Verdi Requiem Program

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

SEASON 103

dr. michael miles, music director

VERDI REQUIEM february 28, 2023 main st. Baptist church 7:30 p.m.

Good evening, everyone, and welcome back to the Symphony!

It’s been a minute since we last saw each other celebrating the holidays in this very venue. We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and you are enjoying the New Year.

Tonight’s program is a very special treat for our students, community members, and patrons. The Symphony Orchestra joins forces with the Hattiesburg Choral Union for the Choral Holiday Spectacular each year, but it is a rare occasion when this many students and community members come together to perform a tour de force of the oratorio canon. Our students are receiving an opportunity that most students in university music programs never receive. This event rises out of the vision and dedication of the directors of our Orchestra and Choral programs to ensure our students receive every opportunity to perform the very best literature in all genres as part of their musical training and growth.

It is also a result of the ongoing commitment of the directors to share great music with our community. Our choral students work alongside the community members in the Hattiesburg Choral Union for these events, providing a mutually beneficial experience for everyone. The Messa da Requiem is an enormous challenge for our students, and they will rise to this challenge as they have so many times before. These kinds of collaborations are important to the growth of our students and add value to the concert experience of our patrons. The Symphony Orchestra considers it a great honor to work with the talented students and directors of our Choral program.

We trust you will enjoy tonight’s program, but also be sure to put our final concert on April 27 in your calendar. That evening we will present our three William T. Gower Student Concerto Competition winners and perform Igor Stravinsky’s beautiful and powerful Firebird Suite. It will be a wonderful night of great music and music-making.

See you at the Symphony!

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES SCHOOL OF MUSIC present

The University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Dr. Michael Miles, music director with

THE HATTIESBURG CHORAL UNION TUESDAY, FEBRuARY 28, 2023 MAIN ST. BAPTIST CHURCH 7:30 p.m.

Messa da Requiem Giuseppe Verdi Requiem and Kyrie (Solo Quartet, Chorus) (1813 - 1901) Dies irae Dies irae (Chorus) Tuba mirum (Chorus) Liber scriptus (Mezzo-Soprano, Chorus) Quid sum miser (Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor) Rex tremendae (Solo Quartet, Chorus) Recordare (Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano) Ingemisco (Tenor) Confutatis (Bass, Chorus) Lacrymosa (Solo Quartet, Chorus) Offertorium (Solo Quartet) Sanctus (Double Chorus) Agnus Dei (Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Chorus) Lux aeterna (Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Bass) Libera me (Soprano, Chorus) Dr. Gregory Fuller, Conductor Danielle Talamantes, Soprano Kirstin Chávez, Mezzo-Soprano Richard Troxell, Tenor Dennis Jesse, Bass-Baritone This program presented in part by a generous grant from Partners for the Arts

MEssa da requiem

Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1813 near Busseto, Italy, and died in 1901 in Milan. He wrote the Messa da Requiem in 1873-74, and the work was first performed on May 22, 1874, at the church of San Marco in Milan, with soloists, chorus, and orchestra conducted by the composer. The work is scored for four vocal soloists (soprano, mezzosoprano, tenor, and bass), three flutes (with the third doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets, four bassoons, four horns, eight trumpets (including four offstage), three trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, and strings.

The idea of being Italian has existed since the Middle Ages, most certainly since Dante’s Divine Comedy gave us one of the cornerstones of all literature, written in the language that would evolve into modern Italian. Yet the nation of Italyis far newer – the separate city-states of the Italian peninsula only unified in 1871. While the patriotic exploits of Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and the other soldiers of the Risorgimento are well documented, two other Italian patriots were instrumental in forging the modern Italian nation: the poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni and the composer Giuseppe Verdi Manzoni’s influence and popularity served to rally Italians from all over the peninsula to the cause of the Risorgimento. His landmark novel, I promessi sposi (The Beloved, 1827) was remarkable for the depth of its characters, its veiled rallying cry for Italian independence, and the sophistication of its language. Manzoni’s novel was written in a consistent, logical Italian, one which could be read and understood from the Alps to Sicily. I promessi sposi served as the touchstone for Italian spelling and grammar and earned the poet the accolades of his nation.

Verdi’s contribution to the revolution was more direct. Several of Verdi’s operas fell afoul of the censors, with their plots full of insurrection and the murder of nobility. Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball, 1859) was considered so volatile because of its story of the assassination of Sweden’s King Gustav III, that the censors forced Verdi and his librettist to change the location of the drama from eighteenth- century Stockholm to colonial Boston!

