Woven Stories | Worthington Chamber Orchestra 2023-2024 SEASON | Fall

S RIE S TO VEN WO 202 3-2 S 024 EAS ON | FA LL

2023 - 2024 SEASON | worthingonchamberorchestra.com

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WELCOME FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR On behalf of the WCO Board and Staff, welcome to the second official season of the Worthington Chamber Orchestra! We are delighted and grateful that you have decided to spend your time with us today. Last season was a rousing success by all measures and we are building upon that success to provide even more performances this season. Love, respect, and community are the pervading themes that guide our music making process and relationship building with the music lovers of Worthington. The dedication and passion this community has shown to preserving and nurturing the WCO is astounding and we are working hard to deepen the bonds and reach of the orchestra. I encourage you to dream big about the future of the WCO and enjoy as many performances as you can throughout the year. Thank you for being a part of this exciting journey.

Board of Trustees

Michael Ball, President Darnell Perkins, Treasurer Frank Shepherd, Secretary Beth Ann Ball Ben Cooper Benedicta Enrile Jennifer Hambrick Bronwynn Hopton Lori Overmeyer Ellen Stukenberg Charlie Warner

Staff

Evan Lynch, Executive Director Antoine T. Clark, Music/Artistic Director Rachel Tweedy, Orchestra Manager Daniel Hange, Production Manager Megan Wetzel, Marketing Manager Tyler Norin, Conducting Apprentice

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Worthington Chamber Orchestra (WCO) is to support local artists while providing diverse and dynamic programming that entertains, inspires, and fosters music education. WCO cultivates relationships between artists and the Worthington community.

LETTER FROM THE MUSIC/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Greetings, Friends!

“It takes a village to raise an orchestra!” As we embark on our second season, the 11th in Worthington’s chamber orchestra’s history, I fondly recount that declaration by a conducting mentor. Truer words have never been spoken! A small group of community members who value art, music, and education came together to support the chamber orchestra during its transition from being a nine-season project of the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthington to becoming the WCO. Through tireless efforts, these individuals helped launch the chamber orchestra into a new era. Their enthusiasm for the work of the chamber orchestra, along with your support, has helped the chamber orchestra continue to produce inspirational programming. Our village is strong, and it is raising a worthwhile organization that is impacting so many lives.

This season is pivotal for the chamber orchestra as it further cultivates meaningful relationships between artists and the Worthington community.

Our programming illustrates my belief that an arts organization should reflect its community and work to bring its diverse elements together. WCO’s 2023-2024 season, Woven Stories, brings to life the rich tapestry of cultures that define our community. I sincerely hope the chamber orchestra and you, our village of supporters, become closer as the WCO highlights the diverse stories of groups and individuals in Worthington and Central Ohio.

I look forward to working with the WCO Board, staff, and musicians to deliver an expanded season featuring an inspiring Benedicta Enrile Masterworks Series, entertaining educational and family programming, beautiful chamber music, and exhilarating collaborations with local artists and organizations. I am grateful to you, our patrons, who have supported the chamber orchestra for a decade. I am excited to embark on an unforgettable musical journey with you!

Sincerely, Music and Artistic Director

2023-2024 SEASON

WOVEN STORIES Worthington Chamber Orchestra (WCO) is thrilled to announce the 2023-2024 season under the direction of its founding music and artistic director, Antoine T. Clark.

This season promises a captivating blend of masterworks from both renowned and underrepresented composers, three highly anticipated world premieres, expanded educational and family-friendly programming, a new chamber music series, and exhilarating collaborations.

The overarching theme of this season, Woven Stories, is a vibrant fusion of music with the artistry of local and nationally acclaimed fiber artists – a tribute to the diverse cultures of Worthington and Central Ohio. From Asian to African American to Balkan/ Eastern European influences, these cultural tapestries become the heart of this season, exemplifying WCO’s commitment to fostering an inclusive community within and around the chamber orchestra. The Benedicta Enrile Masterworks Series: Woven Stories comprises three inspiring concerts: Stories from the East, American Stories of Hope, and Stories from Worlds Old and New. In addition to the eagerly awaited premieres by distinguished composers Dr. Ching-chu Hu, Dr. Mark Lomax II, and Dr. Vera Stanojevic, audiences will hear classics such as Nikolai RimskyKorsakov’s Scheherazade, Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite, and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor. Local guest artists include violinist Alicia Hui, UCelli: The Columbus Cello Quartet, the New World Singers of the Columbus Children’s Choir under the artistic direction of Jeanne Wohlgamuth, and fiber artists Celeste Malvar-Stewart, Cynthia Lockhart, and Scott Hanratty.

