FVSO welcomes Composer-in-Residence Lawren Brianna Ware

The Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra begins the season on September 20 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. Along with trumpet soloist Michael Henckel, there will be a world premiere from Lawren Brianna Ware. This is Ware's second time working with the orchestra and Dr. Sütterlin is excited to share this new piece with our audience. 

Lawren will be joining us for the pre-concert talk on Saturday, but we checked in with her early to ask what we can expect from the piece. 

Tell us about your last trip with FVSO. What was that experience like? 

Ware: My last trip to visit with the FVSO was AMAZING! It was my first ever orchestral premiere and I was blown away by the kindness and hospitality of Kevin, Jamie, the FVSO, and the concert attendees. They truly made me feel like a celebrity and I thought that my heart would burst with joy and gratitude! And I can't forget to mention that the orchestra's performance of "The Moirai" was HOLY SMOKES INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, we would argue that you ARE a celebrity! But please tell us about M31. What was your inspiration? What do you want people to feel when listening? 

Ware: "M31" was a really fun piece for me to write. I went back and forth about the title of the piece but I knew that the composition would deal with the idea of "space" in some way. When I saw that Mazzoli's "Sinfonia for Orbiting Spheres" was programmed as well, a little lightbulb went off in my head and, in a Captain Kirk voice, whispered "Space! The final frontier!" (LOL. Kidding...kind of....) The work is named after the original catalog name for the Andromeda Galaxy (originally called "Messier 31" and then abbreviated to "M31") Andromeda popped into my head because my mother-in-law is a space and science enthusiast and LOVES to talk about Andromeda, haha. Andromeda or M31 is our closest galactic neighbor. While it is significantly larger than our galaxy (the Milky Way), much less is known about it. That unknown is what aided me in the composition of the work. There aren't many moments in the piece that I intended to concretely signify a certain sound or occurrence. My hope is for the listener to use the work as their own exploratory vessel (Trekkies, for you it might act as the Enterprise; for my Star Wars peeps, it might be the Millenium Falcon; or the Executor if you're leaning more towards the dark side...). Listen to the piece and decide for yourself the things that you are discovering as you traverse Andromeda. Did a space monster attack your ship? Did you discover a planet where aliens play jazz on extraterrestrial instruments? Did you narrowly survive a sudden meteor shower? I think you get the picture 😉! During the final seconds of the work, the orchestra crescendos, leading to a thrilling conclusion to the piece. This ending is representative of a spaceship's engines warming up to full power, preparing for a jump to lightspeed to continue on its exploratory journey of Andromeda. 

Trekkies and the Millenium Falcon? OK! We're in! We hope you love working with us as much as we love working with you.  

Ware: FVSO loves to premiere new music so it would be great to see what it is like from your perspective. I absolutely love and appreciate the FVSO's dedication to premiering new music and working with up and coming composers as well as established ones. Its dedication to new music is refreshing and, for me, personally, it's making dreams come true!

What else are you working on or what is coming up next for you? 

Ware: I'm currently working on several projects! A few days after the premiere of M31, I'll be heading to New York (SUNY Brockport) for the premiere of my (our) piece, "Tea Leaves." This composition is a collaborative work between myself and soprano/poet Kaswanna Kanyinda made possible by Opera on Tap Rochester's Jay Red Koh Composer Residency (headed by Seiko Elmore). The work is a multi-movement sound cycle that explores the African Diaspora through the tea trade and addresses the importance of tea in Black culture throughout history. Additionally I am in the early stages of planning for a commission with members of the LunART festival and International Crane Foundation. Finally, on a non-composition related note, I am continuing to love teaching my wonderful piano and violin students (of my private studio, B. Ware Works)!

Thank you all for this opportunity to return to Appleton! Because of the FVSO, Appleton will always have a special place in my heart. 

Come to meet Lawren and enjoy M31 at 7:30pm at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center on September 20. Pre-concert talk starts at 6:40pm and there is a free post-concert reception after the concert for everyone. 

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS NOW!

 

FVSO Opens the Season with Soloist Michael Henckel

The Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra begins the season on September 20 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. Along with a world premiere from Lawren Brianna Ware, the evening features principal trumpet Michael Henckel. Henckel will perform both the Haydn Trumpet Concerto and a piece by local composer Marty Robinson titled Evensong.

We asked Michael about his years with FVSO and the anticipation for his upcoming performance. 

Tell us about your time with FVSO. How long have you been with us?

I joined the Fox Valley Symphony in the fall of 2000, so this concert will be the start of my 26^th season with the orchestra; and what a way to kick off the season by getting the opportunity to be the guest soloist!

What are some of your biggest memories with FVSO?

There are so many to choose from! Technically, this will be my third time soloing with the orchestra. In 2015, I performed the Telemann Trumpet Concerto in D, and it was a wonderful event: the first time I was able to solo in the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, and three family members were part of the orchestra with me that evening: my wife, Laura (Principal Cellist of FVSO), my daughter, Kayla (violin), and my mother-in-law, Carol (harpsichord)

The other solo opportunity I had with the orchestra was my first season on the holiday concert at Picard Auditorium in Neenah. "Ding Dong Merrily on High" was the piece, but more importantly than the solo opportunity was the fact that several days after the concert I received a hand drawn picture of me playing the trumpet from a young girl who had attended the concert. She brought it to the FVSO office and asked that I get the drawing. That sticks with me still today because I’ve never thought of myself as a role model, but I certainly seemed to make an impression for that young girl that evening.

Other memories include an outstanding performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto by Laura, and the opportunity to perform so many great pieces of the classical literature: Mahler, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Strauss … and the list goes on!

Why did you pick the Haydn to perform?

The Haydn Trumpet Concerto is truly a staple of the trumpet solo repertoire. As such, I’ve played the first page of the piece many times as part of auditions for various groups. But that limits you from really getting to know the piece as a whole. I performed the Concerto 20 years ago with the Manitowoc Symphony, and I’m excited to get the chance to perform it again with the FVSO. I’ve grown a lot as a musician and a trumpet player over the past 20 years, and my approach to and study of the piece this time around has brought some new discoveries. The piece is very well crafted, has some very beautiful moments, and some playful ones as well.

We’re excited to have Marty’s piece on the program too. 

It is a great honor for me to perform Marty’s piece with the orchestra. Marty and I have known each other for 35 years, and I’m excited to share his piece and his music with the audience. 

Evensong was originally written for saxophone quartet and trumpet. In 2014 Laura was taking a small string orchestra of students from her school on a tour of Italy, and we asked Marty if he had any pieces for trumpet and strings. He didn’t, but said he could reorchestrate Evensong for strings and trumpet. Laura’s group and I performed the piece on several concerts in Rome, and when Kevin and I agreed upon me playing the Haydn, I asked if it would also be possible to perform Marty’s piece as well.

Evensong is inspired by the tradition of Christian evening prayers. The peaceful melodic lines are presented in an introspective and reflective manner.

Thank you to Kevin and the FVSO for this opportunity, and to my friends and colleagues in the orchestra who have helped make the memories over the past 25 years. Thank you to my friends outside of the orchestra for your continued support of my musical passion.

And, a huge thank you to my family: Laura, Kayla, Dylan, and Nolan, for your never-ending love and support and for understanding over the years every time I’ve said, “I’ve got to go practice.”

Come and enjoy Michael's performance at 7:30pm at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center on September 20. Pre-concert talk starts at 6:40pm and there is a free post-concert reception after the concert for everyone. 

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS NOW!