weeping throughout the concert. It was like the proverbial lightening strike, defining this particular moment in time. It occurred to me that I was receiving an incredibly strong message… get back to the piano! This "moment in time" completely redirected my life. I began studying again, performing again and ultimately joined Doug Weeks in forming our own piano duo. We concertized for about a decade including a “grand performance” of the Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos with the Spartanburg Philharmonic. My soul sang.

In the early nineties, I was asked to join the board of The Music Foundation of Spartanburg. What an honor! I was thrilled and a little shocked, all at once. I wasn’t sure that I had much to offer them, but was absolutely sure that they had a lot to offer me. I was so excited to be a part of the life of this remarkable organization, as it prepared and planned for its future. Once again, it was a life-changing experience for me. So many artists to meet, chauffeur, wine and dine. I’ll never forget Emmanuel Ax when I picked him up from the airport. He was perfectly happy to get into “Slick,” my silver Honda Accord, where he gently managed to find room for

his legs on his side of the stick! I must also say that during this time, I was mentored by the likes of Retta Lowndes and Lois Ashcroft in the fine art of presenting beautiful receptions for a crowd. What a fabulous skill to take with me into the Lawson Academy world! We had events and receptions galore!…Simply said, my time with the Music Foundation was a profound learning experience and a…great…joy.

In 1993, I was asked to direct what is now the Lawson Academy of the Arts at Converse University. The Music Foundation and I continued to connect in this world through their thirteen Scholarship Recipients. We joined forces to present a special “Music Sandwiched In” performance each June. Those “Shining Stars,” their teachers, families and fans created a summer experience of wonder, young musicians at their finest!

Also in my role as Lawson Academy Director, I got to meet so many musicians coming into the Upstate looking for opportunities to create a new life that fulfilled their personal, professional and financial needs. One day I got lucky…the phone rang…it was John Concklin. We set up a meeting, he came to my studio and I had a great time! We shared easy conversation. John was energized. His vitality, enthusiasm, passion, commitment and drive permeated the space. He was actually there to see if he could teach viola through our program. We weren’t a good fit for his demanding schedule. But, we spoke of many things and one thing was crystal clear to me. He had such a strong desire to be in Spartanburg conducting its orchestra. Imagine that! I’m thrilled!

Well, let me fall back in time and bring it full circle. There I was, sitting with a friend in the middle rows of Twichell Auditorium on a Saturday morning, the Spartanburg Philharmonic spread out across the stage, including the soloist, Jens Lindemann with his seven trumpets. It was February 2025. John was making his way to the podium as everyone was poised to begin their final rehearsal of

Wynton Marsalis’s new and as yet unpublished Concerto for Trumpet. It was a good thing that I had no expectations. How could I? I’d never heard anything to compare. It was spellbinding, electric, a wild ride into a musical unknown. I sort of lost my mind…in a good way! That became totally evident, as I marched right up onto the stage when the rehearsal was over and began to make an impassioned speech of amazement and thanks and joy over the life changing experience they had all just performed for me.

If you can believe it, that evening’s performance was even more moving. As Jens shared his journey of darkness to light, following the unforgiving California wild fires that reduced his life to rubble and ash, and as Wynton opened his life up to us in his most intimate language, I felt a surprising sense of unity among all of us there. I personally was swept away by both the thrill of new beginnings and the powerful view of life reflections.

This takes me back to that first rehearsal, when I first joined the Spartanburg Philharmonic on that magic carpet ride into an incredibly exciting and completely unknown world. I felt exactly that same way in February. My Philharmonic experiences have been so much more than simply a part of my life for all these years. They have defined my life and continue to. That is my reality. There is no way to thank you all for such a gift except to say, Thank God we’re all still together and making the magic!!

From Left: Paula Morgan and Doug Weeks on the cover of the 20022003 program; Lauren Maxwell, Paula, and John Young Shik Concklin; Paula with scholarship students at Music Sandwiched In 2010; clippings from Gianna Rolandi's performance with the Philharmonic in 1975.

Why the National Endowment for the Arts Matters

& HOW IT’S POWERING INNOVATION IN SPARTANBURG

In a world where science and technology often take the spotlight, the arts continue to illuminate the human experience. They connect us to history, culture, imagination, and each other. At the heart of this vibrant ecosystem stands the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a vital federal agency established in 1965 that champions access to the arts for every American. The NEA doesn’t just fund art—it fuels inspiration, innovation, and community connection in every congressional district, including right here in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Recently, the Spartanburg Philharmonic received an NEA grant for an extraordinary project that exemplifies the impact of this support. The Philharmonic’s 2024-2025 Season Finale celebrated the upcoming grand opening of the $5 million planetarium at the Spartanburg County Public Library’s downtown branch. The orchestra presented an immersive, multimedia concert featuring Gustav Holst’s iconic The Planets, performed live in Twichell Auditorium with a dazzling backdrop of NASA imagery.

Kathryn Boucher Executive Director

But this concert goes far beyond orchestral performance. Thanks to the NEA’s investment, the Philharmonic premiered a new work by Composer-in-Residence Peter B. Kay. Inspired by the moons of our solar system and informed by poetry written by local K-12 students, this piece brought together science, mythology, literature, and music in an experience that’s as educational as it was breathtaking.

What the NEA Does—and Why It Matters

The National Endowment for the Arts plays a unique and irreplaceable role in American cultural life. It awards grants to nonprofit arts institutions—museums, orchestras, theaters, libraries—enabling them to develop public programming, preserve historic works, and experiment with new artistic forms. With more than 150 awards to museum-related projects each year, the NEA contributes around $7 million annually to expand the arts in communities large and small. These funds are awarded on a matching basis, meaning every federal dollar often unlocks up to nine additional dollars from private or local sources.

