EASTMAN • THE ATRE

2018-2019 SEASON

EXPERIENCE EASTMAN EXCELLENCE KILBOURN EASTMAN FERNANDO BARBARA B. SMITH CONCERT RANLET LAIRES PIANO WORLD MUSIC SERIES SERIES SERIES SERIES MARCH 2019 – APRIL 2019

insidewhat’s Welcome From the Director | 5 Ying Quartet with PUSH Physical Theatre | 28

The Historian’s Corner | 8 Roby Lakatos Ensemble | 32

Beatrice Rana | 10 Ying Quartet | 36

Joshua Roman | 13 Joshua Bell & David Zinman | 39

Disney in Concert: Afro-Cuban All Stars | 44 A Silly Symphony Celebration | 17 Gamelan Lila Muni & Elias String Quartet | 25 Gamelan Sanjiwani | 48

CONTACT US:

Location: Eastman School of Music – ESM 101 EASTMAN THEATRE BOX OFFICE Phone: (585) 274-1109 Mailing Address E-mail: [email protected] Eastman School of Music Concert Office 26 Gibbs Street Mike Stefiuk, Director of Concert Operations Rochester, NY 14604 Julia Ng, Assistant Director of Concert Operations Eastman Theatre Box Office Greg Machin, Ticketing and Box Office Manager 433 East Main Street Joseph Broadus, Box Office Supervisor Rochester, NY 14604 Christine Benincasa, Secretary Ron Stackman, Director of Stage Operations, Phone Eastman Theatre Eastman Theatre Box Office: (585) 274-3000 Jules Corcimiglia, Assistant Director of Stage Lost & Found: (585) 274-3000 Operations (Kodak Hall) Eastman Concert Office: (585) 274-1109 Daniel Mason, Assistant Director of Stage Hall Rentals: (585) 274-1109 Operations (Kilbourn Hall) Michael Dziakonas, Assistant Director of Stage Operations (Hatch Recital Hall)

ADVERTISING This program is published in association with Onstage Publications, Onstage Publications 1612 Prosser Avenue, Kettering, OH 45409. This program may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the 937-424-0529 | 866-503-1966 publisher. JBI Publishing is a division of Onstage Publications, Inc. e-mail: [email protected] Contents © 2019. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. www.onstagepublications.com

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 3 Did You Know? Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one full year are: • 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement • 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools • 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair • 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance

• 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 4 welcome from the director

he phrase Something for everyone may be a Tcliché, but it’s an accurate description of our concert offerings at Eastman this winter and spring. It’s a list of amazing breadth, starting with our Eastman Presents series and continuing through our chamber music, world music, and piano performance series.

Some of our guests have appeared in Rochester many times, such as the esteemed conductor, David Zinman, whom many of you will remember as the longtime Music Director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. In April, Maestro Zinman will lead our Philharmonia in a not-to-be-missed concert of German Romantic music with superstar violinist Joshua Bell.

Our other concert series offer such outstanding musicians as pianist Beatrice Rana, who had a spectacular Rochester debut last fall, now appearing in a solo recital; and the “dream team” of the Afro-Cuban All-Stars, made famous by the Buena Vista Social Club documentary and album, who bring together all the different styles of Cuban music in a grand mix. We have also added a joint appearance that will combine the music of Eastman’s Ying Quartet with the amazing stage pictures of PUSH Physical Theatre – two performances of this “creative collision” are not to be missed!

The next few months truly offer something for every musical taste, as well as plenty of opportunities to expand your musical horizons, with the help of some of the world’s great musicians. Please join us!

Mike Stefiuk Director of Concert Activities

PS – Details of the 2019/2020 Eastman Performance Series will soon be announced! If you haven’t done so already, please consider joining our mailing list to receive the exciting full-season line up! Sign up by visiting the Hospitality Table at any performance.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 5

the historian’s corner

Kilbourn Hall By Vincent Lenti ilbourn Hall was named in honor of George KEastman’s mother, Maria Kilbourn Eastman. It is the principal recital hall for the Eastman School of Music. Designed in an Italian Renaissance style, it is widely regarded as being one of the most beautiful and most acoustically perfect recital halls to be found anywhere in the world. It is not an infrequent occurrence when a guest artist will comment on the hall’s exquisite beauty.

Although renovated twice, the first time in the mid-1970s and more recently in 2016, the hall retains much of its original look. Improved house lighting, new seats, and additional handrails may be the most noticeable changes within the hall itself. The change that perhaps most altered the visual appearance of Kilbourn Hall occurred at the time of the first renovation. Tapestries that covered the stone facing on graduating class in 1922, there being only two either side of the stage were removed and found graduating seniors that year. Many years later to be in such poor condition that they could she made a most generous gift to her alma not be cleaned and reinstalled. The stone walls mater, and the second floor corridor of the school are now bare. is now named in her honor and in recognition of her generosity. Ruth Northrop Tibbs, Florence Kilbourn has been the location of many thousands Alexander Schoenegge, and George MacNabb of recitals, concerts, and other events since all subsequently joined the school's faculty. it was formally dedicated on March 4, 1922. Tibbs taught as a member of the theory Performers have included students, members department from 1924 to 1952. Schoenegge and of the faculty, and visiting artists. Operas have MacNabb both taught piano, the former from been performed on the stage. Symposia and 1924 to 1938 and the latter from 1922 to 1960. lectures have been given there as well. The three programs given here as illustrations of the The second program is from a faculty recital hall’s rich and varied history include a student during the summer of 1928. The performer was recital from March 14, 1922, only ten days organist Harold Gleason. Gleason had served after the dedication of the hall. There were five as George Eastman’s personal organist prior performers on the recital, all piano students to the opening of the Eastman School of Music of Raymond Wilson. Roslyn Weisberg Cominsky in 1921. He then was the founder of the organ was a member of the Eastman School’s first department at the school and was additionally

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 8 the historian’s corner

responsible for the selection and design of the history have been such diverse musicians as concert organs installed in the Eastman Theatre guitarist Andres Segovia, pianist Alfred Cortot, and in Kilbourn Hall, as well as the teaching organist Louis Vierne, the Budapest String organs and practice organs installed on the Quartet, jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, and the school’s fourth floor. sitarist Ravi Shankar. During the current 2018- 19 season, Kilbourn serves as the location for The third program is from a recital given by many student recitals, faculty recitals, and other Walter Gieseking in 1937. At the time of his school presentations, in addition to an exciting Rochester recital Gieseking was widely regarded Kilbourn Concert Series, the Fernando Laires as one of the greatest living pianists. Among Piano Series, the Eastman-Ranlet Series, and others appearing in Kilbourn Hall during its long the Barbara B. Smith World Music Series.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 9 Fernando Laires Piano Series

Friday, March 1, 2019 Kilbourn Hall 7:30 pm

Beatrice Rana

Études, Op. 25 Frédéric Chopin Aeolian Harp (1810-1849) The Bees The Horseman Paganini Wrong Note Thirds Cello Sixths Butterfly Octave Winter Wind Ocean

INTERMISSION

Miroirs Maurice Ravel Noctuelles (Moths) (1875-1937) Oiseaux tristes (Sad Birds) Une barque sur l’océan (A Boat on the Ocean) Alborada del gracioso (The Jester’s Aubade) La valleé des cloches (The Valley of Bells)

L’oiseau de feu (The Firebird) (trans. 1928) Igor Stravinsky Danse infernale du roi Kastcheï (1882-1971) (Infernal Dance of the King of Katscheï) trans. Guido Agosti Berceuse (Lullaby) Finale

Management for Beatrice Rana: Primo Artists, New York, NY EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 10 guest artist

Ms. Rana performs at the world’s most esteemed concert halls and festivals including Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, New York’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, Zurich’s Tonhalle, London’s Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall, Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Lucerne’s KKL, Cologne Philharmonie, Munich’s Philharmonie, Prinzregententheater and Herkulessaal, Frankfurt’s Alte Oper, Milan’s Società dei Concerti, Ferrara Musica, Verbier Festival, Klavier Festival Ruhr, Lugano’s LAC, La Roque d’Anthéron Festival, Montpellier Radio-France Festival, Rencontres Musicales d’Evian, Bucharest Enescu Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, San Francisco Performances, Los Angeles Disney Concert Hall and Hollywood Bowl, and Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center. BEATRICE RANA She collaborates with conductors of the t only 25 years old, Gramophone’s 2017 highest level such as Riccardo Chailly, Antonio A“Young Artist of the Year” Beatrice Rana Pappano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Fabio Luisi, has shaken the international classical music Yuri Temirkanov, Gianandrea Noseda, Emmanuel world already and aroused admiration and Krivine, James Conlon, Jun Märkl, Trevor Pinnock, interest from concert presenters, conductors, Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, Lahav Shani, Andrés critics and audiences in many countries. Orozco-Estrada, James Gaffigan, Susanna Mälkki, Leonard Slatkin and Zubin Mehta. The year 2017 will remain as a milestone in Orchestral appearances include the London Ms. Rana’s career with the release of Bach’s Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Goldberg Variations on Warner Classics and a Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, 30-city tour of the work. Debuting at No. 1 on Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the U.K. Classical Charts, the recording was Detroit Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony, praised by reviewers worldwide and crowned Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, by two major awards: Gramophone’s “Young Orchestre National de France, Tonkünstler Artist of the Year” and Edison Klassiek’s Orchester, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra “Discovery of the Year” Award. In 2018, she dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, was nominated as 2018 Female Artist of the Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI, Filarmonica Year at the Classic BRIT Awards, where she della Scala, Helsinki Philharmonic and St. performed for a nationally televised audience Petersburg Philharmonic. at Royal Albert Hall.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 11 guest artist