Expanding its commitment to education and families, the WCO introduces additions to its Education and Family Series, WorthingTunes, and a collaboration with The Ohio State University Opera Theatre program. The Halloween-themed young people’s concert, Danse Macabre, returns to the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center (MAC) and Worthington elementary schools. Embracing a new partnership with the Worthington Libraries, WorthingTunes offers an engaging musical experience for preschoolers and early elementary-aged children. Among the highlights is a musical rendition of the beloved tale Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf, with music composed by Matthew Naughtin. WCO joins forces with The Ohio State University Opera Theatre program for a production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s timeless opera, Hansel and Gretel, taking the stage at the MAC. The new WCO Chamber Music Series is a trio of Thursday evening chamber music concerts in the Bronwynn Theatre at the MAC, designed to offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the mastery of three eminent chamber works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. The concerts include An Evening with Mozart: Gran Partita; An Evening with Beethoven: Septet in E-flat major, and An Evening with Schubert: Octet in F major. Mozart’s Gran Partita will receive an additional performance at St. Mary Catholic Church, nestled in the heart of German Village, as part of the St. Mary Concert Series.

Prepare to embark on an unforgettable musical journey with the Worthington Chamber Orchestra’s 2023-2024 season: Woven Stories, where melodies interweave with fiber art, bringing to life the rich tapestry of cultures that define our community.

2023 - 2024 SEASON | worthingonchamberorchestra.com

UPCOMING EVENTS Benedicta Enrile Masterworks Series: Woven Stories American Stories of Hope Sunday, February 4, 2024, 5 pm Worthington United Methodist Church

Stories from Worlds Old and New Sunday, May 5, 2024, 5 pm Worthington United Methodist Church

Chamber Music Series An Evening with Beethoven: Septet in E-flat major, op. 20 Thursday, February 22, 2024, 7 pm McConnell Arts Center

An Evening with Schubert: Octet in F major, D. 803 Thursday, April 18, 2024, 7 pm McConnell Arts Center

Education and Family Series Young People’s Concerts: Danse Macabre Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 10 am & 1 pm McConnell Arts Center

WorthingTunes: Ferdinand the Bull Saturday, November 18, 2023, 10 am Old Worthington Library

WCO/The Ohio State University Opera Theatre Friday, March 15, 2024, 7:30 pm & Saturday, March 16, 2024, 2 pm& 7:30 pm McConnell Arts Center

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WCO MUSIC AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Compelling interpretations, inventive performances, and an energetic stage presence are the hallmarks of American conductor Antoine T. Clark.

The founding Artistic and Music Director of the Worthington Chamber Orchestra in Ohio (formerly McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra, established in 2013), Mr. Clark served as Assistant Conductor of West Virginia’s Wheeling Symphony Orchestra from fall 2021 to spring 2023. He has been appointed as Associate Conductor for the 2023-2024 season.

A passionate advocate of arts education, in 2022, he served as Cincinnati Symphony’s MAC Music Innovator. The program, which highlights leading African American classical musicians who embody artistry, innovation, and commitment to education and community engagement, saw Clark leading chamber music and orchestral performances in schools and throughout the community during his residency.

This past summer, Clark guest conducted Kamratōn Ensemble in performances in Pittsburgh and Brooklyn and with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Fall 2023 highlights include engagements with the South Carolina Philharmonic, a two-city New York tour with Gateways Music Festival, Walla Walla Symphony, and leading Lima Symphony’s (Ohio) New Year’s Eve concert.

2022-2023 season highlights included a collaboration with Hixon Dance in a performance of Peter and the Wolf with the Worthington Chamber Orchestra and guest engagements with Dayton Philharmonic, Wheeling Symphony

“Clark, who led from the podium with balletic poise.”

- Chicago Tribune

Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic, Symphony Tacoma, Elgin Symphony, Orchestra, and New Jersey Symphony.

Recent season engagements include Lancaster Festival Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Columbus. He also served as a panelist with Harold Brown, Chief Diversity Officer of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, at the 2022 International Conductors Guild Conference’s panel discussion on diversity on the podium.

