USC Symphony Rising Stars March 2024 Concert Program

Featuring Winners oF the 2023-24 ConCerto-aria Competition

Scott Weiss, conductor Jordan Brooks, conductor Almond Ponge, piano

Andrew Moore, saxophone

March 19, 2024 | 7:30 p.m.

Koger Center for the Arts

RISING STARS

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

Koger Center for the Arts, Columbia

Scott Weiss, conductor Jordan Brooks, conductor

PROGRAM

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Henri Tomasi (1901–1971)

Béla Bartók (1881-1945)

Almond Ponge, piano

Andrew Moore, saxophone

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 (1830) Allegro maestoso

Almond Ponge, piano Jordan Brooks, conductor

Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra (1949)

Andante et allegro Final: Giration

Andrew Moore, saxophone

Scott Weiss, conductor

INTERMISSION

Concerto for Orchestra, Sz.116 (1943)

Introduzione. Andante non troppo

Presentando le coppie. Allegro scherzando Elegia. Andante non troppo Intermezzo Interrotto. Allegretto Finale. Pesante-Presto

Scott Weiss, conductor

A special thanks to our sectional coaches Professors Ari Streisfeld, Hassan Anderson and JD Shaw.

We would love to hear your feedback about the performance!

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University of South Carolina Concerto-Aria Competition

The USC School of Music’s Concerto-Aria Competition is an annual competition open to all USC students that occurs during the fall semester of every school year. Judges come from the local Columbia music community and beyond. At the end of the competition, three winners are selected: one undergraduate student, one graduate student and one overall winner (either undergraduate or graduate). Winners are given the opportunity to play up to twenty minutes worth of music in concert with the USC Symphony Orchestra, giving these talented USC students the rare experience of playing solo with an orchestra. Previous winners of the Concerto-Aria Competition have gone on to have very successful solo, chamber music and orchestral careers.

Information about the 2024-25 Concerto-Aria Competition will be released in Fall 2024. All USC student instrumentalists and vocalists are encouraged to audition.

Polish-born composer and virtuoso pianist Frédéric Chopin is best remembered for his solo piano works, much like his close contemporary Franz Liszt. No. 1 was actually the second piano concerto he wrote due to a flip in the way the works were published, both of which being written in the year before he turned twenty years old. In its premiere, the concerto was broken up in its performance with an intermezzo (a short piece that serves to connect two bodies of music) performed by singer Anna Wołkow in between the first movement and the subsequent two movements. This was custom during the Romantic era, as was clapping in between movements when the audience felt compelled to show their appreciation. The first movement alone received “a thunderous ovation,” making it a great stand-alone movement as it is in tonight's program. Rising Star Almond Ponge has previously performed the concerto with the Manila Symphony Orchestra and has even performed in a benefit concert for the Chopin Foundation.

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor frédéric chopin

Saxophone Concerto henri tomasi

Although the saxophone is rarely included in the typical orchestra, it sure sounds great when paired with one, especially at the hands of French composer and conductor Henri Tomasi. Throughout his youth, Tomasi succeeded greatly in his piano playing and conducting, even having won the “Grand Prix de Rome” and a unanimous first prize in conducting from the Paris Conservatory (where he first started composing). His music is characterized by a unique lyricism that was formed by his exposure to operas by Puccini, Bizet, Mussorgsky and Debussy, which is especially apparent in the first movement of the Saxophone Concerto andante that opens the piece is later followed by a lopsided in 5/4 time signature (instead of the standard 4/4), causing a feeling of imbalance and uncertainty. The second movement, marked tournoyant (spinning) and vif (lively), features frequentlychanging meters and tonalities resembling aspects of other contemporary works from the mid-twentieth century. The piece ends with a dramatic largo harkening back to the opening of the first movement. Tomasi's wide oeuvre shows a versatility and deep understanding for orchestration that today lacks the level of recognition it deserves.

