Stephanie Blythe Sings Brahms
SAT 2/3/24 at 7 PM & SUN 2/4/24 at 3 PM
Performances #256 & #257 Season 9, Concerts 12 & 13
Fisher Center at Bard Sosnoff Theater
Leon Botstein conductor
The concert will last approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
PLEASE KEEP PHONE SCREENS DIM Silence all electronic devices
PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ARE ENCOURAGED but only before and after the music
The Program
JOHANNES BRAHMS Rinaldo
Zu dem Strande! Zu der Barke!
Stelle her der goldnen Tage
Zurück nur! Zurücke
Und umgewandelt seh’ ich die Holde
Segel schwellen
Joshua Blue tenor
Bard Festival Chorale
James Bagwell choral director
JOHANNES BRAHMS Alto Rhapsody
Stephanie Blythe mezzo-soprano
Bard Festival Chorale
James Bagwell choral director
Intermission
JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 1
Un poco sostenuto—Allegro
Andante sostenuto
Un poco Allegretto e grazioso
Adagio—Più andante—Allegro non troppo, ma con brio
The Music
Brahms’ Rinaldo
Notes by TŌN horn player Ziming Zhu
Read Notes
During his lifetime, Johannes Brahms never composed any operatic works. He is regarded as one of the most important Austro-German composers of the Romantic period, leaving us to wonder what an opera written by him would sound like. However, his lesser-known cantata Rinaldo might give us the closest idea.
The success of Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) in 1868 bolstered the confidence of the self-critical composer and led him to complete some previously initiated works that had remained unfinished. Among them were the famous First Symphony and Rinaldo. Regarded by Brahms as a “problem child”, Rinaldo was conceived in 1863 as a work for a choral competition in Aachen. Evidence in the draft shows that the composer had a hard time completing the piece, especially in the closing chorus.
Rinaldo is based on Goethe’s dramatic poem of the same name, which presents an episode of Torquato Tasso’s Gerusalemme Liberata. In the story, the crusader knight Rinaldo is seduced by the sorceress Armida, who was sent to sabotage Rinaldo on his mission. With his comrades’ help, Rinaldo is able to break free from Armida’s spell and continue his journey.
The same story appears in other classical music settings. Prior to Brahms, composers like Lully, Handel, Vivaldi, Gluck, and Rossini had written operas based on it. However, Brahms decided to choose the form of the cantata. His decision was heavily influenced by his mentor, Robert Schumann. Schumann’s approach to dramatic works such as Goethe’s Faust and Byron’s Manfred emphasizes the original literary text, and how the music reflects on it rather than the theatrical effect, an idea which makes the cantata a better-suited form for the composition. In Brahms’ work, Armida has neither a singing role nor an active part, which is similar to Goethe’s original text. Considering that most of the work was written before the German Requiem, it is not surprising that Rinaldo shares the same gorgeous orchestration. It was scored for the classical-sized orchestra, a four-part male chorus (three hundred singers performed in the premiere), and a tenor solo.
Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody
Notes by TŌN oboist Quinton Bodnár-Smith
Read Notes
The opening of Johannes Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody was quite jarring to me the first time I listened to it. In a way, Brahms not only provides a musical backstory before the singer’s text begins, but he also highlights musical techniques used by his contemporaries. The beginning features loud notes marked sforzando or “forceful” played by the low strings and bassoons, followed by harsh, blaring entrances by the horns. This opening tension and drama from the start transported me as a listener back to the operas of Richard Wagner; after all, Brahms did tell his close friends that “he understood Wagner’s music better than anyone.” Though the piece starts with a tense energy, the musical scene shifts to a weeping lament, filled with sustained sounds and an unsettled harmony.
The singer and the orchestra are then infused together with a gentle harmony and pulse at first, but this only gives way to a more complex series of interjections from the orchestra. In this work, Brahms’ command of the different textures of the orchestra is notable in his use of pizzicato in the strings to imitate the plucking of a harp, and his use of woodwinds and horns to complement the chorus of singers. The final section of the work is quite similar to the ending of his German Requiem, which had recently propelled his recognition in the music scene of Germany after its premiere.
The text of the Rhapsody is drawn from “Winter Journey in the Harz” a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, whose work has served as the inspiration for other Romantic composers such as Beethoven, Schubert, and Mendelssohn. The text focuses on a hero wandering in an icy wilderness to confront his suffering and seek spiritual renewal. Even though Brahms composed Alto Rhapsody as a wedding gift for Robert and Clara Schumann’s daughter Julie, the poem is not your average cheerful wedding commemoration. Furthermore, experts have suspected that Brahms had romantic feelings for Julie, so this could be a heartfelt final goodbye, or perhaps this is a lament for what could have been.
Both Alto Rhapsody and Rinaldo, completed just one year earlier, give us a glimpse of what an opera by Brahms would have sounded like.
