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TABLE OF CONTENTS
FWSO STAFF
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Keith Cerny, Ph.D. President and CEO
Carrie Ellen Adamian Chief Operating Officer
Jacque Carpenter Vice President of Finance & HR
Mia Curb Executive Assistant
7 Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Roster
8 Program 1: Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman
OPERATIONS
Branson White Senior Production Manager
Lacy McCoy Senior Operations Manager
Tim Vinson Stage Manager
Program 3: Picasso Symphony
Program 2: Storybook: Little Red Riding Hood 22
Program 4: Mozart’s Clarinet
Concerto and Symphony No. 39 31 Board of Directors
Gillian Boley Artistic Services Coordinator
Christopher Hawn Orchestra Librarian
David Sterrett Assistant Orchestra Librarian
DEVELOPMENT
Stephanie Moreau Senior Director of Development
Camille McPherson Individual Giving Manager
Veronika Perez Development Specialist, Operations
Alexia Wixom Development Associate
BOX OFFICE
Tess Todora Director of Ticketing Services
James Alexander Box Office Associate
Veronica Morris Box Office Associate
Mary Russell Box Office Associate
Paul Taylor Box Office Associate
Morgan Tingle Box Office Associate
FINANCE
Kenneth Rinehart Director of Accounting
Lucas Baldwin Senior Staff Accountant
ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL & HUMAN RESOURCES
Araminta Stephens HR Administrator
Savanna Cardenas Orchestra Personnel Manager
MARKETING
Monica Sheehan Director of Marketing
Emily Gavaghan Senior Marketing Manager
Melanie Boma Senior Tessitura Database Manager
Josselin Garibo Pendleton Senior Manager, Education and Community Programs
Mercedes T. Bass Chairman of the Board of Directors
Dear Friends,
As the season nears to a close, it has been such a pleasure to have you join us in what has truly been a remarkable year of artistic excellence. In the continued spirit of collaboration, a hallmark of the FWSO, this year’s finale will feature an extraordinary cast of world-class opera singers, in our semi-staged production of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman. This evening will be led by Music Director Robert Spano, spotlighting the convergence of beautiful voices and our extraordinary orchestra.
This season, the FWSO continues expanding its reach into the community in meaningful ways, including its Bridges to Music ticket program, discounted student tickets, and educational programming developed in partnership with FWISD. And don’t miss the second season of our Mercedes T. Bass Sounds of the Summer Series, which will include a free community concert on the Amon Carter Museum lawn in June. These initiatives are so important to the mission of the FWSO and have become invaluable to the North Texas community. Thank you for your support and patronage, which makes all of these projects possible.
With much appreciation and gratitude,
Mercedes T. Bass Chairman of the Board of Directors
Keith Cerny, Ph.D. President and CEO
Dear Patron,
We are approaching the end of Robert Spano’s third season as Music Director, and he continues to elevate the already outstanding performances of our musicians. In January, we made the exciting announcement that Maestro Spano’s contract as Music Director has been extended until the end of the 2030-2031 season, ensuring artistic stability and excellence for many years to come. My own contract has been extended to that date, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with him to produce inspiring performances.
One of the themes of Spano’s and my artistic programming has been “Theater of a Concert” projects, where we include visual, dance, projections, and other elements to add creative dimensions to the FWSO’s performances. We feature these special types of projects in programs in April and May. On our Symphonic Series in April, we present Wagner’s eerie masterpiece, The Flying Dutchman, with an international-caliber cast. This opera will be conducted by Maestro Spano and directed by James Robinson. We present the U.S. premiere of the Picasso Symphony program in May, featuring an innovative film-orchestra experience. We also present our final installment for the year of the FWSO’s Family Series, with a program based on Little Red Riding Hood. These Family programs are designed to be an “on ramp” for our younger audiences and are conducted by Associate Conductor Michelle Di Russo. Also in May, our gifted Principal Clarinet Stas Chernyshev is featured in Mozart’s iconic Clarinet Concerto in an all-Mozart program conducted by Maestro Spano.
As I begin my seventh year with the FWSO, I am delighted with the exceptional artistic quality of the FWSO’s performances, and the orchestra’s deep and wide-ranging educational and community impact. We are grateful to all of our patrons and donors for their sustained support of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and we thank you for joining us in person.
Yours sincerely,
Keith Cerny, Ph.D. President & CEO
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. Spano has been Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra since August 2022 and will continue there through the 2030-2031 season; this follows his tenure as Principal Guest Conductor with FWSO, which began in 2019. He is the tenth Music Director in the orchestra’s history, which was founded in 1912. In February 2024, Spano was appointed Music Director of the Washington National Opera, beginning in the 2025–2026 season, for a three-year term; he is currently the WNO’s Music Director Designate. 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 twenty seasons as Music Director with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, he now serves as
4 | 2024/2025 SEASON
Music Director Laureate. He was appointed Principal Conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School in 2024, and will transition to Principal Guest Conductor in 2025-2026 following the appointment of their new Music Director.
During the 2024–2025 season — Spano’s third as Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony — he leads six weeks of symphonic programming, conducting works including Mahler’s Symphony No. 9, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman in concert, and a world premiere by Jake Heggie, in addition to shaping the artistic direction of the orchestra and driving its continued growth. In the Fall of 2024, Spano leads his first performances as WNO’s Music Director Designate, including a new production of Beethoven’s Fidelio. Additional highlights of the 2024–2025 season include a twoweek residency with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and his first appearances as Principal Conductor with the Rhode Island Philharmonic.
Spano made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2019, leading the US premiere of Marnie by American composer Nico Muhly. Recent concert highlights have included 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; Of Earth and Sky: Tales From the Motherland by Brian Raphael Nabors with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Rhode Island Philharmonic; and Voy a Dormir by Bryce Dessner at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor.
With a discography of critically acclaimed recordings, Robert Spano has garnered four Grammy™ Awards and eight nominations with the Atlanta Symphony. 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.
Kevin John Edusei Principal Guest Conductor
German conductor Kevin John Edusei is sought-after the world over. He is praised repeatedly for the drama and tension in his music-making and the sense of architecture, warmth and insight that he brings to his performances. He is deeply committed to the creative elements of performance, presenting classical music in new formats, cultivating audiences and conducting an eclectic range of repertoire.
Highlights of Edusei’s 2024/25 season include debuts with the New York Philharmonic, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Taiwan Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Musikverein with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. His return engagements include the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra at the Concertgebouw and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in his final season as Principal Guest Conductor. A strong advocate of contemporary music, Edusei’s carefully
curated programmes across the 2024/25 season include premieres of works by Hannah Kendall, Thomas Larcher, Samy Moussa, Brian Nabors, Derrick Skye and Gabriella Smith.
In Autumn 2022, Edusei made his debut at the Royal Opera House conducting Puccini’s La bohème, which was streamed across cinemas world-wide, and in 2023/24 he returned for a production of Madama Butterfly. Previously he has enjoyed great success with productions at the Semperoper Dresden, English National Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Volksoper Wien and Komische Oper Berlin. During his tenure at the Bern Opera House, he led highly acclaimed new productions including Peter Grimes, Ariadne auf Naxos, Salome, Bluebeard’s Castle, Tannhäuser, Tristan und Isolde, Kátya Kábanová and a cycle of the MozartDa-Ponte operas.
Born in Bielefeld, Germany, Edusei studied sound engineering, classical percussion and orchestral conducting at the University of the Arts Berlin and the Royal Conservatory The Hague with Jac van Steen and Ed Spanjaard. In 2004 he was awarded a conducting fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival by David Zinman, in 2007 he was a prize-winner at the Lucerne Festival conducting competition under the artistic direction of Pierre Boulez and in 2008 he won the first prize of the Dimitri Mitropoulos Competition in Athens. Edusei is an alumnus of the Deutsche Bank Akademie Musiktheater heute and the Dirigentenforum of the German Music Council. He resides with his family in Munich.