Guest engagements include Chicago Sinfonietta, the Chamber Orchestra of New York, the Colour of Music Festival Chamber Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, and the Gateways Music Festival. For his work with Chicago Sinfonietta leading the premiere of Joel Thompson’s “breathe/burn: an elegy” for cello and orchestra, the Chicago Tribune praised “Clark, who led from the podium with balletic poise.” With McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra, he led a collaboration with musicians from the Columbus Jazz Orchestra in a concert tribute to John Coltrane. A staunch supporter of DEI, Mr. Clark also participated in Chicago Sinfonietta’s 15th Annual Diversity Reception and the 2021 Youth Orchestras Online DEI panel, a collaboration between Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestras.

With a focus on building strong relationships in communities, Mr. Clark creates bold programs that often include innovative collaborations with artists from various artistic disciplines. A passionate supporter of new music, Mr. Clark regularly commissions works for the symphonic and chamber music canon.

Among the composers he has worked with are Mark Lomax II, Jacob Reed, Matthew Saunders, Michael Rene Torres,

Christopher Weait, Tony Zilincik, Chingchu Hu, and Vera Stanojevic.

Committed to inspiring and nurturing the next generation of musicians, Mr. Clark has taught students ranging from young beginners to college music majors. He has served as the assistant conductor at the Gateways Music Festival in association with the Eastman School of Music since 2017.

Prior posts include serving as assistant conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta, music director of the Ohio Wesleyan University Chamber Orchestra, music director of the Ohio Northern University Symphony, music director of the Ohio Northern University Wind Orchestra, music director of the Wayne State College Orchestra, and assistant conductor of The Ohio State University Orchestra.

Antoine T. Clark holds a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in clarinet performance from The Ohio State University, a Master of Music degree in clarinet performance from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. A winner in the 2017 International Conductor’s Workshop and Competition, he has participated in the Cabrillo Contemporary Festival of Music, the Monteux School and Music Festival, the International Conductors Guild Conference conducting masterclass, the New York Conducting Workshop, the Smoky Mountain International Conducting Institute, and as a Project Inclusion Conducting Freeman Fellow with the Chicago Sinfonietta.

Among his mentors are conductors MeiAnn Chen, Michael Morgan, Markand Thakar, the late Michael Jinbo, and Marshall Haddock.

2023 - 2024 SEASON | worthingonchamberorchestra.com

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ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL First Violin

Devin Copfer, concertmaster

Benedicta Enrile Chair

Liz Fisher Nora Dukart Nia Dewberry Gabriela Miller Joyce Green Ashley Dyer

Second Violin

Ella Pittsford, principal ancy Elkington and N Ted Dziemianowicz Chair

Sheila Santa Anne Zavaglia Laura Gauntner Koh Emily Chen

Viola

Deborah Barret Price, principal

ancy Elkington and N Ted Dziemianowicz Chair

Meagan Cramm Vince Huzicka Norman Cardwell Murri Rachel Tweedy

Cello

Double Bass

Aidan Terry, principal Mick and Beth Ann Ball Chair

Merideth Eshelman Jeff Weeks

Flute

Erin Helgeson Torres, principal Julie Dawson Chair

Katie Kuvin

Julie Dawson Chair

Luke Shultz

Piccolo

Katie Kuvin Luke Shultz

Oboe

Brad Walsh, principal

Robert Owen Vegeler Chair

Dale Nawroci, principal Sarah Grosse

Trombone

Tony Weikel, principal Doug Moran Zachary Zerkle

Percussion

Ben Shaheen, principal Daniel Bruce Yaffe Chair

Sam Sherer

Linda Royalty Chair

Clarinet

Harp

Nancy Gamso, principal harlie and Betsy Warner C Chair

Amadeus Twu

Bassoon

Jay Holloway

Trumpet

Michael Rueda

English Horn

Robert Pfeifer

Michelle Geissbuhler Chair

The Pauline Family Chair

William Holderby Jennifer Moncrief

Cameron Leach Chris Lizak Scott Wedell James Lindroth

Michael Reuda

Jane van Voorhis, principal Dan Comiskey

Ellen Stukenberg Chair

French Horn Mitchell McCrady, principal Kaylyn Mallory

avid and Bronwynn D Hopton Chair

Shayla Werner, principal

Piano

Suzanne Newcomb, principal

William Louis Yaffe Chair

Scott Hanratty, principal Frank and Connie Shepherd Chair

Emily Klepinger A huge thank you to our Chair Sponsors who have made this season possible. If you are interested in sponsoring a chair, please contact us at worthingtonchamberorchestra@gmail.com.