Brahms’ Symphony No. 1
Notes by TŌN flutist Olivia Chaikin
Read Notes
Johannes Brahms was born in 1833, six years after the death of Ludwig Van Beethoven. Beethoven’s influence on the world of music was strong and grew over time. Most, if not all, composers struggled with how to follow such a legendary figure. Brahms told conductor Hermann Levi in 1872, “I shall never write a symphony! You can’t have any idea what it’s like to hear such a giant marching behind you.” Brahms was often regarded as Beethoven’s successor. The pressure was on for Brahms to compose his first symphony, but mental roadblocks persisted. Brahms began writing his First Symphony in 1855, but much of the earliest material ended up in other works. Brahms, upon the advice of Robert Schumann, decided to write, not in fear of Beethoven’s shadow, but in celebration of it. When Brahms’ First Symphony was finally premiered in 1877, it was deemed by conductor Hans von Bülow as “Beethoven’s Tenth”.
Unlike any other symphonies by Brahms, the First begins with a slow, intense, and emotional introduction, evoking Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. After the plucked G in the cellos, the orchestra immediately enters the energetic allegro exposition. Listen closely when the woodwinds take over the melody to hear the strings and timpani play a rhythm resembling the iconic opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, one of many homages to his symphonies. You might also catch the brass playing the Eroica motif in the movement’s development!
The Andante sostenuto begins with a beautiful, flowing melody in the strings and bassoon. The theme is echoed and developed with woodwind solos, but the highlight of the movement is the violin solo, reminiscent of Beethoven’s works, particularly Missa Solemnis and his later string quartets. The third movement is a delightful, lilting Allegretto which contrasts a Beethoven scherzo. The Finale is where Brahms proves himself to be a master of the symphony equal to Beethoven. Brahms introduces a horn call, the “Alphorn” theme, which will repeat multiple times throughout the movement by various instruments. After the slow introduction, Brahms reveals his new theme in C major, an homage to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”. The melody reappears many times to comfort the listener, but it also transforms and reconfigures until the final triumphant ending.
The Artists
LEON BOTSTEIN conductor
Leon Botstein is founder and music director of The Orchestra Now (TŌN), music director and principal conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO), artistic codirector of Bard SummerScape and the Bard Music Festival, and conductor laureate and principal guest conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (JSO), where he served as music director from 2003 to 2011. He has been guest conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre, Russian National Orchestra in Moscow, Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Taipei Symphony, Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, and Sinfónica Juvenil de Caracas in Venezuela, among others. In 2018, he assumed artistic directorship of Campus Grafenegg and Grafenegg Academy in Austria.
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Recordings include acclaimed recordings of Othmar Schoeck’s Lebendig begraben with TŌN, Hindemith’s The Long Christmas Dinner with the ASO, a Grammy-nominated recording of Popov’s First Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra, and other various recordings with TŌN, ASO, the London Philharmonic, NDR Orchestra Hamburg, and JSO, among others. He is editor of The Musical Quarterly and author of numerous articles and books, including The Compleat Brahms (Norton), Jefferson’s Children (Doubleday), Judentum und Modernität (Bölau), and Von Beethoven zu Berg (Zsolnay). Honors include Harvard University’s prestigious Centennial Award; the American Academy of Arts and Letters award; and Cross of Honor, First Class, from the government of Austria, for his contributions to music. Other distinctions include the Bruckner Society’s Julio Kilenyi Medal of Honor for his interpretations of that composer’s music, the Leonard Bernstein Award for the Elevation of Music in Society, and Carnegie Foundation’s Academic Leadership Award. In 2011, he was inducted into the American Philosophical Society.
JOSHUA BLUE tenor
In the 2023–24 season, British-American tenor Joshua Blue makes his Houston Grand Opera stage debut creating the role of Wilson in the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s new work Intelligence. He also performs Moravec’s Sanctuary Road with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park and joins the Royal Opera House on tour to Japan covering the Duke in Rigoletto with Antonio Pappano on the podium. Mr. Blue makes returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Tamino in Julie Taymor’s production of The Magic Flute and the American Symphony Orchestra led by Leon Botstein to sing Dvořák’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall. He has been engaged by the LA Phil, Washington National Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and Wolf Trap Opera, collaborating with conductors James Conlon, Gianandrea Noseda, Eun Sun Kim, Fabio Luisi, James Gaffigan, Carlo Rizzi, Bertrand de Billy, Bernard Labadie, and Leonard Slatkin, at venues as far-ranging as the Hollywood Bowl. He is the recipient of The Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation Prize and James McCracken and Sandra Warfield Opera Prize. Mr. Blue holds degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Juilliard School.
