USC Symphony December 2023 Concert Program

Soul

BASS Scott Weiss, conductor Jordan Brooks, conductor Xavier Foley, double bass December 5, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.

Koger Center for the Arts

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USC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Soul Bass Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

Koger Center for the Arts, Columbia Scott Weiss, conductor Jordan Brooks, conductor Xavier Foley, double bass

PROGRAM Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)

Die Fledermaus Overture (1874)

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)

Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 2, Op. 64ter (1936)

Jordan Brooks, conductor

The Montagues and Capulets The Young Juliet Friar Laurence Dance Romeo and Juliet Before Parting Dance of the Girls With Lillies Romeo at Juliet's Grave INTERMISSION

Florence Price (1887-1953)

Concert Overture No. 1

Xavier Dubois Foley (b. 1994)

Soul Bass (2022) Prelude Chorus Fugue Xavier Foley, double bass

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Ƥrogram Ɲotes Die Fledermaus Overture johann strauss ii This charming and witty overture gives you everything you would want to hear from a Viennese opera composed at the height of the Romantic period. The title of its corresponding operetta translates to “The Bat” in English and features a story revolving around a hilarious web of mistaken identities and romantic entanglements. Over the backdrop of a masquerade ball, the operetta explores themes of deception and revelry, eventually culminating in a joyous celebration of love and forgiveness. Across several rehearsals, Assistant Conductor Jordan Brooks has led the orchestra through learning the stylistic nuances of Viennese waltzes and musical humor, and will conduct them in performance.

Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 2 sergei prokofiev The program very quickly makes a dramatic turn as the orchestra takes on Prokofiev. Its original form was a ballet that was deemed “impossible to dance to” by the directors of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. The composer's vengeful response was to create two orchestral suites out of the ballet, causing a greater demand for the full ballet to be heard, which eventually brought the Bolshoi Ballet back to the piece.

Prokofiev's work depicts the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet

by Shakespeare with a refreshing musical interpretation, differing greatly from other takes like that of Tchaikovsky, Gounod, Bellini and Berlioz. From the quarrels between two families to Juliet taking her own life, the suite captures the enchanting yet grim tale of two lovers.

Concert Overture No. 1 florence price Florence Price is finally gaining overdue recognition for her music, previously suppressed due to racial and gender prejudices. She received some praise in her day as her Symphony No. 1 in E Minor became the first symphony composed by a Black woman to be performed by a major American orchestra in 1933, an impressive feat for her first large-scale symphonic work. However, her music was largely forgotten until the twenty-first century, where significant social movements in the United States and beyond spurred more exploration into historically underrepresented composers. Her Concert Overture No. 1 is based on the Negro spiritual “Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass.” Although this version does not include vocals, the lyrics are given to foster greater understanding of the music itself.

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LYRICS - “Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass” Sinner, please don’t let this harvest pass Sinner, please don’t let this harvest pass Sinner, please don’t let this harvest pass And die and lose your soul at last I know that my Redeemer lives I know that my Redeemer lives I know that my Redeemer lives Sinner, please don’t let this harvest pass Sinner, O see the cruel tree Sinner, O see the cruel tree Sinner, O see the cruel tree Where Christ died for you and me My God is a mighty man of war My God is a mighty man of war My God is a mighty man of war Sinner, please don’t let this harvest pass

Soul Bass xavier foley Having grown up just across the state border in Marietta, Georgia, Xavier Foley has learned how to expertly capture the sound of the South in combination with jazz, hip hop and other popular styles, and bring that music to a raving classical audience.

He sees no boundaries in both his composing and double bass playing, masterfully bringing virtuosity to an unexpected instrument. Soul Bass was commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2022, where he previously graduated from their Talent Development Program. Foley drew inspiration from the 1970s dance and music TV show Soul Train. The concerto offers “a hybrid blend of African American gospel and R&B music... infusing a more traditional classical form of writing with the taste of soul.”

His music is refreshing for the young musicians of the USC Symphony, who hear more music like Xavier Foley's in their daily lives than the classical standards typically played in orchestral settings.

