Suburban Symphony Orchestra’s Suburban Symphony Orchestra’s 70th Anniversary 70th Anniversary
Sunday March 16, 2025 Sunday March 16, 2025 || 2:00pm 2:00pm
Severance Music Center Severance Music Center
Domenico Boyagian, Conductor Domenico Boyagian, Conductor Western Reserve Chorale Western Reserve Chorale West Shore Chorale West Shore Chorale
We would like to express our gratitude We would like to express our gratitude to Beachwood High School to Beachwood High School
We truly value the use of your facilities, We truly value the use of your facilities, and appreciate the pleasure of playing in and appreciate the pleasure of playing in your beautiful Auditorium. your beautiful Auditorium.
A Special thank you to: A Special thank you to:
Superintendent Robert P. Hardis
Superintendent Robert P. Hardis
Assistant Superintendent Ken Veon
Assistant Superintendent Ken Veon
Principal Paul Chase Principal Paul Chase Moises Calderon Moises Calderon
by Greg Takacs and Bonnie Svetlik
The Suburban Symphony Orchestra was founded and exists for the enjoyment of its member-players in rehearsing and performing great music. It also exists to provide concerts free of charge to our audience and to provide a forum for Cleveland's wealth of classical music talent, professional, amateur and student.
In 1955, a group of eight musicians, all high school friends, devoted to promoting symphonic music, founded the Suburban Symphony Orchestra (SSO) to continue to develop as musicians and to share their passion with the surrounding community. By inviting friends to join them, SSO grew to 35 members by the end of the first season. Leo Esral, a classmate of the founding members, conducted for the first season in 1955. The first concerts were held in multiple locations throughout the Cleveland area, and after the tenth season, SSO found its home in Beachwood, where the orchestra still presents their season of five concerts in the beautiful Beachwood High School Auditorium.
Over the course of 70 years, SSO has only had three Music Directors. In 1956, Robert Weiskopf was chosen to lead the orchestra. "Bob", as the orchestra members knew him, was a graduate of Eastman School of Music and studied with Serge Koussevitzky at Tanglewood. His marriage to an internationally famous pianist, Eunice Podis, coupled with his musical education, allowed Weiskopf to bring high musical standards and established strong connections to the professional musical world. In 1965, Bob instituted SSO's Young Soloist Concerts, an opportunity for gifted high school students to perform full concerti with a symphony orchestra. Many of SSO's Young Soloists have advanced to professional music careers. In addition, Bob was chairman of WCLV's annual fundraising drive for the Cleveland Orchestra, where one of the donor's prizes was an opportunity to conduct SSO. Bob was SSO's Music Director until his untimely passing in early 1979.
The 1979-1980 season featured four conductors who auditioned for the role of music director. In 1980, Martin Kessler was selected to lead the orchestra. Marty, who is a graduate of Harvard, expanded the orchestra's repertoire and programmed adventurous concerts over the years. The orchestra collaborated with different performers, in programs ranging from full operas like Bizet's Carmen to Klezmer Folk Music. In addition, many great orchestral/choral works were performed during his time as music director, from Mendelsohn's Elijah to Beethoven's Missa Solemnis to Dvorak's Stabat Mater. In 1987, Marty initiated SSO's "Operation Springboard" concerts to showcase emerging professionals such as Classical Guitarist Jason Vieaux. Martin Kessler retired from SSO in May 2018 after 38 years as Music Director by celebrating the music of Leonard Bernstein with SSO and longtime musical friends, Soprano Marian Vogel and Choral Arts Cleveland at the historic Maltz Performing Arts Center.
In the Fall of 2018, Domenico Boyagian, a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of M usic and several music institutions in Italy, became the third Music Director of the Suburban Symphony Orchestra after an extensive search. Domenico and the orchestra have performed many notable concerts since 2018, including the Faure Requiem, The Composer is Dead, student/artist collaborations with the Rainey Institute, and an uplifting Gospel Concert with the beloved Cleveland Chorale. Since 2018, Domenico and SSO have performed the complete Beethoven Symphony cycle which culminates in today's performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony Severance Music Center. Domenico initiated SSO's annual summer concerts beginning in 2021, after the success of the orchestra's very first concerts after Covid, and has initiated an aggressive campaign to enlarge the orchestra's string section. Today the 80+ member SSO stands healthier than ever as one of Cleveland's premier community orchestras.
A number of the orchestra's 80+ members are music professionals. Some work in nonperformance areas of the arts, such as music therapy, public school music, nonprofit management, and private teaching. Other members are well-trained musicians who are medical, architectural, educational, and business professionals. Nonetheless, all members are skilled instrumentalists who are true lovers of their art. The inter-generational membership of SSO spans more than 50 years in age. While the talents of new members are added to the mix each season, the current roster includes two members who have been involved from the 1960’s, Richard Polster and Bonnie Svetlik
The Suburban Symphony is grateful for the continuing support from Beachwood City Schools, The Ohio Arts Council, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, its members, and contribuition from our loyal audience.
On behalf of the members of the Suburban Symphony Orchestra, I would like to warmly welcome everyone to our 70th anniversary concert celebration! We are thrilled to present a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, one of humanity's most significant musical compositions, in one of the world's finest classical music concert venues.
The creation of eight dedicated musical friends in 1955, the Suburban Symphony Orchestra has grown over the years under the direction of only three music directors, Robert Weiskopf, Martin Kessler, and Domenico Boyagian. Today the orchestra is 88 members strong and performs six concerts per season.
Suburban Symphony Orchestra's members are dedicated to sharing our love of classical music with all of you, and are pleased to have the equally dedicated Western Reserve and West Shore Chorales performing with the us for our special event. We would like to thank Beachwood City Schools, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, and Ohio Arts Council for their support over the years. Please join us in enjoying the performance and celebrating this special occasion together.