Michelle Di Russo Associate Conductor
A graceful yet powerful force on the podium, Argentinian-Italian conductor Michelle Di Russo is known for her compelling interpretations, passionate musicality, and championing of contemporary music. Recently appointed Associate Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, she will begin her tenure in the 24/25 season, working closely with Robert Spano. Di Russo is a recipient of the 2024 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award and a conducting fellow at the Verbier Festival. She is a former Dudamel Fellow with LA Philharmonic, a mentee of the Taki Alsop Fellowship, and a conducting fellow of Chicago Sinfonietta’s Project Inclusion program and The Dallas Opera Hart Institute.
This season’s highlights include guest conducting debuts with Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Calgary Philharmonic, Toledo Ballet, and Fort
Worth Symphony Orchestra. She will also be returning to conduct the Delaware Symphony and cover conduct for the New York Philharmonic. Di Russo has been selected to lead a premiere of one of the Roche Young Commissions at Lucerne Festival Academy as part of a two-year project.
Di Russo has guest conducted LA Phil, San Diego Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Portland Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, and worked as cover conductor for the National Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, LA Phil, and NY Phil.
During the pandemic, Di Russo co-created Girls Who Conduct, an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between women and men in the conducting field and encouraging younger generations of women and non-binary conductors to overcome any obstacles presented due to their gender.
Di Russo holds a Doctoral Degree in Orchestral Conducting from Arizona State University and a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Kentucky. She completed her degree in Orchestral Conducting and Music Production of Audiovisual Media from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, where she was awarded an Ad-Hoc Diploma for the highest grade in Orchestral Conducting.
6 | 2024/2025 SEASON
FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Robert Spano, Music Director, Nancy Lee & Perry R. Bass Chair
Kevin John Edusei, Principal Guest Conductor
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Music Director Laureate
Michelle Di Russo, Associate Conductor, Rae and Ed Schollmaier Foundation Chair
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
Ordabek Duissen
Qiong Hulsey
Ivo Ivanov
Nikayla Kim
Izumi Lund
Ke Mai
Kimberly Torgul
Albert Yamamoto
VIOLIN II
Adriana Voirin DeCosta, Principal
Steven Li, Associate Principal
Janine Geisel, Assistant Principal
Symphony League of Fort Worth Chair
Molly Baer
Matt Milewski
Gabriela Peña-Kim
Kathryn Perry
Tatyana Smith
Rosalyn Story
Andrea Tullis
Camilla Wojciechowska
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
Vacant Position, Assistant Principal
BNSF Railway Foundation Chair
John Belk
Deborah Brooks
Shelley Jessup
Jenny Kwak
BASS
William Clay, Principal
Mr. & Mrs. Edward P. Bass Chair
Paul Unger, Assistant Principal
Jeffery Hall
Sean P. O’Hara
Julie Vinsant
The seating positions of all string section musicians listed alphabetically change on a regular basis.
FLUTE
Jake Fridkis, Principal
Shirley F. Garvey Chair
Gabriel Fridkis, Assistant Principal
Vaynu Kadiyali
PICCOLO
Vaynu Kadiyali
OBOE
Jennifer Corning Lucio, Principal
Nancy L. & William P. Hallman, Jr., Chair
Tamer Edlebi, Assistant Principal
Tim Daniels
ENGLISH HORN
Tim Daniels
CLARINET
Stas Chernyshev, Principal
Rosalyn G. Rosenthal Chair*
Ivan Petruzziello, Assistant Principal
Phillip Solomon°
E-FLAT CLARINET
Ivan Petruzziello
BASS CLARINET
Phillip Solomon°
BASSOON
Vacant Position, Principal
Mr. & Mrs. Lee M. Bass Chair
Nik Hooks°, Assistant Principal
Nicole Haywood Vera Tenorio°
Cara Owens, on leave
CONTRABASSOON
Nicole Haywood Vera Tenorio°
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
TRUMPET
Kyle Sherman, Principal
Cody McClarty, Assistant Principal
Dorothy Rhea Chair
Oscar Garcia
TROMBONE
Joseph Dubas, Principal
Mr. & Mrs. John Kleinheinz Chair
John Michael Hayes, Assistant Principal
Dennis Bubert
BASS TROMBONE
Dennis Bubert
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
Bayard H. Friedman Chair
KEYBOARD
Shields-Collins “Buddy” Bray, Principal Rildia Bee O'Bryan Cliburn & Van Cliburn Chair
STAGE MANAGER
Tim Vinson
ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER
Savanna Cardenas
ORCHESTRA LIBRARIANS
Christopher Hawn
David Sterrett
*In Memory of Manny Rosenthal °2024/2025 Season Only
The Concertmaster performs on the 1710 Davis Stradivarius violin.
The Associate Concertmaster performs on the 1685 Eugenie Stradivarius violin.
Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman
This concert is dedicated to Marianne Auld | Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP
Friday, April 11, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, April 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Bass Performance Hall Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Robert Spano, conductor
Greer Grimsley, The Dutchman
Heidi Melton, Senta
Viktor Antipenko, Erik
Raymond Aceto, Daland
Luretta Bybee, Mary
Jonathan Kaufman, Daland’s Helmsman
Fort Worth Kantorei
UT Arlington A Cappella Choir
James Robinson, director
Alex Mason, lighting designer
Greg Emetaz, projection designer
Nicole Alvarez, costume designer
WAGNER The Flying Dutchman
Act I
Intermission
Act II
Act III
Video or audio recording of this performance is strictly prohibited. Patrons arriving late will be seated during the first convenient pause. Program and artists are subject to change. 8 | 2024/2025
PROGRAM NOTES by Jeremy Reynolds
RICHARD WAGNER
DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER (THE FLYING DUTCHMAN)
DURATION: About 140 minutes
PREMIERED: Dresden, 1843
LEITMOTIF: A recurring musical theme that is associated with a person, idea, or action. Wagner is credited with cementing the operatic use of such musical devices, which commonly appear in music for film and television as well.
“From here begins my career as poet and my farewell to the mere concoctor of opera texts.”
— Richard Wagner, (Born 1813, Germany; died 1883)
The Background
Ego, thy name is Wagner. Most operas are highly collaborative efforts involving librettists and composers, with a writer inventing or adapting a story into singable prose and the composer infusing the text with music. Wagner preferred to write both text and music himself to maintain full artistic control over his creations. One of his ambitions — described at length in his autobiography and his other essays — was to unify music, text, and staging as closely as possible to create more “immersive” experiences. (His most famous work, the epic The Ring of the Nibelung cycle of four operas, is perhaps the closest he came to achieving this unity.)
This approach led Wagner to eventually reject even the term “opera” — he came to prefer the term “music dramas” for his staged works. Indeed, rather than the traditional operatic form of alternating arias (songs) and recitatives (stylized dialogue), he composed his works straight through, preferring to use snippets of melody or themes throughout his music dramas to give them a more cohesive feel.
Wagner often looked to folklore, myths, and legends as subjects for his tales, and The Flying Dutchman is no exception. For this work, which he regarded as his first true music drama, he drew on the writer Heinrich Heine’s novel Aus den Memoiren des Herren von Schnabelewopski as well as a recent nautical experience of his own. He described this voyage in an autobiographical sketch: “The voyage through the Norwegian reefs made a wonderful impression on my imagination; the legend of the Flying Dutchman, which the sailors verified, took on a distinctive, strange coloring that only my sea adventures could have given it.”
The Flying Dutchman is filled with recurring themes and melodies that Wagner transforms and recasts to suit and help add emotional depth to the story. In his operas, the score functions almost as a narrative character, imparting emotional nuance and depth to the text. The overture begins with the Dutchman’s theme, which recurs ad nauseum throughout the music drama. This practice of writing leitmotifs caught on in his wake — other opera composers and even film composers to this day use the practice.
Act I
A storm blows the sea captain Daland’s ship off course, and he takes refuge in a Norwegian bay. Another ship takes anchor. It is the Dutchman, he who swore to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, even if it took him an eternity. The devil took him at his word, and the Dutchman has been trapped sailing for eternity ever since. There is a chance for redemption, however. Once every seven years, he may make landfall, and if he finds a woman who remains faithful in her love until she dies, he will be released from his curse.
The Dutchman offers Daland gold in exchange for room and board and tells him that he is also looking for a wife. Daland, motivated by greed, promises his daughter Senta to the Dutchman. All depart for Daland’s home port.
