Sinfonia Orchestra News Summer 2017

Triumphant & Moving: 1812 Caps 20th Year

A nniversaries are moments to take stock of what came before, of where one is now, and to also dedicate oneself to the future. We had a phenomenal 20th anniversary year, but once we concluded our Anniversary Festival Concert in Verizon Hall in the middle of May, we were onto next year, not only in spirit, but in every tangible way as well.

Our agenda for 2017–2018 is full of plans and ideas for organizational sustainability, growth, and improvement. Yet the heart

of what we do remains educational and artistic. Plans and highlights for next year’s program, as always, top the agenda!

In Year 21 we will hold steady in terms of program personnel, teaching quality, structure of our ensembles, rehearsal schedule and general calendar, with all our usual opportunities for musical enrichment, student leadership, and community outreach.

In addition, exciting, special features dot the calendar for all ensembles: in PS we will hold our internal concerto competition in October (this is a biennial event; our

last was held in 2015). We will execute our first commercial recording* in November, perform with prominent clarinet soloist and Yamaha artist, John Russo, in January, and bring Rimsky Korsakov’s Scheherazade to life with Enchantment Theatre Company in Verizon Hall in May.

PSP will be joined at its May Festival Concert by Philadelphia Orchestra violinist, Richard Amoroso, who will perform Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with the orchestra. PSP is also scheduled to rehearse

W ith a lavish, powerful, stunning rendition of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture featuring the combined forces of both our orchestras, three choirs — 400 performers in all — and the score’s special effects, Philadelphia Sinfonia closed its 20th anniversary season on May 14 in the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall.

Moving as it was — and even some performers were in tears — 1812 capped, but did not eclipse, the many, many highlights of this celebratory season.

Those highlights would have to include the entire performance in Verizon Hall that May afternoon. On the program also

SONATA

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Festival Concert Curtain Call: Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture

FALL AUDITIONS

For all ensembles will be held on August on 26–27 and September 2, 2017.

See page 3 for more information.

Highlights for Year 21

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From the Podium

I t was a very special moment to be on the stage of Verizon Hall as the students of PS and PSP and our guests from the Keystone State Boychoir, Pennsylvania Girlchoir, and Abington Chorale Club played the final moments of Tchaikovsky’s triumphant 1812 Overture. As you may have already read in our opening cover story, it was a moment that brought tears to the eyes of many in the audience and the musicians as well! In fact, there were so many musicians on stage and in the choir loft, that it seemed to me that the finale of our 20th Anniversary Festival Concert symbolically included all twenty years of Philadelphia Sinfonia students. For it is through the rich history of our student members that we have been able to achieve all that we have and that led to this spectacular climax!

I first became involved with Sinfonia after hearing a live performance at a local mall I lived near. I just happened to be there and was struck by something special about the group. To my surprise and delight, within a year I was named its new conductor!

I think back on the hundreds of students I have had the pleasure to work with and get to know. Some are just beginning their college years, while others have become successful professionals in music and other careers (some I have even had the pleasure to work with as professional musicians) - and there are so many others adventurously finding their way from the years in between. It is always a great joy for me to read and hear about our former Philadelphia Sinfonia students and their endeavors. I truly believe we have both shaped and been shaped by all of those many, many, remarkable members!

Thanks and congratulations to all our students and their families, past and present! By the way, those tears at the end of the Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture that I mentioned earlier also filled my eyes as 20 years of history seemed to come together to form that perfect moment.

Happy 20th!

Gary D. White Music Director & Conductor

Gary D. White, Music Director & Conductor

ORCHESTRA NEWSSummer 2017 | Vol.15, No. 2

Published by: Philadelphia Sinfonia

Edited by: Carol Brown

Photos by: Steven Goldblatt, Tom Gralish, and Ke Feng

Design by: Hanna Manninen

©Copyright Philadelphia Sinfonia Association 2017

ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra) Master Class with PSCO

O ur own string chamber orchestra, PSCO, welcomed the stellar East Coast Chamber Orchestra at St. Stephen’s Church during rehearsal on Saturday, April 22, 2017. ECCO, the renowned chamber ensemble, was in town for a concert presented by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and had offered, through the Chamber Music Society, to lead a master class with the Philadelphia Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra as well.

