American Soundscapes Concert Program

CHAMBER ORCHESTRA CONCERT

FEATURING UNDERREPRESENTED AMERICAN COMPOSERS:

SUNDAY, 02/22/2026 @ 5:00 PM BUCKLEY

Land

Acknowledgment

We acknowledge the land on which we sit and occupy at the University of Portland. "The Portland Metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River creating communities and summer encampments to harvest and use the plentiful natural resources of the area" (PILR, 2018). We take this opportunity to thank the original caretakers of this land.

Repertoire Listing Sunday, February 22, 2026

Appalachian Spring Suite for Chamber Orchestra

Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

About Leaves

Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947)

I. Treading on Leaves

II. Light as Balloons

Strum

Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981)

Be sure to join the UP Symphony for our Earth Day Concert on Wednesday, April 22nd at 12:30pm, on the UP Academic Lawn. This event will combine music and storytelling, to help us think about our relationship with the environment in ways that feel meaningful and accessible. Students, faculty, staff, and the local Portland community are encouraged to bring lunch and enjoy free food provided by local CSA partners, listen to live music, and participate in conversations about sustainability.

University of Portland Symphony Orchestra Personnel

The University of Portland Symphony Orchestra is an inclusive community of musicians seeking opportunities to inspire and enrich lives through engaging with a diverse selection of orchestral works. We encourage students to become leaders and life-long learners, giving them the tools to experience, explore, and expand their technical and musical skills.

+ indicates principal * indicates orchestra manager

First

Chae-Yi Shanks Cell, Molecular, and Biomedical Sciences Junior University Place, WA

Caiah Chargualaf* Biology Senior Guam

Catherine Leach Political Science and Globl Affairs Sophomore Minneapolis, MN

Phoenix McCoubrey* Music Performance/Education Senior Boise, ID

Divya Pakalapati Computer Science and Biology Senior Vancouver, WA

Emily Todd Civil Engineering Junior Camas, WA

Jonathan Rapp+ Music Performance Freshman Newberg, OR

Kylie Wright+ Nursing, Music Performance Minor Freshman Carmel Valley, CA

Maggie Prevish* Engineering Major, Music Performance Minor Freshman St. Helens, OR

Melisa K. Jones Ecology, Evolution, & Conserv Bio Freshman Elk Grove, CA

Viola

Finn Sanders+ Arts Administration Senior Newberg, OR

Keira Peters Nursing Freshman Lacey, WA

Rowan Lowery Arts Administration Junior Newberg, OR

Cello

Bryan Tran Cell/Molecular Biology Sophomore Gresham, OR

Emmanuel Lucero Nursing Sophomore Vancouver, WA

Eva Rugel

Env. Engineering, Music Performance Freshman Spokane, WA

Ian Carlos+ Electrical Engineering, Music Performance Senior Hayward, CA

Laney Mohr Mechanical Engineering, Music Performance Senior Bellevue, WA

Michaela Gold Civil Engineering Freshman Overland Park, KS

Bass

Layla Decker Physics, Music Performance Freshman Vancouver, WA

Piano

Eralyn Reed Music Performance Freshman Myrtle Creek, OR

Flute

Leia Duarte Music Performance Sophomore Portland, OR

Oboe

Melody Dennis Nursing Freshman Beaverton, OR

Clarinet

Caleb Hamilton-Eads Music Performance Alum Portland, OR

Alejandro Santana Music Performance Sophomore Vancouver, WA

Bassoon

Caleb Hamilton-Eads

Trumpet

Mekhi Morlin

Euphonium

Yudai Endo

Timpani

Music Performance

Alum

Portland, OR

Senior Winlock, WA

Senior Honolulu, HI

John Orr Emeritus Provost for Scholarly Engagement Portland, OR

Program Notes

About Leaves, Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947)

Gwyneth Walker is a living composer currently residing in her hometown in New Canaan, Connecticut. She was a recipient of the 2000 "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Vermont Arts Council and the 2018 "Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award" from Choral Arts New England. In 2020, the Hartt School of Music of the University of Hartford presented her with the Hartt Alumni Award. She is currently traveling across the states, doing live performances of her works.

The music of American composer Gwyneth Walker is beloved for its lively energy and drama. About Leaves is no different. This piece draws heavy inspiration from three poems composed by New English Poet Robert Frost, which captures the whimsical excitement and sounds of autumn. Its forceful rhythms are reminiscent of tromping through leaves, while still maintaining a feeling of joy with the sounds of balloons.