Mr. Blue’s most recent appearances with the American Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Botstein include Ethel Smyth’s Mass in D at New York’s St. Bartholomew’s Church and Vaughan Williams’ Sir John in Love at Bard’s Fisher Center.
STEPHANIE BLYTHE mezzo-soprano
A renowned opera singer and recitalist, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe is one of the most highly respected and critically acclaimed artists of her generation. With repertoire that ranges from Handel to Wagner, German lieder to contemporary and classic American song, she feels at home equally on opera, concert, recital, and cabaret stages. She has performed in many world-class venues like Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Paris National Opera, and the San Francisco, Chicago Lyric, and Seattle Operas, and with orchestras that include the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Orchestra of New York, Minnesota Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Ensemble Orchestre de Paris, and the Concertgerbouworkest. She has also appeared at the Tanglewood, Cincinnati May, and Ravinia festivals, and at the BBC Proms.
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Ms. Blythe’s many operatic roles include title roles in Carmen, Samson et Dalila, Orfeo ed Euridice, La Grande Duchesse, Tancredi, Mignon, and Giulio Cesare; Frugola, Principessa, and Zita in Il Trittico, Fricka in both Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, Waltraute in Götterdämmerung, Azucena in Il Trovatore, Ulrica in Un Ballo in Maschera, Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress, Ježibaba in Rusalka, Madame de Haltiere in Cendrillon, Mistress Quickly in Falstaff, and Ino/Juno in Semele. She also created the role of Gertrude Stein in Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27 at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and performed Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd at the San Francisco Opera and Nettie Fowler in Carousel at the Houston Grand Opera and with the New York Philharmonic. More recently, she has expanded her repertoire to include non-traditional casting as the title role in Gianni Schicchi with San Diego Opera, and Don Jose in Carmen with Chicago Opera Theater.
Ms. Blythe was named Musical America‘s Vocalist of the Year in 2009, received an Opera News Award in 2007, and won the prestigious Richard Tucker Award in 1999. In 2019, she had the honor of being appointed Director of the Graduate Vocal Arts Program at Bard College. She occasionally moonlights as dramatic tenor, Blythely Oratonio.
THE ORCHESTRA NOW
The Orchestra Now (TŌN) is a group of vibrant young musicians from across the globe who are making orchestral music relevant to 21st-century audiences by sharing their unique personal insights in a welcoming environment. Hand-picked from the world’s leading conservatories—including the Yale School of Music, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Royal Academy of Music, and the New England Conservatory of Music—the members of TŌN are enlightening curious minds by giving on-stage introductions and demonstrations, writing concert notes from the musicians’ perspective, and having one-on-one discussions with patrons during intermissions.
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Conductor, educator, and music historian Leon Botstein, whom The New York Times said “draws rich, expressive playing from the orchestra,” founded TŌN in 2015 as a graduate program at Bard College, where he is also president. TŌN offers both a three-year master’s degree in Curatorial, Critical, and Performance Studies and a two-year advanced certificate in Orchestra Studies. The orchestra’s home base is the Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center at Bard, where it performs multiple concerts each season and takes part in the annual Bard Music Festival. It also performs regularly at the finest venues in New York, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and others across NYC and beyond. HuffPost, who has called TŌN’s performances “dramatic and intense,” praises these concerts as “an opportunity to see talented musicians early in their careers.”
The orchestra has performed with many distinguished guest conductors and soloists, including Leonard Slatkin, Neeme Järvi, Gil Shaham, Fabio Luisi, Joan Tower, Vadim Repin, Hans Graf, Peter Serkin, Naomi Woo, Gerard Schwarz, Tan Dun, and JoAnn Falletta. Among TŌN’s many recordings are albums featuring pianists Piers Lane, Anna Shelest, and Orion Weiss; Buried Alive with baritone Michael Nagy, which includes the first recording in almost 60 years—and only the second recording ever—of Othmar Schoeck’s song-cycle Lebendig begraben; Classics of American Romanticism, featuring the first-ever complete recording of Bristow’s Arcadian Symphony; and the soundtrack to the motion picture Forte. Recordings of TŌN’s live concerts from the Fisher Center can be heard on Classical WMHT-FM and WWFM The Classical Network, and are featured regularly on Performance Today, broadcast nationwide.
Explore upcoming concerts, see what our musicians have to say, and more at ton.bard.edu.
