m us ic at emory
concer t se ries
201 5 – 2 0 1 6 s e a s o n
Emory youth symphony Orchestra
Richard prior, conductor
Emory Junior chamber Orchestra
Georgia ekonomou, conductor
wednesday, february 17, 2016, 8:00 p.m.
Emerson Concert Hall
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
e m o ry ju n ior c h a mb e r orchestra
Concerto for Two Cellos and Orchestra
in G Minor, RV 531 III. Allegro
Antonio Vivaldi
(1678–1741)
Lexine Feng, cello; Evan Nicholson, cello
Serenade No. 2 for String Orchestra
in F Major, op. 63 (1870)
I. Allegro moderato
IV. March
Robert Volkmann
(1815–1883)
e m o ry y o u t h s y mp h ony orchestra
Adagio for Strings, op. 11 (1937)
Samuel Barber
(1910–1981)
Chamber Symphony for String Orchestra
in C Minor, op. 110a (1960)
I. Largo
II. Allegro molto
III. Allegretto
IV. Largo
V. Largo
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Dmitri Shostakovich
(1906–1975)
arr. Rudolf Barshai
Pr o g r a m not e s
Concerto for Two Cellos and Orchestra in G Minor, RV 531
Antonio Vivaldi’s compositions include numerous chamber works, sacred vocal
music, and operas, but it is in the realm of the concerto that Vivaldi exerted
his most profound influence. Vivaldi composed approximately 550 concertos
in which he explored a wide variety of instrumental combinations, including
a work in G Minor for Two Cellos, Strings, and Continuo. This concert opens
with the Concerto’s third and final movement (Allegro), notable for its close
interplay between the two solo instruments.
Serenade No. 2 for String Orchestra in F Major, op. 63
Composer Robert Volkmann studied music in his native Germany. Later,
Volkmann became a highly influential figure in the city of Budapest where,
from 1875, he taught at the Hungarian National Music Academy. Among
Volkmann’s numerous compositions are Three Serenades for String Orchestra.
Volkmann’s Serenade No. 2 opens with a lyrical Allegro moderato. The fourth
and final movement is a lively March.
Adagio for Strings, op. 11
Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings is one of the most familiar and beloved
pieces in American concert music. The work exists in three versions. It first
appeared as the second movement of the composer’s 1936 Quartet for
Strings. The following year, Barber transcribed the work for string orchestra.
In 1967, Barber once again made an arrangement of the Adagio, this time as
an Agnus Dei, for a cappella mixed chorus.
Barber made his famous string orchestra transcription in response to a
request from Arturo Toscanini. The legendary Italian maestro was seeking to
perform new American orchestral works with his NBC Symphony Orchestra.
On November 5, 1938, Toscanini and the NBC Symphony performed the world
premiere of the Adagio for Strings, as well as Barber’s Essay for Orchestra
No. 1, op. 12. This concert, broadcast nationwide, did much to raise the
consciousness of American concert audiences about one of their most talented
young composers.
Since the time of its premiere, the hauntingly beautiful Adagio for Strings
has become not only a concert favorite, but also part of our cultural landscape,
often serving to commemorate a somber event. It has earned the affection of
audiences and musicians alike, including Aaron Copland, who remarked: “The
sense of continuity, the steadiness of the flow, the satisfaction of the arch that
it creates from beginning to end . . . makes you believe in the sincerity which
he obviously put into it.”
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Chamber Symphony for String Orchestra in C Minor, op. 110a
In July 1960, Dmitri Shostakovich traveled to Dresden, where the composer’s
friend, Lev Arnshtam, was filming a movie about the devastation of the East
German city during World War II. Shostakovich would provide the musical
score for Arnshtam’s film, titled Five Days and Five Nights. But Shostakovich’s
visit to Dresden led to yet another composition, his String Quartet No. 8 in
C Minor, op. 110.
The C-Minor String Quartet received its premiere in Leningrad on October
2, 1960, performed by the Beethoven Quartet. A week earlier, Shostakovich
provided this explanation of his new work:
The horrors of the air raids suffered by the people of Dresden,
whose stories we heard, suggested the theme for my Eighth
Quartet. In only a few days, under the impression of the film we
were making about what happened, I wrote the score of my new
quartet. I dedicate it to the victims of war and fascism.
But as with many of Shostakovich’s compositions, there seemed to be some
dissonance between his public description of the work, and the music itself.
The C-Minor Quartet includes a remarkable number of quotes from earlier
Shostakovich compositions. And throughout, the predominant leitmotif is the
composer’s own musical signature; the notes D–E-flat–C–B, (in German musical
notation, corresponding to the letters “DSCH” a musical signature for Dmitri
Schostakowitsch).
