WHITWORTH UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
ELEGY FOR A SPARROW
WHITWORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Philip Baldwin, director
Saturday, April 26, 2025 3 p.m.
St. Luke Lutheran Church
Piano Concerto #3 in C minor
PROGRAM
Ludwig van Beethoven
1. Allegro 1770-1827
Karissa Nakamura, piano
Elegy for a Sparrow
Nate Moody
1. Premonition b. 2004
2. Anthem
3. Waltz
4. Revelation
5. Lament
The Lark Ascending
Ralph Vaughan Williams 1872-1958
Gabrielle Ukrainetz, violin
— INTERMISSION —
Senior Recognition Ceremony
“Durch Zärtlichkeit” W. A. Mozart 1756-1791
Kathleen Vertner, soprano
Tuba Concerto
Edward Gregson
1. Allegro deciso b. 1945
Michael Perry, tuba
We ask that you refrain from using cameras or recording devices during the program. Please turn off any electronic beeping devices (watches, pagers, cellphones).
WHITWORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL
FLUTE
Rachelle Austin ’28 .
Kit Lane, guest artist
OBOE
Hope Noranbrock ’25
Psychology
Music
Spokane
Nine Mile Falls
Melody Hough ’28 Music Composition Spokane
CLARINET
James Fischer ’28 .
Tom Shook, guest artist
BASSOON
Music Education.
Spokane
Zoë Johnson ’27 Music Ed. & Performance Spokane
Ashley Connor, guest artist
FRENCH HORN
Isaac Crawford-Heim ’26 Health Science Spokane
Isaac Dorcy ’26
TRUMPET
Alexis Hochberg ’28
Music Composition Shelton
Music Education.
Liberty Lake
Anthony Cao ’25 Chemistry Spokane
TROMBONE
Connor Waller ’25.
Music Composition
Spokane
William Strauch ’27 Music Performance Spokane
TUBA
Julian Crandell ’27
PERCUSSION
Loren Lenhe ’27
Music Composition Deer Park
Biochemistry.
Damascus, Ore.
Luke Wagner ’25 Computer Science Clackamas, Ore.
Hannah Lind ’27
Front End Design
Liberty Lake
VIOLIN 1
Samarah Heggestad ’27 Music Spokane
Elizabeth Stubblefield ’26 .
. . Music Performance
. Spokane
Samarra Salcido ’26 Music Spokane
Jin Yue Trousil ’26 Applied Mathematics Juneau, AK
Jacob Luciano ’26
Politial Science/Theology
Spokane
William Farley ’28 Music Performance Spokane
Mu Mu Dun ’25
Josh Rivera ’26
VIOLIN 2
Biochemestry
Computer Science
Kennewick
Liberty Lake
Ava Lynn Goins ’28 Health Science Richland
Michaela Smith ’28 Music Spokane
Michaila Caine ’28
Music Performance
Enterprise, Ore.
Lori Petroski ’27 Biochemistry Spokane
Joslin Hagen ’28 Computer Science Spokane
Halley Walter ’27
VIOLA
Biology
Spokane
Sam Parker ’28 Engineering Spokane
Shellbe Nelson ’26 Marketing Spokane Valley
Bailie Jansons ’25
English and History
Richland
Jacob Ojennus ’25 Applied Mathematics Spokane
Carl Magno ’28 Health Science Renton
CELLO
Lance Coppo, ’28 .
Colin Fairborne, ’29
Dane Hendrickson, guest artist
Evgeny Grechko, guest artist
BASS
Nate Moody ’26 .
PIANO
International Relations
Olympia
Music Composition
Medical Lake
Alexis Asato ’25 Piano Pedaogy and Performance. Wailuku, Hawai’i
PROGRAM NOTES
Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto
Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer and pianist, was one of the most influential figures in the history of Western music. Born in Bonn, he showed prodigious musical talent early on, eventually studying in Vienna with renowned composers like Joseph Haydn and Antonio Salieri. Beethoven’s music was progressive for its time, pushing the boundaries of form, harmony, and emotional expression. Despite becoming progressively deaf in his late twenties, he composed some of his most famous and innovative works during the final decade of his life.
