The University of Southern Mississippi College of Arts and Sciences

School of Music

PRESENT

Thursday, February 25, 2021, 8 p.m.

Bennett Auditorium

Dr. Michael Miles, conductor Carlos Fernandez, conductor

PROGRAM

Concerto for Violoncello, op. 85 in e minor Edward Elgar I. Adagio (1857-1934)

Franco Galetto, cello

Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas Astor Piazzolla I. Primavera Porteño (Spring) (1921-1992) II. Invierno Porteño (Winter) arr. Leonid Desyatnikov III. Verano Porteño (Summer)

John Uzodinma, violin

Serenade for Strings Antonin Dvorak I. Moderato (1841-1904) II. Tempo di Valse III. Scherzo IV. Larghetto V. Allegro Vivace

Program Notes Concerto for Violoncello, op. 85 in e minor, Mvmt. 1 by Edward Elgar Edward Elgar was an English composer born on June 2nd, 1857 in a small town outside of Worcester. Some of his best orchestral compositions include the Enigma Variations (1899), his two symphonies, the Violin Concerto in B minor (1910), and the Cello Concerto in E minor (1919). As a composer and English person, Elgar was greatly affected by the first World War. After seeing the devastation that the war had caused to his country, he had contemplated ending his career feeling that, “everything good and nice and clean and fresh and sweet is far away, never to return.” He wrote very little material during the first few years of the war and he fell ill during this time. After the first World War ended, he recovered his health and he continued composing what would be his last four major pieces. His last large-scale work, Cello Concerto in E minor, did not gain the immediate success that his previous works had earned. Elgar’s music had largely fallen out of fashion nearing the end of his career and the cello concerto was not performed again until a year after its premiere. After his wife, Alice, died of lung cancer in April of 1920, he retired from composing and spent time traveling and pursuing other hobbies. Elgar died on February 23, 1934. Although his cello concerto was initially poorly received by the public when it was first performed in London in October of 1919, it is today a standard piece for cellists to have in their repertoire. Its brooding and tragic material reflects the composer’s emotional response to the war. The concerto consists of four movements instead of the standard three. The first movement is in ternary form, beginning and ending with similar material and with new material in the middle, and begins with a recitative introduction by the soloist. The clarinets, bassoons, and horn answer and each theme is passed to the soloist. Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas, Mvmt. 2-4 by Astor Piazzolla Astor Piazzolla, born March 11th, 1921 in Mar del Plata and only child of his Italian parents, was an Argentine tango composer. Piazolla frequently performed his compositions playing the bandoneón in his ensembles. A bandoneón is an instrument similar to the accordion. Piazzolla contributed to the development of a new style of tango music which was emerging in Argentina during the 1980’s— Tango Nuevo. This “new tango” style combined elements from both jazz and classical music with traditional Argentine tango. Tango is a dance and style of music that developed in the mid-19th century, originating among the European immigrants in the "Rioplatenses”- or, the southern parts of Argentina and in Uruguay. Tango is typically played by an orquesta típica consisting of violins, flute, piano, double bass, and two or more bandoneóns. In 1925, when Piazolla was still a young child, he and his parents moved to Greenwich Village, New York. At the time, this neighborhood consisted of hard-working immigrants and gangsters, and violence was common. In 1936, he returned with his family to Mar del Plata and he began performing in a few tango orquestas. He did so well, that he was able to pay for lessons with classical Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, who had been recommended to Piazzolla by Arthur Rubinstein who was living in Buenos Aires at the time. In 1953, the French government awarded Piazzolla a grant to study in Paris with Nadia Boulanger at the Fontainebleau conservatory. He continued traveling back and forth from Argentina, to New York, and Paris and other countries where he composed and performed tango. He died on July 4, 1992 in Buenos Aires after a cerebral hemorrhage had left him in a coma while he was in Paris in 1990. Piazzolla’s Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas premiered on May 19, 1970 with his Quinteto at the Teatro Regina in Buenos Aires. The four tango pieces, Verano Porteño (Buenos Aires