Shortly after completing the String Quartet, Shostakovich wrote a letter to
his friend, Isaak Glikman. Shostakovich confided:
However much I tried to draft my obligations for the film, I just
couldn’t do it. Instead I wrote an ideologically deficient quartet
nobody needs. I reflected that if I die some day then it’s hardly
likely anyone will write a work dedicated to my memory. So I
decided to write one myself. You could even write on the cover:
“Dedicated to the memory of the composer of this quartet.”
Shostakovich added that he shed many tears while composing this “pseudotragic” piece, and wept once again while attempting to play through the work.
This performance of the C-Minor Quartet features an arrangement for string
orchestra. The arrangement, approved by Shostakovich, is by the Russian violist
and conductor, Rudolf Barshai. The work is in five movements. The first (Largo)
opens with the lower strings introducing the central D–S–C–H motif. The
second movement (Allegro molto) is a relentless danse macabre. A sardonic
waltz (Allegretto) leads to the slow-tempo fourth movement (Largo), launched
by a hammering theme that returns throughout. The finale (Largo), notable for
its rich, contrapuntal writing, ultimately fades to silence.
—Program notes by Ken Meltzer.
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E m o ry J un ior Ch a mb e r Orchestra
The Emory Junior Chamber Orchestra (EJCO) is a fifty-piece string orchestra
composed of the top sixth- through ninth-grade musicians in the Atlanta area.
Now in its fifth season, the orchestra has received recognition for its musical
excellence and provides an exciting opportunity for young musicians. Students
benefit from weekly rehearsals, which include sectionals with professional
Atlanta-area musicians.
Georgia Lambros Ekonomou, conductor
Georgia Lambros Ekonomou has been an orchestra director
for thirty-five years. She has a bachelor’s degree in music
education from Northwestern University and a master of
music education degree from Georgia State University. She
studied conducting at the Conductor’s Institute in South
Carolina under Harold Farberman and Donald Portnoy.
She served as the director of orchestras at The Paideia
School and at The Lovett School. In 1990, the Lovett Chamber
Orchestra performed at the MENC National Conference in Washington, D.C.
In 1997, the Lovett Orchestra performed at the Georgia Music Educator’s
Conference in Savannah, and at the International Association of Jazz Educator’s
Conference in Atlanta. Under her direction, the Paideia Chamber Orchestra
performed at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center in 2005, at Jordan Hall in Boston
in 2007, and at the Ryman Theater in Nashville in 2009.
As a violinist, Ekonomou has performed with the Atlanta Opera Orchestra,
the Woman’s Jazz Orchestra of Los Angeles, the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, the
Emory Chamber Players, and other ensembles in the Atlanta area. In 1991, she
was awarded Lovett’s Woodward Award for excellence in teaching. In 2014, she
conducted the Maryland All-State Orchestra and conducted the Intermediate
Symphony Orchestra at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp.
Ekonomou serves on the advisory committee for the Midwest Band and
Orchestra Clinic, and on the national membership committee for American
String Teachers Association. She is active throughout the United States as a
conductor, clinician, and adjudicator.
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e m o ry Ju n ior Ch a mb e r Orchestra
Violin
Na’im Ahdieh, The Paideia School
Leila Baniassad, Lakeside High School
Samantha Bertschi, The Westminster Schools
Miranda Borland, Renfroe Middle School
Reagan Borland, Renfroe Middle School
Sophie Chan, Fulton Science Academy
Julia Conley, Academe of the Oaks
Claudia Dorian, The Galloway School
Josephine Durdin, DeKalb School of the Arts
Xavier Fredericks, The Paideia School
Isabel Goico, The Paideia School
Zoe Gotlin, Autrey Mill Middle School
Ishwara Harrison, Academe of the Oaks
Nithya Jayakumar, Homeschool
Bryan Jeong, Hull Middle School
Hyejun Kang, Hull Middle School
Eileen Liu, Haynes Bridge Middle School
Abby Moore, The Paideia School
Justin Oh, Johns Creek High School
Christine Park, Hull Middle School
Ava Posner, Renfroe Middle School
Ahalya Ramgopal, The Paideia School
Avery Riel, DeKalb School of the Arts
Meredith Salzinger, The Paideia School
Olivia Santos, Atlanta Girls School
Andrew Seo, Johns Creek High School
Thuan Tran, The Paideia School
Zach Tseng, Homeschool
Ordia Williams, Lakeside High School
Nile Ziegler, Atlanta International School
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e m o ry J un ior Ch a mb e r Orchestra
Viola
Brandon Alston, Academe of the Oaks
Sophia Figueroa, The Paideia School
Bryan Kim, Hull Middle School
Thomas Kim, Hull Middle School
Thomas Kim, North Gwinnett High School
Irene Kwon, J. C. Booth Middle School
Rachel Lee, Chamblee Middle School
Lila Morrison, The Paideia School