During the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, Ms. Antonio Pappano and Orchestra dell’Accademia Rana makes debuts with the Royal Concertgebouw Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. The disc received Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San unanimous international acclaim including Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Gramophone’s “Editor’s Choice” and BBC Music Paris, Bayerische Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester, Magazine’s 2017 “Newcomer of the Year” Award. Hessischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester, Pittsburgh In August 2018, Warner Classics released an Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, album that features Bernstein’s Age of Anxiety Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish with Pappano and Orchestra dell’Accademia National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Philharmonic and Melbourne Symphony. She performs with the Philadelphia Orchestra with Beatrice Rana came to public attention in Yannick Nézet-Seguin at Philadelphia’s Kimmel 2011 after winning First Prize and all special Center and New York’s Carnegie Hall, Tonkünstler jury prizes at the Montreal International Orchester with Yutaka Sado at the Musikverein, Competition. Her very promising career was Detroit Symphony Orchestra with Kent Nagano; brought to an even higher level in 2013 when tours with the London Philharmonic Orchestra she won the Silver Medal and the Audience and Vladimir Jurowski; and starts a residency Award at the 14th Van Cliburn International at the Zurich Opera with Fabio Luisi and the Piano Competition. In 2015, she was named Philharmonia Zurich for a complete Beethoven a BBC New Generation Artist, and in 2016 concerto cycle. She will play recitals at Geneva’s she was awarded a fellowship from the Great Performers series at Victoria Hall, Munich’s Borletti-Buitoni Trust. Prinzregententheater, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall, Essen Philharmonie, Born in Italy into a family of musicians, Ms. Berlin Philharmonie’s Kammermusiksaal, Lisbon’s Rana began her piano studies at the age of Gulbenkian Foundation, Paris’ Théâtre des four and made her orchestral debut at the Champs-Elysées, Madrid’s Scherzo Great age of nine, performing Bach Concerto in F Performers series, Gilmore Keyboard Festival Minor. She obtained her Piano Degree under and at Zankel Hall in her Carnegie debut. the guidance of Benedetto Lupo, her lifetime mentor, at the Nino Rota Conservatory in An exclusive Warner Classics recording artist, Monopoli, where she also studied composition Ms. Rana released her first album in 2015, with Marco della Sciucca. She later studied featuring Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Arie Vardi at the Hochschule fur Musik and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with in Hannover. She is based in Rome.

Did you know… Igor Stravinsky, the composer of L’oiseau du feu (The Firebird) was in residence at the Eastman School of Music for the week of March 7-11, 1966. Vincent Lenti

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 12 Kilbourn Concert Series

Tuesday, March 5, 2019 Kilbourn Hall

7:30 pm Joshua Roman,ˆ cello Andrius Zlabys, piano

Cello Sonata Claude Debussy Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto (1862-1918) Sérénade: Modérément animé Final: Animé, léger et nerveux

Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69 Ludwig van Beethoven Allegro, ma non tanto (1770-1827) Scherzo. Allegro molto—Trio Adagio cantabile—Allegro vivace

Only Once (An Improvisation) Joshua Roman/Andrius Zˇlabys (b. 1983)/(b. 1977)

Louange à l'éternité de Jésus Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)

Pohádka (Fairy Tale) Leoš Janácˇek (1854-1928)

Fratres (Brothers) (1977) Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)

Le Grand Tango (1982) Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992)

Joshua Roman appears courtesy of Opus 3 Artists, New York, NY

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 13 guest artists

Notable events from the 16-17 season include the premiere of Tornado, a new work composed by Joshua Roman and commissioned by the Music Academy of the West and Town Hall Seattle. The lauded premiere took place with the JACK Quartet at the Music Academy of the West in June of 2017. He also gave his debut at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, comprised of not only performances with high caliber musicians from the St. Lawrence String Quartet and other corners of the chamber music world, but a performance of his solo piece Riding Light. Orchestral highlights of the season included performances of the Mason Bates Cello Concerto with the Portland, Berkeley, Spokane, and Memphis Symphonies. The concerto is dedicated to the cellist, who gave its “world-class world premiere” (Seattle Times) with the Seattle Symphony in 2014, and has since performed it with orchestras around the U.S. At TED2017 in Vancouver, Roman opened the conference during its first-ever live simulcast to movie theaters around the world with a collaborative JOSHUA ROMAN music and dance piece created and danced by Huang Yi, with the industrial robot KUKA as dance “A cellist of extraordinary technical and partner, followed by an original composition to musical gifts.” kickstart the first session of speakers. In November –San Francisco Chronicle of 2016, Roman’s musical response to the tension around the U.S. Presidential election - “Let’s Take oshua Roman has earned an international reputation A Breath” - brought almost one million live viewers Jfor his wide-ranging repertoire, a commitment to to TED’s Facebook page to hear his performance communicating the essence of music in visionary of the complete Six Suites for Solo Cello by J.S. Bach. ways, artistic leadership and versatility. As well as being a celebrated performer, he is recognized as an Prior seasons have seen Roman premiere Awakening, accomplished composer and curator, and was named his own Cello Concerto, with the Illinois Philharmonic a TED Senior Fellow in 2015. Orchestra, and subsequently perform it with ProMusica Chamber Orchestra; make his debut with During the 17-18 season, Roman will make his the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra playing Dvorˇák’s Detroit Symphony Orchestra debut, and perform his Cello Concerto; give a solo performance on the own Cello Concerto, Awakening, with the Princeton TED2015 main stage; perform a program of Symphony in collaboration with conductor Teddy chamber works by Lera Auerbach at San Francisco Abrams. In Europe, Roman will perform one of his Performances with Auerbach and violinist Philippe favorite 20th Century Cello Concertos, that of Polish Quint; and make appearances with the Columbus, composer Witold Lutosławski, with the Szczecin Fort Worth, New World, Seattle Symphonies as well Philharmonic of Poland. Other season highlights as with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra include performances of Tornado with the JACK and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He also Quartet with San Francisco Performances, Town served as Alumnus-in-Residence at the prestigious Hall Seattle, Interlochen and numerous presenters Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. throughout the country.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 14 guest artists

Roman has demonstrated inspirational artistic positively affect the world. He acted as curator for an leadership throughout his career. As Artistic Director outdoor amphitheater performance at the TED Summit of TownMusic in Seattle he has showcased his own in Banff in the Canadian Rockies this past summer. eclectic musical influences and chamber music favorites, while also promoting newly commissioned Beyond these initiatives, Roman’s adventurous spirit works. Under his direction, the series has offered has led to collaborations with artists outside the world premieres of compositions by some of today’s music community, including his co-creation of “On brightest young composers and performances by Grace” with Tony Award-nominated actress Anna cutting-edge ensembles. In the 2015-16 season at Deavere Smith, a work for actor and cello which TownMusic he presented his own song cycle, … we premiered in February 2012 at San Francisco’s do it to one another, based on Tracy K. Smith’s book Grace Cathedral. His outreach endeavors have of poems Life on Mars, with soprano Jessica Rivera. taken him to Uganda with his violin-playing siblings, He has also recently been appointed the inaugural where they played chamber music in schools, Artistic Advisor of award-winning contemporary HIV/AIDS centers and displacement camps, streaming channel Second Inversion, launched by communicating a message of hope through music. Seattle’s KING-FM to cultivate the next generation of classical audiences. In the summer of 2016 the Before embarking on a solo career, Roman spent cellist took on the role of Creative Partner with the two seasons as principal cellist of the Seattle Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts. Symphony, a position he won in 2006 at the age The same organization sponsored him in April 2016 of 22. Since that time he has appeared as a soloist at the 68th Annual Conference on World Affairs on with the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles the University of Colorado campus, where he Philharmonic, Mariinsky Orchestra, New World contributed his innovative ideas about how classical Symphony, Alabama Symphony, and Orquesta music is conceived and presented. Roman performed Sinfónica Nacional del Ecuador, among many others. at the Kennedy Center Arts Summit that same month An active chamber musician, Roman has and was a member of the 2016 Kennedy Center collaborated with established artists such as Honors artists committee. Andrius Zlabys, Cho-Liang Lin, Assad Brothers, Earl Carlyss, Christian Zacharias and Yo-Yo Ma, as well Roman’s cultural leadership includes using digital as other dynamic young soloists and performers platforms to harness new audiences. In 2009 from New York’s vibrant music scene, including the he developed “The Popper Project,” performing, JACK Quartet, Talea Ensemble, Derek Bermel and the recording and uploading the complete etudes from Enso String Quartet. David Popper’s High School of Cello Playing to his dedicated YouTube channel (youtube.com/ A native of Oklahoma City, Roman began playing joshuaromancello). In his latest YouTube project, the cello at the age of three on a quarter-size “Everyday Bach,” Roman performs Bach’s cello suites instrument, and gave his first public recital at age in beautiful settings around the world. He has ten. Home-schooled until he was 16, he then pursued collaborated with photographer Chase Jarvis on his musical studies at the Cleveland Institute Nikon video projects, and Paste magazine singled of Music with Richard Aaron. He received his out Roman and DJ Spooky for their cello and iPad Bachelor’s Degree in Cello Performance in 2004, cover of Radiohead’s “Everything in Its Right and his Master’s in 2005, as a student of Desmond Place,” created for the Voice Project. For his creative Hoebig, former principal cellist of the Cleveland initiatives on behalf of classical music, Roman was Orchestra. Roman is grateful for the loan of an 1899 named a TED Fellow in 2011, joining a select group cello by Giulio Degani of Venice. of next generation innovators who show potential to