Act II
The women of Daland’s village are at his house. Senta, fascinated by the tale of the Dutchman’s curse, is pressed into singing the ballad of the Flying Dutchman. She believes she can rescue him from his plight. Erik, her suitor, arrives with news of Daland’s return, and he begs Senta to marry him. He speaks of a dream in which the Dutchman carries her away to the sea. Senta exclaims that she has had the same dream, and Erik leaves distraught.
Daland arrives with the Dutchman, and Senta is captivated. The feeling is mutual, and Daland leaves them alone. They are betrothed.
Act III
The crew of Daland’s ship and the village women are celebrating and dancing. They invite the Dutchman’s crew to join them, but the ghostly sailors are quiet. Daland’s crew hails once more, and the Dutchman’s crew sings of their damnation. Frightened, Daland’s crew flees.
Senta enters with Erik, who reminds her of their courtship. The Dutchman overhears this and thinks himself betrayed. Bitter now, he orders his crew to prepare to depart. Senta pleads her innocence and vows faithfulness, but the Dutchman is resolute. He reveals his true identity to the villagers and sets sail. Senta leaps to a watery grave, faithful unto death, and the curse is lifted.
The Dutchman and Senta reunite in spirit.
ARTIST PROFILES
Greer Grimsley, The Dutchman
Greer Grimsley, GRAMMY® Award nominee, is internationally recognized as an outstanding singing actor and one of the most prominent Wagnerian singers of our day. Grimsley’s reign as a leading interpreter of the god Wotan has brought him to myriad esteemed international opera houses; some highlights include his portrayal of the role for a complete cycle of Der Ring des Nibelungen with Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Comunale di Bologna under Daniele Gatti’s baton, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, New National Theatre Tokyo, the Nikikai Opera Foundation in Tokyo, San Francisco Opera, the Royal Opera Stockholm, and for Seattle Opera in three complete cycles over the past decade.
Last season, he returned to The Metropolitan Opera as The Captain in Mary Zimmerman’s new production of Florencia en el Amazonas, Palm Beach Opera as Scarpia in Tosca, The Atlanta Opera to sing his acclaimed Wotan in Die Walküre, and Santa Fe Opera as Paul in the world premiere of The Righteous. He also sang on gala concerts with Seattle Opera and Shreveport Opera and joined Aspen Music Festival to sing Wotan in the thrilling final act of Die Walküre. This season, Mr. Grimsley will be back at the Met to sing the Commander in the house premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded. He’ll also return to The Atlanta Opera, this time as their Siegfried Wotan, join Fort Worth Symphony in the title role of Der fliegende Holländer, and return to The Glimmerglass Festival, as their Artist in Residence for the season and to sing his renowned Scarpia in Tosca
Mr. Grimsley’s portrayals of some of Wagner’s other great characters have earned him critical acclaim both domestically and internationally, including the title role of Der fliegende Holländer with Seattle Opera, Bayreuther Festspiele, Dallas Opera, and Ravinia Festival, under the baton of Maestro James Conlon in his final performance with the company; Telramund in Lohengrin with The Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Danish Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Seattle Opera; Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde with the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Prague National Theatre, the Royal Danish Opera, the Ópera de Bellas Artes in Mexico, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, and Bayreuther Festspiele; Amfortas in Parsifal with The Metropolitan Opera; and Wotan in Das Rheingold with Teatro Real in Madrid, in Die Walküre with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Swedish Opera, and in Siegfried with the Bregenzer Festspiele.
Heidi Melton, Senta
Heidi Melton, an acclaimed American dramatic soprano, is celebrated as a leading voice in Wagnerian opera, often hailed as “the Wagnerian voice we have been waiting for since Flagstad and Nilsson” by La Presse. Her career is marked by a series of notable performances across prestigious international stages and with renowned orchestras.
In the 24/25 season, Heidi will debut at Teatro La Fenice in a new staged production of Erwartung and at Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for Der fliegende Holländer (Senta). Additional recent performances include debuts at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in concert performances of Cavalleria rusticana (Santuzza) conducted by James Gaffigan, Minnesota Orchestra for Erwartung and return to Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya for Erwartung, both conducted by Eun Sun Kim.
Ms. Melton’s international presence extends to engagements with prominent orchestras and opera houses. She has performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Vienna and appeared in New York City for a recital with the George London Foundation. Her collaborations include performances with the London Symphony Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic in Ligeti’s Le grand macabre conducted by Simon Rattle. She returned to the Hong Kong Philharmonic for Siegfried, which was recorded for Naxos, debuted at Houston Grand Opera in Götterdämmerung, and recorded Tristan und Isolde with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra. One of her notable achievements was her debut with the Vienna Philharmonic, performing the “Immolation Scene” from Götterdämmerung under Valery Gergiev at the Musikverein in Vienna and Carnegie Hall in New York. She also debuted with the New York Philharmonic in Strauss Lieder and Die Walküre under Alan Gilbert, and with the Dallas Symphony in a complete concert performance of Die Walküre under Jaap van Zweden. She made her Italian debut under Kirill Petrenko with Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI in Torino in Götterdämmerung and appeared at the BBC Proms in Tannhäuser with Donald Runnicles and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to her orchestral engagements, Ms. Melton has performed with various opera companies worldwide. She debuted at The Metropolitan Opera in Elektra under Fabio Luisi and made her role debut as Sieglinde in San Francisco Opera’s production of Der Ring des Nibelungen conducted by Donald Runnicles. Her repertoire includes performances at Opéra National de Bordeaux in Ariadne auf Naxos, Tannhäuser, and Un ballo in maschera, as well as her debut with North Carolina Opera in Tristan und Isolde.
12 | 2024/2025 SEASON
Viktor Antipenko, Erik
Russian-American tenor Viktor Antipenko, praised for his effortless, expansive sound, and excellent technique, continues to sing leading roles to great acclaim and has become a singer to watch in the dramatic repertoire. In the 2024-25 season, he makes his role and house debut singing Canio in I Pagliacci at Staatsoper Hannover before debuting at Theater Dortmund to revive his portrayal of Siegmund in Die Walküre under the baton of Gabriel Feltz and staging by Peter Konwitschny. Mr. Antipenko will also be reunited with conductor Rafael Payare to open the Caramoor Summer Music Festival with Beethoven’s Symphony #9.
Last season, he made debuts at the Sydney Opera House singing Luigi in Il Tabarro under the baton of Lidiya Yankovskaya with Opera Australia; Pacific Opera Victoria performing Siegmund in Die Walküre; and Atlanta Opera where he reprised his signature role of Siegmund conducted by Arthur Fagen. He also debuted at the New National Theatre Tokyo of Japan to perform Lensky in Eugene Onegin. Mr. Antipenko was added to the roster of Lyric Opera of Chicago where he covered the role of Radames in Aida with Music Director Enrique Mazzola at the helm.
In concert, he joined conductor Franz Krager for performances of Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with Moores School Symphony Orchestra alongside baritone Sergei Leiferkus and made his San Diego Symphony debut performing Siegmund in an Act 1 concert of Die Walküre with Music Director Rafael Payare.
Previous season highlights include engagements with the Metropolitan Opera, Scottish National Opera, Israeli Opera, Dallas Opera, Bolshoi Theatre, Philadelphia Orchestra, Ópera de Oviedo, Seattle Opera, Opéra de Rouen, Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, Opéra de Lyon, Badisches Staatstheater (Karlsruhe), Tchaikovsky Concert Hall (Moscow), Arizona Opera, Staatstheater Kassel, Tiroler Landestheater (Innsbruck), Theater Chemnitz, and Lotte Concert Hall (South Korea), working with conductors Vladimir Jurowski, Mikhail Pletnev, Yuri Bashmet, John Neschling, Yuri Temirkanov, Roberto Kalb, Jordan de Souza, Christopher Allen, Leon Botstein, Michael Güttler, and Giuliano Carella, as well as stage directors Stathis Livathinos, Peter Konwitschny and Tomer Zvulun.
Additional roles performed include Don José/Carmen, Samson/Samson et Dalila, Florestan/Fidelio, Gabriele Adorno/Simon Boccanegra, Hermann/ Pique Dame, Andrey/Mazeppa, Enzo Grimaldo/La Gioconda, Grigori/ Boris Godunov, Riccardo/Oberto, Erik/Der fliegende Holländer, and the title roles in Wagner’s Parsifal and Lohengrin.
