Monday, October 1, 2018, 7:30 PM

Bates Recital Hall

This concert will last approximately one hour and thirty minutes with one intermission

CONDUCTOR

Ryan S. Kelly

GUEST CONDUCTOR

Paul Grobey

VISITING COMPOSER

Jennifer Higdon

OBOE SOLOIST

Andrew Parker

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

PROGRAM

PLEASE SILENCE YOUR ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Gustav Holst ‘Jupiter’ from The Planets (1918)

(1874–1934)

Leevi Madetoja Kullervo, Op. 15 (1913)

(1887–1947) with Paul Grobey, guest conductor

Jennifer Higdon Oboe Concerto (2005)

(b. 1962) with Andrew Parker, oboe

Intermission

Edward Elgar Variations on an Original Theme, “Enigma”, Op. 36 (1899)

(1857–1943) Theme (Andante)

L’istesso tempo “C.A.E.”

Allegro “H.D.S-P.”

Allegretto “R.B.T.”

Allegro di molto “W.M.B.”

Moderato “R.P.A.”

Andantino “Ysobel”

Presto “Troyte”

Allegretto “W.N.”

Adagio “Nimrod”

Intermezzo: Allegretto “Dorabella”

Allegro di molto “G.R.S.”

Andante “B.G.N.”

Romanza: Moderato “* * *”

Finale: Allegro Presto “E.D.U.”

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Born: September 21, 1874, Cheltenham,

United Kingdom

Died: May 25, 1934, London, United

Kingdom

Composed: 1918

Premiered: September 29, 1918, the

Queen’s Hall

Duration: 8 minutes

Gustav Holst was an English composer

and music teacher noted for the

excellence of his orchestration. His

music combines an international

flavor based on the styles of Maurice

Ravel, Igor Stravinsky, and others with

a continuation of English Romanticism.

The son of a Swedish father and English

mother, Holst studied at the Royal

College of Music in London. His solo

instrument was the trombone, and for

some years after leaving the college he

made his living as a trombone player in

the Carl Rosa Opera Company and in

various orchestras. He became music

master at St. Paul’s Girls’ School in 1905

and director of music at Morley College

in 1907. These were the most important

of his teaching posts, and he retained

both of them until the end of his life.

The Planets, composed between

1914 and 1916, is a suite of seven

movements. Holst’s starting point for

the music was the astrological character

of each planet, though his interest

in astrology went no deeper than its

musical suggestiveness. His daughter

wrote that once the underlying idea

had been formulated, “he let the music

have its way with him.” There was,

therefore, no program for the suite,

and the composer himself pointed

out that it has no connection with the

deities of classical mythology. The

many clues to the meaning of the

music are the subjects of the individual

movements. The exuberance of ‘Jupiter’

shows itself not only in its tempo and

rhythm but also in the multiplicity of

subjects. You can count four, five or six

of them, depending on whether you

divide the first two into their component

parts—they do behave like independent

themes. ‘Jupiter’ might well be

designated as “the English movement,”

because it shows how profoundly Holst

was influenced by the folk music of his

country.

Gustav Holst‘Jupiter’ from The Planets

Born: February 17, 1887, Oulu, Finland

Died: October 6, 1947, Helsinki, Finland

Composed: 1913

Premiered: October 14, 1913, Helsinki

Philharmonic Orchestra, composer

conducting

Duration: 15 minutes

Known for his classically-oriented

Romantic sound, Leevi Madetoja was

one of the most significant Finnish

post-Sibelian Romantic composers.

His early works were mostly written

for voice and chamber ensembles and

gained him notoriety in his 1910 debut

concert in Helsinki. Shortly thereafter,

he traveled to Vienna in fall of 1911 to

study with Robert Fuchs, the former

teacher of Finnish symphonist Jean

Sibelius. Among his most influential

pieces are two operas and three

symphonies. Madetoja’s work tends to

increase in length and the characteristic

self-indulgence of the Romantic era

over time with his first major work

displaying the utmost maturity and

refinement. He also mastered the choral

repertoire producing pieces for soloists

and full choirs alike. Interestingly, while

his own instrument is the Kantele, a

traditional Finnish plucked instrument,

he never composed for it. Kullervo is a

symphonic poem written in 1913, just

after Madetoja completed his studies

with Jean Sibelius. It is much shorter

and more delicately orchestrated than

Sibelius’ Kullervo Symphony, which

premiered in April of 1892.

Leevi Madetoja Kullervo, Op. 15

Jennifer Higdon Oboe Concerto

Born: December 31, 1962, Brooklyn,

New York City, NY

Composed: 2005

Premiered: September 9, 2005 by Kathy

Greenbank and the Saint Paul Chamber

Orchestra

Duration: 18 minutes

Commissioned by the Minnesota

Commissioning Club, Jennifer Higdon’s

Oboe Concerto was premiered in St.