Thank you all for attending and supporting us.
Gregory Takacs
SSO President
Dear patrons,
It is my honor to welcome you to the Mandel Concert Hall at the Severence Music Center to share in this historic moment for the Suburban Symphony Orchestra. Today, we celebrate our 70th year with a performance of one of the most incredible pieces of music ever composed, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
The Suburban Symphony has been performing for Cleveland area communities for the past seven decades, and has become an integral part of the lives of its musicians. They have played countless notes, turned thousands of pages, and played hundreds of pieces from ancient to contemporary times. We have collaborated with world famous musicians as well as performers just starting their musical journeys. As Cleveland has grown and changed, so has SSO, and many patrons and members alike have been intertwined with this orchestra throughout their lives.
Today, especially, we are connected with everyone sharing this music. Wrapped in the masterpiece of the fourth movement of this work, the “Ode to Joy” is a message of unity, harmony, and peace. Our world feels like an increasingly turbulent place, and music offers both a balm and a place of solace for all of us.
I couldn’t be more excited to share this special day with all of you, and I thank you for your support of this music and the community of artists who bring it to life. This performance is our birthday gift to you, because your presence in this moment gives us purpose. Enjoy!
Domenico Boyagian
SSO Music Director
Sunday March 16th, 2025 – 2:00pm
Severance Music Center
Domenico Boyagian, Conductor
Emily Margevich, Soprano
Quinn Middleman, Mezzo-soprano
John Pickle, Tenor
Young-Kwang Yoo, Baritone
Western Reserve Chorale | David Gilson, Artistic Director
West Shore Chorale | Michael Lisi, Artistic Director
J. SIBELIUS (1865-1957)
Karelia Suite, Op. 11 (1893)
I. Intermezzo
II. Ballade
III. Alla Marcia
~ Intermission ~
L. van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 (1824)
I Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
II Molto vivace
III. Adagio molto e cantabile
IV. Finale
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PLEASE, SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES
McKenna Glorioso Concertmaster
Bella Brandelis
Carolyn Downie
Kim Driscoll
Jessica Fish
Kendra Frey
Livia Karetka
Alan Lichtin
Caroline McCool
Marlena Noland
Dan Qu
Rei Sakurai
Maria Sedivy
Variyaporn Wiroonrat
Kei Yamauchi
VIOLIN II
Ryan Detwiler
Principal
Jenny Bohl
Helen Cheng
Bruce Knarr
Abbey Koehl
Felicia McDonald
Carina Montoya
George Nemeth
Jennifer Olson
Erin Ross
Donna Silk
Nancy Smekal
Laura Spraker
Barbara Truitt
Ken Uchino
Leia Withee
Carol Ann Youtz
VIOLA
Michael Potter-Schneider
Principal
Mandi Centeck
Anne Hunter
Claire Potter-Schneider
Allison Richards
Amy Roth
Alice Seifullah
Greg Takacs
CELLO
Ellie Glorioso
Principal
Samantha Beam
Tanya Blue
Michelle Chan
Joe Rondon-Cosme
David Ellis
Carl Greppin
Luda Grossman
Emily Hazzard
Karen Horowitz
Rochelle Hylton
Lena Kretzmer
Takashi Kunu
Jaden Mills
Marian Patterson
Elizabeth Rothenberg
Kathleen Spry
Fiona Tsang
Maya Uchino-Garcia
CONTRABASS
Patricia Johnston
Principal
Logan Babcock
Ruth Cavano
Jerry Eliason
Dan Conwell
Don T. Day
Tom Flowers
Rachel Kost
Allison Pressman
Eunice Podis and Robert C. Weiskopf conductor’s chair
FLUTE/PICCOLO
Bonnie Svetlik
Principal
Julianna Sabo
Principal
Suellen DeMattia
Ronna Kaplan
OBOE
Joy Slonaker
Idele and Allen Benjamin Chair
Sydnee Webb
BASSOON
Philip Kish
Principal
Carol Boyd Chair
Zoe Perrier
Gerald Beck Chair
CONTRABASSOON
Stuart Garlock
CLARINET
Bruce Langguth
Principal
James Patterson
Principal
Gayle Kish
Christopher Jones
BASS CLARINET
Christopher Jones
FRENCH HORN
Martin Layman
Principal
Alan DeMattia
Melinda Kellerstrass
Ethel and Herb Epstein Chair
Harlan Meinwald
Richard Polster
TRUMPET
Michael Rubin
Principal
Dave Wakser Chair
Steve Shafron
Elliot Korth
Chris Grostic
TROMBONE
George Carr
Principal
Victor Arias-Ocampo
Principal
John Fisher
Anna Spangler
BASS TROMBONE
Nicholas Matheos
TUBA
Ephrem King
TIMPANI
Darrell Garlock
PERCUSSION
Greg Spangler
Principal
John Sharp
Robert Weppler
HARP
Ardis Hartley-Billey
KEYBOARD
Suellen DeMattia
GENERAL MANAGER
Andrea SoncinaHubbard
David Gilson, Music Director
Claudia Cabrera
Barb Cavender
Julie Denker
Wendy Deuring
Debra Drew
Kim Freborg
Rosalyn Gaier
Veronica Gallo
Hannah Gilson
Sophie Gilson
