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Symphony Parnassus STEPHEN PAULSON, MUSIC DIRECTOR SAPLING HILL by KEVIN BROWN ELGAR “Enigma Variations” KORNGOLD Violin Concerto in D Major Alex Zhou, soloist CHABRIER “Joyeuse Marche” 3 P.M. SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2019 TAUBE ATRIUM THEATER, SAN FRANCISCO 2018-19 SEASON, PROGRAM 3 About Symphony Parnassus “The best of the Bay Area’s community musicians” —Michael Tilson Thomas Longtime San Francisco residents may remember Symphony Parnassus’s ancestor, the Doctors’ Symphony, which began in 1965 when a few doctors’ chamber groups coalesced for the first time into an orchestra. Lyn Giovanniello, a recent member of our string bass section, was drafted by the Doctors’ Symphony to be their first conductor. The group met regularly and presented concerts at what was then UC Hospital through the 1970s. Almost a decade after that organization folded, biophysics graduate student and amateur cellist Jonathan Davis re-established it as the more community-oriented UCSF Orchestra. He obtained funding from UCSF and started giving concerts in the UCSF Gym in 1989. Davis was able to tap an enthusiastic, supportive pool of both amateur and professional musicians from the faculty, staff and student body of UCSF as well as the local community. The UCSF Orchestra quickly grew, attracted large live jazz audiences, and earned a reputation for outstanding performances. craft cocktails After six years at the orchestra’s helm, Jonathan Davis moved to Boston to pursue his career, and Jeremy Swerling was named music director. Two years food til late later, the orchestra elected Stephen Paulson as its third music director. After being cut from UCSF’s budget in 1999, the orchestra was reorganized as a nonprofit entity with the name Symphony Parnassus, to honor its roots in San Francisco’s Parnassus Heights neighborhood. Symphony Parnassus continues to attract top musical talent from the local community. In addition to members of the UCSF community, the orchestra now includes corporate executives, IT specialists, engineers, scientists and educators, as well as music students and professionals. PROFESSIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC Over the years, Symphony Parnassus has collaborated with world-class FOR YOUR SPECIAL EVENT musicians such as pianist Robin Sutherland, violist Geraldine Walther, oboist - classical - jazz - contemporary - William Bennett and sopranos Lisa Vroman and Hope Briggs. Ballet legend Rudolph Nureyev made his West Coast conducting debut with our orchestra. Famed jazz saxophonist and composer John Handy premiered his Concerto for Jazz Soloist and Orchestra with us. With its focus on local soloists, composers and visual artists, Symphony Parnassus continues to play a unique and vital role in the Bay Area’s arts community. For further information or questions, please contact us at: Symphony Parnassus BayAreaStrings.com PO Box 225297 [email protected] San Francisco, CA 94122-5297 fell st (415) 409-6411 39 415-562-VIOL @MrTipplesSF Website: www.symphonyparnassus.org #SoulAndSpirit Email: [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/symphonyparnassus 1 Program musicians 3 p.m. Sunday, April 7, 2019 Violin I Cello Bassoon Taube Atrium Theater Vivian Ling, Jennifer Mathers, Dan Zimardi, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102 Concertmaster Principal Principal Stephen Paulson, conductor Annie Li, Naoko Maruko, Sarah Smith Associate Concertmaster Associate Principal Contrabassoon Katie Belleville Margaret Moores EMMANUEL CHABRIER (1841–1894) Andrea Booth Leo Baluk Oleksandr Kashlyuk Joyeuse Marche (1888) Jessica Greer Chris Brann Horn Helene Grotans Brian Colfer Dan Meier, 4 minutes Courtney Onodera Jozo Dujmovic Principal Gianluca Pane Nathan Leber Robin Varga ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD (1897–1957) Mitchell Perilla Maggie Nelson Peter Jilka Sevan Suni Katherine Robertson Alex Armstead Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 (1945) Violin II Bass Trumpet I. Moderato nobile Krisha Montmorency, Justin Jimenez, Chris Wilhite II. Romanze Principal Principal Franklin Davis III. Allegro assai vivace Julia Lurie, Joseph Taylor, Chrix Finne Associate Principal Associate Principal Jonathan Weber Alex Zhou, soloist Dan Ahn Richard Frazier Nina Bai Trombone 25 minutes Flute Rachel Cloues Ravi Sahae Jonathan Eldridge Darcy Mironov, Bryan Alvarez –– Intermission –– 20 minutes Jan Rhoades Principal Jenna Mauro Bass Trombone Viola Forrest Jones Oboe ( ) Hélène Wickett, Tuba EDWARD ELGAR 1857–1934 Principal Meave Cox, Carolyn Tillstrom Tom Bodenheimer, Principal Variations on an Original Theme (‘Enigma’), Op. 36 (1899) Steve Kim Associate Principal Timpani Theme (Enigma) - Andante Variation VIII - Allegretto (W.N.) Nick Blanchard English Horn Christian F. Howes Variation I - L’istesso tempo (C.A.E.) Variation IX - Moderato (Nimrod) Donna Lim Meave Cox Percussion Variation II - Allegro (H.D.S.