The combined orchestras jumped right into Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony, the chosen repertoire, all musicians (but cellos) standing, as ECCO musicians traditionally perform, and the air resonated with their rich and glorious sound throughout all four of the symphony’s movements.

Then, the master musicians began to take the piece apart emphasizing much more intensively the musicality of the piece than its technical details, offering tips to free the PSCO students from strict, exclusive attention to technique. The lessons were challenging, but not lost, and it was fascinating for audience members to see the greater motion and emotion our students demonstrated as they continued, later, to play the piece.

Philadelphia Sinfonia is incredibly grateful to the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and to ECCO for bringing this master class to our students and parents. What a wonderful experience it was to learn from the extraordinary performers of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra.

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Triumphant & Moving: 1812 Caps 20th YearContinued from page 1.

were soprano Jessica Lennick, gracious and lovely in Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate; George Gershwin’s An American in Paris, evocatively performed; and the strings from both full orchestras (PS & PSP) in Vaugh Williams’ Concerto Grosso for Three Orchestras. Superbly prepared by their conductors, our instrumentalists delivered a milestone 20th Anniversary Festival Concert with extraordinary confidence, passion, and musicality.

Guest performers Jessica Lennick, Abington Choral Club, Keystone State Boychoir, Pennsylania Girlchoir, and the extra “hands” on the cannon and church bell chimes in Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, did us proud as well. We thank them all.

As for the other special celebratory highlights of the year, each of our ensembles had a share, captured in photographic images and commentary on pages 4–5.

2017 FALL AUDITIONSTo fill the remaining seats in both of our full orchestras, musicians are invited to audition in late August/early September 2017. Limited openings available; all instruments are invited to audition.

WE OFFER:• full symphonic orchestra concerts (advanced and intermediate level)• chamber orchestra concerts• performances with professional soloists• artistic and community partnership opportunities• sectionals and master classes with Philadelphia Orchestra musicians and other top

professionals• internal concerto competition (every other year; 2017–2018 is a competition year)• varied and challenging musical repertoire• exceptional orchestral training process

Information is available on our website: www.philadelphiasinfonia.com/auditions

AUDITION DATES:Saturday, August 26, 9 AM–5 PMSunday, August 27, 9 AM–5 PMSaturday, September 2, 9 AM–5 PM

AUDITIONS ARE HELD AT:St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church 19 S. Tenth Street Philadelphia, PA 19107

Parking is available directly across the street and SEPTA regional rail is nearby.

To register for an audition, please visit our website: www.philadelphiasinfonia.com to download an information packet about our program, to review our audition requirements, request an audition, and complete a registration form.

20th Anniversary Season CDs Available

T his season’s CDs are among the most outstanding we have produced for our two large ensembles, PS and PSP. The repertoire for 2016–2017 was fabulous, and each of our ensembles and their recordings were excellent.Both groups’ CDs include the joint PS/PSP pieces on the Verizon Hall Festival Concert: Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra; each includes the season’s professional soloists’ pieces (David Kim, violin, with PS in Bruch’s violin concerto, and John Thyhsen, trumpet, with PSP in Selections from Rodgers and Hart); and among other highlights, the PS CD includes Gershwin’s An American in Paris, soprano Jessica Lennick in Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate, and beautiful recordings of this season’s PSCO — Philadelphia Sinfonia’s own string chamber orchestra.

TO ORDER CDs VISIT: philadelphiasinfonia.com/members and select “merchandise.” Price: $25 if picked up at a rehearsal at St. Stephen’s Church; $28 if mailed. CDs will be available early in the fall.