Louis in 2005. While most oboe concerti

strive to showcase the virtuosic talents

of the performer, Higdon’s work aims

to also utilize the melodious quality

of the instrument. In her own notes

for the concerto, Higdon explains her

compositional process stating, “The

beauty of the soaring line intrigued

me as a starting point, and then the

Born: June 2, 1857, Broadhealth, United

Kingdom

Died: February 23, 1943, Worcester,

United Kingdom

Composed: 1899

Premiered: June 19, 1899, at St. James

Hall, London, conducted by Hans

Richter

Duration: 31 minutes

Edward Elgar began his musical career

not as a composer, but as a performing

violinist and private instructor.

Despite the vast success of his

Enigma Variations (one of his earliest

published works), he had no formal

training in composition. Elgar’s work is

characterized by bold tunes and striking

colors that spurred a renaissance for

English music. In 1904 he was knighted,

and soon thereafter accepted a position

as the first music professor at the

University of Birmingham where he

taught only until 1908. Elgar continued

writing music, including oratorios as

a nod to his Roman Catholic heritage,

piano concerti, and operas until his

death in 1943.

On October 21, 1989, Edward Elgar

came home to his wife, Alice, after a

particularly draining day of teaching.

He sat at the piano and played a theme

that dips between G minor and G major

and is loosely derived from two figures

in the slow movement of Mozart’s

Prague Symphony, which Elgar had

recently heard in Leeds. Elgar called

the tune, which he had not recognized

as anything worthwhile, “Enigma,” not

in the sense of a riddle to be solved,

but, he said, a “dark saying [that] must

be left unguessed,” expressing the

“nothingness” from which it came.

From there, each of the 14 variations

was adapted slightly to become a

musical caricature of his friends and

one of himself. Each section on the final

orchestral variations is headed with a

different set of initials which represent

the person being portrayed. It was this

work, now colloquially referred to as

the Enigma Variations, that cemented

Elgar’s fame and place in the Western

canon.

realization that the oboe makes a

great partner for duets within an

orchestral texture, sent me in the

direction of creating interactions with

other instruments in the supporting

ensemble.” The single movement

piece spanning 17 minutes begins with

an extended lyrical section before

alternating with faster scherzi passages,

allowing the instrument’s technical

aspect to intermittently take center

stage.

Edward ElgarVariations on an Original Theme, “Enigma”, Op. 36

ABOUT JENNIFER HIGDON

Jennifer Higdon is one of America’s most acclaimed and

most frequently performed living composers. She has

become a major figure in contemporary Classical music,

receiving the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin

Concerto, a 2010 Grammy for her Percussion Concerto

and a 2018 Grammy for her Viola Concerto.

Higdon enjoys several hundred performances a year of

her works, and blue cathedral is one of today’s most

performed contemporary orchestral works, with more

than 500 performances worldwide. Her works have been

recorded on more than sixty CDs.

Higdon’s first opera, Cold Mountain, won the International

Opera Award for Best World Premiere and the opera

recording was nominated for two Grammy awards. She

now holds the Rock Chair in Composition at The Curtis

Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Her music is published

exclusively by Lawdon Press.

ABOUT RYAN KELLY

Ryan Kelly serves as Assistant Director of Bands and

Interim Director of Orchestras at The University of Texas

at Austin. His current teaching responsibilities include

conducting the Symphony Orchestra, supervising the

University Orchestra, teaching graduate conducting, and

assisting with all aspects of the university’s band program

in the Butler School of Music. Previously, Dr. Kelly was

Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic

Bands at the University of Central Florida, where he

served as Director of the Marching Knights, conducted the

Symphonic Band, and taught courses in music education.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Kelly

maintains an active schedule as a clinician/conductor,

adjudicator, and arranger. He conducts honor bands

throughout the United States, and in the summer teaches

on the faculty of the World Youth Wind Orchestra

Project/World Adult Wind Orchestra Project as part of

the Mid-Europe Festival in Schladming, Austria. Dr. Kelly

is an advocate of new music, and frequently collaborates

with composers to produce performances of new and

emerging works for band and orchestra. Most notably, he

has collaborated with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer

Kevin Puts and Grammy-nominated composer Adam

Schoenberg to transcribe, premiere, and publish their

music for wind ensemble.

A native of northern Virginia, Dr. Kelly received his

bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education

from Florida State University, and the Doctor of Musical

Arts degree in conducting from The University of Texas

at Austin. Before teaching at the university level, Dr.

Kelly was a high school band director for seven years in

Lakeland and Tallahassee, Florida.