Rosemary Gornik
Alison Gross
Suzanne Harrington
Judy Harrison
Beth Herchek
Mary Holmes
Leona Jackson
Nancy Jamieson
Karen Ling
Virginia Mast
Katherine McCarty
Samantha Miller
Stacy Newman
Lydia Oppmann
Laura Otis
Carol Porter
Paula Pronio
Linda Rahal
Michelle Raymond
Jane Richmond
Prudence Riva
Sayli Sant
Andrea Smith
Elizabeth Spencer
Mary Lou Sykora
Ginna Taft
Margo Vinney
Sally Wilson
Angela Yaniv
Melodie Yates
Pamela Young
ALTO
Cynthia Ahern
Tricia Armstrong
Deena Barrett
Jo Bennett
Andrea Ber
Brenda Bey
Kim Bihler
Karen Bower
Melinda Burt
Marilyn Christian
Sharon Core
Jessica Crist
Joan Delahay
Linda Frank
Elizabeth Gockel
Debby Goldenberg
Fern Grunberger
Linda Haligowski
Beth Harrod
Kristen Hasenohrl
Erica Hennigs
Kristin Hildebrandt
Mary Ann Hile
Rhona Jacobson
Janice Katz
Patricia Klaas
Judi Koffman
Carole Moran Krus
Anne Kugler
Christie Leece
Maxine Myers
Melody Obery
Patti Pinkerton
Marianne Prebet
Margaret Robinson
Rory Sanders
Ruth Shoskes
Julie Siegel
Doris Simpson
Martha Slater
Wanda Solaru
Carol Steiner
Sue Stewart-Palmisano
Kelsey Tarase
Isabel Trautwein
Diana Vargo
Lisa Wadsworth
Wendy Wagner
Summer Watterson
Blossom Williams
Rosemary Woodruff
TENOR
Eric Bower
Debbie Boyd-Tressler
Eric Brandt
Rick Drake
Susan Evans
Deborah Hoffman
Alex Jamieson
Karl Kaups
Bryan McGucken
Arlen Overholt
Jim Pintner
Bob Rittenhouse
Rick Schmid
John Sherck
Ban Twaddell
Mark Wakefield
Mark Wallach
BASS
David Aloi
Aaron Ballonoff
David Bell
Bill Benish
John Blackwell
Chris Brandt
Don Chilcote
Robert Gaier
Steven Hines
Tom Holmes
Donald Hylton
Dan Ivancic
Dennis Jakse
Dean Myers
Linn Obery
Michael Pammit
Dave Rainey
Frank Repasi
Don Robbins
John Rydquist
Gunter Schwegler
Greg Scruggs
Ed Solem
Tom Wadsworth
Michael Lisi, Music Director
SOPRANO
Becki Algeri
Cathleen Bohn
Rebekah Dovci
Anita Fjeldstad
Rebecca Fjeldstad
Megan Ghrist
Marjorie Hildebrandt
Millie Houston
Sarah Jesse
Colleen Kane
Marina Kassina
Samantha Loomis
Karen Margosian
Kathryn Morganti
Melinda Murray
Lorraine Riebel
Mary Shabab
Leslie Smith
Michelle Swislocki
Elizabeth Todd
Nina Waitzman
Lily Yee
Shruti Aring
Abby Baird
Kaitlyn Baker
Marilyn Crane
Deb DeCarlo
Hannah Deily
Sarma Eglite
Micayla Fern
Carly Greer
Virginia Holup
Gloria Homolak
Mary Kaskan
Mary Beth Larsen
Lisa Lisi
Ashley Murello
Mary Murphy
Avalon Nemec
Suzanne Norman
Kathy Sands
Carla Schober
Sonya Steckler
Diane Virostko
Jessica C. Williams
Karin Wishner
Janet Wroblewski
TENOR
Robert Bordon
Clarence Chavers
Lorn Fjeldstadt
Matthew Hisey
Dan Klinzing
Ray Lewis
Alex Lindenmeier
Christopher Lis
Matthew Perez-Stable
Christopher Switzer
Mike Weber
BASS
Ryan Becker
Tom Benham
Matt Bittner
James Bridges
Chris Duston
John Homolak
Tyler Howie
Matt Liese
Randy Malloy
Matthew Margosian
James McDonald
Charles Minnich
Robert Paraska
Robert Walker
Andrew Walsh
Maestro Domenico Boyagian, Music Director of The Suburban Symphony Orchestra and Cleveland Opera Theater, has been praised as a “born conductor” and “a conductor for whom the music is the sole point of standing before musicians” (Cleveland Plain Dealer). He has dedicated himself to both symphonic works and opera, producing performances of compelling artistry and beauty. Boyagian is “insightful in his grasp of style, leading the singers and orchestra with sensitivity in tempo and phrase” (Milwaukee’s Shepherd Express).
Boyagian celebrates his 7th season with the Suburban Symphony Orchestra for their 70th season, culminating in the performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on the stage of Severance Hall. This will conclude the Beethoven Cycle initiative, a multi-year journey through the symphonies of Beethoven led by Mo. Boyagian. The SSO 2024-25 season also features composers such as Dvorak, Glinka, Barber, and Sibelius, as well as the annual Young Soloist Concerto Competition. Always a champion for young performers, Mo. Boyagian was also the conductor for the “101 Pianists” program, collaborating with renowned pianist, Lang Lang in March of 2024.
As Music Director, Maestro Boyagian has made Cleveland Opera Theater the primary destination for opera audiences in northeast Ohio, and continues to collaborate with opera companies across the US, including Florentine Opera, Opera Southwest, Florida Grand Opera, Opera North, and the Manhattan School of Music. This fall, he led the companies of Opera Baltimore and Opera Delaware for Puccini’s La bohéme, following previous collaborations for La traviata and Cosí fan tutte.