Yet even the censors could not stifle the popularity of Verdi’s music. The revolutionaries took up the chorus of Hebrew slaves, Va, pensiero from Verdi’s Nabucco, with its yearning for release from Babylon, as their unofficial rallying cry; even today, it serves as Italy’s unofficial second national anthem. Audiences in opera houses around the nation shouted “Viva Verdi!” both to celebrate the composer’s genius, but also as a secret code: VERDI became an acronym for the leader of the House of Savoy whom the Risorgimento wanted to crown as the new King of Italy: Vittorio Emanule, R’e d’Italia (Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy). When unification was finally achieved, the admiration for Verdi was so great that he was elected to the new National Assembly as the representative for Busseto Verdi lived in awe of Manzoni and considered I promessi sposi to be a masterpiece.

When the renowned composer finally met the famous poet, Verdi wrote:

What can I tell you of Manzoni? How to express the new, inexplicable, happy feeling which the sacred presence of this man aroused in me? I would have knelt before him if men worshipped men.

When Verdi heard of Manzoni’s death in May of 1873, he was heartbroken. Even though throngs of mourners flooded the streets of Milan for Manzoni’s funeral procession, Verdi was so weighed down with grief that he couldn’t join them. He waited until he could visit Manzoni’s gravesite alone and unobserved to pay his respects to his hero and friend.

Verdi had read many tributes to Manzoni in the Italian press but felt none of them did justice to the great man. He decided that he would compose a Requiem Mass in memory of Manzoni, to be performed on the first anniversary of the poet’s death. He proposed the idea to the Milan’s mayor, who swiftly agreed to the idea and thanked Verdi for spearheading the project. Verdi replied, You owe me no thanks for my offer to write a Requiem Mass for the anniversary of Manzoni’s death. It is an impulse, or I might better say, a need of my heart which impels me to honor, as far as I can, this Great Man whom I so respected as a writer, and have revered as a man, a model of virtue and of patriotism.

A setting of the Mass for the Dead had been in Verdi’s thoughts since 1868, when, upon the death of Gioacchino Rossini, Verdi proposed that he and 12 fellow Italian composers each contribute a movement to a Requiem in memory of the great opera composer. The composers were chosen by lot by the famous Italian publishing house, Ricordi; Verdi finished his contribution, the concluding Libera me, in short order, and his 12 colleagues followed suit shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, the Messa per Rossini was abandoned only nine days short of its first performance (scuttled by bureaucratic red tape and incompetence – organizers were unable to secure performers in time). Verdi shelved the Libera me and gave up on the idea of ever hearing the Messa per Rossini in performance. (The score and performing materials for the Mass were discovered in the Ricordi archives, and the Messa per Rossini received its first performance in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1988).

Rather than risk the logistical pitfalls that plagued the requiem for Rossini, Verdi decided that he would compose the entire work and supervise all the performance details himself, from choosing the soloists to concert publicity. The triumphal world premiere at the church of San Marco in May of 1874 was followed by three successful performances at La Scala, Milan, and subsequent performances across Europe.

The most severe criticism leveled at the Requiem involved its theatricality. Verdi shunned religion; he would take his wife to church, but he would not attend services himself. Like many of the Risorgimento, he felt that the church’s accumulation of power and wealth was hypocritical to its mission of caring for the poor and destitute. Like the requiem settings of Johannes Brahms, Hector Berlioz, and Benjamin Britten, Verdi’s Requiem was never intended for liturgical performance beyond the world premiere. He responded to the Latin requiem text as a means of expressing his patriotism and his grief at the loss of his friend, Manzoni. He responded to the text not as a religious man, but as a Humanist and as one of the greatest of all opera composers. Perhaps Verdi’s wife, Giuseppina, said it best:

A man like Verdi must write like Verdi, that is, according to his own feeling and interpretation of the text. The religious spirit and the way in which it is given expression must bear the stamp of its period and its author’s personality.

The work begins in hushed reverence, with the chorus solemnly intoning “Requiem eternam” (Grant them eternal rest). The four soloists lead the lyrical Kyrie eleison, joined by the chorus in their plea that their prayers will be heard.