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37, composed between 1800 and 1803, marks a shift in the composer’s style. Moving away from the more classical traditions of Mozart and Haydn, Beethoven began to explore a more personal, dramatic style— one that would define much of his later work. The first movement of the concerto opens with a dramatic orchestral introduction, setting the tone for the rest of the movement. The minor key helps establish the emotional gravity and energy throughout the piece. An outstanding feature of this concerto is Beethoven’s own cadenza which provides the soloist an opportunity to showcase both technique and musicality. The cadenza repeats and embelishes the themes of the movement, but rather than being simply a moment of flashy showmanship, it functions as a natural extension of the piece. – Karissa Nakamura
Nate Moody, Elegy for a Sparrow
I have long been fascinated by the intersection between music and stories. This is, to say the absolute least, not a novel concept, as folk songs, tone poems, and ballads from all time periods and cultures of the worlds can attest. Rather, I have been exploring programmatic music focusing on both the depiction of a story, as well as complimenting the original work. This intersection between scores and tone poems I have very casually dubbed “Hypothetical Soundtracks”, or HSTs. This is one such example. Elegy for a Sparrow was composed with the intention of both depicting an original story of my own writing, while also presenting scoring inspired by many iconic works. I found many muses in pieces from both the late Romantic (such as Tchaikovsky’s ballets, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, Gustav Holst’s The Planets, and Stravinsky’s Firebird), as well as modern soundtrack composers such as Gareth Coker, John Williams, Bear McCreary, Hans Zimmer, Tsukasa Saitoh, and Yuka Kitamura. Elegy is comprised of 5 “mini-movements”, divisions meant to be recognizable by listeners and performers alike, but not meant to break pacing with each other or to be mentioned in any program. They are merely chapters in a story, not meant to be taken out of context.
• Movement 1: Premonition, is meant as a prelude, both introducing the main motif and foreshadowing the coming narrative tragedy, including a flute solo meant to evoke the eponymous (albeit allegorical) Sparrow.
• Movement 2: Anthem, is the energetic height of the work, with a victorious flourish meant to introduce the setting, with notable inspiration from Howard Shore’s compositional work.
• Movement 3: Waltz, is where the piece lightens up, maintaining the tempo of the Anthem, but recontextualized into an intimate dance in the Late Romantic stylings of Dvorak and Tchaikovsky.
• Movement 4: Revelation, is meant to throw the tone of the piece off-balance, transitioning from the familiar G major of the waltz to a pandiatonic F#. Here, the famous Dies Irae drones on in the piano, with the first theme of the Anthem reappearing in a far more sinister light, until the main theme is overpowered and driven away, all while the timpani depicts a failing heartbeat.
• Movement 5: Lament, reintroduces the main theme, failing to gain any traction while the bassoon attempts to reconcile with the recent events. However, the main theme soon returns over delicate strings, implying that maybe this tale is the prelude to something greater.
“...Reiwyin froze, a jolting halt grasping her very soul like some fell hand. Yet the truth was there, right in front of her, as clear as the November sun she knew to be rising outside the tower. The Eternal City, her city, had not been forged in peace and diplomacy. Her whole world, for that matter. Wars had been erased, genocides ignored, flames that had consumed everything forming the ash that the City of Arcus stood upon. It was the perfect lie, one absent of any to speak against it, the only remnant being the buried part of the Archives, a part that no one had ever seen. Until now.
“She clasped the silver ring around her neck with a gentle but wavering hand. She had nothing to gain in sharing the information, that the Goddess of her city was a tyrant greater than the ones she claimed to have struck down. Reiwyin would be hunted. She would be ostracized, at best. She took a deep breath and entered the command to transfer the files from the Archives to her personal drives. The world needed to know what it stood upon. Her husband with his fearful eyes, her daughter learning how to form syllables, they deserved to know. Reiwyin breathed deep. She had a job to do, and she was not going to stop now.
“An iron fortress of false faiths had been erected upon the very core of her world, but as the armies of bygone civilizations crashed against its walls, she was a sparrow nested in its walls, singing in the shadow of death.”– Nate Moody
Ralph Vaughan Williams, The Lark Ascending
He rises and begins to round He drops the silver chain of sound, Of many links without a break, In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake
For singing till his heaven fills, ‘Tis love of earth that he instills, And ever winging up and up, Our valley is his golden cup.
Our valley is his golden cup, And he the wine which overflows To lift us with him as he goes.
Till lost on his aerial rings In light, and then the fancy sings (George Meredith, 1828-1909)
The Lark Ascending is a romance originally written in 1914 for violin and piano by Ralph Vaughan Williams, an English composer with a passion for English folk songs. Based on a poem by George Meredith, The Lark Ascending is one of the few descriptive pieces by Vaughan Williams. The solo violin represents the lark who flies over the countryside, dancing circles as he goes. However, after a contemplative opening cadenza, the exact meaning of the melody becomes less obvious. Some have suggested that the restless and rhythmic middle section might be a country village that the lark looks upon as he goes by. The human affairs below are not as simple as the carefree creature above. Whatever the interpretation, it is clear that the pentatonic melody is drawn from English folksongs meant to bestow a sense of pastoral nostalgia.
