FWSO Program guide

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TCU’s College of Fine Arts prepares the next generation of creative leaders through personalized mentorship from leading performers and scholars, fostering academic and artistic development.

Three School of Music faculty received the prestigious Gentling Fellowship from the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and presented a concert honoring Fort Worth artists and musicians Stuart and Scott Gentling.

Learn From World-Class Faculty

go.tcu.edu/music-fellowship

AMON CARTER MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

Discover the UTSW difference in Fort Worth.

When it comes to gynecologic cancer care, choose the experts.

UT Southwestern’s Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in North Texas. Also ranked among the top 20 for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report, we are proud to offer world-class medical treatment in Fort Worth.

Our experts provide specialized, compassionate care that is evidence-based –the kind you can only find in an academic medical center environment. We are not just treating gynecologic cancer; we are driving discoveries, leading clinical trials, and utilizing the latest technology to bring our patients the best in modern medicine – close to home.

is

© Fondazione Torlonia, Rome
This exhibition is supported in part by Frost. Promotional support provided by American Airlines, NBC 5/Telemundo 39, and the Fort Worth Report.
The exhibition
co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and Fondazione Torlonia, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum Box.

About Robert Spano 5 About Dame Jane Glover 6 About Stephanie Rhodes Russell

7 Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Roster

8 Program 1: Yacht Rock Symphony

12

FWSO STAFF

EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Keith Cerny, Ph.D. President and CEO

OPERATIONS

Sam Pavel Vice President of Operations

Jason Leyva Director of Operations and Production

Tim Vinson Production Manager

Christopher Hawn Principal Librarian

David Sterrett Associate Librarian

Program 3: REWIND: Music of the 80s

Program 2: Jurassic Park in Concert 14

20

25

Program 4: Saint-Georges’ Sword and Bow

Program 5: Mozart and Mahler’s Fourth 31

Program 6: Home for the Holidays 36 Board of Directors

Thomas Zuber Assistant Orchestra Librarian

Pierce Baruk Artistic Services Coordinator

DEVELOPMENT

Stephanie Moreau Senior Director of Development

Camille McPherson Individual Giving Manager

Morgan Tingle Institutional Giving Manager

Emily Hazlett Donor Engagement Manager

Alexia Wixom Development Operations Coordinator

BOX OFFICE

Tess Todora Director of Ticketing Services

Veronica Morris Box Office Associate

Rachel Raley Box Office Associate

Mary Russell Box Office Associate

Jarrett Self Box Office Associate

Paul Taylor Box Office Associate

FINANCE

Kenneth Rinehart Director of Accounting

Lucas Baldwin Senior Staff Accountant

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL & HUMAN RESOURCES

Jacque Carpenter Vice President of HR

Araminta Stephens HR Administrator

Kayla Aftahi Orchestra Personnel Manager

Savanna Cardenas Orchestra Personnel Manager

MARKETING

Monica Sheehan Director of Marketing

Melanie Boma Senior Tessitura Database Manager

Joanna Calhoun Marketing Manager

Catherine Anderson Marketing Coordinator

EDUCATION

Josselin Garibo Pendleton Senior Manager, Education and Community Programs

Dear Friends,

Thank you for joining us for another fabulous season with the FWSO. There are so many exciting and unique performances to look forward to. This month, we welcome Dame Jane Glover for her first concert as the FWSO’s newly appointed Principal Guest Conductor. While she is best known for her work with Baroque and Classical repertoire, particularly Mozart and Handel, she will be conducting Mahler for the first time in her illustrious career.

In addition to remarkable programming, the FWSO is always looking for new ways to engage its patrons and supporters, and we welcome you to join the “Angel’s Program”. Throughout the season, guests who make a night-of donation of $100 or more in support of our music education initiatives will enjoy a complimentary glass of wine during the concert intermission. Each gift of $100 allows up to 20 students to participate in one of the FWSO’s music education experiences.

We look forward to toasting to your generosity and hope you will join us with your friends and guests.

With much appreciation and gratitude,

Dear Patron,

Following Music Director Robert Spano’s superb performances during opening weekend, we have many more exciting musical performances in store for you. On the Symphonic Series, we welcome Dame Jane Glover in her debut with the FWSO as Principal Guest Conductor, performing works of Mozart and Mahler. Her past performances with the FWSO have been exhilarating, and you won’t want to miss her official debut in her new role!

On the Pops and Specials Series, we have two exciting tribute concerts: Yacht Rock Symphony and REWIND: Music of the 80s. For our movies with orchestra programming, we will present Jurassic Park in Concert, conducted by Ron Spigelman. This full-length movie with live orchestra will be projected in 4D. On the first performance of the year on our Family Series, we will present Saint-Georges’ Sword and Bow, which brings to life an extraordinarily gifted contemporary of Mozart’s. These popular programs are intended to be a musical “on ramp” to the FWSO’s Symphonic and Pops Series and are suitable for all ages. Then, at the end of November, our popular Music Director Laureate Miguel Harth-Bedoya returns to lead the orchestra in one of the community’s favorite events: Home for the Holidays.

This set of concerts perfectly captures the extraordinary range of the types of music and concerts we produce, and we are grateful for the support of our donors and patrons. We look forward to seeing you in person!

Yours sincerely,

Robert Spano

Music Director

Robert Spano, conductor, pianist, composer, and teacher, is known worldwide for the intensity of his artistry and distinctive communicative abilities, creating a sense of inclusion and warmth among musicians and audiences that is unique among American orchestras. Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) since August 2022, Spano will continue there through July 2031, shaping the artistic direction of the orchestra and driving its continued growth. This season, Spano also steps into the role of Music Director of the Washington National Opera (WNO) for a three-year term. An avid mentor to rising artists, he is responsible for nurturing the careers of numerous celebrated composers, conductors, and performers. As Music Director of the Aspen Music Festival and School since 2011, he oversees the programming of more than 300 events and educational programs for 630 students and young performers; he also directs the Aspen Conducting Academy, which offers participants unparalleled training and valuable podium experience. After 20 seasons as Music Director with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO), he now serves as its Music Director Laureate. He also becomes Principal Guest Conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School this season, where he previously served as Principal Conductor.

In his fourth season as music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Spano leads more than six symphonic programs,

including a world premiere by Michael Gandolfi. Spano leads two productions at Washington National Opera in 2025-2026: the company’s production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and a new production of Robert Ward’s Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award®–winning opera The Crucible. Other highlights of the season include a return to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for two programs celebrating the 250th anniversary of America’s independence and guest conducting appearances with the Louisville Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Spano’s newest recording as a pianist and composer is a collaboration with mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor, “Songs of Orpheus,” a series of song cycles by Edvard Grieg, Claude Debussy, George Crumb, and Spano himself, on Sono Luminus (August 22, 2025).

Robert Spano made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2019, leading the US premiere of Nico Muhly’s Marnie. Recent concert highlights include several world-premiere performances, including The Sacrifice of Isaac by Jonathan Leshnoff with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Steven Mackey’s Aluminum Flowers and James Ra’s Te Deum with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra; Jake Heggie’s Earth 2.0 with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra; a new production of Fidelio with the Washington National Opera; Of Earth and Sky: Tales From the Motherland by Brian Raphael Nabors with the FWSO and Rhode Island Philharmonic; and Voy a Dormir by Bryce Dessner at Carnegie Hall, with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and mezzosoprano Kelley O’Connor.

With a discography of critically acclaimed recordings for Telarc, Deutsche Grammophon, and ASO Media, Robert Spano has garnered four Grammy™ Awards and eight nominations with the Atlanta Symphony. Spano is on faculty at Oberlin Conservatory and has received honorary doctorates from Bowling Green State University, the Curtis Institute of Music, Emory University, and Oberlin. Maestro Spano is a recipient of the Georgia Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities and is one of two classical musicians inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Dame Jane Glover

Principal Guest Conductor

Acclaimed British conductor Jane Glover, named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2021 New Year’s Honours, has been Music of the Baroque’s music director since 2002. In 2025 she was named Principal Guest Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony. She made her professional debut at the Wexford Festival in 1975, conducting her own edition of Cavalli’s L’Eritrea. She joined Glyndebourne in 1979 and was music director of Glyndebourne Touring Opera from 1981 until 1985. She was artistic director of the London Mozart Players from 1984 to 1991. From 2009 until 2016 she was Director of Opera at the Royal Academy of Music where she is now the Felix Mendelssohn Visiting Professor and was Visiting Professor of Opera at the University of Oxford, her alma mater.

Jane Glover has conducted many of the major symphony, chamber orchestras, and period instrument groups in Britain, Europe, the United States, Asia, and Australia. She has appeared frequently at the BBC Proms.

In demand on the international opera stage, Jane Glover has appeared with numerous companies including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, English National Opera, Glyndebourne, the Berlin Staatsoper, Glimmerglass Opera, New York City Opera, Opera National de Bordeaux, Opera Australia, Chicago Opera Theater, Opera National du Rhin, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Luminato, Teatro Real, Madrid, Royal Danish Opera, Teatro La Fenice, and Detroit Opera. A Mozart specialist, she has conducted all the Mozart operas all over the world regularly since she first performed them at Glyndebourne in the 1980s, and her core operatic repertoire also includes Monteverdi, Handel, and Britten. Highlights of recent seasons

include The Magic Flute with the Metropolitan Opera, Alcina with Washington Opera, L’Elisir d’amore and The Magic Flute for Houston Grand Opera, Medea for Opera Omaha, Così fan tutte for Lyric Opera of Kansas City, The Turn of the Screw, Jephtha and Lucio Silla in Bordeaux, The Rape of Lucretia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cosí fan tutte, Figaro and Don Giovanni at the Aspen Music Festival, Gluck’s Armide and Iphigenie en Aulide with Met Young Artists and Juilliard, Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck) in Lisbon, Albert Herring with Chicago Opera theater, and Xerxes with Detroit Opera. Among the many operas she conducted while Director of Opera at the Royal Academy of Music were Eugene Onegin, The Rake’s Progress, The Marriage of Figaro, L’incoronazione di Poppea, and the world premiere of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Kommilitonen! This past season she returned to the Houston Grand Opera and Cincinnati Opera to conduct productions of Don Giovanni and in the 2024/2025 season led the North American premiere of Ferdinando Paër’s Leonora with Chicago Opera Theater.

Future and recent-past concert engagements include her continuing seasons with Music of the Baroque in Chicago as well as engagements with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra—both at Severance Hall as well as the Blossom Music Festival, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s (at Carnegie Hall), the London Mozart Players, the New York Philharmonic, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Camerata Salzburg, and the Symphonies of Chicago, Cincinnati, Toronto, Houston, San Francisco, Baltimore, St. Louis, and Oregon. In the summer of 2025, she conducted Mozart’s opera The Impresario at the Buxton International Festival in the UK, appeared at the Aspen Music Festival and at the Lincoln Center Festival in New York City.

