A NIGHT OF MAGNIFICENT MUSIC

A NIGHT OF MAGNIFICENT MUSICAPRIL 30, 2016 AT 7 PM • DISCOVERY THEATRE

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M I S S I O N S T A T E M E N T

The mission of the Alaska Youth Orchestras is to build musicianship, inspire our youth to love music, offer enriching opportunities for music performance, and create a musical legacy that will sustain arts throughout the lives of our members and our communities.

C O N T A C T I N F O R M A T I O N

Alaska Youth OrchestrasP.O. Box 240541 • Anchorage, Alaska 99524

Email | [email protected] • alaskayouthorchestra.org

S T A F FArtistic Director – Linn Weeda

Executive Director – Darla BrooksAnchorage Youth Philharmonic Conductor – Tevya Robbins

Chamber Music Director – Laura Koenig

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T SAnchorage School District

ASD Music TeachersBruce Wood, Music Coordinator

University of Alaska Anchorage, Music DepartmentEast High School

P H O T O SPhotography generously provided by Northern Lens Photography, Marcus Biastock

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Tanguy Libbrecht, Board President Sandi Lowther, Vice President

Kim Morris, TreasurerTina Barela

Caroline Renner

Ulyana Stiassny Jay Van Alstine

Katerina SoloviewDaniel Whitfield

Alaska Youth Orchestras is supported, in part, by a grant from the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support from the Municipality of Anchorage, the Rasmuson Foundation, and the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation.


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Welcome!

Our concert tonight culminates a year of hard work and growth. I couldn’t be more proud of the development of the orchestra this year – you will certainly hear the results! Our

concert features two winners of our annual concerto competition – Isabelle Libbrecht, flute, and Sarah Souders, cello.

The program starts and ends with two brilliant transcriptions for the orchestra by famous composers – Edward Elgar and Maurice Ravel. Elgar orchestrated Handel’s Chandos Anthem, changing the rather intimate setting of the original to a large orchestral work. And Ravel’s brilliant orchestration is one of the most brilliant transcriptions in the literature.

There are two more important events on our calendar this season – our annual auditions next week, and a joint performance with ScrapArts – a production of the Alaska Junior Theater.

It is an honor and joy to work with members of the orchestra and all of the people of this organization – board, staff and volunteers. And of course, our performance has special meaning because of you, our audience.

Linn WeedaMusic Director, Alaska Youth Orchestras

LINN WEEDAARTISTIC DIRECTOR


LINN WEEDAANCHORAGE YOUTH SYMPHONY CONDUCTOR

A lifelong Alaskan, Linn Weeda received his baccalaureate from UAF, where his trumpet teacher was James Kowalsky and his conducting teacher was Gordon Wright. He received his Master’s from Boston University, where he studied trumpet with Armando Ghitalla and Roger Voisin, won the concerto competition, and was student of the year.

Further studies were with Julio Tancredi in trumpet, Larry Scripp in solfege, Charles Bruck and Gunther Schuller in conducting. He has also studied with

the principal trumpeters of the Atlanta, London, Los Angeles, and Rotterdam orchestras.

As a freelancer in Boston, he was a member of a number of orchestras and was heard nationally on National Public Radio performing on baroque trumpet with the Smithsonian Chamber Players. He has given recitals and performed concertos throughout the country and in Asia.

He has appeared with most of the orchestras and festivals in Alaska as soloist – most recently appearing with the Anchorage Symphony, performing a world premier of a trumpet concerto written for him by Boston composer Louis Stewart.

“He has appeared with most of the orchestras and festivals in Alaska as soloist – most recently appearing with the Anchorage Symphony, performing a world premier of a trumpet concerto written for him by Boston composer Louis Stewart.”

As a conductor, Weeda led orchestras in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Germany. He has been Music Director of the Fairbanks Youth Symphony and founded the Tupelo (Mississippi) Community Orchestra. He was Staff Conductor of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony. He regularly conducts the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra in the annual Halloween concert and in Young People’s Concerts. He has led the AYS on tours within Alaska and on international tours to Australia and, in the summer of 2010, to China.