The first four trill-like gestures are the basis of the work. Each iteration of this opening is slightly different, feeling as though the sequence could continue infinitely. The four notes grow and expand, gradually becoming the main melody. Various sections throughout the piece are written as sensa misura, meaning ‘without measure.’ Freedom from the bar line lend the piece its signature freedom and grace. In the final solo section, the orchestra disappears, leaving the soloist alone. The lark continues higher and higher until it fades into the distance.
Ralph Vaughan Williams nearly completed the piece before packing it away to enlist in World War I. After the war, he rewrote the solo part and orchestrated it. However, it beauty was out of place in the darkness of the post-war era. Even amid plenteous virtuosic violin solos that show off the players’ abilities and the composers’ skill, The Lark Ascending still stands out in all simplicity, beauty, and wonder. – Gabrielle Ukrainetz
Mozart, “Durch Zärtlichkeit”
This aria is sung by the character Blonde in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), an example of his early operatic style. This opera is composed for virtuosic soloists: two tenors, two sopranos, and a bass. In Act II, Blonde’s captor, Osmin, tries to exert romantic control over her and she responds defiantly. She is betrothed to another and aspires to remain faithful. Blonde expresses her desire for women to be treated with respect. Furthermore, brute force is not the way to win a woman’s heart, but she is won “through tenderness,” as the title of the piece suggests. The ornamentation in the piece expresses Blonde’s desire for loving tenderness while also rejecting the advances of Osmin. – Kathleen Vertner
Gregson, Tuba Concerto
The Tuba Concerto was originally written in 1976 for brass band. The orchestral version was made in 1978 but did not receive its first performance until 1983 when it was premiered by its dedicatee, John Fletcher, at the Scottish Proms in Edinburgh with the Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by Sir Alexander Gibson.
The concerto is in three movements, following the usual quick-slow-quick pattern: Allegro deciso, Lento e mesto, Allegro giocoso. The first is in a sonata form shell with two contrasting themes, the first rhythmic in character, the second lyrical. There is a reference made in the development section to the opening theme of Vaughan Williams’s tuba concerto, but only in passing. The second movement unfolds a long cantabile melody for the soloist, which contrasts to a ritornello idea which is announced three times by strings alone. The central climax of the movement triumphantly heralds the main theme from the full orchestra.
The last movement is in rondo form, alternating the main theme with two episodes. The first of these is a broad sweeping tune, the second is jazz-like in style with prominent solos for the clarinet and vibraphone in conjunction with the tuba. After a short cadenza, reference is made to the opening of the concerto, and the work ends with a triumphal flourish. – Edward Gregson
THE SOLOISTS
Karissa Nakamura is a first-year student at Whitworth University, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics while studying piano with Dr. Ivana Cojbasic. Originally from the Tri-Cities, Karissa started her piano journey at the age of five, with Holly Harty as her primary teacher. Over the years, she has performed in a variety of local competitions and recitals, most recently performing as a soloist with the Mid-Columbia Symphony at the close of her senior year. Throughout high school, Karissa also volunteered regularly as a pianist at church services and retirement homes. Now at Whitworth, she continues her musical exploration, studying violin with Dr. Philip Baldwin and playing in the Whitworth Orchestra.
was born and raised in Washington, and has long been involved with music, starting piano at age six and double bass at age 12. Nate has become recognized as an award-winning bassist in his time at Whitworth, as well as an inventive composer and a fervent writer, combining his love for the arts together into unique compositional works. Nate’s genre-blending pieces performed both regionally and internationally. Nate currently lives in Medical Lake, Washington, and realizes each new day that he really is a cat person.
Kathleen Vertner, student of Dr. Scott Miller, is a senior business administration major with a concentration in accounting and a music minor. Kathleen most recently appeared in WhitOpera’s Speed Dating Tonight! and Whitworth Theater Department’s Sound of Music as Louisa, as well as Ariel in The Little Mermaid at Century Theater Company. Kathleen served as vocal director
First Date: The Musical at Whitworth in Spring 2023. In 2021, Kathleen participated in Pacific Lutheran University’s Summer Opera Workshop where she was featured as a Priest and Guard in Die Zauberflöte by Mozart. In 2021, she placed first in the Ohio National Association of Teachers of Singing student auditions. Kathleen aspires to be a Certified Public Accountant and study forensic accounting. She intends to use her musical skills as a part-time vocation for teaching and performing.