Verdi’s portrayal of the Day of Judgment (Dies irae) opens with a thunderclap, with brutal and implacable chords in the orchestra ushering in obdurate brass fanfares, shrieking woodwinds, and ferocious strings over which the chorus sings of the terrors of all humanity being summoned to judgment. The fanfares that open the Tuba mirum begin from afar, but their gradual crescendo builds to a blazing tattoo, where the chorus sings of the last trumpet calling dead souls forth from their graves. The bass soloist sings of the soul-searing vision of departed souls seeking mercy in Mors stupebit. The mezzo intones that all deeds are recorded in the Book of Judgment (Liber scriptus), followed by the sorrow of Quid sum miser, accompanied by a mournful bassoon. The supplication of the duet (Recordare) and two arias (Ingemisco and Confutatis) that follow are swept aside by a return of the Dies irae music, but the Lacrymosa ends this dramatic sequence with quiet tears.

A respite from these visions of the Apocalypse comes with the Offertory, where the four soloists sing for the salvation of the departed. The calm is broken briefly by the more dramatic (and chromatic) Quam olim Abrahae, but the tenor returns us to the quiet reverence of the opening. Verdi wrote the Sanctus as a virtuoso double fugue introduced by trumpet fanfares – perhaps the one moment of true joy in the entire work. In the Agnus Dei, Verdi clears the air of the previous busy fugue with the ethereal sound of the soprano and mezzo-soprano singing in octaves, completely unaccompanied, and the remainder of this brief movement never strays far from this introspective mood. The three soloists in Lux aeterna sing of eternal light over tremolo string accompaniment and quietly sinister brass.

The concluding Libera me, repurposed from the requiem for Rossini, begins as a dramatic scena for the soprano, chorus, and orchestra, music that would be perfectly suited to any of Verdi’s operas. The Dies irae music interrupts, but the energy and the terror gradually expend themselves, until the soprano sings of eternal peace, discreetly accompanied by the chorus. A passionate fugal setting of Libera me, domine for the chorus and orchestra follows, later joined by the soprano. The texture gradually thins, the music makes a transition from agitation to calm, and the solo soprano sings us into eternity with a final supplication of “Libera me.”

In conclusion, perhaps the best judgment upon the worth of the Verdi Requiem comes from two of the most curmudgeonly characters of the late nineteenth century. The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, who, for a time, wrote music criticism under the nom de plume “Corno di Bassetto” and did not suffer dramatic or musical fools gladly, thought so highly of the work that he asked that the concluding Libera me be performed at his funeral. Even more telling might be the pronouncement of Johannes Brahms (also a severe critic of everyone’s music, including his own), who said unequivocally “Verdi’s Requiem is a work of genius.”

– David Cole

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Violin 1 Alexander Ilchev, concertmaster Marlene Gentile Alejandro Junco Adelle Paltin Juan Lincango Laura Lopera Jonathan Chen Casey Macklin Violin 2 Federico Franco, principal Lily Martinez Icaro Santana Angelina Sidiropoulou Alejandro Lopez Dexter Rodkey Victor Amaut Grace Pineda

Viola Isabella Marques, principal Christian Avila Nicole Herrera Courtney Grant Cello Cristian Sanchez, principal Amani Zouehid Mauricio Unzueta Alejandro Restrepo Evelin Lopez Brian Lorett Kassandra Henriquez Franco Galetto Courtney Francois

Bass Wendell de Rosa Rodrigues, principal Daniel Magalhaes Jose Luis Cuellar Carlos Herrera Nick Shellenberg Matheus Henriquez Pedro Areco Manuel Jara Ramirez Charlie Levindoski

Flute Katerina Bachevska, principal Miracle Johnson Sarah Hinchey, piccolo Oboe Becca Chadwick, principal Ruth Moreno Caleron Clarinet Eli Anderson, principal Caitlyn Austin

Bassoon Osvaldo Redondo Alfaro, principal Zach Howell Jordan Vestal Brandon Woodie Horn Anna Zurawski, principal Abby Loftin Brian Alston Chance Rootes

Trumpet Mariah Atwood, principal Doug Hutchinson Zach Dake Clayton Jacocks Off-stage Trumpets T.J. Tesh Caleb Guilbeau Ethan Farnsworth Rachel Casteñeda

Trombone Nicholas Dauerer, principal Nathan Tubbs Ben Dondaville, bass Cimbasso Dan Davis Timpani Josh Hale

