ECO 2014 2015 SEASON
SEP
Gannon University’s
ErieChamberOrchestra
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 2
Welcome Founder & Patron
3 5 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 17
September October November December Pre-Concert Talks January February Support the ECO March April June
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Concert Venues
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History
Festivals consist of a recital and a concert within the same month.
WELCOME It is a pleasure to welcome you to the Erie Chamber Orchestra’s 201415 concert season. The remarkable momentum and artistic growth of this fine ensemble have been invigorating to everyone involved with this organization. You will find encapsulated within these pages our commitment to providing the very best in orchestral music to enrich and entertain our audience. In addition to masterworks by Bach, Dvorak, Kodaly, Ravel, and Schumann, the ECO will showcase three concertos composed by contemporary, award-winning American composers. Four pivotal works by one of classical music’s luminary figures, Ludwig van Beethoven, will showcase the remarkable growth and evolution of his music from 1804-1825. Following last season’s successful performance of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man, the ECO will present Mozart’s celebrated opera, The Magic Flute, in concert. Coinciding with the release of our first commercial recording featuring the music of early silent film composer J.S. Zamecnik, the ECO will screen Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights, with the film score performed live. The ECO is additionally inaugurating a four-concert recital series with a variety of wonderful repertoire and talented performers. Acclaimed guest artists Roberto Diaz, She-e Wu, Bonnie Boyd, and others round out what will truly be our finest season ever. For 37 years the Erie Chamber Orchestra has provided great music free to the public and we hope that you will join us for each of these exciting performances. Sincerely, Matthew Kraemer Music Director and Conductor
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FOUNDER & PATRON
Bruce Morton Wright, Founder
Clarence E. Beyers, Patron
Bruce Morton Wright was the Director/ Conductor of the Erie Chamber Orchestra, the successor to the Erie Bayfront Orchestra which he founded in 1978, and the Director/Conductor of the Erie Opera Theatre, which he founded in 1983. Mr. Wright passed away in July 2011, following the 33rd season of the ECO. Mr. Wright was tremendously active within the Erie community. He was a past board member of the Martin Luther King Center and Perseus House, a center for troubled youths. He served on the Minority Panel of the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts and also served on the board of the Erie Civic Center Authority, Alpha Phi Omega Service fraternity, and the Pennsylvania State Council on Arts Education. A performer and supporter of the arts throughout his life, Bruce Morton Wright was a tremendous advocate for furthering the arts in Pennsylvania and Erie County. The Erie Chamber Orchestra will proudly carry on his mission of “bringing music to the entire community.”
The support of the late Clarence E. Beyers was critical in the founding of the original Erie Chamber Orchestra. Although he was a generous contributor to many other organizations, he had a special fondness for the Erie Chamber Orchestra, which he called “his orchestra.” It is through his continuing support provided by the Clarence E. Beyers Music Fund as well as the support provided by Gannon University that the Orchestra is able to present these concerts.
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SEP
A NEW ERA BEGINS Monday, September 15, 2014, 7:30 p.m.
Luther Memorial Church, 225 West 10th Street, Erie, PA Joe Luckey Recital Series
Newly appointed concertmaster Maureen Conlon Gutierrez showcases her virtuosity, musicality and diversity as she becomes only the second concertmaster in the history of the ECO. The official start to our 37th season as well as the inaugural event in our new “Joe Luckey Recital Series.� Hope to see you there! Please see our website for more details.
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OPENING NIGHT CELEBRATION Friday, September 19, 2014, 7:30 p.m.
Cathedral Prep Auditorium, 250 West 10th Street, Erie, PA Matthew Kraemer Conductor Roberto Diaz Viola
Milhaud Le Boeuf sur le toit, op.58 Roberto Sierra Concerto for Viola Ravel Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose)
The ECO returns for its 37th season of free music with a powerful opening night celebration featuring the world’s preeminent violist – Roberto Diaz. Diaz is currently the president of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and was previously the principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra. This evening’s festivities include a performance of Sierra’s vibrant Concerto for Viola, written for Diaz, along with masterpieces from both Milhaud and Ravel. Join us for the perfect start to this monumental season!