“The past two years in [Philadelphia] Sinfonia have been unimaginable and unforgettable. I truly have grown as a musician and an individual more than you can imagine…. I want to say how incredibly impressed I was with the administration of Sinfonia under Ms. Mendelsohn, the colossal and impressive musicianship exhibited by you, Mr. White, that has transformed me as an individual and musician, and the great support and musicianship of Ms. Garret. Sinfonia is truly an amazing youth orchestra and undoubtedly one of the greatest that exists.”

http://www.philadelphiasinfonia.com/auditions

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Soprano Jessica Lennick in Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate

Masterful in every number: PS in May Festival Concert

20th Anniversary Festival Concert: May 14, 2017“Just wanted to give you the unsolicited feedback that [your] ad on WRTI sold three tickets to the performance today.... the listing of the groups performing and the pieces to be played were so exciting that we came. It was great.”

— Anonymous email message, May 14, 2017

Pennsylvania Girlchoir singers: Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture

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PSP Festival Concert: May 7, 2017

PSP Festival Concert

PSCO master class with ECCO, April 22, 2017; see page 2 for the story behind this event

Ms. Garrett conducts PSP Festival Concert

Trumpet soloist, John Thyhsen, performing with PSP

David Kim, Concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra, in concert with PS, January 22, 2017.

“Our daughter… has grown so much musically and gained poise and confidence from being a member of Sinfonia. In fact, we can attribute her many college acceptances into music programs directly to her participation with Sinfonia.”

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ALEX ROSENFELDInstruments in PS: Horn/ViolinCurrent Occupation: Musician/Brewer; San FranciscoPrevious Positions: Assistant Principal Horn, Louisiana PhilharmonicAssistant Principal Horn, Rochester PhilharmonicThird Horn, Sarasota OperaPerformed frequently as an extra and toured with the San Francisco Symphony and SF OperaProfessor of Horn, San Jose State University

PS helped prepare me for college (two degrees in French Horn performance), and set the foundation for an exciting career as an orchestral musician. Performing with so many talented and eager young musicians in such a fantastically nurturing environment was a key part of my early musical education.

LAUREN MARINIInstrument: violaCurrent occupation: Veterinary Neurologist at Ocean State Veterinary Specialists.

I have played in the Narragansett Bay Symphony (formerly the RI Philharmonic Community Orchestra) since I moved to RI in 2010. Being in an orchestra like PS absolutely helped mold me into the professional I am today. Aside from helping me appear “well-rounded,” which is always important on professional school applications, it taught me time management skills as I juggled life as a high school student with practicing and rehearsals. Although I knew at the time that I did not want to make music my career, PS helped me realize how important music was to keep me sane while dealing with a stressful career.

LAUREN (PINTO) RUDATInstrument in PS: ViolinCurrent Occupation: String Specialist/Orchestra Director in the Council Rock School District, Holland, PA

PS was founded when I was a senior in high school, and already knowing that I wanted to pursue a career in music, PS gave me the opportunity to perform with other talented young musicians and work with an amazing conductor. Performing with PS not only increased my musical aptitude, but also fostered skills needed for team work and helped build amazing friendships that I still have — to this day, 20 years later.

JENNY WEINARInstrument in PS: Double BassCurrent Occupation: Clinical Social Worker at the Family Center of Thomas Jefferson University.

I am going into my fourth year as Philadelphia Sinfonia’s first alumni board member and was especially thrilled to still be involved during Sinfonia’s twentieth anniversary year. Although I no longer play bass, my years in Sinfonia had a profound and lasting effect, from instilling in me the value of being a part of a community, building self-confidence, and cultivating a lifelong love for the arts.

DANIELLE GARRETTInstrument: ViolinCurrent Occupation: Conductor

As a violinist in Philadelphia Sinfonia during its inaugural season, the proper foundation was set to pursue a career in music. It was an honor to work with a talented group of musicians. Over the past twenty years, I have developed many skills as an orchestral player, performed in numerous countries, served as concertmaster, served as a Philadelphia Sinfonia intern during college, progressed to its orchestra manager, and now serve as Conductor of its talented intermediate orchestra, “Philadelphia Sinfonia Players.” PS has groomed me into the well-rounded musician that I am today, and it is an honor to be a part of this amazing organization.

