PROGRAM BEN-HUR A TALE OF THE CHRIST STEWART COPELAND, COMPOSER WITH PACIFIC SYMPHONY RICHARD KAUFMAN, CONDUCTOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16 | 8PM THIS PERFORMANCE IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY THE COLBURN FOUNDATION downSTAGE with the FRAME Following the performance this evening, join us for a “downstage” talk with Stewart Copeland. Moderated by Jon Cohn from KPCC, Southern California Public Radio, this conversation will take place in front of the live audience and be recorded and distributed on The Frame, KPCC’s new daily arts and culture program, which airs weekdays on 89.3 KPCC and is available as a podcast in iTunes. MEDIA SPONSORS KCRW & KPCC There will be a 20-minute intermission. 22 PACIFIC SYMPHONY 23 PROGRAM FIRST VIOLIN VIOLA FLUTE TRUMPET Raymond Kobler, Robert Becker,* Benjamin Smolen* Barry Perkins* BEN-HUR: A TALE OF THE CHRIST (1925) Concertmaster, Catherine and James Valerie and Hans Susie and Steve Perry Eleanor and Michael Emmi Chair Imhof Chair Chair ORCHESTRAL SCORE COMPOSED & PERFORMED Gordon Chair Meredith Crawford** Sharon O’Connor Tony Ellis BY STEWART COPELAND Paul Manaster, Carolyn Riley Cynthia Ellis David Wailes Associate John Acevedo PICCOLO TROMBONE Concertmaster Erik Rynearson RICHARD KAUFMAN • CONDUCTOR Cynthia Ellis Michael Hoffman* Jeanne Skrocki, Victor de Almeida David Stetson Assistant Julia Staudhammer OBOE Jessica Pearlman STEWART COPELAND • DRUMS & PERCUSSION Concertmaster Joseph Wen-Xiang BASS TROMBONE Nancy Coade Eldridge Zhang Fields* Kyle Mendiguchia Suzanne R. Chonette Christine Frank Pamela Jacobson TUBA DIRECTED BY FRED NIBLO Kimiyo Takeya Adam Neeley Chair James Self * Ayako Sugaya Cheryl Gates Ted Sugata TIMPANI There will be one 20-minute intermission Ann Shiau Tenney Margaret Henken ENGLISH HORN Todd Miller* Maia Jasper Lelie Resnick CELLO Robert Schumitzky PERCUSSION CAST Timothy Landauer* CLARINET Robert A. Slack* Agnes Gottschewski Catherine and James Vacant,* Ramon Novarro ...... Ben-Hur Dana Freeman Cliff Hulling Francis X. Bushman ...... Messala Emmi Chair The Hanson Family Grace Oh Kevin Plunkett** Foundation Chair HARP May McAvoy ...... Esther Jean Kim+ John Acosta David Chang Mindy Ball* Betty Bronson ...... Mary Angel Liu Robert Vos Michelle Temple Marisa Sorajja BASS CLARINET Claire McDowell ...... Princess of Hur Lázló Mezö Joshua Ranz PIANO/CELESTE Kathleen Key ...... Tirzah SECOND VIOLIN Ian McKinnell Sandra Matthews* Bridget Dolkas* M. Andrew Honea BASSOON Carmel Myers ...... Iras Rose Corrigan* PERSONNEL MANAGER Elizabeth and John Waldemar de Almeida Paul Zibits Stahr Chair Jennifer Goss Elliott Moreau With Special Thanks to Warner Brothers Yen-Ping Lai Rudolph Stein Andrew Klein LIBRARIANS Yu-Tong Sharp Allen Savedoff Russell Dicey BASS Brent Anderson Ako Kojian Steven Edelman* CONTRABASSOON Ovsep Ketendjian Douglas Basye** Allen Savedoff PRODUCTION/STAGE Linda Owen MANAGER Christian Kollgaard FRENCH HORN Will Hunter Phil Luna David Parmeter Keith Popejoy* MarlaJoy Weisshaar Paul Zibits Mark Adams+ STAGE MANAGER & VIDEO TECHNICIAN Alice Miller-Wrate David Black James Taylor** William Pruett Shelly Shi Andrew Bumatay Russell Dicey CARL ST.CLAIR • MUSIC DIRECTOR Chloe Chiu Constance Deeter William J. Gillespie Music Director Chair *Principal RICHARD KAUFMAN • PRINCIPAL POPS CONDUCTOR **Assistant Principal Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation Principal Pops Conductor Chair ROGER KALIA • ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR +On Leave Mary E. Moore Family Assistant Conductor Chair NARONG PRANGCHAROEN • COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE The musicians of Pacific Symphony are members of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 7. 24 25 GM’s 1925 film Ben-Hur: A Tale of programs, the Symphony reaches more than The Christ is the most expensive 275,000 residents—from school children to Msilent film ever made. Produced by senior citizens. Abraham L. Erlanger, Samuel Goldwyn, Louis The Symphony offers repertoire ranging B. Meyer and Florenz Ziegfeld, and an uncred- from the great orchestral masterworks to ited Irving Thalberg, it was eventually directed music from today’s most prominent com- by Fred Niblo at a cost of almost $4 million— posers, highlighted by the annual American some $200 million in 2016. With an enormous Composers Festival and a series of multimedia cast and crew the film possesses a visual scope concerts called “Music Unwound.” Four sea- that is breathtaking and hugely impressive, sons ago, the Symphony launched the highly even by today’s standards. successful opera and vocal initiative, “Sym- In 2009, composer and legendary rock mu- phonic Voices.” It also offers a popular Pops sician Stewart Copeland was asked to provide season, enhanced by state-of-the-art video the score for an arena spectacle based on