Gabrielle Ukrainetz is a senior music education major at Whitworth University with a passion for teaching and sharing music with others. Her love of music did not immediately begin with violin lessons in third grade, but developed through the years from her time with the Central Valley High School orchestras and the incredible teachers who inspired her to persevere. Gabrielle is a proud member of the Whitworth Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra for the fourth year in a row and is honored to be playing with an incredible group of musicians and friends. In the fall, Gabrielle will continue sharing her love of orchestra with her middle school students during her student teaching semester.
is from Richland, Wash., and is a music education major at Whitworth University. His passion for music began at Chief Joseph Middle School where he first started playing the tuba. Michael continued to hone his skills through participation in various ensembles at Hanford High School. Currently, he plays in the Whitworth Wind Symphony and Jazz Orchestra, and studies tuba with Clayton Dungey. Looking to inspire the next generation of musicians, Michael aims to become a middle school band director, sharing his love for music and fostering a supportive and fun learning environment
ABOUT THE WHITWORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Whitworth Symphony Orchestra performs the standard orchestral repertoire as well as modern and commissioned works, including a recent premiere of Gwyneth Walker’s Let America Be America Again. The orchestra also performs with guest soloists and winners of its annual concerto competition and has enjoyed side-by-side concerts with the Coeur d’Alene Symphony. The orchestra has previously performed at the WMEA regional and All-Northwest conferences, and was the featured collegiate orchestra in 2022. The orchestra tours nationally and internationally as part of its outreach, recruiting and cultural exchange goals. Previous tours have included Italy, Hawaii, New York City, San Francisco and Salt Lake City. The orchestra is open to all qualified string musicians, regardless of major. The top wind and brass musicians of the Whitworth Wind Symphony are selected for membership in the Whitworth Orchestra. Our students benefit from outstanding opportunities including performance classes, chamber music, master classes (from such notable teachers and violinists as James Buswell and Charles Castleman), and clinics with principal players of the Spokane Symphony. The string quartet and the string chamber orchestra provide additional opportunities for the most ambitious players.
Philip Baldwin is director of string studies and professor of violin and viola at Whitworth University. His career has spanned the spectrum of string teaching and conducting. He earned a DMA at The Ohio State University, where he received the Distinguished Dissertation Award for his work on the violin sonatas of William Bolcom. His violin teachers include Rafael Druian, Raphael Hillyer, Yuri Mazurkevich, Andrew Jennings, Alan Bodman and Michael Davis. He received a fellowship to attend the Conductor’s Institute of South Carolina and worked with distinguished conducting teachers such as Paul Vermel, Kate Tamarkin and Donald Portnoy.
Baldwin is the concertmaster and associate conductor of the Coeur d’Alene Symphony and serves as the artistic director of the Spokane Youth Symphony. He is a former member and frequent substitute violinist with the Spokane Symphony and previously the principal viola of the LaCrosse Symphony, and section violinist with the Tacoma, Akron, Canton and Columbus symphonies. He has appeared as a recitalist and soloist and has recorded a CD of trios by Khachaturian, Ives and Bolcom with clarinetist Michael Dean and pianist Carol Stivers.
A dedicated artist-teacher, Baldwin’s students have won concerto competitions and earned scholarships to prestigious graduate schools and summer programs such as the Meadowmount School. Several of his former students have performed with the Spokane Symphony, and one is now a contract member. He has also trained many successful teachers who are now influencing the next generation of string players.
Baldwin has twice served as president of the Washington chapter of the American String Teachers Association and has chaired the group’s state solo competition and certificate-program examinations and is now the director of the Birch Bay String Teacher’s workshop. He has presented lectures at nine ASTA conventions and presented at the Texas Music Educators Association convention and the Arkansas Music Educators Association. He has given violin master classes in England and Ireland and throughout Washington, Oregon, Maryland and Utah.
MUSIC AT WHITWORTH UNIVERSITY
The Whitworth University Music Department, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, provides superb training in music as well as a thorough introduction to this essential element of the liberal arts. Whitworth music majors have gone on to prestigious graduate schools, fulfilling performance careers and successful teaching positions. Also, many non-music majors participate in the university’s renowned touring ensembles and enroll in private lessons through the music department. Whitworth University offers bachelor of arts degrees in music ministry, composition, instrumental performance, jazz performance, piano performance, piano pedagogy, string pedagogy, voice performance and music education. Music scholarships are available to both music majors and non-majors.
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CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2025
Garrett Daviscourt
Miriam Hamstra
Bailie Jansons
Gabrielle Ukrainetz
Mu Mu Dun
Hope Noranbrock
Conor Waller
Jacob Ojennus
Nevaeh Gariepy