-P.) Variation X - Intermezzo (Dorabella) Claire Morrow Jay Bordeleau Variation III - Allegretto (R.B.T.) Variation XI - Allegro di molto (G.R.S.) Joan Murray Clarinet Mike Kiely Variation IV - Allegro di molto (W.M.B.) Variation XII - Andante (B.G.N.) Merle Rabine Kyle Beard, Variation V - Moderato (R.P.A.) Variation XIII - Moderato (***Romanza) Principal Celesta Variation VI - Andantino (Ysobel) Variation XIV - Finale: Allegro (E.D.U.) Bert Baylin Variation VII - Presto (Troyte) Peter Hwang Bass Clarinet 35 minutes Harp Michael Beale Michael Steadman Please silence all cell phones and electronic devices prior to the performance. 2 3 Music Director Guest Artist Stephen Paulson has been the Violinist Alex Zhou is an “old friend” to music director of Symphony Parnassus Symphony Parnassus, having performed since 1998. Devoted to creating the best with the orchestra as a winner of the 2015 possible experience for both players and Parnassus – San Francisco Conservatory audience, he has led the ensemble through of Music Concerto Competition. a wide variety of repertoire, drawing That time, he performed the Mendelssohn on the classical canon as well as new Violin Concerto, and at this concert, he compositions. A student of George Cleve, will play the lesser-known Korngold Paulson has appeared as a guest conductor Violin Concerto, a mid-20th century with members of the San Francisco masterpiece that has found a big advocate Symphony, the Phoenix Symphony and in Alex, who just became acquainted with the New World Symphony. the piece this year. Paulson joined the San Francisco “I’ve fallen in love with it,” he said. Symphony as principal bassoonist in “It’s very unlike other staples of the 1977. Since his 1978 solo debut, he has concerto repertoire, more film-like. It’s a been a frequent soloist with the symphony, mix between classical tonality and 20th performing with conductors such as Kurt Masur, Wolfgang Sawallisch, century, not quite modernist. It’s a lot of Christopher Hogwood and Helmuth Rilling. In 1995, he was one of four SFS fun to play.” musicians invited by Sir Georg Solti to perform with the World Orchestra for Peace, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in Geneva, Over the years, he has won many prizes. In addition to winning the 2018 Parnassus Switzerland. In 2009, he was invited to be a mentor and participant in the – SFCM Concerto Competition, his recent honors include: world’s first YouTube Symphony Orchestra Summit at Carnegie Hall in New • honorable mention at the U.S. National YoungArts Competition York. He is also featured in the documentary series Keeping Score, created by • semifinalist at the 2018 International Shanghai Isaac Stern Violin Competition Michael Tilson Thomas with the San Francisco Symphony. • quarterfinalist at the 2018 International Schoenfeld String Competition In 2011, Symphony Parnassus performed Paulson’s own Bassoon Concerto with soloist Steven Dibner, SFS associate principal bassoonist. • 1st place, 2018 International Irving M. Klein String Competition. Paulson has been a faculty member of the San Francisco Conservatory of • 1st place, 2016 Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra Competition Music since 1978 and has given master classes at schools around the world, • Fourth prize and Composer’s Prize, 2014 International Menuhin including the Manhattan School of Music, the New England Conservatory, the Violin Competition Eastman School of Music, the Shanghai Conservatory, and the Juilliard School. Alex lives with his parents James Zhou and June Hu in San Jose and attends The He has taught and performed at many summer festivals, including Aspen, the King’s Academy school in Sunnyvale. Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific, the Grand Teton Music Festival, Music at Kirkwood and Music in the Vineyards. He started piano lessons at age 5 and began playing the violin a year later after seeing a home video of his older sister performing in her elementary school orchestra. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Paulson studied bassoon with K. Intrigued, he found her old violin and tried to play it. “I just really wanted to learn David Van Hoesen and Mordechai Rechtman and composition with Samuel how to play,” he said. He was instantly hooked and began taking violin lessons, too. Adler. From 1970 to 1977, he served as co-principal bassoonist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Prior to that, he was principal bassoonist with the Now 17 and set to graduate from high school in a couple of months, he spent the Rochester Philharmonic from 1968 to 1970. earlier part of this year playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto at college auditions and is still waiting to hear which conservatory he might attend. Alex says it is “very exciting”