2023 - 2024 SEASON | worthingonchamberorchestra.com

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2023-2024 BENEDICTA ENRILE MASTERWORKS SERIES: WOVEN STORIES

STORIES FROM THE EAST

Sunday, November 12, 2023, 5 pm Worthington United Methodist Church Antoine T. Clark, conductor Alicia Hui, violin Ching-chu Hu, composer Celeste Malvar-Stewart, fiber artist

PROGRAM TRIP / TIC (2023) (world premiere) – Ching-chu Hu

The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto (1959) – Chén Gāng (1935–), Hé Zhànháo (1933–) I. Adagio cantabile II. Allegro III. Adagio assai doloroso IV. Pesante–Piu mosso–Duramente V. Lagrimoso VI. Presto resoluto VII. Adagio cantabile Alicia Hui, violin

INTERMISSION Scheherazade, op. 35 (1888)

– Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship II. The Tale of Prince Kalendar III. The Young Prince and the Princess IV. The Festival at Bagdad; The Sea; The Ship Goes to Pieces on a Rock

PROGRAM NOTES Stories from the East is the first program in a three-part masterwork series that connects audiences to different cultures through symphonic music and fiber art.

The stories featured on this program are from Middle Eastern and Far Eastern cultures. The Arabian Nights and Butterfly Lovers, a Tang Dynasty Chinese folk tale similar to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, are brought to life through the music of Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Chinese composers Chén Gāng and Hé Zhànháo. These tales have transcended time and space and inspired these composers to weave music styles from Eastern and Western cultures.

Dr. Ching-chu Hu, Professor of Music at Denison University, is the featured guest composer, and violinist Alicia Hui is the guest soloist performing The Butterfly Lover’s Concerto. Fiber Artist Celeste Malvar-Stewart has designed a textile inspired by the program’s music and theme.

TRIP / TIC Who are we? Our identity consists of not only our experiences but also the history of our parents and their parents. The events of their lives shaped their view, and as they raise their children, their history gets woven into life’s lessons handed down from generation to generation. My story spans three countries and dual cultures that have impacted my life before I even existed. World War II impacted my grandparents’ lives, transported them to a new country, which affected my parents’ childhood. My parents’ desire to explore and grow brought them to the United States. And now I was raised in Iowa City, Iowa, in an abundance of cultural history and new discoveries. Among one of my earliest memories is a Chinese folk song, Kangding Love Song.

TRIP / TIC is about journeys and influences. What does it mean to be Asian American?

Is there a dominant culture? Is Chinese-inspired music or “Copland-esque” music more “authentic” when talking about my identity? Or am I immersed in both, so that a new synthesis occurs? Thank you to the Worthington Chamber Orchestra, Antoine Clark, and the Johnstone Fund for New Music for bringing TRIP / TIC to life.

- Ching-chu Hu The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto This touching violin concerto was written by Chinese composers Chén Gāng and Hé Zhànháo in 1959 while they were students at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

The piece is based on the traditional Chinese story of The Butterfly Lovers, a legend that can be traced back to the rich artistic climate of the Tang Dynasty, a golden age of Chinese art and culture that lasted from the seventh to the tenth centuries. In the tale, the father of the beautiful Zhu Yingtai lets her attend school on the condition that she disguise herself as a boy. She becomes friends with her fellow student Liang Shanbo, but must leave him when her father makes her return home. Liang visits Zhu’s home a few months later and is astonished to discover that his best friend is actually a woman.

They fall in love, but Zhu is already engaged and Liang dies from a broken heart. On the day of her wedding, Zhu stops on the way to the marriage ceremony and prays at Liang’s grave, causing it to open. She throws herself in to join her beloved and their spirits emerge as a pair of delicate butterflies. The enchanting music blends Chinese and Western techniques to create a unique sound ideal for evocative storytelling.

Though based in Western tonal harmony, many of the melodies are derived from traditional Chinese opera and folk songs and use the five-note pentatonic scale, giving a magical sweeping effect ideal for a centuries-old love story. The character of Zhu Yingtai is represented by the solo violin, and the concerto spins her tragic tale with her lover Liang Shanbo depicted in the cello.