Concerto for Orchestra béla bartók

Bartók's music is known for its use of Hungarian folk melodies in combination with Western art music, prominently featuring modal harmonies and non-traditional scales. Filled with excerpts frequently requested at orchestral auditions, his Concerto for Orchestra is no piece of cake for any member of the orchestra. Bartók initially received this commission request during a New York hospital stay in which he was suffering from leukemia (which he was not informed of) when Serge Koussevitzky, conductor of the Boston Symphony, paid him a visit and asked him to write a piece in memory of his late wife. Bartók left the hospital promptly after Koussevitzky's visit and got to work, fueled by his renewed sense of strength and creativity.

Bartok provided the following program note for the premiere:

“The general mood of the work represents, apart from the jesting second movement, a gradual transition from the sternness of the first movement and the lugubrious death-song of the third, to the life-assertion of the last one... The title of this symphony-like orchestral work is explained by its tendency to treat the single orchestral instruments in a concertant or soloistic manner. The ‘virtuoso’ treatment appears, for instance, in the fugato sections of the development of the first movement (brass instruments), or in the perpetuum mobilelike passage of the principal theme in the last movement (strings), and especially in the second movement, in which pairs of instruments consecutively appear with brilliant passages.”

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.

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.

Almond Ponge, piano

Pianist Almond Ponge is an artist who dares to explore the unknown. A native of the Philippines, his current passion lies in shedding light on underrepresented works and lesser-known composers and has been incorporating them in recitals since 2015. Recently performed composers include Carl Vine, Nikolai Medtner, Nikolai Kapustin, Miłosz Magin, Antonio Molina, William Albright, Alfredo Buenaventura, Lucrecia Kasilag, Ramon Santos and Antonino Buenaventura.

Ponge has won prizes in numerous competitions, including the grand prize at the Adria Art Fest 2021 and the Royal Sound Music Competition 2021. He also won first prize at the 2022 Tiziano Rossetti International Music Competition, the 2021 Lams Matera Award, the Danubia Talents International Competition and the Canadian International Music Competition, among others. He has performed in the U.S., France, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Serbia and the Philippines. His orchestral debut was with the Manila Symphony Orchestra in 2013; he has participated in the Southeastern Piano Festival, the UST Sampung Mga Daliri, as well as Piano Teacher’s Guild of the Philippines (PTGP) events such as the Forte@40, and Paco Park Presents.

He has participated in masterclasses with pedagogues and performers such as Anton Nel, Carol Leone, John O’Connor, Walter Hautzig, Pascal Roge, Dorian Leljak and Sofya Gulyak, among others.

Ponge holds his Graduate Certificate in Piano performance from the University of South Carolina, an M.M. in Piano Performance from Winthrop University, and a B.M. from the University of Santo Tomas, Philippines. His primary teachers include Marina Lomazov, Phillip Bush, Charles Fugo and Matthew Manwarren, with additional tutelage from Eugene Barban, Perla Suaco and Patricia Lim. He is currently pursuing a D.M.A. in Piano Performance with a double minor in Piano Pedagogy and Music Theory at the University of South Carolina.

Andrew Moore, saxophone

Andrew Moore was born in Port Charlotte, Florida. He holds degrees in music education and performance from Florida Gulf Coast University, where he studied with Mr. Mario Bernardo. Andrew later completed his Master of Music at Bowling Green State University, where he studied with Dr. John Sampen and served as both the University Bands Graduate Assistant and Associate Director of Athletic Bands during his studies. Moore is now pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of South Carolina under the direction of Dr. Cliff Leaman. Moore has performed at several state, national and international symposia, including the United States Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium in Washington D.C. and the North American Saxophone Alliance biennial conferences in Tempe, Arizona, and Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Violin I