Raymond Aceto, Daland
American bass Raymond Aceto has established a commanding presence among the world’s leading opera companies and symphony orchestras, earning both critical and popular acclaim. In the 2024-25 season, Aceto will appear as Abimélech in Samson et Dalila with New Orleans Opera, Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni with Opera Philadelphia, Sourin in The Queen of Spades at the Metropolitan Opera, and Daland in Der Fliegende Holländer with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Of his portrayal of Baron Scarpia, one of his signature roles, the Houston Chronicle raved, “Raymond Aceto oozes suave villainy as the evil Baron Scarpia, his voice a dark rumble of menace and lust…intelligent characterization distinguishes Aceto’s Scarpia as more than a cartoon villain.”
Recent highlights include his 2023-24 season-opening performances as Warden George Benton in the Metropolitan Opera’s first production of Dead Man Walking. He returned to Santa Fe Opera in the summer of 2023 as Arkel in Pelléas et Mélisande, then joined the Dallas Opera for Roméo et Juliette as Frère Laurent and performed Hunding in Die Walküre with Atlanta Opera and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.
In the 2021-22 season, Aceto returned to Wolf Trap as soloist for their 50th Anniversary Celebration Gala, followed by his Seattle Opera appearance as Hunding in a special Die Walküre performance under Ludovic Morlot. He joined the Lyric Opera of Chicago as the Captain in Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas. At the Metropolitan Opera, he performed the Bonze in Madama Butterfly and Gremin in Eugene Onegin, and later returned to the Cleveland Orchestra as Lodovico in Verdi’s Otello.
His engagements in the 2020-21 season included scheduled performances as Zuniga in Carmen, Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, and Warden George Benton in a new production of Dead Man Walking, all at the Metropolitan Opera; Leporello in Don Giovanni and The Fairy King in Wagner’s Die Feen at the Glimmerglass Festival; and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Cleveland Orchestra.
In concert, Aceto has appeared with leading symphony orchestras across the world, including Mahler’s Das Klagende Lied with the Dallas Symphony, Szymanowski’s King Roger with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Verdi’s Requiem with the Cleveland Orchestra. He made his Alice Tully Hall debut as Balthazar in a concert performance of Donizetti’s La Favorite with L’Opéra Français de New York, and his Carnegie Hall debut as Andrea Cornaro in Caterina Cornaro with the Opera Orchestra of New York.
14 | 2024/2025 SEASON
Luretta Bybee, Mary
Mezzo-soprano Luretta Bybee has proven to be an artist of remarkable range and versatility in her performances throughout the world and is in demand as a dynamic and comedic singing actress. Continuing her forays into the realm of musical theater, Ms. Bybee has portrayed roles such as Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night Music with the Pine Mountain Music Festival, Little Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore and her role début as Golde in Fiddler on the Roof at Shreveport Opera, Ruth in Pirates of Penzance with San Diego Opera, and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd at Vancouver Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, New Orleans Opera, and Opera Tampa.
Recent engagements include performing as Mary in Der fliegende Holländer with Dallas Opera, Opera Carolina, and Seattle Opera, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro for New Orleans Opera, Madame de la Haltière in Cendrillon with New Orleans Opera, and Dame Marthe in Faust with Arizona Opera. She also sang as a soloist in the New York Festival of Song Sondheim Concert at Carnegie Hall and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Seattle Symphony and San Antonio Symphony. This season, she joins Fort Worth Symphony to sing Mary in Der fliegende Holländer.
She first made her Seattle Opera début as Princess Maria in Francesca Zambello’s production of War and Peace, which was released on video. She returned as a house favorite as Paula in Florencia en el Amazonas, Amanda in the world premiere of Daron Hagen and Gardner McFall’s Amelia, Klytämnestra in Elektra, Waltraute in Die Walküre, Second Norn and Waltraute in Götterdämmerung, and Fricka in both Das Rheingold and Die Walküre. She has appeared in Seattle Opera’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in their cycles in 2005, 2009, and 2013.
The Verdi Requiem marked Ms. Bybee’s début at Carnegie Hall. She also appeared as the mezzo-soprano soloist in a Verdi gala with the Jacksonville Symphony and sang Bernstein’s Songfest to open the season at the 92nd Street Y in New York and again with Seiji Ozawa at the Tanglewood Festival. Ms. Bybee created the role of Joanna in Carly Simon’s opera Romulus Hunt in its world premiere in New York. The production was directed by Francesca Zambello and recorded for Angel records.
A sought-after educator, clinician, and competition judge, Professor Bybee serves on the voice faculty at Loyola University’s College of Music and Fine Arts in New Orleans.
Jonathan Kaufman, Daland’s Helmsman
Tenor Jonny Kaufman possesses a voice of entrancing power, beauty, and finesse, which he employs with considerable technique and musicianship. In their review of Kaufman’s portrayal of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, BroadwayWorld makes it clear why Kaufman is quickly ascending the ranks as one of the greatest tenors of his generation: “…Kaufman, as Pinkerton, has a voice so grand — even heroic — that there are many times when, lost in the glory of that voice, we quite forget what a cad the Lieutenant is. Superb!”
Last season, Kaufman rejoined Opera Carolina for their productions of Cavalleria rusticana and Madama Butterfly as Turiddu and Pinkerton, respectively. He sang Don José in Opera Western Reserve’s Carmen, Rodolfo in La bohème with Opera Grand Rapids, and Cavaradossi in Tosca with Opera Wilmington. He also joined the Cleveland Pops and Western Piedmont Symphony for concerts of lighter fare. This season he makes his role début as Samson in Samson et Dalila with St. Petersburg Opera, which he also covers for New Orleans Opera, and he returns to Opera Carolina to sing Don José in Carmen. He also joins Fort Worth Symphony to sing the Steersman and cover Erik in Der fliegende Holländer and North Carolina Opera to cover the title role in Ernani.
Recently, Kaufman made house a début at New Orleans Opera as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and Opera Western Reserve as Rodolfo in La bohème and he returned to Opera Carolina to cover Cavaradossi in Tosca and Winter Opera St. Louis to sing Macduff in Macbeth. He also joined the Northern Lights Music Festival to sing Rodolfo in La bohème. Kaufman returned to Opera Wilmington for Viva Italia! as part of their summer concert series Under the Stars; he joined the company of Douglas Tappin’s I Dream in a new co-production between Opera Carolina and Charlottesville Opera; and he returned to Opera Carolina for their Bella Notte and Opera Hits concerts.
Kaufman was a finalist in both the Giulio Gari and The Jensen Foundation competitions, as well as being named the Winner of the Jennifer White Memorial Award in Shreveport Opera’s Mary Jacobs Smith Singer of the Year competition. He was the winner of the Second-Place prize in the SAS Performing Arts Company Vocal competition, winner in NYIOP’s first-ever Anonymous Audition Project, and a finalist in the NOA Carolyn Bailey and Dominick Argento Vocal Competition.
James Robinson, director
James Robinson, a celebrated stage director and arts administrator who has worked at opera houses across the US and globe, is Seattle Opera’s fifth General and Artistic Director. He previously served as the Artistic Director at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for 16 years, where he directed numerous world premieres, among them Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27, Jack Perla’s Shalimar the Clown, and Tobias Picker’s Awakenings. Additionally, he mounted innovative revivals of such operas as John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer and Nixon in China, Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Philip Glass’s Galileo Galilei, and the American premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland.
James Robinson has directed three productions for the Metropolitan Opera: Porgy and Bess and Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Fire Shut Up in My Bones, the company’s first opera by an African American composer.
His three Metropolitan Opera collaborations resulted in three Grammy Awards for Best Opera Recording. He has been nominated in the Best Director category for the International Opera Awards, as well as in the Best New Opera category for Champion
Alex Mason, lighting director
Alex Mason is a freelance lighting designer and Assistant Professor of Lighting Design at Texas A&M University –Corpus Christi. His professional work explores strong lines, vibrant colors, novel angles, and innovative applications of technology to create immersive, accessible artworks that engage a wide variety of audiences. Favorite recent credits include productions of The Rite of Spring, Into the Woods, Die Walküre, Le Nozze di Figaro, Pippin, and The Barber of Seville, with dance, opera, and theatre companies around the United States. Mason holds degrees in violin performance, orchestral conducting, and lighting design.