Leon Botstein Music Director
Violin I
Angeles Hoyos Concertmaster
Chance McDermott
Enikő Samu
Julián Andrés Rey Peñaranda
Judith Kim
Haley Maurer Gillia
Seunghye Park
Jonathan Fenwick
Emerie Mon
Joohyun Lee
Leonardo Pineda ’15 TŌN ’19
Yi-Ting Kuo
Violin II
Haley Schricker Principal
Yaewon Choi
Lana Auerbach
Zeyi Sun
Nayoung Kim
Shengjia (Sherry) Zhang
Heather Lambert
Emily Garrison
Michael Hahn
Adam Jeffreys TŌN ’23
Samuel Frois not performing in this concert
Viola
Michael Halbrook Principal
Tania Ladino Ramirez
Sydney Link
Andrea Natalia Torres-Álvarez
Rosemary Nelis ’17
Keegan Donlon
Eva Gerard
Karen Waltuch
Cello
Eva Roebuck Principal
Yuri Ahn
Emma Churchill
Jihyun Hwang
Dariimaa Batsaikhan
Amelia Smerz
Elvira Hoyos
Sam Boundy
Bass
Rowan Puig Davis Principal
Holdan Arbey Silva Acosta
Milad Daniari TŌN ’18
Luke Stence TŌN ’22
Josh Marcum
Tom Forletti
Flute
Jordan Arbus Principal (Rinaldo)
Chase McClung Principal (Rhapsody), Piccolo (Rinaldo)
Olivia Chaikin Principal (Symphony)
Oboe
Quinton Bodnár-Smith Principal (Rinaldo, Rhapsody)
David Zoschnick Principal (Symphony)
Clarinet
Zachary Gassenheimer Principal (Rinaldo, Rhapsody)
Dávid Kéringer Principal (Symphony)
Colby Bond not performing in this concert
Bassoon
Miranda Macias Principal (Rinaldo)
Kylie Bartlett Principal (Rhapsody), Contrabassoon (Symphony)
Han-Yi Huang Principal (Symphony)
Horn
Douglas Nunes Principal (Rinaldo, Rhapsody)
Ziming Zhu Principal (Symphony)
Tori Boell
Felix Johnson ’23 APS ’25
Steven Harmon TŌN ’22 Assistant
Daniel Itzkowitz not perfoming in this concert
Stefan Williams not perfoming in this concert
Trumpet
Jid-anan Netthai Principal (Rinaldo)
Forrest Albano Principal (Symphony)
Giulia Rath
Trombone
Zachary Johnson Principal
Christopher Paul
Samuel Boeger Bass Trombone
Stephen Whimple not performing in this concert
Tuba
Tyler Woodbury not performing in this concert
Timpani
Pei Hsien Lu
Percussion
Petra Elek not performing in this concert
Luca Esposito not performing in this concert
Nick Goodson not performing in this concert
Harp
Cheng Wei (Ashley) Lim not performing in this concert
Keyboard
Neilson Chen not performing in this concert
BARD FESTIVAL CHORALE
The Bard Festival Chorale was formed in 2003 as the resident choir of the Bard Music Festival. It consists of the finest ensemble singers from New York City and surrounding areas. Many of its members have distinguished careers as soloists and as performers in a variety of choral groups; all possess a shared enthusiasm for the exploration of new and unfamiliar music.
James Bagwell Choral Director
Tenor
Cristobal Arias
Christopher Carter
Jack Colver
Jack Cotterell
Joseph Demarest
Sean Fallen
Ethan Fran
Brandon Hornsby-Selvin
Matthew Krenz
Eric William Lamp
Douglas Purcell
Sam Strickland
Bass
CodyRay Caho
Roosevelt Credit
David Flight
Roderick Gomez
James Gregory
Nicholas Hay
Ian Joyal
Jonathan Lawlor
Andrew Martens
John Rose
Kurt Steinhauer
Christopher Tefft
Choral Contractor Nancy Wertsch
JAMES BAGWELL choral director
James Bagwell maintains an active international schedule as a conductor of choral, operatic, and orchestral music. He was recently named associate conductor and academic director of The Orchestra Now (TŌN) and was appointed principal guest conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra in 2009. He has led both ensembles in concerts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. He served as music director of The Collegiate Chorale from 2009–15. Highlights included conducting rarely-performed operas at Carnegie Hall, including Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda, Rossini’s Möise et Pharaon, and Boito’s Mefistofele. He conducted the New York premiere of Philip Glass’ Toltec Symphony and Osvaldo Golijov’s Oceana at Carnegie Hall. His performance of Kurt Weill’s Knickerbocker Holiday at Alice Tully Hall was recorded live for Gaslight Records and is the only complete recording of the work. He has collaborated since 2011 with singer and composer Natalie Merchant, conducting orchestras across the country, including the San Francisco and Seattle Symphonies. Other recent performances include Glass’ Another Look at Harmony at the Park Avenue Armory and leading the Little Opera Theatre of New York’s production of Rossini’s Opportunity Makes the Thief.
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Mr. Bagwell is a regular guest conductor for The Tulsa Symphony. In 2011 and 2012 he conducted the Amici New York Orchestra at the OK Mozart Festival, and in December 2014 made his second appearance with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He frequently appears as guest conductor for orchestras around the country and abroad, including the Jerusalem Symphony, the Interlochen Music Festival, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra.