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Scott Weiss, conductor Scott Weiss is the Music Director and Conductor of the Aiken Symphony and the Director of Orchestras at the University of South Carolina School of Music.

In demand internationally as a guest conductor, Weiss has conducted recent performances with the orchestras of Shenzhen, Tianjin, Hunan, Inner Mongolia, Shandong and Nanchang and at major international venues including the Taipei National Theatre and Concert Hall, the National Centre for the Performing Arts Concert Hall in Beijing and the Hangzhou Grand Theatre Concert Hall. Soloists he has recently shared the stage with include Elena Urioste, Angelo Xiang Yu, Zuill Bailey, Awadagin Pratt, John O’Conor, Marina Lomazov and Paul Jacobs.

Weiss has several critically-acclaimed recordings on the Naxos Records and Summit Records labels. His latest offering is the world premiere recording of Nico Muhly’s Reliable Sources, released on the Cantaloupe Music label in October 2021. The piece is one of dozens of new works that Weiss has commissioned from many of today’s leading composers, including Samuel Adler, Jennifer Higdon, Zhou Long, Cindy McTee and Joseph Schwanter. At the University of South Carolina, Weiss is the Sarah Bolick Smith Distinguished Professor of Music. In addition to conducting the USC Symphony Orchestra, Weiss leads the master’s and doctoral programs in orchestral conducting at USC, and his studio is a destination for talented young conductors from around the world. He is frequently invited to conduct performances and teach masterclasses at leading conservatoires and music schools, including the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing), the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the University of Western Australia. Each summer, he teaches at the Los Angeles Conducting Workshop and Competition.

Born in Monterey, California in 1967, Weiss holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the University of Illinois, where he studied conducting with Donald Schleicher. Before joining the faculty at the University of South Carolina in 2010, he held conducting posts at the University of Kansas and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

Weiss and his wife Teah are intrepid travelers and enjoy hiking, surfing and fine wines. They are the proud parents of John, a PhD student in chemistry at Northwestern University.

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Jordan Brooks, conductor Jordan Brooks is an orchestral and operatic conductor currently based in Columbia, South Carolina. He is currently the Assistant Conductor of the University of South Carolina Symphony Orchestra and the Aiken Symphony, as well as Conductor of the university’s Campus Orchestra.

At the University of South Carolina, Brooks studies with Dr. Scott Weiss and holds a Graduate Assistantship with the orchestra.

Previously, he was the Assistant Conductor of the University of Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, cover conductor for the Delaware County Symphony and the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County Philharmonia and Conductor in Residence with the Center City Chamber Orchestra.

Also active as an operatic conductor, Brooks serves as Assistant Conductor to Opera at USC. He made his international conducting debut in Berlin, Germany as an Assistant Conductor at the Berlin Opera Academy and has also been a student at Miami Music Festival’s Opera Conducting Bootcamp. Previous summer studies include Mostly Modern Festival and Conductors Retreat at Medomak. Brooks counts among his conducting teachers and mentors Scott Weiss, Kensho Watanabe, Thomas Hong, Andreas Delfs and Kenneth Kiesler.

Brooks recently graduated from Temple University where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance. He studied cello with John Koen of the Philadelphia Orchestra and has also worked with other members of the Philadelphia Orchestra and high-profile musicians in the area. At Temple, he was principal cello with the Temple University Symphony Orchestra and was involved in dozens of world premieres with local composers. He was also the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Temple University Repertory Orchestra.

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Xavier Foley, double bass Xavier Foley is known for communicating his virtuosity and passion for music on the double bass, which is rarely presented as a solo instrument.

Foley is a first prize winner of the 2016 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, winner of the 2014 Sphinx Competition and a 2018 Recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant. He has performed recitals at Shriver Hall, Rockport Music, La Jolla Chamber Music Society, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, National Gallery of Art and the Harriman-Jewell Series. An avid chamber musician, he has appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Marlboro Music Festival, Tippet Rise Music Festival, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival and Skaneateles Festival.

