Our Special Young Guest Artist

When you meet a young lady like Masha Lakisova it is an amazing event.  

About a year and half ago a good friend of mine, violinist Michael Shelton, heard Masha play.  He sent me an email saying that he had heard what he described as "the real deal".  Michael is not one to speak glowingly about someone unless he truly means it.  He has very keen ears and high expectations.  

After checking out a couple of YouTube videos of her playing I made arrangements to hear Masha at her teacher's recital.  She played the Schumann Sonata, with her mother Lyudmila (a brilliant pianist).  Needless to say it was stunning.  

After the recital I stayed around a bit to chat and found Masha and her family to be wonderful people.  They are so proud of what Masha is doing. 

Since then we have worked together several times.  Masha has won even more competitions and has been featured on NPR's "From The Top". 

I am thankful that my friend Michael brought this amazing young woman to my attention and am honored to be able to share her gifts with our wonderful audience.

Brian Groner
Music Director
Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra

Join us this Saturday, January 23, 2016 for this special performance!
Masha will perform Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major with the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra.

Purchase your tickets online now.

Every now and then, we get a letter in the mail that makes us smile. I just had to share this one! Love it!

Dear Fox Valley Symphony,

We could not carry a note if it possessed the proverbial handle on its back. We have never been exposed to symphonic music, until my suddenly out-of-town boss gave us his tickets to a FVS performance about 15 years ago.    Quite frankly we were surprised we enjoyed it.  I believe we felt the need to play The Grateful Dead extremely loud on the way home, just to be certain we were okay.

We have been season ticket holders for about a decade now and have learned not to be the first ones to applaud.  We enjoy your humor and obvious connection with both the audience and the musicians.  I have found tears rolling down my cheeks, and have seen my other half with tilted head and closed eyes trying to deceipher each instruments' contribution. 

The Celebrate Spring concert was truly one of our favorites.  While Nazer Dzhuryn was amazing, Copland's Appalachian Spring Suite gave sound and substance to unspoken sorrow of loved ones gone, yet later providing hope of their legacy within those remaining.  Ravel's Bolero was quite fascinating to hear unfold, growing in strength and depth along the way. 

While the music sheets you command will always be written in a foreign language to us, we appreciate you building a place which is warm and welcoming for all to experience this music.

Thank you!

No, thank YOU, M, for truly making our day (week, month)! :)

Thanks for All You Did in 2014

Now that we've wrapped up our year-end giving campaign, we just wanted to say THANK YOU!

From the bottom of our basses to the top of our piccolos, we thank you!  You attended concerts, sent donations, sponsored musician chairs, funded outreach activities, and supported youth orchestra programs –we are grateful for your investment in our mission through your generosity.

The Fox Valley Symphony will honor your support by staying true to our mission to nurture the human spirit through symphonic music and educational opportunities that enhance the cultural development of our community.  We will continue to be an integral part of the beautiful tapestry of arts groups that make the Fox Cities a wonderful place to live. 

Thank you for playing with us!

A View from the Stage: Progress in Philharmonia

(This week's guest blogger is Adam Brown, Fox Valley Symphony Youth Orchestra's Philharmonia conductor.)

This is my third year as conductor of the Philharmonia, and each year has offered its own unique combination of successes, challenges, and opportunities for the students to grow as an orchestra. When I first entered the position in late spring 2012, the students had already gone through their auditions and I hadn’t met or heard them (beyond the ones who were there for my interview, many of whom were in the previous year’s ensemble). I had to rely on Greg Austin’s (Concert Orchestra conductor) experience listening to them try out, as well as his experience with the Philharmonia-level repertoire, to help me prepare for the early fall retreat and the first concert. Greg was, and continues to be, a tremendous resource of expertise and insight into the past performances of pieces in the FVSO library. By around the time the students were preparing for their spring “mini-tour,” I was finally starting to feel like I knew what I was doing, more or less! I also knew from my years of teaching that I would soon have to start from scratch, listening to many new members auditioning in (or up, to Concert Orchestra). It was a bittersweet time, offering congratulations and well wishes for good auditions that, if successful, would mean that I would no longer be working with those students.

