Francesco Lecce-Chong, Music Director & Conductor SEASON
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Francesco Lecce-Chong, Music Director & Conductor 2020 2021 SEASON Eugene Symphony SYMPHONY SOUNDWAVES VI ORCHESTRA ROSTER & PRODUCTION TEAM MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR MUSIC LIBRARIAN Don’t miss our 2020/21 season finale! Francesco Lecce-Chong Kristen Halay VIOLIN I CONDUCTING FELLOW & SCORE READER Jenny Estrin Daniel Cho Lisa McWhorter Nathan Lowman AUDIO ENGINEERING Rosemary Erb Bill Barnett, Gung Ho Studios Sophie Therrell Della Davies HULT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Anthony Dyer Theresa Sizemore, General Manager Alwyn Wright Jeff Weinkauf, Technical Director Nathan Cox, Assistant Technical Director VIOLIN II Kim Weiland, Event Manager Premiering at 7 p.m. on Matt Fuller Ruth Atcherson, Head Carpenter Julia Frantz Dan Charter, Electrician JUNE 3 Claudia Miller Bruce Hartnell, Sound Technician Alice Blankenship Allen Adams, Video Lead and Switcher Mitchell Drury Caroline Barnes, Camera Operator Dan Athearn Virginia Sands, Camera Operator David Burham Rachel Sarfati, Camera Operator Jannie Wei Rocky Haffner, Shader and Robotic Camera Operator VIOLA VIDEO PRODUCTION Shauna Keyes Attic Media, Inc. Lauren Elledge Ryan Postma Kim Uwate Jessica Mitchell Anamaria Ghitea McKenzie Baldwin Dana Rokosny Arnaud Ghillebaert EDITED BY Jessica Mitchell CELLO GRAPHIC DESIGN Eric Alterman Cricket Design Works Noah Seitz JLN Design Jim Pelley Kathryn Brunhaver VIDEO PERFORMANCE DIRECTED BY Dale Bradley Nathan Cox Ann Grabe PRODUCED BY BASS Scott Freck Tyler Abbott Rick Carter Richard Meyn Kevin Brown 2 EUGENE SYMPHONY MAY 2021 3 MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR WE’VE GOT THE Francesco Lecce-Chong Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong is the Music Director of During his successful tenures as Associate Conductor the Eugene Symphony in Oregon, and the Santa Rosa Symphony, with the Milwaukee Symphony under Edo de Waart and the SPACES YOU’LL LOVE performing at the Green Music Center in Northern California. e Pittsburgh Symphony under Manfred Honeck, Lecce-Chong press has described him as a “fast rising talent in the music world” also dedicated his time to opera, building his credentials with “the real gi” and recognized his dynamic performances, fresh as sta conductor with the Santa Fe Opera and conducted With gorgeous apartment programming, deep commitment to commissioning and performing Madama Buttery at the Florentine Opera with the homes up to 2,700 square new music as well as to community outreach. Lecce-Chong has Milwaukee Symphony. appeared with orchestras around the world including the San Lecce-Chong is the recipient of several distinctions, feet and stunning community Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, including the prestigious Solti Foundation Award. Trained spaces, Cascade Manor offers Atlanta Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony, St. Louis also as a pianist and composer, he completed his studies Symphony, and Hong Kong Philharmonic and collaborated with top at the Curtis Institute of Music with Otto-Werner Mueller abundant space to do the soloists including Renée Fleming and Itzhak Perlman. aer attending the Mannes College of Music and Accademia things you love while enjoying In spring 2019, Lecce-Chong debuted in subscription concerts Musicale Chigiana in Italy. He has had the privilege of being with the San Francisco Symphony. e San Francisco Chronicle mentored and supported by celebrated conductors including a maintenance-free lifestyle. called his conducting “rst rate” praising the “vitality and brilliance Bernard Haitink, David Zinman, Edo de Waart, Manfred Enjoy high-end finishes and of the music-making he drew from members of the San Francisco Honeck, Donald Runnicles and Michael Tilson omas. Symphony.” Other recent subscription debuts included the Colorado amenities every day. Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic and Xi’An We also bring UO Osher Symphony Orchestra. Lecce-Chong has also returned to conduct the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Milwaukee and San Diego Symphony. e Lifelong Learning Institute 19/20 season marked his debut with the New York Philharmonic as classes directly from the part of the legendary Young People’s Concert Series. In the 20/21 season, an unprecedented one for live orchestral university campus to ours. music, Lecce-Chong will conduct virtual concerts with both the Enjoy lifelong learning and Santa Rosa and the Eugene Symphony, specically created for online audiences. e performances will be streamed worldwide and will take healthcare peace of mind, in a unique form of a cohesive musical journey complete with interviews spaces you will love. with musicians. e programs will include music by living composers Jessie Montgomery, Gabriella Lena Frank and Chen Yi. Following