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2021-2022 Season

Classical Concert Mendelssohn, Hadyn, & Schubert

CONTENTS Theater Staff.......................................................................................................... 2 Whitney Morse on The Sharon® L. Morse Performing Arts Center........................ 3 Program Note.....................................................................................................4-5 Program................................................................................................................ 6 Maestro Biography................................................................................................ 7 Guest Artist........................................................................................................8-9 Orchestra Roster................................................................................................... 9 VPO Donors 2021-22 Concert Season..........................................................10-11 Coming Soon...................................................................................................... 12

STAFF Director of Operations................................................................... Jason Goedken Artistic Director.............................................................................Whitney Morse Technical Director..................................................................... Kenneth Constant Production Manager..............................................................................Jon Cronin Booking Coordinator & Administrator....................................Elizabeth Constant Executive Administrator.................................................................... Sean Graham Lighting Director..............................................................................David Krupla Artist Liaison/Hospitality Management........................................... Leslie Munson Cassandra Francois Audio/Visual.........................................................................................Luke Bezio Sound/AV Designer.........................................................................Nick Erickson House Manager...................................................................................Heather Ard Director of Ticketing & Customer Relations............................... Yasmeen Stogden Promotion & Marketing...................................... The Villages Sales & Marketing Ad Sales.........................................................................The Villages Media Group

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WHITNEY MORSE on

The Sharon L. Morse ®

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Dear Patron of the Arts

Welcome to The Sharon® L. Morse Performing Arts Center! We are so grateful to re-open our doors after such a trying season. We invite you back to view the national and international performing art tours we host here for your entertainment. Much like the building’s namesake, my grandmother, Sharon L. Morse, we love all varieties of the performing arts here. It is in her memory that I, along with my amazing team of artists and arts administrators, strive to bring many different types of the highest quality entertainment here to The Sharon. Since opening in 2015, we hope we have established a relationship of trust; that any show at The Sharon will be a show worth seeing. Perhaps you find yourself here today to see a concert of one of your favorite musicians, or to take in the national tour of a Broadway show. Either way, we encourage you to consider trying out a new show that perhaps you haven’t heard of before, knowing that it has been intentionally curated by our team. We welcome you to The Sharon: a place for you to see an old favorite, but also a place to discover your new favorite. I sincerely hope you enjoy the show today, and I look forward to seeing you here again soon!

Whitney Morse

See You at The Sharon,

Artistic Director

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PROGRAM NOTE The Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob.VIIb/1, by Joseph Haydn was composed around 1761-65 for longtime friend Joseph Franz Weigl, then the principal cellist of Prince Nicolaus's Esterházy Orchestra. The work was published 1800-1900 Although the full work was discovered in 1961, Haydn had written the beginning of the principal theme of the first movement in his draft catalogue of 1765. This early work, contemporaneous with symphonies 6, 7 and 8and predating his D major cello concerto by around twenty years, already shows Haydn as a master of instrumental writing. The solo cellopart is thoroughly idiomatic. The concerto reflects the ritornello form of the baroqueconcerto as well as the emerging structure of the sonata-allegro form. As in the baroque concerto grosso, the accompanying ensemble is small: strings, two oboes, and two horns. It is possible that Weigl was the only cellist in the Esterházy Orchestra when Haydn composed the concerto, since there is only one cello line in the score, marked alternately “solo” and “tutti.” There is also, however, a basso continuoline, that might have been played by another cellist, or by Haydn himself on the harpsichord, or by a string bass player.

Mendelssohn strings Symphony in B minor N 10 Symphony No. 10 in B minor, precedes the years of the composer's greatest fame. It was completed in May of 1823 by a boy of 14. Only one movement has survived, and it is uncertain whether the symphony was conceived as a single- or a multi-movement work. Felix was studying with Zelter during its composition and the teacher's conservative musical leanings are reflected in the choice of form and style; the string symphonies of Carl Phillipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), second eldest son of Johann Sebastian, clearly were an inspiration, and the slow introduction is reminiscent of Haydn. The dramatic dash that follows, however, is pure Mendelssohn.

F. J. Haydn program note cello concerto N.1 Haydn wrote the C major concerto between 1761 and 1765. The rediscovered materials indicate the piece was written for and dedicated to cellist Joseph Franz Weigl, a close friend who worked with Haydn at the Esterhazy Court. The main theme of the Moderato is the best sort of melody: cheerful, hummable, an earworm that one wouldn’t mind running through their head for most of the day. The Adagio is gorgeously ecclesiastic, reminiscent of Baroque-era slow movements in its harmonic progressions and breathy phrasing. The Finale: Allegro molto is 4

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PROGRAM NOTE light and enchanting. Orchestra and soloist make use of their speed and dexterity for less serious means, a pleasant reminder that Haydn recognized that virtuosity and fun often go hand in hand. Scored for solo cello; 2 oboes; 2 horns; strings.

F. Schubert Symphony N. 4 In the first movement, one clear nod to Mozart’s style is the “ breath “ the orchestra takes before beginning the second main melody of the movement, which itself is very Mozartian. Though the symphony displays many such touches, Schubert’s own developing personal voice also shines through. The symphony’s opening, for instance, was quite original. Instead of starting with a slow introduction or plunging right in, Schubert begins with four introductory bars that Schubert scholar Brian Newbold charmingly called a musical “curtain.” It is easy to imagine a curtain rising in a small, eighteenth-century theater to reveal the world of the stage as the symphony begins: The slow second movement is perhaps the most original. After the first graceful elegant unfolds in E-flat major, the music slips into the distant and highly unusual key of C flat major. This key change gives the diet between violins and woodwinds that follows a dreamy quality. The music then schists to C- flat minor (written enharmonically as B minor to avoid an excessive number of flats in the key signature), but throughout there are still hints of major. This ever-shifting play of light and shadow will become one of the hallmarks of Schubert’s mature style. The third movement minuet is surprisingly in a minor key, with a contrasting middle section in major. Although its character clearly recalls the minuet from Mozart’s Symphony N. 40 in G minor, the melody was actually recycled by Schubert from a quartet he had written for an opera, Des Teufels Lustschloss (The Devil’s Pleasure Palace). The opera tells the story of the poor knight Oswald, whose love for the maiden Luitgarde is tested by seemingly supernatural apparitions in an old castle. After he bravely proves the constancy of his love, the ghosts and demons are revealed to be theatrical illusions organized by Luitgarde’s skeptical uncle, Count von Schwarzburg. The opera, which called for an elaborate set, went unperformed until the twentieth century. The finale begins with a characteristically cheerful tune that soon gives way to all manner of harmonic surprises and developments. Its understated ending caps off a remarkable youthful work that shows Schubert’s mastery of symphonic writing and hints at the directions he would later take.

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PROGRAM Tonight's concert is possible by the generous support and sponsorship of MS. MARGARET DICK, MR. AUGUSTO AND MARIA ELENA LAYRISSE BERNARDINI. Felix Mendelssohn Strings Symphony N.10 F. J. Haydn Cello Concerto N.1 in C Major INTERMISSION Franz Schubert Symphony N.5 in Bb Major D. 485

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MAESTRO BIOGRAPHY PASQUALE VALERIO Pasquale Valerio is the creator, nurturer, mentor, and guiding light for The Villages® Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorale. Pasquale was born in Naples, Italy and began his music studies at the age of 9. He began studying Trumpet Performance at The N. Puccinni Conservatory of Music graduating in 1985. His studies were not limited to trumpet, but included Applied Complementary Piano Studies, Harmony, and Lectures from Maestro Filippo Veniero, who was his guide and mentor from 1967 to 1989. His adult musical career began during his national service as a member of the Carabinieri (Italian Military Police). Fortunately for his musical development, most of this was with the Band. After his discharge, he began studying conducting. Pasquale Valerio served as an apprentice under Sir Antonio Pappano for 6 years. Pasquale followed him all around the world from 2006-2011 and learned directly from the Conductor of the Royal Opera House in London. To that end, Pasquale believes fully in the magic of education through music, and that children are never too young to start discovering to power of harmony. In 1996, Pasquale relocated to the United States continuing his conducting studies with J. Whitney and Günter Schmidt. In 2004, he became the Founder and Music Director of The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra where he continues to serve today. Maestro Valerio was also the founder of Lake Sumter Chamber Orchestra as well as co-founder and conductor of The Florida Lakes Symphony from 20052006. Pasquale has been regularly invited as a guest conductor at the Orchestra Filarmonica 900', Teatro Regio, and the Viotti International Music Festival.