ABOUT ANDREW PARKER

Dr. Andrew Parker is currently Assistant Professor of

Oboe at the Butler School of Music. Previously, he was

Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Iowa.

Andrew has provided master classes throughout the

country at such institutions as the University of Michigan,

Temple University, Rice University, the University of

Florida, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Luther

College, Mannes Preparatory Division, and the University

of Virginia to name a few. He has been the guest artist at

several double reed events around the country in addition

to co-hosting a Double Reed Clinics and Competition

for five years at the University of Iowa. He also served as

an adjudicator for the National Youth Orchestra, hosted

by Carnegie Hall. Andrew maintains a rich career as an

orchestral musician, soloist, and chamber player and

addition to his experience as a teacher. He has appeared

as a guest artist with the Quad City Symphony and the

Great Falls Symphony. He recently performed the world

premiere of an oboe concerto, Pillars of Creation, with

The University of Texas Wind Ensemble.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

VIOLIN 1

Bella BenrubiPatrice CalixteChu ChuNick HammelLauren HoangDongsub JeoungJillian JohnsonShruthi KattumenuHaeni LeeMatthew LeeWilliam LeeJihee LimHoigum Lindsy ParkCorina Santos

VIOLIN 2

Sara AldanaJoann ChingHoi Ting DavidsonHyerin KangChangming LiJared MaucotelNicolas MedinaJamey StraussJu Hee SuhNatalie TobitaCarlysta TranZheyu Zhang

VIOLA

Ruben BalboaSean FlynnIsaac FuentesKenneth HolmesMichael LangfordRebecca LesterChiu Lok LiJingyi SongSerena VotapekHailey WaltermanJames Ximenez

CELLO

Laura AldanaChan Song AnSara BravoThomas CannonMatthew GustafsonHyugrai KimSeungsei KimKa Long LeeSeulki LeeBitnalee PongSeth Russell

DOUBLE BASS

Clark CrookstonNicolas DominguezAugust GmitterDoYoun KimZheyi LiuXinyue Zhang

FLUTE

Elissa BrownAllison KingCameron MasseyZach Warren

OBOE

Garrett BarrientosMark DoerrKeenan SmithQuinton Smith

CLARINET

Abbey YoungYu-Rou LiZhi-Yuan LuoTimothy Yung

BASSOON

Rachel BraunAlexander OniealDaniel SchulzeKaren Stephenson

HORNEmma EdwardsReagan HermsdorfRusty HolmesRyan LicalsiAshlyn PhillipsCurtis Simmons

TRUMPETRoss BrownJoe JennisChelsea OrrTamara Vaughn

TROMBONEJustin DunlapNathaniel HsuEvan Williams

BASS TROMBONEAaron Sanchez

TUBANicholas Beltchev

EUPHONIUMKevin Fenske

TIMPANIDana DominguezJustin OchoaNicole RobbinsCynthia Willis

PERCUSSIONDana DominguezKendall FloydJustin OchoaNicole RobbinsCharles StevensCynthia Willis

HARPGwendoline PannetierKennedy Park

UPCOMING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT

CONDUCTORRyan S. Kelly

GUEST CONDUCTORYoona Jeong

Camille Saint-SaënsDanse Macabre

Johannes BrahmsTragic Overture, Op. 81, D minor

Anna ClyneWithin Her Arms

Ludwig van BeethovenSymphony No. 7 in A Major

Wednesday, October 31, 7:30 PM

Bates Recital Hall

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Tickets at music.utexas.edu/calendar

UPCOMING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT

GUEST CONDUCTORJames Conlon

Béla BartókConcerto for Orchestra

Modest MussorgskyPictures at an Exhibition

Monday, December 3, 7:30 PM

Bates Recital Hall

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Tickets at music.utexas.edu/calendar

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN • COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS

Douglas Dempster, Dean

SARAH AND ERNEST BUTLER SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Mary Ellen Poole, Director

Tonight’s program notes written by Julissa Shinsky, program annotator for the Butler School of Music.

For more information about Butler School of Music concerts and events, visit our online calendar at

music.utexas.edu/calendar

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UPCOMING ORCHESTRA CONCERTS

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS UNIVERSITY ORCHESTRAThursday, November 29, 7:30 PM

Bates Recital Hall

HOLIDAY CHORAL CONCERTSaturday, December 8, 7:30 PM | Monday, December 10, 7:30 PM

Bates Recital Hall

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH GUEST CONDUCTOR MICHELLE MERRILLMonday, February 25, 7:30 PM

Bates Recital Hall

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH VISITING COMPOSER MICHAEL GILBERTSONMonday, April 8, 7:30 PM

Bates Recital Hall

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WITH GUEST CONDUCTOR CHRISTOPHER ROUNTREEMonday, May 6, 7:30 PM

Bates Recital Hall