Percussion J.D. Dunklee Sam Shaner

THE HATTIESBURG CHORAL UNION Soprano Alto Alaina Abed Abi Allarde G. Andersen Kalyn Bales Jessie “Leigh” Ansley Victoria Ball Kathlyn Arcemont Libby Chance Kristen Baisley Amy Clevenger Bayleigh Batchelor Judith Collins Kaitlin Walley Brown Ellie Cox Tristan Carnley Hannah Craig Maryann Craft Caitlyn Dixon Mary Carol Dassau M.V. Ferniany Savannah Diamond Lexi Hannah Sadie Graham Sydney Harrison Maggie Gressett Loren Hancok Suzanna Haddox Christine Heath Norma Hallberg Marissa Heath Sarah Hamman Faith High Panelopie Hawkins Armoire Kelly Lundy Hawthorne Maggie Kelly Kaelyn Hunger Peyton King Mackenzie Kuykendoll Lorinda Krhut Kal Landers Sarah Kwas Bonnie Littlejohn Anna Kate Long Michelle F. McLeese Tammy Matlock Bitsy Browne Miller Jasmine McGaughy Barbara Niezgoda Belle Moeler Marietta Paterson Taryn Monroe Colleen Pratt Kelly Anika Owens Melody Rawls Tara Piggott Miya Robbins Lacey Prater Maesey Rowell Layla Price Ashawndra Simmons Rebecca Rowan Erin Smith Kahia Rupert Rachael Smith Ashleigh Sanderson Allison Tharp Erica Smith Olivia Tuck Brooke Stuart Rachel Walley Krys Taylor MaryKatherine Wilkinson Skye Tobias Sarah Beth Treutel Ty Tyler Jayla Vaughan Maggie Westbrook

Tenor Eli Anderson Russell Bearden Rodney Bridgeforth Carter Crow Paul Dunn Matt Finney Logan Graham Will Griswold Ave Hanson Tyrese Hardy Diego Henriquez Meek Howze Eli Joyner Hunter King Temmo Kinoshita Hanif Lawrence Robbie McDonald Derek Meler John Meyer Reagan Milliet Alander Neal LaDarrien Paten John Pharis Bob Press Hutson Rollins Lazarius Shelby Omari Thigpen Jeremiah Williams Jesse Woodcock

Bass Donald Aaron Rasheed Ambrose Dakota Andrews Skyler Angus-Barker Jeremiah Bates Colin Bruff Mitch Cochran Darien Cole Kelvin Corvera Willard Davis Aubrey Glenn Bill Hall Bob Heath Steven Hill Braden Hudson Carter Hudson Holton Johnson Jerry Johnson Garret Johnston Breck Jones Joseph Jones Delvin Kelly Marvin Miller Willem Myers Quintin Powell Cameron Robinson Marcos Rodriguez Spencer Rowan Connor Schuster Roydarius Sutton Miguel ValadezSanchez Blake Tolbert Josué Valdez Isaiah Way

DANIELLE TALAMANTES

Last season, Danielle Talamantes’ engagements included Henry Dehlinger’s Kohelet for the Washington Master Chorale and the Santa Clara Chorale, Mimi in La bohème for Jackson Symphony, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. She also made her Washington National Opera debut as Maria Hernández in Kamala Sankaram’s Rise as part of their production Written in Stone, and Mosaic for Earth at Virginia Tech. This season’s engagements include Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with the National Philharmonic.

Talamanates first earned a spot on the Metropolitan Opera roster in the spring of 2011, covering the role of Najade in Ariadne auf Naxos, and was subsequently reengaged to cover the role of the Flower Maiden in Richard Wagner’s Parsifal, joined the house for their production of The Exterminating Angel, the soprano in the quartet of lovers in the Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island, and in Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten. This rising star made her exciting stage debut as Frasquita in Georges Bizet’s Carmen in a return to The Metropolitan Opera and has since returned to perform the role of Anna in Nabucco.

Other notable operatic engagements include the role of Marzelline in Fidelio with the Princeton Festival; Mimì in La bohème with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas; the title role of Susannah with Opera Roanoke; Violetta in La traviata with Finger Lakes Opera; Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at Cedar Rapids Opera; the role of Sergente in Veremonda at Spoleto Festival USA; and Act I of La bohème with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas at Walton Arts Center.

A native of Northern Virginia, Talamantes made her Carnegie Hall debut in a sold-out solo recital in 2007 and was the Soprano in Residence for the Summer 2012 at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont.