Greg Emetaz, projection designer
Greg Emetaz is a filmmaker and video designer based in New York. For stage: Champion, Fire Shut Up in My Bones The Metropolitan Opera, The Righteous, Tristan und Isolde, M. Butterfly The Santa Fe Opera; La Fanciulla Del West National Center for Performing Arts – Beijing, La Clemenza Di Tito LA Opera, Tristan Und Isolde Croatian National Theatre. World premieres of Bel Canto Chicago Lyric Opera, Dolores Claiborne San Francisco Opera, Champion, An American Soldier, Shalimar, 27 and The Golden Ticket Opera Theatre Saint Louis, Enemies a Love Story Palm Beach Opera. For screen: feature film Camp Wedding (Nevermore audience Award, Jim Thorpe Best Comedy), short films: Bowes Academy, Spell Claire, Get the F K Outta Paris!, Death by Omelette (SNCF Prix Du Polar Finalist) and webseries Do it Yourselfie (Friar’s Club special Jury Award, iTVfest Best Director award), co-directed with Amanda DeSimone. He’s also served as video director for the 2008-11 NEA Opera Honors, the 2011, 2013 NEA Jazz Masters and created behind-scenes documentaries for Julie Taymor’s The Tempest, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and numerous productions at Opera Theatre St. Louis and New York City Opera. MINORapocalypse.com
Nicole Alvarez, costume designer
Nicole Alvarez is a Dallas-based costume & wig designer, as well as the Costume Director for The Dallas Opera. Her work has been seen across the country either onstage, in magazines, or for design campaigns. Selected design credits include: Broadway: Fat Ham (Assistant Hair/Wig/ Makeup Design), Off-Broadway: Fat Ham (Assistant Hair/ Wig/Makeup Design, The Public), Regional: Lucha Teotl (Costume Design, The Goodman), 3 Summers of Lincoln (Makeup Consultant, LaJolla Playhouse), Idomeneo (Hair/Wig/Makeup Design, Aspen Music Festival), Bel Canto (Hair/Wig/Makeup Design, Aspen Music Festival), Real Women Have Curves (Hair/Wig/Makeup Design, Dallas Theater Center), The Wolves (Hair/Wig/Makeup Design, Dallas Theater Center), Electra (Associate Hair/Wig/Makeup Design, Dallas Theater Center).
Fort Worth Kantorei
Fort Worth Kantorei is a volunteer chamber choir dedicated to keeping choral singing an integral part of our community. They have performed with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in their performances of Mahler’s 3rd Symphony, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Bachstravaganza, Handel’s Messiah, and Home for the Holidays concerts. They have also collaborated with the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra Christmas concert and Handel’s Messiah in the Broadway Baptist Series for the past three years. As part of their community involvement Kantorei has been singing for the “Gathering at the Chapel” concert for the past two years, sharing their love of singing with many other vocal and instrumental groups of Fort Worth. Kantorei has performed at Bass Hall, Cliburn Hall, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and many other venues in Fort Worth. Kantorei music directors are Dr. Maritza Cáceres and Tracy Carroll.
Dr. Maritza Cáceres, director
Dr. Maritza Cáceres, for the past 30 years, has been conducting symphonic, community, church, children, and women choirs in the USA, New Zealand, and her native country, Chile. She is the Music director and conductor of Fort Worth Kantorei, and the co-founder of the Music Association of Auckland Chorale in Auckland, New Zealand. She has prepared choirs for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra for their symphonic performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Brahms' German Requiem. She has also prepared choirs for semi-stage opera productions of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci and Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
She holds a Doctorate of Musical Art in Conducting from Texas Christian University and a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. Dr. Cáceres has served on the Board of Directors and as a Director of Chamber Music for the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra.
Dr. Caceres is an active church musician and educator. Currently she is the organist at Ridglea Presbyterian Church and piano accompanist for many choirs and school programs in the Metroplex area. Dr. Caceres is currently on the faculty of The Conducting Institute in Fort Worth, Texas.
WHERE YOUR FINANCIAL SUCCESS TAKES CENTER
University of Texas at Arlington A Cappella Choir
The A Cappella Choir is the premiere choral ensemble at the University of Texas Arlington. Comprised primarily of undergraduate and graduate vocal music majors, the choir has garnered an impressive list of prestigious invitations. They have given invited performances at the 2014, 2019 and 2024 conventions of the Texas Music Educators Association, the 2019 National Collegiate Choral Organization conference, the 2022 and 2016 Southwestern Division conferences of ACDA, and served as Ensemble-inResidence for the National Student Conducting Competition at the ACDA national convention in 2015. The choir frequently performs with professional organizations around the region, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Chorale, and the Texas Ballet Theatre. The choir has appeared with the Rolling Stones in concert at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and the Eagles at American Airlines Center in Dallas and Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth. The choir has twice been honored with the American Prize for Choral Performance: 2014 as a finalist and 2021 with third place.
Karen Kenaston-French, director
Karen Kenaston-French is Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas Arlington and Artistic Director/Conductor of the Fort Worth Chorale. At UTA, she conducts the A Cappella Choir, teaches conducting, and heads the Vocal Area. Under her direction the UTA
A Cappella Choir has performed at the Texas Music Educators Association state convention, regional and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, and the national conference of the National Collegiate Choral Organization. In 2019 Kenaston-French assumed direction of the Fort Worth Chorale, only the fifth conductor in the organization’s 57-year history, and the first female. Over her 40-year conducting career she has also held positions at Austin Peay State University, Southern Methodist University, and Plymouth Park United Methodist Church in Irving, and in 2011 was a conductor for the Choral/ Orchestral Master Class of the Oregon Bach Festival, under Helmut Rilling and Jeffrey Kahane. Kenaston-French holds degrees from West Virginia Wesleyan College, SMU, and a doctorate in choral conducting from UNT.
Storybook: Little Red Riding Hood
The Family Series is generously supported by John Wells and Shay McCulloch-Wells with additional support from Paul Wehba
Saturday, May 03, 2025 at 11:00 AM Van Cliburn Concert Hall Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Michelle Di Russo, conductor
J. R. DURANT
GRIEG
BIZET arr. Guiraud
TCHAIKOVSKY
GRIEG
Overture to Little Red Riding Hood
Morning Mood from Peer Gynt, Op. 46
Selections from Carmen Prelude to Act I March of the Smugglers
Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker, Op. 71
In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt, Op. 46
RESPIGHI Galop from La Boutique fantasque
ELGAR The Wild Bears from The Wand of Youth (Music to a Child's Play), Op. 1
TCHAIKOVSKY Waltz from The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66
Story and select illustrations provided courtesy of Sooper Books.
Video or audio recording of this performance is strictly prohibited. Patrons arriving late will be seated during the first convenient pause. Program and artists are subject to change.
Picasso Symphony
Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Will Rogers Auditorium
Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Kevin Zakresky, conductor
FALLA
VILLA-LOBOS
BRITTEN
TAILLEFERRE
STRAVINSKY
SATIE
STRAVINSKY
PROKOFIEV
MILHAUD
VILLA-LOBOS
Miller's Dance from The Three-Cornered Hat
Allegro preciso from Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra
Sentimental Sarabande from Simple Symphony
Overture for Orchestra
Selections from The Rite of Spring
Selections from Parade
INTERMISSION
The Italian Receipt
Allegro con brio from Symphony No. 1
Selections from The Creation of the World
Andantino e andante from Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra
HOLST Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity from The Planets, Op. 32
Video or audio recording of this performance is strictly prohibited. Patrons arriving late will be seated during the first convenient pause. Program and artists are subject to change.
ARTIST PROFILE
Kevin Zakresky, conductor
Kevin Zakresky serves as Music Director and Principal Conductor for Jason Michael Paul Entertainment. Kevin is based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. He has directed international touring productions of The National Geographic “Symphony for our World,” the Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses, and the “Heroes” Video Game Symphony. In Vancouver, he is the Director of the Vancouver Baroque Players and Maddalena’s Descant, a new women’s vocal ensemble.
