“On the Beautiful Blue Danube”

Inside this issue:

Maestro’s

Notes

2

Youth

Concerts

3

On the

Town

5

Meet the

Musicians

6

2017-2018

Season

7

Mark your

Calendar!

8

March 2017 VOLUME 30, NUMBER 4

Following a sold-out

concert with Tracy Byrd, the

we continue our “Symphony

Fantastique” season by go-

ing back to the classics and

performing great works from

Johann Strauss, Johannes

Brahms and Robert Schu-

mann. The SOST Chorus

also joins in for the tradition-

al choral concert on Satur-

day, March 11 at 7:30 p.m.

at the Julie Rogers Theatre.

This season, we are

showcasing the many talents

of our musicians as they per-

form a wide range of music

from symphonic to popular

to country-western. Going

back to our roots, this choral

concert is one that features a

choral style that interweaves

many voices to produce har-

mony and lyrical style that

goes beyond straight sym-

phonic style. The orchestra

is enhanced by the cho-

rus of the SOST to add

to the sonic beauty.

Guest Conductor

Dr. James Han will lead

the SOST Chorus in

Robert Schumann’s

Requiem, opus 148.

Schumann, a German

composer, was an influential

music critic widely regarded

as one of the greatest com-

posers of the Romantic era.

Also featured with the cho-

rus will be soloists Amanda

Kingston, soprano, Ashly

Evans, mezzo soprano, Jason

Choi, tenor, and Dorian

McCall, baritone.

Also on the program is

Johann Strauss’s classic

waltz “On the Beautiful Blue

Danube.” Commonly known

as “The Waltz King,” Jo-

hann Strauss captures the

rhythmic style of riding on a

boat that gently travels down

a river. Most known for its

soothing sounds played on

New Year’s Day from Vien-

na, his homeland.

The well-known Johan-

nes Brahms’ “Variations on

a theme by Haydn, op. 56a”

was a tribute to the earlier

symphonic master he

revered. Haydn’s St. Antho-

ny Chorale is used as the

choral tune, and then played

in true orchestral style, a

hallmark of Brahms. The

piece was originally written

for piano, thus, the “a” indi-

cator on his opus 56. In form

as well as thematic material,

these variations make us

hear Haydn’s chorale in en-

tirely new ways.

The traditional SOST

Choral concert is always

a grand event!

Sponsored by Rosine

McFaddin Wilson;

guest artist sponsored

by Baptist Hospitals.

Saturday, March 11 · 7:30 p.m. · Julie Rogers Theatre

Han

SOST Chorus

We have a stunning concert of

music to share with the community

this weekend. The Schumann Req-

uiem is one of those rare jewels that

is just exquisite music that we know

the audience will appreciate. On

this concert, I will be sharing the

podium with Dr. James Han, Lamar

University Professor and Director of

Choral Activities. On the second

half of the concert we will be per-

forming the Brahms’ “Variations on

a theme by Haydn” followed by the

ever popular “Blue Danube Waltz”

by Johann Strauss, which I will con-

duct.

We will be closing our season

on April 1 in a truly “Fantastique”

fashion! The scope of music that

we have covered in our concerts this

season has been breathtaking. We

have had acrobats on stage with

orchestra, Tracy Byrd serenading

our audience, the Tchaikovsky Vio-

lin Concerto and everything in be-

tween. This has been the grandest

season yet in our 64 year history of

the Symphony of Southeast Texas.

We will close out the season in

a grand style with piano virtuoso

Christopher O’Reilly performing

the Rachmaninov “Variations on a

theme of Paganini” filled with beau-

tiful variations that display the vir-

tuosity, the beauty and majesty of

the piano and orchestra.

The grand finale on April 1 will

be the monumental “Symphonie

Fantastique” by Hector Berlioz.

This symphonic jewel will put the

SOST musicians’ artistry on full

display.

Get your tickets now, you do

not want to miss this one. Go

SOST!!!

Maestro’s

Notes

2

“Symphony Fantastique” Saturday, April 1 · 7:30 p.m. · Julie Rogers Theatre

We wrap up our spectacular 64th

season with an extraordinary evening

of great artistry fulfilling the season’s

“Symphony Fantastique” theme. Piano

soloist Christopher O’Riley joins the

SOST for the season finale concert on

Saturday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the

Julie Rogers Theatre featuring Rach-

maninoff’s “Variations on a theme by

Paganini” and Berlioz’s “Symphonie

Fantastique.”

“This season has been an amazing

adventure in many ways,” said SOST

Executive Director Doug Fair. “We’ve

presented outstanding artists, featured

new dimensions of musical perfor-

mances, and by including some locally

treasured music, welcomed new faces

to our audiences. We hope that many

of our “first time” concert goers will be

back again and again. Our season fina-

le includes beloved classics like the

Rachmaninoff variations, and the ex-

citing epic symphonic story of a crazed

artist. Pianist Christopher O’Riley’s

wonderful talents will make the varia-

tions sparkle in his unique way!”

Wit, charm, romance, rhythmic

verve, and masterly orchestration com-

bine in what many consider to be one

of Rachmaninoff’s greatest composi-

tions – his “Paganini Variations.” The

orchestra performs this masterwork

with the amazing Christopher O’Riley

as the piano soloist. Acclaimed for his

engaging and deeply committed per-

formances, O’Riley is known to mil-

lions as the host of NPR’s “From the

Top.” As a classical pianist, he per-

forms around the world and has gar-

nered widespread praise for his untir-

ing efforts to reach new audiences by

performing piano arrangements of pop-

ular alternative music from Radiohead,

Pink Floyd, Nirvana and more. His

playing has been described as being

“laced with an otherworldly elegance

that can’t be duplicated.”