Jane Glover’s discography includes a live recording of Jephtha with Music of the Baroque on Reference Records, a series of Mozart and Haydn symphonies with the London Mozart Players and various recordings with the London Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic, Trinity, Wall Street, and the BBC Singers. She is the author of the critically acclaimed books Mozart’s Women, Handel in London, and Mozart in Italy. She holds a personal professorship at the University of London, is a Fellow of the Royal College of Music, an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music, and the holder of several honorary degrees. In 2020, she was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Gamechanger Award for her work in breaking new ground for other female conductors. In 2025, she received the Musician Club of Women 150th Anniversary Founders Award.

Stephanie Rhodes Russell is an alum of the Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors, the Houston Grand Opera Studio and the Merola Opera Program. She was a Conducting Fellow with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra from 2019-2021, where she appeared regularly with the ensemble leading education, family, and community concerts while serving as cover conductor for the symphonic subscription series. She is also the recipient of a 2019 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award, designed to aid outstanding young conductors in developing their talents and careers.

For the 2025-2026 season, Ms. Rhodes-Russell returns to the Fort Worth Symphony, serving as the season’s Resident Conductor, and leading a range of programs. She makes her Charlotte Symphony debut, with a program that includes Beethoven’s “Emperor” piano concerto, the U.S. premiere of Anna Clyne’s The Years, and Martines’ Sinfonia in C Major. She leads the world premiere of Everlasting Faint at Madison Opera, conducts the Schwabacher Scenes Concerts for Merola Opera Program, and returns to the National Symphony Orchestra, assisting Gianandrea Noseda on Puccini’s Il trittico.

The 2024-2025 season brought a number of significant returns for Maestro Rhodes Russell: Utah Opera, for Hänsel und Gretel, Arizona Opera, for her first career performances of Verdi’s Aida, and Washington National Opera, for the orchestrated world premiere of Jungle Book by Kamala Sankaram (composer) and Kelley Rourke (librettist). She also made her orchestral debut with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, conducting works by Prokofiev and Stravinsky, and returned to the National Symphony Orchestra, assisting conductors Gianandrea Noseda and Marin Alsop.

During the 2023-2024 season, the conductor made debuts with Washington National Opera, leading Jeanine Tesori’s The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me, and Arizona Opera, adding Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette 6 | 2025/2026 SEASON

to her repertoire. With Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, she conducted performances of Tchaikovsky’s masterwork Eugene Onegin, and with the National Symphony Orchestra, she assisted Music Director Gianandrea Noseda for Verdi’s Otello. Previous season highlights included company debuts with Austin Opera (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Utah Opera (La fille du régiment), and Cincinnati Opera (The Knock), as well as returns to Madison Opera (Le nozze di Figaro) and Wolf Trap Opera (Don Giovanni). She conducted Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah with Wolf Trap Opera, Verdi’s La traviata with Opera Orlando, a workshop of Git Here (Daniel Bernard Roumain/Anna Deavere Smith) and Four Portraits (Caroline Shaw/ Jocelyn Clark) for Lyric Opera of Chicago, Britten’s The Turn of the Screw (Temple University), Handel’s Alcina (University of Michigan) and Madison Opera’s Opera in the Park.

A Fulbright award recipient in Russia, she lived in Moscow specializing in Russian repertoire and pronunciation for non-native singers while working as a guest coach at the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. She was thereafter commissioned by The Dallas Opera to transliterate Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta and has taught workshops on Russian diction at young artist programs and universities across the United States.

Following her work on the San Francisco Opera Ring Cycle, she was appointed the 2019 Associate Conductor of the Grand Teton Music Festival, where she served as assistant to Music Director Donald Runnicles and led the GTMF orchestra in the Hartley Family Concert. Additionally, she performed as a pianist in the festival’s renowned Chamber Music Concert Series.

Highlights as an Assistant Conductor include work on two Wagner Ring Cycles with conductors Philippe Auguin and Donald Runnicles and productions of Iolanta, Eugene Onegin, and Queen of Spades with Emmanuel Villaume and Carlo Rizzi. She has served on the music staff of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, The Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, LA Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Washington National Opera, among others, and her extensive operatic experience in the roles of assistant conductor, prompter, chorusmaster, rehearsal pianist, and diction coach, brings a comprehensive understanding to her work.

In Autumn 2022, Stephanie Rhodes Russell became Associate Professor and Music Director of Opera at the University of North Texas. This position intersects with her strong interest in educating the next generation of artists, which also led her to found the non-profit Women’s Artistic Leadership Initiative (Women’s ALI). The organization’s aim is to educate and empower young female artists, training them to become future community leaders by equipping them with both leadership skills and business acumen. She holds degrees in Collaborative Piano and Piano Performance from the University of Michigan and Utah State University, respectively, and completed a doctorate in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Utah.

FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Robert Spano, Music Director, Nancy Lee & Perry R. Bass Chair

Dame Jane Glover, Principal Guest Conductor

Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Music Director Laureate

Stephanie Rhodes Russell, Resident Conductor

John Giordano, Conductor Emeritus

VIOLIN I

Michael Shih, Concertmaster

Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass Chair

Mr. Sid R. Bass Chair

Swang Lin, Associate Concertmaster

Ann Koonsman Chair

Eugene Cherkasov, Assistant Concertmaster

Mollie & Garland Lasater Chair

Jennifer Y. Betz

Qiong Hulsey

Ivo Ivanov

Nikayla Kim

Izumi Lund

Ke Mai

Kimberly Torgul

Albert Yamamoto

VIOLIN II

Adriana Voirin DeCosta, Principal

Steven Li, Associate Principal

Ordabek Duissen, Assistant Principal° Symphony League of Fort Worth Chair

Molly Baer

Elizabeth Elsner°

Sue Jacobson° Matt Milewski

Gabriela Peña-Kim

Kathryn Perry

Tatyana Smith

Rosalyn Story

Ertan Torgul° Andrea Tullis

VIOLA

DJ Cheek, Principal

Anna Kolotylina, Associate Principal

HeeSun Yang, Assistant Principal

Joni Baczewski

Sorin Guttman

Aleksandra Holowka

Dmitry Kustanovich

Daniel Sigale

CELLO

Allan Steele, Principal

Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass Chair

Mr. Sid R. Bass Chair

Keira Fullerton, Associate Principal

Colin Hill, Assistant Principal

BNSF Railway Foundation Chair

John Belk

Deborah Brooks

Shelley Jessup

Jenny Kwak

Annamarie Reader

BASS

William Clay, Principal

Mr. & Mrs. Edward P. Bass Chair

Paul Unger, Assistant Principal

Jeff Hall

Sean P. O’Hara

Julie Vinsant

FLUTE

Jake Fridkis, Principal

Shirley F. Garvey Chair

Gabe Fridkis, Assistant Principal

Elise Kim°

PICCOLO

Elise Kim°

OBOE

Jennifer Corning Lucio, Principal

Nancy L. & William P. Hallman Jr. Chair

Tamer Edlebi, Assistant Principal

Tamara Winston

Tim Daniels

ENGLISH HORN

Tamara Winston

Tim Daniels

CLARINET

Stas Chernyshev, Principal

Rosalyn G. Rosenthal Chair*

Ivan Petruzziello, Assistant Principal

Greg Hamilton°

E-FLAT CLARINET

Ivan Petruzziello

BASS CLARINET

Greg Hamilton°

BASSOON

George Sakakeeny, Principal°

Mr. & Mrs. Lee M. Bass Chair

Cara Owens, Assistant Principal

Kody Harrington

CONTRABASSOON

Kody Harrington

HORN

Gerald Wood, Principal

Elizabeth H. Ledyard Chair

Alton F. Adkins, Associate Principal

Drs. Jeff and Rosemary Detweiler Chair

Kelly Cornell, Associate Principal

Aaron Pino

Blake Moreland

TRUMPET

Kyle Sherman, Principal

Cody McClarty, Assistant Principal

Dorothy Rhea Chair

Oscar Garcia-Montoya

TROMBONE

Joseph Dubas, Principal

Mr. & Mrs. John Kleinheinz Chair

Mike Hayes, Assistant Principal

Vacant Position

BASS TROMBONE

Vacant Position

Mr. & Mrs. Lee M. Bass Chair

TUBA

Edward Jones, Principal*

TIMPANI

Seth McConnell, Principal

Madilyn Bass Chair

Nicholas Sakakeeny, Assistant Principal

PERCUSSION

Keith Williams, Principal

Shirley F. Garvey Chair

Nicholas Sakakeeny, Assistant Principal

Adele Hart Chair

Deborah Mashburn

Brad Wagner

HARP

Vacant Position, Principal

Bayard H. Friedman Chair

KEYBOARD

Shields-Collins Bray, Principal

Rildia Bee O’Bryan Cliburn & Van Cliburn Chair

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Tim Vinson

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGERS

Kayla Aftahi

Savanna Cardenas

ORCHESTRA LIBRARIANS

Christopher Hawn

David Sterrett

* In Memory of Manny Rosenthal ° 2025/2026 Season Only

The Concertmaster performs on the 1710 Davis Stradivarius violin.

The Associate Concertmaster performs on the 1685 Eugenie Stradivarius violin.

Yacht

Rock Symphony

Saturday, October 11, 2025 at 7:30 PM

Will Rogers Auditorium Fort Worth, TX starring Ambrosia

John Ford Coley and Peter Beckett (the voice of Player) with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Ron Spigelman, conductor

VONNEGUT / NORTH / PACK / PUERTA / DRUMMOND

Nice, Nice, Very Nice

PACK You’re the Only Woman

COMANOR

We’ll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again

McGEE Nights are Forever Without You

POE / PARSONS / WOOLFSON

PIPPIN / KEITH

The Raven

This Time I’m in It for Love

GOBLE The Night Owls

PACK / PUERTA

Holdin’ On to Yesterday

INTERMISSION

LENNON / McCARTNEY Magical Mystery Tour

CARRACK How Long

PACK How Much I Feel

LOGGINS / McDONALD

HORNSBY

8 | 2025/2026 SEASON

This Is It

The Way it Is

McGEE

I’d Really Love to See You Tonight

PACK Biggest Part of Me

BECKETT / CROWLEY

RUNDGREN

WRIGHT

Baby Come Back

Love Is the Answer

Love Is Alive

All orchestrations by Shem von Schroeck

Video/audio recording and flash photography is strictly prohibited at all FWSO performances.