The National Geographic "Symphony For Our World" debuted in San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall and continued to venues in San Jose, Chicago, Madison, Minneapolis, Houston, Edmonton, Calgary, Limerick, Monterrey, and Columbus.
The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses tour saw him conduct orchestras throughout North America, South America, and Europe. Zelda performances include London - to conduct the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra in Wembley Arena - as well as Montreal, Philadelphia, Miami, Los Angeles, Dublin, San Francisco, San Antonio, Charlottesville, Fresno, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Birmingham (UK), Toronto, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, Vancouver, and Pittsburgh.
He is the past Music Director of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra and has guest conducted the St Louis Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Columbus Symphony, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Fort Worth Symphony, Sudbury Symphony, and West Coast Symphony. He is also past Conductor of the Pacifica Singers and Music Director of the Players & Singers Ensemble.
Zakresky received a Doctoral degree in Choral Conducting at Yale University in 2012.
Robert G. Copeland Concert Hall Arlington, TX
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Robert Spano, conductor
Stas Chernyshev, clarinet
W. A. MOZART
Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492
Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Rondo: Allegro
Stas Chernyshev, clarinet
INTERMISSION
Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543
I. Adagio; Allegro
II. Andante con moto
III. Menuetto: Allegretto
IV. Finale: Allegro
Video or audio recording of this performance is strictly prohibited. Patrons arriving late will be seated during the first convenient pause. Program and artists are subject to change.
24 | 2024/2025 SEASON
PROGRAM NOTES by Jeremy Reynolds
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
OVERTURE to THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, K. 492
DURATION: About 4 minutes
PREMIERED: Vienna, 1786
OVERTURE: An introduction to a large dramatic work, such as a ballet or opera, that demands listeners’ ears and sets the tone of the evening. Alternatively, these can be standalone concert works written on a subject or theme.
“Here [in Prague], nothing is talked about except Figaro; nothing is played, blown, sung, or whistled except Figaro; no opera draws the crowds like Figaro—it’s always Figaro. Certainly, it’s a great honor to me.”
— Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, (Born 1756, Austria; died 1791)
The practice of hiring “claqueurs” — people paid to applaud at a performance — kicked off in the 16th century and was in full effect by the time Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro premiered in Vienna in 1786. The catch: competitive composers could also hire claqueurs to boo performances, and there’s ample evidence that Mozart’s detractors hired quite a number of them to try to mar the premiere of this opera.
The scallywags.
Even these hired guns couldn’t derail the opera’s success, however. The Marriage of Figaro is to this day considered one of the greatest operas ever written — but really, what does that mean? The music is sublime, with clever, florid melodies spinning out one after the other. The subject matter is universal: it’s a satirical class commentary on servants one-upping their masters that so offended the aristocracy at the time that the opera was adjusted to appease the censors of the time. At the opera’s premiere, demand for tickets was so high that according to theatre legend, people were trampled to death trying to get tickets.
Of course, he didn’t create the opera alone. Thanks to the musical “Hamilton,” many theater lovers are familiar with the name Lafayette, the French nobleman who joined the Continental Army. But wait — there was another Frenchman who proved instrumental during the Revolutionary War. A certain Pierre Beaumarchais provided supplies and arms and lobbied the French government on behalf of the Americans, even setting up a shell company to sneakily pass funds to the revolutionaries.
In addition to his activities as a watchmaker, inventor, musician, diplomat, spy, horticulturalist, and more, Beaumarchais was also a playwright, the author of the “Figaro” trilogy that has been immortalized in not one but two of the most famous operas ever composed, the other being Rossini’s comedic Barber of Seville. Mozart didn’t work with Beaumarchais himself but rather with the Italian poet Lorenzo Da Ponte to adapt Beaumarchais’ play to operatic form.
Figaro is good fun, right from the first nervous flutterings of the overture. Quick, quiet strings and bassoons chuckle and whiz about before winds and brass enter and build to a bright fanfare. The strings zip about again, now with winds high above, adding a slower second melody. Mozart maintains a brisk, bright pace, all foreshadowing the hijinks of the opera to follow. The overture appears regularly on concert programs as a standalone work.
PROGRAM NOTES by Jeremy Reynolds
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
CLARINET CONCERTO in A MAJOR, K. 622
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Rondo: Allegro
DURATION: About 28 minutes
PREMIERED: Prague, 1791
SONATA FORM: A type of composition generally in three sections (exposition, development, and recapitulation) in which at least two themes or subjects are explored according to set key relationships.
“All I insist on, and nothing else, is that you should show the whole world that you are not afraid. Be silent, if you choose; but when it is necessary, speak—and speak in such a way that people will remember it.”
— Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, (Born 1756, Austria; died 1791)
Much has been written about Mozart’s dabbling in Freemasonry. He joined the same lodge from which the historic Illuminati worked to cultivate political influence.
Still, another member of that same lodge was the eminent clarinetist Anton Stadler, a spectacular player but a man of ill repute. Mozart loved him dearly and lent him money often, so much that his estate made a rather nasty note of the debt years after the composer’s death. As much as Mozart seemed to like Stadler’s company, however, he loved his playing more — it’s for Stadler that he composed his final work, the sublime Clarinet Concerto in A Major.
As was customary in Mozart’s time, the orchestra delivers a full exposition of the first movement’s themes before the clarinet joins in restating and embellishing those themes with beautifully flowing scales and arpeggios. Throughout the following development and recapitulation, the clarinet alternates between leading the ensemble and dialoguing with the reduced orchestra in a casual, almost chatty way.
The second movement is an aria, a gorgeous song without words that bridges from quiet repose to soaring ecstasy. Nowadays, however, it doesn’t quite reach the depths of sound that Mozart originally intended. Stadler was a clarinetist, but he also played his own specialized clarinet called the basset clarinet, an instrument structurally and sonically similar to the clarinet but with a few extra notes at the low range that Mozart utilized.
The original manuscript of the work was lost to history, but the adapted version that fits a traditional clarinet’s range lives on.
To close, Mozart wrote a rondo, a cheery, lilting romp that alternates a main theme with contrasting “episodes.” It opens with a plain statement of the theme, a smiling, winning tune that finishes with a quick dash down and up the scale. The episodes are a mix of flashy broken chords and more lyrical strains, some in the bright major tonality of the opening and some in a more serious (or mock serious?) minor. The orchestra flows along with the solo line as a shadow, darkening and adding color and depth until a final burst of vitality signals the close of the work.
Mozart’s life is a happy juxtaposition of brilliance and triumphs with possible mental maladies and financial ruin. Some have posited the clarinet concerto as a sort of idealized “swan song” — this isn’t the case. Mozart worked on other music after the concerto, but his deteriorating health prevented him from finishing any of it. Just because he wasn’t aware of his impending mortality, however, doesn’t rob the concerto of its exceptional spot on Mozart’s catalog. A finale for the ages.
PROGRAM NOTES by Jeremy Reynolds
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
SYMPHONY No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543
I. Adagio; Allegro
II. Andante con moto
III. Menuetto: Allegretto
IV. Finale: Allegro
DURATION: Around 30 minutes
“To
PREMIERED: Completed 1788
Premiere date unknown
SYMPHONY: An elaborate orchestral composition typically broken into contrasting movements, at least one of which is in sonata form.
win applause, one must write stuff so simple that a coachman might sing it.”
“To talk well and eloquently is a very great art, but that an equally great
one is to know the right moment to stop.”
— Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, (Born 1756, Austria; died 1791)
Mozart's burning productivity in his final three years seems almost prescient, like he knew that he was running out of time. The last three symphonies, numbers 39-41, came in quick succession in 1788, and later the operas Cosi fan Tutte as well as Die Zauberflöte ("The Magic Flute"), the Clarinet Concerto and other assorted works.
Then again, a more cynical read might be that financial need remains one of the great drivers of artistic production, and Mozart had certainly incurred significant debt by 1788. At that time, his income was shrinking, and he was appearing in public less and less often in concert.
There is no cynicism in Symphony No. 39, however. The work opens with slow, august chords in the brass before strings and winds crank the harmonic tension to the breaking point. And then, a seamless transition into a light, lilting allegro as the movement takes off in earnest. It is in textbook sonata form, but to call this symphony formulaic would imply rigidity. That isn’t the case — this opening movement is a treatise on fluid transitions and luxurious melodies.