Currently Weeda is Music Director of the Anchorage Youth Symphony, Assistant Music Director and Principal Trumpet of the Anchorage Symphony, Principal Trumpet of the Anchorage Opera. In addition to his many credits as a performer, Weeda has taught at King’s Lake Music Camp, University of Alaska Fairbanks Summer Fine Arts Camp, and the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. In addition he teaches classes in ear training, solfege, and trumpet at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

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TEVYA ROBBINS ANCHORAGE YOUTH PHILHARMONIC

Mr. Tevya Robbins received two Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Music Education and Political Science from Humboldt State University. He has earned a M.M. in Instrumental Conducting from Portland State University. He has had opportunities to conduct the Beaverton

Community Band and the Portland State University Wind Ensemble. Mr. Robbins is currently the Band Director at East Anchorage High School. He has a love of music and a love of being involved in the education of young people.

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VIOLIN 1Mariya Gilliland, principal

Emily JensenHahni Johnson

Katherine BrownWilliam Son

Vasily SoloviewJose AbdelnoorTorsten RennerJacob MorrisJinah Yoon

Yohei Fujimoto

VIOLIN 2Charlie Latimer, principal

Julia KoehlerAlison RoyceSerena Inoue

Naomi RatcliffeClaire BredarAbigail Luiken

Lou Mei GutschPeter StiassnySydney Trueb

VIOLAClaire Mahoney, principal

Madison SmithPatricia Graterol

Aieleen KimAaron Jenkins

Christian MirandaJudy Park

CELLOSarah Souders, principal

Foster BirnbaunKiya Gates

Camille HeubnerAnna KendallJoshua Kim

Emma MorganAlexander Daskalos

Ciara Whittaker

BASS

Emily Arsenault, principalMyah Precie

Willow GroskreutzCailey Winn

Spencer DeBerardGannon Lawley

Katelynn Marshall

FLUTEIsabelle Libbrecht, principal

Catherine GoolsbyElizabeth Van Alstine

Joyce Kim

OBOEAnsley Morris, principal

James HomsleyAntonia Barella

CLARINETNicole Rieser, principal

Krista StaplefordJoe Cagley

Arthur Welsh

BASSOONNatalie Talcott, principal

Jenna Morris

HORNAlexander Hamm, principal

Evan HagenEmma Thomas

Maggie Spotanski

TRUMPETBryce Davis, principal

Jaden FrazierIman Allen

Tuan Graziano

TROMBONEPatrick O’BrienThomas Tyler

TUBADrew Cochran, principal

PERCUSSIONNaomi Endres, principal

Noah GreeneOwen CrumleyClay Johnson

HARPKailey Gates

ANCHORAGE YOUTH SYMPHONY

Guest Artist: Karen Lavy, Trombone


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VIOLIN 1Amber Pike, principal

Collyn KimShinhwi UmemotoC. Anthony Fedullo

Kezia LagansonElijah Kim

VIOLIN 2Jennifer Tollefsen, principal

Kyla PotterKathleen AmoreRoberta CecereSharon Song

Leo McNicholas

VIOLA

Sarah Wolski, principalIsabelle Pope

Charles PanigeoEdward Hazelton

CELLOAnna Berry, principalVincent Sanderson

Rosebud ScottLuke Bredar

Michelle Turchetto

BASSSarah Earnhart, principal

FLUTE

Yu-Jin Choi, principalChelsea Hutchings

Rebecca Gerke

OBOEJared Lowther, principal

Hriana BowieAndrew Wiggin

CLARINETCallahan Fedullo, principal

Takuma InoueAbigail Spears

BASSOONEllie Mitchell, principal

HORNKieran Kauffman, principal

James CorreaIan Soellers

TRUMPETEmi Soldwedel, principal

William BinnianHudson TaylorChandra Boyle

Special thanks to harp and percussionists for

performing with AYP

ANCHORAGE YOUTH PHILHARMONIC


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S E N I O R P R O F I L E

BRYCE DAVIS (TRUMPET) Mr. Davis has played trumpet in the Anchorage Youth Symphony for three years

His musical awards, accomplishments and honors include first chair trumpet player in AYS for the past two years. Bryce has participated in the All-State Band and State Solo and Ensemble competitions every year of high school. Both his junior and senior years, Bryce earned the first chair award and in 2015 he was named the State Solo and Ensemble Champion. That same year, Bryce traveled to Spokane, Washington and participated in the All-Northwest Band where he played alongside some of the top musicians in the country. Recently, Bryce has had the opportunity to play with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra several times as an off-stage trumpet player.