the paths of renowned Music Directors of the Eugene Call today to learn about and the Santa Rosa Symphonies including Marin Alsop, Giancarlo our special incentives Guerrero and Jerey Kahane, Lecce-Chong has made his mark with the two orchestras introducing a series of new music and community and promotions. initiatives. In 2019, the orchestras announced Lecce-Chong’s “First 541-434-5411 Symphony Project” commissioning four major orchestral works by young composers—Matt Browne, Gabriella Smith, Angélica Negrón and Michael Djupstrom—to be performed over several seasons accompanied by multiple composer residencies and community events. In Eugene, he has reinitiated family concerts and presented a number of innovative projects such as an original multimedia performance of Scriabin’s compositions engaging retirement.org/cascade light and color. EUGENE SYMPHONY MUSIC DIRECTORS Lawrence Maves, Founding Conductor (1966–1981) William McGlaughlin (1981–1985) Adrian Gnam (1985–1989) Marin Alsop, Conductor Laureate (1989–1996) Miguel Harth-Bedoya (1996–2002) Cascade Manor is a not-for-profit, resident-centered community. Giancarlo Guerrero (2002–2009) Cascade Manor is a Pacific Retirement Services community and an equal housing opportunity. Danail Rachev (2009–2017) Francesco Lecce-Chong (2017– ) 4 EUGENE SYMPHONY MAY 2021 SYMPHONY SOUNDWAVES V SOUNDWAVES V SOUNDWAVES V Program Notes by Francesco Lecce-Chong Eugene Symphony fans already the complete score live with the lm. rough that process, I Francesco Lecce-Chong, conductor know about my love of lm music came to appreciate even more Herrmann’s virtuosic writing for Recorded live on Thursday, April 22, 2021 and, in particular, my connection with the string section through innovative techniques and embracing John Williams. At my rst concert as the full range of the string instruments. Our performance of the Silva Concert Hall, Hult Center for the Performing Arts | Eugene, Oregon Music Director & Conductor, I pulled music from Psycho was arranged by the composer and is almost out a lightsaber baton to conduct Star twice as long as the typical “pops concert” version—so I hope Wars at our summer concert, and I audiences will enjoy the chance to appreciate more fully the have a feeling that will be one of the musical genius behind the lm. lasting memories audiences will have When I hear the traditional Shaker song, “Simple Gis,” I of my time here! immediately think of Aaron Copland’s beautiful setting of it Hildur Guðnadóttir From the Other Place at said, I have not had a in ballet Appalachian Spring. In 2009, John Williams used the (b. 1982) chance to conduct the music of lm same song as inspiration for Air and Simple Gis, composed composers in traditional concert settings very oen, so this for the rst inauguration of President Barack Obama. While Soundwaves performance is extra special as we present the music Copland used the melody in a series of variations representing of three Academy Award-winning composers alongside a beloved the adventurous American spirit of the early pioneers, I think Bernard Herrmann Suite from Psycho classic from Antonín Dvořák. (Continued on page 8) (1911–1975) Hildur Guðnadóttir, a brilliant Icelandic performer and composer, won the Academy Award for her score to 2019’s Joker. With several other accolades to her name, Guðnadóttir is clearly one of the bright new faces of contemporary lm music. From John Williams Air and Simple Gifts the Other Place was not written specically for a lm, but it is (b. 1932) representative of her ethereal sounds and spontaneous music- making. Instead of traditional sheet music, musicians are asked to create music in the moment by choosing their own path through a map of colored dots representing notes. Instead of the chaos that Antonín Dvoˇrák Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 one might imagine, the result is something almost meditative. (1841–1904) I. Moderato Bernard Herrmann’s score to Psycho needs little introduction. II. Tempo di Valse Using only a string section, he conjured up one of the most thrilling and iconic scores in the history of lm. I feel particularly III. Scherzo: Vivace fortunate to have had the opportunity a few years ago to conduct IV. Larghetto V. Finale: Allegro vivace This concert will be broadcast on KWAX-FM 91.1 on Friday, May 7, 2021 at 10 a.m. Broadcasts underwritten in part by Kernutt Stokes. (Above right) Guðnadóttir’s From the Other Place uses colored dots to represent notes. (At le) Psycho (1960) is an iconic American psychological horror thriller lm produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. (Above) Williams’s Air and Simple Gis was performed at the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama by Anthony McGill, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gabriela Montero. 6 EUGENE SYMPHONY MAY 2021 7 SOUNDWAVES V Program Notes (Continued from page 7) Williams attempts to HILDUR