S 1 Y Celebration of Stravinsky THE SYDNEY YOUTH ORCHESTRA Fri 26 March, 8pm Verbrugghen Hall, O Sydney Conservatorium of Music a r t s e h c r O h t u o Y y e n d y S e h T - t is lo o S Welcome to The Sydney d n a t is et Youth Orchestra’s first in lar l C ipa concert for 2021! inc h Pr Katherine Howart Sydney Youth Orchestras has been an It is a work that highlights the charm and invaluable experience and opportunity genius of Debussy's writing, in which he for me during my time in Sydney. I have weaves various moods and characters been fortunate to have participated in into a seamless conversation between the The Sydney Youth Orchestra since 2018. clarinet and the orchestra. I am looking forward to working with Jessica Cottis, Growing up in Orange, NSW, I had never my SYO colleagues and friends to bring experienced what it was like to see, hear, this beautiful work to life in the upcoming or perform with high-quality orchestras Celebration of Stravinsky. regularly. The SYO has given me a taste of what quality orchestral performance Maestra Cottis’ wealth of experience sounds and feels like, which is such an and extensive knowledge of the works amazing, yet rare opportunity for many in this program is something that we, young musicians who grow up in regional as an orchestra, are truly fortunate to areas. There is truly nothing comparable have the opportunity to experience. I to the SYO west of the Mountains. know the orchestra will be hanging on her every word and taking in her ideas as This is why I feel especially excited and she conducts us through this program. privileged to have the opportunity to Considering that we haven't performed as perform Debussy's Première Rhapsodie a full ensemble for over a year, to begin with the SYO. our 2021 season with Jessica Cottis leading the orchestra is truly exciting. I look forward to performing as soloist on stage at the Verbrugghen Hall and hope to look out into the audience and see a sea of familiar supportive faces. See you there. Celebration of Stravinsky THE SYDNEY YOUTH ORCHESTRA Fri 26 March, 8pm Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney Conservatorium of Music Repertoire Stravinsky Scherzo à la Russe Symphonies of Wind Instruments Debussy Première Rhapsodie Stravinsky Pulcinella Suite Sydney Youth Orchestras acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we work, rehearse, gather and perform; the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We would like to pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and thank them for their rich musical traditions that continue to echo to this day. 3 The Musicians Guest Conductor Cello French Horn Jessica Cottis Alisdair Guiney Simon Jones Lucy Blomfield Bryn Arnold Soloist Emilie Choi Jude Austen Kaupe Katherine Howarth clarinet Bahar Hakimjavadi Finn McGrath Violin Elden Loomes Trumpet James Armstrong Rory McClelland Jude Macarthur Olivia Kowalik Javier Mobellan Toby Rands William Carraro John Wu Elizabeth Dawson Emma Chang Double Bass Newton Cheang Tenor Trombone Lillian Bennett Andre Chen Cooper Rands Michael McNamara Rhianna Frahill Jordan Mattinson Hayley Whitmore Edmund Ing Bass Trombone Erin Jee Flute Harry Macpherson Elizabeth Kalotay Yiting Wang Jamie Krockenberger Isabeau Hansen Tuba Julia Kim Matthew Bottaro Jasper Mihalich Suraj Nagaraj Oboe James Parbery Percussion Miriam Cooney Alex Paterson Buddy Lovett Phoebe Xu Ethan Powell Owen Bloomfield Michael Chang Stephanie Ryan Yonatan Babicz Nurhan Solbudak Clarinet Harp Felicity Yau Katherine Howarth Kate Moloney Robert Mackay Paul Nicolaou Viola Yasmine Urquhart Alison Eom Piano Lucy Dube Bassoon Hayden Burge Ashly Zhang Julian Kwok Mun Joon Teo Joseph Newton Peter Lavilles Liaam Rao Po Shen Wang 4 GUEST CONDUCTOR Jessica Cottis A charismatic and erudite Named ‘2019 Classical “Face to Watch”’ (The Times, UK), Jessica is much in figure on the podium, demand on the concert circuit, working conductor Jessica Cottis regularly with leading orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, has earned critical acclaim The Philharmonia Orchestra, Singapore for her intellect, natural Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Arts Centre Orchestra authority, and profound (Ottawa), Danish Radio Symphony musicality. She brings Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Opera House, Covent dynamism, intensity and Garden, as well as numerous re- clarity of vision to all her invitations annually to the prestigious BBC Proms. performances. 