Patrons arriving late will be seated during the first convenient pause. Program and artists are subject to change.

ARTIST PROFILES

Australian conductor Ron Spigelman is an honors graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London. Earlier in his career he was the Associate Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Fort Worth Symphony, Music Director of the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, San Angelo Symphony, Texas Chamber Orchestra, Springfield Symphony (MO), and the Lake Placid Sinfonietta (NY) where he is now conductor emeritus. He has also served as Principal Pops Conductor of the Fort Worth and Syracuse Symphony and beginning in the 25/26 season he will become the Principal Pops Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic.

Recent guest conducting appearances include the Atlanta, St. Louis, Baltimore, Utah, Oregon, Kansas City, Vancouver, and Nashville Symphonies, as well as the Florida Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra. He will make his debut with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in December 2025.

He has conducted Symphonic, Ballet, Opera, Musical Theatre, and Pops plus over 30 live-to-film productions including all eight of the Harry Potter films. Guest artists he has accompanied include Horacio Gutierrez, Rachel Barton Pine, Richard Stoltzman, Marvin Hamlisch, Peter Paul & Mary, James Taylor, Leslie Odom Jr., Vanessa Williams, Gladys Knight, and many others.

Career highlights include the world premiere of Pegasus by Lowell Liebermann with the Dallas Symphony, his Carnegie Hall debut with the BPO in 2004, and the world premiere recording of Sylvan by Michael Torke with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta.

Ron lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife Laura, and they have a combined 6 children. He is board president of Harmony Project Tulsa, bringing instrumental instruction to underserved youth in collaboration with the Tulsa Public Schools. He also recently graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Family and Human Development at Arizona State University receiving the dean’s medal for academic excellence. He is currently pursuing a Master of Liberal Studies at ASU with a focus on communication, sociology, and psychology in musical leadership.

Ambrosia

Ambrosia, the band known and loved by a multitude of fans since the 1970’s, is now more alive and compelling than ever. This 5-time Grammy Nominated ensemble is exploring new musical territory and bringing an exceptional musical performance to stages everywhere.

In 1970, four young musicians from the South Bay of Los Angeles, came together to create a new moving and invigorating style of music. Joseph Puerta, Christopher North, David Pack, and Burleigh Drummond produced a sound that was immediately recognized. Today, Ambrosia is three of the original members with the addition of

ARTIST PROFILES

guitarist Doug Jackson, contributing keyboardist Mary Harris, and powerful lead vocals of Kipp Lennon (from the band Venice).

Always exploring the possibilities of progressive, classical, and world influences –with tangled roots of soul, rhythm, and blues – Ambrosia is continuing to entertain their original fans while still engaging newer audiences.

Originally labeled as America’s answer to the progressive invasion of English acts Yes and King Crimson, the group quickly proved itself with a unique blend of aural landscapes. Their musical styles attracted the collaboration with cultural icons Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Alan Parsons, Bruce Hornsby, Michael McDonald, Edgar Winter, Dave Mason, Gary Wright, Al Stewart, and others. Ambrosia had toured extensively with Fleetwood Mac, Heart, and the Doobie Brothers.

During Ambrosia’s early recording history, they garnered 5 Grammy Nominations, received frequent radio airplay, and gained the admiration and respect of the musical community – in addition to their sold out concerts around the world. Ambrosia achieved 5 Top 40 hit singles on Warner Bros. Records, released between 1975 and 1980, including “How Much I Feel” and “Biggest Part of Me”. In 2015 the group released a new single, “Hopes and Dreams”, which was featured on the series called The Sparrows that aired on the Fox television channel. As of 2017, the new Ambrosia material keeps coming.

Peter Beckett, vocalist

Peter Beckett, known as “The Voice of Player”, is the original lead singer and songwriter of the band Player. Player was voted by Billboard Magazine’s honor roll as Best New Single Artist for 1978 for their international #1 hit “Baby Come Back”. As a follow up on the record charts, Beckett and Player also enjoyed great success with their hit “This Time I’m In It For Love”.

John Ford Coley, vocalist

John Ford Coley is most revered as half of the Grammy nominated duo England Dan and John Ford Coley. Churning out many memorable hits during this era, some of John Ford Coley’s songs are: “Love Is The Answer”, “Gone Too Far”, “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight”, “We’ll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again”, “Nights Are Forever Without You”, and “Sad To Belong”.

Saturday, , 2025 at 7:30 PM

Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Ron Spigelman, conductor

Starring

Laura Dern

Jeff Goldblum

Sam Neill

Ariana Richards

Richard Attenborough

BD Wong

Joseph Mazzello

Wayne Knight

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Gerald R. Molen

Music by John Williams

A UNIVERSAL PICTURE

© Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Video/audio recording and flash photography is strictly prohibited at all FWSO performances.

Patrons arriving late will be seated during the first convenient pause. Program and artists are subject to change.

12 | 2025/2026 SEASON

ARTIST PROFILES

Australian conductor Ron Spigelman is an honors graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London. Earlier in his career he was the Associate Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Fort Worth Symphony, Music Director of the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, San Angelo Symphony, Texas Chamber Orchestra, Springfield Symphony (MO), and the Lake Placid Sinfonietta (NY) where he is now conductor emeritus. He has also served as Principal Pops Conductor of the Fort Worth and Syracuse Symphony and beginning in the 25/26 season he will become the Principal Pops Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic.

Recent guest conducting appearances include the Atlanta, St. Louis, Baltimore, Utah, Oregon, Kansas City, Vancouver, and Nashville Symphonies, as well as the Florida Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra. He will make his debut with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in December 2025.

He has conducted Symphonic, Ballet, Opera, Musical Theatre, and Pops plus over 30 live-to-film productions including all eight of the Harry Potter films. Guest artists he has accompanied include Horacio Gutierrez, Rachel Barton Pine, Richard Stoltzman, Marvin Hamlisch, Peter Paul & Mary, James Taylor, Leslie Odom Jr., Vanessa Williams, Gladys Knight, and many others.

Career highlights include the world premiere of Pegasus by Lowell Liebermann with the Dallas Symphony, his Carnegie Hall debut with the BPO in 2004, and the world premiere recording of Sylvan by Michael Torke with the Lake Placid Sinfonietta.

Ron lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife Laura, and they have a combined 6 children. He is board president of Harmony Project Tulsa, bringing instrumental instruction to underserved youth in collaboration with the Tulsa Public Schools. He also recently graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Family and Human Development at Arizona State University receiving the dean’s medal for academic excellence. He is currently pursuing a Master of Liberal Studies at ASU with a focus on communication, sociology, and psychology in musical leadership.

REWIND: Music of the 80s

This concert is generously supported by Paul Wehba and dedicated to Brad Chandler

Friday, November 07, 2025 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, November 08, 2025 at 7:30 PM

Bass Performance Hall Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Ken Yanagisawa, conductor

Christine Shebeck, lead vocals

Ben Caron, lead vocals

Walter Ino, guitar

Tom Polce, drums

Ben White, bass

Allison Piccioni, keys

MICHAEL Faith

MICHAEL Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

BYRON / SWEET

ADAMS / VALLANCE

HAZARD

Shadows of the Night

Summer of ’69

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

SMITH / TOLHURST / DEMPSEY Boys Don’t Cry

PAGE / GEORGE / LANG Kyrie

MORODER / FORSEY / CARA

FORSEY / SCHIFF

WAAKTAAR / FURUHOLMEN / HARKET

LEWIS / HAYES / COLLA

Flashdance…What a Feeling

Don’t You (Forget About Me)

INTERMISSION

Take On Me

The Power of Love 14 | 2025/2026 SEASON

STEINMAN

Total Eclipse of the Heart

PALMER Morning Train (9 to 5)

LOGGINS / PITCHFORD

Footloose

MERRILL / HOOKER I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll

BELL / SMITH / BROWN / TAYLOR / MICKENS / TOON Jr. / THOMAS / BELL / DEODATO

TAUPIN / PAGE / LAMBERT / WOLF

CAIN / PERRY / SCHON

Celebration

We Built This City

Don’t Stop Believin’

Video/audio recording and flash photography is strictly prohibited at all FWSO performances.

Patrons arriving late will be seated during the first convenient pause. Program and artists are subject to change.

ARTIST PROFILES

Ken Yanagisawa, conductor

Japanese-American conductor Ken Yanagisawa is the Music Director of the Boston Opera Collaborative and the newly formed Boston Annex Players, the Associate Conductor of the Boston Civic Symphony, the Assistant Conductor of the New Philharmonia Orchestra, and an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music.

A 2024 Aspen Conducting Academy Fellow and James Conlon Prize recipient, Ken was also awarded the 2025 Aspen Conducting Prize, which carries with it an appointment as Assistant Conductor of the Aspen Music Festival and School in 2026. Upcoming engagements include a return to Japan to conduct Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito for Kansai Nikikai’s landmark 100th opera production. He previously made his Japanese debut conducting Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Kansai Nikikai and the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center. Ken has also served as a Conducting Apprentice with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and has assisted/covered the National Symphony Orchestra, Rhode Island and Plymouth Philharmonics, Berlin Academy of American Music, and Berlin Opernfest, among others.

Ken recently completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts under the guidance of James Burton and also holds graduate degrees in conducting from the Manhattan School of Music and a B.A. in music from Yale University. Prior to Yale he attended the New England Conservatory as an Undergraduate Diploma candidate for Oboe Performance under the tutelage of John Ferrillo. His other teachers include George Manahan, William Lumpkin, Bernard Labadie, and Tatsuya Shimono. In masterclasses and festivals, he has been taught by renowned artists and pedagogues such as Robert Spano, Leonard Slatkin, Mark Stringer, Dame Jane Glover, Hugh Wolff, Gerard Schwarz, and Jorma Panula. He is deeply grateful for all the excellent guidance and mentorship he has received thus far in his life as a musician.

Beyond the podium, Ken has held positions as orchestra librarian for Boston University’s College of Fine Arts and as an artistic administrator for the New York Philharmonic. He is also an accomplished freelance photographer, with work published in TIME, The New York Times, Huffington Post, Boston Globe, Playbill, and the Yale Daily News.

16 | 2025/2026 SEASON

ARTIST PROFILES

Christine Shebeck, lead vocals

Christine Shebeck is a captivating cabaret vocalist and seasoned performer whose career spans decades—from recording session work and voice-over roles in Los Angeles to dazzling stages across Las Vegas. A Robby Award–nominated actress and award-winning cabaret star, she’s earned a Broadway World Award for her stellar portrayal of Phyllis in Follies. Known for her “flawless” and emotionally resonant voice, Shebeck brings depth and storytelling to every performance. Her original productions, including S.I.S: Sisters in Song, showcase her versatility and rich interpretive range. Rooted in a lifelong passion for music and storytelling, Christine continues to inspire audiences, embodying the belief that “it’s never too late” to follow your dreams.

Ben Caron, lead vocals

Ben Caron is a Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter, producer, facilitator, and community organizer with a devoted international following that helped fund both his debut and sophomore albums. Originally from Iowa, Ben’s eclectic style blends pop, soul, folk, gospel, and adult contemporary, drawing inspiration from iconic storytellers like James Taylor, Elton John, and Garth Brooks. He began writing songs as a teenager, later training in classical voice and acting at CSU Los Angeles, where he discovered the importance of authenticity and connection in performance.

As a recording artist, Ben released his self-titled debut album in 2013, followed by his acoustic EP Climb in 2015, and the concept album King Benjamin’s Royal Heart in 2016—all projects fueled by community support. He has toured both solo and with collectives such as The Sovereign Sons & Daughters and The Joy Machine, the latter dedicated to spreading joy and unity through live music.

In addition to performing, Ben is a certified yoga teacher and holistic wellness leader whose events—Collective Ascension, Royal Heart Tribe Experience, and The Joy Machine—combine music, mindfulness, and movement to foster healing and connection.

ARTIST PROFILES

Walter Ino, guitar/background vocals

Walter Ino is a Los Angeles–based stage and studio multiinstrumentalist with decades of touring and recording experience. Originally from Pittsburgh, where he was classically trained in piano, Walter has built a versatile career performing worldwide as a keyboardist, guitarist, saxophonist, vocalist, and music director. He is currently the keyboardist/guitarist/music director for Tommy DeCarlo (Singer of Boston), the keyboardist for Asia featuring John Payne, and a featured musician in the Voices of Classic Rock show alongside singers from Foreigner, Journey, Kansas, Chicago, and more.

From 2011–2018, Walter was a member of the Grammy Award–winning, multiplatinum band Survivor, and he later toured as lead guitarist for Eagles of Death Metal. He also performs regularly with The Babys, Wilson Phillips, and the Las Vegas/ Branson production Raiding the Rock Vault. In addition, Walter serves as music director and arranger for acclaimed orchestral rock productions including The Music of Led Zeppelin with Orchestra, A Night of Symphonic Rock, and Rewind.

Outside of touring, Walter runs his own studio, Secret Asian Man Studios, where he produces and records artists across genres and creates music for film and television, with credits including the Hallmark Channel, USA Network, and Discovery Channel.

Tom Polce, drums

Tom is a Connecticut native. Before moving to Boston, Tom studied at New England Conservatory and Berklee College of music as a Jazz Performance Major before becoming a fixture in the 90’s Boston music scene as a drummer and producer, performing as a member in bands and for solo artists such as Letters to Cleo and Bill Janovitz. He has produced and/or performed with many acclaimed musical artists such as Bob Dylan and Eddie Vedder.

Ben White, bass/background vocals

Ben plays electric and upright bass, Chapman Stick, and is an accomplished backing vocalist. He’s made a name for himself as a versatile and reliable sideman, performing with such artists as Mindi Abair, Magnetico, The Boneshakers, Warren Hill, Keiko Matsui, Pet Shark, and recording with artists like Don Felder, Sophie B. Hawkins. Ben tempers his formidable instrumental abilities with a deep respect for the music itself and a love for creating the platform from which the star can shine. Ben is endorsed by Nordstrand Audio and Jamstik.

ARTIST PROFILES

Allison Piccioni, keys/background

Allison Piccioni (AKA Rocky Rose) is a Los Angeles–based multi-instrumentalist, composer, orchestrator, arranger, and performing artist originally from Ohio. A graduate of Berklee College of Music (Film Scoring) and the Royal College of Music, London (M.M. in Composition for Screen), she is both an accomplished film composer and a Professor of Composition for Screen & Orchestration.

As a touring musician, Allison has performed worldwide as the keyboardist for Persian pop star Siavash Ghomayshi, covering six countries in 2019 and returning to Istanbul in 2021. She also toured nationally with the Broadway musical Evita, playing more than 70 performances across 30 U.S. venues.

Equally versatile in the studio, Allison is a skilled keyboardist, synth programmer, singer, saxophonist, guitarist, and bassist. She has recorded at renowned studios including The Village, East West, and Woodshed, and collaborated with Grammywinning producers Rob Carranza and Matt Champlin. Beyond film and studio work, Allison continues to perform as a dynamic multi-instrumentalist across genres, balancing her passions for composing, teaching, and live performance.

Her recent work includes scoring This Changes Everything, the Geena Davis–fronted Netflix documentary examining gender disparity in Hollywood.

Saint-Georges’ Sword and Bow

The Family Series is generously supported by Paul Wehba This concert is dedicated to Luken Anthony Burzynski

Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 11:00 AM

Bass Performance Hall

Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Ken Yanagisawa, conductor

Classical Kids Music Education

Paul Pement, Executive and Artistic Director

Susan Hammond, Series Creator

Jim Stephenson, Music Editor and Arranger

Demetra Dee as Giselle

Daniel Riley as Joseph Bologne

SAINT-GEORGES

Overture to L'ament anonyme

Concerto in A Major, Op. 5, No. 2: Allegro moderato

Violin Concerto No. 9 in G Major, Op. 8: Rondeau

Symphony No. 1 in G Major, Op. 11: Allegro assai

Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 11: Presto

2 Violin Concertos in D Major, Op. 2, No. 2

GLUCK

GOSSEC

SAINT-GEORGES

F.J. HAYDN

Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orfeo ed Euridice

Trio in F Major, Op. 9, No. 3: I. Allegretto

Sinfonia in G Major: I. Allegro molto

Violin Concerto in C Major, Op. 5, No. 1: Andante moderato

Violin Concerto No, 9 in G Major, Op. 8: Largo

Scene from Ernestine

Symphony No. 2 Remix [Hip-Hop Dance]

Violin Concerto in A Major, Op. 7, No. 1: Allegro moderato

Symphony No. 85 in B-flat Major, Hob.I:85, La reine:

IV. Finale: Presto

Symphony No. 82 in C Major, Hob.I:82, L'ours: I. Vivace assai

SAINT-GEORGES Giselle's Rap [Boots n' Cats]

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W.A. MOZART

SAINT-GEORGES

Flute Quartet No. 1 in D Major, KV 285

Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. posth., No. 2: Adagio

NEWLEY / BRICUSSE Feeling Good (as recorded by Nina Simone)

SAINT-GEORGES

Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 3, No. 1: II. Adagio

Violin Concerto No. 9 in G Major, Op. 8: Allegro

Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 11: Presto

Video/audio recording and flash photography is strictly prohibited at all FWSO performances.

Patrons arriving late will be seated during the first convenient pause. Program and artists are subject to change.

ARTIST PROFILES

Ken Yanagisawa, conductor

Japanese-American conductor Ken Yanagisawa is the Music Director of the Boston Opera Collaborative and the newly formed Boston Annex Players, the Associate Conductor of the Boston Civic Symphony, the Assistant Conductor of the New Philharmonia Orchestra, and an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music.

A 2024 Aspen Conducting Academy Fellow and James Conlon Prize recipient, Ken was also awarded the 2025 Aspen Conducting Prize, which carries with it an appointment as Assistant Conductor of the Aspen Music Festival and School in 2026. Upcoming engagements include a return to Japan to conduct Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito for Kansai Nikikai’s landmark 100th opera production. He previously made his Japanese debut conducting Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Kansai Nikikai and the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center. Ken has also served as a Conducting Apprentice with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and has assisted/covered the National Symphony Orchestra, Rhode Island and Plymouth Philharmonics, Berlin Academy of American Music, and Berlin Opernfest, among others.

Ken recently completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts under the guidance of James Burton and also holds graduate degrees in conducting from the Manhattan School of Music and a B.A. in music from Yale University. Prior to Yale he attended the New England Conservatory as an Undergraduate Diploma candidate for Oboe Performance under the tutelage of John Ferrillo. His other teachers include George Manahan, William Lumpkin, Bernard Labadie, and Tatsuya Shimono. In masterclasses and festivals, he has been taught by renowned artists and pedagogues such as Robert Spano, Leonard Slatkin, Mark Stringer, Dame Jane Glover, Hugh Wolff, Gerard Schwarz, and Jorma Panula. He is deeply grateful for all the excellent guidance and mentorship he has received thus far in his life as a musician.

Beyond the podium, Ken has held positions as orchestra librarian for Boston University’s College of Fine Arts and as an artistic administrator for the New York Philharmonic. He is also an accomplished freelance photographer, with work published in TIME, The New York Times, Huffington Post, Boston Globe, Playbill, and the Yale Daily News

22 | 2025/2026 SEASON

ARTIST PROFILES

Demetra Dee, Giselle

Demetra Dee is elated to be performing with Classical Kids as Giselle in Saint-Georges’ Sword and Bow! As a kid, Demetra was always singing, dancing and putting on a show for her family. When she was 12 years old, Demetra saw her first musical, Ragtime. She sat in awe of this incredible story being told right there in front of her, and it was in that moment that she discovered her love for storytelling, her God-given purpose. She hopes that each of you are inspired by Saint Georges’ story to never give up, to work hard to be the best you can be, and to live on purpose, in your purpose. Some of her other credits include Little Women (Northlight Theatre); Corduroy (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Penelopiad (Goodman Theatre); The Nacirema Society (Goodman Theatre); Chlorine Sky (Steppenwolf); Cullud Wattah (Victory Gardens Theatre); Relentless (Goodman/ Timeline Theatre); The Last Pair of Earlies (Raven Theatre); Middle Passage (Lifeline Theatre); Be Here Now (Shattered Globe). She is represented by DDO Chicago.

Daniel Riley, Joseph Bologne

Daniel is a Chicago-based performer. Born and raised in the city, he studied at Roosevelt University. He has performed at various theaters throughout Chicagoland, including Paramount Theatre, Northlight Theatre, and American Blues Theatre. National tour credits include Acoustic Rooster’s Barnyard Boogie (Kennedy Center). Music director credits include Nina Simone: Four Women, Urinetown, and The Sound of Music. Puppeteering experience: Lyric Opera of Chicago, Jabberwocky Productions, Blair Thomas & Co. Favorite roles include Othello (Othello), Coalhouse (Ragtime), and Jim (Big River). Featured vocalist: Dark Side of the Moon A Capella (VOCOMOTION Productions). Thank you for supporting the arts! “If music be the food of love, play on.”

Paul Pement, Creator, Producer, Co-Director

Paul serves as Executive & Artistic Director of Classical Kids Music Education, a non-profit arts organization focused on introducing children (and their parents) to the lives and musical masterpieces of the great classical composers. A BFA in theatre from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and professional experience as an actor, singer, dancer, director, choreographer, and stage manager have enabled Paul to achieve success with Classical Kids LIVE! programming - the “gold-star” leader in the field for creating theatrical family concerts presented by professional symphony orchestras throughout North America and abroad. Production titles include Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Mozart’s Magnificent Voyage, Vivaldi’s Ring of Mystery, Tchaikovsky Discovers America, Gershwin’s Magic Key, and the newest in the series, Saint-Georges’ Sword & Bow.

WHERE YOUR FINANCIAL SUCCESS TAKES CENTER

ARTIST PROFILES

Jim Stephenson, Music Editor & Arranger

James M. Stephenson earned a degree from the New England Conservatory in trumpet performance going on to perform for 17 seasons in the Naples Philharmonic in Florida. Now a fulltime composer, his catalog boasts concertos and sonatas for nearly every instrument, earning him the moniker “The Concerto King” from Chicago Symphony clarinetist John Yeh. The vast majority of those compositions came through commissions by and for major symphony principal players in Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Washington DC, St. Louis, Oregon, Milwaukee, and Dallas, among others. With such prolific output, Stephenson’s music is well represented in recordings. Nearly all of his solo brass works (over 50) have been professionally recorded, and in total, his extensive catalog for all instruments can be heard on over 30 CDs.

Susan Hammond, Series Creator

Susan has created a whole new generation of classical music fans through her innovative and award-winning Classical Kids recordings. She is the executive producer of a 16-title series of children’s classical music recordings known collectively as Classical Kids, selling to date nearly 5 million CDs, DVDs and books worldwide, and earning over 100 prestigious awards and honors. Each story entails its own adventure featuring a unique combination of music, history, and theatricality to engage the imaginations of children. Susan holds the philosophy that, “Where the heart goes, the mind will follow.” An accomplished concert pianist and music teacher, Hammond searched for recordings about classical music to share with her young daughters. One day, she sat reading to her girls with a classical music radio station on in the background and noticed how they responded to the literature in a different way when enhanced by music. The rest, as they say, is history. Susan is the recipient of Billboard Magazine’s International Achievement Award and is a member of the Order of Canada for her contribution to the arts.

Mozart and Mahler’s Fourth

This concert is dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. William M. Davis with generous support from Davoil, Inc.

Friday, November 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, November 22, 2025 at 7:30 PM

Sunday, November 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM

Bass Performance Hall Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Dame Jane Glover, conductor Lauren Snouffer, soprano

Imogen Cooper, piano

W.A. MOZART

Exsultate, jubilate, K. 165 [158a]

I. Exsultate: Allegro

II. Fulget, amica dies: Recitativo

III. Tu Virginum: Andante

IV. Allelujah: Allegro

Lauren Snouffer, soprano

W.A. MOZART

Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major, K. 595

I. Allegro

II. Larghetto

III. Allegro

Imogen Cooper, piano

INTERMISSION

MAHLER

Symphony No. 4 in G Major

I. Bedächtig, nicht eilen

II. In gemächlicher Bewegung, ohne Hast

III. Ruhevoll (Poco adagio)

IV. Sehr behaglich

Lauren Snouffer, soprano

Video/audio recording and flash photography is strictly prohibited at all FWSO performances.

Patrons arriving late will be seated during the first convenient pause. Program and artists are subject to change.

ARTIST PROFILES

Lauren Snouffer, soprano

Recognized for her unique artistic curiosity in world-class performances spanning the music of Claudio Monteverdi and Georg Frideric Handel through to Hans Abrahamsen and Sir George Benjamin, Lauren Snouffer is celebrated as one of the most versatile and respected sopranos on the international stage.

Her concert profile has yielded marvelous results with Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra, Rafaël Pichon and the Handel & Haydn Society, Maasaki Suzuki and the San Francisco Symphony, Dame Jane Glover and Music of the Baroque, Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony, Jaap van Zweden and the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert conducting the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, and Marin Alsop and the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo.

Fervently committed to repertoire of the Baroque and Classical eras, Lauren Snouffer has performed Die Zauberflöte at Glyndebourne, Opernhaus Zürich, and Seattle Opera, La clemenza di Tito and Orphée et Eurydice at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Hasse’s Siroe at the Opéra Royal de Versailles with additional performances in Budapest and Vienna, Monteverdi’s Orfeo with a world premiere orchestration by Nico Muhly at Santa Fe Opera, and she has enjoyed many successes at Houston Grand Opera in productions led by Patrick Summers and Harry Bicket among others.

Imogen Cooper, piano

Imogen Cooper is regarded as one of the finest interpreters of Classical and Romantic repertoire. Recent and future concerto performances include the London Symphony Orchestra with Sir Simon Rattle, the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala with Fabio Luisi, the Hallé Orchestra with Sir Mark Elder, the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra with Ryan Wigglesworth and The Cleveland Orchestra with Dame Jane Glover. This season her solo recitals include London, Dublin and Montreal.

As a committed chamber musician, Imogen performs regularly with Henning Kraggerud and Adrian Brendel. Following along collaboration with Wolfgang Holzmair in both the concert hall and recording studio, her Lieder partners now include Ian Bostridge, Dame Sarah Connolly and Mark Padmore.

Imogen’s most recent solo recordings have been for Chandos Records. Imogen received a DBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2021. The Imogen Cooper Music Trust was founded in 2015, to support young pianists at the cusp of their careers and give them time in an environment of peace and beauty.

PROGRAM NOTES by Jeremy Reynolds

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

EXSULTATE, JUBILATE, K. 165 [158a]

I. Exultate: Allegro

II. Fulget, amica dies: Recitativo

III. Tu Virginum: Andante

IV. Allelujah: Allegro

DURATION: About 18 minutes

PREMIERED: Milan, 1773

INSTRUMENTATION: Two oboes (or flutes), bassoon, two horns, organ, strings, and soprano solo

MOTET: A type of composition dating back to the high medieval era that features sacred texts sung over polyphonic music to tell stories, commemorate, and give thanks.

FURTHER LISTENING:

Mozart: String Quartet No. 7, K. 160 Divertimento for Winds No. 3, K. 166 Ave verum corpus in D major, K. 618

“If I were obliged to marry all those with whom I have jested I should have at least

200 wives.”

— Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, (Born 1756, Austria; died 1791)

Although it’s typically sung by a female soprano today, Mozart wrote his Exsultate, jubilate (Exult, rejoice) for a male voice. As a young lad, Mozart encountered the castrato Venanzio Rauzzini in Vienna and was so taken with his “angelic singing” that he offered him a role in an upcoming opera.

A castrato is a male singer whose voice remains high either due to hormonal anomalies (rare) or through physical castration. The process, performed on young boys with singing talent aged around 8-10, was barbaric, and many potential castrati died during castration. Those who lived kept their childhood vocal pitch and grew unusually large ribs due to a lack of testosterone, allowing them to develop increased lung power that couldn’t be matched by a boy soprano or a woman. (Plus, women were forbidden from singing in church for much of history — this was a way to keep a strong higher voice in the choir).

Castrati were quite privileged in society, but the practice largely died out in the 18th century as tastes and morals evolved.

After offering Rauzzini the role in his opera, Mozart also composed a special motet, the Exsultate jubilate, especially for Rauzzini’s voice. The origin of Exsultate’s text isn’t known, but some historians postulate that Rauzzini himself wrote the lyrics, which begin with:

Rejoice, resound with joy, o you blessed souls, singing sweet songs, In response to your singing let the heavens sing forth with me.

After a bright introduction in the orchestra, the singer enters to soar above with some of that “angelic” lyricism. The second movement is a “secco recitative,” essentially sung ordinary speech that is freer than a formal aria. The slow third movement scuds along, gentle and cloudlike, while the fourth bursts forth with mirth. This finale is the most famous bit in the piece, with whizzing scales and trills written into the vocal line’s quicker passages.

PROGRAM NOTES by Jeremy Reynolds WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

PIANO CONCERTO No. 27 in B-FLAT MAJOR, K. 595

I. Allegro

II. Larghetto

III. Allegro

DURATION: About 32 minutes

PREMIERED: Vienna, 1791

INSTRUMENTATION: Flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, solo piano, and strings

“I’d rather write 10,000

CONCERTO: A composition that features one or more “solo” instruments with orchestral accompaniment. The form of the concerto has developed and evolved throughout music history.

FURTHER LISTENING:

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 26 in D Major, K. 537 String Quintet No. 5 in G Major, K. 593 “Ave verum Corpus” in D, K. 618

notes than a single letter of the alphabet.” — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, (Born 1756, Austria; died 1791)

By 1791, Mozart was house poor. The composer loved to entertain and maintained a lavish lifestyle filled with parties and regular guests, but maintaining his social status was costly. His annual rent alone cost double what a skilled laborer in Vienna took home per year.

Meanwhile, his music was falling out of fashion with a Viennese public that preferred simple, tuneful works to the increasing complexities of Mozart’s later music. The French Revolution, which had stormed into life a couple of years prior, also had the Viennese aristocracy clutching their pearls nervously and spending less on the arts. Mozart’s wife Constanze also fell ill during this period, leading the composer to write: “If people could see into my heart, I would almost have to be ashamed… everything is cold for me — ice cold.”

The Piano Concerto No. 27, the last of his piano concertos and the last work Mozart performed in public before passing away later the same year, is more subdued than some of his other concertos. (The numbering system is confusing —he actually composed just 21 complete solo piano concertos. The other six are either arrangements of other composers’ works or concertos for multiple pianos).

The No. 27 begins with a gentle tune in the strings, a lyrical melody punctuated by sighing woodwind interjections. There is a lively transition to a more subdued, minor-key second theme. The music transitions back to major just before the soloist

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enters to restate the themes, now lightly frosted with trills and scale runs, with piano and orchestra conversing throughout the movement.

The slow second movement begins with a hushed, reverent theme, a call and response for soloist and ensemble. It wanders slowly to a new key and melody before returning to the strains of the opening, now with new understanding.

And to close, a whimsical, cheery rondo, where the main tune repeats often and alternates with contrasting “episodes” of music. It’s a light, lilting affair, and a tune that Mozart later adapted for a song for voice and piano he titled “Yearning for Spring,” perhaps another reference to the “ice cold” of his heart. The concerto’s finale isn’t overly showy, but rather an elegant, egalitarian final statement of the main melody.

PROGRAM NOTES by Jeremy Reynolds GUSTAV MAHLER

SYMPHONY No. 4 in G MAJOR

I. Bedächtig, nicht eilen

II. In gemächlicher Bewegung, ohne Hast

III. Ruhevoll (Poco adagio)

IV. Sehr behaglich

DURATION: About 52 minutes

PREMIERED: Munich, 1901

SYMPHONY: An elaborate orchestral composition typically broken into contrasting movements, at least one of which is in sonata form.

FURTHER LISTENING:

Mahler: Symphony No. 2

Symphony No. 3 Symphony No. 5

“Men will have to work a long time at cracking the nuts that I’m shaking down from the tree for them.”

— Gustav Mahler, (Born 1860, Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic); died 1911)

For much of his life, the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler was fascinated by an old collection of German folk poems called Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Boy’s Magic Horn; Old German Songs). Taken as he was with the poems’ innocence and idealism, the composer references passages from the book in several of his compositions — his second, third, and fourth symphonies are known as his Wunderhorn symphonies.

The fourth symphony is purely instrumental for its first three movements but builds to a glorious movement of musical poetry in the fourth and final movement, with text drawn from the poem “The Heavenly Life.” This passage is meant to be a child’s vision of heaven, and here, the vocal lines may be sung by either a female soprano or a boy soprano:

We enjoy heavenly pleasures and therefore avoid earthly ones. No worldly tumult is to be heard in heaven. All live in greatest peace. We lead angelic lives, yet have a merry time of it besides.

The symphony begins with the sound of flutes and sleighbells, a merry walk in the countryside. It is neoclassical at the opening and presents a pair of contrasting theme groups, but in the movement’s middle section, distorted melodies from the finale make an appearance and blend with the first movement’s melodies. The entire symphony is cyclic, with tunes and other elements appearing across different movements to tie the work together.

Mahler had earned a reputation for stretching symphonic form to its breaking point with his earlier symphonies, all of them longer than the fourth. He reigned in this impulse for the fourth symphony, which clocks in at only around 50 minutes.

The symphony’s second movement is a scherzo that fronts a violin that isn’t tuned in the standard manner. This is called scordatura tuning, and it alters the character of the instrument’s sound. Multiple composers use such a technique to represent Death or the Devil, as folk images of such characters playing a fiddle have been common for hundreds of years now. This more ghostly music contrasts with simpler, more rustic folk dances.

The slow third movement is a theme and a set of variations on that theme. It is a gentle, wonderfully meditative affair that never becomes agitated. It is patience and pureness in music, a gentle transition to the flowing clarinet solo that opens the finale. This last movement is largely tuneful and rustic — Mahler associated folk melodies and poetry with goodness throughout his life. The symphony concludes with a gentle diminuendo, a sigh of contentment and joy.

It’s also true that he was overwhelmed by other work during this period, which may have encouraged him to restrain the symphony to a more economical length. Aside from composing, Mahler was also a much sought-after conductor. In 1897, the public’s prejudice against Jews was on the rise. Mahler made a strategic conversion from Judaism to Catholicism (actually, today’s biographers think Mahler was probably agnostic) to help secure an appointment to the prestigious post of director at the Imperial Opera in Vienna.

Home for the Holidays

This concert is generously supported by American Airlines

Friday, November 28, 2025 at 7:30 PM

Saturday, November 29, 2025 at 7:30 PM

Bass Performance Hall

Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor

Shayna Steele, vocalist

I.M. Terrell Academy Choir

Mary-Margaret Soknich, conductor

ANDERSON A Christmas Festival

BECKEL

TRADITIONAL

arr. Danenberg & Soifer

ADAM arr. Tyzik

TCHAIKOVSKY arr. Ellington adapt. Tyzik

MARTIN & BLANE arr. Bradford

TRADITIONAL arr. Prentice

A Christmas Fanfare

Chanukah Suite

1. Blessings

2. Dreydl

3. S'vivon

4. Chanukah, Oh Chanukah

5. Rock of Ages

Assorted songs sung by Shayna Steele

O Holy Night

Shayna Steele, vocalist

I.M. Terrell Academy Choir

INTERMISSION

Overture to The Nutcracker Sweet

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

I.M. Terrell Academy Choir

Sing We Now of Christmas

I.M. Terrell Academy Choir

Assorted songs sung by Shayna Steele

COOTS arr. Tyzik

Santa Claus is Coming to Town Shayna Steele, vocalist

ANDERSON Sleigh Ride

BASS Poem by Moore

FRY

The Night Before Christmas

A World of Joy Shayna Steele, vocalist

I.M. Terrell Academy Choir

STEPHENSON A Holly and Jolly Sing-Along Introduction Deck the Hall Jingle Bells

The Holly and the Ivy Jolly Old St. Nicholas Frosty the Snowman Up On the Housetop

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer Joy to the World

We Wish You a Merry Christmas Shayna Steele, vocalist

I.M. Terrell Academy Choir

Video/audio recording and flash photography is strictly prohibited at all FWSO performances.

Patrons arriving late will be seated during the first convenient pause. Program and artists are subject to change.

32 | 2025/2026 SEASON

ARTIST PROFILES

Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor

Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Emmy award-winning and Grammynominated conductor, is currently the Distinguished Resident Director of Orchestras and Professor of Conducting at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He has also established The Conducting Institute, in Fort Worth, to teach the fundamentals of conducting to students ages high school and up, of all levels.

Harth-Bedoya has amassed considerable experience at the helm of orchestras, including tenures as Chief Conductor of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and as Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, where he now holds the title of Music Director Laureate. Previously he also has held Music Director positions with the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand and the Eugene Symphony in Oregon.

Harth-Bedoya appears with orchestras around the world. He has conducted the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Spain, New Zealand Symphony, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, and Taiwan National Orchestra, among others.

Equally, at home in opera, Harth-Bedoya has conducted at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, English National Opera, Bremen Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Cincinnati Opera, Minnesota Opera, Juilliard Opera Center, and Santa Fe Opera. With a passionate devotion to unearthing new South American repertoire, Miguel Harth-Bedoya is the founder and Artistic Director of Caminos del Inka, a non-profit organization dedicated to researching, performing, and preserving the rich musical legacy of South America.

Harth-Bedoya’s impressive discography includes albums on Harmonia Mundi, Deutsche Gramophone, Decca, Naxos, and Warner. Highlight recordings include Traditions and Transformations: Sounds of Silk Road Chicago with the Chicago Symphony and Yo-Yo Ma, which received two Grammy nominations, music by Osvaldo Golijov with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon and pianists Katia and Marielle Labeque on Deutsche Grammophon, and Sentimiento Latino with Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flores on Decca.

Born and raised in Peru, Harth-Bedoya received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and his Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School. www.miguelharth-bedoya.com

ARTIST PROFILES

Shayna Steele, vocals

Shayna Steele is a dynamic vocalist known for her mastery of multiple genres, including soul, blues, jazz, and rock. With her powerful and versatile voice, she has become one of the most in-demand singers in the industry. In 2023, she debuted her solo symphony show American Diva with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring orchestrated versions of her original music and favorite covers. She has performed as a guest soloist with over 40 symphony orchestras across North America. Shayna’s original song “Gone Under” was selected by Snarky Puppy’s Michael League for inclusion in their viral album Family Dinner, Volume 1. A former cast member of Rent and Hairspray, Shayna provided background vocals for Bette Midler, Rihanna, and Kelly Clarkson. She has also appeared on soundtracks for Hairspray, The Bourne Identity, and Sex and the City 2, and made a guest singing appearance on The Sopranos and HBO Max’s The Penguin. She released her fourth studio album, Gold Dust, in 2023 on Ropeadope Records and produced by David Cook.

The I.M. Terrell Academy Choir

I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA provides a unique and unparalleled learning environment that develops and nurtures artistic talent, creative thinkers, and innovative problem solvers. Visual and Performing Arts students grow artistically in the study of dance, vocal music, instrumental music (band, orchestra, piano), theater, and visual arts. Students collaborate across content areas through a variety of interdisciplinary performances. Through in-depth conservatorylevel coursework, students prepare for college auditions and career opportunities in the arts. Under the direction of Mrs. Mary-Margaret Soknich, the Vocal Music Department consists of 72 singers in five performing ensembles. The Terrell Choirs have consistently won UIL sweepstakes awards since the school reopened as a STEM and VPA academy in 2018.

Mary-Margaret Soknich, conductor

Mary-Margaret Soknich is in her sixth year teaching Vocal Music at I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA, having taught secondary choral music for fifteen years. She holds a masters degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas and a bachelor’s degree from Texas Wesleyan University. Soknich has also spent many years directing and accompanying church choirs across the metroplex. Her choral performance career - most recently singing with Voices of Fort Worth and Fort Worth Chorale - has afforded her opportunities to sing with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Video Games Live tour, and at conventions hosted by TCDA, TMEA, SWACDA, and ACDA.

34 | 2025/2026 SEASON

Ways to Give

Annual Giving

Bring the joy of music to more than 100,000 adults, students, and children each year with an annual donation. You can do this by making a single gift or joining Metronome, the FWSO’s monthly giving program. As a token of our appreciation, enjoy access to unique benefits throughout the season.

Tribute Gifts

Make a gift to the FWSO in honor of a friend or loved one. A special letter acknowledging your donation is sent to the honoree or their family, informing them of your thoughtful and generous tribute.

Brooks Morris Society

Invest in the future of the FWSO through a charitable bequest and become part of the Brooks Morris Society. In addition to the impact of your legacy support, the FWSO honors these gifts with recognition and exclusive invitations throughout the year.

Endowment Fund

Established in 1984, the FWSO’s endowment fund provides an additional source of financial security for the institution. Gifts to the endowment fund ensure the FWSO remains an integral part of the cultural community.

How to Donate

To learn more about donor benefits and ways to give to the FWSO, please visit our website, fwsymphony.org/donate, or call the FWSO’s Development Team at (817) 665-6604.

Become an FWSO Angel Today

During your visit today, make a donation of $100 or more using the QR code above and enjoy a glass of wine on us! Just show your online gift confirmation to the Box Office at intermission and they will provide you a drink ticket to redeem at any venue bar.

Officers

Board of Directors

Mercedes T. Bass

Chairman of the Board

Marianne Auld

Chairman of the Executive Committee

Connie Beck

Secretary

Bob Karl

Treasurer

Keith Cerny, Ph.D.