Top: April 26, 2025 Concert featuring The Planets; Peter B. Kay taking a bow after the premiere of The Moons. Bottom: John Concklin speaking at The Piedmont Club; John and Peter with the winners of the Creative Writing Contest; "Stargazing with the Philharmonic" educational event at the downtown Spartanburg County Public Library with NASA Solar System Ambassador David Leaphart

Just as important as the dollars is the credibility. Receiving an NEA grant is a seal of approval, signaling to other funders that a project has national merit and local importance. For organizations like the Spartanburg Philharmonic, this recognition bolsters long-term fundraising, capacity building, and audience engagement.

Moreover, 40% of NEA grant funds go directly to state arts agencies, allowing each state to prioritize its own cultural needs. That flexibility ensures that public arts funding is both federally supported and locally relevant—a truly democratic approach to artistic enrichment.

Spartanburg’s NEA-Funded Celebration of Art, Science, and Storytelling

The Spartanburg Philharmonic’s The Planets concert stands as a powerful example of how NEA funding can bring together diverse disciplines to create something truly extraordinary. The performance of The Planets was just one part of a much larger effort to explore the intersections between astronomy, music, poetry, and community history.

Students from local schools engaged in the creative process through a poetry contest tied to the new composition by Peter B. Kay. Their poems—rooted in research and imagination— inspired different movements of the piece and were read from the stage at the premiere. These young poets, along with their teachers and families, were honored guests at the concert, their work woven into the fabric of the experience.

By blending live performance, student creativity, community history, and scientific exploration, the Spartanburg Philharmonic is not just staging a concert—it’s building a legacy. And none of it would be possible without the support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

When the arts thrive, so do our communities. They become more innovative, more inclusive, more connected. And thanks to the NEA, these benefits are not reserved for big cities or elite institutions—they belong to us all.

In Spartanburg, we are living proof.

The Planets and The Moons are now available to stream on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music. Simply search for "Spartanburg Philharmonic," and you’ll find us!

Other major

and events made

concerts

possible by grants from the NEA Top down: Feb. 1, 2020 concert featuring Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn; Béla and Abigail with Philharmonic staff members backstage; musicians with Dame Evelyn Gennie at the School for the Deaf and the Blind in 2015; M.D. Sarah Ioannides with composer Sean O'Boyle, Dame Glennie, and E.D. Kathryn Boucher backstage; Dame Glennie with students during a masterclass at Converse College.

WE ARE WUSIC EDUCATION

SpartanburgPhilharmonic.org/msi

The "Music Sandwiched In" program features 22 free concerts each year held in the Barrett Room of the Spartanburg County Downtown Library. This 25+ year partnership enriches the lives of the intergenerational population of attendees. Over its span, thousands of individuals have enjoyed many genres of music including jazz, bluegrass, classical, and rock. During "Music Sandwiched In" the doors of the Barrett Room are left open, and the 105,000 square foot library is filled with music, laughter, and applause. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch to enjoy the concert or to purchase a lunch on site. All are welcome!

(see page 22 for more details)

SpartanburgMusicTrail.com

Some cities celebrate their war heroes, others their sports stars, but in Spartanburg, it’s all about our musicians. Head out on the Spartanburg Music Trail, a 30-minute outdoor walking tour of the city’s incredibly robust music history. With your GPS enabled smartphone, you’ll be directed to each colorful marker to learn about the artists and hear the music that lifted them onto the national stage. You’ll also discover opportunities for side trips to further explore our musical heritage.

The Spartanburg Music Trail honors musicians from Spartanburg who have made a national or international impact in the world of music. The stops highlight artists in such genres as country, gospel, soul, rock ‘n’ roll and more. Ultimately, the trail will circle the downtown as new inductees are added.

SpartanburgPhilharmonic.org/linkup

For more than 15 years, the Spartanburg Philharmonic has partnered with Carnegie Hall's Weil Institute to present Link Up, a program that works with local communities to explore orchestral repertoire and fundamental musical skills, including creative work and composition, through a hands-on music curriculum.

Link Up addresses the urgent need for music instruction and resources by providing a free, high-quality, year-long curriculum that teachers can implement, along with classroom materials, online video and audio resources, and the professional development and support necessary to make the program an engaging experience for youth.

The Spartanburg Philharmonic utilizes Link Up to provide a music curriculum to all 4th graders in Spartanburg County. This means over 4,000 youth join the Philharmonic in Twichell Auditorium each Spring for a participatory concert like no other!

SpartanburgYouthOrchestra.org

The Spartanburg Philharmonic Youth Orchestra was founded in 2019 to bring together the best young players from across the Upstate as a core education program of the Spartanburg Philharmonic. Now composed of three high performing ensembles, the SPYO serves over 150 students in grades 6th through 12th each year.

The Youth Orchestra provides a place where musicallyinclined students learn to master their instruments and collaborate with others to produce three high-quality performances each year. Working with the SPYO challenges talented young musicians to grasp difficult repertoires and perform at a higher level than what is possible in their school orchestras.

(see page 52 for more details)

CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES

Experience world-renowned musicians and support the arts! These Monday evening concerts are followed by intimate receptions with champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and post-concert conversations where you can meet the performers.

Miró Quartet with the Isidore Quartet

Octet at 250: