In this issue
FROM THE PRESIDENT
David Elderkin
Our Summer concerts at Longwood Gardens were delightful, with Maestra Mary Woodmansee Green (pictured at right) and the Symphony in fine form.
Now on we go to a new season, Celebrate the Music!, beginning with a spectacular all- Mendelssohn October opening night at West Chester University.
The Symphony is about more than just concerts - we call it Beyond the Music. We share an update from Dr. Kristen Albert, Artistic Director of the Kennett Symphony Children's Chorus. And we announce the Instrumental Competition, coming up in November.
We continue our profiles of the professional musicians in the Symphony with John Jadus, Bassoon, and Alan Start, Tuba. And we introduce two more of our newest Board members.
Your enthusiastic and generous support has helped us continue to fulfill our mission in a difficult economy. In the new season, we will make more symphonic music, reach more young audiences, and give more performance opportunities to more young artists than ever before. Thank you!
Felix Mendelssohn
Daniel Song OPENING NIGHT: OCTOBER 10, 2009
Mendelssohn: A Bicentennial Tribute
Here's how Maestra Mary Woodmansee Green describes this opening concert:
The Kennett Symphony of Chester County opens our 69th season with a Bicentennial Tribute to Felix Mendelssohn. Born in 1809 in Hamburg, Germany, he was dubbed the “Mozart of the 19th Century”. As a child, Mendelssohn’s musical accomplishments were staggering. The 12-year-old performed from his compositional portfolio, a piano quartet, a piano sonata, plus several fugues of J.S. Bach and virtuoso works of Johann Nepomuk Hummel for Goethe and his Weimar friends. He mastered the fundamentals of composition by emulating masters of the past – principally the works of Handel, Mozart, Haydn and JS Bach, whose works shaped his own compositions throughout his short lifetime. (He died in Leipzig at the age of 38 – just 3 years older than Mozart.)
The complete musician, not only did Felix compose and play the piano masterfully, he also sang in a choir (until his voice broke), was an accomplished violinist and violist, organist and conductor (one of the first to use the baton, in the 1830s) – in short, he was the “musician’s musician” – versatile and impeccably cultured. And if that weren’t enough, he read Greek and Latin fluently, wrote elegant letters in German, French and English, wrote poetry, and was an accomplished draughtsman and painter.
His Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream along with his Octet, marked his maturation as a composer – at the tender age of 17. We open our concert with this consummate work of art, complete with the “ophecleide” (tuba in modern day) for Bottom, the ass. In addition, we play the brilliant Scherzo and Nocturne, written as incidental music to the play when he was 35.
Next we turn to his First Piano Concerto, written for his own performance at age 23. And who better to perform it than Daniel Song, a prodigy in his own right. Three years ago he was featured on NPR’s “From the Top” at Carnegie Hall with Christopher O’Riley, delighting the radio and TV audience with his masterful performance of Liszt’s “Transcendental Etude” and chatting easily about his desire also to study medicine and be an athlete. Watch!
We conclude with Mendelssohn’s ebullient Fourth Symphony in A, the “Italian,” a product of “The Grand Tour” he made of Europe when he was just 20. Join us!
2009-2010 SEASON
Celebrate the Music
Maestra Green has prepared a marvelous program for the upcoming season.
- Classical music from Mendelssohn, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven with many soloists, including David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
- Our traditional Pops programs in December (Home for the Holidays) at Kennett High School and August (Highland Fling!) at Longwood Gardens.
- Saturday afternoon concert options in December and April, in addition to our regular Saturday night performances.
You can find details on our web site and in our brochure, which we would be glad to mail you. Buying or renewing a subscription lets us offer you several benefits, some new this year:
- Your seats cost $30 each — a $5 discount from our “retail” price of $35 — the same price as last season. And your discount applies to any additional tickets you purchase for family and friends during the season.
- You receive our best seats for every concert. Return to your favorite spot or try a new one.
- New: A Free Exchange program. At no charge, you can trade any of your subscription tickets for tickets to any other concert. Can’t make it in December? Trade your tickets for extra seats in August.
- New: One complementary single ticket for each subscription that you buy. It’s our way of saying, “Thanks!”
You can subscribe or buy individual tickets by phone (610-444-6363), by mail, or on-line.
Jonathan Estabrooks
and Julia Mintzer
Maestra Green and
Bradley Berman
SUMMER CONCERTS REPORT
Hollywood and Bells Dazzle at Longwood Gardens
Take two parts perfect weather and a beautiful venue. Blend with the finest musicians performing Pops and Symphonic repertoire. Add terrific young soloists. Finally, top it off with The Bells of Rememberance. That was the recipe for our Summer season at Longwood Gardens!