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 15 guest artists

ANDRIUS ZˇLABYS Mr. Zˇlabys’s concerts have included appearances on many of the world’s leading stages, such as rammy-nominated pianist has received Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, Concertgebouw, Ginternational acclaim for his appearances with Carnegie Hall, Phillips Collection, Teatro Colón, many of the world’s leading orchestras, including The Wigmore Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein and Suntory New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Hall. He has also appeared at numerous festivals Cleveland Orchestra, Rotterdam Symphony, and both in the U.S. and abroad, including the Menuhin, Philharmonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires. Salzburg, Lockenhaus and Caramoor music festivals, and made his Carnegie Hall debut at the Isaac He is a featured soloist in “Between two Waves” by Stern Auditorium with the New York Youth Symphony Victor Kissine for piano and string orchestra released conducted by Misha Santora in 2001 in a performance on ECM in 2013 in collaboration with Gidon Kremer of Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto. He was also and Kremerata Baltica. invited the following season as soloist with Kremerata Baltica to perform Benjamin Britten’s Young Apollo In 2012 Andrius Zˇlabys made his concerto debut at at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. the Salzburg Festival performing Mozart’s Concerto K.467 with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra Andrius Zˇlabys has enjoyed collaborations with conducted by Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla. several esteemed musicians, including violist Yuri Bashmet, violinist Hilary Hahn, and an enduring Andrius Zˇlabys—born in Lithuania and trained at collaboration with violinist Gidon Kremer with whom the Curtis Institute of Music—was 18 years old Zlabys has toured extensively in Europe, Japan, when the Chicago Tribune wrote: “Pianist-composer South America, and the U.S. Andrius Zˇlabys is one of the most gifted young keyboard artists to emerge in years.” Zˇlabys was In 2003, Zˇlabys received a Grammy nomination for also heralded by The New York Sun in a review titled his recording of Enescu’s Piano Quintet with Gidon “A Shining Hope of Pianists” after his recital at the Kremer and Kremerata Baltica. A multifaceted Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. musician of wide-ranging repertoire, Andrius Zˇlabys holds a special reverence for J. S. Bach, while Zˇlabys’s artistry has received many other accolades remaining a strong advocate for the contemporary from the press for his performances of “easy virtuosity” stage with numerous works commissioned by and (The Strad), “generous and all encompassing” written for him. He was a winner of 2000 Astral sound (The Philadelphia Inquirer),“spell-binding Artists National auditions. interpretation” (The Plain Dealer) and his “wealth of musical perception” (The Greenville News). This Andrius Zˇlabys began piano studies at the age of international acclaim has followed his uniquely six in his native Lithuania with Laima Jakniuniene honest approach to music, as described by The at the Ciurlionis Art School, and continued his Philadelphia Inquirer: “The beloved C-major chord... studies in the U.S. with Victoria Mushkatkol rippled off Zˇlabys’ hands with such open-hearted (Interlochen Arts Academy), Seymour Lipkin (Curtis rightness that you couldn't escape the notion that Institute of Music), Sergei Babayan (Cleveland the pianist was acting as Bach’s ventriloquist...” Institute of Music), and Claude Frank (Yale School of Music).

Did you know… The first cellist to perform at Eastman was the legendary Pablo Casals, who appeared for a recital in the Eastman Theatre on February 6, 1923. Vincent Lenti

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 16 Eastman Presents Series

Friday, March 8, 2019 Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre 7:30 pm

Disney in Concert: A Silly Symphony Celebration

The Skeleton Dance (1929) Carl Stalling/Edvard Grieg (1891-1972)/(1843-1907)

Flowers and Trees (1932) Bert Lewis/Frank Churchill (1879-1948)/(1901-1942)

Three Little Pigs (1933) Frank Churchill

The Country Cousin (1936) Leigh Harline (1907-1969)

INTERMISSION

Entr’acte: Montage of Songs from the Silly Symphonies

The Old Mill (1937) Leigh Harline

The Ugly Duckling (1939) Albert Hay Malotte (1895-1964)

Music Land (1935) Leigh Harline

Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts © All rights reserved.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 17 guest artist

As a film composer, Watters wrote the scores for MGM’s The Pebble and the Penguin and All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, and for Disney’s Doug’s First Movie and Get a Horse, a new animated short featuring characters from 1920s Mickey Mouse cartoons that accompanied the theatrical release of Frozen. In addition, his music can be heard on almost two dozen direct-to-video/ DVD releases, including Aladdin and the King of Thieves and several Winnie-the-Pooh features for Disney, My Little Pony and Candyland movies for Hasbro, and a Tom and Jerry feature for Warner Brothers.

Television viewers have heard his music across several networks and channels including CBS, Hallmark, and Disney on such series as Paradise and The Little Mermaid, made-for-TV movies including The Longshot, and documentaries MARK WATTERS such as Medal of Honor and the nature series True Life Adventures. Watters has also created mmy Award-winning composer and conductor original scores for theater productions of EMark Watters’ vast resume includes music for The Raft of the Medusa, Snitch, and Hamlet. motion pictures, television, DVD, video games, Watters’s video games music oeuvre includes and special events such as the Olympics. In Coraline, two Ben 10 installments, Toy Story addition to serving as director of the Beal 3, Cars Mania, Disney Princesses 1 and 2, and Institute, Watters oversees Eastman’s newly Disney Fairies: Tinkerbell. established Master of Music degree in Contemporary Media/Film Composition and As a guest conductor, Watters has led the Los teaches graduate courses. Angeles Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the New York Pops, and Watters holds the distinction of serving as music many other orchestras. In 2002, John Williams director for two Olympics—the 1996 Centennial asked him to co-conduct the Academy Awards. Games in Atlanta and the 2002 Winter Games in In 2015, Watters led the Los Angeles Chamber Salt Lake City—which garnered him two of his Orchestra in a concert saluting 90 years of six Emmys. He also received Emmys for Disney animation, for which he also wrote new Outstanding Music Direction for Movies Rock; scores for two late-1920’s “Oswald the Lucky Outstanding Music for True Life Adventure Alaska: Rabbit” shorts. He conducted three “Star Wars in Dances of the Caribou; and two Outstanding Concert” tours, including one in Japan with the Music Direction and Composition Daytime Tokyo Philharmonic. Awards for Aladdin and Tiny Toon Adventures. In addition, Watters has worked as a conductor for individual artists Trisha Yearwood, Carrie

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 18 guest artist

Underwood, Beyoncé, Mary Jo Blige, John Legend, Governors and as Co-Chair of the Academy’s Sting, Barry Manilow, Jessye Norman, the Creative Arts Emmy Awards Committee. Recent Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and others. projects include serving as music director for the highly acclaimed animated series “Have Watters has taught film scoring at UCLA and for A Laugh,” a three-year project to restore and Columbia College of Chicago. He served several re-record 60 classic Disney shorts from the terms on the Television Academy’s Board of ’30s and ’40s.

program note

elcome to the 2019 presentation of Disney Duckling as well as Flowers and Trees, The Three Win Concert: A Silly Symphony Celebration Little Pigs, The Old Mill, The Country Cousin, and with the Eastman Studio Orchestra. This year’s Music Land. The performance showcases a wide program features all Disney animation in the variety of musical styles from symphonic to lively beautiful setting of Kodak Hall at Eastman jazz all under the baton of maestro Mark Watters. Theatre. Tonight’s program features seven of the finest Silly Symphonies produced at Disney, –By David A. Bossert which includes five that won Academy Awards © for Best Animated Short. And we are especially The Skeleton Dance (1929) thankful to Disney Concerts for make tonight’s The Skeleton Dance is the first Silly Symphony presentation possible. created at the Disney Studios. It was produced and directed by Walt Disney and animated by The Silly Symphony shorts grew out of a discussion Ub Iwerks, Les Clark, and Wilfred Jackson. The between Walt Disney and his first musical animation is of four human skeletons dancing director Carl Stalling. The concept was simple, and making music in a graveyard at night. The could a musical composition be completed first skeletons go through a series of gags during this and then the story and animation created to that six-minute short including one inventive moment score. The Silly Symphony shorts were different in which one skeleton plays a standup bass by from the popular Mickey Mouse and the later fiddling a bow over a cat’s tail that has been Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto cartoon in that they stretched as the strings of the instrument. And did not feature any of the standard characters a skeleton plays the “xylophone” using bones as but were considered as one-off cartoons. There mallets on the spine of another skeleton posing were some exceptions where a few of the shorts as the instrument. had sequels. The music, of course, was composed by Carl In all, Disney produced 75 Silly Symphony shorts Stalling and based on a “foxtrot set in a minor during a ten-year period from 1929 through 1939. key” according to a late 1960s interview with the Many of these shorts were used to experiment with composer. A foxtrot is a dance usually noted by special effects and camera techniques. Tonight’s long, continuous and smooth movements around program features the very first Silly Symphony, the dance floor and was popular during the 1930s. The Skeleton Dance, and the last one, The Ugly