Alumni Notes from the Inaugural Year (1997–1998) of Philadelphia Sinfonia A look twenty years on at the careers and interests of some of the musicians who participated in Philadelphia Sinfonia’s inaugural year. Lauren (Pinto) Rudat suggested this 20th anniversary feature, collected three of the updates, and we happily added stories from two others from that group who, remarkably, continue to be involved with Philadelphia Sinfonia.

side-by-side with PS in March (a fabulous annual event), and will appear as guest artists on the PS Festival Concert in Verizon Hall in May.

Among the year’s repertoire highlights for PSP are: Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, the “Waltz” from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20, and Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 in D Major “London.”

Bedsides Scheherazade, listed above, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 35 will be among the big repertoire highlights for PS.

*For those curious about it, PS will be making its first professionally released CD in partnership with Contemporary Record Society, Inc. (CRS) in the fall. Working with its president, John Russo, we will record the works of several living composers including:

William Popp: Orchestral Fanfare for a Scholarly Celebration

Doug Davis: Dust Swirls, then Speaks (Journey to Hope)

Gregory Hall: Six Sketches from “Niagara” (Ongiara)

John Russo: Three Studies for Clarinet and Orchestra (“New York, York”)

As part of our recording agreement, Mr. Russo, a prominent clarinet soloist and Yamaha artist, will also record and later perform the Weber Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 74 with the musicians of PS. The live performance will take place in the first PS concert of the season, on January 21, 2018 at the Temple Performing Arts Center. Concert time: 3 PM.

Exciting adventures await us next season! We look forward to moving into our third decade in September along with all our new and returning musicians and with a calendar full of engaging, challenging opportunities, new collaborations, and glorious music. Here’s to our 21st Year!

Highlights for Year 21Continued from page 1.

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“Don’t pursue music for anybody else except yourself.”

T hose words of advice come from trumpet player Matthew Salazar, a member of Sinfonia during 2013–14, and recent graduate of University of the Arts. Matt’s deep love of many varieties and aspects of music really came to life because of his Sinfonia experience.

“It’s very easy to pursue music because you’re good at it, or because your teacher told you that you could. However, sometimes that’s not enough of a reason to stay motivated. Find the nucleus of why you do it, and if that nucleus is a pure love for the art, then you will never lack motivation.”

Matt has been more than motivated in his pursuit of his love of music. Although he was with Sinfonia for just a year, Matt found inspiration there and has maintained close ties. Looking back, he treasures his experience during the festival concert at Verizon Hall: “[P]laying on the same stage as world renowned musicians and personal heroes of mine was incredible and drew my aspirations to a sharp focus.” Matt also loved the opportunity that he had to attend a Sinfonia master class with John

Harbison that turned him on to composing. Sinfonia also taught Matt patience – the patience to learn how to master the pieces he performed over the many weeks of the Sinfonia season.

Matt went on to major in Jazz Trumpet Performance at UArts, with a minor in Music Education. There, he primarily played lead trumpet and performed solo in big band settings. He also played classical repertoire with the UArts Brass Ensemble, and recently performed the Anthony Plog Double Concerto for Trumpet and Trombone. In addition, Matt was part of the UArts Z Big Band, which tied for first place in the Next Generation Jazz Festival in Monterey, California just this past April. The Band took home three out of five soloist awards, and will be returning to perform at the renowned Monterey Jazz Festival this fall.

