Symphony Orchestra

UTRGV Performing Arts Complex Friday, October 20 at 7:00 pm

UTRGV SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA First Program ~ 2023 • 2024 Concert Season

Frankenstein Frankenstein (1931) is arguably the most famous and significant horror film ever made. Its enormous success gave birth to a film genre, its style set the tone for future horror films, and it features the most iconic monster in cinema history. It was also the highestgrossing film of 1931. As if that wasn’t enough, the movie is visually beautiful and sublime, and holds up gloriously ninety years later. The American Film Institute voted it the 87th greatest American movie of all time and the 56th most thrilling. Rather than containing gruesome, violent realism of today’s horror films, Frankenstein is more a nightmarish fairytale. This scary story presents philosophical questions about life and death, humanity and science, and man playing God. The story originated in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus. Many people think “Frankenstein” is the name of the monster, but in reality it is the name of the scientist, the creature has no name and is referred to only as “The Monster.” In the last three centuries, Shelley's novel has been adapted numerous times for the stage and movies. In 1931 Universal Studios made this film as a follow-up to their tremendously successful Dracula, released earlier that year. Both films saved financially the ailing studio during the worst years of the Great Depression. These films struck a chord with audience’s anxieties about death, conformity, safety, and the unknown.

Though there were prior horror films, the resounding success of Frankenstein (on the heels of Dracula) began the horror film as a viable, profitable genre.

Establishing themselves as the top studio for horror films, Universal continued their monster movie trend 2 - UTRGV Symphony Orchestra

with The Mummy of 1932 and in 1933 with The Invisible Man. They produced sequels and spinoffs to all these films, later adding The Wolf Man and The Creature from the Black Lagoon to their roster of moneymaking mutants.

The wondrous look and moody, dark atmosphere in Frankenstein set the standard by which all subsequent horror films would be judged. Its stone walls, staircase, cavernous laboratory, and dilapidated windmill create an unnerving ambience. It’s important to remember that audiences at the time weren’t exposed to the infinite monster images we see today, and no one had any idea of what “The Monster” would actually look or act like. Seeing “The Monster” in 1931 was quite a frightening shock; his image and the film brought chills, screams, and nightmares to its first audiences, with some reports of people fleeing the theaters in terror. The face of “The Monster” is one of the most iconic faces in the world, becoming a widely recognizable part of today’s culture.

Frankenstein was so successful it spawned countless sequels, spinoffs, remakes, and spoofs in films, TV, radio, theater, songs, comics, and novels. It’s been turned into satire, comedies, dramas, and musicals, including the hilarious classic 1974 comedy Young Frankenstein, as well as The Bride of Frankenstein, which employed the same exact, original laboratory props used in the 1931 film. Frankenstein undoubtedly left an indelible mark in cinema and the world’s consciousness as a whole. The movie does not have an original soundtrack, tonight’s performance features the premiere of an all new film score by renowned Costa Rican composer Carlos Escalante-Macaya.

2023 - 2024 Concert Season

CARLOS ESCALATE-MACAYA Composer

Carlos EscalanteMacaya studied music at the University of Costa Rica School of Music with Luis Diego Herra, Benjamín Gutiérrez and Dr. Bernal Flores. In 1992 he won second place at the “Certamen Permanente Centroamericano 15 de Septiembre" with his Sonata for Violin and Piano. A few years later, the Costa Rican National Opera Company staged his first opera Nosotros Dos. Carlos continued his studies in Mexico with Italian composer Franco Donation and later in Spain with Spanish composer Adolfo Nunez. He has written numerous orchestral works as well as chamber

music, choral, and film, he has also composed music for the stage in collaboration with many prominent theater and dance companies of Costa Rica. He received the National Composers Association of Costa Rica “Best Incidental Music Composer Award” and “Best Soundtrack Award” at the Costa Rican National Film Festival in 2010. In 1997 his Sinfonía Centenario was selected to commemorate the 100th anniversary celebrations of the National Theater of Costa Rica. In 2000 he continued post-graduate studies at the South-African College of Music with Peter Klatzow, former student of renowned French composer Nadia Boulanger. During this time, Carlos wrote numerous pieces for local instrumental and vocal chamber ensembles and did a significant amount of musical research in neighboring African countries.

Dr. NORMAN GAMBOA Conductor

Norman Gamboa is the Director of Orchestral Activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, conductor and founder of the Rio Grande Youth Symphony, and Music Director of the Sonoma County Philharmonic in California. Considered one of the most prominent Central American conductors, he maintains an active schedule with distinguished orchestras throughout Central and South America, Eastern Europe and the United States. Dr. Gamboa has conducted numerous joint ventures including ballet and opera productions with Aurora Dance Arts, Santa Rosa Dance Theater, 3 - UTRGV Symphony Orchestra

Rio Grande Valley Ballet, Fiesta Colorado Dance Company, Topeka Opera Society, and Opera on Tap Colorado. He has also participated in music festivals in the Czech Republic, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Costa Rica and the United States. He led the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Europe, a project that gathered distinguished music students from numerous music conservatories all over Europe. Previously, Dr. Gamboa served as Music Director of the Powder River Symphony Orchestra in Wyoming, Director of Orchestral Studies at Washburn University, Cover Conductor of the Topeka Symphony, Associate Conductor of the Las Vegas Music Festival, Assistant Conductor of the Waco Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Waco Symphony Youth Orchestra in Texas.

2023 - 2024 Concert Season

Symphony Orchestra VIOLIN

Angela Llanes, Concertmaster Leah Loera, Assistant concertmaster

Marifer Guerrero, Principal Ruben Garcia, Jr., Assistant principal

Isaac Escalon Angela Gonzalez Lily Guerra Jazmin Gutierrez Alexandra Hernandez Astrid Herrera Vivianne Medina Rafael Ramirez* Joel Sanchez Daniel Santiago VIOLA José Salinas, Principal Melanie Cantu Katia Luna Jacob Martinez Cytlaly Coronado Harley Massey

CELLO Sebastian Garcia, Principal Jayda Garcia Jairo Garza Isaac Islas Clarissa Martinez Judith Recio Robert Zuñiga

DOUBLE BASS Sofia Leal de Leon, Principal Vianeth Bernardo-Pinon Alyssa Gonzalez Maximiliano Lopez Marisol Mejia FLUTE & PICCOLO Ramiro Raya, Principal Stephanie Hernandez Samantha Marquez

TRUMPET Victor Fortuna, Principal Ryan Mowers Isaiah Murillo TROMBONE Luis Viveros, Principal Alejandro Salinas Alexandro Soliz TUBA Itzhak Corona, Principal

OBOE & ENGLISH HORN Lorena Coronado, Principal TIMPANI Fernando Alday, Principal Carlos Cantu* CLARINET Karolina Leal, Principal Alejandro Moreno Hugo Lopez, bass clarinet

PERCUSSION Slaton Meador, Principal Paul Gutierrez Noemi Sosa

BASSOON Art Gonzalez*, Principal Norma Barrientos* Aracely Garcia, contrabassoon

KEYBOARD Edelir Garza, Principal

HORN David Gutierrez, Principal Brittany Cruz Samuel Garcia Daniel Garza Roberto Salas

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR Alexandro Lucero-Quintana*

*Denotes guest musician

The UTRGV Symphony and special guest Edinburg Dance Theater bringing to live the enchanting fable Peter & the Wolf. Also Stravinsky’s musical fairy tale of The Firebird.

UTRGV Performing Arts Complex, Edinburg NOVEMBER 18, 2023 at 7 pm 4 - UTRGV Symphony Orchestra

2021 - 2022 Concert Season