Bryce is an active member of Key Club and National Honors Society and was named an AP Scholar with Distinction as a junior. In the past, he has participated in the Model United Nations and the Japanese Speech Contest.

Bryce enjoys cross country running and skiing and has lettered in both sports. He also enjoys hiking, fishing, and hanging out with his friends.

After graduating high school, Bryce plans to attend college where he will major in Mathematics and minor in Japanese and Economics. He hopes to find a career in an engineering field or with an international business. After retiring, Bryce wishes to return to Alaska and become a high school teacher or college professor.

He would like to thank his parents for supporting him in his musical activities as well as his grandparents for coming to as many concerts as they could. Bryce would also like to thank his band teacher, Jason Edwards, and his private instructor, Linn Weeda, for pushing him and inspiring him to continue playing throughout his life.

Membership in the AYO has given Bryce the opportunity to play alongside many talented musicians and has allowed him to widen his musical repertoire and appreciation for the arts.

CHANDRA BOYLE (TRUMPET) Mr. Boyle has been a member of the Alaska Youth Philharmonic for two years.

Chandra’s hobbies and other interests include robotics, archery and riflery. His future plans are to attend UAA to study Computer Science.

Chandra would like to thank his first trumpet teacher, Betsy Bright


Morgan for helping him musically and for Alaska Youth Orchestras, Chamber Music Immersion Project that was held in the fall of 2015.

CHELSEA HUTCHINGS (FLUTE) Ms. Hutchings has been a member of Alaska Youth Orchestras for two years. She performs with the Anchorage Youth Philharmonic.

Chelsea’s musical awards, accomplishments and honors include State Solo and Ensemble, All State, and receiving a Varsity Letter for band at South High.

Her other awards, accomplishments and honors include state winner for the Dutch Oven competition, passing the FAA Private Pilot test, lettering in flag football.

Chelsea’s hobbies and other interest include flying small planes, camping, hunting, and cooking in a dutch oven.

Her future plans are to obtain a pilots license to fly for search and rescue and attend Utah State University to study aviation.

She would like to thank her private flute teacher, Laura Koenig and band teacher, Carolyn Valiquette.

EMILY ARSENAULT (BASSIST) Ms. Arsenault has been a member of Alaska Youth Orchestras for four years. She performs with both orchestras.

Emily’s musical awards, accomplishments and honors include All State Alternate in 2012, All State 2013, 2014 and 2015 along with a Superior Rating at Solo and Small Ensemble Festival

2015 and 2016.

Emily’s hobbies and interests include soccer, rollerblading, volleyball, organizing Music, biking and hiking.

Ms. Arsenault will be attending Western Washington University to study Music Education and Geoscience.

Emily would like to thank Margaret David, Tevya Robbins, Jeanne Bruhn, Dr. Bruce Wood, David Hagen, Bernadette Boring for helping her musically.



JOSEPH CAGELY (CLARINET) Mr. Cagely has been a member of Anchorage Youth Symphony for three years.

Joe's musical awards, accomplishments and honors include 2015 - 2016 Anchorage Youth Symphony Principal Clarinet and Anchorage Youth Symphony Woodwind Quintet. Joe is a three year member of the Alaska All-State Band. In 2014 - 2015 he received Command Performance in the Solo and Ensemble Woodwind Duet and Second in Command for his Solo. He was chosen as the Principal Clarinetist this year for both All-State and All-State Orchestral Winds. In 2014-2015 he was selected to participate in All NorthWest Honor Band. He has participated in South High School Band for four years and is currently Principal Clarinetist. He has played in the pit Orchestra for Guys and Dolls, Sound of Music and Cinderella. Joe was awarded Outstanding Sophomore and Junior player of the year.

Joe likes to study Japanese, practicing Yoga and go on long runs.

Joe plans on leaving Alaska for college and attending either Seattle Pacific University or University of the Pacific in California.

Joe would like to thank his incredible parents who have supported him in all his passions over the years. He would also like to thank his inspirational teachers Crystal Hanson, Dr. Valiquette and Mr. Somaduroff.


