Program - UTRGV Symphony Orchestra Presents Tchaikovsky's 4th

UTRGV Performing Arts Complex Thursday, March 10 at 7:00 pm TSC Performing Arts Center Friday, March 11 at 7:00 pm

UTRGV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Third Program ~ 2021 • 2022 Concert Season

Tchaikovsky’s 4th UTRGV Performing Arts Complex, Edinburg Thursday, March 10, 2022 at 7:00 pm TSC Performing Arts Center, Brownsville Friday, March 11, 2022 at 7:00 pm Norman Gamboa, Conductor Andrew Stahlman, Guest conductor Scott Roeder, Tuba

Valse Triste, Op. 44, No. 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)

Concerto for Tuba and Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arild Plau (1920-2005) Prolog Canzone Finale

INTERMISSION Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36. . . . . . Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima Andantino in modo di Canzona Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato - Allegro Finale: Allegro con fuoco

For a better concert experience, we kindly ask you to turn off cellular phones, pagers, and all types of noise makers.

We strongly recommend the use of face coverings over nose and mouth as well as maintaining social distancing whenever possible. Thank you!

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PROGRAM NOTES Valse Triste, Op. 44, No. 1 Jean Sibelius Composed as one of six incidental pieces for the 1903 production of the play Kuolema (Death) by Arvid Järnefelt, Sibelius’ Valse Triste with its melancholic tone is sure to evoke somber, haunting memories as we move towards old age. The work was revised a year later as a concert piece and despite its brevity, it became one of the composer’s most often performed works. In the original program note, the story for the waltz was described as follows: “The son, who has been watching beside the bedside of his sick mother, has fallen asleep exhausted. Then light fills the room and distant music is heard, the mother eerily arises in her white garment and begins to dance silently and slowly. As she dances in time to the music, she summons a crowd of ghostly guests, spinning and gliding to this unearthly waltz rhythm. Then, exhausted, the mother sinks back to her bed, and the dancers leave as the music breaks off. She gathers all her strength and invokes the dance once more, this time with more energetic gestures. The shadowy dancers return gyrating in wild frenzy. As the music reaches its climax, there is a knock at the door, which flies wide open; the mother utters a despairing cry, the spectral guests vanish and the music dies away. Death stands on the threshold.

tradition, besides the well-known concerto by Ralph Vaughan-Williams, no other composer created a tuba concerto until the mid-20th century.

The Tuba Concerto by Norwegian composer Arild Plau, is a fabulous work that demostrates the lyrical and technical possibilities of an instrument often discredited as mere orchestral support. Plau skillfully brings together the deep, resonant sound of the tuba with the subtle string accompaniment, thus creating a piece rich in color and texture contrast. The first movement “Prolog,” opens with soft strings supporting a lyrical melody by the tuba. The slow introduction is soon replaced by an abrupt change in tempo of very energetic rhythms. The rest of the movement explores the tuba’s wide range as the soloist shifts back and forth between moments of thrilling virtuosity and contemplative melodies. In contrast, the second movement is a slow and emotional episode of the tuba’s lyricism. Plau composed this movement in remembrance of his wife, who had passed away from cancer shortly before the composer began working on his concerto. Mournful string passages filled with deep sorrow are in dialogue with somber, emphatic proclamations from the tuba. The final movement, however, is fast and exuberant, and ends the composition by showcasing the vast range of the tuba as well as the talent of the performer.

Concerto for Tuba and Strings Arild Plau

Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

One of the most popular genres in classical music, the solo concerto is a composition genre for a soloist and instrumental accompaniment. These pieces are the ideal platform for virtuosic performers to showcase their talent and they date all the way back to the late 17th century. Despite this long

Tchaikovsky completed seven symphonies (1 through 6 and Manfred), and of them, 4, 5, and 6 are concert staples. The Symphony No. 4 is a product of a particularly tumultuous time in the composer’s life, centering around his relationship with two women: his wife of a short, disastrous

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marriage, and Nadezhda von Meck, a wealthy widow and his benefactor— whom he never personally met. He began working on the symphony in 1877, shortly after von Meck had begun her generous financial patronage, and perhaps, more importantly, after they had engaged in a long, personal relationship via correspondence that lasted well over a decade. While remote and superficially formal, this affiliation certainly fulfilled Tchaikovsky’s deep emotional needs.

He decided in the summer of 1877 to dedicate his fourth symphony to her, his “best friend.” At this point, his life took an unexpected turn by abruptly marrying Antonina Milyukova, a woman he barely knew, proposing marriage only a few days after they first met.

Tchaikovsky’s doubts were well articulated in a letter to von Meck: “[I have] lived thirty-seven years with an distinctive aversion to marriage . . . in a day I will be married . . . What will happen after that I do not know.” Work on the symphony stopped, understandably, while this precipitous relationship rocketed to its demise.

The loveless marriage was doomed from the start, complicated by Tchaikovsky’s homosexuality—the consequent psychological motivations will never completely be understood.