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 19 program note

This black & white short opens with a flash the process until after September of 1935 giving of lightning and the close up on a pair of eyes Disney a competitive edge in the marketplace. with the camera pulling back revealing an owl silhouetted against a full moon. A dilapidated Flowers and Trees showcases nature in all its graveyard and old church are revealed complete springtime glory coming to life, literally with with howling dog, bats in the belfry, a spider anthropomorphic trees and flowers. The trees and fighting cats before the appearance of and flowers begin by waking up, yawning, and the first skeleton. The other skeletons emerge washing. Once refreshed, a male tree creates a and go through a series of dancing routines and harp-like instrument by stretching some vines sight gags. down from a bent tree trunk and playing music. A female tree begins to dance slightly while Towards the end of this short a rooster crows another tree conducts a group of chirping birds on a cock-a-doodle-do, denoting sunrise and the its arm-like limb and flowers dance about. beginning of a new day, which the skeletons react to in a classic cartoon take. Running around The music was composed by Bert Lewis and they smash into one another breaking apart into Frank Churchill and uses a number of familiar a pile of bones and then reconfiguring into one public domain tunes. Musically the short starts giant quadruped-like animal, with many extra out with a serene quality, which harkens back to legs, running back to an open grave, jumping in Walt Disney’s midwestern roots in Marceline, with the grave cover bouncing back on top and Missouri. Many of the scores for the Silly Symphony an iris out to black. shorts have a simpler more languid, symphonic quality in comparison to the jazz based themes As you watch these shorts tonight, pay close found in the Fleischer cartoons being produced in attention to the stylistic development of the New York at the time. animation. In each successive short the animation becomes more sophisticated and the That symphonic pastoral score plays as the overall production value increases. You can see courtship begins between the young male and the animation craft evolving over tonight’s female tree characters with the guy giving a program, all of which was leading down the flower tiara to the girl. The music quickly changes artistic path of eventually doing a feature length as rather creepy, villainous old tree grabs the girl animated film. and starts dragging her off. The introduction of conflict was something that was absent from Flowers and Trees (1932) some of the earlier seasonally themed shorts. The Silly Symphony short Flowers and Trees began as a black & white production but was quickly The young male tree rescues her and does battle scrapped when the decision was made to use a with the old villainous tree eventually forcing him new Technicolor three-strip color process. Up until backwards and tripping over a rock. The villain that point all the Disney animated shorts were falls on his back, arms folded and pretending to in black & white. Walt Disney, convinced of the be dead, a flower walking onto his chest while potential of this new color process, negotiated a the well-known Funeral March theme by Chopin contract with Technicolor for the exclusive use of plays. But the creepy tree is not dead. Getting three-strip process in animation. This effectively up, he starts a fire as revenge against the young prevented other animation studios from using tree couple.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 20 program note

Some of the other trees try to outrun the fire pigs as well as the Big Bad Wolf in comparison while the flowers attempt to extinguish it using to the characters in the previous short, Flowers water in a series of gags. The young male tree, and Trees. protecting his love interest, continues to try and stamp out the fire. Meanwhile, the flames attack Carl Stalling who went on to become the legendary the creepy tree that set the fire to begin with. music director/composer for the classic Warner Bros. Looney Tunes composed the score for The Eventually a group of birds punch holes into Three Little Pigs. a cloud and it begins to rain and the fire is dowsed. Vultures circle the charred remains of This short featured the song Who’s Afraid of the the creepy, old tree and the forest is renewed Big Bad Wolf?, which became a smash hit in to a sense of order once again. And the short the 1930s. Frank Churchill wrote the song with ends with nuptials for the young couple and the additional lyrics by Ann Ronell. Mary Moder and ubiquitous Wedding March in C major by Felix Dorothy Compton, who voiced Fiddler Pig and Mendelssohn. This is one of Mendelssohn’s best Fifer Pig respectively, sang it in the film. Billy known pieces which he wrote and is from a suite Bletcher voiced the Big Bad Wolf and is best of music for Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer known for voicing Peg Leg Pete. Night’s Dream. Aside from the commercial success of Who’s The Three Little Pigs (1933) Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?, Frank Churchill wrote The Three Little Pigs is arguably one of the most some of the most endearing music in the Disney successful and well known of the Silly Symphony catalogue. Among those include Heigh-Ho, Whistle series. It is based on the popular fairy tale of the While You Work, and Some Day My Prince Will same name, which dates back hundreds of years. Come from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Disney interpretation is the most recognized He co-wrote the Academy Award © winning version and went on to win the 1934 Academy score for Dumbo and was nominated with Ned Award for Best Animated Short Film. Washington for Best Song from that film for Baby Mine. Churchill was also nominated It is the story of three swine brothers, Practical posthumously for co-writing the score for Bambi Pig, Fiddler Pig and Fifer Pig, who each build their as well as the song, Love is a Song, from that film. own homes. Fifer Pig plays the flute “doesn't give a hoot and plays around all day” and builds his Finally, it is certainly worth noting that the home of straw. Fiddler Pig “plays on his fiddle and Library of Congress added The Three Little Pigs dances all kinds of jigs” builds his home out of to the National Film Registry in 2007. According sticks and, of course, Practical Pig who plays the to the Library of Congress, “Under the terms of piano builds his house out of bricks and mortar. the National Film Preservation Act of 1992, each We all know the outcome of this story once the Big year the Librarian of Congress, with advice from Bad Wolf shows up! the National Film Preservation Board, names 25 films to the National Film Registry to be The animation in this short was done by a number preserved for all time. The films are chosen of Disney legends including Fred Moore, Norm because they are “culturally, historically or Ferguson, Art Babbitt, and Dick Lundy. The short aesthetically” significant.” was a milestone in adding personality to the animated characters. You can see this in the EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 21 program note

The Country Cousin’ (1936) Abner slurping champagne, licking the side of the The County Cousin’ won a Best Animated Short glass for every last drop, and slumping into the Award at the ninth annual Academy Awards © shallow, broad-bowl of the glass like a lounge ceremony in 1936. It is based on the Aesop Fable, chair is a wonderful display of his animation The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, which prowess. He is also credited with developing the tells the story of a country mouse named Abner character Goofy and animated the Evil Queen in coming to the big city to visit his cousin Monty. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Geppetto in Pinocchio. This was one of the more popular Silly Symphony cartoons and showcases advancements in As with all Silly Symphony cartoons, this short character animation with much stronger poses, was created around a score. This one was more naturally fluid motion, and snappier action. written by Leigh Harline. His scores are noted for Abner and Monty display much personality in their “musical sophistication that was uniquely their animation, which shows the further honing ‘Harline-esque,’ by weaving rich tapestries of the animation craft at Disney. This short of mood-setting underscores and penning pushes the art form, which benefited from the memorable melodies for animated shorts training going on at the studio during those years. and features.” It was a reflection of the desire to eventually do a feature film. One of the very interesting aspects of this cartoon is that a storybook of the same title was Some of the animators that were assigned to issued when the film was released to theaters. this short included Jack Hannah, Les Clark, Art David McKay Company of Philadelphia printed Babbitt, and Cy Young handling effects. It should The Country Cousin’s picture book; at the be noted that Art Babbitt and Les Clark did the time they were a large publisher of literature, bulk of the animation for The Country Cousin’ short textbooks, comics and children’s books. Issuing with the others doing some additional animation. a book simultaneously with the release of the film was a common practice in the 1930s for the Les Clark had joined Disney in 1927. He worked most popular Silly Symphony cartoons including on the original Mickey Mouse cartoons as an the earlier The Three Little Pigs, which had a assistant to Ub Iwerks and began animating on book of its own as well. It is a great example of the Silly Symphony Skeleton Dance in 1929. On the merchandise tie-ins that Disney pioneered The Country Cousin’ he animated much of the and is known for. section with Abner and Monty on top of table where they sample the cheese just before Abner The Old Mill (1937) spots the Champagne. He went on to animated The Academy Award © winning The Old Mill was on most of the features from Snow White and released on November 5,1937. This is one of my the Seven Dwarfs through One Hundred and favorite Silly Symphony shorts because it was full One Dalmatians. of testing and experimentation. The animated effects and camera/optical techniques developed Art Babbitt started at Disney as an assistant and proved out in The Old Mill were then employed and became a top animator and director. His in the first animated feature, Snow White and the first great piece of animation is considered the Seven Dwarfs. drunk Abner animation in The Country Cousin’.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 22 program note