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WILLIAM BINNIAN (TRUMPET) Mr. Binnian has been a member of AYP for one year.

Williams’ musical awards, accomplishments and honors include participating in the city wide Solo and Ensemble for four years and receiving a rating of one all four years. “This year is my last year going to State. It is an honor to be going to state with the South High School Brass Quintet which includes Evan Hagen. It is an honor to be playing my last Solo Ensemble with Evan.”

“Being a member of AYO has been a great experience. It has expanded my knowledge of how an orchestra functions and helped me grow as a musician.”



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C O N C E R T O W I N N E R SSARAH SOUDERS & ISABELLE LIBBRECHT

SARAH SOUDERS (CELLO) Sarah Souders has played cello with Anchorage Youth Symphony four years.

Her musical awards, accomplishments and honors include being principal AYS cellist this year, All State Orchestra for four years, All Northwest Orchestra her junior year, Region and State Solo and Ensemble for three years.

Miss Souders' other awards, accomplishments and honors include, National Honors Society and Seminar Program at Service High School.

Sarah went to State in 2015 with the Service High Cross-Country Running Team. She also enjoys cross-country skiing along with track and field. In her free time she enjoys reading and eating chocolate of any kind.

Miss Souders plans to enter the music therapy program at Colorado State University and become a music therapist with a neurologic focus.

Sarah would like to especially thank Heather Kaas, for starting her on cello and Linda Ottum, for helping her throughout her middle and high school years.

“I have really enjoyed my four years in AYS with amazing people and fun music.”

ISABELLE LIBBRECHT (FLUTE) Flutist Isabelle Libbrecht, a Junior at Steller secondary, is a student of Dr. Laura Koenig and a proud three year member of Alaska Youth Orchestras,

where she has been principal for the last two years. Isabelle is also currently the winner of the Concerto Competitions for both the Alaska Youth Orchestras and the Anchorage Civic Orchestra.

Isabelle participated in Alaska State Band and Orchestra as second chair flute in 2013, she won principal flute in 2014 and 2015. For ASAA State Solo and Ensemble she received honorable mention, then command

performance winner in flutes for 2014, 2015, respectively. In 2015 she also received command performance runner up for woodwind ensembles.

During January of 2015 and 2016, Isabelle represented Alaska in the regional senior woodwinds division of the MTNA competition. She has played in several West High pit orchestras, playing flute, piccolo, clarinet, and saxophone. She is a two year member of the University of Alaska Anchorage Wind Ensemble.


LIKE our Facebook page!For more information on upcoming

auditions and the 2016-2017 season, please visit: alaskayouthorchestras.org

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In the summers, Isabelle has attended U. of Michigan’s MPulse institute, studying with Amy Porter, the flute institute at Oberlin Conservatory studying with Alexa Still, and the Baylor Flute Seminar studying with Dr. Arnone of Baylor, Professor Buyse of Rice, and Professor Bogorad-Kogan, of the University of Minnesota.

When not playing music, Isabelle has played tennis for West High, won the Trig-star math competition for Steller twice, and has won several awards for her watercolors and pen and ink drawings. Most recently, her drawing was selected for the cover of the Steller Secondary School yearbook.


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JOHN ASBJORN OSNESMaker and repairer of violins, violas, cellos.

8900 Jupiter Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99507 • Tel: 907.346.3609 Res: 907.346.4615 • www.osnesviolins.com • [email protected]


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A laska Youth Orchestras ProgramLinn Weeda, Music Director

Saturday, Apri l 30, 2016 at 7 PM, Discovery StageAnchorage Youth Phi lharmonic

Tevya Robbins, Conductor

Brian Balmages .................................................................................................Summer Dances

Behzad Ranjbaran .............................................................................................. Seven Passages

Ludwig van Beethoven .......................................................................... Symphony No. 1, op. 21 I. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio

I N T E R M I S S I O N

Anchorage Youth SymphonyLinn Weeda, Conductor

G.F. Handel/Elgar .......................................................................................... Overture in D minor

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ......................... Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in G major, K. 313 I. Allegro Maestoso Isabelle Lebbrecht, flute Georges Enescu ...................................................Romanian Rhapsody, op. 11, no. 1 in A major