A noted choral director, Mr. Bagwell has prepared The Concert Chorale of New York for performances with the New York Philharmonic over the past several years. In 2018, he prepared The Concert Chorale for performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and prepared two concerts for the Mostly Mozart Festival. Since 2003 he has been director of choruses for the Bard Music Festival, conducting and preparing choral works during the annual SummerScape festival.
Mr. Bagwell is Professor of Music at Bard College and Director of Performance Studies in the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
JIHYUN HWANG cello
Jihyun will talk briefly about Rinaldo on stage before the performance.
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
Alma maters: Seoul National University; Yale School of Music, M.M., M.M.A.
Appearances: Music Academy of the West, 2020–21
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If you could play another instrument, what would it be? I wish I could play the piano. I love listening to piano pieces.
JORDAN ARBUS flute
Jordan will talk briefly about Alto Rhapsody and Symphony No. 1 on stage before the performances.
Hometown: Toulouse, France
Alma mater: Toulouse Conservatory; Montclair State University, B.M.; Yale School of Music, M.M.
Awards/Competitions: 2nd Place, 2019 New York Flute Club Competition
Appearances: Piano Folies du Touquet, Le Touquet, France, 2020–22
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How did you hear about TŌN? What inspired you to apply? A former teacher, Tara O’Connor, advised me to apply. I liked the idea of an intensive orchestra experience.
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For detailed information on the many ways to support TŌN, please contact Nicole M. de Jesús, Director of Development, at 845.758.7988 or [email protected].
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Visit ton.bard.edu/support or call 845.758.7988
The TŌN Fund Donors
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Thank you for making this important investment in the future of classical music.
Leadership Gifts
Estate of Clyde Talmadge Gatlin
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Felicitas S. Thorne
The Yvonne Nadaud Mai Concertmaster Chair
Made possible by The Mai Family Foundation
Fellowship Support
The Ponsold-Motherwell Charitable Trust, in memory of Renate Ponsold and Robert Motherwell
Concertmaster’s Circle
Joseph Baxer and Barbara Bacewicz
Michael Dorf Presents
Michael L. Privitera
Emily Sachar
Allegro
Charles Doran and Carissa Escober Doran
Lawrence T. Nash, in memory of Naomi M. Nash
Forte
Helen V. Atlas
Marc and Margaret Cohen, in honor of Colby Bond TŌN ’25
Curtis DeVito and Dennis Wedlick
Gary Giardina
Steven Holl and Dimitra Tsachrelia
Bernard and Lisa S. King-Smith
Robert Lonergan
The Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation
Kurt Moschner and Hannelore Wilfert
James and Andrea Nelkin
Alice Stroup, in memory of Timothy Stroup
Vivian Sukenik
Trumpeter
Anonymous (2)
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Atkins
Geri Brodsky
Vincent M. Dicks
Jan M. Guifarro
Scott Huang
Kassell Family Foundation of the Jewish Communal Fund
Laurie and Michael Pollock Fund of Fidelity Charitable
Tyler J. Lory and Michael Rauschenberg*
Barry Nalebuff and Helen Kauder
Christine T. Munson
Maury Newburger Foundation
Northwestern Mutual Foundation
Bruce and Blanche Rubin
Joseph and Barbara Schoenberg
Janet Schoor
Dan Schwartzman and Julie Nives, in memory of Irwin W. Schwartzman
Jennifer Shykula ’96 and Thomas Ochs
The Stanley & Ethel Glen Family Foundation
Joseph Sweeney
David W. Welles
Crescendo
Nicole M. de Jesús ’94 and Brian P. Walker
Richard and Hildegard ’78 Edling
Maia Farish, in memory of Don Farish
Brian J. Heck
George Jahn and Karen Kaczmar
Susan and Peter LeVangia
Janet C. Mills
Paul Oakley
Arlene and Gil Seligman
Jan and Jim Smyth
Judith Thoyer
Gene Vidal
Alan Wanzenberg
TŌNor
Philip B. Ardell
Marvin Bielawski
Erika S. Bernich
James Blakney and Kelly A. Preyer
Richard Bopp
Diane and Ronald Blum
Herbert and Sharon W. Burklund
Dora Jeanette Canaday
Sara Cashen and Tony Muoser
Mark Churchill, in honor of Emma Churchill TŌN ’24
Joan Cohen
Phyllis and Joe DiBianco
Mary Lou Dillon
William J. Harper
Stan Harrison
Stephen J. Hoffman
Diedrich Holtkamp
Hospitality Committee for United Nations Delegations
Judith and Ron Goodman Charitable Trust of Fidelity
Elena and Frederic Howard
Bob and Vickie Kampf