KIRSTIN CHAVEZ

Kirstin Chávez is considered one of the most riveting and significant mezzo-sopranos today. The combination of her magnificent voice, expansive range, dramatic intensity of her acting, and natural physical beauty makes her an arresting and unique presence on the operatic stage. Chávez captures attention and acclaim and is recognized as one of the definitive interpreters of Carmen of our generation. She has performed Georges Bizet’s iconic heroine with great success throughout the world with leading opera companies and symphonies.

This season, Chávez creates the role of Carlotta de Obragon in the world premiere of Hector Armienta’s Zorro for Fort Worth Opera and sings the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly for Dallas Opera. On the concert stage, she performs as mezzo-soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Paducah Symphony Orchestra, performs in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and brings her signature role of Carmen to the Helena Symphony.

Chávez earned a Bachelor of Music from New Mexico State University and a Master of Music in Voice Performance and Performance Certificate from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.

RICHARD TROXELL Richard Troxell’s beautiful lyric tenor voice has thrilled audiences at opera houses and concert halls around the world, among them Los Angeles Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Sydney Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Teatro Petruzelli, L’Opéra Comique in Paris, Monte Carlo, and Toulouse. Mr. Troxell’s star turn as Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton in Frederic Mitterand’s critically acclaimed film Madame Butterfly, received high praise from both film and music critics alike following its Paris and New York premieres. The New York Times called his performance “the most dramatically satisfying vocal characterization” in the film.

His most recent engagements included the premiere of The Hours with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Danilo in the Merry Widow with Charlottesville Opera, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, the world-premieres of Lavinia & Anna Komnene at Lincoln Center, the world premiere of William Bolcom’s Dinner at Eight with Minnesota Opera, Danilo for Musica Viva Hong Kong, Graf in Die Tote Stadt and the Judge in Das Wunder der Helaine for the Bard Festival, Dan Leo in Elizabeth Cree for Chicago Opera Theatre, and the Governor in Candide for Santa Fe Opera. This season Richard joins the Metropolitan Opera for their production of The Hours.

His Metropolitan Opera debut was Borsa in Rigoletto. He has joined the MET for Lulu, Exterminating Angel, Otello and Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Richard has made frequent guest appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

DENNIS JESSE

Dennis Jesse, baritone has performed in a variety of genres for over twenty-five years. He began his career on the musical theater stage, moved to operetta and ultimately to grand opera.

He continues to perform in all of these styles. He frequents the stages of many of America’s regional opera houses, most recently with Palm Beach Opera in their production of Così fan tutte. He can also be seen with the Baton Rouge Symphony later this year as a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem. Recently he sang the title role in a production of Nabucco with Ithaca Opera and was the soloist in Beethoven’s 9th symphony the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra.

He has appeared many times with New Orleans Opera, Opéra Louisiane, Orlando Opera, Jefferson Performing Arts Society, Pensacola Opera, and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Jesse is an Associate Professor at LSU and he is the General and Artistic Director of Opera Festival di Roma, a summer abroad program sponsored by LSU in Orvieto and Rome, Italy. Over the past eight years he has served on the international faculty of intensive summer abroad programs for young opera singers both in Italy and in Brazil.

GREGORY FULLER Gregory Fuller is a Professor of Music and the Director of Choral Activities at The University of Southern Mississippi. He conducts the Southern Chorale and the Hattiesburg Choral Union, teaches graduate conducting courses, supervises candidates in the master’s and doctoral conducting program. Previously, professor Fuller held similar appointments at The University of Missouri in Columbia and Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa. He has appeared throughout the United States as a clinician and conductor and has performed at national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) and Music Educators National Conference (MENC) and the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO), along with numerous state and regional convention appearances. Dr. Fuller has organized and executed over 60 concert tours, including more than 30 international trips to three continents.

Dr. Fuller has remained active as a conductor in orchestral and wind settings.

He is known as a champion of new extended works and has premiered many in the throughout his career. He has also helped prepare orchestral choruses for more than 40 important performances, including presentations with the St. Louis Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Mobile Symphony, Sioux City Symphony, Mississippi Symphony, Pensacola Symphony, Gulf Coast Symphony, and the outstanding Orchestras and Wind Ensembles at the University of Missouri and the University of Southern Mississippi. In five seasons with the Sioux City Municipal Band (formerly the Monahan Post Band, a 100 year tradition), he hosted many successful and promising solo artists, including internationally acclaimed horn player, Michael Thompson.