Aside from Matt’s immediate goals — to perform as much as possible — Matt plans to seek a master’s degree in classical trumpet performance, and perhaps study composition at the graduate level — and teach as well. He advises: “[D]on’t pigeonhole yourself. Don’t say “no” to a gig because you don’t feel ready, or it’s not what you usually do. Take the gig, learn

the music and how it should be played, and make it happen. It will provide you with opportunities [that] … you didn’t know existed, and [introduce you] to wonderful people you never thought you’d meet.” With the ultimate goals of teaching at a university and performing professionally, Matt aims to be a “very busy trumpet player.” He aspires to perform with musical theater ensembles, at jazz gigs and pops orchestra concerts, in addition to composing and playing original music.

Happily, performance has not kept Matt from staying involved with Sinfonia. He has returned to work with musicians and has been part of a group that plans Sinfonia alumni events to keep alumni connected. He reminds Sinfonia members to appreciate their experience: “Not often are there ensembles with such good people, helpful and knowledgeable instructors, and an educational attitude that is so welcoming.”

Why does Matt do this?

His answer is simple: “I think that if you are proud of your institution, you should do what you can to give back. I’m thankful that I got to study in Philadelphia during my time with Sinfonia and stay [connected] during the subsequent years. It keeps me close to an organization that I’m very proud and thankful to have been a part of. This feeling of pride keeps me in contact with many people in the Sinfonia community, and my love of playing music makes returning to play, when asked to, a joy.”

Go for it, Matt!

Matt can be contacted at msalazar395@gmail.com.Diane Penneys Edelman

Alum Profile: Matthew Salazar

Matthew Salazar

Super-Strong 2017 Food Drive Supports Philabundance

M arch is typically “food drive” month for our orchestras. Each year a self-selected committee of volunteers from PS runs the drive: promoting, collecting, storing, and counting cans of food from the first weekend in March to the last. Among the volunteer committee’s favorite tasks is deciding effective strategies for raising the number of cans collected so we can deliver the most food possible to Philabundance.

This year’s strategies included a typical competition between sections of the orchestra, but it also included a unique challenge: if the total collection at the end of March topped 1,000 lbs of food, Maestro Gary White agreed to conduct a PS rehearsal “in costume” — although no-one specified what costume that would be….

Long story short, this year’s drive was the strongest ever, garnering 1,293 lbs of food delivered to Philabundance; Maestro Gary White came to rehearsal a few weeks later as Spiderman!

Bravo Gary, and Bravo to the Food Drive Committee: Cindy Chea, Andrew Chen, Gillian Diebold, Ethan Frankel, Anjali Gupta, Consuelo Le, Emma Parker, Courtney Sabanas, Vinayak Shankar, Linsy Wang, William Wang, Hannah Yoon.

mailto:msalazar395@gmail.com

SONATA SINFONIA ORCHESTRA NEWS SUMMER 2017

Gary D. White Music Director and ConductorJudith Mendelsohn Executive Director Danielle Garrett PSP Conductor and Orchestra ManagerHannah Albrecht Administrative Coordinator

Board of Directors:Carol Brown, PresidentNaomi Atkins, Vice PresidentJean Lowery, SecretaryJerome Pontillo, TreasurerDawn Evans Matthew Gurin Matthew Kremer Lorna Lynn ZeeAnn Mason Carol Steinberg Jenny WeinarPhiladelphia Sinfonia PO Box 996 Philadelphia, PA 19105-0996 Tel: 215-351-0363 Website: www.philadelphiasinfonia.com E-mail: info@philadelphiasinfonia.com

Mission Statement Philadelphia Sinfonia supports the artistic growth of young musicians in the Delaware Valley by providing high-level ensemble experience in a supportive educational environment.

We believe that the pursuit of excellence requires performers with integrity, working together toward a common goal. Thus our mission is three-fold: to provide ensemble opportunities for young musicians, to achieve the highest level of artistic advancement, and to educate young people broadly to be strong citizens and leaders as well as responsible musicians.

We recruit from a demographically diverse student population to provide an opportunity to anyone who musically qualifies and to enrich the experience of all members of the organization.

PO Box 996 Philadelphia, PA 19105-0996

Photo recap of 2016–17 and Preview of 2017 –18