The Manchester Symphony Society and Manchester College welcome you to the 68th Season of the Manchester Symphony Orchestra Holiday Magic Sunday, December 3, 2006 3:00 pm Cordier Auditorium, North Manchester, Indiana
Program Christmas Suite .......................................................................................François Joseph Gossec I. Adagio – Siciliana (1734-1829) II. Le Chant III. Accurrite gentes “Adoration of the Magi” from Trittico Botticelliano .................................. Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) Kol Nidreia.....................................................................................................................Max Bruch (1838-1920) Brook Bennett, cello intermission “Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” “Nimrod” from Enigma Variations .........................................................Edward Elgar (1857-1934) Stuart Jones, narrator
Christmas Music for Orchestra .............................................................................. John Cacavas (b.1930) Manchester College Chamber Singers
Sleigh Ride ............................................................................................................Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) Holiday Sing-a-Long
Please join us in the Cordier lobby for a post-concert reception courtesy of Chartwell’s Food Service. The lobby is decorated by the students of Ejenobo Oke, Instructor of Art at Manchester College.
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Orchestra Personnel Violin I Dessie Arnold** Ross Bercot Linda Kummernuss Ilona Orban Ervin Orban Violin II Joyce Dubach* Martha Barker Janice Eplett Casey Lambert+ Viola Naida McDermid* Julie Sadler Margaret Sklenar Caleb McMillan Nick Kwolek Cello Brook Bennett* Tim Spahr Tony Spahr Sara Thomas Jason Ney Bass Darrel Fiene* Sam Gnagey Brad Kuhns
Flute Sara Kauffman+ Sarah Curry+ Jena Eichenlaub+
Bass Trombone Scott Hippensteel Tuba Robert Lynn
Piccolo Jena Eichenlaub+
Percussion Dave Robbins* Andrew Klein Michael Holler+
Oboe George Donner* Nyssa Gore+ Deana Strantz+
Harp Megan Stout
Bassoon Erich Zummack* Amy Cox
Keyboard Alan Chambers Michael Good
Clarinet Lila D. Hammer* Mark W. Huntington Horn John Morse* Katie Daniels+ Brittany Cook++ Tammy Sprunger Trumpet Steve Hammer* Jason Lucker
** Denotes concertmaster * Denotes principal player + Denotes Manchester College Student ++ Denotes student librarian
Rehearsal refreshments for the Manchester Symphony Orchestra musicians are generously donated by Nordmann’s Nook, North Manchester.
Trombone Jon Hartman* Larry Dockter
Past Conductors W. David Koile
1939-42
James A Carlson
1970-73
Samuel L. Flueckiger
1942-53
Jack C. Laumer
1973-77
Vernon Stinebaugh
1953-65
James Baldwin
1977-79
Jack Harriman
1965-67
Robert Jones
1979-2004
David C. McCormick
1967-70 2
Suzanne Gindin, Conductor
Dear Patron, What better way to celebrate the season than through music? The sixty-eighth season is off to a great start, including our opening concert in October and our exhilarating “pops” debut with Amy Grant at the Honeywell Center in November. We decided to focus this year on the talent of our own players entitling the season, “Meet the MSO”. Today, MSO principal cellist Brook Bennett, will bring to life the poignant melodies of Kol Nidrei. The March concert highlights our “regular” players, those who are here every Monday night for rehearsal. We have programmed three chamber works to be performed with dancers in a unique staging of music and movement at the Ford Theatre in Wabash. In our final concert of the season, our harpist Megan Stout will perform Rodrigo’s Guitar Concerto, transcribed for harp. Guest soprano Alison Buchanan will enchant you with Barber’s Knoxville Summer of 1915. A new feature this year is a “talk-back” after the concert for Manchester Symphony Society members to get a closer look at the music and the process behind bringing it to life. This will include the conductor, the soloists, and any other artists who feel inclined. We encourage you to join the Manchester Symphony Society and take advantage of this new benefit. Enjoy a special Chartwell’s menu as you listen and experience closure to the afternoon. Our educational programming this year will include school visits by the MSO musicians introducing students to the exciting world of Western music from Baroque to modern. It’s a great year to take a closer look at the people behind the music who brighten our lives and bring such wonderful sounds to this community on a regular basis. We welcome you to our campus, our auditorium, and our hearts as we enjoy sharing with you the gift of music. As always, we thank you for your continued support and hope that our music-making brings you a measure of joy this holiday season. Sincerely,
Suzanne Gindin Conductor, Manchester Symphony Orchestra