The film centers on an old abandoned windmill The Old Mill won Academy Award © for Best in the country and the animals that populate Animated Short Film in 1937. It was added to the the structure and surrounding area. It starts National Film Registry in 2015. out placid until a summer storm starts to build complete with wind blowing, rain pelting, and The Ugly Duckling (1939) lightning. Many of the legendary Disney effects This version of The Ugly Duckling is actually animators worked on this short including a remake of the black & white Silly Symphony Cy Young, Dan McManus, George Rowley and Ugo that was made in 1931. Both are based on the D’Orsi among others. Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale of the same name which tells the story of a homely looking These were the artists that went on to form the duck who is ostracized until he grows into a first special effects department at Disney beautiful swan. animation studio and contributed their talents to some of the most memorable moments if the There are some basic similarities between the early feature films. For example, the ocean water two versions but they are also quite different effects in the Monstro the Whale sequence in as well. The 1939 color short is truer in tone to Pinocchio and the forest fire in Bambi. The effects the original fairy tale and a more pleasing story artists developed realistic representations of interpretation then the black & white 1931 short. rain, fire, water ripples, lightning, reflections, and This one won the Academy Award © for 1939 other natural phenomenon. Academy Award for Best Animated Short and was the last of the 75 Silly Symphony cartoons made. The Old Mill is also the first film to use the famed Disney multiplane camera which added The music, although un-credited in the short, is the illusion of three-dimensional depth to the attributed to Albert Hay Malotte who is known animated films. The multiplane camera also for writing stock music for films in the 1930s allowed for the use of special optical effects and 1940s. He also composed twenty-two Silly such as complex top and bottom light effects; Symphony shorts and is also well-known for the and the use of ripple glass, which were plates Lord’s Prayer. of optically clear glass that had special patterns ground in them to achieve various types of Musicland (1935) rippled distortions when artwork was filmed Musicland, which was released eighty-one years through the glass. ago in 1935, epitomizes this idea of crafting stories around pieces of music. This short The music for The Old Mill was written by Leigh revolves around a romance between a princess Harline and incorporates Johann Strauss’ song and prince, which causes a war between the One Day When We Were Young from the operetta Land of Symphony and the Isle of Jazz. It is a take The Gypsy Baron. Harline is best known for on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet as only Disney composing the song When You Wish Upon a could do in animation. Star from Pinocchio, which won an Academy Award © for Best Original Song. Harline wrote All of the characters and architecture are the song with Ned Washington and it has become derived from musical instruments. It showcases ubiquitous to The Walt Disney Company. the inventiveness of the artists to craft an entire world around elements found in music, including

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 23 program note sheet music and music notes. The filmmakers use We truly hope that you enjoy tonight’s presentation the score to create the character dialogue as well of these classic Silly Symphony animated shorts as the sound effects for the action. from The Walt Disney Company along with the live musical accompaniment by the Eastman The main focus is on the princess from Land of Studio Orchestra. Symphony falling in love with the prince from the Isle of Jazz. The Queen of the Land of Symphony Dave Bossert disapproves and when the prince mistakenly Producer/Creative Director kisses her, she has him arrested and thrown in a The Walt Disney Company metronome prison. The prince manages to write out a musical note and gives it to a bird to take Sources referenced include the author’s own back to his father, the King of the Isle of Jazz. research, studio achieves, and original production notes, where available, for the various films. The two lands go to war. The princess tries to stop it by waving a white flag and paddling a raft About the Author out into the Sea of Discord. Her raft is destroyed David A. Bossert is an award winning artist, by gunfire from the Isle of Jazz and she flounders filmmaker, and author. He is a 32 year veteran in the water and begins to drown. The prince of The Walt Disney Company is currently serving paddles a raft out to save her and his raft is hit as a producer and creative director. Dave is by a music note and destroyed. He swims to the considered an authority and expert on Disney princess to rescue her. animation and history. He co-authored Disney Animated, which was named iPad App of 2013 The Queen realizes the desperate situation and by Apple and won a prestigious British Academy stops the shelling from the Land of Symphony. The of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award. Dave King of the Isle of Jazz does the same. The King is also the author of the books: Remembering Roy and Queen respectively take boats out to rescue E. Disney: Memories and Photos of a Storied Life; the young lovers and eventually are smitten with An Animator’s Gallery: Eric Goldberg Draws the one another. The prince and princess get married Disney Characters; and Dali and Disney: Destino. and so do the King and the Queen, ultimately establishing a “Bridge of Harmony” to create the consummate happy ending.

* * *

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 24 Eastman-Ranlet Series

Sunday, March 24, 2019 Kilbourn Hall 3:00 pm

Elias String Quartet

Fantasia in E Minor, Z. 741 Henry Purcell Fantasia in D Minor, Z. 739 (1659-1695)

String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 36 Benjamin Britten Allegro calmo, senza rigore (1913-1976) Vivace Chacony: sostenuto

INTERMISSION

String Quartet No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 41, No. 1 Robert Schumann Andante espressivo — Allegro (1810-1856) Scherzo: Presto Adagio Allegro

Sara Bitlloch, violin Donald Grant, violin Simone van der Giessen, viola Marie Bitlloch, cello

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 25 guest artists

This season they present their three-concert “Schumann series” at Wigmore Hall and elsewhere, which includes a collaboration with long term musical partner and friend Jonathan Biss, and two world premieres: a newly commissioned work by Sally Beamish, and a piece written by the winner of their composition competition at Manchester’s RNCM, alongside the three Schumann string quartets. They also return to the US with concerts in Boston, San Francisco, Vancouver and Houston.

In 2009 the Elias was chosen to participate in BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists’ scheme and was also a recipient of a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. With the support of the Trust, the ELIAS QUARTET Elias Quartet mounted “The Beethoven Project”: studying and performing all of Beethoven’s Sara Bitlloch, Donald Grant violins string quartets as cycles whilst sharing Simone van der Giessen viola their experience through a special website Marie Bitlloch cello (www.thebeethovenproject.com) and social media. The project culminated with a cycle at he Elias String Quartet take their name from Wigmore Hall, all six concerts recorded live for TMendelssohn’s oratorio, Elijah, of which Elias the Wigmore live label. is its German form, and have quickly established themselves as one of the most intense and The Quartet is steadily building a recording vibrant quartets of their generation. The Quartet catalogue that has been met with widespread was formed in 1998 at the Royal Northern College critical acclaim. They have recorded the of Music in Manchester where they worked Schumann and Dvorˇák piano quintets with closely with the late Dr. Christopher Rowland. They Jonathan Biss, a Britten Quartets disc for also spent a year studying at the Hochschule in Sonimage, a Mendelssohn disc for ASV Gold Cologne with the Alban Berg quartet. Between and most recently Schumann string quartets for 2005 and 2009 they were resident String Outhere. Their two mixed programme recordings Quartet at Sheffield’s “Music in the Round” for Wigmore Live were praised unanimously, the as part of Ensemble 360, taking over from the first winning a BBC Music Magazine Newcomers Lindsay Quartet. They are now ensemble in award. The final volume of their complete residence at the RNCM and regularly go back there Beethoven Quartet Cycle had just been released. to teach and perform.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 26 EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 27 Special Presentation

Friday, March 29, 2019 Kilbourn Hall 7:30 pm Saturday, March 30, 2019 Kilbourn Hall 7:30 pm

Ying Quartet with PUSH Physical Theatre

Program to be announced from stage

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 28 guest artists

The Ying’s ongoing LifeMusic commissioning project, created in response to their commitment to expanding the rich string quartet repertoire, has already achieved an impressive history. Supported by the Institute for American Music, the Ying Quartet commissions both established and emerging composers to create music that reflects contemporary American life. Recent works include Billy Childs’ Awakening; Lera Auerbach’s Sylvia’s Diary; Lowell Liebermann’s String Quartet No. 3, To the Victims of War; Sebastian Currier’s Next Atlantis; and John Novacek’s Three Rags for String Quartet. In August 2016 the Ying Quartet released a new Schumann/ Beethoven recording on Sono Luminus with the cellist Zuill Bailey, and in 2016-17 the five toured with the Schumann Cello Concerto transcribed for cello and string quartet along with Beethoven’s “Kreutzer Sonata,” also reimagined for cello quintet. The 2017-18 season will see the Quartet continuing its work in the relatively new YING QUARTET field of medicine, music, and healing with the staff at Houston Methodist, while simultaneously “The Ying Quartet came as close to maintaining its busy touring schedule. the ideal as possible, delivering chamber music of astonishing, refreshing exaltation The Ying Quartet’s many other recordings reflect and exhilaration.” many of the group’s wide-ranging musical – The Los Angeles Times interests and have generated consistent, enthusiastic acclaim. The group’s CD “American he Ying Quartet occupies a position of unique Anthem” (Sono Luminus), heralding the music Tprominence in the classical music world, of Randall Thompson, Samuel Barber, and combining brilliantly communicative performances Howard Hanson, was released in 2013 to rave with a fearlessly imaginative view of chamber reviews; their 2007 Telarc release of the three music in today’s world. Now in its third decade, Tchaikovsky Quartets and the Souvenir de the Quartet has established itself as an Florence (with James Dunham and Paul Katz) ensemble of the highest musical qualifications. was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Their performances regularly take place in many Best Chamber Music Performance category. of the world’s most important concert halls; at the same time, the Quartet’s belief that concert The Ying Quartet first came to professional music can also be a meaningful part of everyday prominence in the early 1990s during their life has also drawn the foursome to perform in years as resident quartet of Jesup, Iowa, a farm settings as diverse as the workplace, schools, town of 2000 people. Playing before audiences juvenile prisons, and the White House. In fact, of six to six hundred in homes, schools, churches, the Ying Quartet’s constant quest to explore the and banks, the Quartet had its first opportunities creative possibilities of the string quartet has to enable music and creative endeavor to led it to an unusually diverse array of musical become an integral part of community life. The projects and interests.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 29 guest artists

Quartet considers its time in Jesup the foundation noted “Music for All” program, in which all of its present musical life and goals. students have the opportunity to perform in community settings beyond the concert hall. As quartet-in-residence at the prestigious The Quartet is the ensemble-in-residence at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, the the Bowdoin International Music Festival and Ying Quartet teaches in the string department at Arizona State University, and from 2001- and leads a rigorous, sequentially designed 2008, the members of the Ying Quartet chamber music program. One cornerstone were the Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at of chamber music activity at Eastman is the Harvard University.