He has served a variety of different roles with community choruses. He started as a graduate assistant with the Choral Union in Columbia, at the University of Missouri. He eventually became the primary conductor of that organization and premiered Phroheta Lucis, by John Cheetham, a choral-orchestral work commissioned for the University’s Sesquicentennial Gala Concert. In Sioux City, he quickly expanded the resources, membership, and audience of the Siouxland Master Chorale, culminating in several tours and a short residency in Yamnashi City, Japan, including a performance on Japanese National Public Television. The Choral Union at Southern Miss is the primary orchestral chorus for the Southern Miss Symphony Orchestra. Under Fuller, the group has also performed with other regional orchestras and in many important venues.

In 2007, they were a partner with the Mississippi Arts Commission and the Mississippi Symphony presenting state-wide performances honoring important Mississippi composer, William Grant Still. Dr. Fuller has organized collaborative community events in MidMissouri, Northwest Iowa (tri-state region), and now the Gulf Coast region. Some of the most notable presentations have been ecumenical sacred concerts with guest soloists as well as performances of major choral works with professional soloists and orchestra.

LEGACY LIFETIME MEMBERS Gold Legacy Society - $25,000 Gail and Larry Albert Becky and Doug Montague Mrs. Sandra and Dr. R. Greer Whitacre Silver Legacy Society - $12,500 Dr. Shannon Campbell Mo and Dick Conville Tammy and Arthur Martin Pam and Doug Rouse Bronze Legacy Society - $5,000 Alexander Brady Foundation Jennifer Brannock and Dr. David R. Davies Dr. Amy Chasteen Erin and Dennis Granberry Amy and Don Hinton Carole Marshall in memory of John Ivany Marshall Stace and Andy Mercier Drs. Stacey and Michael Miles Dr. and Mrs. Joe Paul Dee and Toddy Tatum in memory of Dr. and Mrs. A.T. Tatum Becky and Doug Vinzant ANNUAL MEMBERS PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE - $5,000+ Francis Bell Carter’s Jewelry of Petal Mr. and Mrs. W. Carey Crane III College of Arts and Sciences Dr. and Mrs. Jiménez GRAND BENEFACTOR - $2,500 Blooms Floral and Events Dr. Stella Elakovich in memory of Drs. Dana Ragsdale and Karen O. Austin Ferraez Law Gulf South Productions Dick Jordan and Allen Williams in memory of Mary Garrison Jordan, Sonia Jordan and Sonyna Jordan Fox KW Elite Keller Williams Realty Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence Leader Lincoln Road Package Store Rogers Oil and Co. Kate Smith and Hank Mazaleski Dr. and Mrs. J. Larry Smith in memory of Mrs. Jane Becker Heidelberg Southern Oaks House & Gardens Stagetec The First Bank The Linda Becker Smith Trust Mrs. Sandra and Dr. R. Greer Whitacre Dr. and Mrs. Chris Winstead BENEFACTOR - $1,000 John Chain Lisa and Rick Conn Cooperative Energy Myrle-Marie Bongiovanni Diane and Peter Ciurczak in memory of Lillian, Helen and Regina

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DONOR - $250 Paula and Allen Anderson Billie Ballengee Linda and Larry Basden Dr. and Mrs. David W. Bomboy Catherine Bongiovanni Lauren and JoJo Bridges Joanna and Biljac Burnside Fran and Gene Carothers Peg and Bob Ciraldo Rachel and Nicholas Ciraldo Carolynn and Lewis Clark Dr. Eyler Coates Jr. Amber Cole Anna and Ryan Copeland Bettie Cox and David Powers Linda and Robert Cox Joelle Crook in memory of George T. Crook Alice Crotwell Kimberley Davis Beejee and Andy Dickson DeAnna Douglas Drs. Sergey and Veronica Dzugan Allyson Easterwood Muriel Everton Gary Fordham Veronica Feeman Pamela Gavin Ms. Allison Gillespie Phillip Goe Linda Boutwell-Griffith and John Griffith Wes Hanson Dr. and Mrs. Robert Heath in honor of Sarah K. Heath Richard D. Hudson Che’ and Wayne Hughes Joyce and Chris Inman Betty Jo D. Ison Althea and Raoul Jerome Rebekah and Jeff Johnson LBJ Properties LLC Dr. Jameela Lares Dr. Mike Lopinto in honor of Carolyn and John Lopinto Maureen K. Martin in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Aubrey K. Lucas Megan McCay Jennifer and Kennard McKay Mary Virginia McKenzie Philip Mellen Drs. Diane and Jim Miller Drs. Bitsy Browne and Marvin Miller Drs. Suzanna and Andrew Nida Candace and Kent Oliver Clay Peacock Pinebelt Foundation Jacquelyne and Brad Pittman Aaryanne and Rick Preusch Dr. and Mrs. Tom Puckett Petra and Curt Redden in memory of Irma Schneider Sharon and David Richardson Dr. and Mrs. Douglas M. Rust Mr. and Mrs. Sam Sackler Carolee and Seth Scott Sabrina and Alex Schuerger Diana and Ed Simpson Susan Slaughter Mary and Eric Sumrall Martha and Tommy Thornton Debra and Richard Topp Dr. Sharon and Mr. Carey Varnado Mr. and Mrs. Ric Voss Barbara and Kenneth Waites Diane and Jerry Waltman Amelia Watkins Alissa Wiggins Paige and Pat Zachary