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OCT
SOUNDS OF THE SILENTS RELEASED Monday, October 13, 2014, 7:30 p.m.
McGarvey Commons, Reed Union Building, Penn State Behrend, 4701 College Drive, Erie, PA Joe Luckey Recital Series Lights! Camera! Action! Our silent film festival week kicks off with the CD release party for our Sounds of the Silents album. Funded 100 percent by you, our incredibly dedicated donor base, this album brings to life music that has not been seen or heard live in over 100 years from the legendary film composer J.S. Zamecnik. The first copies of this album will go on sale following this exciting recital! Please see our website for more details. Presented in conjunction with Penn State Behrend.
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CHAPLIN’S CITY LIGHTS Friday, October 17, 2014, 7:30 p.m.
Cathedral Prep Auditorium, 250 West 10th Street, Erie, PA
The baggy pants. The cane. The mustache. And oh, that bowler hat. The Tramp—the character Charlie Chaplin created who is now so recognizable—made his first appearance 100 years ago. Now catch him in City Lights, praised by filmmakers, actors, and critics as one of the greatest films ever made. Written by, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin, this masterpiece of the silent era is presented on the silver screen with the ECO performing the musical score live. Coinciding with this concert will be the release of the ECO’s first professionally recorded CD entitled The Sounds of the Silents.
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NOV
STRIKING SIMILARITIES Friday, November 7, 2014, 7:30 p.m.
Cathedral Prep Auditorium, 250 West 10th Street, Erie, PA Matthew Kraemer Conductor She-e Wu Marimba Maureen Conlon Violin David Graham Flute Beth Etter Harpsichord
Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, BWV 1050, D Major Beethoven Grosse Fuge, op. 133 Eric Ewazen Concerto for Marimba and String Orchestra
Compositional masters from across the centuries come together on one exciting concert. World-renowned marimbist She-e Wu will leave you breathless with her rendition of the luscious Ewazen Concerto for Marimba and String Orchestra, the second of our three concerti by living, American composers. Delightfully coupled with this is Bach’s exquisite Brandenburg Concerto No.5, led by concertmaster Maureen Conlon, principal flutist David Graham and harpsichordist Beth Etter. Rounding out the program is Beethoven’s legendary Grosse Fuge.
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DEC
CLASSICAL CHRISTMAS Friday, December 12, 2014, 7:30 p.m.
Cathedral Prep Auditorium, 250 West 10th Street, Erie, PA Matthew Kraemer Conductor Maureen Conlon Violin Shannon Kessler Dooley Soprano
The holidays come home with this fresh and inspiring classical celebration for the Christmas season. Concertmaster Maureen Conlon showcases her transcendent skill of the violin, alongside the angelic voice of soprano Shannon Kessler Dooley, already an Erie favorite. With works from Schubert, Vivaldi, Piazzolla and many more, spending the holidays with the ECO remains the hottest ticket in town!
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PRE-CONCERT TALKS Join Maestro Kraemer, ECO musicians, guest soloists, composers and more for an exciting and in-depth pre-concert discussion before each of our concerts this season. Talks will begin at 6:30 p.m. on each respective concert date and will run approximately 30 minutes in length.
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JAN
CELEBRATING DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR Friday, January 16, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
Cathedral Prep Auditorium, 250 West 10th Street, Erie, PA Matthew Kraemer Conductor
Peter Boyer Ellis Island
This decidedly new approach for this revered concert offers something for everyone as we look to tell the most powerful of all stories; the triumph of the human spirit. The first half of our program will celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through both music and words, while the second half celebrates the triumph of the human spirit with a captivating presentation of the visually stunning Ellis Island. An unforgettable musical and cinematic experience.
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FEB
A SOLDIER’S TALE Monday, February 16, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
The Cathedral of St. Paul Episcopal, 134 West 7th Street, Erie, PA Joe Luckey Recital Series With its crisp narrative — a soldier sells his violin (and thus his soul) to the Devil, fights to win it back, but ultimately loses it again — its dance-rich, jazzinfluenced melodies, and its dramatic text, Stravinsky’s masterpiece Histoire du Soldat (“The Soldier’s Tale”) offers abundant sonorous possibilities for all ages. Join members of the ECO for an intimate presentation of this classic story told within the lovely confines of the Episcopal Cathedral of St.Paul. Please see our website for more details. Presented in conjunction with the Centennial of the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Paul.