Maestro Boyagian was born and raised in Bologna, Italy. His exposure to music and opera began at infancy, as the son of the internationally celebrated Verdi baritone Garbis Boyagian. He is a graduate of the Bologna Conservatory, Accademia Musicale Chigiana (in Siena, Italy), and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Maestro Boyagian led the Ohio Philharmonic in a recording of Edvard Grieg selections featuring Antonio Pompa-Baldi for Centaur Records, as well as the world premiere of Margaret Brouwer’s oratorio Voice of the Lake with Blue Streak Ensemble. He has been awarded a “Most Distinguished Artist” grant from the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture in Cleveland, and was named “One of 10 most successful Italians under 40 in the U.S.” by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce in New York City.
Soprano Emily Margevich is “a star in the making (Bachtrack), acclaimed for her “charismatic and commanding” performances (The New York Times). This “poised and fearless Prima Donna” (Musical America) has been on stage since age two, performing professionally in Musical Theatre throughout her childhood in the Midwest. Emily continues to earn praise as a “luminous soprano” (Wall Street Journal) with “a voice of liquid beauty” (Opera Magazine) that is “big and luxurious, with a cascading quality, like a bolt of silk dropped from a balcony” (Parterre).
Throughout her education at DePaul University and The Academy of Vocal Arts, Margevich placed First in the Sid Kleinmann Competition, Second in The Jensen Foundation Competition, Third in The Meistersinger Competition in Austria, and was a multi-year District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Competition. Now a Company Artist at OperaDelaware, Ms. Emily is most known for her portrayals of Tatyana, Musetta, and Donna Elvira.
Praised for her “fine, warm mezzo-soprano voice," Quinn Middleman is known for her dynamic artistry and as an "animated musical storyteller." She looks forward to 2024-25 engagements including returns to Annapolis Opera as Berta/Il barbiere di Siviglia and Haymarket Opera as Mary Cleofe/Resurrezione, and a debut with Opera Montana in her signature role as The Witch/The Mother/Hansel and Gretel. She will premiere Rosśa Crean’s Westifaria with the PICOSA Ensemble.
In the 2023-24 season, she appeared as Nunzia/La liberazione di Ruggiero with Haymarket Opera, Third Lady/Die Zauberflöte with Annapolis Opera, Jeibaba/Rusalka with Opera Ithaca, several roles in L'enfant et les sortilèges with Salt Marsh Opera, and Podtochina/ Countess/The Nose with Chicago Opera Theater. She was proud to win 1st Place in the Opera Mississippi John Alexander National Vocal Competition. In the 2022-23 season, she sang the Page/Salome (covering Herodias) at Madison Opera and the Witch/Hansel and Gretel with Opera Birmingham, covered Handel’s titular Ariodante at Pittsburgh Opera, and joined The Santa Fe Opera as a member of the 2023 Apprentice Singers Program, covering Geneviève/Pelléas et Mélisande and Ninfa/Orfeo.
Quinn has recently appeared as Alisa/Lucia di Lammermoor with Mad ison Opera, Mother/Amahl and the Night Visitors with Opéra Louisiane, The Mother/The Scarlet Ibis with Chicago Opera Theater, Alto Soloist/Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Testo/La Susanna with Haymarket Opera, Filippyevna/Eugene Onegin with Music Academy of the West, Countess (cover)/Queen of Spades at Des Moines Metro Opera, Jeibaba/The Littlest Mermaid with OPERA Iowa, and Alto Soloist/Messiah with Utah Symphony. In competition, Quinn placed first in the Opera Birmingham Competition, won the Mozart Prize at the Orpheus Vocal Competition, and was a finalist in the Argento Vocal Competition. She was a LYNX Project Artist in Residence and a Utah Opera Resident Artist, with whom she appeared as Flora/La Traviata and Madeleine/Silent Night and covered Rosina/Il barbiere di Siviglia. She has also performed with Crested Butte Music Festival, Chautauqua Opera, Central City Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, and Tanglewood Music Center, among others. She holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University, and received bachelor’s degrees in both Oboe Performance and Vocal Arts from the University of Southern California.
John Pickle, tenor, enjoys an active career on both the operatic and concert stage. Operatically, he has appeared with Los Angeles Opera, Lyric Opera Chicago, Opera Colorado, Michigan Opera Theater, Florida Grand Opera, Nashville Opera, Lyric Opera Kansas City, New York City Opera, Hawai’i Opera Theater, Florentine Opera, Sarasota Opera, Cleveland Opera Theater, Dayton Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Tampa, Maryland Opera, Mobile Opera, Opera Southwest, Opera Louisianne, and Opera Delaware in roles spanning the lyric spinto repertoire of Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, Leoncavallo, Mascagni, and Wagner.
Concert work has included Mahler’s monumental 8th Symphony and Das Lied von der Erde, Verdi’s Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with companies including Houston Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Mississippi Symphony, Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony, The National Chorale, and The Orchestra Now at Bard College. For more information, please visit www.johnpickle.com
Praised by New York Times and Opera News for "Vocal dexterity and outstanding Italian diction.", "Mr. Yoo showcased a rich, reverberant baritone." And “He provided sturdy, empathetic presence.”
Previous credits include Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro), Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), La Bohème (Marcello), Le Nozze di Figaro (Il Conte), Carmen (Escamillo), Lakmé (Frederic), Madama Butterfly (Sharpless), Luisa Miller (Miller), Emmeline (Mr. Maguire), Pelléas et Mélisande (Pelléas), Don Pasquale (Malatesta), Rigoletto (Rigoletto) and so on.