As a composer, Foley's For Justice and Peace was premiered by the Sphinx Organization at Carnegie Hall in October 2019, and co-commissioned by both organizations. It has since been performed by such orchestras as the Atlanta Symphony, New West Symphony, Oregon Symphony and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Foley's bass concerto, Soul Bass, was commissioned and premiered by the Atlanta Symphony, with following performances with the Baltimore Symphony under their New Music Director, Jonathon Heyward and with the Kansas City Symphony under Michael Stern.

Upcoming and recent commissions for Foley include Santa Fe Pro Musica, The Cabrillo Festival in conjunction with the Mahler Foundation, the Sphinx Organization co-commissioned with Carnegie Hall and the New World Symphony, Chicago Symphony’s MusicNOW and the Oregon Symphony, where he has been named Artist-in-Residence for the next three seasons.

During the 2023-24 season, Foley will tour extensively throughout North America with the Sphinx Virtuosi playing his new concerto, “Galaxy” Concertante, for two double basses commissioned by Sphinx Virtuosi, New World Symphony and Carnegie Hall. He will also tour with the Ying Quartet performing a new bass quintet and will appear in recital with Abbey Church Events, Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center @ the University of Alabama, Castleton Festival, Ashmont Hill Chamber Music, Schubert Club, Bowlus Fine Arts Center and Calgary Pro Musica.

A native of Marietta, GA, Foley is an alumnus of the Perlman Music Program, and earned his Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music working with Edgar Meyer and Hal Robinson. His double bass was crafted by Rumano Solano.

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USC Symphony Orchestra Scott Weiss, conductor

Violin I Holly Workman concertmaster Miguel Calleja associate concertmaster Aidan Billings Julia Jacobsen Henry Baker Margie Moore Maclean Tollefsen Sally Cathcart Dante Ciriello Ziyi Deng Hope Zinkann Caitlyn McDonald Ekemini Umanah Violin II Christina Brown principal Elizabeth Sutherland assistant principal William Edwards Philip Howe Naomi Wright Giovanni Cusatis Katie Rojas Steven Humphries Sarah-Iyuna Spencer McKenzie Sightler Daphne Franklin Nicole Bedoya Savannah Elgin Viola Nicholas England principal Douglas Temples principal Amanda Harrell assistant principal Nicky Moore Emily Tardiff-Rodriguez Amelia Bailey Nya Gerald Ian Hall Derek George Anthony Joyce Gabriel Boyd Elijah Skinner Nathan Collot Tiaryca Green

Cello Jordan Bartow co-principal Zach Ward co-principal Tristan Groscost Rachel Gibbons Decker Elam Miranda Ramirez Preston Bowen Brooke Teacher John Kuntz Bass Joe Gaskins principal Joshua Groscost assistant principal Ian Hamrick Avea Diamond Sadie Wood Luke Hagg Flute Olivia Norton principal Deepti Vadhiyar assistant principal Shelby Miller piccolo Angelina Lanza Jana Radabaugh Oboe Katie Eaton principal Jaden Bowers assistant principal Sydney Fulcher Amir Rahmati Clarinet Eric Gardner principal Alejandra Vega Quiara McBride Justin Schwartz Reece Weslock bass

Horn Hunter Poe principal Charlie Van Atter assistant principal Wenyu Hsu Timothy Smith Sadie Becht Abby Walker Charlie Winston Trumpet Francisco Ballestas principal Connor Bruce assistant principal James Rochester George Bernard Daniel Louden Trombone Nick Dewyer principal Ian Schwalbe Wills Kane Bass Trombone Connor Reich principal Tuba Mathew Tuk principal Percussion Yuesen Yang principal Julia Ross principal Elijah Caligiuri Cody Campen Marshall Robinson Jacob Rowell Piano/Celesta Will Byrd Harp Xueying Piao

Bassoon Aaron Nealy principal Christina French assistant principal Ed Senn Hampton Stroble

Assistant Conductors Jordan Brooks Austin Davis

Tenor Saxophone Joseph Lyons principal

Operations Austin Davis

Librarian Jordan Brooks

Marketing Marlena Crovatt-Bagwell Brad Martin Julia Jacobsen

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With Gratitude to Our Contributors The USC Symphony Orchestra thanks the following donors for their generous support. You provide much-needed funding for scholarships, fellowships, worldrenowned guest artists, music rentals and many other items that support our program. This list reflects gifts made between 1/1/2023 – 11/28/2023.