Summer) written in 1965, Invierno Porteño (Buenos Aires Winter) written in 1969, Primavera Porteña (Buenos Aires Spring) written in 1970, and Otoño Porteño (Buenos Aires Autumn) written in 1970, were written as separate pieces and were only occasionally performed together. The tango pieces were originally written for his quintet of violin or viola, piano, electric guitar, double bass, and bandoneón. After Piazzolla’s death in 1992, Russian composer Leonid Desyatnikov began working on an orchestral arrangement of Piazzola’s four pieces from 1996-1998. Desyatnikov’s new orchestral arrangements unified the four pieces as a suite and he incorporated more elements from Viviadi’s Four Seasons. Each of the movements were transformed into three sections and were arranged for a violin soloist with string orchestra. As Piazolla’s “four seasons” are porteña, meaning from Buenos Aires, the order of the movements follow the seasons of the southern hemisphere. The quotations that Desyatnikov uses from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons follow the weather of the seasons, not by the movements’ names. The material he adopts from Vivaldi’s Winter movement are included in Piazzolla’s Summer movement as the weather is cold during summer in the southern hemisphere. Serenade for Strings by Antonin Dvorak Antonín Leopold Dvořák was born on September 8th, 1841 near Prague, in the Austrian Empire and died on May 1st, 1904. Dvořák began his musical career playing viola in the Bohemian Provisional Theater Orchestra beginning in 1862. Dvořák began composing in the early 1860’s starting with string quartets as well as some symphonies, some of which he burned or destroyed out of dissatisfaction. The earliest surviving symphony is his Symphony in C minor composed in 1865, which has come to be known as his first. Many of his earliest compositions went without a premiere or were premiered after his death. Dvořák left the Provisional Theatre orchestra in 1871 and later became the organist at St. Vojtěch Church in Prague where he also managed to spend more time composing. Dvořák was awarded the 1874 Austrian State Prize for composition whose purpose was to give financial support to composers in need. Dvořák had submitted a total of fifteen works including symphonies, overtures, and a song cycle. Johannes Brahms, a composer and one of the jury members, was said to have been overcome by Dvořák’s talent. In 1875, Dvořák had composed his first piano trio, his second string quintet, the Symphony no. 5, and the Serenade for Strings in E Major, and he applied for the Austrian State Prize unsuccessfully but was awarded the Austrian State Prize again in 1876 and 1877. From this point on, Dvořák’s international fame grew and he received many commissions for his pieces and worked in desirable positions such as the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City, making a sizable salary. While Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings in E Major, (1875), did not earn him the Austrian State Prize for that year, it is today one of his most popular orchestral works. The year 1875 was a happy time for Dvořák; his first son had been born and he was beginning to become successful as a composer. He wrote the serenade in impressive speed— from May 3rd to the 14th, a mere 12 days. The serenade premiered in Prague in December the following year. The serenade consists of five movements. The first four movements follow ternary form with the opening and ending material matching with new material in the middle of each movement. The finale is a combination of rondo and sonata-allegro form. Although it is a serenade— a piece written in honor of someone or something— Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings in E Major has some elements that are symphonic. The last movement brings the piece together by including some of the thematic material from the first movement. The serenade begins with a slow first movement in contrast to the movements that follow, and it has a scherzo middle movement that loosely follows the scherzo and trio symphonic form.

About the Artists

Franco Santiago Galetto was born in Cordoba, Argentina, on March 18, 1996. He is currently a student at The University of Southern Mississippi. He is double majoring in music performance in cello, under Dr. Alexander Russakovky, and Sound and Recording Arts. Franco started his musical studies at 15 at The Julian Aguirre Music Conservatory, Rio IV, Argentina. After finishing high school, Franco began his undergraduate studies in Musical Composition at the National University of Cordoba, Argentina. One year later, he started to take cello lessons under professor Marcelo Montes (Principal cello of the Cordoba Symphony Orchestra). Franco has participated in numerous music festivals, such as Eastern Music Festival (United States), FEMUSC (Brazil), Latin-American Violoncello Festival (Argentina), and New Docta Music Festival (Argentina). He has also