INTERMISSION

Franz Joseph Haydn……………………Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in C major, Hob. VIIb:1

I. Moderato .. Catacombae: Sepulcrum Romanum: Cum mortuis in lingua mortua Sarah Souders, cello Modeste Moussorgsky/Ravel……………Pictures at an Exhibition Promenade Gnomus Promenade Il vecchio castello Promenade Tuileries Bydlo Promenade Ballet des poussins dans leur coques Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuÿle Limoges - Le Marché Catacombae: Sepulcrum Romanum: Cum mortuis in lingua mortua La Cabane sur des pattes de poule La grande porte de Kiev


Program Notes by Linn Weeda

Anchorage Youth PhilharmonicConducted by Tevya Robbins

Summer DancesBrian BalmagesBorn in 1975.

Brian Balmages (b. 1975) is a young, prolific American composer with works written for ensembles as varied as the Baltimore Symphony and Junior High Bands. He has received many awards for his compositions. He is a graduate of James Mason University and the University of Miami. The composer writes that

Summer Dances was written for the Columbia Concert Band, Columbia, Maryland, for an outdoor summer concert. The piece was written to capture the beauty and spirit of the many festivals and events associated with the season. In writing the piece, elements were included to make it very appropriate to perform in or out of the concert hall.

The piece thrives on rhythmic pulse throughout. The fast rhythmic figures of the opening are contrasted with the more stately motives presented later in the piece in the slower, more lyrical section.

Well after a decade of its premier, the composer revisited this popular composition and reset it for symphony orchestra, the version you hear tonight.

Seven PassagesBehzad RanjbaranBorn in Tehran, Iran, July 1, 1955. Composed 1999-2000. Premier on March 25, 2000 by the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, JoAnn Falletta, conductor.

Behzad Ranjbaran early training was at the Tehran Music Conservatory. He came to the United States in 1974 to attend Indiana University, eventually receiving his doctorate from the Julliard School, where he currently serves on the faculty. Ensembles, soloists and conductors from around the world have performed his compositions. The composer writes:

Seven Passages, the final work composed in my Persian Trilogy, draws its inspiration from an episode in the Shahnameh (the national epic poem of Persia/Iran) titled “The Seven Trials of Rostam.” The tale recounts the mythological and legendary history of Persia from the creation of the world up to Persia’s conquest by Arab conquerors. The main hero of the poem is Rostam, who spends much of

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his life fighting on behalf of the Persian kings, often saving them from situations in which their own pride and foolishness have entangled them.

Seven Passages refers to seven epic trials Rostam endures while traveling to rescue his king from enemy territory where they have been imprisoned. These trials include: Rostam’s horse saves him from a lion; Rostam traverses a waterless desert; his horse again saves him from a dragon; he outwits a sorceress; he fights against an enemy hero called Ulad; he defeats a demon; and he vanquishes the most terrifying of his adversaries, the White Demon.

The London Symphony Orchestra has recorded Seven Passages on Delos Records.

Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21Ludwig van BeethovenBorn in 1770 in Bonn, Germany. Died in 1827 in Vienna, Austria.Published in 1801. Possibly composed as early as 1799. First performance in Vienna on April 2, 1800 in Vienna.

Like all composers, Beethoven’s first efforts in composition were a reflection of his teachers’ influence, as well as the music that he performed and studied as a student. Still, his early works show many of the trademarks of his mature style: rhythmic intensity, harmonic complexity, and the ability to capture the ear of the listener with short, pithy motives and musical gestures.

This is particularly true in his first symphony, written when he was 29 years old, and at the very cusp of the new century. Scholars speak of three eras of Beethoven’s work: his early work showing the influence of his teacher Haydn (including this work); his middle period that he is most famous for and in which he composed under the weight his ever declining loss of hearing; and his final period when he was profoundly deaf yet produced transcendent works. The First Symphony was composed just before he realized that he was losing his hearing.

Anchorage Youth SymphonyConducted by Linn Weeda

Overture in D minorGioachino RossiniGeorge Frideric Handel, orchestrated by Edward ElgarHandel born in Halle, Germany in 1685. Died in London in 1759.Handel’s Chando Anthem composed in 1718. Arrangement by Edward Elgar in 1923. First performance Worcester Festival on 2 September 1923, conducted by the composer.