2023 - 2024 SEASON | worthingonchamberorchestra.com

Scheherazade, op. 35 When his dear friend Alexander Borodin died in 1887, Rimsky-Korsakov committed himself to complete Borodin’s unfinished opera Prince Igor, which was set in an exotic world of Polovetsian warlords, invading Turkish armies, and seductive harem girls.

Being immersed in these musical fantasy realms inspired Rimsky-Korsakov to write a piece with similar themes, and he chose the popular tales of the Arabian Nights as his subject, composing his colorful orchestral suite Scheherazade in 1888. In the story, the Sultan vows to kill each of his wives after their wedding night, but the clever Scheherazade distracts the Sultan with stories that reach an exciting climax just before dawn, forcing the Sultan to postpone her execution to hear the conclusion of the tale.

After 1,001 nights, he retracts his bloody vow and keeps Scheherazade as his wife.

The orchestra’s first notes are a menacing theme thought to represent the Sultan.

This imposing music is balanced by the solo violin, whose winding triplet figures depict Scheherazade as she skillfully weaves her tales. The two melodies appear throughout the four movements, reminding the listener of the main setting while allowing for flights of imagination into the stories themselves. The rolling arpeggios in the strings act as ocean waves in The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship and fanfares in the brass herald the noble Prince’s heroic deeds in The Tale of the Kalander Prince. Graceful, dance-like rhythms tell the love story of The Young Prince and the Young Princess, and finally, we encounter a lively festival in Bagdad followed by a stormy shipwreck. RimskyKorsakov’s rich orchestration and vibrant melodies bring these characters and stories to life in a miraculous way, making the task of using our imagination one of simple, limitless pleasure.

PROGRAM NOTES AUTHOR | HEIKE HOFFER Heike Hoffer completed a Master’s degree in Oboe Performance at the University of Minnesota in 2002 and then accepted a full-time position in the Music Department at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where she taught music history and oboe for five years. She resumed her graduate studies in 2009, receiving a Master’s degree in Musicology from the University of Arizona and then entering The Ohio State University to pursue a Ph.D. in Musicology. After moving to Japan in 2015 to conduct dissertation research, she completed her Ph.D. at OSU in 2022 with a thesis on the use of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” melody as part of anime’s musical score and possible interpretations of this music by Japanese viewers. Her research interests focus primarily on the relationship between Western classical music and anime in terms of the cultural landscape of modern Japan, and she has published articles on the subject in both major international presses and prominent academic journals. Today, Heike lives in Tokyo with her husband, where they watch all of the latest anime and work together on various academic projects.

GUEST SOLOIST | ALICIA HUI Alicia Hui, Principal Second Violin of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, began her musical studies at age four and made her orchestral debut at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, Maryland, at age nine. Since then, she has soloed with numerous orchestras, including the Arlington Symphony, Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony, Firelands Symphony Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, Zurich Symphony Orchestra, Latvian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, and Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

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As an eleven-year-old, Mrs. Hui was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied with Victor Danchenko and received her Bachelor’s Degree at sixteen. She received her Master’s Degree, Artist Diploma, and Professional Studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of David Cerone, Paul Kantor, and William Preucil. In addition to her current position, Mrs. Hui is a member of the Columbus Ohio Discovery Ensemble and a regular performer and Development Director of the Vivo Music Festival. She has also served as guest concertmaster with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Concertmaster of the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the Firelands Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Second Violin of the Canton Symphony Orchestra.

Mrs. Hui soloed with the Worthington Chamber Orchestra (formerly McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra) in November 2021.

COMPOSER | CHING-CHU HU Ching-chu Hu is an award-winning composer whose music has been performed internationally, with reviews describing his music as “breathtaking”(allmusic), “richly textured” (Charleston Post and Currier), and “incredible” (The Columbus Dispatch). The Strad Magazine writes of his “tender luminous harmonies,” and the American Record Guide describes his music as “meditative and solemn...the best work [on the CD Violinguistics].”

Honors include being named the Aaron Copland Fellow at the MacDowell Colony for the Arts, composer-in-residence at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, guest composer at the American Music Week Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria, and winner of various competitions, including the 2018 American Prize for Chamber Music, the 2nd Annual Secret Opera competition, ERM Media’s “Masterworks of the New Era” CD series, an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award and an American Prize for Chamber Music. His Violin Concerto No. 3: Water Spirit received the citation “Exceptional Concerto” from the American Prize.