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Brook Bennett, Guest Soloist Brook Bennett, from Chandler, Arizona, began playing the cello at age ten and later studied with Jan Simiz, associate principal cellist of the Phoenix Symphony. He received a bachelor of music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied cello with Alan Harris and Merry Peckham, and chamber music with Peter Salaff. As a student of Julia Lichten, Brook received a master of music degree from the Purchase College Conservatory of Music, State University of New York. During the summer of 2003 and 2004, Brook served as cello faculty member and ensemble coach for the CREDO Chamber Music Festival’s “Opus 1” program. As cellist for the Alaska Quartet, he has toured throughout Alaska, performing public concerts as Brook Bennett, cello well as ministry outreach for incarcerated men and women. Brook studied Suzuki cello pedagogy with Catherine Walker at the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute, and with Barbara Wampner at the Suzuki Institute of Chicago. He was appointed Suzuki cello teacher at the Community School of the Arts at Goshen College in 2004.
Suzanne Gindin, Conductor Maestra Suzanne Gindin is in her third year on the faculty at Manchester College as Conductor of the MSO and the Symphonic Band. In addition, she heads the music education program, teaching conducting, methods courses, and horn. After earning undergraduate degrees in music education and English literature from Northwestern University, she taught school music for five years, then pursued a Master’s degree in Conducting at the University of Oregon in the studio of Robert Ponto. She returned to Northwestern to complete her doctorate under the guidance of Victor Yampolsky. Dr. Gindin participated in the Oregon Bach Festival for two summers where she worked with Helmut Rilling. She is a member of the American Conductor’s Guild, Music Educator’s National Conference, and the College Music Society. She enjoys traveling and reading fiction by modern American women writers.
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Program Notes by James R.C. Adams Sleigh Ride
Leroy Anderson (1908-1975)
Leroy Anderson was Born in Cambridge, Mass., in 1908, and died in Woodbury, Conn., in 1975. He is best known for his attractive melodies and jaunty rhythms in such pieces as The Syncopated Clock, and Sleigh Ride. He was also notable for his use of unconventional instruments, as in The Typewriter, and The Sandpaper Ballet (yes, a typewriter and sandpaper were both used as instruments). Anderson studied composition at Harvard with Georges Enesco and Walter Piston. He was a linguist, specializing in German and Scandinavian languages, and served with U.S. Intelligence in Iceland and the U.S. during the Second World War. .
Christmas Music for Orchestra (Orchestrated)
John Cacavas (1930)
John Cacavas is one of those composers whose music you have almost certainly heard many times without knowing it. He is an American composer, born in Aberdeen, South Dakota. At the age of thirteen, he started a dance band at his school. You probably don’t remember that. Later, he composed an oratorio, The Conversion of Paul, for NBC radio. You probably don’t remember that, either. But I suspect you do remember the television series, Kojak, starring Telly Savalas, and the fi lms Airport 1975, Airport’77, the TV programs The Executioner’s Song and Margaret Bourke White. Perhaps you remember the fi lm Horror Express, (starring Telly Savalas, Christopher Lee, and Peter Cushing). All right, you don’t remember that one either. John Cacavas is a successful journeyman composer of incidental music. He is the kind of composer we need even if we don’t notice him. In fact, some people do notice him, and those who don’t would miss him if they had to watch those fi lms and TV programs without his music. To my knowledge, he has not written a large-scale work in which his concept of musical form would be put to the test. Background music rarely lends itself to such notions as “grand design,” serving, as it must, the demands of plot. His orchestration is clever, and the orchestral color inventive. He uses electronic devices imaginatively, but not overpoweringly. He has arranged a great deal of other people’s music, including a suite called Star Spangled Spectacular with music by George M. Cohan, and of course today’s Christmas Music for Orchestra. He has conducted orchestras world-wide, and has lectured on writing music for fi lms. He won a Grammy Award for the background score for Senator Everett Dirksen’s spoken word, Gallant Men. 5
Christmas Suite
François-Joseph Gossec (1734-1829)
It’s amazing that we don’t hear more of the music of Gossec. He was very prolific, and made great contributions to French music. He appears to have had an influence on the young Mozart. Although born in Belgium, Gossec spent most of his life in France, and is considered a French composer. He had a fine voice, and was a featured singer from a young age, having begun formal musical study at the age of six. He wrote in many genres, and was particularly fond of the “sinfonia concertante,” a specifically French form. He was as important to French music as Haydn was to the Germanic countries. Although very French in many ways, he was strongly influenced by the Mannheim school Among his works are twelve string quartets, seven sextets, and ten symphonies (some sources count fift y), and a number of operas.