Erica Kiesewetter
Tom and Sherry Knowles
L&T Freudenheim Fund of Bernstein Philanthropic Impact Fund
Seth Lachterman
Deborah Hoffman Lanser
Erika Lieber
Nancy Leonard and Larry Kramer
Nina Lynch
Martha Lyon
Fulvia Masi, in memory of William R. Tanksley
Ken and Lindsay Morgan
Cathy and Fred Reinis
Richard Rizzo and Enid Ain
Susan Seidel
Lynda Schwab-Edmundson
Anne M. Sunners
Daniel J. Thornton
Dana L. Vanderheyden
Ann and Douglas William
Jo Winograd
Downbeat
Anonymous
Frederick E. Allen and Erica De Mane
Stephanie G. Beroes
Katherine B. Berry
Marie-Louise Brauch
Renée Burgevin
Kent Brown and Nat Thomas
Lael Burns
Lydia Chapin and David Soeiro
Isobel R. Contento and Robert F. Clark
Thomas De Stefano
Janet and Robert Feldman
Renate L. Friedrichsen
Teresa Genin
Carol and Peter Goss
Gwen Gould and Ed Grossman
David Greenwood
Adrian and Tamara Judith Gruzko
Lee Haring
Nancy S. Hemmes
Malcolm G. Idelson
Steven Jonas
Barbara Komansky
Carol E. Lachman
Arthur S. Leonard
Willa Lewis and Edward Moulin
Catherine and Jacques Luiggi
Nancy Lupton
Phyllis Marsteller
Kenneth J. McCormick
Jane Meisel
David Mellins
Warren Mikulka
Lucy and Martin Murray
Justin Morgan
Stanley and Bette Nitzky
Shirley G. Perle
Carole Pickering
Denise T. Pitcher
Bobbie Post
Pat Rogers
Patricia Scharlin
Mary T. Sheerin
Anna Shuster
Thomas Shykula
Theodore J. Smith
William Solis
Elizabeth Strianese
George Wachtel/Audience Research & Analaysis
Susan L. Waysdorf and Mary K. O’Melveney
Michael and Leslie Weinstock
Elizabeth Willis
Ian Zimmerman ’92
Drs. Julie and Sandy Zito
Prelude
Leslie and Louis Baker
Elaine Berk
Marge and Ed Blaine
Laurence Blau and Karen Johnsen
Harriet Bussel
Sarah Carr
Marsha S. Clark
James Costello
Walter Czajka
Richard Desir
Lucinda DeWitt
Dena Fisher
Katherine J. Flack
Helena and Christopher H. Gibbs
Beverly Gillia, in honor of Haley Gillia TŌN ’26
Karen M. Harvey
Nancy Hereford
Maung S. Htoo, in memory of Anne Htoo
Robert Kappes
Brenda Klein
Barbara Komansky
Marilyn Lebowitz
Thomas Mortka
Sandra Novick
Eileen Quinlan
Robert Renbeck
Brigitte R. Roepke
Diane J. Scrima
Barbara Shrager
Shari Siegel
Dennis Staropoli
Judith Winzemer
*Deceased
This list represents gifts made to The Orchestra Now from July 1, 2022 to January 25, 2024.
Thank you for your partnership!
The Administration
THE ORCHESTRA NOW
Artistic Staff
Leon Botstein Music Director
James Bagwell Associate Conductor and Academic Director
Jindong Cai Associate Conductor
Zachary Schwartzman Resident Conductor
Andrés Rivas GCP ’17 Assistant ConductorErica Kiesewetter Director of Orchestral Studies
Keisuke Ikuma Artistic Coordinator of Chamber Music
Sima Mitchell First Year Seminar Faculty
Administrative Staff
Kristin Roca Executive Director
Marielle Metivier Orchestra Manager
Viktor Tóth ’16 TŌN ’21 Eastern/Central European Music Curator and Assistant Orchestra Manager
Matt Walley TŌN ’19 Program Coordinator and Admissions
Sebastian Danila Music Preparer and Researcher
Benjamin Oatmen Librarian
Leonardo Pineda ’15 TŌN ’19 Director of Youth Music Education
Shawn Hutchison Recruitment and Alumni/ae Coordinator
Marketing & Development Staff
Brian J. Heck Director of Marketing
Nicole M. de Jesús ’94 Director of Development
Concert Crew
Marlan Barry Audio Producer and Recording Engineer
Skillman Music Audio and Video Broadcast
BARD COLLEGE
Board of Trustees
James C. Chambers ’81 Chair
Emily H. Fisher Vice Chair
Brandon Weber ’97 Vice Chair, Alumni/ae Trustee
Elizabeth Ely ’65 Secretary; Life Trustee
Stanley A. Reichel ’65 Treasurer; Life Trustee
Fiona Angelini
Roland J. Augustine
Leon Botstein President of the College, ex officio
Mark E. Brossman
Jinqing Cai
Marcelle Clements ’69 Life Trustee
The Rt. Rev. Andrew M. L. Dietsche Honorary Trustee
Asher B. Edelman ’61 Life Trustee
Kimberly Marteau Emerson
Barbara S. Grossman ’73 Alumni/ae Trustee
Andrew S. Gundlach
Glendean Hamilton ’09
Matina S. Horner ex officio
Charles S. Johnson III ’70
Mark N. Kaplan Life Trustee
George A. Kellner
Fredric S. Maxik ’86
Jo Frances Meyer ex officio
Juliet Morrison ’03
James H. Ottaway Jr. Life Trustee
Hilary Pennington
Martin Peretz Life Trustee
Stewart Resnick Life Trustee
David E. Schwab II ’52 Life Trustee
Roger N. Scotland ’93 Alumni/ae Trustee
Annabelle Selldorf
Mostafiz ShahMohammed ’97
Jonathan Slone ’84
James A. von Klemperer
Susan Weber
Patricia Ross Weis ’52
Senior Administration
Leon Botstein President
Coleen Murphy Alexander ’00 Vice President for Administration