the and sound, led by Principal Pops Conductor original book by General Lew Wallace. Acted Richard Kaufman, who celebrates 25 years in Latin and Aramaic with a travelling cast with the orchestra in 2015-16. Each Sym- and crew of 400, it premiered at the O2 Arena phony season also includes Café Ludwig, a RICHARD KAUFMAN in London and was performed throughout chamber music series; an educational Family Europe. Musical Mornings series; and Sunday Casual “Ben-Hur is a picture that rises above spectacle, even though it is one. On the screen it Composer Stewart Copeland was commis- Connections, an orchestral matinee series isn’t the chariot race or the great battle scenes between the fleet of Rome and the pirate sioned by the Virginia Arts Festival to decon- offering rich explorations of selected works galleys of Golthar. It is the tremendous heart throbs that one experiences leading to those scenes that make them great.” struct the classic 1925 black-and-white film led by St. Clair. and re-orchestrate the recorded arena score Founded in 1978 as a collaboration between —Variety, 1925 for live orchestral concert performances. This California State University, Fullerton (CSUF), is a project that for the first time combines all and North Orange County community leaders Center, where Clark served as music director missioned and performed by the Symphony, of Copeland’s many talents in composition, or- led by Marcy Mulville, the Symphony per- until 1990, and since 1987 the orchestra has including William Bolcom’s Songs of Lorca chestration, film scoring, film editing, and his formed its first concerts at Fullerton’s Plummer additionally presented a summer outdoor and Prometheus and James Newton Howard’s virtuoso talents as percussionist and drummer. Auditorium as the Pacific Chamber Orches- series at Irvine’s Verizon Wireless Amphithe- I Would Plant a Tree, plus his Violin Concerto PACIFIC SYMPHONY, currently in its tra, under the baton of then-CSUF orchestra ater. In 2006-07, the Symphony moved into featuring James Ehnes. In 2014-15, Elliot 37th season, is led by Music Director Carl St. conductor Keith Clark. Two seasons later, the the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Goldenthal released a recording of his Sym- Clair, who celebrates his 26th season with the Symphony expanded its size and changed its with striking architecture by Cesar Pelli and phony in G# Minor, written for and performed orchestra in 2015-16. The largest orchestra name to Pacific Symphony Orchestra. Then acoustics by Russell Johnson—and in 2008, by the Symphony. In 2013-14, the Sympho- formed in the U.S. in the last 50 years, the in 1981-82, the orchestra moved to Knott’s inaugurated the hall’s critically acclaimed ny released Richard Danielpour’s Toward a Symphony is recognized as an outstanding Berry Farm for one year. The subsequent four 4,322-pipe William J. Gillespie Concert Organ. Season of Peace and Philip Glass’ The Passion ensemble making strides on both the national seasons, led by Clark, took place at Santa Ana The orchestra embarked on its first European of Ramakrishna; and in 2012-13, Michael and international scene, as well as in its own High School auditorium where the Symphony tour in 2006, performing in nine cities in three Daugherty’s Mount Rushmore in 2012-13—all community of Orange County. Presenting also made its first six acclaimed recordings. countries. three commissioned and performed by the more than 100 concerts and events a year In September 1986, the Symphony moved The 2015-16 season sees the continuation Symphony. The Symphony has also commis- and a rich array of education and community to the new Orange County Performing Arts of a recent slate of recordings of works com- sioned and recorded “An American Requiem” 26 27 by Danielpour and Fire Water Paper: A Vietnam bean and various silent films. Kaufman has served as music director and Oratorio by Goldenthal featuring Yo-Yo Ma. Kaufman received the 1993 Grammy Award conductor for numerous musicals, including a Other recordings have included collaborations in the category of Best Pop Instrumental national tour of Sweet Charity starring Juliet with such composers as Lukas Foss and Toru Performance. In addition to his two recordings Prowse, the first national tours ofCompany Takemitsu. Other leading composers commis- with the London Symphony Orchestra, he has (for Hal Prince) and Two Gentlemen of Verona sioned by the Symphony include Paul Chihara, recorded CDs with the Nuremberg Symphony, (for the New York Shakespeare Festival). He Daniel Catán, William Kraft, Ana Lara, Tobias the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and has conducted numerous musicals for the Los Picker, Christopher Theofanidis, Frank Ticheli the Brandenburg Philharmonic in Berlin. He Angeles and San Francisco Civic Light Operas and Chen Yi. has conducted for performers