The history of transcription in orchestral music is rich and deep. Composers always have admired their predecessors, and want to pay homage to them or help disseminate their music to modern audiences by rescoring it for the modern orchestra. In the early part of the 20th Century, this was particularly true for Baroque music. While certain works were often played


(such as Handel’s Messiah), the wider world of Baroque music was just beginning to be explored and performed.

Edward Elgar – famous as the composer of Enigma Variations and Pomp and Circumstance Marches – knew and loved Handel’s Chandos Anthem No. 2. The title of this early work by Handel refers to the Duke of Chandos who built and estate in Middlesex County and became Handel’s benefactor. Elgar arranged the original overture to work (scored by Handel for minimal strings and an oboe) for large orchestra, because (as he wrote to his publisher) “he had known the overture since he was a little boy and always wanted it to be heard in a large form.”

Concerto for Flute and Orchestra in G major, K. 313Wolfgang Amadeus Mozar tBorn January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. Died December 5, 1791 in Vienna.Composed in 1778.

In 1777 a Dutch surgeon and amateur flutist commissioned Mozart to composer four flute quartets (an ensemble of flute, violin, viola and cello), as well as three flute concertos, all for the generous sum of 200 florins. Being an amateur, Dr. Ferdinand De Jean also requested that the solo parts simple enough to be played by a non-professional such as himself.

In typical Mozart fashion, the composer procrastinated completing this project. The reason he gave to his father (who was prodding him to finish the commission) was “. . you know that I become quite powerless whenever I am obliged to write for an instrument that I cannot bear.”

One should take this statement with a grain of salt: the writing for the flute is masterful. These works are now central to flute repertoire. Mozart failed to complete the commission, although he provided the flutist with four wonderful flute quartets and two concertos. It seems that the



doctor was not pleased because one of the concertos (in D major) was simply a reworking of his earlier Oboe Concerto, and the solo writing in all of the pieces was quite difficult. The perpetually out of money Mozart only received 96 florins.

Suite from Cendrillon: Marches des PrincessesJules MassenettBorn May 12, 1842 in Montaud, France. Died August 13, 1912 in Paris. Composed between 1894 and 1896First performance May 24, 1899 at the Opéra Comique in Paris.

Enescu was one the towering musical geniuses of the 20th Century. Widely admired in his life, the humanitarian and cellist Pablo Casals described Enescu as “the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart”.

A child prodigy, he wrote his first symphony at the age of five, was admitted to the Vienna Conservatory at the age of seven, played his debut recital for royalty at the age of 10. He was a brilliant violinist, pianist and conductor, and was an important violin teacher. His memory was phenomenal: his most famous student – the violinist Yehudi Menuhin – has written that at the premier of Ravel’s violin sonata, he memorized it as he was reading it, so that he performed during the second read through from memory. He could play any of the Beethoven string quartets at the piano from memory.

Born into a peasant family, eventually Enescu married into royalty. Rather than freeing him from financial pressures, he found that he needed to tour and perform in order to sustain his family’s lifestyle. For this reason, there is some twenty years where his compositional output is very limited.

The two Romanian Rhapsodies were written when the composer was 19, and are his most popular compositions. The first Rhapsody is a setting of three folk songs and an imitation of music – dance folk music of incredible energy and whirling rhythms.

Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in C Major, Hob. VIIb:1Franz Joseph HaydnBorn in Rohrau, Austria, March 31, 1732. Died in Vienna, Austria, May 31, 1809.Composed between 1761 and 1765. Score rediscovered in 1961. First modern performance on May 19, 1962, Czech Radio Symphony, Milos Sádlo solist with Charles Mackerras conducting Czech Radio Symphony.

Haydn’s early training began inauspiciously – born in a rural town, he moved when he was six to gain training in music from a relative. At age eight, he joined the famed Vienna Boy’s Choir where he worked and trained for the next nine years.

No provisions were made for the boys of the Choir once their voices broke. As was the custom, boys were simply sent out to the streets when they were no longer useful. In 1749



Haydn was released, and he found himself trying to make a living as a freelance performer in Vienna.