Jonathan Becker Executive Vice President; Vice President for Academic Affairs; Director, Center for Civic Engagement
Erin Cannan Vice President for Civic Engagement
Deirdre d’Albertis Vice President; Dean of the College
Malia K. Du Mont ’95 Vice President for Strategy and Policy; Chief of Staff
Peter Gadsby Vice President for Enrollment Management; Registrar
Mark D. Halsey Vice President for Institutional Research and Assessment
Max Kenner ’01 Vice President for Institutional Initiatives; Executive Director, Bard Prison Initiative
Debra Pemstein Vice President for Development and Alumni/ae Affairs
Taun Toay ’05 Senior Vice President; Chief Financial Officer
Stephen Tremaine ’07 Vice President of Network Education
Dumaine Williams ’03 Vice President for Student Affairs; Dean of Early Colleges
FISHER CENTER
Advisory Board
Jeanne Donovan Fisher Chair
Carolyn Marks Blackwood
Leon Botstein ex officio
Stefano Ferrari
Alan Fishman
Neil Gaiman
Nina Matis
Rebecca Gold Milikowsky
Anthony Napoli
Denise S. Simon
Martin T. Sosnoff
Toni Sosnoff
Felicitas S. Thorne, Emerita
Taun Toay ’05 ex officio
Bard Music Festival Board of Directors
Denise S. Simon Chair
Roger Alcaly
Leon Botstein ex officio
Michelle R. Clayman
David Dubin
Robert C. Edmonds ’68
Jeanne Donovan Fisher Emerita
Dr. Sanford J. Friedman
Christopher H. Gibbs ex officio
Thomas Hesse
Susan Petersen Kennedy
Barbara Kenner
Gary Lachmund
Vivien Liu
Thomas O. Maggs
Kenneth L. Miron
Eileen Naughton
James H. Ottaway Jr.
Felicitas S. Thorne
Artistic Director and Chief Executive
Gideon Lester
Chief Operating Officer
Aaron Mattocks
Administration
Thomas Flynn Director of Finance and Administration
Rachael Gunning ’19 Finance and Administration Associate
Paul Laibach Manager, Technical Services
Kayla Leacock Hiring/Special Projects Manager
Nicholas Reilingh Database and Systems Manager
Artistic Planning and Producing
Jason Collins Producer
Carter Edwards Programs and Partnerships Manager
Madeleine Reilly ’22 Producing Assistant
Development
Debra Pemstein Vice President for Development and Alumni/ae Affairs
Cate Hope Development Communications Manager
Alessandra Larson Director of Institutional Advancement and Strategy
Kieley Michasiow-Levy Senior Individual Giving Manager
Caroline Ryan Development Operations Coordinator
Jessica Wolf Associate Director of Development
General Management
Shannon Csorny General Manager
Jess Webber Producing Operations Manager
Environmental Services
Bill Cavanaugh Environmental Specialist
Drita Gjokaj Environmental Specialist
Will Marvin Environmental Specialist
Facilities
Carmine Covelli Facility Operations and Safety Manager
Ray Stegner Building Operations Manager
Hazaiah Tompkins ’19 Building Operations Coordinator
Marketing and Audience Services
David Steffen Director of Marketing and Audience Services
Lukina Andreyev ’23 Assistant House Manager
Ana Aparicio ’24 Assistant House Manager
Angelina Bell Box Office Supervisor
Brittany Brouker Marketing Manager
Joas Erasmus ’26 Assistant House Manager
Jardena Gertler-Jaffe VAP ’21 Audience and Member Services Coordinator
Maria Giovanetti ’23 Box Office Supervisor
Joel Guahnich ’24 Assistant House Manager
Hamed Haidari ’25 Assistant House Manager
Asa Kaplan ’23 Associate House Manager
Maia Kaufman Audience and Member Services Manager
Elyse Lichtenthal House Manager
Garrett Sager HRA ’23 Assistant Marketing Manager
Paulina Swierczek VAP ’19 Audience and Member Services Assistant Manager
Courtney Williams Box Office Supervisor
Communications
Mark Primoff Associate Vice President of Communications
Amy Murray Videographer
Publications
Mary Smith Director of Publications
Jenna Obrizok Production Manager
Production
Jared Goldstein Director of Production
Dávid Bánóczi-Ruof ’22 Production Administrator
Kat Sirico Production Manager
Audio
Lex Morton Audio Supervisor
Costumes
Moe Schell Costume Supervisor
Sara Sa Assistant Costume Shop Manager
Lighting
Josh Foreman Lighting Supervisor
Nick Hawrylko Head Electrician
Orchestra
Stephen Dean Orchestra Production Manager
Grace Anne Orchestra Stage Manager
Lydia McCaw Orchestra Stage Manager
Nora Rubenstone ’11 Associate Orchestra Production Manager
Scenic
Rick Reiser Technical Director
Sam Dickson ’19 Carpenter
Maggie McFarland ’21 Props Coordinator
Duane Olson Interim Assistant Technical Director
Video
Kat Pagsolingan Video Supervisor
Theater & Performance and Dance Programs
Jennifer Lown Program Administrator
Sabrina Sa Artistic and Administrative Assistant
BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL
Executive Director
Irene Zedlacher
Artistic Directors
Leon Botstein
Christopher H. Gibbs
Associate Director
Raissa St. Pierre ’87
Scholars in Residence 2024
Francesca Brittan
Sarah Hibberd
Program Committee 2024
Byron Adams
Leon Botstein
Francesca Brittan
Christopher H. Gibbs
Sarah Hibberd
Richard Wilson
Irene Zedlacher
Director of Choruses
James Bagwell
Vocal Casting
Joshua Winograde
FISHER CENTER
The Fisher Center develops, produces, and presents performing arts across disciplines through new productions and context-rich programs that challenge and inspire. As a premier professional performing arts center and a hub for research and education, the Fisher Center supports artists, students, and audiences in the development and examination of artistic ideas, offering perspectives from the past and present as well as visions of the future. The Fisher Center demonstrates Bard’s commitment to the performing arts as a cultural and educational necessity. Home is the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, designed by Frank Gehry and located on the campus of Bard College in New York’s Hudson Valley. The Fisher Center offers outstanding programs to many communities, including the students and faculty of Bard College, and audiences in the Hudson Valley, New York City, across the country, and around the world.
BARD COLLEGE
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year, residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place estate, Bard’s campus consists of nearly 1,000 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40 academic programs; advanced degrees through 13 graduate centers; nine early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 164-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at the main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT FOR BARD COLLEGE IN ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON
Developed in Cooperation with the Stockbridge-Munsee Community
In the spirit of truth and equity, it is with gratitude and humility that we acknowledge that we are gathered on the sacred homelands of the Munsee and Muhheaconneok people, who are the original stewards of this land. Today, due to forced removal, the community resides in Northeast Wisconsin and is known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. We honor and pay respect to their ancestors past and present, as well as to future generations, and we recognize their continuing presence in their homelands. We understand that our acknowledgement requires those of us who are settlers to recognize our own place in and responsibilities towards addressing inequity, and that this ongoing and challenging work requires that we commit to real engagement with the Munsee and Mohican communities to build an inclusive and equitable space for all.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
The Bard College music community celebrates its wide-ranging approaches to musical studies by emphasizing creative expression and the development of each individual’s artistic voice. Our programs include:
•The Undergraduate Music Program (classical instrumental and voice, composition, electronic music, ethnomusicology, history, jazz, theory)
•The Conservatory of Music (composition, conducting, instrumental, US-China, voice)
•The Orchestra Now
Historically, classical music education has foregrounded European practices of the 17th through 20th centuries. As we become accountable for discriminations relating to that narrow focus, we affirm our intention to break down those boundaries of exclusion. Actionable steps towards equity include: the long term cultivation of a diverse faculty, staff, and student body that is inclusive of a diverse range of races, ethnicities, genders, and LGBTQ+ identities; the practice of respectful listening and communication within and between our programs; the regular review of curricula and their successful inclusion of multiple perspectives; the presentation of diverse musical programming that features and furthers collaborations across the Bard campus; and the forging of initiatives that engage with underserved communities and underrepresented populations. As we pursue these goals, we remain committed to taking actions that combat discrimination and racism in order to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive program.
THE ORCHESTRA NOW ton.bard.edu / @theorchnow
BARD COLLEGE bard.edu
© 2024 The Orchestra Now
Program and artists subject to change.