“Adoration of the Magi” from Trittico Botticelliano
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936)
The Trittico was inspired by three paintings by the Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. They were “Spring,” “The Adoration of the Magi,” and “The Birth of Venus.” The central “panel” is appropriate for our season. Respighi (pronounced “ress PEEG ee”) studied with Max Bruch, and Rimsky-Korsakov, and his brilliant orchestration owes much to the latter. Often referred to as an “Impressionist,” because of his tone-painting in such works as The Pines of Rome, and The Fountains of Rome, he was really quite eclectic. He wrote music with a Brazilian flavor, as well as music that could be mistaken for that of an earlier century (Ancient Airs and Dances). In fact, in his later years he became almost obsessed with early ecclesiastical music, using themes from Gregorian chant, and writing in the old church modes. Certainly a hint of that can be found in the Adoration of the Magi. The piece begins with a polyphonic rendering by woodwinds, quickly moving to a suggestion of medieval church music, as we hear variations on O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. References to the Three Kings can be heard in the use of the piano, the celeste, and the harp.
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Kol Nidrei
Max Bruch (1838-1920)
Bruch was a child prodigy, writing chamber music at the age of eleven, and a symphony at the age of fourteen. His work was melodious, and well-crafted, but he was overshadowed by the “new music” of the Second Viennese School. Maligned by the critics for being old-fashioned , he was nevertheless popular among the people, because his music was accessible to them. Some critics believe that his strength lay in his choral writing.
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” Narrated to the music of “Nimrod,” from The Enigma Variations Stuart Jones, Narrator
Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Of all the music written by Elgar, The Enigma Variations are certainly the most famous, particularly outside Britain. Elgar is a late Romantic composer, some would say in the Germanic manner. Actually, Elgar was virtually self-taught. He studied under no great masters, but absorbed all he heard. He was very familiar with Continental music, but was uncomfortable theorizing publicly. Except among his closest friends, he didn’t like to “talk shop.” Elgar wrote in almost every genre except opera. But he did write striking oratorios, among the most successful: The Dream of Gerontius. Of course college graduates are familiar with his Pomp and Circumstance marches. Elgar’s Enigma Variations (which he had named “Variations on an Original Theme”) was an unusual work for him, being made up of a series of short pieces. Each one of the fourteen variations was written to express the character of a group of friends, his wife, and himself. He wasn’t interested in our knowing to whom they referred, preferring to offer them simply as “a piece of music.” The truth eventually emerged, and all the references are now known. Nimrod, the ninth variation, refers to Elgar’s friend from the publishing house of Novello, Arthur Jaeger. It’s character goes well with the narration of that famous letter written by Francis P. Church, first published in The New York Sun in 1897, to a little girl named Virginia O’Hanlon, who had written the newspaper to find out the truth about Santa Claus.
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The Manchester Symphony Society Mission: The Manchester Symphony Society, in cooperation with Manchester College, sponsors a community-oriented symphony orchestra to enhance and enrich the musical understanding and appreciation of the audience, members of the orchestra, and the community.