For his role Figaro in the Barber of Seville with the Florida Grand Opera and the Cleveland Opera Theater, Cleveland Classical and Pro Opera Florida hailed for "Baritone Young Kwang Yoo brought an ultimate suavity, and a special combination of tone and power to Figaro.", “He made his debut in the role of Figaro and did so in a big way. He acted with ease and the required nonchalance at certain moments, showing a comic visage reinforced from the vocal aspect.” Also, the Operawire hailed his role, Escamillo, for “The stand-out performance of the evening came from baritone Young-Kwang Yoo.”
Young-Kwang has appeared on broadcasting in US and Korea. As a rising opera star, he was introduced CNN News and Reuters. Also, the Voice of America took a documentary paying attention to his life which has been moving to his dream as an international opera singer. In addition, he has been showed many of famous Korean TV shows on KBS, MBC, tvN, C channel, CBS and CTS channels.
How fitting that WRC has been invited to sing Beethoven's Ninth, an Ode to Joy, during our harmoniously advance the joy of music in Northeast Ohio by providing free public concerts
June. Prospective members are welcome to come
THE WESTERN RESERVE CHORALE 2024-2025 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President - Sharon Core
Vice President - Bryan McGucken
Secretary - Samantha Miller
Treasurer - Andrea Ber
Richard Drake, Jane Richmond, John Sherck, Kelsey Tarase, Mark Wakefield
Learn more about us at www.WesternReserveChorale.org
David Gilson has served as Artistic Director for the Western Reserve Chorale since 2012. He also serves on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University and holds degrees in music from Allegheny College and the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) with major studies in the fields of vocal performance, choral conducting and Dalcroze eurhythmics.
David has served as the director of music for Church of the Saviour (Cleveland Heights), Chagrin Falls UMC, and Bethany Covenant Church (Lyndhurst). He has also conducted NorthEast Ohio ensembles including Choral Arts Cleveland, the Singers’ Club of Cleveland, the University Circle Chorale and Chamber Choirs, and the CIM Singers.
Having stepped down from the Cleveland Institute of Music following a 30-year career of administration and teaching on the faculty (choral conducting and eurhythmics), he currently works for the Cleveland Heights/University Heights school district.
David appeared as the guest conductor/clinician for the Fireland’s District Music Festival. Additionally, he has also served as choral director for Park Synagogue, Pathfinder Music Camp, Bethany Covenant Church, and the Allegheny College Chapel Choir.
As a vocalist, David has appeared numerous times as a recitalist in Northeast Ohio, Florida, New York and Pennsylvania and as soloist with various choral ensembles. He has appeared in musicals and operas including productions with the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, CIM Opera and Lyric Opera Cleveland.
Western Reserve Chorale presents Dan Forrest's Jubilate Deo, a stunning global celebration of joy, as all the earth sings as one, "onmis terra, jubilate!"
Free and open to the public. This concert will be live streamed. Donations gratefully accepted at the door and online.
WESTERN RESERVE CHORALE IS GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF MANY INDIVIDUAL DONORS AND THE FOLLOWING CORPORATE SPONSORS
Created by Rhona • Judson Living • Lake View Cemetery Margaret Wong & Associates Appletree Books • Carpet Capitol • Chilcote Dohnal & Tizzano • Endeavor Wealth Advisors • Dr. Anderzej Groch & Cynthia Maleski Groch, J.D. • Leona Jackson, CPA • Kingdom Light & Building • Katherine McCarty, Realtor • Mug & Brush • Dean Myers, Author • Parthenon Global Systems • Schwegler Clock Repair • Shaker Quality Auto Body • Simply Gourmand • Sweet Energies • Winkelmann Insurance • Working with Nature Inc.
Our Mission: To enrich the lives of singers, audiences, and West Shore residents through the transformative power of choral singing.
The West Shore Chorale is a non-profit arts organization, dedicated to enriching lives through the beauty and power of choral music. Committed to the highest performance standards, the Chorale presents a varied selection of repertoire, from traditional to rarely–heard compositions. By offering affordable ticket prices and highly accessible venues, the Chorale strives to share these great choral works with the widest possible range of audiences. A list of past performences can be found on our website www.westshorechorale.org, in “Past Performances.”
The Chorale regularly collaborates with local schools and other performance groups to showcase the talents of musicians from all walks of life. The group has performed on radio and television, with the Canton Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Philharmonic, Lakeside Orchestra, Cleveland Women’s Orchestra and Opera Circle; for the Ohio Choral Director’s Association, and the Ohio Music Education Association and with many schools including Avon Lake High School, Learwood Middle School, Lakewood High School and Riverside Children’s Choir. They have also collaborated with various community choirs including TrueNorth, Southwest Chorus, Good Company, the Oberlin Singers, The Ashtabula Community Chorus, Madison Chorale, Lakeland Civic Chorus, and the Wade Raridon Singers and the bell choirs from Rocky River United Methodist and Westlake United Methodist Churches.
In 2010 The Chorale sponsored their first “Choral Scholars” program which brought quartets of west side high school singers to perform Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Chorale. This program has been repeated with performances of Handel’s Samson, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Haydn’s Creation, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse, and Dvorák’s Te Deum. More than 100 students have benefited from the Choral Scholars Program. Chorus membership and concerts are free to all students.
2025 Spring Masterworks Concert Sunday, May 4, 2025, 7:30pm
Avon Lake High School | Performing Arts Center 175 Avon Belden Rd., Avon Lake, OH Mozart – “Great” Mass in C minor, K. 427 | Beethoven – Fantasia in C minor, Op. 80
Mr. Lisi has 35 years of experience as a choral director and music specialist in Ohio public schools. He served seven years as Director of Choral Activities at Avon Lake HS after completing 16 years as Director of Vocal Music at Learwood Middle School. He previously taught vocal music, grades K-12, in the Lakewood City Schools and Columbus Public Schools, served as Assistant Director of the Columbus Boychoir, Director of the Riverside Academy of Music Chorale, and as a teacher with the Young Scholars Program at the Ohio State University. After retiring from public school teaching, Mr. Lisi was appointed to the position of Artistic Director of the West Shore Chorale, an auditioned choir residing on the west side of Cleveland, which performs large works for chorus and orchestra.
