This Western CT Youth Orchestra program includes a welcome message, biographies of our artistic staff, a list of our musicians, the concert order, conductors notes, important dates and a list of our generous sponsors. Thank you for joining us.
String Orchestra Wind Ensemble Symphony Orchestra 20th Anniversary Concert
June 5, 2022 - 4:00 PM
Visual & Performing Arts Center Western CT State University Danbury, Connecticut
WCYO Welcomes You! All of us at the WCYO welcome you to our 20th Anniversary Season Finale Concert! Founded in 2002, the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra (WCYO) provides talented young musicians in the regional Connecticut and New York areas with exceptional learning and performance opportunities, while fostering an awareness and appreciation of the enjoyment and power of music. WCYO members are challenged not only to perform at the highest level, but also to build character, creativity and self- esteem, with music as their guide The WCYO features three ensembles; Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra, and Symphony Orchestra. The WCYO also offers a concerto competition, special seasonal ensembles, an annual retreat and is home of the Charles Ives Music Festival (CIMF). CIMF honors the legacy of Connecticut’s own, composer Charles Ives, by bringing American music to our community through the presentation of artists and interactive educational events, centered around the exploration of chamber music. Today, in celebration of our 20th Anniversary Season, we invite you to join us in celebrating the many individuals, past and present, that have served the WCYO during its 20 year history. From our co-founders Gina Wilson and Carrie Moore; our many dedicated board of directors; our executive directors, Laurie Kenagy, Catherine Hazlehurst, Kim Bova and Ruth Feldman; and our music directors and conductors, Jonathan Schiffman, Ankush Kumar Bahl, Petko Dimitrov, Eric Mahl, Suzanne Corey- Sahlin, Justin Elkins, Tristan Rais-Sherman, Joanna Giordano, and Albert Montecalvo. We also recognize, with great appreciation, the longstanding philanthropic support of the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation and the Gloria Gray Fund. In addition, we acknowledge each and every talented and dedicated youth musician who has participated in a WCYO ensemble since the organization's inception. They are the legacy of the WCYO! And we thank the parents and guardians who supported them in their musical journeys, and in turn helped the WCYO achieve its mission. Enjoy this wonderful afternoon of music, as we take this occasion to celebrate our notable past, while also looking forward to the exciting future of the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra! Board of Directors Laurie Kenagy, President Jacqueline Sifford Joyner, Vice President
Leon Borden, Treasurer Caro Giordano, Secretary Andy Jacobs | Joseph Russo
Executive Director Ruth W. Feldman
Artistic Leadership
Eric Mahl, WCYO Music Director & Conductor Symphony Orchestra
Maestro Eric Mahl is the Music Director/Conductor of the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra. He also serves as the Conductor and Artistic Director of OrchestraOne, Associate Conductor of the Greenwich Village Orchestra, and Music Director/Conductor of Philharmonia Orchestra at Third Street Music School, and the Orchestra at Turtle Bay Music School. Mr. Mahl is a musician who believes in the transformative powers of music above all else. His hope is to provide meaningful, enriching and educational musical experiences to as many people as possible. Under the belief that the study of music is essentially an exploration of the human condition, and that classical music is infinitely beneficial for every human, he strives to cultivate an appreciation and understanding of music played with the highest possible level of artistry. Mr. Mahls’ past positions include artistic director of the New Jersey Young Artists Ensembles, the Harmony Program North Orchestra, assistant conductor to the contemporary music ensemble Orchestre 21, in Montreal QC, Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra in New York, New York, Conductor of the Fredonia Symphonia, cover conductor for the Orchard Park Symphony in Buffalo, NY, assistant to all orchestral and operatic activities at SUNY Fredonia, in Fredonia, NY, and assistant to orchestras at Universite de Montreal. He has had guest conducting experiences with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Ridgefield Symphony, New Amsterdam Symphony, Greenwich Village Orchestra, The Chelsea Symphony, Urban Playground orchestra, and the University Orchestras of the College Conservatory of Music (CCM), Orchestra de l’Universite de Montreal, and SUNY Fredonia. Mr. Mahl’s dedication to contemporary music is evident in his many collaborations and commissions with professional and student composers including the world premieres of fully-staged operas, experimental ballet, and countless small and large ensemble pieces of all genres. As part of his position with Orchestre 21, Mr. Mahl was selected to act as assistant for the world premiere of Debussy’s newly finished opera, Le Diable dans le Belfroi. He was also selected from over 100 applicants to participate in the
Artistic Leadership