The premiere date is unknown, but one possibility remains a 1792 benefit concert of Mozart's music, where eyewitness Iwan Anderwitsch described the opening of the symphony as follows:
The opening is so majestic that it so surprised even the coldest, most insensitive listener and non-expert, that even if he wanted to chat, it prevented him from being inattentive, and thus, so to speak, put him in a position to become all ears. It then becomes [so] fiery, full, ineffably grand and rich in ideas, with striking variety in almost all obbligato parts, that it is nearly impossible to follow so rapidly with ear and feeling, and one is nearly paralyzed. This actual paralysis became visible in various connoisseurs and friends of music, and some admitted that they would never have been able to think or imagine they would hear something like this performed so splendidly in Hamburg.
The slow second movement, the Andante con moto, is more chamber-music-like. Sparse instrumentation lends an almost gossamer transparency to the sound, with strings introducing a simple tune that repeats and transforms throughout the movement, with other instruments joining and commenting on the principal themes. This movement is in a ternary form (ABA), similar to sonata form but lacking a development section — at a certain point, it seems to return to the beginning but with subtle changes in instrumentation and temperament.
The minuet and trio is based on an Austrian folk dance, the Ländler, known for its jumping and stamping steps. The orchestra mimics this effect with exuberant, heavy downbeats, and the midsection features a clarinet duet in its midsection, with one player sailing smoothly over the other's detached arpeggios. Then, the symphony’s finale is in sonata form like the first movement, and it whizzes along gleefully in ascending and descending scales.
Mozart passed away in 1791, and it is his final work, the curious Requiem in D Minor, K. 626, that is most often discussed in connection with his death. However, musicologists have delved long and deep and resolved many of the mysteries surrounding the Requiem — in reality, it's the final three symphonies, including the No. 39, that remain unexplained. Some think that Mozart wrote these works for posterity only and never expected to hear them in his lifetime, as though they were his gift to the world.
ARTIST PROFILE
Stas Chernyshev, clarinet
An "eloquent" clarinetist with "incredible artistry” Russianborn Stas Chernyshev has established a versatile career as an orchestral musician, soloist, chamber musician, and educator (Dallas Morning News, Theater Jones). Principal clarinetist of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, he has performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as in Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Russia, South Korea and Japan.
A devoted chamber musician, Mr. Chernyshev has collaborated with Grammy-winning ensembles Eighth Blackbird and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, as well as Jupiter Chamber Players, Shuffle Concert, and Frisson Ensemble. Other chamber music performances include collaborations with world-renowned musicians such as Roberto Diaz, Pamela Frank, Ida Kavafian, Peter Wiley, Jeremy Denk, Michael Rusinek, Daniel Matsukawa, and Richard Woodhams.
Mr. Chernyshev is a prize-winner of the International Competition of Wind Instruments in Ukraine, the 2nd International Rimsky-Korsakov Competition in Russia, the LISMA Foundation International Competition and the Mary Smart Concerto Competition. At the age of 19, Mr. Chernyshev won Special Prize at the 62nd Geneva International Music Competition in Switzerland. He has been featured on WQXR-New York’s classical music station, online via Instant Encore and WHYY’s television program, On Stage at Curtis.
An advocate of new music, Mr. Chernyshev is honored to have worked with many established composers, including Krzysztof Penderecki, Meredith Monk, Steve Mackey, David Lang, George Crumb, Jennifer Higdon, and David Ludwig. Passionate about community engagement and education, Mr. Chernyshev is an alumnus of Ensemble Connect (formerly known as Ensemble ACJW), a program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School and the Weill Music Institute, and ArtistYear, a program of the Curtis Institute of Music. He is the founder of Fort Worth Performances for Autism, an organization providing interactive and sensory-friendly live music performances for young people with autism and their families, and codirects the Opus Nova Chamber Music Series.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in music from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Professor Donald Montanaro, and a Master’s degree from St. Petersburg Conservatory under Professor Nikolay Kiruhin.
ROBERT SPANO, MUSIC DIRECTOR DESIGNATE KEITH CERNY, Ph.D., PRESIDENT AND CEO
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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
Lee Hallman
Secretary
Bob Karl Treasurer
Keith Cerny, Ph.D. President and CEO
Board of Directors
Marianne Auld+
Amy Roach Bailey
Mercedes T. Bass+
Connie Beck+
Michael Bennett
Anne Marie Bratton+
J. Brooks+
John Broude
Karen Burchfield+
Ervin Cash
Dr. Joseph Cecere
Brenda Cline
Craig Collins
Dr. Mary Costas
Barbara Cox
Dr. Benge Daniel
Mitzi Davis
Dr. Asad Dean+
Dr. Tom Deas
Dr. Jeffrey G. Detweiler
Althea Duersten
Willa Dunleavy
Brandon Elms
Dr. Jennifer Freeman+
Charlotte French
Aubrey Gideon
Pamela Gilchrist
Gail Aronoff Granek
Eric Haitz
Lee Hallman+
Aaron Howard+
Bonnie Janzen
Shauna Jenkins
Kim Johnson
Bob Karl+
Dee J. Kelly, Jr.+
Dr. Debra Koppelberger
Kelly Lancarte
Mollie Lasater+
Nico Leone
Mary Hart Lipscomb
Misty Locke
Quynh Lu
Louella Martin+
Priscilla Martin
Dr. Stuart D. McDonald
Ellen Messman
Samuel Navarro
Justin Newton
Kate Lummis Norris
Frasher H. Pergande
Don C. Plattsmier+
Dana Porter+
Don Reid
Jean Roach+
Anita Robidou
Henry Robinson+
Leonard Ryan
Alann B. Sampson+
Jeff Schmeltekopf
Dr. Russ Schultz
Dr. Darcy Sety
Clare Stonesifer+
Rebecca Stupfel
Jonathan T. Suder+
Carla Thompson+
Dr. Amy Tully
Paul Wehba
John Wells+
Dr. James Williams
Kristine Williams
J.W. Wilson
President Emerita
Ann Koonsman*
Emeritus Council
Dr. Rebecca Beasley
Marvin E. Blum
+ Executive Committee Member * Denotes Deceased
Dr. Victor J. Boschini, Jr.
Anne Carvalho
Gail Cooke
Juana-Rosa Daniell
Joseph DeWoody
Vance A. Duffy
Katie Farmer
Joan Friedman
Tera Garvey
John B. Giordano
Barry L. Green
Genie Guynn
Kathleen Hicks
Robert L. Jameson
Teresa King
Michelle Marlow
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
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*
ROBERT SPANO, MUSIC DIRECTOR DESIGNATE KEITH CERNY, Ph.D., PRESIDENT AND CEO
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- $1,999,999
John Wells & Shay McCulloch-Wells
Individual Giving
Maestro’s Level
$250,000- $499,999
Mark & Katsura Cerny
Mr. and Mrs. John B. Kleinheinz
Mollie & Garland Lasater at the NTCF Fund
Principal Guest Conductor’s Level
$150,000- $249,999
Ms. Marianne M. Auld and Mr. Jimmy Coury
In memory of Marie A. Moore
Associate Conductor’s Level
$100,000- $149,999
Anonymous
Althea L. Duersten
Mrs. Louella Martin
Concertmaster’s Level
$50,000- $99,999
Connie Beck & Frank Tilley
Mr. & Mrs. William S. Davis; Davoil, Inc.
Stephen & Pamela Gilchrist
Rosalyn Rosenthal*
Alann Bedford Sampson
Mr. Paul Wehba
For the full donor listing, please visit fwsymphony.org/support/donor-listing
As of March 28, 2024 to March 28, 2025.