The next couple of months were a torment, he tried to commit suicide by getting up to his waist in the Moscow River, hoping for pneumonia; ultimately, he fled the country. Distance from Antonina obviously worked its charms, for he was able to finish the symphony by January of 1878. He dedicated the work to von Meck, and a well-known note to her reveals much about what the piece meant to him. At his patroness request, he compiled a letter explaining what the work was about. He wrote at length, somewhat emotionally and to great detail; fate is the subject and focus of this symphony: "The introduction is the seed of the whole symphony, undoubtedly the main idea. This is fate, the fatal force that prevents happiness from attaining its goal; 4 - UTRGV Symphony Orchestra

jealously ensures that peace and happiness shall never be fulfilled, constantly poisoning the soul." The first movement opens with a powerful unison from the horn section followed by the rest of the brass announcing “fate,” which makes a comeback at each division of this sonata form as an ominous reminder. The first theme by the string section is in the form of a somber waltz; Tchaikovsky’s ballets certainly are eloquent testimony to his mastery of this type of dance. The secondary theme is announced by the solo clarinet, offering a gleam of hope, only to be dashed away by the reappearance of the fate motif. The movement ends in great emotional depths. Led by the oboe, the second movement is a lyrical reminiscence Tchaikovsky referred to as “the feeling that enwraps one when sitting alone at night. It is sad, yet sweet to lose one’s self in the past.” Next, the scherzo of the third movement is a testament to the composer’s reputation for skill in orchestration. The strings play pizzicato all the way through, opening the movement by themselves. Then, in the middle section the winds introduce what could be perceived as a little village band folk tune. The brass, staccato, follow with their contribution, with the movement ending somewhat as it began, again with pizzicato strings. The grandiose finale begins with a raucous, virtuoso passage followed by the main theme, a Russian folksong called “In the Field a Little Birch Tree Stood.” The words of this song allude to marriage, women, solitary existence, and the divergent fates of those who marry and those who do not. The fate motive from the first movement attempts to disrupt the festivities one more time, only to be swept away by the exuberance of the triumphant coda. In Tchaikovsky’s own words: “Rejoice in the happiness of others—and you can still live.”

2021 - 2022 Concert Season

Dr. SCOTT ROEDER Tuba the UTPA Wind Ensemble and UTPA String Orchestra. Dr. Roeder has been a prize winner in multiple regional solo competitions and was named a semifinalist for the Leonard Falcone International Tuba Competition (1999 and 2000) and the 2000 International Tuba Euphonium Conference Solo Artist Tuba Competition in Regina, Saskatchewan.

As an educator Dr. Roeder previously taught at Wayland Baptist University, the University of Akron, and served as the low brass instructor for the Midland, Odessa, and Crane (TX) school districts.

Other teaching positions have included the Wisconsin Summer Music Clinic, Baylor University Summer Music Camp, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and Sewanee Dr. Scott Roeder is Professor of Tuba Summer Music Festival. Dr. Roeder has and Euphonium at the University of also presented sessions at the 2004 Texas Rio Grande Valley where he International Tuba Euphonium teaches applied tuba/euphonium and Conference in Budapest, Hungary and conducts the UTRGV Brass Band and the 2010 International Tuba Euphonium UTRGV Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble.

Conference in Tucson, Arizona. He is the Previously Dr. Roeder served as Principal author of the book “Tuba Tutor”, a Tubist with the Midland-Odessa pedagogical text on solo tuba literature.

Symphony, Lone Star Brass Quintet, and Dr. Roeder has also served as an the Texas Music Festival. Currently he adjudicator at the Leonard Falcone serves as Principal Tuba with the Valley International Euphonium and Tuba Symphony Orchestra and serves as the Competition and the International Tuba Personnel Manager for the organization. Euphonium Conference. Dr. Roeder’s Additional orchestral performances students have advanced in numerous include the Wisconsin Chamber international competitions and have Orchestra, Canton Symphony, Illinois held positions in the US Army Bands Symphony and many other professional and other professional music orchestras throughout the country. ensembles.

As a soloist Dr. Roeder has performed recitals at universities around the country and has been an invited performer at multiple ITEA Regional Tuba Euphonium Conferences as well as a guest artist at the 2012 and 2014 International Tuba Euphonium Conferences in Linz, Austria and Indiana University. Additionally he has been a featured soloist with the MidlandOdessa Symphony, Valley Symphony Orchestra, University of Akron Symphony, Odessa College Band, and 5 - UTRGV Symphony Orchestra

Dr. Roeder received his Bachelors in Music Education at the University of Illinois, Masters in Music Performance from the University of Akron, and in 2008 received his DMA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His teachers include John Stevens, Tucker Jolly, Mark Moore, Sam Pilafian, and Pat Sheridan.

2021 - 2022 Concert Season

Dr. NORMAN GAMBOA Conductor Municipal de Guatemala, Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado Mérida and Orquesta Sinfónica de Los Llanos (Venezuela), as well as the National Symphony Orchestras of Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras.