CONTRIBUTOR - $150 Area Development Partnership Lynne and William Baggett Billie Ballengee Mrs. Anita and General Buff Blount Katherine Boone Mr. Joe Bost and Dr. Katie James Michael Boudreaux Rose Bowe Mary Glenn and Todd Bradley The Rev. Laurie Brock Charles A. Brown in memory of Mirneal C. Brown Jennifer and Sam Bruton Megan Burkes Julia Chaffin Margaret and Ron Chapman Mitch and Marcia B. Cochran Jacob Cotton Jennifer Courts LuAnn Knight Crenshaw Alice Crotwell Maryann Kyle and Jay Dean in memory of Jack and Sara Dean Bethanie and Jerry DeFatta Andrew Dews Steve Farrell Carol and Gardner Fletcher Andrea Ford Nancy Guice in memory of Dr. John D. W. Guice Benjamin Hardy Susan and John Howell Elizabeth Hughes Beth Mayo Jamison Dr. and Mrs. Richard A. Johnson Rosi and Dex Johnson Ivonne Kawas Debbie Killen Lorinda S. Krhut Linda and Mike Kuykendall Dr. Francis Laatsch and Susan Reiter Marcia M. Landen Vicki R. Leggett Mr. John Logan Melinda and Alan Lucas Marcos Machado Jackie and Milo McCarthy Bill McHugh Jackie and Ben McIlwain Ellen McKenzie Mary Virginia McKenzie Bill and Bebe McLeod in memory of Dr. John A. McLeod III Margaret and Larry McMahan Kathy J. Cornelius McMahon in honor of Kate Smith Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Messer Jr. in honor of Dr. Mike Lopinto Louise and John Meyer Barry Monday Astrid Mussiett in memory of Gladys S. Mussiett Danilo Mezzadri Dr. Mark Miller Deborah and Steve Moore John Mullins in honor of Jim Meade Heath Nobles Mr. and Mrs. Hal E. Odom Dr. Roderick and Eula Posey Bob and Betty Press Charles and Anita Price Ellen Price-Elder Jann and George Puckett in honor of DeAnna Douglas Louis N. Rackoff and Elizabeth Slaby Mr. and Mrs. William K. Ray Bill and Martha Resavy Sherrie Mitchell Richmond Mark Rigsby and Melanie Eubanks Marc Edward Rivet