Nina Nagarajan, Hull Middle School
Nile Polk, DeKalb School of the Arts
Ana Shin, North Gwinnett High School
Cello
Isaac Ahn, North Gwinnett High School
Benjamin Borthwick, Little Middle School
Timothy Cho, Hull Middle School
Hojun Choi, J. C. Booth Middle School
Joshua Chough, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Lexine Feng, Homeschool
Jordan Leslie, The Paideia School
Fiona McElroy, Renfroe Middle School
Evan Nicholson, The Paideia School
Ashwin Pillai, The Westminster Schools
Tara Pillai, The Westminster Schools
Nathaniel Stone, Whitefield Academy
Bass
Lucy Hager, The Westminster Schools
Shona Harbert, Druid Hills High School
Siddhartha Narker, DeKalb School of the Arts
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E m o ry Yo u t h Sy mp h ony Orchestra
Featured on nationally broadcast From the Top, National Public Radio’s program
dedicated to the most outstanding young musicians in the country, the Emory
Youth Symphony Orchestra has performed at Spivey Hall and Lincoln Center
(New York), with guest soloists from the Atlanta Symphony and the San Francisco
Symphony, and with Emory’s Vega String Quartet. Orchestra members are from
the Atlanta area in grades nine through twelve. It is conducted by awardwinning composer and conductor Richard Prior, director of orchestral studies
at Emory, and receives sectional instruction from Emory’s Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra artist affiliates and other area professionals.
Richard Prior, conductor
Award-winning conductor and acclaimed composer,
Richard Prior holds the Edward Goodwin Scruggs Chair at
Emory University. As director of orchestral studies, he
conducts the Emory University Symphony Orchestra and
the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra in addition to being
senior lecturer in composition. Prior was the music director
and conductor of the Rome Symphony Orchestra (Georgia)
from 2008 to 2014, holding the Georgia Power Conducting
Chair; in July 2014, he was appointed music director and conductor of the
LaGrange Symphony Orchestra. Prior’s musical training began in his native
England, where he received degrees from Leeds and Nottingham Universities.
He has taught at several universities and colleges in the United States and at
St. Catherine’s College, Oxford University where he was the 1997 visiting
fellow in music.
A deeply committed music educator, Prior regularly conducts and holds
clinics for high school honor groups all over the country, including the 2015
Oklahoma All State and Maryland All State Orchestras. He will be undertaking
guest conductor-composer residencies in 2016 with the Texas Tech University
Symphony and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Symphony.
Reviews in the professional press cite his “stirring conviction,” “precision,”
and “stylishness and flexibility,” with the noted “meteoric rise” of ensembles
under his direction. Prior’s mentors and principal teachers include Sir Simon
Rattle, James Paul, and William LaRue Jones. Prior is a founding member and
past president of the College Orchestra Directors Association (South Central
Division); he served on the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Arts and Cultural
Assessment Committee and is past president of the 501c(3) ReStringHaiti
organization dedicated to restoring and expanding music education and
performance opportunities to Haiti.
Prior’s compositions have been performed widely in Europe and North
America. Atlanta premieres have included two quartets with the Vega String
Quartet, The Darkening Land with clarinet virtuoso Richard Stoltzman, and the
Pulitzer–nominated choral-orchestral work Stabat Mater.
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Matt Haimovitz premiered Prior’s Cello Concerto in October 2014 and said
of the work “Prior’s music embraces a soaring lyricism, cinematic in scope with
a rich sense of orchestral colors. The cello writing is wonderfully idiomatic,
deeply satisfying for the cellist to play and interact with the orchestra. This new
concerto is a major contribution to the cello repertoire.”
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) commissioned . . . of shadow
and light . . . (incantations for orchestra) in 2013. Subsequent critical review
called the work “forbidding and dramatic,” “stunning,” and “jubilant and
exuberant;” the piece identified Prior as “perhaps the most gifted of the Atlanta
composers” citing his mastery of orchestration, lyricism, and musical drama.
The ASO presented multiple performances of his Symphony No. 3 in 2014
under the direction of Robert Spano—a work also featured at Northwestern
University and the Cairo Symphony in Egypt. Reviews in Atlanta called the work
“a major new symphony” and longtime Atlanta Journal-Constitution critic
James Paulk said “. . . it’s the best new work I’ve heard here. Prior is rapidly
becoming Atlanta’s preeminent composer.” Atlanta music critic William Ford
wrote, “This is a major work that is a triumph of integration, flow, emotion,
and orchestration.”
