The April 28th concert is sponsored by
| Glinka | Overture to "Russlan and Ludmilla" |
| Mozart | Concerto No. 4 in D, K.218 |
| Debussy | Scheherazade |
| Sarasate | Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs) Op.20 |
| Liszt | Les Preludes |
Prelude and Coffee: Conversations with the Conductor
WCTE-TV Channel 10
PREVIEW LUNCHEON
Friday, April 26th, 12:00 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church
20 North Dixie Avenue
Cookeville, TN
Reservations:
Call 372-6088
$6.00 per person
Symphony Social
at the home of
Bob and Gloria Bell
Walton House
1155 North Dixie Avenue
Friday, April 26th
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
$15.00 for Association members;
$30.00 for non-members
Reservations requested by
Monday, April 22nd
Call 372-6088 or
e-mail bryansymphony@tntech.edu.
Join us between April 26th and May 30th for an online auction to benefit the Bryan Symphony Orchestra. The auction will be run from the On-Line Auction Page of the orchestra's website and will feature certificates and new items from local businesses.
A variety of items are included in the auction. Retail values of auction items range from a $20 gardening stone to a $3,400 big screen TV! A computer, jewelry, a YMCA family membership, UT and TTU football tickets and TTU season basketball tickets are just a few of the offerings available for bidding.
Thank you for your support of the orchestra and for joining us in this new venture!
Concert Preview
by Dr. Catherine Godes
April 28th, 2:00 p.m.
Bryan Fine Arts Building, Room 223
During the last two seasons, Mr. Lin has appeared with the Boston Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the St. Louis Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic and the Vancouver Symphony, among others. Overseas he has performed with orchestras in France, Sweden, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Japan, and his native Taiwan. As a member of the Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center, he is a familiar performer to New York audiences and was honored by the Society with a special concert in November 2000. He has many recordings on the Sony Classical label, some of which have won such awards as Gramophone's "Record of the Year" as well as two Grammy nominations.
Cho-Liang Lin in 1997 founded the Taipei International Music Festival at the invitation of the president of Taiwan. It was the first large-scale international music festival in the history of Mr. Lin's native country. He performed with many of his renowned colleagues in seven sold-out concerts. Some of the concerts were shown on giant television simulcasts outside the concert hall, and each event drew up to thirty thousand cheering fans. Mr. Lin returned to Taiwan in May 2000 for the second of these festivals.
Critics have hailed Mr. Lin's performances with such comments as, "The purity of his sound and the seemingly effortless command of technique and details elevated his performance"... "Lin prizes beauty, nuance, color, and flexibility of tone"...and "Lin is one of best violinists playing today."
According to Shirley Fleming in an article for Musical America, Mr. Lin is an "inescapably happy and optimistic man. His quick smile can light up a room, and his sunny disposition even affected his choice of violins." His violin is the 1734 Guarneri del Gesu, The Duke of Camposelice. He says this instrument "is supposed to have a more soprano sound, though it is dark enough for me. I don't think the darkest instruments are part of my personality."
Born in 1960, Mr. Lin began violin lessons when he was five years old. At
the age of twelve, he went to Sydney to continue his studies. Three years
later, inspired by an encounter with Itzhak Perlman, he arrived in New York
in 1975 to audition for Mr. Perlman's teacher, the late Dorothy Delay, at the
Juilliard School. Within two years of this enrollment, Mr. Lin won the first
Queen Sofia Competition in Madrid and a concert career was soon launched. He
has been a member of the Julliard faculty since 1991 and resides in New York
with his wife Dr. Deborah Lin.
Well the first thought I had was to take a CD player and some music, but you can't do that since that would be more than one "luxury item." So I thought about a score I would like to take. Only problem there is that there are so many scores that I would like to learn that I couldn't limit it. So what about a book? Well being a contestant on "Survivor" might be the ideal time to discover the intricacies of Schenkerian analysis - but I doubt it!
Well in the end I didn't settle on any one item or maybe the caffeine finally hit! But I have to tell you that choosing the repertoire for the coming season was a bit like trying to decide on that perfect "luxury item" to take on a reality TV show.
When I set out to choose repertoire for the 40th Anniversary Season of the Bryan Symphyony Orchestra I tried to keep a few guiding principles close at hand as I examined various options. Firstly I wanted to devise a repertoire list that would have variety and would appeal to as many people as possible. Within that variety, every concert should have at least one "Golden Nugget" which everyone would want to hear. Secondly, there had to be music that would be educational for our students in the orchestra as well as the audience. Thirdly, I wanted to introduce the "Musical America" Series of pieces - quality, accessible music by American composers. Fourthly, I wanted to utilize as many faculty soloists as I could - since one of the reasons this orchestra exists is because of the performing / studio faculty at TTU. Finally, I wanted to continue the concept of audience participation in programming - so there will be multiple opportunities for you the audience to vote on the music being performed. I hope you will enjoy the selections and the performers.
Now that led me to the question "how much would you pay to hear your favorite piece of music???" We have designated Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliett Overture" as that favorite piece of music, and are currently in the process of counting all the notes. When are finished we will offer all 20,000 notes (approximately) to you for sale. $1 will buy you a note. If we don't sell all 20,000 we can't play the piece at the end of the season. Throughout the coming season we will (musically) keep you informed of where we are in our attempt to sell all the notes - but if there's a specific melody you want to buy now would be your chance!!!
As this, my first season, draws to a close I can only look back with pride at the wonderful music we have made so far this year and thank everyone who has contributed to that. All the performers give so much of themselves to bring this music to life for you the audience. As the "Captain of the Team" my job has been to get everyone playing together to bring the composers ideas to life - it has been an honor to lead this team of wonderful performers and I thank God each and every day for the opportunity He has placed before me. I look forward to sharing more music with you in this our final concert, and in the season to come.
-- Brendan Townsend
The Symphony Gala, so long the main fundraising event of the year in Cookeville, has taken on new competition for supporter's time as well as their wallets. But the Symphony Social has become extremely popular and is finishing its second successful season. We've had to face the continuing rising costs of producing the concerts while at the same time diminishment of volunteer help which is rampant not only in our community, but across the country. People's time is so limited these days due to our increasingly busy lives. But the Association, though constantly in need of more volunteers, is a strong and viable organization.
Somehow, despite these difficulties, we have persevered. Yes, we have had to invent new ways for continuing attention and support from the community. Yes, we have had to be creative in seeking funding and developing fundraising ideas. No, not everything we've tried has been successful. But it can never be said we haven't tried. But why do we do it? Because future generations need to know what a symphony orchestra really looks like and what a live orchestra really sounds like. Because the sound of that orchestra tuning up on Sunday afternoons is one of the sweetest sounds we will ever have the luxury of hearing. And because we are blessed in this community to have such a treasure right here in our own backyard, and we need to nurture and appreciate this incredible jewel we have in the Bryan Symphony Orchestra.
So, if you came to the last Symphony Social, hosted beautifully by Martin and Laura Medley (for which we are extremely grateful and extend our heartfelt thanks to you, Martin and Laura), or you have plans to attend the next Social, which will be at Walton House, official residence of President Bob and Gloria Bell, you too can say you are a symphony supporter. By your mere presence you are showing you want those future generations to have the opportunity to hear that glorious sound and watch those remarkable musicians at work. Just remember, we need all manner of support. When an Association member calls to ask for help, say yes! When that auction item comes up for bid, step up and bid! But especially, when those instruments start tuning on Sunday, you can say to yourself, "I'm here. I helped. I'm a part of that family, and I'm glad." And so are we.
Jan Tate BSOA
Bryan Symphony Orchestra
Office: Room 355 372-6088
Bryan Fine Arts Building
e-mail address: bryansymphony@tntech.edu
Gail Luna, Executive Director and Co-editor of Notes and Notices
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