Principal Sponsors Schmoyer and Company Lourie Life and Health

Regina Moody Linda and John Ropp Audra and Johann Vaz Teah and Scott Weiss

Sustaining Sponsors

Partners

Patricia and James Weiss

Barbara Bowers Kris and Ronald Burns Craig Butterfield Ann and Robert Buys Marlena Crovatt-Bagwell and Michael Bagwell Gary Diamond Daniela Friedman and Michael Dojc Donald Dupee Charles Fugo Don Greiner Verotta Kennedy Libby Law Fredna Lee Patty Lovit Cornelia Pasky Martha Sutter and David Ross Vans Violins Harriet Williams and Jerry Hagenmaier

($2,500+)

($2,000-$9,999)

Sponsors

($1,000-$1,999)

Jerry Dell and Ben Gimarc Sheila and Dwayne Josey Myra and Mike Nelson Jeffry Caswell and Jose Cotto Ortiz

Patrons

($500-$999)

Christine and Tayloe Harding

Contributors ($250-$499)

Laury Christie and David Vaughn Sharon and Ryan Gaskin Pamela and Andy Gowan Carol and John Kososki Lee and Julian Minghi

($100-$249)

Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but if your name is missing, please contact the School of Music Development Office at 803-576-5763.

Please support the USC Symphony Orchestra today. Your gift makes an immediate impact by providing critically needed funding and empowering us to meet emerging needs and opportunities, such as scholarships for deserving students, faculty recruitment and innovative new programming that enhances the overall Carolina experience. You can make a gift directly to the USC Symphony Orchestra Fund by using the QR code below.

For more information, contact Brad Martin, Assistant Director of Development at brad.martin@sc.edu.

Thank you for helping us keep the music playing!

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A Special Thanks to Our Corporate Sponsors

Interested in supporting the USC Symphony Orchestra through a corporate sponsorship?

Contact Brad Martin, Assistant Director of Development at brad.martin@sc.edu.

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Musical FEAST

Saturday, February 10 6:30 p.m.

Koger Center for the Arts

Stroll through the Koger Center for the Arts and experience musical performances

by University of South Carolina School of Music students while enjoying delicious food and drinks.

From the main stage to the lobby, enjoy food and drink as varied as the locations and the musical performances. Move among percussion, opera, jazz, strings and vocal musicians performing as you meet new friends and catch-up with old ones.

Proceeds fund Friends of the School of Music student scholarships. $125 per person $200 per couple $75 young professionals (ages 21-40 with ID) Scan code to puchase tickets online, or call 803-777-9732 .

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(803) 256-2067 | LourieLifeandHealth.com 3710 Landmark Drive, Suite 206 Columbia, SC 29204

By dialing the phone number, you will contact a licensed insurance agent.

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 5 organizations which offer 52 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users call 1-877-486-2048) 24 hours a day/7 days a week, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.

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Edgar and George

FEB 17

2024

7:30 p.m.

MEYER

Darla Moore, Johnson Hall

GEORGE MEYER

Violinist and Composer

EDGAR MEYER

Tickets: KogerCenterForTheArts.com

Multi-Grammy and MacArthur Genius Award-winning bassist 15

2023-24 SEASON

Portraits in Garnet and Blue

RHAPSODY IN BLUE Thursday, September 28, 2023

MUSIC OF THE AMERICAS Thursday, November 2, 2023

SOUL BASS

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

THE LARK ASCENDING Tuesday, February 6, 2024

RISING STARS Tuesday, March 19, 2024

BRAHMS REQUIEM Thursday, April 18, 2024

All performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Koger Center for the Arts in Columbia, SC.

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