President and CEO

Board of Directors

Dr. Semi Ali

Grant Allen

Dr. Edwin Augustat

Marianne Auld*

Amy Roach Bailey

Mercedes T. Bass*

Connie Beck*

Michael J. Bennett

J. Brooks*

John Broude

Karen Burchfield*

Ervin Cash

Dr. Joseph Cecere

Brenda Cline

Craig Collins*

Dr. Mary Costas

Barbara Cox

Dr. Benge Daniel

Salam David

Mitzi Davis

Dr. Tom Deas

Dr. Jeff Detweiler

Brian Drake

Althea Duersten*

Brandon Elms

Jonathan Espina

Dr. Jennifer Freeman

Aubrey Gideon

Pamela Gilchrist

Christopher Goff

Gail Granek

Eric T. Haitz

Aaron Howard*

Bonnie Janzen

Shauna Jenkins

Kim Johnson

Bob Karl*

Dee J. Kelly, Jr.*

Dr. Debra Koppelberger

Mollie Lasater *

Mary Hart Lipscomb

Quynh Dang Lu

Louella Martin*

Priscilla Martin

Dr. Stuart D. McDonald

Samuel E. Navarro

Justin Newton

Kate Lummis Norris

Frasher Pergande

Don Plattsmier *

Dana Porter *

Don Reid

Jean Roach

Anita Robidou

Henry Robinson*

The Rev. Julia G. Rusling

Leonard Ryan

Alann Sampson*

Jeff Schmeltekopf

Dr. Russ Schultz

Dr. Darcy Sety

Clare Stonesifer *

Rebecca Stupfel

Jonathan Suder *

Carla Thompson

Dr. Amy Tully

Paul Wehba*

John Wells*

Dr. James Williams

Kristine Williams

President Emerita

Ann Koonsman+

Emeritus Council

Dr. Rebecca Beasley

Marvin E. Blum

Ashli Blumenfeld

Anne Marie Bratton

Dr. Victor J. Boschini, Jr.

Anne Carvalho

Gail Cooke

* Executive Committee Member + Denotes Deceased

Juana-Rosa Daniell

Dr. Asad Dean

Joseph DeWoody

Vance A. Duffy

Katie Farmer

Charlotte French

Joan Friedman

Tera Garvey

John B. Giordano

Barry L. Green

Genie Guynn

Kathleen Hicks

Robert L. Jameson

Teresa King

Kelly Lancarte

Nico Leone

Misty Locke

Michelle Marlow

Ellen Messman

Colin McConnell

Dr. Till Meyn

Erin Moseley+

Jude Ryan+

Kal Silverberg

Thomas “Tommy” L. Smith

Dwayne Smith

Whit Smith

Kathleen B. Stevens

Ronda Jones Stucker

Lon Werner

J.W. Wilson

Chairman Emeriti

Mildred Fender

William P. Hallman, Jr.+

Adele Hart+

Janice Kelly

Rose Ann Kornfeld+

Ann Ryan

Ed Schollmaier+

Frank H. Sherwood+

Anna Belle P. Thomas+

Life Trustee

Rosalyn G. Rosenthal+

Rae & Ed Schollmaier+

Supporters of the FWSO

The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra expresses its deepest gratitude to the generous individual, institutional, endowment, and legacy supporters of the FWSO, a world-class orchestra and cultural pillar of Fort Worth.

Chairman’s Circle

Generous donors who have made extraordinary, multi-year commitments in support of the FWSO’s sustainability and continued artistic excellence.

$5,000,000 and above

Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass

$1,000,000- $4,999,999

Mr. & Mrs. John B. Kleinheinz

Mr. Paul Wehba

John Wells & Shay McCulloch-Wells

Individual Giving

Diamond Circle

$1,000,000 and above

Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass

Mr. & Mrs. John B. Kleinheinz

Mr. Paul Wehba

John Wells & Shay McCulloch-Wells

Gold Circle

$250,000 - $499,999

Althea L. Duersten

Silver Circle

$100,000 - $249,999

Anonymous

Ms. Marianne M. Auld and Mr. Jimmy Coury

Mark & Katsura Cerny

Mollie & Garland Lasater at the NTCF Fund

Bronze Circle

$50,000 - $99,999

Connie Beck & Frank Tilley

Mr. & Mrs. William S. Davis; Davoil, Inc.

Mrs. Louella Martin

Nancy & Don Plattsmier

The Eagle Quest Charitable Fund

For the full donor listing, please visit fwsymphony.org/support/donor-listing

As of August 27, 2024 to August 27, 2025.

+ Denotes deceased

Maestro Level

$25,000 - $49,999

Ramona & Lee Bass

J. Brooks

Beth and Craig Collins

Aaron Howard & Corrie HoodHoward

Mr. & Mrs. J. Luther King, Jr. / Luther King Capital Management

Mr. and Mrs. David Porter

Don & Melissa Reid

Alann Bedford Sampson

Dr. & Mrs. Russ A. Schultz

Jonathan and Medea Suder; MJR Foundation

Dr. James C. Williams

Conductor Level

$10,000 - $24,999

Drs. Farhan and Semi Ali

Carol Margaret Allen

Dr. Edwin Augustat, M.D.

Mr. & Mrs. Tull Bailey

Michael J. Bennett and Melissa M. Mitchell

Mr. Henry Borbolla

Mr. & Mrs. Douglas K. Bratton

Steve Brauer

John Broude & Judy Rosenblum

Mr. and Mrs. Ervin and Fran Cash

Dr. Joseph and Neva Cecere

Brenda & Chad Cline

Mr. John & Dr. Mary Costas, in honor of their grandchildren

Barbara A. & Ralph F. Cox

Kim & Glenn Darden

Tom & Deborah Deas

Rosemary and Jeff Detweiler

H. Paul Dorman

Mr. Brandon Elms

Dr. Jennifer Freeman

Aubrey Gideon

Stephen & Pamela Gilchrist

Leslie Goolsby

Gail Aronoff Granek

Mr. & Mrs. Mark L. Hart III

Shauna Jenkins

Matthew & Kimberly Johnson

Mr. & Mrs. Bob Karl

Dr. Debra and Mr. Aaron Koppelberger

Dr. Henry and Mrs. Quynh Lu

Deborah Mashburn & David Boddie

Dr. & Mrs. Stuart D. McDonald

Berlene T. & Jarrell R. Milburn

Nesha & George Morey

Samuel Navarro

Stephen & Brenda Neuse

Mr. Justin E. Newton

Katherine Lummis Norris

Estate of Virginia & James O’Donnell

Frasher H. & John F. Pergande

Mrs. Susan Pratt

Anita and Robert Robidou

Dr. Darcy Sety

Ms. Patricia A. Steffen

Tim and Clare Stonesifer

Mr. & Mrs. Mark J. Stupfel

Gerald Thiel & Stella Chang

Bonnie Janzen & Dr. Stuart Thomas

Mr. & Mrs. Kelly R. Thompson

Charles White

Mrs. Kristine Williams

Soloist Level

$5,000 - $9,999

Elaine & Neils Agather

Grant and Kristi Allen

Richard Beeny

Greg & Pam Braak

Debbie Brooks; DFW Musicians

Services LLC

Mr. and Mrs. Orlando Carvahlo

Mary Cauble

Sue & John Allen Chalk, Sr.

For the full donor listing, please visit fwsymphony.org/support/donor-listing

As of August 27, 2024 to August 27, 2025.

+ Denotes deceased

38 | 2025/2026 SEASON

Dr. & Mrs. Lincoln Chin

Mrs. Jeanne Cochran

Dean & Emily Crocker

Dr. and Mrs. Benge R. Daniel, Jr.

Dr. Asad Dean M.D.; Texas Oncology

Ms. Willa Dunleavy

Family of Christian Espina

Susan & Tommy Green

Steve+ & Jean Hadley

Eric Haitz

Dotty & Gary Hall

Gary & Judy Havener

Ms. Nina C. Hutton

Dee Kelly Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Koonsman

Nicole and Nico Leone

Chuck Marsh

Priscilla & Joe+ Martin

Marsland & Dick Moncrief

Ronald Moore, in memory of Marie A. Moore

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas B. Reynolds

Jeff & Judy Schmeltekopf

Dr. Richard Turner

Mr. and Mrs. Philip C. Williamson

Stuart Yarus & Judith Williams

Anonymous

Artist Level

$2,500 - $4,999

William & Kathryn Adams

Mr. & Mrs. Harper Bartolomei

Ellen & Larry Bell

Mr. Bill Bond

Judge Tim & Celia Boswell

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Burchfield

Hon. H.D. Clark III and Peggy Sue Branch-Clark, in Memory of Col. Robert Branch and Betty Branch

Susan Jackson Davis

Doug & Carol English

Gary Glaser and Christine Miller

John W. Goodwin

Dr. Christy L. Hanson

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob M. Huffman III

Gordon & Aileen Kanan

Jim Kelley

Patrick & Kathryn Kinne

Ms. Trina Krausse

Mr. John Kroemer

Mr. Donald C. Little,in memory of Laura Elizabeth Bruton

L. Lumley

Mr. Peter Lyden

Chas Martin

Paul & Mary Kay Park

Mary Pencis

Mr. & Mrs. Omas Peterson

Bill Proenza

Ms. Jane Rector

Dr. Deborah Rhea & Ms. Carol Bollinger

Rosemary Riney

Mr. and Mrs. William E. Rosenthal

Capera Ryan

Punch Shaw & Julie Hedden

Mary Alice Denmon Smith

Mary C. Smith; Clark Educational Services

Anita Conley and Daniel Stevens

Mr. and Mrs. Craig Stevenson

Jim & Judy Summersgill

Lynne & David Urbel

Rhonda McNallen Venne

Gene Walker and Marianna Smith

Mr. John Molyneaux & Ms. Kay West

Suzy Williams & John Williams+

Mr. & Mrs. Mitchell Wynne

For the full donor listing, please visit fwsymphony.org/support/donor-listing

As of August 27, 2024 to August 27, 2025. + Denotes deceased

Institutional Giving

Institutional Giving

$500,000 and above

Sid W. Richardson Foundation

$150,000- $499,999

Amon G. Carter Foundation

Mary Potishman Lard Trust

$50,000- $149,999

American Airlines Gittings

Adeline & George McQueen Foundation

Leo Potishman Foundation

Qurumbli Foundation

William E. Scott Foundation

Web Maddox Trust

$25,000- $49,999

Arts Fort Worth

BNSF Railway City Club

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

The Frill Foundation

Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP

Mr. & Mrs. J. Luther King, Jr. / Luther King Capital Management NorthPark Center

Piranesi

Texas Commission on the Arts

$10,000- $24,999

Anonymous Bank Of America Charitable Gift Fund

First Horizon Bank Frost

George & Jeanne Jaggers Charitable Trust

Helene Bare & W. Glenn Embry Charitable Trust

Lowe Foundation

Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation

Neiman Marcus Fort Worth

Community Foundation of North Texas

Peugh Pate Capper Charitable Trust

The Roach Foundation

The Thomas M., Helen McKee & John P. Ryan Foundation

For the full donor listing, please visit fwsymphony.org/support/donor-listing As of August 27, 2024 to August 27, 2025.

