MARCH 2017 I ISSUE 5 Photographer: Richard Termine THE SECOND CITY GUIDE TO THE SYMPHONY MENDELSSOHN’S ELIJAH MOZART & SERENADES wso.ca I 204-949-3999 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR In March, we live with the pleasure of anticipating musical favourites from two seasons of programs. It is somewhat delightful to start thinking about the wonderful concerts coming up in the 2017-2018 season and selecting just the right mix of Classics concerts, Air Canada Pops concerts and Specials, while at the same time savouring every moment of the concerts remaining in the 2016-2017 season. This is indeed a special time of year. Spend time with the season brochure and visit the web site, wso.ca, for more information on the concerts next year. Be certain to book your subscriptions by April 9th so that your name can be entered into the draw for Air Canada tickets to any North American location served by Air Canada. As you know, the coming season is our 70th Anniversary Season. There are many concerts that pay homage to the WSO’s wonderful history while also pointing toward new opportunities and, as we think about the coming year, we want to encourage subscribers to share personal stories of their connections with the WSO.Tell us about the ways the WSO has had an impact on your life. Stories can be funny, serious, or thought provoking. Send you contributions to this project to [email protected] so that we can use these glimpses into WSO history throughout the year. Photos would also be appreciated. Tell us about your favourite concerts, the funniest moments, your WSO traditions; all of this is part of the legacy of a seventy-year-old organization at work in its community. The concerts featured this month are among the finest we offer this season. Hear the celebrated Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt, don’t miss the opportunity to poke a little fun at symphonic traditions with Second City’s Guide to the Orchestra, immerse yourself in the glorious texts and melodies from Mendelsohn’s Elijah, and take in a children’s concert featuring the always entertaining Mr. Mark.This March, we also begin our Thursday Night Classics series at the Club Regent Event Centre. Experience the most popular symphonic classics in an intimate and lovely setting. There is no shortage of wonderful choices to immerse yourself in wonderful musical adventures. Enjoy the music, the gradual lengthening of the days and the promise of spring. Trudy Schroeder Executive Director Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra March 2017 I OVERTURE 1 WSO SPONSORS, FUNDERS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The WSO proudly acknowledges the ongoing support of the following sponsors, media and funders: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PARTNER EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN MEMORY OF PETER D. CURRY POPS KIDS CONCERTS CLASSICS A SERIES SERIES SERIES WSO IN BRANDON INDIVIDUAL CONCERTS MARTY & MICHELLE ARNOLD & MYRA WEINBERG AND FAMILY FRIEMAN CARMYN ALESHKA & GREG FETTES Credenza MANITOBA HYDRO SOUNDCHECK POPS PRESENTING OFFICIAL RADIO STATION HOLIDAY TOUR PROGRAM MEDIA PARTNER OF THE WSO CLASSICS PIANO RAFFLE CAR RAFFLE CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY Women’s Committee of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra FUNDERS March 2017 I OVERTURE 3 CONDUCTORS AND COMPOSERS Alexander Mickelthwate, Music Director German conductor Alexander Mickelthwate is renowned for his “splendid, richly idiomatic readings” (LA Weekly),“fearless” approach and “first-rate technique” (Los Angeles Times). Critics have noted Alexander’s extraordinary command over the Austro-Germanic repertoire, commenting on the “passion, profundity, emotional intensity, subtlety and degree of perfection achieved” in Bruckner’s Symphony Photographer: Grajewski Fotograph Inc. No. 7 as “miraculous” (Anton Kuerti, 2011). Following on from his tenure as Assistant Conductor with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which he completed in 2004, Alexander Mickelthwate was Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for three years, under the direction of Essa-Pekka Salonen. Now in his tenth season as Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Alexander has significantly developed the orchestra’s profile through active community engagement and innovative programming initiatives like the annual Winnipeg New Music Festival and the Indigenous Music Festival. Chosen to perform at the Carnegie Hall Spring For Music Festival in New York, May 2014, due to “creative and innovative programming” (CBC Manitoba Scene), the orchestra was the only Canadian ensemble in the showcase. Julian Pellicano, Resident Conductor Julian Pellicano’s boundless musical appetite makes him a formidable interpreter of the symphonic repertoire as well as a versatile conductor in a wide range of genres. He is currently the Resident Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Artist in Residence at the Norfolk Chamber Music