The June concert, "Hooray for Hollywood" featured movie classics from five decades, sung beautifully by Julia Mintzer, winner of the 2008 Vocal Competition, and Jonathan Estabrooks.
August embraced Russian and French classics, beginning with Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Next came the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto featuring Bradley Berman, cello. To quote Caryl Huffaker of The Kennett Paper:
"A highlight of the evening was a cello solo by the 2009 Kennett Symphony of Chester County instrumental competition winner, 15-year-old Bradley Berman, playing "Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op.33" by Saint Saens. He showed amazing poise for such a young soloist and blended his playing with the orchestra as expertly as soloists with years more experience. His strokes were forceful and played with feeling. This is a young man who should go far in the music world. His playing was mature and delightful. The only sign of his youth was the delighted grin on his face when he finished, knowing he had covered himself in glory, playing faultlessly before 1,200 people."
And more than 150 Symphony musicians, Mary Green Singers, and Kennett Symphony Children’s Choristers took the stage to perform Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, joined by the The Bells of Rememberance. Caryl again: "This was a wonderful evening of music that left the audience in high spirits."
Kennett Symphony Children's Chorus BEYOND THE MUSIC: KENNETT SYMPHONY CHILDREN'S CHORUS
Dr. Kristen Albert, Artistic Director
Greetings from the Kennett Symphony Children’s Chorus as we embark on our 20th Anniversary Season, thanks to our Founding Director, Karen Markey! The Children’s Chorus (CC) continues to flourish and grow, thanks to her vision.
This fall marks the beginning of our third season in-residence at West Chester University. Many thanks to the deans of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, Dr. Timothy Blair and Dr. John Villella, and Dr. Bryan Burton, Chair of Music Education for their support of the Children’s Chorus and its residency at WCU. Thanks to Executive Director Ginna Goodall and the Kennett Symphony Board for their continued interest and kind support.
One of our goals for this coming year was to increase membership in the Kennett Symphony Children’s Chorus by 30%. Auditions were held in May of this year, and again in August, and another in May, and the Children’s Chorus has increased membership by 42% for the 2009-2010 Season! Eighty-eight singers will join together for our first rehearsal at WCU on Tuesday, September 15th, and will be led by our capable staff that includes Mrs. Nancy Lineburger, Associate Conductor and Director of the Ensemble, Mr. Drue Bullington, Associate Conductor and Director of the Youth Chorale, Ms. Eileen Gibson, Assistant Conductor and Tyros Instructor. We also welcome three Music Education students from West Chester University to the CC staff, who will serve as Interns in the fall and spring terms. We congratulate Miss Allie Bell, Miss Amy Buckner, and Mr. David MacMahon on their selection for these Internships. The directors are looking forward to working with them as they continue to grow their skills as future music educators!
In August, twenty-one children came together for a week of CC camp and a whole lot of fun as they explored Russian and French folk songs, folk dances, and Nationalism in music in preparation for their performance with the Mary Green Singers and the Kennett Symphony at Longwood Gardens. It was a memorable week of music making, building friendships, and setting the stage for our next season.
And finally, as we enter our next Season, you should be aware that the Kennett Symphony Children’s Chorus will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its founding by Karen Markey in 1990 at our season finale concert on May 2nd at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Unionville. A newly commissioned work for children’s chorus will be premiered at this finale concert. As our Children’s Chorus program grows, we are looking to the future to ensure the program for years to come. Stay tuned for information about our upcoming endowment campaign. We welcome your donation to benefit the Children’s Chorus of the Kennett Symphony to help us to meet our goal of $20,000.
We look forward to sharing our music with you! Visit our web site.
NEW BOARD MEMBERS
Four join Kennett Symphony Board
Four generous and energetic members of our community have joined the Kennett Symphony Board of Directors this year. We profile two in this newsletter.
Ellen B. Fenstermacher, CPA
Joining Fenstermacher and Company in 1980, Ellen leads the firm in its audit and accounting services. Her extensive public accounting experience ranges from auditing businesses, municipalities and not-for-profits, to tax compliance and planning for individuals and businesses. A mother of two sons, she pursued her profession on a part-time basis for several years before fully committing herself to her career. She began working in public accounting with a large Delaware CPA firm and continued with another large firm in the Harrisburg area before moving back to our area. Ellen holds a Bachelor's degree in accounting with high honors from Goldey Beacom College in Wilmington, Delaware. Graciously volunteering her personal time across our community, she is a past president of the Rotary Club of Kennett at Longwood. A Lancaster native, she and husband Bill live in the Unionville area.