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GUEST ARTIST DAVID CALHOUN Cellist David Calhoun has attracted the notice of today’s visionary musicians, including David Amram, who sums up his credentials thus: “David Calhoun is what American music needs now...[he has] extraordinary talents as a virtuoso soloist and ensemble expert.” His far-ranging career has included solo performances live in-concert with Liza Minnelli at Carnegie Hall, in scenes with the Martha Clarke Dance Company as both soloist and dancer, and chamber music collaborations with great violinists such as Ani Kavafian, Sydney Harth and Eric Friedman, the pianist Menahem Pressler and the Shanghai String Quartet. On the international stage Mr.Calhoun was featured as soloist with orchestra and chamber musician at the Tchaikovsky Festival in Tchaikovsky’s childhood home of Izhevsk, Russia. In the year 2000, he was honored to accept the invitation to perform a private millennial concert of solo Bach for Cardinals and clergy of the Vatican in Rome. He also has given concerts in Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, France,Canada and Mexico. Mr. Calhoun has led a delegation of young artists to perform as soloists with the Israel Chamber Orchestra in Tel Aviv, Israel, in a concert to benefit foster homes. Mr. Calhoun was appointed principal cellist of The Villages® Philharmonic Orchestra by Maestro Pasquale Valerio in 2021, and also holds the principal chair of the South Florida Symphony and the Punta Gorda Symphony. He has performed as principal cellist with the American Symphony at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, the American Ballet Theater at the Metropolitan Opera House, the New York Choral Society at Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Philharmonic at BAM, the American Composers Orchestra at Zankel Hall, the New York City Opera on tour, Musica Sacra at St. John the Divine, SONYC, etc. Mr. Calhoun has toured with Orpheus and with the Metropolitan Opera in Japan, and collaborates annually in chamber music concerts with members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Classical Tahoe. Mr. Calhoun has performed chamber music regularly in New York’s most prestigious venues, including Bargemusic, Carnegie Weill, the Brooklyn Museum Chamber Series, the Look and Listen Festival, the Seacliff Chamber Players, at Symphony Space as soloist, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where for 15 years he was tenured in year-round residence with the Orion Piano quartet. He has been a member of the acclaimed Kinor Quartet in residence at the annual World Bank Mozart Festival in Washington, D.C. , and the Omni Ensemble. David Calhoun has been an active performer in New York’s vibrant music scene which has included many television, movie, and radio performances. He has recorded for RCA and has performed frequently, including the Kodaly Duo and the Debussy Sonata, on live broadcasts for radio stations WQXR and WNYC in New York City. He can be heard as the cello soloist in Bill Moyers’ PBS series 8

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GUEST ARTIST The Power of Myth. He was invited by Philip Glass to record the first solo recording of Philip’s cello concerto “Naqoyqatsi” at Looking Glass Studios. In the popular vein, he has played numerous Broadway shows in New York (Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Showboat to name a few) and cast recordings, and toured as solo cellist for stars such as Liza Minnelli, Rod Stewart and Willie Nelson. He has appeared several times on The Letterman Show and shows such as One Life to Live. A participant at the Manchester Music Festival, the Mostly Mozart Festival, the Chautauqua Festival, the Bard Festival, Waterloo Festival, Garret Lakes Festival, Summertrios, Mr. Calhoun is currently a resident artist of Classical Tahoe. His solo performance on the 2021 Naxos CD of works of John Gottsch was hailed by Gramophone UK as “fine solo work...committed and colourful.” “Glorious performance of the Bach Suites” Allegro Magazine 2017 “Absolutely first rate.” John Lanchbery, OBE, Principal Conductor of the Royal Ballet, on David Calhoun’s solo performance, Met Opera House “David Calhoun has performed his frequent solos (with the Brooklyn Philharmonic) always with distinction.” Robert Spano, Music Director, Atlanta Symphony