A winner of numerous awards for his compositions and conducting, Prior
received the 2008 Harvey Philips Award for Excellence in Composition at
the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the 2009 Emory University Winship
Senior Faculty Award, and the 2011 Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in
Undergraduate Education.
Mu s ic at Emo ry
The Department of Music at Emory University provides an exciting and
innovative environment for developing knowledge and skills as a performer,
composer, and scholar. Led by a faculty of more than sixty nationally and
internationally recognized artists and researchers, our undergraduate and
graduate students experience a rich diversity of performance and academic
opportunities. Undergraduate students in our department earn a BA in music
with a specialization in performance, composition, or research, many of whom
simultaneously earn a second degree in another department. True to the spirit
of Emory, a liberal arts college in the heart of a research university, our faculty
and ensembles also welcome the participation of non-major students from
across the Emory campus.
Become a part of Music at Emory by giving to the Friends of Music. Your
gift provides crucial support to all of our activities. To learn more, visit our
website at music.emory.edu or call 404.727.6280.
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emory youth symphony orchestra strings
VIOLIN I
Lisa Kawamura, Homeschool
Julie Kim, Walton High School
Trevor Chun, Alpharetta High School
Jake Wong, Chattahoochee High School
Sean Yang, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Catherine Lee, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Shannon Chen, North Gwinnet High School
Jerry Lu, Norcross High School
Julia Simmons, The Paideia School
Erin Lollar, Pope High School
Joe Luo, Duluth High School
Brian Kang, Chamblee Charter High School
Hannah Goodwin, Mill Creek High School
Sylvia Kim, North Gwinnet High School
Sejin Kim, Grady High School
Madeline Furlong, Roswell High School
Vaibhav Vasudevan, Chamblee Charter High School
Alec Reinhardt, Lakeside High School
Albert Shin, Bremen High School
Justin Oliver, Grady High School
VIOLIN II
Elizabeth Sosnoff, Academe of the Oaks
Tricia Dang, North Gwinnet High School
Ruby Lee, Brookwood High School
Eunice Choi, Brookwood High School
Leena Park, Peachtree Ridge High School
MK Guthrie, Milton High School
Jenny Choi, Walton High School
Yiren Hou, Walton High School
Suk Joon Na, Duluth High School
Serena Song, Peachtree Ridge High School
Mimi Konieczny, The Westminster Schools
Andrew Peck, Walton High School
Harriet Skowronek, Decatur High School
Irene Chen, River Ridge High School
Jeena Park, Peachtree Ridge High School
Leigh Kong, North Gwinnet High School
Ian Maurer, Chamblee Charter High School
Leanne Holmes, Dunwoody High School
Sarah Anne Goodwin, St. Pius X High School
Eleanor Doke, Hillgrove High School
Grace Motahari, North Springs Charter High School
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emory youth symphony orchestra strings
VIOLA
Emma DeJarnette, Brookwood High School
Matthew Pinder, Homeschool
Uzuki Kakinuma, Grady High School
Jiaxing Liu, McIntosh High School
Chang, Mary Xu, Parkview High School
Jordan Wilcox, South Cobb High School
David Liu, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Elise Arancio, Lakeside High School
Ariana Mao, The Westminster Schools
Clara Smallwood, Milton High School
Doyoung Jeong, Duluth High School
Julia Borthwick, Grady High School
Lucy Gelber, Grady High School
Chris Wang, Norcross High School
Yujin Kwak, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Yeon Joo, Stella Yoo, Peachtree Ridge High School
CELLO
Hannah Shute, Chamblee Charter High School Charter High School
Yi-Chang, Justin Jeon, Northview High School
Justin Hedderman, Lassiter High School
Ben Rau, The Lovett School
Rayen Kang, Northview High School
Joseph Aucoin, Northview High School
Will Goodwin, The Paideia School
Matthew Shu, The Paideia School
Stephen Wu, Chattahoochee High School
Nicholas Henderson, Collins Hill High School
Ayako Pederson, Brookwood High School
Sirian Yi, North Gwinnett High School
Ryan Lee, Peachtree Ridge High School
Claire Chen, River Ridge High School
BASS
Travis Lorenz, Ola High School
Eric Shute, Chamblee Charter High School Charter High School
Kevin Alford, Mill Creek High School
Akiel Etienne Union Grove High School
Miles Wakeman, Lakeside High School
Jenny Yi, Walton High School
Alex Petralia, Druid Hills High School
Nathan Rogers, Decatur High School
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U p c omin g Mu s ic Events
Go to music.emory.edu to view the complete list of upcoming music events.