For the second year, I wanted to build on what I saw as a successful first year while offering some different experiences, especially for students who had been in Philharmonia the year before. I tried to offer more solo opportunities, and watched students step up to leadership roles as they challenged themselves to learn these. I also programmed a piece by a living American composer (Magen Miller Frasier), and made the bold statement that the orchestra could do a “distance rehearsal” using software like Skype, even before I had tried to contact the composer! Thankfully, she was very generous with her time and praise of the students, and even requested permission to put their performance of her piece on her website. It was a great moment for the students to have a direct connection with the music-making process that I hope they always remember.

As this year began with the auditions, I was stuck by two things: how the orchestra overall seemed a bit younger, and how incredibly violin-heavy it was! This presented a challenge selecting repertoire that I thought would complement the sounds and strengths of the other sections, while also being appropriately difficult and different from the previous years. For the first time, I chose pieces that feature guest percussionists, a role that has been graciously filled by members of the Youth Orchestra percussion section. I’ve also seen the smaller viola, cello, and bass sections rise to the occasion and play with a strong, confident sound that allows for better balance. 

On days when the orchestra has sectionals (three times for each concert cycle), I move from room to room to hear how everyone works together, and I have been continually impressed with the maturity and work ethic the students have shown. The coaches have expressed this much as well, and have appreciated how much is able to be accomplished. I feel like all the hard work and progress is helping make this first concert of the 2014-2015 season become even more polished and excellent-sounding than the past two years!

REVIEW: Fox Valley Symphony Starts 48th Season Strong

By: James Chaudoir - Post Crescent

The Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra kicked off its 48th concert season with a fascinating program of challenging music. This concert also marked the beginning of Maestro Brian Groner’s 20th year as conductor.

Opening the program was a spirited performance of Johann Strauss, Jr.’s delightful “Overture to Die Fledermaus.” The overture is filled with an assortment of tunes that audiences have come to associate with the composer.

Attention was quickly turned to the feature work of the first half, “Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major” by Sergei Prokofiev, featuring guest artist Claire Huangci. The youthful Huangci wowed the audience with her seemingly effortless mastery of Prokofiev’s massive and demanding opus.

The first movement opens with a simply stated yet tuneful solo by the clarinet, played eloquently by principal clarinetist David Bell. This tune quickly gives way to the strings, but the melodic serenity is suddenly ended with the arrival of the allegro section in the strings and the first entry of the solo piano. It was at this point the Ms. Huangci clearly let her presence be known.

Be it brilliant scalar passages or bursts of rhythmic energy, Huangci’s clarity of line was always at the forefront. In addition, she has the ability to skillfully execute the intricate weavings of the piano line within Prokofiev’s constantly shifting density of orchestral structure.

Two things stood out: her precise touch at the keyboard and expert blending of dynamics, a wonderful fusion of technique and artistry.

The second movement is a set of variations, which opens with the orchestra playing the main theme, a curiously witty melody first heard in the winds. The variations feature the solo piano. It is here where Prokofiev deviates from the gavotte feeling of the theme.

Huangci undoubtedly had a clear understanding of the personality of each variation and showed it in her playing, be it the gossamer trill and glissando that opens the first variation, the rapid scalar runs up and down the keyboard in the second, the wildly syncopated and angular gestures of the third, the beautiful free dialogue between piano and orchestra in the fourth or the frenetic pacing of the final. All these personalities were distinctly executed at the keyboard, making the movement all the more exciting.

The quiet ending of the second movement merges attaca to the finale, Allegro, ma non troppo. Groner’s opening tempo was quite deliberate, adhering closely to the “but not too much” advice of the tempo marking.