* Denotes deceased
Principal’s Level
$25,000- $49,999
Annette & Jerry* Blaschke
Ramona & Lee Bass
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas K. Bratton
James Brooks
Dr. Joseph and Neva Cecere
H. Paul Dorman
Aaron Howard & Corrie Hood-Howard
Mr. & Mrs. J. Luther King, Jr. | Luther King
Capital Management
Nesha & George Morey
Nancy & Don Plattsmier
Mrs. Susan Pratt
Don & Melissa Reid
Alann Bedford Sampson
Dr. & Mrs. Russ A. Schultz
Jonathan and Medea Suder; MJR Foundation
The Eagle Quest Charitable Fund
Mr. & Mrs. Kelly R. Thompson
Artist’s Level
$10,000- $24,999
Elaine & Neils Agather
Carol Margaret Allen
Mr. & Mrs. Tull Bailey
Steve Brauer
John Broude & Judy Rosenblum
Mr. and Mrs. Orlando Carvahlo
Mr. and Mrs. Ervin and Fran Cash
Mary Cauble
Sue & John Allen Chalk, Sr.
Dr. & Mrs. Lincoln Chin
Brenda & Chad Cline
Mrs. Jeanne Cochran
Mr. & Mrs. Craig M. Collins
Mr. John & Dr. Mary Costas, in honor of their grandchildren
Barbara A. & Ralph F. Cox
Dr. and Mrs. Benge R. Daniel, Jr.
Kim & Glenn Darden
Asad Dean, M.D. | Texas Oncology
Mr. Brandon Elms
Dr. Jennifer Freeman
FWSO Players Assembly
Aubrey Gideon
Gail Aronoff Granek
Mr. & Mrs. Mark L. Hart III
Gary & Judy Havener
Shauna Jenkins
Matthew & Kimberly Johnson
Bob and Katie Karl
Dr. Henry and Mrs. Quynh Lu
Priscilla & Joe* Martin
Deborah Mashburn & David Boddie
Dr. and Mrs. Stuart D. McDonald
Berlene T. & Jarrell R. Milburn
Stephen & Brenda Neuse
Mr. Justin E. Newton
Frasher H. & John F. Pergande
Mr. & Mrs. David Porter
Anita and Robert Robidou
Ms. Patricia A. Steffen
Tim and Clare Stonesifer
Gerald Thiel & Stella Chang
Charles White
Dr. James C. Williams
Mrs. Kristine Williams
Mr. and Mrs. Phillip C. Williamson
Benefactor
$5,000- $9,999
Edwin Augustat, MD
Ellen & Larry Bell
Mr. Michael Bennett
Ashli & Todd Blumenfeld
Judge Tim & Celia Boswell
Greg & Pam Braak
Debbie Brooks; DFW Musicians
Services LLC
Dean & Emily Crocker
Dr.* & Mrs. Atlee Cunningham, Jr.
Dr. Ron* & Juana-Rosa Daniell
Drs. Jeff & Rosemary Detweiler
Doug & Carol English
Mr. and Mrs. Kirk French
Gary Glaser and Christine Miller
John W. Goodwin
Susan & Tommy Green
Steve* & Jean Hadley
Eric Haitz
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob M. Huffman III
Ms. Nina C. Hutton
Gordan & Aileen Kanan
Mr. Ronald Koonsman
Dr. Debra Koppelberger
Ms. Trina Krausse
Marsland & Dick Moncrief
Samuel Navarro
Katherine Lummis Norris
Mary Pencis
Mr. and Mrs. Omas Peterson
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Reynolds
Dr. Deborah Rhea & Ms. Carol Bollinger
Rosemary Riney
Jeff & Judy Schmeltekopf
C. Edwards* & R. Schroeder
For the full donor listing, please visit fwsymphony.org/support/donor-listing
As of March 28, 2024 to March 28, 2025.
* Denotes deceased
Dr. D.D. (Darcy) Sety
Ronda & Walter Stucker
Mr. and Mrs. Mark J. Stupfel
Jim & Judy Summersgill
Dr. Stuart N. Thomas and Bonnie Janzen
Dr. Richard Turner
Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Wynne
Anonymous
Contributor
$3,000- $4,999
William & Kathryn Adams
Mr. Bill Bond
Frances Jean Browning
Gary Cole
Dr. Christy L. Hanson
James & Mary Ann Harris
Michelle & Reagan Horton
Richard Hubbard, M.D.
Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Jameson
In memory of Laura Elizabeth Bruton
L. Lumley
Anonymous
Ellen F. Messman
Cecile Montgomery Charitable Account
John & Anita O’Carroll
Jeanne O’Connor
Paul & Mary Kay Park
Bill Proenza
Ms. Jane Rector
Punch Shaw & Julie Hedden
Susan & James Smith
Anita Conley and Daniel Stevens
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Stevenson
Mr. Robert G. VanStryland
Gene Walker* and Marianna Smith
Dave & Julie Wende
Arthur & Carolyn Wright
Sustainer
$2,000- $2,999
Mary Frances & George Barlow Charitable Fund at the NTCF
Linda Brookshire
Lowell & Kathryn Bryan
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Burchfield
Henry & Diana Burks
Daniel & Soraya Caulkins
Honorable H.D. Clark III and Mrs. Peggy
Sue Branch-Clark
Ms. Julie Cohen
Dr. & Mrs. Martin F. Conroy
Susan Jackson Davis
Margaret Dearden
Dawn Ellison
Angela L. Evans
Ms. Clara Gamache
Dr. & Mrs. William H. Gibson
Anonymous
Eugenie Guynn
Dotty & Gary Hall
Patrick & Kathryn Kinne
Art & Cheryl Litke
Mr. Peter Lyden
Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Malloy
McCraw Family Charitable Fund
Shannon McGovern
Mr. & Mrs. David B. Morrow
Dr. William & Mary Morton
Lynne B. Prater
Diane & Kent Rasmussen
Peggy Rixie
Mr. Mike Rowell
Paige & Bob Russey
Tzu-Ying & Michael Shih in tribute of Mr. and Mrs. William S. Davis
Kal & Karen Silverberg
Marilyn Wiley & Terry Skantz
Dr. and Mrs. Emmet G. Smith
Dr. Rebecca and Emily Stephenson
Mr. Richard Stieber
Sallie & Joseph Tarride
Hon. & Mrs. Chris Taylor
Jerry & James Taylor
Mr. William Taylor
David Turpin
Anonymous
Lynne & David Urbel
Rhonda McNallen Venne
Laurie & Lon Werner
Mr. John Molyneaux & Ms. Kay West
Dana & Dan Wilkirson
Suzy Williams & John Williams*
Stuart Yarus & Judith Williams
For the full donor listing, please visit fwsymphony.org/support/donor-listing
As of March 28, 2024 to March 28, 2025.
* Denotes deceased
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 Anonymous
Arts Fort Worth
BNSF Railway
Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust, Bank of America, Trustee
Adeline & George McQueen Foundation
Piranesi
Leo Potishman Foundation
Qurumbli Foundation
Ann L. & Carol Green Rhodes Charitable Trust
William E. Scott Foundation
Texas Commission on the Arts
$25,000- $49,999
The Eugene McDermott Foundation
The Thomas M., Helen McKee & John P. Ryan Foundation
$10,000- $24,999
Alcon
First Horizon Bank
Frost
FWSO Players Assembly
Garvey Texas Foundation
Gilchrist Automotive
Helene Bare & W. Glenn Embry Charitable Trust
Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP
Marguerite Bridges Charitable Trust
McCallum Family Foundation
Neiman Marcus Fort Worth
The Roach Foundation
Fort Worth Tourism Public Improvement District
$5,000- $9,999
Atmos Energy
Ben E. Keith Beverages
Hillwood
Kimbell Art Foundation
Frances C. & William P. Smallwood Foundation
Steinway Piano Gallery
Symphony League of Fort Worth
Texas Christian University
$2,000- $4,999
Dubose Family Foundation
Once Upon A Time...
Robert D. & Catherine R. Alexander Foundation
As of March 28, 2024 to March 28, 2025.
For the full donor listing, please visit fwsymphony.org/support/donor-listing
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.
* Denotes deceased 36 | 2024/2025 SEASON
Mr.* & Mrs. Dee J. Kelly, Sr.
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
* Denotes deceased
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 Harth-Bedoya
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
Endowed Chairs and 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
Mr. Eric F. Hyden*
*Denotes deceased
Kathleen E. Connors Trust
Mr. & Mrs.* Ronald Koonsman
Lewis F. Kornfeld, Jr. Memorial Fund at the NTXCF
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.
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