Mr. Lisi has presented clinics and reading sessions for both the Ohio Music Educators Association and the Ohio Choral Directors Association state conferences, and his choirs have also been selected to perform at these events. He has served OMEA as the District 4 Honor Choir Chairperson, as a member of the Ohio All-State Choir selection committee, is an adjudicator of voice, piano and choral events, was Chair of the Choral Activities Committee for the 2006 OMEA State Conference in Cleveland, has served as Junior High Affairs Chair, Vocal Affairs Chair, and Vocal Advisor on the OMEA Adjudicated Events Committee. He has overseen the publication of sightreading compositions for District and State Choral Adjudicated Events and the committees which select literature for the required performance lists for these events. Mr. Lisi has served as Middle School Repertoire and Standards Chair, Northeast Region Chair, and Newsletter Editor for the Ohio Choral Directors Association. For four years, he served on the Committee for Arts and Innovative Thinking, an initiative of the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio State Legislature, and the Governor of Ohio.
Mr. Lisi is often called on as a guest conductor for district and county honor choirs and is sought as a clinician and speaker throughout the state of Ohio and beyond. Mr. Lisi served as a Guest Editorialist for Choral Director Magazine, authoring a series of articles titled, “The Choral Commission: A Model for Enrichment and Integration in the Middle Scho ol Choral Curriculum. He has several times been listed in Who's Who Among America's Teachers.
Mr. Lisi holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Miami University, a Master of Arts degree from The Ohio State University, a Master of Business Administration in finance and marketing from Cleveland State University and has taken courses toward a PhD in Music Education at Case Western Reserve University.
Mr. Lisi lives in Avon Lake with his wife, Lisa, and daughter, Rebecca.
Karelia Suite, Op.11 by
J. Sibelius
Notes by Dan Qu
Karelia, a region straddling the border between Finland and Russia, holds deep historical significance for Finnish national identity and is considered the cradle of Finnish culture. Much of this historically important area, however, is now under Russian co ntrol. In 1893, university students at Viipuri (Vyborg), Karelia's capital, commissioned Jean Sibelius to compose incidental music for a series of patriotic tableaux depicting Karelian history from 1293 to 1811. The resulting work, Karelia Music, comprised an Overture, eight Tableaux, and two Intermezzi, eleven pieces in total. Sibelius, deeply immersed in Karelianism —a Finnish nationalist movement—and having traveled extensively in the region collecting folk tunes, found rich inspiration in the symbolic weight of Karelian history for the burgeoning Finnish national spirit. He later extracted three movements from Karelia Music, made minor revisions, and conducted their premiere as the Karelia Suite just ten days after the complete work's debut.
The Karelia Suite opens with the first movement, Intermezzo. A Brucknerian opening features four horns sounding a distant fanfare against a murmuring string tremolo. This brass theme, borrowed from the middle section of Tableau 3, originally accompanied a scene depicting Karelian woodsmen traveling in winter to pay taxes to a foreign (Lithuanian) prince in 1333. The fanfare swells, transforming into a spirited march before receding into the distance.
The second movement, Ballade, evokes the oral traditions of Karelia with a wistful nostalgia. Based on Tableau 4, it portrays the 15th-century king, Karl Knutsson, temporarily deposed and residing in his Karelian castle, listening to a bard's songs. The movement begins with a simple, melancholic melody introduced by clarinets and bassoons, gradually taken up by the strings, creating a rich and textured soundscape. Following an extended English horn solo, the movement concludes with the oboe quietly reprising the opening melody.
The final movement, Alla Marcia, depicts preparations for battle. In ABABA rondo form, it opens with an exhilarating marching theme played by the strings. The trumpets introduce a second, joyful, and energetic theme, which is then taken up by other wind instruments. After a repetition of both themes, the movement culminates in a triumphant combination of the two.
The Karelia Suite remains a cherished work in Sibelius's oeuvre. It offers a fascinating glimpse into his early compositional style and his profound connection to Finnish folklore and national identity. Through evocative melodies and vibrant orchestration, the suite paints a vivid and enduring portrait of Karelian history and landscape.
Beethoven’s
Notes by David Rothenberg, Professor of Music, Case Western Reserve University
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) came of age as Haydn and Mozart were perfecting the Viennese classical style, an idiom in which the major genres of orchestral and chamber music gained clear formal expectations that composers adhered to and deviated from in turn. It was this push and pull of met and thwarted expectations that guided the listener’s experience. Though the young Beethoven emulated Haydn and Mozart in his early period (generally dated 1792–1802), he began to push beyond the bounds of their style in his middle (1803–14) and late (1814–27) periods. His Third Symphony (“Eroica,” 1803–4) expanded the symphony to dimensions not seen previously, and his Fifth Symphony (1804–8) wove the thematic material of its movements together while also creating a triumphant narrative from the key of C minor in the first movement to C major in the finale. These works were intended not just to be Beethoven’s next symphonies, but to be musical monuments to make grand statements that could be studied, contemplated, and contended with in future compositions.
His Ninth Symphony in D minor (1824) makes the grandest statement of all, lasting far longer even than the Eroica and adopting the minor-to-major narrative of the Fifth Symphony while using its finale to reflect back on the absolute music of its first three movements and, in a sense, to reject them in favor of joyful song by introducing singers and a choir. What emerges in the finale as a hymn-like D major tune in the cello gives way to solo voices and, ultimately, a choir singing words
adapted from Friedrich Schiller’s poem “Ode to Joy” (1785). The enormous performing forces of instruments and voices all come together to praise the creator “who must dwell beyond the stars” and who created the joyful world. It is a fitting message to celebrate Suburban Symphony Orchestra’s 70th anniversary.