Strum, Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981)

Jessie Montgomery is a living composer, violinist, and educator living on the east coast, where she teaches at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music. Her works - primarily for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo violin - have gained national recognition. Alongside receiving the Contemporary Classical GRAMMY, she was also named Performance Today’s 2025 Classical Woman of the Year. Her works are described as lively, exuberant, and colorful.

Strum was originally composed as a quintet in 2006, although Jessie Montgomery made the ﬁnal revisions to this piece in 2012 for a performance by the Catalyst Quartet, of which she was previously a member. She utilizes rhythmic variation and articulation to create the effect of melodies appearing and disappearing in the sound texture. The pizzicato interwoven throughout serves as the driving rhythmic underpinning of the piece. Montgomery draws on American folk idioms to create this colorful, celebratory piece.

Appalachian Spring, Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

Aaron Copland stands as one of America's most proliﬁc composers, with many of his works evoking the vastness of the American landscape. His works range from symphonies to dance music, opera to ﬁlm scores. His style is recognizable as optimistic and expressive in colorful harmonies.

Copland composed the ballet Appalachian Spring based on his friendship with the choreographer Martha Graham, who created the choreography and ultimately named the piece. The ballet premiere in 1944 was incredibly well-received; it earned Copland the Pulitzer Prize for Music. In 1945, he adapted the ballet into an orchestral suite. With variations on the Shaker folk song "Simple Gifts" and nostalgic expansive harmonies, Copland portrays a vivid imagery of springtime in rural Pennsylvania.

Biographies

Rebekah Hanson, Director: Rebekah Hanson is an Associate Professor of Music and Fine Arts and Director of Orchestral Studies. As a conductor, violist and musicologist, Rebekah is especially interested in compositions by female and marginalized composers and strives to bring these lesser known works to new audiences. She has worked with several UP students and has published multiple articles about contemporary classical composers.

With a passion for teaching, Rebekah emphasizes the collaboration and community engagement that music can inspire. Her goal as a conductor, teacher, and chamber musician is to help students and audiences understand both the technical work that goes into a performance, and also the sense of awe and wonder that music brings to our lives

Recording of UP concerts and theater productions without prior permission is prohibited. Performances sponsored by the UP Performing and Fine Arts Department are sometimes video recorded and photographed for a variety of uses, including live simulcast and digital archive on the UP website and social media channels, or for publicity and publications. Images of audience members may be included in these recordings and photos. By attending this event, audience members imply approval for the use of their image by the UP Performing and Fine Arts Department.

Music Patron Fund

The University of Portland’s Performing & Fine Arts Department has established the Music Patron’s Fund as an additional resource for the Music Program’s students and mission. This fund will allocate ﬁnancial support for the many needs of the program that are not always able to be met by the University and its yearly program budget, including students’ professional development, concert production costs, outreach and facilities. This Fund will also help with the acquisition and maintenance of the program’s music library, and piano and instrument inventory when other resources are not available. These funds will always be directed to the beneﬁt of our students’ growth and training as musicians, which happens both in the classroom, in rehearsal and on the concert stage.

If you have enjoyed what you have seen/heard at this concert, we invite you to help support the efforts and education of our students by making a donation to the Music Patron Fund. You can donate online at giving.up.edu/pfa.

Please contact the University’s Development Office for more information and questions (503.943.8003), and thank you for your support of the Performing & Fine Arts at the University of Portland!

Study Music at the University of Portland

The University is always seeking bright and talented students who want to study music. Scholarships are offered to incoming majors and minors. One-year performance grants for private lessons are awarded to qualiﬁed students who perform in a University Ensemble. For further information, please visit www.up.edu/music or contact Patrick Murphy, murphyp@up.edu.

UPCOMING EVENTS

04/08 - 60th Annual Jazz Festival

- All Day in the Chiles Center

04/11 - Wind Symphony and Percussion Ensemble Concert

- 2:00 PM in Buckley Center Auditorium

04/18 - University Singers, Bel Canto and Chamber Choir Concert

- 2:00 PM in Buckley Center Auditorium

04/22 - Symphony Orchestra Earth Dya Concert

- 12:30 PM on the Academic Lawn