Dr. Gamboa has led numerous joint ventures such as fully choreographed productions of Ravel's Ma mère l'Oye with Ballet Midwest, The Nutcracker Ballet with Aurora Dance Arts and Santa Rosa Dance Theater, Fiesta Mexicana with Fiesta Colorado Dance Company and also several operas with the Topeka Opera Society and Opera on Tap Colorado. Festival appearances include Plzeň 2015, FOSJA Casals Festival, Central American Festival of Chamber Music, Medellín International Music In his second year as Director of Orchestral Activities at The University of Festival, Villarrica Arts Festival, Costa Rica International Festival of Arts, Blue Texas Rio Grande Valley, Norman Lake Fine Arts Camp, Bregenzer Gamboa is in his tenth season as Music Festspiele, Las Vegas Music Festival, Director of the Sonoma County Philharmonic in California and also of the OSESP Orchestra Conductors Competition, and the New York Brass Aurora Symphony in Colorado. In Conference. In 2015 he led the Youth addition, he is also conductor and Symphony Orchestra of Europe, a founder of the Rio Grande Youth Symphony Orchestra at UTRGV. Gamboa project that gathered distinguished is considered one of the most prominent music students from numerous music conservatories all over Europe.

Central American conductors, with an active schedule that includes Previously, he served as Music Director of appearances with the Kansas City the Powder River Symphony Orchestra in Philharmonia, Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, Topeka Symphony Orchestra, Wyoming, Director of Orchestral Studies Winchester Orchestra, Bay Area Rainbow at Washburn University in Kansas, Cover Conductor of the Topeka Symphony Symphony Orchestra, Newton Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Las Vegas Music Festival, Assistant Civic Symphony Orchestra, and Salina Conductor of the Waco Symphony Symphony Orchestra among others.

Orchestra and Music Director of the Waco Symphony Youth Orchestra in Worldwide engagements include Texas. renowned orchestras such as the Západočeský Symfonický (Czech Republic), Orchestra Filarmonicii Ploieşti (Romania), Orquesta Filarmónica de Medellín (Colombia), Orquestra Sinfônica de Ribeirão Preto and Orquestra Sinfônica Estado de São Paulo (Brazil), Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil 6 - UTRGV Symphony Orchestra

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ANDREW STAHLMAN Guest Conductor fourteen years and graduated from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville with a degree in Music Performance. Near the end of his undergraduate career, Andrew began to pursue an interest in orchestral conducting.

Andrew Stahlman was born in Virginia Beach, VA, and moved to Illinois at age eight. He has played trombone for

Andrew has worked with many students via private lessons, sectionals, and full ensembles. He has studied with Dr. Darwin Aquino over the past year during the pandemic and served as assistant conductor with the Gateway Festival Orchestra during the summer of 2021. Andrew Stahlman is currently working on his master’s degree in orchestral conducting at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley under the guidance of Dr. Norman Gamboa.

Spring Concert May 22, 2022

UTRGV Performing Arts Complex

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Symphony Orchestra DOUBLE BASS Diego Garza, Principal Claudia Arroyave-Mendoza Michael Farrick Alyssa Gonzalez Isai Martinez David Molina

VIOLIN

Eldaa Hernandez, Concertmaster

Priscilla Espinoza

Assistant concertmaster

Luis Gonzalez, Principal Jose Anthony Flores Ruben Garcia, Jr. Angela Gonzalez Marifer Guerrero Jazmin Gutierrez Alexandra Hernandez Astrid Herrera Angela Llanes Joel Sanchez Daniel Santiago Refugio Tristan Daniel Zayed

FLUTE & PICCOLO Carlos Hernandez3 Joshua Posler, piccolo Daniela Sierra1 OBOE Lorena Coronado3 Carlos Cantu*

TRUMPET Michael Barrera Benjamin Gonzalez Ryan Mowers3 TROMBONE Luis Viveros3 Imanol Ruiz Alexandro Soliz TUBA Azdruball Montemayor3 TIMPANI Jose Salinas1 Peter Nay3

CLARINET PERCUSSION Daniel Hernandez-Duhon3 Fernando Alday Hugo Lopez1 Ian Charlton VIOLA Jose Salinas Gamaliel Sanchez, Principal BASSOON Rebecca Sanchez Denise Alanis Christopher Jones*3 Hunter Garcia Art Gonzalez* ASSISTANT José Salinas* CONDUCTORS HORN Alexandro Lucero-Quintana CELLO Daniel Garza Manuel Monge-Mata Robert Zuñiga, Principal Andrew Stahlman Sebastian Garcia-Loredo David Gutierrez1,3 Bryan Rodriguez Sebastian Guerrero 1 Roberto Salas Raul Lara Denotes principal in Sibelius 3 Judith Recio Denotes principal in Tchaikovsky Zubin Solis *Denotes guest player

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Romantic Symphony Bruckner • Symphony No. 4 “Romantic” 2021-2022 UTRGV Solo Competition Winners April 23 & 24, 2022

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