About the Manchester Symphony Society The Manchester Symphony Society is a non-profit organization supported by the community through memberships, grants, endowments and Manchester College. Manchester College supports this effort through the free use of its facilities and through the resources supplied by its exceptionally talented Music Department. The success of this partnership demonstrates the strong bond between college and community making our symphony possible. Under the direction of an all volunteer 14-member board of directors, the MSS funds four major concerts per year plus two concerts during the summer. The MSS also offers music workshops and scholarships for young musicians.
Educational Programs The MSS role provides workshops and educational programs for student musicians. Over the past several years Tales and Scales have performed in our local elementary schools and have delighted students as well as introducing them to the various types of musical instruments and sounds. In addition the MSS has offered workshops from jazz guitar to percussion instruments. The MSS also provides a scholarship program for young students (high school and college) for the purpose of continuing their education in the field of music. Scholarships are awarded from the Keister Trust. Student Competition Award Winners: Every year the MSS hosts a competition for young musicians. The winners are highlighted and perform with the MSO at the March concert.
Manchester Symphony Society Board of Directors President – Brad Nadborne
Diane Baker
Vice-President – Jim Streator
Kathie Grandstaff
Secretary – Mark Huntington
Patty Grant
Treasurer – Dan Naragon
Art Hunn
Conductor – Suzanne Gindin
Margaret Sklenar
MC Music Dept. Chair – Debora DeWitt
Beth Sweitzer-Riley
Orchestra Representative – Lila D. Hammer
Jeanine Wine
MCS Representative – vacant 8
Manchester Symphony Society Members Where would the orchestra be without the generous support of the membership? With deep gratitude, The Symphony Society recognizes and expresses appreciation to our members and contributors who make each concert possible. LIFE MEMBERS Lloyd M. Hoff (deceased) Vernon H. Stinebaugh Janice Walrod (deceased) Rosemary Manifold Robert Bohn James R.C. Adams Robert G. Jones
Al & Ruth Ann Schlitt Viv Simmons Virginia G. Spencer Howard & Mary Kathryn Uhrig
- 1963 - 1989 - 1989 - 1993 - 1999 - 2004 - 2004
CORPORATE GOLD CIRCLE ($1,000+) Fox Products Corporation CORPORATE DIRECTOR ($250 – $499) Frances Slocum Bank Lance’s New Market CONDUCTOR’S PODIUM ($2,500+) David and Jane Grandstaff SYMPHONY (Up to $2,499) Richard E. Ford CONCERTO (Up to $999) Donald Strauss The Fine Arts Club of North Manchester OVERTURE (Up to $499) Mary L. Chrastil Dan & Marsha Croner David & Ruth Eiler Dr. & Mrs. Warren Garner Art & Ellen Gilbert Dr. Mark W. Huntington Ed & Martha Miller Dan & Weebe Naragon Dr. James D. Riley & Dr. Beth E. Sweitzer-Riley Ingrid & Kendall Rogers
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CHAMBER (Up to $249) Stephen A. Batzka Charles & Dagny Boebel Ed & Joann Butterbaugh Debbie & James Chinworth Rowan Keim Daggett Steve & Lisa Ford Ken & Kathie Grandstaff Richard & Jane Harshbarger A. Blair Helman Pam Higgins / Steve Naragon Tim & Roberta Hoffman Bruce & Bonnie Ingraham Charles & Susie Klingler Wilson & Mary Lutz JoAnn Martin Rosemary Manifold Hubert & Alice Newcomer Dr. & Mrs. Emerson Niswander One World Handcrafts Philip & Mary Orpurt Ronald d. & Beverly Petry Kathy & Roger Presl Jo Reinoehl David & Shirley Rogers Jo Ann Schall Conrad Snavely & Bertha Custer James & Carol Streator Robert Tulley Becky & David Waas Helga Walsh Gilbert & Dorothy Weldy