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ENTER EROICA – A MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCE Friday, February 20, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
Cathedral Prep Auditorium, 250 West 10th Street, Erie, PA Matthew Kraemer Conductor
Beethoven Symphony No.3, op.55, E-flat Major (Eroica)
Napoleon vs. Beethoven. Few relationships within the history of classical music offer such a powerful narrative on a geopolitical scale; the story of Beethoven feverishly crossing out the symphony’s original dedication has long since passed into legend. With this groundbreaking concert, Maestro Kraemer takes you inside the story behind Beethoven’s masterpiece, offering a full multimedia experience that will captivate audiences of all ages!
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SUPPORT THE ECO For our 2013-2014 season we have reached an unprecedented portion of the community with our eight (ninth coming soon) free classical concerts; 7000+ people. These events represented some of Erie’s best musical events of the season, including our production of the Music Man in Concert, Mozetich’s Concerto for bassoon, strings and marimba as well as the triumphant return of Adé Williams alongside her teacher, the legendary Rachel Barton Pine. Our social media presence has also reached levels never before thought possible for an orchestra our size. Between our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts coupled with our 3 apps for both the iPhone and iPad, the ECO is in a very enviable position both locally and nationally. On any given day, we can reach over 50,000 people across the world – all of which have now learned about Bruce Morton Wright’s dream of free music for everyone. While we have clearly expanded a portion of our mission across the globe, we have also doubled our Educational Outreach efforts across the city: •
In-school educational concerts for over 8,000 children from the School District of the City of Erie as well as the Diocese of Erie
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Over 10 pianos donated to schools across the city, including Pfeiffer-Burleigh, Harding, Perry, McKinley, Lincoln, Diehl, Wilson, Roosevelt and Collegiate Academy
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In-school visits from our musicians and world renowned guest soloists, offering once-in-a-lifetime musical experiences
Seeing all of this, one might ask, “With no ticket income, how does an orchestra pay for all of these services, events and concerts?” While we are indeed housed within Gannon University, their support is for behindthe-scenes expenses such as music rental, building expenses, etc… That’s it. The majority of our concert income comes from two sources; grants and, most importantly, the support of classical music lovers such as you. Please visit this website now to show your support for the ECO! www.gannonalumni.org/eco These past two seasons have seen an incredible rebirth of the ECO and its mission of free music for everyone, and with your help, we like to think that the sky’s the limit! Best, Steve Weiser GM, Erie Chamber Orchestra
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MAR
THE MAGIC FLUTE IN CONCERT Friday, March 13, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
Cathedral Prep Auditorium, 250 West 10th Street, Erie, PA Matthew Kraemer Conductor
Mozart Die Zauberflöte, K.620 (The Magic Flute)
The ECO is once again delighted to make history with our first presentation of a concert opera – The Magic Flute. A celebration of true love conquering all, Mozart’s delightful masterpiece transports us into an enchanted world where good faces off against the forces of darkness; the perfect blend of high comedy and serious drama. Maestro Kraemer and the ECO hope you will join us for this memorable night at the opera!
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APR
PRELUDE TO THE DREAM Monday, April 13, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie, 7180 Perry Highway, Erie, PA Joe Luckey Recital Series
Guest lecturer, pianist and neuroscientist Dr. Martha Summa-Chadwick presents an in-depth look into the troubled and tortured minds of our most beloved composers; Brahms, Schumann, Beethoven and more. This chamber recital will feature various members of the ECO as well as a captivating multimedia presentation from Dr. Chadwick. Please see our website for more details.