Recently featured in acclaimed collaborations with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ying Quartet, and Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon’s two multi- media operas (Comala and No Se Culpe with fellow composer Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez), PUSH has also produced its own full-length works including DRACULA, Jekyll & Hyde, and Arc of Ages. Additionally, its wide-ranging repertory includes many shorter works such as “Red Ball,” a hilarious take on the interplay between the real and virtual worlds using iPad technology.

PUSH was a season finalist on TruTV’s national series, Fake Off, a competition/reality show featuring what producers dubbed “the captivating art of ‘faking’”–a mix of theatre, acrobatics, and illusion. Their performances caused judge and Glee star Harry Shum Jr. to exclaim: “You guys are superhuman!” PUSH PHYSICAL THEATRE These masters of physical storytelling have ntense athleticism, gravity-defying acrobatics, received the Community of Color/Anton Iand soulful artistry are the trademarks of Germano Dance Award, the Performing Artist award-winning, genre-defining PUSH Physical of the Year Award from the Arts & Cultural Theatre. Founded in Rochester, NY in 2000 by Council for Greater Rochester, and the University husband-and-wife team, Darren and Heather of Rochester’s Lillian Fairchild Award. Stevenson, out of a desire to “push” the boundaries of conventional theatre, PUSH has In addition to a busy touring schedule, PUSH is since earned an international reputation as one passionate about arts-in-education programs of the U.S.’s leading physical theatre companies. and runs its own summer day camp for kids, teen training, and summer intensive for adult students from all over the world. More information is available at pushtheatre.org.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 30 guest artists

DARREN AND HEATHER STEVENSON The Stevensons received the 2009 Performing (founding artistic directors/PUSHers) Artist of the Year Award from the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester, the orn and raised in England, Darren met New Community of Color/Anton Germano Dance BJersey native Heather during their mutual Award, and the University of Rochester’s Lillian studies at The Center in St. Louis. Their shared Fairchild Award in 2017 for PUSH’s collaborative love of theatre and performing planted the seeds work on a multi-media opera that brought for their relationship and eventual collaboration. together U.S. and Mexican artists.

After founding the Studio School of the Arts Cross-genre collaborations with other world- in Atlanta, Georgia, the couple relocated to renowned artists are becoming more and more Rochester, NY with their two children in 2000. frequent for the genre-defining company, such There, they created PUSH Physical Theatre, as its recent partnerships with the Rochester growing it over the next 18 years into the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ying Quartet. international touring company that it is today.

Did you know… The first string quartet from Great Britain to perform at Eastman was the London String Quartet, founded in 1908. It appeared on six different occasions between 1923 and 1932. Vincent Lenti

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 31 KILBOURN CONCERT SERIES

Tuesday, April 9, 2019 Kilbourn Hall 7:30 pm

Roby Lakatos Ensemble

Program to be announced from stage

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 32 guest artists

ROBY LAKATOS enchanted ears.” From early childhood, Roby Lakatos lived with the musical tradition of his oby Lakatos is not only a virtuoso on the family – he played in his uncle Sándor and Rviolin, but also an extremely versatile father Antal’s band and appeared as the first musician who is equally adept to performing violinist of a Gipsy orchestra at the age of nine. classical music, jazz and the folk idiom of his home country of Hungary. He is hard to define: Thus, he learned the tradition of violin technique most often, he is described as a Gypsy violinist, and ornamentation at an early age, but also a devil’s fiddler, classical master, jazz gained formal education at the Béla Bartók improviser, composer and arranger – and Conservatory in Budapest. After winning the his unique artistic personality is all that. He first prize for violin at the age of 19, he left for is a universal musician combining brilliant Belgium and first played in Liège, and then in technique that makes him one of the best the newly opened club Les Ateliers de la Grande violinists in the world with creativity in Ile in Brussels, which quickly became a hotspot improvisation and composing power. thanks to him and his ensemble. In the ten years of performing in the club, the ensemble Roby Lakatos was born in 1965 to a legendary attracted numerous fans: the shows were family of Romani musicians as a member of regularly visited by Sir Yehudi Menuhin, for the seventh generation of direct descendants example, and Roby made connections and to János Bihari - the famous “King of Gipsy collaborated with a number of musicians, Violinists”, who was admired by Ludwig van including violinist Vadim Repin and his role Beethoven, introduced Johannes Brahms to the model for violin jazz music performances themes for his Hungarian Dances and of whom Stéphane Grappelli. Franz Liszt said: “The sweet tones drawn from his magic violin fell like drops of nectar on our

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 33 guest artists

His concert career developed gradually, and the prestigious German Echo Klassik award, now Roby Lakatos spends most of his time was followed by four more releases for Deutsche performing in various stages around the world. Grammophon: Lakatos Gold and Post Phrasing His ensemble has appeared, among other (1998/1999), Live From Budapest (1999), and places, at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, As Time Goes By (2002) offering an equally in Académies Musicales de Saintes, Ottawa exciting combination of jazz and Gipsy music Chamber Music Festival, Ludwigsburg idioms with contemporary and classical Schloßfestspiele and the Helsinki Festival, elements. Apart from recording for other labels – as well as in prestigious concert halls (Santa With Musical Friends (Universal, 2001), Cecilia in Rome, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Kinoshita Meets Lakatos (Prime Direction, Zankel Hall – Carnegie Hall in New York). His Inc., 2002), Prokofiev... (Avanticlassic, 2005), versatility has given him and his ensemble Fire Dance (Avantijazz, 2005) and Klezmer the opportunity to collaborate with major Karma (Avanticlassic, 2006) – Roby Lakatos orchestras–The London Symphony Orchestra, also started his own label Lakatos Recording French National Radio Orchestra, Dresden Company to present somewhat different music, Philharmonic Orchestra, to name a few – as i.e. experimental works such as the project well as with numerous exceptional artists, named The Legend of the Toad (2004), which including Giora Feidman, Herbie Hancock, is a sort of musical story told through his Joshua Bell, Maksim Vengerov, Nigel Kennedy performances and the performances of his and Randy Brecker. In Hong Kong, Taiwan and ensemble whose member, pianist Kálmán Japan he first performed in 1999, and has Cséki, also arranged the music. since been regularly playing in Asia. He records for Hungarian and Belgian television Except for his long-time associate, violinist networks and has also appeared on German Lászlo Bóni, Roby Lakatos’s ensemble today television an German national radio stations, is composed of young virtuoso musicians as well as on BBC in London. with classical musical education who are also well versed in the folklore tradition of He plays a rare instrument made by the 18th Hungarian Gypsies. century Venetian violin maker Anselmo Bellosi. Roby currently takes a leading role in production Seven years after the release of their 1991 of the project Lakatos Rock Tales. The idea of album Gypsy Syle for MW Records, The Roby the project is to travel through the chronological Lakatos Ensemble recorded their first CD for evolution of rock music from the ‘60s, so Deutsche Grammophon, titled Lakatos. With a fertile and enthralled with that new sound that presentation of a unique style, which is a fusion involved the enthusiasm of millions of young of typical Gipsy music elements and jazz with people around the world and made artists improvisation as an important feature and interact of the most diverse extras, to our day. specific technical effects, some of which he created himself (such as the fascinating left- The originality of this musical program is based hand pizzicato), Roby Lakatos and his ensemble on the cooperation and unique sound produced also reflected a universal approach to the by musicians who despite of coming from musical material by including on their CD different musical genres – classical, jazz, rock, the works by composers ranging from Zoltán traditional Gipsy style – they found the common Kodály and Johannes Brahms to John Williams’s language of music: iconic pop-rock songs in a music for Schindler’s List and Charles Aznavour’s unique form full of fantasy and improvisation. chanson La Bohème. This album, which received

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 34 EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 35 Eastman-Ranlet Series

Sunday, April 14, 2019 Kilbourn Hall 3:00 pm

Ying Quartet

String Quartet No. 2 in F Major, Op. 22 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Adagio—Moderato assai (1840-1893) Allegro giusto Andante ma non tanto Allegro con moto

INTERMISSION

String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 Franz Schubert Allegro ma non troppo (1797-1828) Adagio Scherzo Allegretto