For more information contact the Arts at Emory Box Office at 404.727.5050,
or visit arts.emory.edu.
Ticket prices are listed in the following order: Full price/Discount category
member price/Emory student price (unless otherwise noted as the price for all
students). Visit arts.emory.edu to see if you qualify for a discount.
Saturday, February 20, 8:00 p.m., The Knights with Gil Shaham, violin,
Candler Concert Series, Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, $60/$48/$10
Sunday, February 21, 4:00 p.m., Elena Cholakova–William Ransom: Two Piano
Concert, Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta (ECMSA) Emerson Series,
Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, free
Tuesday, February 23, 8:00 p.m., Faculty Composers Concert, Emerson
Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, free
Friday, February 26, 7:30 p.m., Pajama Concert, Emory Chamber Music
Society of Atlanta (ECMSA) Family Series, Carlos Museum, free
Saturday, February 27, 2:00 p.m., Bonnie Hardie, choral conducting, graduate
student recital, Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, free
Saturday, February 27, 8:00 p.m., Emory Wind Ensemble, Emerson Concert
Hall, Schwartz Center, free
Sunday, February 28, 1:00 p.m., Michael Crawford, violin, Cloe Gentile,
soprano, student recital, Performing Arts Studio, free
Sunday, February 28, 4:00 p.m., Samantha Frischling, alto, Morgan Rubin,
soprano, student recital, Performing Arts Studio, free
Thursday, March 3, 8:00 p.m., Emory University Symphony Orchestra,
Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, free
Friday, March 4, noon, Choice Cuts, Emory Chamber Society of Atlanta
(ECMSA) Cooke Noontime Series, Carlos Museum, free
Saturday, March 12, 8:00 p.m., Atlanta Master Chorale MasterWorks: Critical
Mass, Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, $30/$25/$10
Friday, March 18, 8:00 p.m., Nathan Gunn, baritone, Candler Concert Series,
Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, $45/$36/$5
Saturday, March 19, 2:00 p.m., Rohin Aggarwal, euphonium, honors student
recital, Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, free
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Saturday, March 19, 3:30 p.m., B. Alex Rogers, bass, student recital,
Performing Arts Studio, free
Sunday, March 20, 4:00 p.m., Bach Birthday Recital, Emerson Concert Hall,
Schwartz Center, free
Friday, March 25, 8:00 p.m., Kakali Bandyopadhyay, sitar, faculty recital,
Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, free
Saturday, March 26, 2:00 p.m., Daun Kwag, violin, student recital, Emerson
Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, free
Tuesday, March 29, 8:00 p.m., Emory Jazz Combos, Emerson Concert Hall,
Schwartz Center, free
Thursday, March 31, 7:00 p.m., Barenaked Voices: Thirteenth Annual Emory
Student A Cappella Celebration, Emerson Concert Hall, Schwartz Center,
all tickets $5
Friday, April 1, noon, Bartók’s Piano Quintet, Emory Chamber Society of
Atlanta (ECMSA) Cooke Noontime Series, Carlos Museum, free
Saturday, April 2, 2:00 p.m., Casey Costello, piano, student recital, Emerson
Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, free
Saturday, April 2, 3:30 p.m., Naomi Newton, soprano, honors student recital,
Performing Arts Studio, free
Saturday, April 2, 5:00 p.m., Cecil Walker, piano, student recital, Emerson
Concert Hall, Schwartz Center, free
Sunday, April 3, 3:30 p.m., Jerry Ho, bass, Tom Zhang, tenor, student recital,
Performing Arts Studio, free
Arts at Emory Box Office/Audience Information
404.727.5050 • arts.emory.edu
IN CONSIDERATION Please turn off all pagers and phones.
PHOTOGRAPHS AND RECORDINGS Not permitted without advance permission.
COUGH DROPS In lobby, courtesy of Margery and Robert McKay.
USHERS Members of Music at Emory Volunteers and Alpha Phi Omega, a national service and social
fraternity. Call 404.727.6640 for ushering opportunities.
event and program information Available online at arts.emory.edu.
Back cover photographer credits: Top (left to right): Barenaked Voices, Emory Photo/Video;
Emory Concert Choir: courtesy of Emory Concert Choir; Vega String Quartet, Dorn Brothers.
Bottom (left to right): Gary Motley, Bill Head; Christopher O’Riley, Wendy Lynch; audience view from
stage, courtesy of Emory Concert Choir; Emory University Symphony Orchestra, Tony Benner.
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