After a series of appointments to various aristocratic courts, he finally ending up in the court of Prince Esterházy located in neighboring Hungary. He would remain serving here for most of his life, composing and immense body of work, including 104 symphonies, innumerable chamber works, and operas.

The concerto heard tonight was known to have existed from a catalogue that the composer wrote up from memory late in his life. However, the music was lost. In 1961, a librarian found a set of parts (but no score), written in the hand of one of the cellists at Esterhazy. It was determined that this was the music to the Cello Concerto that the composer alluded to in his catalog of works.

Pictures at an ExhibitionModeste Mussorgsky, orchestrated by Mauric RavelBorn in Karevo, March 9/21, 1839. Died in St. Petersburg March 16/21, 1881.Composed between June 2 and 22, 1874. Orchestration by Maurice Ravel in 1922. Orchestral version first performed on October 19, 1922 at the Paris Opera, Serge Koussevitzky conducting.

Modeste Mussorgsky is one of the most important figures to the Russian nationalist school of composition called the Kushka. Like other nationalistic composers Mussorgsky wanted to use musical language that reflected Russian folklore, language, and folk songs.

One of his major accomplishments was the suite of piano pieces Pictures at an Exhibition. This suite of sixteen short movements depicts a retrospective art show of the composer’s recently deceased friend Victor Hartmann (1834-1873).

Each movement depicts a specific painting, sketch or design, interspersed with five ‘promenades’ that depict the rotund composer strolling through the galleries. After an initial and pompous Promenade, we encounter a painting of Gnomes – which was really a design for a grotesque Christmas ornament. After a thoughtful Promenade, Moussorgsky depicts a medieval castle with a singing troubador. Again, a third Promenade introduces us to a crayon drawing of children playing in the Tuileries gardens in Paris – the piece is cleverly built on children’s ‘nah-nah’. In contrast, ‘Bydlo’ depicts the heavy, slow lumbering of an ox pulling an oxcart. A somber Promenade follows that lead directly to Harmann’s designs for the ballet costumes of canary chicks in their shells. The next scene is a compilation of two sketches from the Jewish ghetto in Sandomir, Poland. One sketch depicts a rich man: the composer gives him a forceful, even arrogant voice. In contrast Schmuÿle has only a pitiful sack containing all of his earthly possessions: he is depicted by high nervous figure (here played by the trumpet). The two simply talk past each other in Moussorgsky’s little drama.



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In ‘The Marketplace at Limoge’ one hears the bustle, laughter, and general high energy of the marketplace. This leads directly to the next two movements, played without pause: ‘Catacombae’ and ‘Cum Mortuis in Lingua Mortua’. From the brilliance of the marketplace we are dramatically transported to the deep gloom of the Paris catacombs. The two movements end with the transformation of the Promenade theme into the high register.

Baba Yaga depicts Hartmann’s illustration for a design of a clock. In Russian myths, Baba Yaga is portrayed as a witch who lives in a log cabin that moves around on a pair of dancing chicken legs. In most variations of the myth she is very scary. Mussorgsky’s music perfectly fits this myth: it is at once modern and dissonant with an ambiguous middle section.

This movement leads directly to a design for a Gate that would memorialize Tsar Alexander II’s 1866 escape from assassination. The gate was never erected – perhaps because the Tsar didn’t want to remind the populace of his close escape! Mussorgsky’s grandiose music aptly matches the design; bells ring in front of the gate and Russian Orthodox priests walk through the square singing the hymn “As You are Baptized in Christ”. Just before the end, Moussorgsky imbeds the Promenade theme in the texture. As the work ends, one is left with a sense of grandeur hardly matched in any other music.

Victor Hartmann: Plan for Kiev’s City Gate



Upcoming Events for Alaska Youth Orchestras

A Y O A U D I T I O N S M A Y 2 N D & 3 R D , 2 0 1 6Auditions for the 2016/2017 season, East High School.

Register on our website between April 1-midnight May 1

LIKE our Facebook page!For more information, please visit alaskayouthorchestras.org


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History of the AYO

In the early 1960’s many individuals recognized the need for an orchestra for the youth of Anchorage. Forerunners of what became known as the Anchorage Youth Symphony were organized and conducted by such prominent local musicians and educators as Kurt Pasch, Jeanne (Ray) Bruhn, Charles Gorsuch, and Marlow Thomas. Young musicians of that period were trained in the Anchorage schools and gave many concerts throughout the city.