(Eric Mahl cont.) Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Conducting Workshop, where he worked closely with Marin Alsop and James Ross. His composer in residence program at the WCYO has accounted for four commissions and world premieres for Orchestra and Wind ensemble, as well as the performance of countless contemporary works throughout the season. As a passionate educator, Mr. Mahl has personally taught all ages and instruments at a public and private schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City, and frequently works with student musicians from under-served communities. As a firm believer that music can provide a transformational experience for any child regardless of background, he attempts to engage and inspire students from as many cultural and geographic backgrounds as possible through community engagement activities such as free lectures, workshops, and concerts in addition to working with student orchestras. Mr. Mahl also firmly believes that classical music is for everyone, and that art is an important and necessary vehicle to spur empathy and the understanding of one another, regardless of background. To that end, he continually strives to engage the communities that surround his orchestras through lecture series, interactive workshops, partnerships with other local non-profits and other engagement and educational activities. It is his goal to expose the humanistic meaning behind great works of art, to tear down any and all barriers between the audience and performers and to make everyone feel welcomed and accepted into a symphonic concert. Mr. Mahl received his Bachelors of Music in Education from Ithaca College and continued his studies both at Universite de Montreal and the State University of New York at Fredonia, where he received his master’s degree. He has studied with some of the foremost conducting pedagogues in the United States including Marin Alsop, James Ross, Harold Farberman, Neil Varon, Marc Gibson, Larry Rachleff, Don Schleicher, Jean-Francois Rivest, Paolo Bellomia, and Joeseph Gifford. He has participated in workshops and competitions in the United States, Canada, the Czech Republic; at the Eastman School of Music, College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati and Bard College. Mr. Mahl’s primary instrument is the trumpet, although he is schooled in all orchestral instruments. He continues to perform in orchestral, jazz, and chamber music settings and most recently made his Opera Debut with a production of La Cenerentola with the Geneva Light Opera Company in Geneva, NY. Mr. Mahl is an outdoor enthusiast, an accomplished cook, and an avid runner.
Artistic Leadership
Albert Montecalvo Conductor Wind Ensemble
Albert Montecalvo joined the WCYO as conductor of the WCYO Wind Ensemble in 2010 for the ensemble’s inaugural season. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University and his 6th Year Professional Diploma in School Administration and Supervision from Southern Connecticut State University. Albert retired from the Carmel New York School District in 1998 where he was director of middle school and high school bands as well as K-12 Director of Music. He has performed as percussionist with many Connecticut and Westchester County symphony orchestras and played drums and percussion with various theater groups, jazz big bands and small groups. As a recording artist he performed with The Bridgeport Jazz Trio on its CD entitled “Out of The Past.” Albert was an adjunct music professor at Western Connecticut State University for four years where he taught music education courses, supervised student teachers and conducted the WCSU Symphonic Band. He has also been the Director of the Summer Band Program at the Danbury Music Centre for 16 years and just recently became Music Director of Danbury Community Band. He has been guest conductor of the Danbury Symphony POPS Orchestra three times. Albert conducted numerous award winning musicals at Ridgefield High School for 14 years and at Trinity Catholic High School in Stamford for four years. "Mr. Monte" leaves the WCYO this June after 12 years as the esteemed and inspiring conductor of the Wind Ensemble. But he forever remains a part of the WCYO community and the organization's legacy of developing youth musicians and helping to create life-long music lovers.
Artistic Leadership
Joanna Giordano Conductor String Orchestra
Joanna Giordano joined the WCYO as String Orchestra Conductor in January 2022. Ms. Giordano received her Bachelor’s degree in Music with a minor in Education & Child Study from Smith College. She then pursued a Master’s degree in Music & Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She currently teaches elementary strings in the Somers Central School District. Ms. Giordano has played violin for over 15 years, including as a member of the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra for six years. Some of her concert highlights include performing at Carnegie Hall in 2006 as a member of the Greater Westchester Youth Orchestra and at Avery Fisher Hall in 2008 as a member of WCYO.
Ms. Giordano currently serves as concertmaster of the New Westchester Symphony Orchestra in White Plains.
WCYO 2022 Seniors
Congratulations and best wishes to you all!