Eldon & Avonne Lee Knecht John & Marjorie Knecht Laurale & John Kreps Carolyn Leffel Virginia McSpadden Karl & Bonnie Dee Merritt Doris H. Miller Louise R. Miller Olden D. Mitchell JoAnne L. Mock North Manchester Business & Professional Women’s Club Maria & Jeff Osborne Charles † & Loretta Owens Dorothy A. Parsons Leslie Pettit Carl Pence Margie & Kaydo Petry PSI IOTA XI, GAMMA PHI CHAPTER The Planer-Traxler Family Wilodean Rakestraw Fred & Lois Roop Jean Scales Celia Shankster Lorraine Slifer Helene Blough Snider Darrell Snyder Ruth E. Tully Ella Mae Weaver June H. Wolfe
SOLO (Up to $99) Anonymous Cass & Bob Amiss Kay L. Batdorf Wayne & Linda Barkey Robert Beery Mary Louise Briner-Reist John & Mary Ellen Clark Sam † & Carol Davis Shethar Davis Allen C. & Joan G. Deeter Pauline Delk Lois Dickinson Charles L. Dwyer Bill & Eloise Eberly Dean & Carolyn Eppley Bob & Alice Frantz Kenneth Frantz James R. & Kay E. Gaier Beate Gilliar Robert Greiner Graham & Lana Groombridge Arthur & Maxine Haist Violet R. Hartsough Phyllis Hoover Art & Phyllis Hunn Luke & Darlene Hunt Kathryn Huntington Hazel Keller † Grace Kester Lucile & Evan Kinsley Frances L. Kipp
† deceased
The Concertmaster’s Chair The Symphony Society also gratefully acknowledges the generosity of David and Jane Grandstaff who have provided financial support for the Orchestra’s Concertmaster this season. The Concertmaster is the lead violinist, leads the orchestra in its tuning prior to the concert, and customarily plays all of the violin solos within pieces. Additionally, the Concertmaster marks all of the violinists’ parts with the appropriate bowings in order that the players are moving their bows in unison. The Manchester Symphony Society thanks David and Jane for underwriting this very important position. 10
Gifts that perform forever…. Gifts to the Manchester Symphony Society’s Endowment perform forever. Endowment contributions are invested to provide a steady stream of income for operating expenses to meet the needs of the Symphony far into the future. We are pleased to be supported by an endowment created by our loyal patrons and administered by the Community Foundation of Wabash County. The Foundation manages over 140 endowments totaling over $15 million. Endowment gifts can be made in honor or in memory of a loved one. They can be large or small, current or deferred, and should be made directly to the Community Foundation of Wabash County. For more information about giving to the Society, or creating an endowment fund, or providing for the symphony into the future, please phone Brad Nadborne at 982-5040.
Endowment Gifts Given By:
In Memory of:
Bob & Martha Bohn Bob & Martha Bohn Mary Louise Briner-Reist Mary L. Chrastil Mr & Mrs. Wendell Dilling Lois Geible Peggy Gilbert Patty & David Grant Dr. Mark W. Huntington Bob & Stephanie Jones Bob & Stephanie Jones Rosemary Manifold Karl & Bonnie Dee Merritt Ed & Martha Miller Wilodean Rakestraw Drs. James Riley & Beth E. Sweitzer-Riley Viv Simmons Lorraine Slifer Eugene & Catherine Snyder Strauss Family Partnership Dave & Jo Switzer Paul & Charlotte Trenary
The Mulligan Family The Bohn Family Linn L. Reist, Jr. Jerald Schall Jerald Schall Merrell D. Geible Marjorie Cook Billie Jane Strauss Dr. John T. Huntington Jerry Schall Jeremy Dawkins Orrin Manifold Liegh B. & Florence T. Freed Jerald Schall Frederick Rakestraw Jerald Schall Jerald Schall Jerald Schall Micheal Snyder Billie Jane Strauss Jerald Schall Jerald Schall
Given By:
In Honor of:
Raymon Eller Wanda Miller Phyllis M. States
The Manchester Symphony Orchestra Pat and Blair Helman The Manchester Symphony Orchestra
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For the enjoyment of everyone… Please hold applause until the entire composition is completed. Please turn off cell phones and pagers. Photography is not permitted. Law prohibits recording the performance. Music lovers of all ages are welcome at concerts. Children may be most comfortable in a seating location that provides easy and unobtrusive exit and re-entry. If you must leave early, please exit through rear doors of the auditorium during a program break.
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