ORCHESTRA ROSTER FIRST VIOLIN Alvaro Gomez, Concertmaster Stewart Kitts Marius Tabacila Michael De Jesus José Guedez Dejiang Qi Cindy Qi SECOND VIOLIN Gregory Carreno, Principal Elizabeth Kitts Israel Mendez Ebert Ceballo Imanuel Sandoval David Guevara

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VIOLA Angelo Goderre, Principal Juan C. Siviero Andrea Oliveira Luis Aguilar Rafael Ramirez CELLO David Calhoun, Principal Roy Garcia Michael Sedloff Petar Kacenovici DOUBLE BASS Kevin Gallagher Luis Luna Trent Harper

FLUTE Ñora Lee García, Principal OBOE Lora McPherson, Principal Charles McGee BASSOON Kathryn Sleeper, Principal Chris Eberle French Horn Hector Rodriguez, Principal Chase De Carlo

VPO DONORS 2021-22 CONCERT SEASON ORCHESTRA CIRCLE $10,000+ Anonymous Donor Joe & Marlene Borda Margaret M. Dick Donation in Memory of Carolyn Johnson MAESTRO CIRCLE $5,000 – $9,999 Augusto Bernardini Crysberg Inc. Charlotte & John Gates Geraldine Irwin O. Maurice Joy David & JoAnne Kelch Diane Kupchak SYMPHONY CIRCLE $2,500 – $4,999 Janice Barone CONCERTO CIRCLE $1,000 – $2,499 Anonymous Donor Avrum Abramowitz John Canner Dennis R. Carney John Collins David & Jeanette Colvin Roger & Julie Cooper Joseph Devuono William & Judith Doran Carol Guglielm Donald & Nancy Hickman Sarah Jordan Phyllis Lachman

George & Carol Majestic Doris Martin Win & Christine Stringer Richard & Sharon Williams Joseph Zientara OVERTURE CIRCLE $500 – $999 Richard Allgaier DuWayne & Bonita Carnes Ruth DiMare Maurice & Nettie Joy Peter & Mary Jane Moeller John Nickelson Scott Sander Ken & Mary Shutts Tony & Joanne Sutylo SUITE CIRCLE $100 – $499 Donna Austin Tim Barry Robert Becker Frank & Linda Blews Carl & Doris Branson Todd Collins Robert & Charlotte Conway Thomas Davis Joseph DeVuonno Barbara Dipol John & Bonnie Eckstein Linda Ferens Jack & Nancy Fieldman William & Gail Fraser-Giacchi Peter Fritz & Carol Mangan Fritz Alan Geller

Doris Goodwin Richard & Estella Hoag Dr. Bill Hole Linda Holmes Deborah Hurtt Richard & Charlene Kinder Brad Koozman Alma Macht James McQuiniff Nick & Donna Meister Thomas Murphy Nancy Padden Robert A. Phillips Barbara Reynolds John & Beverly Scott Andrew Sloan Rhoderic Soutar Michael Spinelli Karen & Lowell Stockman Robert & Joan Waller Shannon & Brandon Waters Jeffrey Wheeler Theresa R. White Sonya Wilt Sunny & Roy Witt Keith Workowski Joseph & Ginger Wray ARIA CIRCLE Up to $499 Barbara Athanasiou Donation in Memory of Bill Barnes Kathryn Bates Jeff & Ursula Bergman Irene Coen Katheen Eikhof

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VPO DONORS 2021-22 CONCERT SEASON Arthur Elwood Susan Escobedo Paul F. Gaecke Kevin Gallagher Jordan Galvarino Brenda & Bob Gold David Haviland Valery Heyduk K. L. Hoffman

Irene Hong-McAtee Lora MacPherson Joanne Michalski Donald Mooty Robert Muzzi Patrice Pastore Geraldine Piscitelli Marianne Reinhard Sally Rowe

Erika Schaffer Kathryn Sleeper Joyce Smidt Robert Smidt Jack & Maryann Swisher C & H Van Benthuysen Donald & Nancy Walker Eric Williams

BUSINESS PARTNERS Blackstone Financial Advisory FMK Restaurant Group Francesco’s Ristorante

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Fross & Fross Wealth Management Royal Décor Company Hello Unlimited

COMING SOON

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