Commissions include works for the season-long 75th Anniversary Celebration of Chamber Music Columbus for the American Brass Quintet, the Cavani, Calisto, and Calidore String Quartets, the Merz Trio, and others. He has received performances at international festivals and venues, including the Alternativa Festival (Center “DOM”) in Moscow, London’s Wigmore Hall, Chicago Symphony Center’s Orchestra Hall, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, Millay, Banff, Ragdale, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Brush Creek artist colonies.

Recent projects include performances of a live soundtrack to Charlie Chaplin’s 1925 version of The Gold Rush for symphony orchestra and a soundtrack to Loose Film’s award-winning Among Other Things.

Ching-chu Hu is the founder of the TUTTI Festival, a weeklong celebration of new art at Denison University, where he is Director of the Vail Series and the John and Christine Warner Professor of Music. For more information, please visit www.chingchuhu.com.

FIBER ARTIST | CELESTE MALVAR-STEWART Celeste Malvar-Stewart is a Filipino American fashion and fiber artist who focuses on sustainable design, emphasizing the importance of slow fashion and art within one of the most harmful industries. In the spirit of sustainability, she works with Ohio family farms to obtain luxury wool and alpaca fiber to create her hand-felted/spun/woven textiles and ethereal couture fashion using all-natural materials. More recently, Celeste has worked with local farmers to redirect waste materials used in agriculture toward creating her woven art pieces.

She has exhibited her work in various museums and galleries and is published worldwide.

2023 - 2024 SEASON | worthingonchamberorchestra.com

Celeste is a full-time independent artist and adjunct faculty at the Columbus College of Art and Design, where she also serves as a DEI commission member and mentors several students and alums. She is an international speaker on sustainable design with an emphasis on textiles and fashion, a Columbus Makes Art artist, and serves on the board of the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES

AN EVENING WITH MOZART: GRAN PARTITA, K. 361 McCONNELL ARTS CENTER

Thursday, September 21, 2023, 7 pm

ST. MARY CONCERT SERIES

Saturday, September 23, 2024, 7 pm Antoine T. Clark, conductor

PROGRAM

Serenade No. 10 in B-flat major, K. 361 (“Gran Partita”) (1784) – Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756-1791) I. Largo–Allegro Molto II. Menuetto III. Adagio IV. Menuetto: Allegretto V. Romanze: Adagio–Allegretto–Adagio VI. Theme with Variations VII. Rondo: Allegro molto

PROGRAM NOTES

In 1781, Mozart officially quit his job working for the Archbishop of Salzburg and set off to glittering Vienna to forge his path as a freelance musician. When he arrived, he immediately set about composing pieces that would, hopefully, help him establish himself as a composer and performer and allow him to start earning a living. Mozart was aware of the tradition of Harmoniemusik enjoyed in other aristocratic courts, in which multi-movement pieces in a mix of popular styles were performed by small groups of wind players. He knew that the Austrian Emperor Joseph II was interested in introducing this practice to the Viennese court, so Mozart began producing wind pieces in the hopes of attracting the Emperor’s favor.

Harmoniemusik was one of many entertainment genres of the Classical era that included divertimentos, nocturnes, and serenades. These pieces were designed to be performed as light music for dinner parties or social events and were never meant to be long-lived, yet Mozart’s versions have had lasting appeal due to their high-quality construction. He went beyond the boundaries of the genre in the Serenade No. 10 in E-flat, K. 361 (commonly known by its nickname “Gran Partita”), transforming the frivolous serenade form into a masterwork of complexity. The Gran Partita is serious and carefully wrought, with seven movements lasting for nearly fifty minutes scored for an expanded group of thirteen musicians (twelve wind players in pairs and a double bass). The ensemble includes basset horns, the lower cousin of the clarinet, which add to the richness of the diverse tone colors and texture groupings.

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In March of 1784, the brilliant clarinetist Anton Stadler gave a concert at Vienna’s Burgtheater that included four movements from “a grand work for wind-band of a quite special character, composed by Herr Mozart.” Audiences were impressed with both the music and the performers, with one listener commenting: “At each instrument sat a master—Oh, what an effect it made—glorious and grand, excellent and sublime.”