festival, and Music Director of the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra. From 2009 to 2013, he served as Music Director of the Photographer: Nardella Photography Inc. Longy School of Music Conservatory Orchestra where he established a rigorous and distinctive new orchestral program. Pellicano has conducted the Orquestra Sinfonica de Porto Alegre (Brazil), Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Connecticut Symphony, New Britain Symphony,The Kallisti Ensemble, Boston’s Dinosaur Annex Ensemble and Milwaukee's Present Music. He has worked in masterclasses with Kurt Masur, Peter Eötvös, Zsolt Nagy, Martyn Brabbins, and Carl St. Clair. An autodidact, he was accepted to the Peabody Conservatory as a percussionist without typical classical training. He also holds degrees from the Royal College of Music (Stockholm), and the Yale School of Music where he was awarded the 2008 Presser Music Award and the Philip F.Nelson Award. Harry Stafylakis, Composer-in-Residence Harry Stafylakis (b. 1982, Montreal) is a Canadian–American composer based in NYC. He is the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's Composer-In-Residence and Festival Director of the WSO's Winnipeg New Music Festival. His works have been performed by the American Composers Orchestra, the Toronto,Winnipeg, Spokane, Stamford,Victoria, and PEI symphonies, McGill Chamber Orchestra, Mivos Quartet, Quatuor Bozzini, and Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, among others. Awards include the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the ASCAP Foundation’s Leonard Bernstein Award, four SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers, and grants from the Canada Council and NYSCA. Stafylakis holds degrees from McGill University and The Graduate Center, CUNY,and lectures at the City College of New York. His doctoral research, supported by SSHRC, examines rhythm and meter in progressive metal. www.hstafylakis.com 4 OVERTURE I March 2017 WINNIPEG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2016-2017 SEASON MUSIC DIRECTOR CELLOS TRUMPETS Alexander Mickelthwate Yuri Hooker, Principal Isaac Pulford, Acting Principal Leana Rutt, Assistant Principal Paul Jeffrey RESIDENT CONDUCTOR Alex Adaman Brian Sykora Julian Pellicano Arlene Dahl TROMBONES COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE Carolyn Nagelberg Steven Dyer, Principal Harry Stafylakis Emma Quackenbush Keith Dyrda Sean Taubner FIRST VIOLINS BASS TROMBONE Gwen Hoebig, Concertmaster BASSES Julia McIntyre, Principal The Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt- Meredith Johnson, Principal Gramatté Memorial Chair, endowed Andrew Goodlett, Assistant Principal TUBA by the Eckhardt-Gramatté Foundation Travis Harrison Chris Lee, Principal Karl Stobbe, Associate Concertmaster Paul Nagelberg Mary Lawton, Assistant Concertmaster TIMPANI Bruce Okrainec Chris Anstey Mike Kemp, Principal Mona Coarda Daniel Perry Rodica Jeffrey PERCUSSION Hong Tian Jia FLUTES Frederick Liessens, Principal Meredith McCallum Jan Kocman, Principal Jane Pulford Martha Durkin HARP Sonia Shklarov Richard Turner, Principal Julie Savard PICCOLO Endowed by W.H. & S.E. Loewen Jun Shao Martha Durkin ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL SECOND VIOLINS OBOES **Jeremy Buzash, Principal MANAGER Beverly Wang, Principal Chris Lee *Darryl Strain, Principal Robin MacMillan Elation Pauls, Assistant Principal PRINCIPAL LIBRARIAN Karen Bauch ENGLISH HORN Raymond Chrunyk Kristina Bauch Robin MacMillan, Principal **Teodora Dimova ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN *Elizabeth Dyer Laura MacDougall Bokyung Hwang CLARINETS Susan McCallum Micah Heilbrunn, Principal Takayo Noguchi Michelle Goddard *On Leave Claudine St-Arnauld **Temporary Position BASSOONS VIOLAS Alex Eastley, Principal Please note: Non-titled (tutti) Daniel Scholz, Principal Kathryn Brooks string players are listed Anne Elise Lavallée, alphabetically and are seated Assistant Principal HORNS according to a rotational system. Laszlo Baroczi Patricia Evans, Principal Margaret Carey Fred Redekop is the official Piano Ken MacDonald, Associate Principal Richard Bauch Tuner and Technician of the WSO. James Robertson Greg Hay *Merrily Peters Caroline Oberheu Mike Scholz Michiko Singh March 2017 I OVERTURE 5 Angela Hewitt Plays Ravel Benjamin Wallfisch, conductor Angela Hewitt, piano CLASSICS Arc of Horizon Harry Stafylakis (b. 1982) Nights in the Gardens of Spain Manuel de Falla (1876 -1946) “At the Generalife”: Allegretto tranquillo e misterioso “Distant Dance”: Allegretto giusto “In the Gardens of the Mountains of Córdoba”: Vivo - INTERMISSION - Piano Concerto in G major Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Allegramente Adagio assai Presto Suite from the Ballet, The Firebird (1919 version) Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) Introduction The Dance of the Firebird Round Dance of the Princesses Infernal Dance of the King Kastchei Berceuse Finale Friday, March 10 8:00 p.m. Classics A Saturday, March