“The AYO encourages and supports the music program within the schools in the belief that great music played well instills in young people discipline and the joy of great musical ideas.”

In 1965 the Anchorage School District hired Frank Pinkerton as its director of music. In that position he formally organized the Anchorage Youth Symphony. As its music director, Mr. Pinkerton oversaw the expansion of opportunities to perform throughout the state, and the youth symphony’s reputation grew steadily.

Dewey Ehling replaced Frank Pinkerton as music director of both the Anchorage School District and the youth symphony. The Anchorage Youth Symphony Association became a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 1981. Until his retirement in 1986, he expanded the touring schedule, traveling and performing nationally and internationally.

In 1986 and 1987 Linn Weeda led the orchestra. In 1987, John Duff was appointed Music Director. During his tenure the orchestra toured Scotland. In 1991 Russell Guyver succeeded Duff, instituting a series of retreats to encourage the social interaction of members, as well as concerts in the Matanuska-Susitna valley.

Linn Weeda was again engaged as the Music Director in 1992, and continues in that position. In recent years the orchestra’s program has expanded to include coaching by local professional musicians, many who were in the youth symphony as young players. Other

LIKE our Facebook page!For more information on upcoming auditions and the 2016-2017 season,

please visit www.alaskayouthorchestras.org


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activities under Weeda have included an annual recording project, a chamber music series, the formation of the Anchorage Youth Philharmonic, the Anchorage Youth Philharmonic, Financial Aid Tuition Scholarships and touring.

In 2012, the non-profit Anchorage Youth Symphony Association became Alaska Youth Orchestras.

Members of the orchestras are chosen each year during auditions in the spring, and are drawn from every public and private school in the area as well as from the Matanuska-Susitna valley. In previous years, students have flown in from Kodiak, Homer, and Kenai to rehearse and perform with the orchestras.

Without great music, education is not complete. Music education has long been an educational priority of the Anchorage School District with classes in orchestra, band, and chorus offered at the elementary, junior, and senior high levels. The AYO encourages and supports the music program within the schools in the belief that great music played well instills in young people discipline and the joy of great musical ideas.


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T H A N K - Y O U !Alaska Youth Orchestras would l ike to extend i ts thanks to the fol lowing

donors who helped make our events and season concerts possible.

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Your Business Will Shinein the AYO Programs!

Want to see your business here? Your ad will be seen by the more than 5,000 patrons who will attend the 2016-2017 season. We have an ad size to fit any budget!

Contact us at [email protected]

ANGEL $1000 to $7499

Atwood FoundationAlaska Arts & Health PTSA

Anchorage Festival of MusicAnchorage Robert Burns Appreciation Society

Carrs/Safeway

PATRONS $$500 to $999

ERMMarsh Creek

Barbara Garner

SUPPORTER $100 to $499

ConocoPhillipsFred Meyer

Clarice DicknessMerion Kendall

Andy SpotanskiKimberly Mahoney

Shi SongAlan Birnbaum

Myung SonLe Le

Edwin KimAmy Spears

Frank MitchellChristopher Michaelson, CPA

Rebecca Rogers & Kenneth GutschMary Neher in memory of Melissa Jayne Neher

Harold HeinzBP Foundation, Inc.

FAN $50 to $99

Steven & Renee CrumleyLiese & Jim Munter

Anchorage Suomi Finland Club

AYO GIVING LEVELS

Flute Chair Sponsor Tanguy & Marcella Libbrecht


YOU CAN HELP ALASKA YOUTH ORCHESTRAS EARN DONATIONS JUST BY SHOPPING WITH YOUR FRED MEYER REWARDS CARD!

Fred Meyer is donating $2.5 million per year to non-profits in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, based on where their customers tell them to give. Here’s how the program works:

• Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to (non-profit) at www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards. You can search for us by our name, Alaska Youth Orchestras, or by our non- profit number, 85901.• Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping (non- profit) earn a donation!• You still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points, and Rebates, just as you do today.• If you do not have a Rewards Card, they are available at the Customer Service desk of any Fred Meyer store.• For more information, please visit www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards.

A NIGHT OF MAGNIFICENT MUSIC

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