The first movement (Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso) emerges as if from primordial nothingness. Amorphous initial tones that resemble the sound of the orchestra tuning give way to a strong and dramatic D minor theme, which serves as the basis for a full sonata form featuring a contrasting theme in B-flat major.
The second movement, labeled Molto vivace, is a scherzo still in the first movement’s key of D minor. Though quick and lively, it echoes the dramatic character of the opening movement, with the timpani, active in a supporting role to this point, now playing a solo figure that provides a level of gravitas unusual in a scherzo. A relentless rhythmic drive accelerates several times in the movement to the point of collapse, with respite coming only in a D major trio section that features the woodwinds, French horns, and, unexpectedly, trombones.
The third movement (Adagio molto e cantabile) is slow, lyrical, and in B-flat major, the key of the first movement’s contrasting theme. It is a double variation form, meaning that variations on two different themes are presented alternately over the course of the drawn -out movement, which lasts nearly as long as the first movement.
The finale, by far the longest of the four movements, is where the Ninth Symphony makes its grand statement. It opens with a dissonant and frightening fanfare that yields to the cellos and basses playing alone in recitative-like passages that evoke speech without words. These instrumental speeches are punctuated intermittently by the full orchestra, which brings back the opening themes of each of the first three movements in turn, as if to remind the cellos and basses of what has come before. But each time, the cellos/basses reject this invitation to return, and eventually and the full orchestra moves on, slowly introducing elements of the Ode to Joy melody, which emerges bit by bit until the cellos and basses state it all the way through unaccompanied. The rest of the movement is largely a set of variations on this famous theme. First come instrumental variations, culminating in an emphatic, triumphant statement by the full orchestra that recalls the orchestration of the heroic finale of the Fifth Symphony.
But this statement breaks down in a return of the brooding fanfare from the opening of the movement, after which the bass soloist a voice singing for the first time ever in the most instrumental of genres, the symphony! enters with a plea: “O friends, no more of these tones; but rather let us sound ones that are more cheerful, and more full of joy.” He sings the first verse of Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” with interjections from the chorus, after which all four soloists collaborate in the singing of the next two verses to variations of the melody.
Next comes a variation in the character of a military march in the key of B -flat major a key which has figured prominently elsewhere in the symphony. The triangle and cymbals in this march evoke the sound of Turkish Janissary bands, or at least the Viennese conception of such bands. The tenor soloist and the chorus sing over the march, urging “brothers” to “run joyfully like a triumphant hero.” The march then dissolves in a fugue, the mark of learned composition. But the fugue is shortlived and soon gives way to a quiet interlude, followed by the most famous passage of the entire symphony: the full orchestra and chorus re-stating the entire first verse of the “Ode to Joy” emphatically and at full volume.
After this moment of triumph, the lower voices of the choir and the trombones at this time still largely known as church instruments collaborate in a hymn-like melody as the text turns to “a loving father” who “must dwell above the canopy of the stars.” For the remainder of the movement, earthly joy, conquering heroes, heavenly praise, and the glories of abstract musical constructions combine with one another to make a grand musical, philosophical, and even theological statement about the power of joy to shape our world.
Ode an die Freude, from Symphony No. 9
Text by Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805)
O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen und freudenvollere!
Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder, Was die Mode streng geteilt; Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.
Wem der große Wurf gelungen, Eines Freundes Freund zu sein, Wer ein holdes Weib errungen, Mische seinen Jubel ein!
Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele
Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!
Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle Weinend sich aus diesem Bund.
Freude trinken alle Wesen An den Brüsten der Natur; Alle Guten, alle Bösen Folgen ihrer Rosenspur. Küsse gab sie uns und Reben, Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod; Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben, Und der Cherub steht vor Gott!
Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen
Durch des Himmels prächt’gen Plan,
Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn, Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.
Seid umschlungen, Millionen. Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt! Brüder! Über’m Sternenzelt Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen. Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen? Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt? Such’ ihn über’m Sternenzelt! Über Sternen muß er wohnen.
Ode to Joy English translation
Oh friends, no more of these sounds! Let us sing more cheerful songs, More full of joy!
Joy, bright spark of divinity, Daughter of Elysium, Fire-inspired we tread
Thy sanctuary!
Thy magic power reunites
All that custom has divided; All men become brothers
Under the sway of thy gentle wings.
Whoever has created An abiding friendship, Or has won
A true and loving wife, All who can call at least one soul theirs, Join in our song of praise!
But any who cannot must creep tearfully
Away from our circle.
All creatures drink of joy
At nature’s breast.
Just and unjust
Alike taste of her gift; She gave us kisses and the fruit of the vine, A tried friend to the end.
Even the worm can feel contentment, And the cherub stands before God!
Gladly, like the heavenly bodies
Which He set on their courses through the splendor of the firmament; Thus, brothers, you should run your race, As a hero going to conquest.
You millions, I embrace you. This kiss is for all the world!
Brothers, above the starry canopy
There must dwell a loving Father. Do you fall in worship, you millions? World, do you know your Creator?
Seek Him in the heavens!
