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 WHAT’S INSIDE III ...................MESSAGE FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR V .............MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR VII ...................... MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR X ..............................................DAVID ALAN MILLER XIII ................................... ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL JANUARY 5-6, 2019: XIX ........................................... BEETHOVEN’S SEVENTH FEBRUARY 9-10, 2019: XXVII ............................................ ROMANTIC CHOPIN MARCH 9, 2019: XXXV .............................................................BOLÉRO XLV ..................................... 2018-2019 SPONSORS XLIX .....................................CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE L ................................................ INDIVIDUAL GIVING LIII .................IN HONOR, CELEBRATION, & MEMORY LIV ...............................................ENCORE SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS, CORPORATIONS & LV ..................................... GOVERNMENT AGENCIES LV ............................................IN-KIND DONATIONS LVII.........................................................BOARD & STAFF ALBANY SYMPHONY MUSICIAN LXIII.......................................... HOUSING PROGRAM ADVERTISING Onstage Publications Advertising Department 937-424-0529 | 866-503-1966 e-mail: [email protected] www.onstagepublications.com This program is published in association with Onstage Publications, 1612 Prosser Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45409. This program may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Onstage Publications is a division of Just Business, Inc. Contents ©2018. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. ALBANY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | I and a true collaboration with Tessa, who brings her Kentucky bluegrass roots to each note of the piece. In January, we’ll also present the Chamber Concerto of Steven Stucky, our 2015-16 Composer Mentor and a wonderful artist and teacher who sadly passed away in 2017. The Chamber Concerto’s unique sound world explores magical musical colors and sonorities, which we will capture in its first-ever commercial recording. Annika Socolofsky joins us in February for the premiere of her romantic new work for orchestra and voice, just in time for Valentine’s Day. And in March, we’ll present a sparkling new percussion concerto by Robert Honstein, featuring international superstar Colin Currie as guest soloist. We are so excited to bring all of these fascinating and beautiful new works to you. In addition to these exciting new works, we will also bring you some of the greatest “standards” in the orchestral repertoire by Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, and Ravel, along with slightly less-well- WELCOME FROM THE known masterpieces by Hindemith and Gould. We hope you’ll join us for all three concerts to hear MUSIC DIRECTOR how these great creative voices from the past interact with, and seem to be in dialogue with, today’s leading DEAR FRIENDS, musical creators. To learn more about these pieces before we perform them, we hope you’ll join us the Happy New Year! Long after the glow of the holiday Friday before each concert at noon for our Vanguard season has faded, I continue to feel the warmth and “Prevue” library talks. Check the WMHT website for love of our Albany Symphony “family”–our patrons, program broadcasting specifics. subscribers, musicians, and friends–each time I step on the podium. Thank you for sharing the gift of Thank you for taking the journey with us, as our music with us through the year. orchestra continues its thrilling musical adventure in the new year! After three larger-than-life, spectacular performances in the fall, we turn to a series of beautiful, somewhat Warm Regards, more intimate concerts, also filled with glorious works new and old. I am particularly excited to embark with the orchestra on three brand new world premiere compositions by some of our favorite living American composers. David Alan Miller Music Director Michael Torke, our good friend and partner for more than twenty years, will premiere his new violin concerto, SKY, based on Bluegrass Fiddling, with the brilliant violinist Tessa Lark on our January concert. SKY is equal parts soulful and sparkling, ALBANY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | III IV | ALBANY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Sunday Symphony & Monday Music Our Superheroes Sunday Symphony concert takes place on March 17 at the Palace Theatre. On Monday the day after, school bus loads of elementary school students–including those from the Troy, Albany, and Averill Park school districts, our “Symphony In Our Schools” partners–will uncover their secret superpower with the Albany Symphony’s team of musical heroes! Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) One of our strategic priorities is to “incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices in all aspects of the organization.” We are at the learning and planning phase in this area of growth; I welcome any thoughts or feedback you might have on this topic. DEI is an important part of our organization’s viability–to ensure the Albany Symphony is here to serve the community through our 100th anniversary (2030) and beyond! In part, that means attracting © Gary Gold Photography and retaining top flight musicians, staff, board and other champions in addition to having a solid MESSAGE FROM THE financial base. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Behind the Titles By the time this program book reaches you, we will likely have announced or be very close to announcing DEAR FRIENDS, our 2019-20 concerts. Given the limited space on our brochure, we give our programs short titles linked to Thank you for joining us for our first concerts one of the works or a general concept. I realize this of 2019! I want to share with you some Albany means there is a certain amount of risk for you in Symphony activities not otherwise captured in this attending our concerts. I assume you, like me, go program book: into a concert (or a movie, or a restaurant, etc.) with certain expectations of what you’ll encounter. I hope Recording Torke Violin Concerto you, like me, are surprised from time to time by the Part of championing new music is a commitment to discovery of a new composer, or piece, or soundscape giving the work as much exposure as possible. Thus, that speaks to you. At the very least, I hope you are the Albany Symphony is recording for commercial amenable to having your horizons broadened! release Michael Torke’s Violin Concerto, which is getting its world premiere at the January 5 & 6 Thank you for being bold, Listening Adventurously, concerts. After the January performances, David and coming to this concert. Enjoy the program! Alan Miller and the orchestra will record the works in session with the phenomenal violinist Tessa Lark at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, renowned for its excellent acoustics. Anna Kuwabara Executive Director ALBANY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | V VI | ALBANY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA If our music moves you to do more, here are some ways you can deepen your involvement with the orchestra: • Upgrade your occasional tickets to a full or partial season subscription to enjoy a wide variety of artists, composers, and musical experiences year-round • Make an added gift to “round-up” your next ticket order • Volunteer for the orchestra as a member of our Vanguard sister organization (vanguard-aso.org) • Double the impact of your annual gift with a matching contribution from your employer • Invite a neighbor or new friend to join you at a Symphony concert for the first time • Send us a letter or email with your feedback about how to make our concert experiences better WELCOME FROM THE • Join us for a special event or community activity (see our latest events at albanysymphony.com) BOARD CHAIR • Consider naming the orchestra in your will to ensure the future of music in our Capital Region The Albany Symphony is well into our 2018-19 • Attend our Friday noon “Preview” library talks season, with so much to report from our activities this and onstage pre-concert talks fall and winter. I hope you have already had a chance to experience one of our concerts or community • Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram programs. If this is your first concert this season, @albanysym welcome! We are so glad to have you with us. As you consider how to best express your support Whether you are experiencing the orchestra for the for the Symphony, we want to thank you again for first time, or have been a regular subscriber for many all that you already do to keep our orchestra going. years, your participation and investment in us makes Knowing that our music makes a difference in your a tremendous difference. Although I have been a life is our best possible gift! Board member and patron for many years, I continue to be surprised at how many ways there are for me Sincerely, to be a part of the organization’s vitality and our diverse range of community services. Jerry Golub for the Albany Symphony Board of Directors ALBANY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | VII VIII | ALBANY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ALBANY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | IX BIOGRAPHY DAVID ALAN MILLER, MUSIC DIRECTOR Grammy Award-winning conductor