Ann Daniels Colorado School of Mines
Addison Flower Syracuse University
Coleman Hoffner University of California
Eleanor Harrison University of Rochester
Ann Daniels Colorado School of Mines Graham Litz Yale University
Peter Sebestyen Christendom College
Krithika Natarajan Northeastern University
Emilie Tenore Loyola University
Christian Thompson Rotary Youth Exchange
Sompour Wolfe University of Connecticut
Musicians of the String Orchestra Violin I Matiya Tessy Bouhom Koussai, Concertmaster Victor Lin, Assistant Concertmaster Maxim Curt
Samuel Pereira Shannon White
Vi olin II Rob Pattison, Principal Melissa Phillips Sandhya Narasimha Andrew Hsu Shriya Natarajan Viola Josie Caron, Principal Coleman Hoffner * Cello Matthew Arnold, Principal Claudia Padilla Auden Masotta *
Double Bass Jayin Palicha, Principal
*Symphony Orchestra Musician
Musicians of the Wind Ensemble Flute Claire Zhang Clarinet
Will Knispel Vijay Pertab
Peter Sebestyen Sompour Wolfe*
Bass Clarinet Randy Rivera
Alto Saxophone Arushi Tripathi Trumpet Elias Warholak Baritone Horn Eli Wolfe Tuba Anthony Salsbury Percussion Sebastien Bernard
* Symphony Orchestra Musician
Guest Musicians: Leslie Albrecht, Jacob Brentson, Zachary Brown+, Jacob Laham, & Beverly Ticehurst
+Alumni
Musicians of the Symphony Orchestra Violin I Emilie Tenore, Concertmaster Katherine Mombo, Assistant Concertmaster Graham Litz Krithika Natarajan Caitlin Walsh Violin II Elliana Castellucci, Principal Ann Daniels Grant Urquhart Kiril Volkov Florence Mercurio Elijah Yurkovsky Viola Coleman Hoffner, Principal
Emma Dawson Sofia Stenberg Ava Murdock Cello Francesca Rossi, Principal Alexander Sabella Auden Masotta Klara Dziurdzinski Sofia Lee Lugo Christian Thompson Andrew Savitsky Lily Runyan Bennett Gerhart Ethan Dawson Double Bass Wilbert Sullivan, Principal
Musicians of the Symphony Orchestra
Flute Jordan Juan, Principal Diana Kovacs Irene Chen Piccolo Diana Kovacs Oboe Eva Trotter, Principal Clarinet Sompour Wolfe, Principal Ian Whitehurst French Horn Eleanor Harrison Trumpet Gregory Kapteina, Principal Peter Wolfe Baritone Horn Eli Wolfe* Timpani Addison Flower, Principal *Wind Ensemble Musician
Guest Musicians: Michael Brown, Ryan Goodwin, Erik Hyman, Chie Yoshinaka Matejek, Matthew Matheny, Tessa Pettit, Juvenal Santiago, Dan Vaitkus, & Jens Wendleboe
Alumni Musicians: Brady Callaghan, Alexandra Dillulio, Joanna Giordano, Dmitri Volkov
Blue Fire Fiddler Soon Hee Newbold (1974- ) String Orchestra Concert Program Norman Leyden (1917-2014) III. Nocture ~ IV. Cakewalk Serenade for Strings
It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't GotThat Swing) Duke Ellington (1899-1974) & Irving Mills (1894-1985) Arranged by Robert Longfield Accompanied by Albert Montecalvo, Drums String Orchestra & Wind Ensemble
Warrior Legacy Soon Hee Newbold (1974- )
Wind Ensemble
Encanto Robert W. Smith (1958- ) The Symphonic Gershwin (An American in Paris, Cuban Overture, and Rhapsody in Blue) George Gershwin (1898-1937) Arranged by Warren Barker Recognition of Graduating Seniors & Scholarship Presentation INTERMISSION
Symphony Orchestra
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
I. Andante, Allegro con anima ~ II. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza III. Valse. Allegro moderato ~ IV. Finale: Andante maestoso-Allegro vivace
Conductors' Notes
Joanna Giordano, String Orchestra This concert program focuses on works by American composers and showcases various moments in American music history. The technique featured in Blue Fire Fiddle r transports the listener back to the very origins of this country in the early 1600s, when settlers played fiddle tunes. Soon Hee Newbold’s fiery melody of sixteenth notes and double stops races ahead atop a sturdy foundation of pizzicato in the lower strings. Next up we have two movements from Serenade for Strings by composer Norman Leyden, who began his professional music career playing bass clarinet in the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. The third movement “Nocturne” uses the unconventional, asymmetrical meter of 5/4 time. It opens and closes with a gentle melody for solo violin which is then passed throughout the orchestra. The fourth movement “Cakewalk,” is anything but what the title suggests. A syncopated rhythmic motif punctuates throughout the movement, with constant changes in dynamic and tonality keeping the listener on their toes. Leyden craftily weaves in melodic material from the first and third movements of Serenade for Strings in the violins as the rhythmic ostinato chugs along in the lower strings. Next we turn to It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) , a jazz standard by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills representing a quintessentially American genre of music. Our musicians have greatly enjoyed learning this famous tune, with its “blue” notes, scat rhythms, and dramatic articulations. The final piece of our summer program, Warrior Legacy by Soon Hee Newbold, is emblematic not only of the legacy of the United States but also of the WCYO as we celebrate our 20th anniversary. Warrior Legacy opens with a bold and foreboding ostinato followed by a solemn but hopeful melody. The piece transitions into a lively compound meter and finishes in bold, dramatic fashion. However, the most exciting thing about Warrior Legacy is the collaboration between our String Orchestra and our Wind Ensemble–an opportunity that these musicians have greatly enjoyed.