Holly Workman concertmaster

USC Symphony Orchestra

Scott Weiss, conductor

Miguel Calleja associate concertmaster

Julia Jacobsen

Henry Baker

Sally Cathcart

Ziyi Deng

Caitlyn McDonald

Ekemini Umanah

William Edwards

Philip Howe

Naomi Wright

Giovanni Cusatis

Violin II

Aidan Billings principal

Margie Moore assistant principal

Katie Rojas

Steven Humphries

Sarah-Iyuna Spencer

McKenzie Sightler

Daphne Franklin

Nicole Bedoya

Savannah Elgin

Emily Beddingfield

Kayla Mathis

Gabriela McWethy

Lyra Xiong

Viola

Amanda Harrell principal

Douglas Temples assistant principal

Emily Tardiff-Rodriguez

Ian Hall

Derek George

Anthony Joyce

Gabriel Boyd

Elijah Skinner

Tiaryca Green

Esais Jones

Cello

Jordan Bartow co-principal

Zach Ward co-principal

Tristan Groscost

Decker Elam

Miranda Ramirez

Brooke Teacher

John Kuntz

Brendan Short

Bass

Joe Gaskins principal

Joshua Groscost assistant principal

Avea Diamond

Sadie Wood

Luke Hagg

Flute

Olivia Norton principal

Deepti Vadhiyar

assistant principal

Ashleigh Wallace

Alyssa Santiváñez

Oboe

Katie Eaton principal

Jaden Bowers

assistant principal

Sydney Fulcher

Kate Wages

Clarinet

Andrew Kevic principal

Eric Gardner assistant principal

Jackson Farmer

Reece Weslock

Bassoon

Aaron Nealy principal

Ed Senn

assistant principal

Christina French

Makena Nobles

Horn

Wenyu Hsu principal

Hunter Poe

assistant principal

Sadie Becht

Charlie Winston

Elise Halbig

Trumpet

Francisco Ballestas principal

Connor Bruce

George Bernard

Trombone

Nicholas Dewyer principal

Ian Schwalbe

Wills Kane

Bass Trombone

Trey Hogan principal

Tuba

Mathew Tuk principal

Percussion

Julia Ross principal

Ellakyn Brinkley

Jack Estrada

Yuesen Yang

Harp

John Wickey

Xueying Piao

Assistant Conductors

Jordan Brooks

Austin Davis

Librarian

Jordan Brooks

Orchestra Operations

Austin Davis

Marketing

Marlena Crovatt-Bagwell

Brad Martin

Julia Jacobsen

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, world-renowned guest artists, music rentals and many other items that support our program. This list reflects gifts made between 1/1/2023 – 3/12/2024

Maestro Sponsor ($10,000+)

Peggy and Bill Maltarich

Principal Sponsor ($2,500+)

Schmoyer and Company Lourie Life and Health

Sustaining Sponsor ($2,000-$9,999)

Myra and Mike Nelson

Patricia and James Weiss

Sponsor ($1,000-$1,999)

Jerry Dell and Ben Gimarc

Sheila and Dwayne Josey

Jeffry Caswell and Jose Cotto Ortiz

Patron ($500-$999)

Christine and Tayloe Harding

Lisa and Rob Wilcox

Contributor ($250-$499)

Susan and Ronnie Belleggia

Laury Christie and David Vaughn

Leslie Frinks

Sharon and Ryan Gaskin

Pamela and Andy Gowan

Carol and John Kososki

Lee and Julian Minghi

Regina Moody

Linda and John Ropp

Audra and Johann Vaz

Teah and Scott Weiss

With Gratitude to Our Contributors continued

Partner ($100-$249)

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

Don Dupee

Charles Fugo

Charles Gatch

Don Greiner

Wendy and Nathan Groscost

Verotta Kennedy

Libby Law

Fredna Lee

Patty Lovit

Pauline Pagliocca

Cornelia Pasky

Martha Sutter and David Ross

Tracey and Michael Snelling

Vans Violins

Harriet Williams and Jerry Hagenmaier

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!

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

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

Thursday, September 28, 2023 MUSIC OF

Thursday, November 2, 2023 SOUL BASS

Tuesday, December 5, 2023 THE

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Thursday, April 18, 2024

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