Above the stars must He dwell.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Season 2024-2025
OFFICERS
Greg Takacs - President
Martin Layman - Vice President
Tanya Blue - Secretary
Barb Truitt - Treasurer
MEMBERS AT LARGE
Samantha Beam
Michelle Chan
Carl Greppin
Abbey Koehl
Joy Slonaker
STEERING COMMITTEE
Anne Hunter
Bonnie Svetlik
Mandi Centeck
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Anne Hunter - Donation Acknowledgement
Harlan Meinwald - Finance
Mandi Centeck - Grants
Donna Silk - Good and Welfare
Maria Sedivy, Carolyn Downie - Librarians
Bonnie Svetlik - Programming Committee
Joy Slonaker, Mandi Centeck - Personnel
Carolyn Downie, Sydnee Webb - Social Media
Jenny Bohl - Young Soloists
1960’s- 70’s
1967 Joseph Hanlon
1968 John Saint-Amour
1969 Leonard Solomon
1970 David Wakser
1971 Leonard Holstein
1972 Idele Benjamin
1973 Rose Stevenson
1974 Bennett Levine
1975 Aubrey Moore
1976 Laurel Lebovic
1977 Gordon Shecket
1978 Myron J. Solowitz
1979 Lucille Rubin
2000’s
2000 Suellen DeMattia
2001 Anne Hunter
2002 Betty Petranek
2003 Roy Hawthorne
2004 Dan LItt
2005 Greg Takacs
2006 Jerry Eliason
2007 Sonia Margles
2008 Mike Rubin
2009 Shana Litt
1980 Janet Smith
1981 Marvin Gale
1982 Herbert Perla
1983 Lillian Ciro
1984 Willard Blum
1985 Richard Polster
1986 Bonnie Svetlik
1987 Esther Isenstadt
Nate Simon
1988 Susan Allen
1989 Kathleen Samuel Janet Schoon
1990 Alan Singerman
Marc Saltzberg
1991 Marlene Krause
1992 Harlan Meinwald
1993 Ethel Epstein
1994 Donna Lalewicz
1995 Jim Patterson
1996 Connie Roop
1997 Carol Boyd
1998 Martin Hersch
1999 Gail Wild
2010 Eric Dina
2011 Robert Anastos, Darrell Garlock
2012 Gerry Beck Ray Leanza
2013 Susan Blackwell
2014 David Clare
2015 Kathleen Spry
2016 Martin Layman
2017 Maria Sedivy
2018 Greg Spangler, Evelyn
Lichtenberg, Steven
Shafron, Gayle Kish
2019 Anne Hunter
2021 Mandi Centeck
2022 Gayle Kish
2023 Sydnee Webb
2024 Jenny Bohl
The Young Soloists Concerto Competition is a long-standing tradition and a highlight of our season. Students grades 7-12, playing any orchestral instrument, (including piano) are invited to audition for an opportunity to perform a movement of their concerto with the SSO.
Each year, the winners dazzle the audience with their musicality and virtuosity and inspire our orchestra to rise to their level. Many past winners such as pianist Orion Weiss, and Cleveland Orchestra members Diane Mather and Eliesha Nelson have gone on to distinguished professional careers. Who will be next?
Announcing Our 2024-2025 Winners: Aika Birch (violin), James Carson (piano)
DON’T MISS OUR UPCOMING YOUNG SOLOISTS WINNERS’ CONCERT! May 18, 2025 | 3:30pm | Beachwood High School SSO will also perform Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 2
CONDUCTOR’S CLUB ($1000+)
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John Fisher
In memory of John’s sister, Kathleen Fisher
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Charitable Fund
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In honor of Jenny Bohl
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PATRON ($100-$249)
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All Contributions received between 5/14/2024 and 03/04/2025 (SF) = Robert C. Weiskopf Sustaining Fund
Barbara Hansen
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Justin DeLong
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In honor of Stas Golovin
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CONCERTMASTER’S CLUB ($45-$80/month)
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Sagie Henig
In memory of Israel Henig
A wide range of experience in music, and in life!
• SSO Members range in age from teens to 80’s
• The number of years Members have played with Suburban Symphony ranges from 1-56
• SSO Members have played their instruments from 3 to 70 years!
SSO brings people together from different backgrounds and walks of life.
• Geographic: The majority of SSO Members live in eastern Cuyahoga County, however numerous members commute from as far as Avon, Medina, Strongsville, Cuyahoga Falls, Aurora, Chesterland, Kent, and Middleburg Heights for weekly rehearsals in Beachwood.
• Occupations: SSO brings together people from over 40 different professions – musical
Representative Word Map of SSO Member Occupations
SSO BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER FROM CUYAHOGA COUNTY AND BEYOND! 100% of SSO Members surveyed reported meeting someone new at SSO who they would not have met otherwise.
• I was looking for a way to incorporate music back into my life and be a part of a group again. As for staying, everyone in the orchestra has been so kind and welcoming. It’s a wonderful environment for people who love music
• After the pandemic, I was looking for a new group activity. SSO is right in my neighborhood and once I tried it out, I was really enjoying playing again after a long break.
• I wanted to join because the rehearsals were close to my home. I stayed because I was learning new music and new ways to think about it.
• I wanted a group to play with, wanted to play large symphonic pieces, great leadership that pushes us to be our best but also fosters a sense of community music.
• Nice programming, attitude of players and conductor were great - demanding but not demeaning, fun to make music.
WHY MEMBERS LOVE SSO: SSO improves members’ quality of life. Here’s what they have to say!
A
Legacy of Music: A Legacy of Music: Celebrating Celebrating 70 Years 70 Years of of the Suburban Symphony Orchestra the Suburban Symphony Orchestra
For seven decades, the Suburban Symphony Orchestra has brought music to life, and today we celebrate the countless musicians who have shaped our journey.
To every performer who has shared their talent and every audience member who has listened, applauded, and supported us - thank you.
“You are our community. We are your orchestra.”
~ Maestro Domenico Boyagian