+ Denotes deceased

40 | 2025/2026 SEASON

David Webb New York

Fort Worth Tourism Public Improvement District

$5,000- $9,999

Alcon

Communities Foundation of Texas

Dee Kelly Foundation

Marguerite Bridges Charitable Trust

J.P. Morgan Charitable Giving Fund

Morgan Stanley

Frances C. & William P. Smallwood Foundation

Symphony League of Fort Worth

Texas Christian University

$2,000- $4,999

Pinnacle Bank

Black Oak Valuation Advisory, LLC

Deal Family Foundation

Duro Hospitality

Jackson Family Foundation

JPMorgan Foundation

Kimbell Art Foundation

Once Upon A Time Foundation

Robert D. & Catherine R. Alexander Foundation

Vanguard Charitable

For the full donor listing, please visit fwsymphony.org/support/donor-listing

As of August 27, 2024 to August 27, 2025.

+ Denotes deceased

Endowment Giving

$5,000,000 and above

Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass

Mr.+ and Mrs.+ Perry R. Bass

Mr. Sid R. Bass

$1,000,000- $4,999,999

Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation

Sasha and Edward P. Bass

The Burnett Foundation

Garvey Texas Foundation

Kimbell Art Foundation

Elizabeth H. Ledyard+

Rosalyn Rosenthal+

Rae+ & Ed+ Schollmaier; Schollmaier Foundation

$500,000- $999,999

Mr. & Mrs. John B. Kleinheinz

Mollie & Garland Lasater at the NTCF Fund

The Thomas M., Helen McKee & John P. Ryan Foundation

T.J. Brown & C.A. Lupton Foundation

$250,000- $499,999

BNSF Railway

Estate of Dorothy Rhea

Qurumbli Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Mark L. Hart III

Drs. Jeff & Rosemary Detweiler

$100,000- $249,999

Alcon

American Airlines

Amon G. Carter Foundation

Althea L. Duersten

Estate of Peggy L. Rayzor

Mr. & Mrs. Ben J. Fortson, Jr.

Mr.+ & Mrs. Dee J. Kelly, Sr.

+ Denotes deceased

Mr. & Mrs. J. Luther King, Jr. | Luther King Capital Management

John Marion

J.P. Morgan Charitable Giving Fund

The Roach Foundation

Anna Belle P. Thomas

$50,000- $99,999

Michael and Nancy Barrington

Van Cliburn+

Mrs. Gunhild Corbett

Mrs. Edward R. Hudson, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs.+ Ronald Koonsman

Scurlock Foundation

Symphony League of Fort Worth

$25,000- $49,999

Mr. & Mrs. Jack S. Blanton Jr.

Estate of Linda Reimers Mixson

Michael Boyd Milligan+

Garvey Texas Foundation

Colleen+ and Preston+ Geren

Mrs. Adele Hart+

Mr. and Mrs. Craig Kelly

Dee Kelly Foundation

Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Krebs

Mr. Eddie M. Lesok

Mr. & Mrs. Duer Wagner Jr.

Laurie and Lon Werner

$10,000- $24,999

Mr.+ and Mrs.+ William L. Adams

Mr.+ & Mrs.+ Malcolm K. Brachman

Mr. & Mrs. Douglas K. Bratton

Mr. Carroll W. Collins+

Mary Ann and Robert Cotham

Mr. and Mrs. Norwood P. Dixon+

Elizabeth L. and Russell F. Hallberg Foundation

Estate of Ernest Allen, Jr.

Fifth Avenue Foundation

Mrs. Dora Lee Langdon

Carol V. Lukert+

Mr. & Mrs. Richard W. Moncrief

Stephen & Brenda Neuse

Peggy L. Rayzor

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas B. Reynolds

William E. Scott Foundation

Mr.+ and Mrs. Thomas M. Taylor

Donna+ & Bryan Whitworth

William S. Davis Family Foundation

$5,000- $9,999

Mrs. Charles Anton+

Ms. Lou Ann Blaylock

Sue & John Allen Chalk, Sr.

Anonymous

Nelson & Enid Cleary

Barbara A. & Ralph F. Cox

Estate of Whitfield J. Collins

Francis M. Allen Trust

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Jeffrey Gerrish

Felice and Marvin Girouard+

Mr.+ & Mrs.+ Ralph J. Green Jr.

Maritza Cáceres & Miguel HarthBedoya

Richard Hubbard, M.D.

JPMorgan Chase+

Mr.+ and Mrs.+ Robert E. Klabzuba

Priscilla & Joe+ Martin

Miss Louise McFarland+

Karen Rainwater Charitable Fund at the NTCF

Alann Bedford Sampson

Betty J. Sanders+

Save Our Symphony Fort Worth

Jerry & James Taylor

The Musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Mr. Gerald E. Thiel

John+ & Frances Wasilchak Charitable Fund at the NTCF

+ Denotes deceased

Endowed Chairs & Programs

The Board of Directors extends sincere gratitude to the following donors who have demonstrated exceptional generosity and commitment to the FWSO by endowing the following chairs and programs.

Music Director

Guest Conductors

Associate Conductor

Concertmaster

Associate Concertmaster

Assistant Concertmaster

Assistant Principal 2nd Violin

Section 2nd Violin

Principal Cello

Assistant Principal Cello

Principal Bass

Principal Flute

Principal Oboe

Principal Clarinet

Principal Bassoon

Principal Horn

Associate Principal Horn

Assistant

Principal Trumpet

Principal Trombone

Bass Trombone

Timpani

Principal Percussion

Assistant Principal Percussion

Harp

Keyboard

Great Performance Fund

Pops Performance Fund

Adventures in Music

Symphonic Insight

+ Denotes deceased

Nancy Lee & Perry R. Bass+ Chair

Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass Chair

Mr. Sid R. Bass Chair

Rae and Ed Schollmaier Foundation Chair

Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass Chair

Mr. Sid R. Bass Chair

Ann Koonsman+ Chair

Mollie & Garland Lasater Chair

Symphony League of Fort Worth Chair

Marie A. Moore+ Chair

Mrs. Mercedes T. Bass Chair

Mr. Sid R. Bass Chair

BNSF Railway Foundation Chair

Mr. & Mrs. Edward P. Bass Chair

Shirley F. Garvey+ Chair

Nancy L. & William P. Hallman, Jr. Chair

Rosalyn G. Rosenthal+ Chair

In Memory of Manny Rosenthal

Mr. & Mrs. Lee M. Bass Chair

Elizabeth H. Ledyard+ Chair

Drs. Jeff and Rosemary Detweiler Chair

Dorothy Rhea+ Chair

Mr. & Mrs. John Kleinheinz Chair

Mr. & Mrs. Lee M. Bass Chair

Madilyn Bass Chair

Shirley F. Garvey+ Chair

Adele Hart+ Chair

Bayard H. Friedman+ Chair

Rildia Bee O’Bryan Cliburn & Van Cliburn+ Chair

Rosalyn G. Rosenthal+ Chair

In Memory of Manny Rosenthal

The Burnett Foundation

The Ryan Foundation

Teresa & Luther King

Brooks Morris Society

Annette & Jerry+ Blaschke

Dr. Lloyd W. Brooks

Mr. and Mrs. M. A. Cardona+

Barbara Clarkin

Mr. Carroll W. Collins+

Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Cooke

Juana-Rosa & Dr. Ron Daniell+

Estate of Anna Belle P. Thomas

Miss Dorothy Rhea+

Electra M. Carlin+

Estate of Ernest Allen, Jr.

F. Warren O’Reilly+

Hugh L. Watson+

Estate of Kathy B. Higgins

Estate of Linda Reimers Mixson

Lois Hoynck Jaggers+

Michael Boyd Milligan+

Mildred G. Walters+

Estate of Peggy L. Rayzor

Sylvia E. Wolens+

Whitfield J. Collins+

Tom Gay

Gwen M. Genius

George & Jeanne Jaggers Charitable Trust

Mrs. Charlotte M. Gore

Gail Aronoff Granek

Helene Bare & W. Glenn Embry

Charitable Trust

Qurumbli Foundation

Hank and Shawn Henning

+ Denotes deceased

Mr. Eric F. Hyden+

Kathleen E. Connors Trust

Mr. & Mrs.+ Ronald Koonsman

Lewis F. Kornfeld, Jr. Memorial Fund at the NTCF

Mollie & Garland M. Lasater, Jr.

Elizabeth H. Ledyard+

Carol V. Lukert+

Marguerite Bridges Charitable Trust

Patty Cartwright Mays

Shannon McGovern

Dr. and Mrs. A. F. Murph

Linda Todd Murphy

Estate of Virginia & James O’Donnell

Harris Franklin Pearson Private Foundation

Peggy Meade-Cohen Crut Charitable Trust

Mr.+ and Mrs. John V. Roach II

The Roach Foundation

Jude+ & Terry Ryan

Jeff & Judy Schmeltekopf

Mr. & Mrs. Grady Shropshire

Kathleen & Richard Stevens

Mr. Gerald E. Thiel

The Walsh Foundation

Peter G. Warren

John+ & Frances Wasilchak Charitable Fund at the NTCF

John Wells & Shay McCulloch-Wells

Lynn Wilson

A City Club Social Membership provides access to dining in our restaurants and member event privileges including Wine Tastings, Holiday Brunches and many other Club events. You will have the ability to reserve private rooms for business and social functions.

Social Memberships for $102 per month

FWSO Subscribers receive a discounted enrollment fee

For more information, contact Matt Burrell, City Club Membership Director at 817.878.4000 or mburrell@cityclubfw.com.

Take in sweeping downtown views from our inviting, western-inspired accommodations—especially the one-of-a-kind Resistol Suite. Then head downstairs for clever cocktails, prime-aged steaks at Bob’s Steak & Chop House, and a variety of flavorful options at our other on-site restaurants. Present this program at Whiskey & Rye and Cast Iron to receive a 10% discount. Does not include alcohol.

Benjamin K., Bachelor’s in Management

With thousands of dollars in esports winnings and a gig broadcasting an international esports tournament, Benjamin is turning his love of gaming into a thriving career thanks to UTA. Ambitious moves, worldwide impact. That’s Benjamin’s Maverick Factor.

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