5 GUEST CONDUCTOR Jessica Cottis One of the most outstanding Australian Jessica Cottis’ early musical career was conductors working today, the 20/21 as an organist. Her formative education season will mark Jessica’s new role took place at the Australian National in leading the Canberra Symphony University where she was awarded first Orchestra’s artistic team, as Artistic class honours, and later in Paris, winning Advisor. Recognised for her engaging, awards from the Royal Philharmonic wide-ranging and thought-provoking/ Society and Royal College of Organists, enlightened programming, her domain and studying with pioneering French is music of the 19th to 21st centuries. organist Marie-Claire Alain. After a wrist This season she will conduct major works injury halted her playing career, she by Mahler, Stravinsky and Kurt Weill in began conducting studies with Prof Colin Canberra, and make highly anticipated Matters and Sir Colin Davis at the Royal debuts with orchestras including Bremer Academy of Music in London. She was Philharmoniker, Opéra Orchestre national awarded the Academy’s top conducting Montpellier, Orchestre National Bordeaux, prizes upon graduation in 2009 and RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, and at appointed Manson Fellow in Composition. Opera Holland Park where she will conduct Janáček’s ‘The Cunning Little Vixen’. Jessica maintains a strong commitment 2019 Classical to new music, most recently — along “Face to Watch” with composer Matthew Hindson AM — THE TIMES, UK co-curating the Canberra Symphony’s Australian Miniseries, a significant Her early talent was further supported new commissioning series of works by by mentors Sir Donald Runnicles, Charles Australian composers including Liza Lim, Dutoit, and Vladimir Ashkenazy whilst Deborah Cheetham, and Ross Edwards. Assistant Conductor at the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Sydney A gifted communicator, Jessica works Symphony. In 2015 she was honoured as widely as an advocate for classical music. an Associate of the Royal Academy. Described as a “cool, contained, super- articulate and engaging” in The Scotsman, Jessica Cottis experiences sound as she has filmed programmes for the ABC colour. She resides in London, and outside and BBC, and is a frequent contributor of music is an avid lepidopterist. on BBC radio and television, commenting on a wide range of topics, from opera to architecture, synaesthesia, the environment and acoustics. In 2020 she led a series of courses for emerging female conductors for the Royal Opera House. 6 SOLOIST Katherine Howarth Katherine Howarth is a clarinetist based in Orange, NSW. She has recently completed a Bachelor of Music Performance in clarinet at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, achieving First- Class Honours. Scholarships awarded to Katherine during Katherine has performed with the Sydney her undergraduate degree include The Youth Orchestra (2018-2020) and was William and Marie Souter Encouragement principal clarinettist during their 2019 Awards in 2018 and 2019, as well as international tour of the UK and now the Vice Chancellor's Global Mobility also as soloist in their current program Scholarship to assist travel costs which Celebration of Stravinsky. Katherine was allowed her to have lessons with Robert a participant in Ensemble Offspring's Hill, Janet Hilton, Richard Hosford and Hatched Home Academy (2020), and will Timothy Lines while on tour in the UK. be featured in Orange Chamber Music Festival's upcoming opening gala concert. During her time at the Sydney She is currently principal clarinet of the Conservatorium of Music, Katherine Sydney Youth Orchestra (2020-2021). studied clarinet and bass clarinet with Ms Susan Newsome, as well as Currently completing a Masters of performing in masterclasses with Musicology, Katherine is researching international clarinettists Jose Franch- the reception of Australian orchestral Ballester and Dimitri Ashkenazy. As works by female composers under the part of her undergraduate degree, supervision of Dr Rachel Campbell. Katherine was principal clarinettist of the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra Katherine holds the Board of Governors' (2019), Wind Symphony (2019) and toured Scholarship for postgraduates at the to China with the SCM Modern Music Sydney Conservatorium (2020). Ensemble as bass clarinettist (2019). 7 Program Notes The pieces on this program form Igor Stravinsky an arc through time and place, BORN 17 June [O.S. 5 June] 1882, connecting two monumental Oranienbaum DIED 6 April 1971, New York composers of the 20th Century. Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was born Symphonies of Wind Instruments in Russia, in a town situated close to and Scherzo à la Russe all bear the St Petersburg, to Anna Stravinsky, the mark of the composer’s pen, yet daughter of a high-ranking official, and showcase the immense variety of Fyodor Stravinsky, a bass opera singer. His music can be characterised into styles to which Stravinsky could three main periods; among the works of adapt. Alongside these three his Russian period are the three ballets pieces, Première Rhapsodie is Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring, a well-loved work by composer commissioned by impresario Sergei Claude Debussy, to whom Diaghilev and which guaranteed his rise to international fame. The second period, Stravinsky would later dedicate his which includes the ballet Pulcinella, is Symphonies of Wind Instruments characterised by neo-classical tendencies, in memoriam. particularly towards 18th Century music. This period extends into the composer’s move to the United States in 1939, following several years of living in Switzerland and France.