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THE BURDEN OF GENIUS Friday, April 17, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, 225 West 7th Street, Erie, PA Matthew Kraemer Conductor Dr. Martha Summa-Chadwick Piano Stephen Barr Director of Choirs Slippery Rock University Concert Choir
Wolf Scherzo and Finale Beethoven Fantasia, Piano, Chorus and Orchestra, op. 80 Schumann Symphony No.4, op.120, d minor
A nationally recognized piano soloist, lecturer and neuroscientist Dr. Martha SummaChadwick collaborates with the ECO, the Barber National Institute and the Slippery Rock University Concert Choir for a one-of-a-kind concert. In residency for over a week during Autism Awareness Month, Dr. Chadwick will present lectures and recitals across the city focusing on her scholarly work in the field of music therapy and technology. Our Friday evening concert features Dr. Chadwick and the triumphant return of the Slippery Rock University Concert Choir, highlighting the works of composers with mental afflictions; Wolf, Beethoven and Schumann. A powerful, community-wide festival for audiences of all ages!
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JUN
SEASON FINALE Friday, June 5, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
Cathedral Prep Auditorium, 250 West 10th Street, Erie, PA Matthew Kraemer Conductor Bonita Boyd Flute
Beethoven Egmont: Overture Melinda Wagner Concerto for flute, strings and percussion Kodaly Dances of Marosszek (Marosszéki táncok) Dvorak Czech Suite, op.39, D Major (Ceská suita)
Our 37th season concludes with a lively, exciting concert featuring four eclectic pieces spanning the musical timeline. Bonita Boyd, professor at the Eastman School of Music and one of the most respected flautists in the world, presents our third concerto of the season from living, American composers; Melinda Wagner’s Concerto for flute, strings and percussion. Rounding out the concert, as well as this unforgettable season, are selections from Beethoven, Kodaly and Dvorak.
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CATHEDRAL PREP AUDITORIUM Our home for the 2014-2015 season! The ECO is honored to announce a new performance space for the 2014-2015 season – Cathedral Prep’s Auditorium. Nearly 800 padded seats, a spacious lobby, accessible bathrooms, parking and wonderful acoustics; you, the audience, requested a better concert-experience and we listened! We are also honored to be returning to the lovely confines of the First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant for our special concert in April featuring the Slippery Rock University Choir and piano soloist Dr. Martha SummaChadwick.
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First Presbyterian Church FRENCH ST
MYRTLE ST
SASSAFRAS ST
STATE ST
PEACH ST
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Cathedral Prep School 10 ST
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THE ECO STORY Since its beginning as the Erie Bayfront Orchestra in 1978, the Erie Chamber Orchestra has sustained the vision of its founder and longtime music director Bruce Morton Wright of making the tradition of concert music available to all music lovers free of charge. Comprised of the area’s finest professional musicians, the Erie Chamber Orchestra’s season grew progressively and created several musical traditions. In 1981, the orchestra began a series of tribute concerts for the Martin Luther King Day celebration. Following nine years later was the annual presentation of Menotti’s Christmas opera, “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” part of a holiday concert season that included a much-loved singalong program. Soon, the versatility and enterprise of Wright’s orchestra led to the creation of Erie Opera Theatre, with the Chamber Orchestra, and to the Orchestra’s appearance in the pit for Lake Erie Ballet’s presentation of “The Nutcracker.” The Orchestra also formed the nucleus of the Bemus Bay Pops orchestra that plays to ten thousand people on Chautauqua Lake during the Labor Day weekend. When Wright succumbed to multiple myeloma in 2011, the orchestra faced a crossroads. It responded in 2012 with the appointment of Steven Weiser in the new position of general manager and Matthew Kraemer as only the second music director in the Orchestra’s history.
Outreach The mission of the ECO is ensure that everyone has access to professional caliber classical music, regardless of age, income, education or cultural background. Outreach serving the youth of Erie has become the number one component of this already powerful mission statement. Serving thousands of children across the city each year, the ECO relies on your generous support to continue these incredible programs.
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Please visit our Educational Site to learn more: www.gannon.edu/eriechamberorchestra
Keep up to date with ECO online: www.gannon.edu/eriechamberorchestra. Look for us on the App Store as well as iTunes! facebook.com/eriechamberorchestra
youtube.com/user/ErieChamberOrchestra
twitter.com/ErieChamberOrch
eriechamberorchestra.wordpress.com
Steve Weiser General Manager | 814.871.7755 | weiser002@gannon.edu | Gannon University PMB 3287, 109 University Sq., Erie, Pa. 16541