On

the sec-

ond

half of

the pro-

gram is

one of

the

greatest

orchestral masterpieces, “Symphonie

Fantastique” by Hector Berlioz. This

symphony describes the tortured

dreams of a sensitive artist in lovesick

despair who becomes haunted by vi-

sions of an unattainable woman. You’ll

actually hear the “Dies Ire” theme in

both the Rachmaninoff and Berlioz

works. This will be the first time the

SOST has performed this exciting

piece, which features two tuba players,

a rarity for any symphonic work.

“Symphonie Fantastique” is co-

sponsored by Regina Rogers and the

Symphony League of Beaumont.

O’Riley

3

SOST awarded at

SETAC Hearts for the Arts

SOST Executive Director Doug

Fair accepted the award from the

Southeast Texas Arts Council

(SETAC) for Creative and Collabora-

tive Community Outreach on behalf of

the SOST at the 2017 Hearts for the

Arts event.

According to SETAC, the SOST

was recognized for our “innovative

and entertaining approach to music

and diverse programming.” They

commended our collaborations both

locally and internationally last year,

including bringing Cirque de la Sym-

phony to the Beaumont stage and our

pops concert with Connor Bogart

O’Brien. They also recognized our

free July 4th concert and our Sympho-

ny at Shangri La concert.

We greatly appreciate the honor

from SETAC and congratulate all the

winners from our arts community.

Concerto Competition names winner

Rachel Clark was chosen as the first place winner

of the 2017 SOST Concerto Competition. She will

perform at our Youth Education Concerts on May 16

and 17 at the Jefferson Theater.

Clark performed on the harp and was awarded the

$750 prize for first place.

Second place winner was Christian Jack, who per-

formed on piano, and won $500.

Third place was awarded to Mary Catherine Ol-

iverio, who performed on violin, and won $250.

The competition included a total of 11 students

representing violin, French horn, piano and harp.

Thank you to the Symphony League for funding

the cash prizes for the top three winners.

4

Rachel Clark

6 p.m., Thursday, May 4

Edison Plaza Lobby

More details coming soon…

SAVE THE DATE

6:30 p.m. Pre-Concert Talk

Arrive early to the concerts on

March 11 and April 1 for a

pre-concert talk with

Maestro Tipton and special guests.

5

Meet the Musicians

6

Q: What instrument(s) do you play? A: I primarily play bass trombone for the SOST, but I have also played tenor trombone the past few years. Outside of the SOST I ac-tively play alto, tenor, and bass trombones, tuba, euphonium, and percussion. Q: When and how did you get started in music? A: My older brothers played in the public school band in south Texas... So for me it wasn't IF I would be in band... Instead it was WHAT would I choose to play??? Q: When did you begin playing with the SOST? A: I moved to Beaumont from San Antonio in 1997. I called Wayne Dyess (principal trombone back then) and asked about subbing with the group... I timed it just right... Two weeks later there were audi-tions for a permanent position... I won the audition and have enjoyed every season! Q: Educational background?

A: I have my Bachelor of Music with a concentration in jazz and commercial music from McNeese State in Lake Charles. I received my Texas education certificate from Lamar University. Q: Who has been your greatest in-fluence in music? A: I have many influences... But I would say that Jimmy Pankow, trombonist of the rock band "Chicago," is my biggest influence. His playing was my reason for play-ing trombone in the beginning. His writing has influenced my commer-cial writing tremendously over the past 20 years. Q: What is your “day job?” A: I am one of the band directors at Buna ISD. Q: Hobbies or activities outside of SOST? A: I am very involved at my church, Calvary Baptist Church, in Beaumont. I serve as the orchestra director and also write for the choir and orchestra. I have been in the recording industry for over 20 years. I've had the opportunity to

back up many superb artists and have been involved with 3 Grammy nominated projects and 1 Grammy winning project. Several of my ar-rangements have also been recorded over the years. Outside of playing instruments... I am an avid gun collector and shoot regularly. I love the outdoors, espe-cially the beach, having grown up near South Padre Island. I am also a rabid fan of the San Antonio Spurs! Go Spurs Go!!! But my favorite thing is spending time with my family, which includes my wife, daughter, her husband, and my pre-cious granddaughter! Q: Favorite music? A: As a brass player this my seem strange... But my favorite piece of music is Barber's Adagio for Strings played by the New York Philhar-monic conducted by Bernstein. Anything played by Stan Getz (tenor sax) is just the best! And for commercial music I really enjoy the groups Toto, Chicago, and Earth, Wind, and Fire.

To meet more

of our musicians,

click here to

visit the

orchestra page

on our website!

Dean McCarty, Trombone

7

If your schedule prevents you from attending a concert, PLEASE consider releasing

your tickets prior to the day of the concert by calling the Symphony office at

(409) 892-2257.

Date, time Event Location

March 11, 6:30 p.m. Pre-concert talk Julie Rogers Theatre

765 Pearl Street

March 11, 7:30 p.m. Classics Series Concert

“On the Beautiful Blue Danube”

Julie Rogers Theatre

April 1, 6:30 p.m. Pre-concert talk Julie Rogers Theatre

April 1, 7:30 p.m. Classics Series Concert

“Symphony Fantastique”

Julie Rogers Theatre

May 2, 6:30 p.m. Annual Meeting Julie Rogers Theatre stage

May 4, 6 p.m. “SOST On the Town” Concert Edison Plaza Lobby

350 Pine Street

July 4, 8 p.m. July 4th Concert Julie Rogers Theatre

Upcoming Events

The Symphony of Southeast Texas

4345 Phelan Blvd, Suite 105 • Beaumont, TX 77707

(409) 892-2257 • www.sost.org • sost@sost.org

www.facebook.com/TheSOST

@TheSOST

8

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