Barbara Ann Ross Ellen Ruffin David Sliman Tayvi Smith Joseph Steadman in memory of Betty A. Steadman Sally and Garland Sullivan in memory of Garland H. Williams Barbara and Sidney Sytsma Jennifer Torres Jewel Brantley Tucker in memory of Samuel Tucker Lisa and Greg Vickers Jacqueline and Michael Vlaming Brittney Westbrook Aissa Wiggins Larry G. Williamson FRIEND - $50 Michael Aderibigbe Nikki Acord Kimberly Ainsworth Dr. Jenna and Mr. Daniel Barton Richard Edward Beckford Elizabeth and Chris Bedenbaugh Drs. Diana and Joshua Bernstein Cindy Bivins Day Bookout Dr. Cherie and Mr. Lance Bowe Chris and Lisa Bowen Dr. and Mrs. Bob Brahan Rashonda Brown-Hughes Joe Brumbeloe William Byars Kathy and Ben Carmichael Matthew Casey Dr. Adam Clay Jim and Deedré Coll Darcie Conrad Brooke Cruthirds Drs. Lisa and John Culpepper John Cummings Mr. and Mrs. Charles Daughdrill Melissa Jean David Becky Pruett Denham Dannika Dewhurst Diane Dobson Mary and Steve Dryden Helen Edwards Kelly Ellis Elissa Ernst Carol and Gardner Fletcher Barbara Jane Foote David Fortenberry Olivia Clare Friedman Emily and Joel Gallaspy in memory of Jane Bradley Gorman Monika Gehlawat Heather and Ken Graves in memory of Jeremy Lespi Jeff Greene Bruno D. Griffin Barbara L. Hamilton Julie Hammond Diana and George Hardin Anita Hearon Frances B. Hegwood Dr. and Mrs. Wendell Helveston Brenda Hesselgrave Marsha Hester Mrs. Sarah and Dr. Eddie Holloway Emily and Dale Holmes Wanda J. Howard in memory of Mrs. Beth Curlee Dr. Luis A. Iglesias Casey Jarman Cheryl D. Jenkins Jane W. Jones Lisa Jones Nicolle Jordan and Thomas O’Brien Dr. and Mrs. Charles Junek Kailey Kemp

Simpson H. Kendall Penny and Gene Kochtitzky Wendy Kulzer Francis E. Laatsch Karl Langenbach in memory of Betty Langenbach Karen LeBeau Kelly Ferris Lester Linde and Jeff Lynn Jessica Magee Tammy Martin Kelli McCloskey Robert Angus McTyre Kristie Murphy Christa Nelson Chuck Nestor in memory of Dr. Charles Nestor Sr. Katherine Olexa Kathy Owens Robert Pierce Amy Rogers Pelton in memory of Betty C. Rogers Morris James Pettis in memory of Linda C. Pettis Nellie and Charles Phillips Kathy and Peter Pikul Mr. and Mrs. Zeke W. Powell Jr. Ashley Price Charles Ray Julie Reid Barbara L. Ross Dr. Alexander Russakovsky Rosalie and Bill Schoell Elizabeth and Scott Schwartz Allie and Chris Seay Linda Seifert Erin Sessions Jae-Hwa Shin Valerie C. Simmons Carol and Ken Simpson Dana William Skelton Carroll and Dura Smith Ginger and Bill Smith Blaise Sonnier Rebecca G. Stark Edward N. Stephens Virginia and Kenneth Stevens William K. Stevens Lorraine A. Stuart Katie and David Sullivan Dr. Timothy J. Tesh Hayden Tharpe Gabby Theriot Janet and Pat Tidmore David Tisdale Susannah J. Ural and John Rasberry in memory of Dr. William F. Ural Betty Lynn and Joe Ed Varner in memory of Virginia H. Culpepper Krystyna Varnado Sharon and Carey Varnado Lee Anne Venable Cathy Gulli Ventura Kisha Welford Anne G. Wilkins in memory of Bert Wilkins Cory R. Williams Alehandro Wooten Christine Wooton Dr. John Wooton

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STRINGS

Dr. Borislava Iltcheva, violin Dr. Hsiaopei Lee, viola Dr. Alexander Russakovsky, cello Dr. Marcos Machado, bass Dr. Nicholas Ciraldo, guitar

WOODWINDS

Dr. Danilo Mezzadri, flute Dr. Galit Kaunitz, oboe Dr. Jackie McIlwain, clarinet Dr. Kim Woolly, bassoon Dr. Dannel Espinoza, saxophone

BRASS

Dr. Rob Detjen, horn Dr. Tim Tesh, trumpet Dr. Ben McIlwain, trombone Dr. Richard Perry, tuba Dr. John Wooton, percussion

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SEASON FINALE

GET YOUR TIcKETS NOW! BRING A FRIEND!

Future Stars and Firebirds!

April 27, 2023

BenneTt Auditorium 7:30 p.m.

PROGRAM

Gower Concerto Winners

Stravinsky l Firebird Suite

EOE/F/M/VETS/DISABILITY

In its final concert of the season of classics, the Symphony Orchestra will feature this year’s William T. Gower Concerto Competition winners. Three talented student musicians will be chosen to perform solo concertos with the Orchestra. This is always one of the Symphony’s best attended concerts, as our patrons come out to support these talented students.

The Symphony closes the season with Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. This “classic” work is well-known to most orchestra patrons and will bring an exciting close to the season.

TICKETS

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