Ahrim Kim, cello

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 36 guest artists

The Ying’s ongoing LifeMusic commissioning project, created in response to their commitment to expanding the rich string quartet repertoire, has already achieved an impressive history. Supported by the Institute for American Music, the Ying Quartet commissions both established and emerging composers to create music that reflects contemporary American life. Recent works include Billy Childs’ Awakening; Lera Auerbach’s Sylvia’s Diary; Lowell Liebermann’s String Quartet No. 3, To the Victims of War; Sebastian Currier’s Next Atlantis; and John Novacek’s Three Rags for String Quartet. In August 2016 the Ying Quartet released a new Schumann/ Beethoven recording on Sono Luminus with the cellist Zuill Bailey, and in 2016-17 the five toured with the Schumann Cello Concerto transcribed for cello and string quartet along with YING QUARTET Beethoven’s “Kreutzer Sonata,” also reimagined for cello quintet. The 2017-18 season will see the “The Ying Quartet came as close to Quartet continuing its work in the relatively new the ideal as possible, delivering chamber field of medicine, music, and healing with the music of astonishing, refreshing exaltation staff at Houston Methodist, while simultaneously and exhilaration.” maintaining its busy touring schedule. – The Los Angeles Times The Ying Quartet’s many other recordings reflect he Ying Quartet occupies a position of unique many of the group’s wide-ranging musical prominence in the classical music world, T interests and have generated consistent, combining brilliantly communicative performances enthusiastic acclaim. The group’s CD “American with a fearlessly imaginative view of chamber Anthem” (Sono Luminus), heralding the music music in today’s world. Now in its third decade, of Randall Thompson, Samuel Barber, and the Quartet has established itself as an Howard Hanson, was released in 2013 to rave ensemble of the highest musical qualifications. reviews; their 2007 Telarc release of the three Their performances regularly take place in many Tchaikovsky Quartets and the Souvenir de of the world’s most important concert halls; at Florence (with James Dunham and Paul Katz) the same time, the Quartet’s belief that concert was nominated for a Grammy Award in the music can also be a meaningful part of everyday Best Chamber Music Performance category. life has also drawn the foursome to perform in settings as diverse as the workplace, schools, The Ying Quartet first came to professional juvenile prisons, and the White House. In fact, prominence in the early 1990s during their the Ying Quartet’s constant quest to explore the years as resident quartet of Jesup, Iowa, a farm creative possibilities of the string quartet has town of 2000 people. Playing before audiences led it to an unusually diverse array of musical of six to six hundred in homes, schools, churches, projects and interests. and banks, the Quartet had its first opportunities to enable music and creative endeavor to

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 37 guest artists become an integral part of community life. The noted “Music for All” program, in which all Quartet considers its time in Jesup the foundation students have the opportunity to perform in of its present musical life and goals. community settings beyond the concert hall. The Quartet is the ensemble-in-residence at As quartet-in-residence at the prestigious the Bowdoin International Music Festival and Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, the at Arizona State University, and from 2001- Ying Quartet teaches in the string department 2008, the members of the Ying Quartet and leads a rigorous, sequentially designed were the Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at chamber music program. One cornerstone Harvard University. of chamber music activity at Eastman is the

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 38 Eastman Presents

Friday, April 12, 2019 Kodak Hall 7:30 pm

Joshua Bell & David Zinman with Eastman Philharmonia

Die Hebriden Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 Max Bruch Vorspiel: Allegro moderato (1838-1920) Adagio Finale: Allergo energico

INTERMISSION

Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61 Robert Schumann Sostenuto assai— Allegro, ma non troppo (1810-1856) Scherzo: Allegro vivace Adagio espressivo Allegro molto vivace

Joshua Bell appears by arrangement with Park Avenue Artists (www.ParkAvenueArtists.com) and Primo Artists (www.PrimoArtists.com)

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 39 guest artists

Hollywood Bowl. In the Fall, he joins the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and partakes in the New York Philharmonic’s celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s centennial, performing Bernstein’s Serenade led by Alan Gilbert. A nine-city North American recital tour with pianist Alessio Bax includes Chicago’s Symphony Center and Washington D.C.’s Strathmore Center. He makes appearances with the Vienna Symphony and the Monte Carlo Philharmonic and performs multiple concerts at London’s Wigmore Hall with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. In Spring 2018, Bell continues with the Academy in tours covering the United Kingdom, United States and Asia, with highlights in London, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing and Shanghai. With pianist Sam Haywood, he performs 10 recitals in Europe and America that take them to the JOSHUA BELL Philharmonie de Paris, Zurich Tonhalle and Primoartists.com beyond. On February 7, 2018, Bell reunites with longtime collaborator pianist Jeremy Denk ith a career spanning more than 30 years for a recital broadcast live from Carnegie Was a soloist, chamber musician, recording Hall. Further season highlights include the artist and conductor, Joshua Bell is one of Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Yannick the most celebrated violinists of his era. An Nézet-Séguin and Cristian Maˇcelaru, Danish exclusive Sony Classical artist, Bell has National Symphony with Maˇcelaru, and an recorded more than 40 CDs garnering Grammy, all-Beethoven play/direct program with the Mercury, Gramophone and Echo Klassik awards Orchestre National de Lyon. and is the recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize. Named the Music Director of the Academy of Convinced of the value of music as a diplomatic St Martin in the Fields in 2011, he is the only and educational tool, Bell participated in person to hold this post since Sir Neville President Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958. Humanities’ first cultural mission to Cuba. He is also involved in Turnaround Arts, another In Summer 2017, Bell leads the Academy of project implemented by the Committee and St. Martin in the Fields in residency appearances the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing at the Edinburgh Festival and the Bravo! Vail Arts, which provides arts education to low- Festival. He performs as soloist at the BBC performing elementary and middle schools. Bell Proms in London with the Royal Philharmonic has performed for three U.S. Presidents as well Orchestra and Charles Dutoit, Lincoln Center’s as the President of China and devoted himself Mostly Mozart Festival, Tanglewood and the to several charitable causes, most notably

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 40 guest artists

Education Through Music, which put instruments in In 2013, Sony released Bell’s holiday CD, Musical the hands of thousands of children in America’s Gifts from Joshua Bell and Friends, featuring inner cities. collaborations with Chris Botti, Chick Corea, Gloria Estefan, Renée Fleming, Plácido Domingo, Planned for August 2018 release is a 14 CD Alison Krauss and others. Other releases include set of Bell’s Sony recording highlights. In French Impressions with pianist Jeremy Denk, September 2016, Sony Classical released Bell’s featuring sonatas by Saint-Saëns, Ravel and newest album, For the Love of Brahms with Franck, At Home with Friends, Vivaldi’s The the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, cellist Four Seasons with the Academy of St Martin in Steven Isserlis and pianist Jeremy Denk. Bell’s the Fields, The Tchaikovsky Concerto with the 2014 Sony release was a Bach album recorded Berlin Philharmonic, as well as The Red Violin with the Academy that coincided with an HBO Concerto, The Essential Joshua Bell, Voice of YoungArts documentary special, Joshua Bell: the Violin, and Romance of the Violin which A Young Arts Master Class. His 2013 release Billboard named the 2004 Classical CD of the with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Year, and Bell the Classical Artist of the Year. featured him conducting Beethoven’s Fourth and Seventh symphonies and debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts.

Did you know… The Eastman Philharmonia was founded in the fall of 1958. Three years later they made a three-month tour of Europe and the Middle East under the auspices of the U.S. State Department, presenting forty-nine concerts over a period of ninety-three days. Vincent Lenti

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 41 guest artists

Konzerthaus Berlin and Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Zinman also returns to the Tonhalle- Orchester Zürich for concerts and his now world-renowned masterclasses.

He has long-standing collaborations with soloists such as Mitsuko Uchida, Alfred Brendel, Yefim Bronfman, Radu Lupu, Truls Mørk, Lisa Batiashvili, Gil Shaham, Julia Fischer, Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax and András Schiff.

David Zinman’s extensive discography of more than 100 recordings has earned him numerous international honours, particularly for his interpretation of Beethoven’s symphonies with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, including five Grammy awards, two Grand Prix du Disque, two Edison Prizes, the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis and a Gramophone Award. Recent releases include a 50 DAVID ZINMAN CD box set David Zinman: Great Symphonies – The Zurich Years, which commemorates his onductor Laureate of the Tonhalle-Orchester recording legacy with the Tonhalle-Orchester. CZürich, having completed his 19-year tenure as Music Director in summer 2014, David In 2000 the French Ministry of Culture awarded Zinman has held positions as Music Director David Zinman the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Rochester des Arts et des Lettres, and in October 2002 the Philharmonic and Baltimore Symphony City of Zürich Art Prize was awarded to him for orchestras and more recently at the Orchestre his outstanding artistic efforts – making him the Français des Jeunes, Principal Conductor of first conductor and first non-Swiss recipient of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, and this award. More recently, Zinman received the Music Director of the Aspen Music Festival and prestigious Theodore Thomas Award in recognition School and American Academy of Conducting. of outstanding achievement and extraordinary service to one’s colleagues in advancing the art A regular guest with the world’s leading and science of conducting. In 2008 he won the orchestras, this season includes appearances Midem Classical Artist of the Year award for with Wiener Symphoniker for their season his work with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. He opening conducting Mahler Symphony No.2, was also the 1997 recipient of the prestigious as well as Orchestre national de Lyon, Orchestre Ditson Award from Columbia University in de Paris, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, recognition of his exceptional commitment to the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, performance of works by American composers.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 42 EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 43 Eastman Presents Series, Barbara B. Smith World Music Series

Saturday, April 20, 2019 Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre 7:30 pm

Afro-Cuban All Stars

Program to be announced from stage

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 44 guest artists

amongst others). At university he studied hydraulic engineering and Russian before working as a consultant at the Agronomic Science Institute, gaining his doctorate in 1989. While at university he co-founded the group Sierra Maestra in 1978. Styled as a traditional Cuban septeto group (tres, trumpet, bass, percussion and vocals), the dynamic young band’s aim was to bring about an appreciation of Cuban son by the youth of the island. The band achieved great success, recording fourteen albums in Cuba, touring Africa and Europe and receiving various awards.