Stadler’s was the first documented performance of the Gran Partita, which led scholars to assume that the piece was written specifically for that concert. However, careful analysis of the manuscript paper that Mozart used for the original score showed that the piece was actually composed three years earlier, in 1781. Mozart only used that particular type of paper in 1781 and not any other time, leaving little doubt about the Gran Partita’s composition date.

The wide variety of musical forms, styles, and textures found in the Gran Partita have made it a particularly beloved piece among Mozart’s many works. Courtly music mixes seamlessly with lush operatic moments, rural dance tunes, and passages seemingly lifted right out of the symphony, making for a delightful cascade of colorful musical gems. The first movement opens with a serious slow introduction leading to the main body of the movement in a lively sonata form. The second and fourth movements are both stately minuets with contrasting double trio sections. Between the minuets is the third movement, a tender song supported by gently pulsing parts in the low winds. This is the most famous movement of the Gran Partita, notable for accompanying the scene where an astonished Salieri first hears Mozart’s music in the 1984 film Amadeus. The fifth movement is a slow-paced Romance with a touch of operatic flair and the theme of the sixth movement is heard in the clarinet before launching into six distinctive variations. Finally, the seventh movement is a lightning fast rondo that keeps every musician on their toes with speedy passagework that rushes into the vigorous final chords.

- Heike Hoffer

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL Oboe

Brad Walsh, principal Kelli Lawrence

Bassoon Scott Hanratty, principal Emily Klepinger

Clarinet

Horn

Nancy Gamso, principal Gabrielle Valladares

Basset horn

Cody Grabbe, principal Evan Lynch

Mitchell McCrady, principal Tiffany Damicone Billy Holderby Jennifer Moncrief

Double Bass Aidan Terry

2023 - 2024 SEASON | worthingonchamberorchestra.com

EDUCATION AND FAMILY SERIES

YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONCERTS: DANSE MACABRE McCONNELL ARTS CENTER

Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 10 am & 1 pm Antoine T. Clark, conductor

PROGRAM

“Skeletons” from Carnival of the Animals (1886-87) – Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) Danse Macabre (1874) – Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1821)

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Halloween-themed young people’s concert, Danse Macabre, returns to the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center (MAC). This popular program designed for Worthington Elementary School students features the music of Camille Saint-Saëns. Through interactive sessions, students will enjoy a day of exploring art and music at the MAC.

WORTHINGTUNES: FERDINAND THE BULL OLD WORTHINGTON LIBRARY

Saturday, November 18, 2023, 10 am Antoine T. Clark, conductor Karah Power, narrator

PROGRAM

“Les Toréadors” from Carmen Suite No. 1 (1873-74)

– Georges Bizet (1838-1875) Ferdinand (1996) – Matthew Naughtin (b. 1947)

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Embracing a new partnership with the Worthington Libraries, WorthingTunes offers an engaging musical experience for preschoolers and early elementary-aged children.

Among the highlights is a musical rendition of the beloved tale Munro Leaf’s Ferdinand the Bull, with music composed by Matthew Naughtin.

NARRATOR | KARAH POWER

Karah Power is a lead librarian and started working for Worthington Libraries earlier this year. She loves reading all kinds of books, but funny stories - like Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe - are her favorite!

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2023 - 2024 SEASON DONORS* CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE

($40,000 and up) Anonymous

IMPRESSARIO

($10,000 and up) Benedicta Enrile Johnstone Fund for New Music Ohio Arts Council

MAESTRO

($5,000-$9,999)

SYMPHONY

($2,500-$4,999) The Columbus Foundation Larry and Arlene Dunn Julie Dawson Lincoln Financial Foundation Darnell and Carmen Perkins Charlie and Betsy Warner City of Worthington

CONCERTO

($1,000-$2,499) Mick and Beth Ann Ball Cleverley + Associates Michelle Geissbuhler Nancy Elkington and Ted Dziemianowicz Bronwynn Hopton Park National Bank Joyce and William Roberts Linda Royalty Frank and Connie Shepherd Ellen Stukenburg Worthington Libraries

SUITE

($500-$999) Antoine Clark and Caleb Hutslar Jiechun Liu

OVERTURE

($250-$499) Nadine Block Miriam Uttman

PRELUDE

($50-$249) Jennifer Best Carolyn Carter John DeLucia Rachael Dorothy Jane Karras Bev and Ed Manzione Mitchell and Laura McCrady Robert and Ann Oakley Paul Watkins

*Names listed are those who have made contributions between March 30th 2023 to September 14th 2023

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

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