Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra

Livingston, Jesse

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Ithaca College

Ithaca CollegeDigital Commons @ ICAll Concert & Recital Programs Concert & Recital Programs2-7-2010Graduate Recital: Jesse Livingston, conductorIthaca College Symphony OrchestraJesse LivingstonFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ithaca.edu/music_programsPart of the Music CommonsThis Program is brought to you for free and open access by the Concert & Recital Programs at Digital Commons @ IC. It has been accepted forinclusion in All Concert & Recital Programs by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ IC.Recommended CitationIthaca College Symphony Orchestra and Livingston, Jesse, "Graduate Recital: Jesse Livingston, conductor" (2010). All Concert &Recital Programs. 3776.https://digitalcommons.ithaca.edu/music_programs/3776I ITHACA COLLEGE ·, ' ,' '.SCHOOL OF MUSIC GRADUATE RECITAL ITHACA COLLEGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Jesse Livingston, conductor Jeffery Meyer, director with Michael Tsang, piano High School Competition Winner Ford Hall Sunday, February 7, 2010 8:15 p.m. PROGRAM Route 66 (1999) Piano Concerto No. 2, op. 22 I. Andante Sostenuto Michael Daugherty (b. 1954) Charles-Camille Saint-Saens ~ (1835-1921) Michael Tsang, piano Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy-Overture Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Graduate Recital presented in partial fulfillment for the degree Master of Music in Conducting. Jesse Livingston is from the studio of Jeffery Meyer. Photographic, video, and sound recording and/ or transmitting devices are not permitted in the. Whalen Center concert halls. Please tum off all cell ph~ne ringtones. -Program Notes Route 66 Michael Daugherty describes Route 66 thus: ) "Musical ideas come to me when I drive my car down an empty American highway. There is freedom of movement and space to reflect. I meditate on my experiences as a composer of · contemporary concert music, a keyboard player in jazz, funk, and rock bands, a percussionist in drum and bugle corps, an improviser on synthesizers for silent film, an organist for county and state fairs, a pianist in cocktail bars. Route 66 is a musical reflection on America, as seen through my rear view mirror. Warning--objects in mirror are closer than they appear. From my perspective, icons are fascinating because they seem close, but are meaningful only by means of temporal and spatial distance. They create emotion because they are always in motion, never in the same place; their meanings shift to create multiple points of view. Icons can be people, places, or things: tlvis Presley, James Cagney, Jackie 0, Liberace, Barbie dolls, Motown, pink flamingo lawn ornaments, Route 66. Sue}} icons have personal meanings for me, and a wide range of associations within contemporary American culture. As a composer, I am inspired by these and other icons to imagine exciting new sounds with traditional orchestral instruments. Drawing on a wide range of musical traditions, I bring the excitement and energy of American popular culture to the concert hall. In Route 66 I create an intricate structure that is dramatic and memorable, using a wide palette of timbres, lively rhythms, and contrapuntal complexity. Whether I am playing jazz piano or composing concert music, I like to deviate from the middle of the road. Through an unconventional use of American icons, I open a door to listeners, inviting them to bring their own emotions and associations into the musical experience." Piano Concerto No. 2, Movement 1 Composed in a mere three weeks, Piano Concerto No. 2 by Camille Saint-Saens is proof that it does not always take long to write an enduring musical work. Pianist/composer/conductor Anton Rubenstein asked Saint-Saens to organize a concert in Paris for the spring of 1868. However, the concert venue was booked for three weeks from the time he began organizing the concert. Saint-Saens decided to use this short period of time to write a new work for the occasion: his second piano concerto. The piece was premiered with Rubenstein conducting and the composer at the keyboard but with little success. Saint-Saens had little time to practice the piece and many reacted negatively to its drastic changes in mood. Rather than beginning with an orchestral introduction, the work begins with a lengthy cadenza similar to the improvisational character of a Bach fantasia. The movement is primarily dominated by the soloist, the orchestra mainly providing harmonic support and isolated chords for punctuation. The main theme was written by Gabriel Faure, a pupil of Saint-Saens, taken his motet, Tantum ergo. After a hurried glance at the work, Saint-Saens exclaimed, "Give this to me. I can make something of it!" Despite its unsuccessful beginning, this concerto has become a standard piece in the piano repertoire. Even in'its day, its enduring qualities were not unnoticed as pianist/composer Franz Liszt remarked: "I want to thank you again for your second concerto, which I greatly applaud ... You take foto just account the role of the pianist without sacrificing anything of the ideas of the composer, which is an essential rule in this class of work ... The totality of the work pleases me singularly. It ought to meet with success in every country." Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy-Overture after Shakespeare Throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, Shakespeare's Romeo and fuliet has captivated dozens of composers and Tchaikvosky was no exception. More than twenty operas have been written about Romeo and fuliet as well as ballets, incidental music, and musical theater adaptations such as Bernstein's West Side Story. This overture, first performed in 1870, is a self-standing work; that is, not part of a larger theatrical work such as a ballet or opera. As such, it seeks to capture the mairt themes of the play rather than tracking the plot, similar to Beethoven's literary-based overtures Egmont and Coriolan. Were it not for the prodding of Russian composer Mily Balakirev, the piece probably would not have been written. Although Balakirev was a relatively unsuccessful composer, he had a gift for spotting talent and mentoring young composers. Such was Balakirev's relationship to Tchaikovsky, particularly during the. composition of Romeo and fuliet/ He presented the play to Tchaikovsky as early as 1869 and subsequently gave guidelines to the structure of the piece. Then, in a mere six weeks, Tchaikovsky I I composed the first edition of the overture. The work was subsequently revised numerous times under the guidance of Balakirev until a final version was completed in 1780. The overture is in sonata-allegro form with an introduction and a coda. The introduction begins with a somber, hymn-like theme in the low woodwinds, perhaps alluding to Friar Laurence who wed Romeo and Juliet. The grief stricken dissonances and dark colors in the introduction immediately create the foreboding atmosphere of the tragedy. Throughout the piece, three themes are preeminent: the "Hymn Theme" theme heard at the beginning, the "Battle Theme", symbolizing the fierce rivalry between the Montagues and the Capulets, and the famous "Love Theme". The latter two themes are often played .back and fourth warring against one another. This seems to symbolize the dire conflict between Romeo and Juliet's love for one another and the vicious feud between their rival families. At the end of the recapitulation, the "Battle Theme" prevails and an abrupt timpani roll signals the death of the two lovers. Surprisingly, this is not the end of the story in Tchaikovsky's opinion. Although the coda begins with something like a funeral march}. it is followed by a warm woodwind chorale in B major. One might expect a dismal ending to such a story, but the love theme returns transformed and the piece ends in B major, perhaps signifying the reuniting of the two lovers in the afterlife. Performer's Biographies Michael K. Tsang is 16 years old. He studies piano with Marina Lupinacci in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Michael has participated in many piano competitions. He was winner in the Bartok-Kabelevsky-Prokofiev International Young Artists Competition, the International Young Artists Competition in Washington DC, and the Long Island Conservatory International Piano Competition. In the Duquesne Young Artists Competitions in Pittsburgh, Michael captured first place in all age categories - age groups 9, 12, 15 and 18. He was the winner in the Pittsburgh Concert Society Yoll.ng Artists Competition in 2004 and the Pittsburgh Philharmonic Symphony Concerto Competition in 2009. In 2006, Michael received second place in the Junior Division of the Ithaca College Piano Competition. In October 2009, he won first place in the Ithaca College Piano Concerto Competition High School Division. In the MTNA competition, Michael received first place in junior division in 2007; this year, he came first in the senior division. He will represent Pennsylvania again next January in New York. In quest of excellence, Michael has had opportunities to play in master classes conducted by renowned international soloists Emmanuel Ax, Lang Lang, and the late Master Gyorgy Sandor. In 2005, Michael had the distinct honor to be the sole performer at the opening session of the annual conference of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Art. Currently, Michael is the pianist for the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony. In addition to piano playing, Michael also plays violin for his school's Honor Orchestra. He is a fourth degree black belt in Tae-kwon-do and a member of his school's track and field team. Jesse Livingston's first interest in conducting was sparked when he was fifteen by Dr. Thomas Erdman, director of bands at Elon College North Carolina, who guest conducted his high school wind ensemble. In the spring of 1999, he began prival:e conducting lessons with William Henry Curry, resident conductor of the North Carolina Symphony. Throughout high school years, Jesse had the opportunity to conduct the Triangle Youth Philharmonic, school musicals, and his