Bill Schaller
Bill resides in West Chester with his wife Dorothy. He graduated from West Chester University with a degree in Music Performance in 2002. After graduation, he began working at J. Franklin Styer Nursery, which is now Terrain at Styers. Currently, Bill is the Superintendent of Landscape Services for Terrain at Styers. Along with his professional career, Bill is very active in the local music scene as a member of two big bands and a choir. Playing the bass trombone, he is a part of The Last Big Band and the Victory Jazz Orchestra. Bill also sings in the Brandywine Singers, a local choral ensemble. In addition to his musical groups, he plays baseball as a member of the West Chester Adult Baseball League. Bill is glad to be part of the Kennett Symphony Board of Directors and is looking forward to working together with the rest of the board to support the Kennett Symphony's mission and needs.
We thank all of our Board members for their commitment to our organization.
John Jadus
MUSICIAN PROFILE
John Jadus, Bassoon
Principal Bassoonist John Jadus joined the Kennett Symphony of Chester County before the country’s bicentennial, making him the member with the longest tenure. During his membership, John has been an assistant conductor, contractor, co-librarian, and soloist.
He is delighted to see the growth of the symphony from a community orchestra to a fully professional organization playing exciting, challenging music.
John started life in the “coal regions” of Pennsylvania and turned to music when his mother (bless her!) nixed football as an after-school endeavor. Thus, this member of the International Double Reed Society poured his energy into woodwinds and deep woods camping instead of the gridiron. His passion for them both continues to this day.
John studied with Bernard Garfield and earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Musical Performance from Temple University. He is a retired Philadelphia School District music teacher. Some of the ensembles with which he performed include the Louisville Orchestra, Louisville Woodwind Quintet, the Delaware Symphony, and Reading Symphony; and numerous pit orchestras including the Du Pont Theatre, the Pennsylvania Ballet, Walnut Street Theater, and the Mann Center. Furthermore, he has played in numerous big bands including Myron Floren, Benny Goodman, Sammy Kaye, and Jimmy Dorsey. John has conducted the Frankford Symphony and Northeast Concert Orchestra in Philadelphia, and presently conducts the Exeter Community Band in Reading, PA.
Highlights of John’s musical life are incredible. When with the Louisville Orchestra, John played under the baton of guest conductor Igor Stravinsky (an “amazing experience”.) While playing in the pit for the National Ballet of Canada at the Lincoln Center in New York, internationally acclaimed dancer (and Soviet defector) Rudolf Nureyev performed onstage. In 1985, he played at the inaugural ball for President Ronald Reagan with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Furthermore, John performed at Wolf Trap in a reed trio, debuting “The Seven Tricks of Max and Moritz” commissioned by the trio from the Canadian composer Blago Simeonov.
John lives in Douglassville with the love of his life, Gail. Their daughter, Shelly, her husband, Bill, and grandchildren, Josh and Ally, live close by. He sincerely thanks Kennett Symphony conductor Mary Woodmansee Green for her wonderful conducting style, marvelous ears, compelling interpretations, and sensitivity to the needs of the musicians.
Alan Start
MUSICIAN PROFILE
Alan Start, Tuba
Alan Start is retired from the University of Delaware where he performed with the University of Delaware Faculty Jazz and The Delaware Brass Quintet. He currently is principal Tuba with the Kennett Symphony Orchestra, and performs with the Atlantic Brass Band and the Chesapeake Brass Band. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval School of Music in Washington, D.C., and has performed with the Orchestras of Tex Beneke, Warren Covington, Bob Crosby, Sammy Kay and Les Elgart. He is currently serving a two-year term on the Board of the Kennett Symphony Orchestra. Al and his wife Cindy have been married for 50 years and are the parents of three grown children and grandparents of three children.
- The 2009 Instrumental Competition will be held at 1:00 PM on November 21, 2009 in the Auditorium at Kendal-at-Longwood in Kennett Square, PA. Performers in grades 9-12 are invited to perform and the public is invited to attend free of charge. Details
- The Classics at Brantwyn event will take place on Sunday, October 4, 2009 at Brantwyn Mansion in Wilmington, DE. Details
- The Kennett Symphony League Luncheon and Fashion Show will take place on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at the Mendenhall Inn in Mendenhall, PA. Stay tuned for details.