The 2016-2017 performance season of the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra & Master Chorale, under the musical direction of Randall Tweed, continues with a unique cultural project presenting musical works by master composers from the Jewish tradition. Mechiah – Jewish Classical Music to Sooth the Soul presents varied music from choral to orchestral spanning four centuries of musical composition. Featuring soloists Ondrej Lewit (GSO concertmaster), Suzanne Kennedy (flautist) and Ava Baker Liss (mezzo-soprano), the combined forces of the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra & Master Chorale perform music by Salamone Rossi, Ernest Bloch, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Gustav Mahler, and a special multimedia performance of music from the motion picture Schindler’s List—music by John Williams.
Repertoire: J. Williams “Three Movements” from the motion picture Schindler’s List (multimedia) Salamone Rossi Haleluya, Haleli Nafshi and Adon Olam (performed in Hebrew) Bloch – Suite Modale for Flute and Strings Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Cantata Naomi and Ruth Mahler Totenfeier (Funeral Rites)
Two performances have been scheduled throughout San Diego. The East County performance is performed in the resonant acoustics of Santa Sophia Catholic Church with a special second performance in San Diego’s North County at Temple Solel.
Friday, October 7, 2016 at 7:30 pm Saturday, October 8, 2016 at 7 pm Santa Sophia Catholic Church Temple Solel 900 San Juan in Casa de Oro (Spring Valley) 3575 Manchester Ave. in Cardiff Admission: $10 General, $5 Student Purchase tickets at: www.eventbrite.com
Randall Tweed, D.M.A., Music Director, has been conducting opera, symphony, and chorus throughout Southern and Baja California since joining the music faculty in 1986. Dr. Tweed has frequently appeared as guest conductor on concert music series throughout Southern California including the Cabrillo Chamber Orchestra, San Diego Ballet, Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theatre, United States International Orchestra, Spreckels Organ Society, and various church music concert series. In the area of education Dr. Tweed has appeared as adjudicator for the California Music Teachers Association, the Music Educator’s National Conference and has twice appeared as conductor for the Suzuki awards concerts.
Dr. Tweed’s performing experience is both in the areas of vocal and instrumental fields winning competitions sponsored by the La Jolla Civic University Orchestra and the Musical Merit Foundation of Greater San Diego. Dr. Tweed earned the Doctorate in Musical Arts (D.M.A.) from the School of Music at Arizona State University, located in Tempe, Arizona. He has also completed two Master of Music degrees from the University of Southern California in addition to pursuing post-graduate study in Berlin, Germany (studying at the Berliner Kirchenmusikschule) where he was a recipient of a Konrad Adenauer Foundation Fellowship.
Ondrej Lewit, violinist, was born in Prague (Czech Republic), Ondrej Lewit began studying violin at the age of seven at Elementary School of Music, later continued at State Conservatory of Music (BA) and at Academy of Performing Arts – HAMU (MA). As a member of Camerata Pragensis, Camerata Nova, concertmaster of J. Suk’s Chamber Orchestra and especially as a first violin of Cuartetto Cassoviae played in many cities in the European continent and made recordings for the Czechoslovak Radio and Television, Italian RAI and recording companies such as Supraphon, Opus and Edigsa.
In 1983 Ondrej immigrated to Spain, where he became the concertmaster of the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra (Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife-OST) and later also leader of OST Chamber Orchestra, playing on numerous occasions as a soloist with guest conductors R. Barshai, E. Colomer, S. Morgenstern, T. Olilla, D. Shallon, D. Solomon, Y. Talmi and many others. He was a violin teacher and chamber music coach at Santa Cruz Conservatory as well as at OST’s Academy of Orchestral Studies (Director and Chair of the String Department) from 1984 – 1989. In 1997 he began to teach violin and chamber music at OST’s Academy of Orchestral Studies (Director and Chair of the String Department). In 1987 he also renewed his quartet activity as a first violinist of the Lewit Quartet (formerly Cuartetto Cassoviae), which appeared at many Spanish concert halls throughout 2000.