high school c.hoir. In the fall of 2002, he began his undergraduate studies at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music as a trumpet performance major. However, after two years he changed his degree focus to Dalcroze Eurhythmics, an approach to teaching and learning music that focuses on body movement. During his senior year at Oberlin, he studied conducting privately with Bridget Reischl, director of orchestras at the Oberlin Conservatory. He then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied privately with Tonu Kalam, Professor of Music at UNC, and was the assistant conductor of the UNC Symphony Orchestra. In the fall of 2008, Jesse began a master's program in Orchestral Conducting at Ithaca College studying privately with Dr. Jeffery Meyer, director of orchestras at Ithaca College. He serves as an assistant conductor for the Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra, Ithaca College Chamber Orchestra, and co-music director and founder of the. Ithaca College Sinfonietta. ITHACA COLLEGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Jesse Livingston, conductor Violin I , Charles Palys, concertmaster Alyssa Jutting Matteo Longhi Kristin Bakkegard Misako Sakurai Emily Frederick Aimee Lillienstein Isaac Shiman Shena Griffith Sadie Kenny· Samantha Hecht Derek Voigt Margaret Dagon Jenna Trunk Madeleine Wething Violin II Natalie Brandt* Will Downey Bryn Digney / Gabriella Colkett Sarah Weber Jason Calhoun Austin Schlichting Jessica Chen Chris Sforza AI.exas Esposito Nadine Cohen Sarah Hoag Claire Wilcox Christopher Mattaliano Viola Zach Slack* Michael Capone Jackie Timberlake Joshua Lahman Violet Goncarvos Marissa Ledet Kathleen Stevens Stephen Gorgone Meghan Seidner Rosie Newton Jennifer Meckler Kinnaird McQuade Jeffery Meyer, director Cello Allie Rehn* Tristan Rais-Sherman Phil Abbott Peter Volpert David MacLeese Katie McShane Brooks Griffith Meredith Gennaro Hannah Whitehead Daniel Frankhuizen Evan Hong Thillman Benham Jeremy van Deck Ben Sharrin Bass Kyle Kresge* Sara Johnson Sam Vemeuille John Romey Ben Dows Matt Minteer Jordan Morton David Barton Flute Emily Wespiser* Amelia Baran Andrea Reges Oboe Jamie Davis* Julia Perry Virginia Dodge Clarinet Brianne Remaly* Sarah Koop Michael Colletti Bassoon Noah Wolfinger* Mehgan Kininger Lauren J urczynski Hom Tyler Ogilvie* Drew Welkie, assistant Maureen Preston Elizabeth Teucke Megan Carpenter Trumpet Ethan Urtz* Brian Binder Christopher Tolbert Eric Mahl Trombone Mark Neville* Ryan Kuehhas Mit:hael Nave Tuba Joseph Wenzel Timpani Andrew Boynton Harp Myra Kovary** Percussion Julia Ross* Benjamin Berry Darren Lin Elayne Harris Keyboard Josh Oxford Graduate Assistants Jesse Livingston Chun-Ming Chen * Principal ** Guest Artist February 7 4:00 8:15 8 8:15 9 8:15 11 8:15 12 7:00 13 8:15 20 3:00 21 8:15 23 7:00 24 4:00 25 7:00 26 7:00 27 3:00 7:30 March 2 7:00 8:15 3 7:00 8:15 5 3:00 7:00 7 3:00 8 7:00 8:15 10 7:00 11 7:00 8:15 22 7:00 24 7:00 25 8:15 26 8:15 27 8:15 28 4:00 29 7:00 31 8:15 September 11 February 13 March 26 Concert Calendar Ann Marie Wilcox-Daehn, mezzo-soprano Orchestra; Jesse Livingston, graduate conductor Concert for Haiti Sao Paulo Universi% Percussion Ensemble Percussion Ensemb es; Gordon Stout and Conrad Alexander, directors Faculty Recital: Randie Blooding, baritone Ithaca College Concerts 2009-10* Theodora Hanslowe, mezzo-soprano S~hone Studio Fa ty Recital: Gordon Stout, tercussion Guest Recital: Gregory Oakes, c arinet Master Class: Gregory Oakes, clarinet Faculty Recital: John Stetch, jaz~iano Black History Month Concert: S ey Imoro Wind Ensemble; Steven Peterson, conductor USAF Academy Stellar Brass Facul:t;'. Recital: Jennifer Ka~ mezzo-soprano Symfi onic Band; Elizabet Peterson, conductor ~ Facu ty Recital: Patrice Pastore, so£rano Concert Band; Mark Fonder, con uctor Mary Hayes North Competition For Senior Piano Majors Faculty Recital: Charis Dimaras, piano Orchestra; Jeffery Meyer, conductor-- Annual Concerto Program Faculty Recital: Wenqing Zhang and Nathan Hess, duo-pianists Vocal Jazz Ensemble; Laurie Keegan, musical director and Jazz Ensemble, Michael Titlebaum, musical director Faculty Recital: Deboral). Montgomery-Cove, soprano, Brad Hougham, baritone, and Charis Dimaras, piano Faculty Recital, Frank Gabriel Campos, trumpet African Drumming and Dance Ensemble; Baruch Whitehead, director Faculty Ensemble: Ithaca Brass Faculty Recital: David Unland, tuba Women's Chorale; Janet Galvan, conductor and Brass Choir; Keith Kaiser, conductor Ithaca College Concerts 2009-10* Cameron Carpenter, organ Choir; Lawrence Doebler, conductor ·Faculty Ensemble: Ariadne String.Quartet Guest Recital: Nathan Williams, clarinet Concert Band; Mark Fonder, conductor and Horseheads High School Wind Ensemble Ithaca College Concerts 2009-10 (admission charge) Zuill Bailey, vio~oncello and Awadagin Pratt, piano Theodora Hanslowe, mezzo-soprano Cameron Carpenter, organ ( 

Graduate Recital: Jesse Livingston, conductor

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Graduate Recital: Jesse Livingston, conductor

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