participated in masterclasses with international professors, such as Hans Jensen (USA), Julian Schwarz (USA), Amy Frost Baumgarten (USA), Yves Dharamraj (France), Nina Lee (USA), Eduardo Vasallo (England/Argentina), Stanimir Todorov (Bulgaria /Argentina), and Bion Tsang (USA). In 2017, Franco won the Young Soloist Competition carried out by The Cordoba Municipal Orchestra in Argentina. In 2020 Franco got first place at the MMTA Collegiate Competitions at The University of Southern Mississippi. Later that year, he was one of the winners of the William T. Gower Concerto Competition at The University of Southern Mississippi as well.

25-year-old violinist, John Eze Uzodinma II, was born in Madison, Mississippi, and is the oldest son of Eze and Cynthia Uzodinma. Uzodinma began his musical training at the age of eight, and he truly has a burning passion for music and this passion, which has been expressed upon multiple instruments, has driven him to attend numerous summer music festivals and to compete in multiple competitions in locations ranging from British Columbia, Canada, to Sydney, Australia. Upon graduation from high school, he was named the National Gold Medal Winner of the 2013 NAACP ACT-SO Competition and 2013 Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. 7th District Talent Hunt. He has also had the distinguished honor of performing in the presence

of keynote speaker and former President Bill Clinton at the 2013 Medgar Evers 50th Anniversary Celebration at the National Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

While at The University of Southern Mississippi, Uzodinma was the 2016 award recipient of The Presser Foundation’s Undergraduate Scholar Award, the Kennard -Washington Distinguished Man of the Year award, and the 2016 Afro-American Student Organization’s Outstanding Leadership Award. He is also a proud three-year alumnus of The Aspen Music Festival and School in Aspen, CO.

After receiving his Bachelor of Music degree from Southern Miss, Uzodinma furthered his musical studies by pursuing a Master of Music degree under the tutelage of Espen Lilleslatten at Louisiana State University’s School of Music, where he successfully led the symphony orchestra as concertmaster during its 2017 to 2019 concert season.

In 2019, John achieved worldwide recognition for his stirring rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," which was viewed more than 6.5 million times. A student of Dr. Stephen Redfield, Uzodinma is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at The University of Southern Mississippi. His passion and persistence to perform as a violinist has allowed him to be regarded as a musical artist who brings a unique sense of artistry, emotions, and personal interpretations to his audiences.

About the Conductors

Dr. Michael Miles is a unique brand of musician whose career includes a blend of musical and academic positions. Dr. Miles’ academic career includes appointments at Western Carolina University and Florida International University. He also served for seven years as chair at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and six years as Director of the School of Music at the University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. Miles’ interest in arts advocacy and education in the community has led him to administrative positions in several community and state organizations. He served on the Hattiesburg Concert Association staff, and as Executive Director and founder of the Red River Arts Academy, an intensive

summer arts training experience for students 14-18 years of age. Dr. Miles also served eight years as President of the Board of Directors of the Red River Arts Council in Durant, Oklahoma.

Dr. Miles’ appreciation for all forms and styles of music are evident in the variety of performing, conducting and music directing positions he has enjoyed. As a trumpet artist Dr. Miles has performed with dozens of symphony orchestras as featured soloist and principal trumpet, and released a compact disc recording of new music for trumpet and piano by Robert Suderburg and James Wintle titled Reflections in Times’ Mirror. In addition to his current duties as Director of Orchestral Activities at Southern Miss, Miles’ conducting appointments include Music Director of the Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera Company, Music Director of the Oklahoma Youth Symphonies, and Music Director of the Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival. Miles recently conducted the USM Chamber Orchestra in its Carnegie Hall debut and served as Guest Conductor of the Festival Orchestra at the V Clinicas Instrumentalis in Cartegena, Columbia. In 2013 Dr. Miles served as guest conductor with the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra backing the legendary Beach Boys at the Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. Dr. Miles has also served as guest conductor with the Xinghia Conservatory Orchestra of Guangzhou, China, Vidin (Bulgaria) Philharmonic, Springfield Symphony, Tulsa Philharmonic, Tallahassee Symphony, New Mexico University Symphony, and Oklahoma Youth Orchestra.