In 1994, Juan de Marcos began his association AFRO-CUBAN ALL STARS with the London based record label World Circuit, when the band recorded the album fter gaining international fame for reviving ‘¡Dundunbanza!’. For this recording, World Athe classic sound of Cuban son, tres master Circuit’s Nick Gold encouraged the group Juan de Marcos turned the Afro-Cuban All to expand their line-up to include piano, Stars into a sensational showcase for Cuba’s congas and a trumpet section in a tribute to the most prodigious young musicians. While long forties and fifties styles of Arsenio Rodríguez. revered in Latin America and Europe as a Having found success and a common ground, founding member of Cuba’s great son revival de Marcos and Gold looked to develop this band Sierra Maestra, de Marcos first gained understanding further with a big band recording notice in the US as founder of the Buena Vista in Havana, featuring the neglected stars of Social Club. It was de Marcos who assembled this ‘golden age’ of Cuban music. Ibrahim Ferrer, Eliades Ochoa, Ruben Gonzalez and the rest of the crew for Ry Cooder when Juan de Marcos had long harbored a dream he came to Havana looking for illustrious old to put together a band combining the ‘old timers. But de Marcos is just as interested in masters’ and the new generation of Cuban promoting Cuba’s brilliant young musicians as musicians. “I wanted to mix the generations in highlighting Cuba’s senior talent. The Afro- so there is the experience of the older guys Cuban All Stars not only features a rotating, and the energy of the younger players”, says multi-generational cast; the group draws on Juan. He went in search of his heroes and both classic Cuban styles, like son and danzón, found many of them ‘retired’ from music, and contemporary dance rhythms like timba. forgotten figures delighted that someone “What I’m trying to do is create a bridge between was showing faith in them. He recruited the contemporary and traditional Cuban music,” de singers Manuel ‘Puntillita’ Licea, Pío Leyva and Marcos says. “I’m trying to mix both things so Raúl Planas, all in their seventies. Despite the people can realize that Cuban music didn’t stop doubts of others in his ability to still reach the in time, that it developed in this long period when heights, he approached the legendary pianist Cuban music disappeared from the market.” Rubén González. Rubén did not own a piano, so Juan found him a place to practice and Juan de Marcos was born in Havana in 1954 encouraged him to rehearse with his chosen and grew up surrounded by music (his father bass player, Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López. Juan was a singer and played with Arsenio Rodríguez

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 45 guest artists continued to assemble his dream band and making an album with Rubén González in the the Afro-Cuban All Stars were born. two days remaining, Juan was recruited as musical director for that project as well. In Juan de Marcos and Gold planned to record 2000, he also collaborated on the debut album two albums in Havana’s EGREM studios in by Ibrahim Ferrer. 1997: the debut from the All Stars and a collaboration between West African and Following the albums’ release Juan de Marcos Eastern Cuban musicians for which Gold had led the Afro-Cuban All Stars and Rubén invited Ry Cooder as producer. Due to passport González on their debut European and U.S. complications the African musicians were tours and directed the only ever two Buena unable to travel to the recording. However, the Vista Social Club concerts in Amsterdam and two week recording trip yielded an extraordinary New York’s Carnegie Hall. trio of albums: The debut albums from the Afro-Cuban All Stars A Toda Cuba le Gusta Despite the new-found worldwide success and Ruben Gonzalez’ Introducing… and the of Cuban music, it is the appreciation of the Buena Vista Social Club. music within Cuba itself that Juan de Marcos finds most satisfying. “When you live in an The All Stars album was the first to be isolated country you always think things are recorded and Juan de Marcos’s band provided better elsewhere. Because of that the influence both the springboard and many of the of American music has been very strong. musicians for the Buena Vista album that People were trying to play American music followed. The All Stars’ rhythm section was before they learned Cuban music. We have to retained along with the band’s trumpet soloist use what is good from around the world, but ‘Guajiro’ Mirabal, pianist Rubén González and first we have to be conscious of the importance various singers. The great Santiago guitarist of our own music. A few years ago young and singer Eliades Ochoa and the laoud player Cuban musicians didn’t care about real Cuban Barbarito Torres had already been recruited at music. Now there are hundreds of bands Gold’s suggestion. The day after the All Stars playing traditional music. Of course music album was completed Ry Cooder arrived in will change, there will be new dances and Havana to be greeted by this ensemble for styles. But we are going to keep the roots. I the start of what was to become the Buena am very confident about that.” Vista Social Club. Other musicians were added during the sessions including the singer The impact of these albums internationally Ibrahim Ferrer (who was at the time also would also affect the music industry in Cuba; ‘retired’) whom Juan contacted and brought not only did it resurrect the career of several to the studio within hours of Cooder’s request ‘forgotten’ legends, but left the record buying for a ‘singer with a soft voice’. Juan de Marcos public worldwide with an appetite for Cuban acted as consultant, coordinator and conductor music, and a receptiveness to new recordings during the sessions and when Gold suggested that previously didn’t exist. As for the Afro-Cuban

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 46 guest artists

All Stars, they evolved from being a musical Juan de Marcos is not a man to stand still dream, to a one-off recording, to the formation and although he will continue his association of a full-time touring and recording group. with World Circuit, Juan formed his own production company/ record label, ‘ DM Ahora’ Having been instrumental in the formation of to deal with the wealth of talent in Cuba. In the project, Juan de Marcos moved center addition to his continued involvement with the stage with his new edition Afro-Cuban All development of Cuban music, Juan de Marcos Stars and their ambitious new, forward-looking has also maintained the Afro-Cuban All Stars album Distinto, diferente. “We have to use as an active touring band, performing to all the heritage of Cuban music to create a ecstatic audiences around the globe. 2004 sound of the future,” says Juan. “It’s important saw the release of a live CD/DVD from the to have that continuity and to fight for the group, and the accompanying tour included identity of Cuban music.” Whilst retaining the a series of concerts with World Circuit’s stars of the debut album, the follow up record Senegalese superstars Orchestra Baobab. brought in some additional legendary figures The long awaited third studio album from the of Cuban music including Omara Portuondo, group ‘Step Forward’ was released in 2005 Lina Borges, Polo Tamayo, Jesús ‘Aguaje’ Ramos, on DM Ahora, and the group embarked on a and Amadito Valdés. Some prominent names world tour continuing through 2006. from current generation of Cuban music such as Orlando ‘Maracas’ Valle, David Alfaro, and What direction the Afro-Cuban All Stars go in Yaure Muñiz, showcased their talents on this next remains to be seen, but with Juan de album. The result is again multi-generational Marcos at the helm, one can be sure they are but with a sound much closer to the vanguard in safe hands. of Cuban dance music, with lyrics – in some cases – that have even greater social Discogs.com relevance now.

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 47 Barbara B. Smith World Music Series

Monday, April 29, 2019 Kilbourn Hall 7:30 pm

Gamelan Lila Muni & Gamelan Sanjiwani

Gamelan Sanjiwani

Jaya Semara (1964) I Wayan Beratha (1924-2014)

Panij Semirang (1942/43) I Nyoman Kaler (1892-unk.)

Sekar Genotan (ca. 1930) I Wayan Lotring (1883-1983)

Persimpangan (2011) Lena Nietfeld (b. 1985)

Membawa gunug (2018) Evan Henry (b. 1990)

Gamelan Lila Muni

Puspanjali (1989) I Nyoman Windha (b. 1954) arr. I Nyoman Suadin

Janger I Nyoman Windha adpt. I Nyoman Suadin

Margapati (1942) I Gede Manik (1912-1984) adpt. I Nyoman Suadin

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 48 guest artists

Since 1993, Eastman Gamelan has provided students and members of the Rochester community the privilege to learn music from two very different Balinese gamelan ensembles: Gamelan Lila Muni (Heavenly Sound) and Gamelan Sanjiwani (Life Force). Gamelan Lila Muni is an ancient four-tone gamelan angklung which traditionally performs music for rituals and ceremonies. Gamelan Sangi Wani, of the five-tone gamelan gong kebyar, is an ensemble developed in the 20th century associated with youthful exuberance and characterized by explosive changes in tempo and dynamics.

Eastman’s gamelan ensembles perform throughout the northeastern United States and in Canada in programs of traditional and contemporary Balinese music, present interactive workshops for audiences of all ages, and engage in creative ANUBRATA CHATTERJEE collaborations with Western musicians and composers. In recent years, we have collaborated amelan at Eastman, as in Bali, is a with Bobby McFerrin and the Paul Winter Consort, Gcommunal effort. Our members include and have premiered new compositions by Eastman students, faculty, and staff, as well composers Wayne Vitale, Robert Morris, Jennifer as many members of the Rochester community. Fontana Graham, Daniel Ianantuono, John Orfe, The music is learned through the oral/aural and Payton McDonald, including a number of tradition without the use of notation, and Eastman student composers. therefore requires the players to work together closely for long periods of time. The result is New members are welcomed into the Eastman a sense of group unity and pride as the gamelan ensembles each year, regardless of audience hears the music and witnesses the musical experience. collective efforts of the ensemble.

Did you know… Perhaps the first non-Western music performed in Kilbourn Hall was a concert of traditional folk music of India performed by Wasantha Wana Singh and His Group on November 15, 1949. Vincent Lenti

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 49

EASTMAN PERFORMANCE SERIES 52