As a guest concertmaster he played with orchestras in Barcelona, Sabadell, La Coruna, Bilbao and Valladolid. From 1988 to 1992 he was an Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra member (1992 an associate concertmaster), chamber music player and a faculty at Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC. Between 1995 – 1997 the Spanish Youth Orchestra and Catalonia Youth Symphony invited him to work with them as a violin teacher and a chamber music coach during their summer camps.
In 2000 Ondrej moved to Barcelona where he played until 2003 as concertmaster with the Liceo Opera Theatre Orchestra. He was frequently invited as a guest concertmaster by Valles Symphony (Sabadell), Galician Symphony (La Coruna), Bilbao Symphony and Castilla-Leon Symphony (Valladolid).
In 2005 – 2010 was appointed concertmaster of Baja California Orchestra and violin teacher at Conservatory of Music in Tijuana. Since 2004 he has maintained a private violin/viola studio in San Diego, where he is frequently performing with Encore Trio, Violin and Piano duo with Irina Bendetsky, Quartetto Sorrento and Sorrento Camerata. He was concertmaster and assistant concertmaster of California Chamber Orchestra and is concertmaster of the San Diego Interfaith Choir and Orchestra.
Suzanne Kennedy, flautist, began her musical training at age 9 in her hometown of Fergus Falls, Minnesota. After receiving her Associate in Arts degree from Fergus Falls Community College she moved out to San Diego and received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Music Performance, with Academic and Musical Distinction. Suzanne was contracted for 25 year as flutist/piccoloist with OrchestraNova & Starlight Orchestra, and has performed with the San Diego Symphony and other local professional organizations. Suzanne is happy to be serving Santa Sophia parish as Music Director. Besides working with three wonderful adult ensembles, she directs the parish Kid's Chorale and the Santa Sophia Academy Choir and teaches music classes to the school children. Much to the delight of the orchestra and audience alike, Ms. Kennedy has appeared as soloist with the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra for the past ten years performing a variety of works from the professional concerto repertoire.
Ava Baker Liss, mezzo-soprano, a Baltimore native, Ava has been performing for San Diego audiences for 26 years, and is thrilled to return to the musical stage with Dr. Randall Tweed. Since 1992, Ms. Liss has been associated with San Diego Opera as chorister, ensemble alumna, bilingual artist-in-residence, with a mainstage debut in Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri. After essaying the role of Baba the Turk in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress with Opera San Jose, she decided to base herself in San Diego.
Local appearances include San Diego Lyric Opera, La Jolla Symphony & Chorus, San Diego Festival Chorus, Grossmont Symphony, San Diego chamber Orchestra, PACEM, Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Bohdi Tree Concert Series, and Choral Consortium of San Diego. Currently alto section leader with First Presbyterian Church of San Diego, Ms. Liss also serves as section leader and cantorial soloist with Temple Adat Shalom. Additionally, she has begun a new career as Realtor, partnering with her husband, bandleader, Ira B. Liss.
The Grossmont Symphony Orchestra (GSO), and Master Chorale (GMC), are East County’s answer to quality classical music performances. Under the musical direction of Randall Tweed, the seventy-five member orchestral and fifty member choral ensembles are comprised of music and non-music majors, music teachers, and talented musicians from the community. Entrance to these ensembles are by audition only.
The 2016-2017 performance season continues its musical tradition of providing high quality art and entertainment to its East County audience by performing a wide variety of classical music and musical styles. Classical Music For All . . . is the theme of our new performance season. In the challenge of an ever-changing world, Classical music inspires all with its infinite creativity in presenting the masterworks in a fresh and exciting way. The members of the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra & Master Chorale perform music from the Baroque to present day, and in building on the past our multimedia presentations include standard repertoire through film music. General performances are creatively varied—performances the entire family can afford: Adults $10, Students $5. Encompassing orchestral, choral, chamber music and our string outreach program, Grossmont is performing near you! Catch us on: Facebook: Grossmont Symphony Orchestra & Master Chorale Instagram: grossmontsymphonyorchestra and the Web: www.grossmontsymphony.org