In his career Dr. Miles has served as music director/conductor for over 190 musical theater performances involving 55 different musical theater productions, including the recent highly acclaimed Southern Miss productions of The Drowsy Chaperone, Phantom of the Opera, Magic of the Musical Stage, West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Ragtime, Showbiz Showstoppers, Showbiz Harmony, and Sweeney Todd. Dr. Miles served as Music Director of HCLO’s recent productions of Into the Woods, Cabaret, Wizard of Oz, Camelot, and Tommy. Dr. Miles also served as Chorus Master for the Hub City Players production of Rock of Ages, and Music Director for their production of James and the Giant Peach. The Phantom of the Opera and James and the Giant Peach productions were awarded the prestigious American Prize for Musical Theater in 2018.

In his tenure at Southeastern Oklahoma State University Dr. Miles led an award winning Jazz Ensemble that was recognized by the Oklahoma State Legislature as the “Official Jazz Ambassadors of Oklahoma”. This ensemble made three concert tours of the People’s Republic

Carlos Manuel Fernández Hernández is a multifaceted conductor from Colombia, with experiences in Europe, North, and South America that provide him with a wide vision of world music. During his studies and professional upbringing in Vienna, he conducted premieres of modern pieces for new ensembles and the standard orchestral and opera repertoires of 18th to 20th centuries. In 2013 Carlos conducted Beethoven's 9th Symphony in Ibagué, Colombia, in a live open-air concert offered for more than 5000 attendees.

Carlos's universe, besides conducting, embraces piano chamber music, choir conducting, singing and instrumental accompanying, and arranging and composing for different ensembles. While in Colombia

in 2014 he founded the choir and orchestra of the University of Ibagué, Colombia, co-founded the independent choir, Coro Polifónico Nuevo Tolima, and was named Artistic Director of the Ibagué Conservatory and Principal Conductor of its Symphony Orchestra.

Carlos holds Bassoon studies from the Tolima Conservatory, studies in orchestra, choir, and opera conducting and opera piano collaboration with Dr. Georg Mark, Guido Mancusi and David Aronson at the Konservatorium Wien, and is currently pursuing his Master of Music in Conducting degree at The University of Southern Mississippi, where he is also the Graduate Assistant for opera productions and orchestra. He currently studies with Dr. Michael Miles and plans to gain his doctoral degree in conducting at USM. He has received master classes in opera and orchestra conducting under Felipe Aguirre, Sir Simon Rattle, Bertrand de Billy, and Apo Hsu, and for choir conducting with Virginia Bono. Carlos has performed and conducted in venues as the Wien Konservatorium Auditorium, Konzerthaus Wien, and Stephansdom in Vienna, throughout Austria, Panama, Mexico, and in various concert halls in his home country.

Orchestra Personnel

Violin I Juan Correa, Co-principal Rodrigo Quintana, Co-principal Marlene Gentile Alejandro Junco Federico Franco Genesis Aguilar Rodolfo Torres Casey Macklin Guilermo del Prado Violin II Francisco Marco, Principal Julian Gallon Adelle Paltin Juan Lincango Zeke Morgan Grace Pineda Icaro Santana Laura Castro Jonathan Chen Trinady Moore

Viola Melissa Peraza, Principal Florencia Cozza Ana Sofia Suarez Christian Avila Cecilia Araujo Diana Lopez Juan Camilo Pena Cello Alvaro Miranda, Co-principal Patricia Vanuci, Co-principal Amani Zouehid Teresa Rodriguez Congcong Bi Franco Galetto Casey Johnson Courtney Francois Evelin Lopez Bass Elton Machado, principal Omar Martinez Gabriel Borin Manuel Ramirez

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