Albert Montecalvo, Wind Ensemble
Warrior Legacy I am happy to combine the Wind Ensemble with the String Orchestra for Warrior Legacy. Because of the differences of beginning string and band instruments such as key signatures, transpositions and fingerings it is often not until high school or beyond that these two instrument groups combine together in an ensemble. Thank you to WCYO for giving me the opportunity to conduct these two groups today and also to Joanna Giordano for preparing the String Orchestra so well. Encanto This is the shortened version of Encanto. I thought of it as a musical "appetizer" for the longer 10 minute Gershwin "main entree" which follows. As usual, Robert W. Smith makes great musical sense despite the complex meter and rhythmic intricacies of this little gem.
Conductors' Notes
Symphonic Gershwin As in several other selections previously performed by the Wind Ensemble, I feel it is important that young band musicians should have the opportunity to experience classic American composers even though most selections of this nature are written for orchestra. Gershwin has always been a favorite of mine. His music straddles classical, modern, jazz, blues and popular styles. This selection features themes from three of Gershwin's most revered pieces, Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris and Cuban Overture. I hope that in the future when these students hear these themes they can say "I know that music, we played it in WCYO."
Eric Mahl, Symphony Orchestra
Upon the first few performances of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony in 1888, he was convinced the piece was a failure - stating that “It was clear to me that the applause and ovations referred not to this but to other works of mine, and that the Symphony itself will never please the public.” Forever a self-doubting perfectionist, the Symphony today stands as one of the great orchestral masterworks, and a pinnacle of the Romantic Era. Romanticism in music, while associated with sweeping strings, long melodies, and emotional depth, had much more to do with philosophy than any particular “sound.” The general ideal for the Romantics was to express what it means to be human through a musical narrative. Every composer in this era had different ideas for how to accomplish this, but Tchaikovsky’s compositional techniques and ingenuity make this piece particularly poignant. Specifically, Tchaikovsky employed the use of a recurring theme that returns throughout the entirety of the symphony. This theme, played at the very beginning of the piece by the clarinets, has a somber, almost dejected tone. Throughout the symphony though, the very same theme changes keys, character, dynamic, instrumentation and purpose. The Second movement for example, one the most remarkable slow movements in orchestral literature and a kind of distillation of the human condition, has this theme return twice; first as a triumphant hero staving off a terrible fate, and second as the terrible fate itself. The final movement sees this theme being used at both the beginning and the end - as a final victory over the forces of evil, both outside of us and within us. As the Symphony reaches a thrilling conclusion, Tchaikovsky also brings back the minor, sinister main theme from the first e minor movement, now in E major and as a heralding call of triumph in the trumpets and horn. This of course harkens back to Beethoven’s 5th symphony which we played at our first concert, and begins in a terrifying c minor, and ends in jubilant C major (it’s easy to see how Beethoven is known for ushering in the Romantic Era!). If we keep our ears open, these returns of thematic material give us something to hold on to. Pillars of sound that we can latch onto as listeners, and guide us through this epic narrative. Ultimately, this narrative is about overcoming - about the greatness of joy, and of finding hope even in the darkest of times.
Upcoming WCYO Events
2022-23 WCYO Auditions June 7-9, 2022
An Evening in Celebration of CIMF featuring Emily Levin, principal harpist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra June 17, 2022 - 7:00 PM Keeler Tavern Museum Garden House Charles Ives Music Festival - Summer 2022 Chamber Music Intensive, Chamber Music & Orchestra Performance Program, & Concert Series August 1-14, 2022 charlesivesmusicfestival.org 2022-23 Season Begins on September 8, 2022 Season Concerts November 20, 2022 March 5, 2023 June 4, 2023
Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation Gloria Gray Foundation THANK YOU to our generous Community Partners for their support!
The Lewis Fund CT Humanities
Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development* * Support has been provided to WCYO from CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Scan QR Code to donate to our 20K for 20 Campaign to support talented and dedicated youth musicians.
Learn more about WCYO! website: wctyo.org email: wcyo@wctyo.org phone: 203.894.8786 address: P.O. Box 964, Ridgefield, CT 06877
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