Unquestionably, this is the true virtuoso movement of the concerto, with multiple climaxes and a brilliant ending. It was also here where Ms. Huangci demonstrated her technical skills to the fullest.

The coda is a musical confrontation between the orchestra and soloist, with both vying for compositional importance. Huangci’s energy and concentration allowed her to handle the complex ornamentation, arpeggios, glissandos and other flourishes while cutting through the massive orchestra. Four lively chords scored for piano and orchestra together bring the concerto to a dramatic close.

Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major (Eroica)” comprised the second half of the evening’s program. As we’ve become accustomed to appreciate over the years, Groner’s vision and execution of this masterwork was complete, thought-provoking, and most of all, musical.

The opening of this symphony never ceases to put a smile on my face, two marked E-flat major chords, and a gloriously simple arpeggiation of the tonic triad … so simple, so lyrical, so Beethoven.

Groner’s tempo choice unquestionably played into the heartfelt interpretation of the opening movement. Within the orchestra, the balance of the strings was particularly notable.

The haunting, well-known funeral march theme of the second movement, Adagio assai, is first heard played by the cellos and then given to the solo oboe, played beautifully by principal oboist Jennifer Hodges-Bryan. Also present in this movement was the use of fugue-like passages in the middle section. Groner’s ideal choices of tempos and dynamics made the performance of this movement contributed to its success.

The third movement is an animated scherzo, filled with rhythmic energy, and a glorious passage of hunting calls heard in the horn section. The orchestra, and especially the horns, played expressively, paying careful attention to each of Groner’s gestures from the podium.

The finale, Allegro molto, offered another set of variations for the evening. The movement itself is quite grandiose, and shows the direction Beethoven is moving regarding importance of the symphonic finale.

Again, Groner was at his best with his conducting, just the right tempo, energy, and clear identity to each of the thematic variations. All of these elements led to the orchestra’s rendering a meaningfully expressive performance of Beethoven’s masterwork.

Welcome to Our 2014-15 Season!

Thank you so much for being part of the Fox Valley Symphony’s thrilling 2014-2015 season.  From the first notes on opening night (the sparkling and energetic Overture to Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss) to the last notes of the finale (brought to you by Liszt’s epic tone poem Les Preludes) there will be music that inspires you.

Our orchestra is an amazing group of interesting, creative and talented people.  I hope that you find a chance to speak with some of the musicians of the FVS over the course of the season.  Each player brings something special to the sound; each player brings you their very best on every concert.  They serve both the art of music and our audience admirably.

Warmest Regards,

Brian Groner, Music Director

As I begin my tenure as president of the Board of Directors of the Fox Valley Symphony, I am very excited about this year’s concert season and am grateful for the opportunity to help bring this wonderful gift, our symphony, to you.  It is my belief that art and music are some of the sweetest fruits in life.  They touch our soul, inspire us, and bring richness to life.  

In the Fox Valley, we enjoy and celebrate a rich tradition of art and music, and our symphony is one of the biggest reasons why.  From our schools and universities to the performing arts, the symphony is weaved into the fabric of our way of life.   Our symphony and its talented musicians work with many other organizations, businesses, and people.  By supporting and cultivating local musicians and artists in our community, we are not only enhancing our own lives but the lives of our family and friends for generations to come. 

The Fox Valley Symphony is dedicated to bringing education, art, and music to this community, to the next generation, and to you, our symphony family.  We are planning many new social, educational, and fun events this year and hope to see you there.   Our symphony family includes you, and we are very thankful for your patronage and financial support.  For without it, we would not be able to touch the lives of so many.  

Sincerely,

Peter Gianopoulos, Board President

As the season begins to take shape, I am continually amazed by the community effort involved. Our musicians spend hours of practice and rehearsal on each section, our conductor studies the score and our

technical crew plans each detail before opening night. Volunteers and staff work together to ensure everything is in place before the first note hits.

We’ve been given this incredible opportunity, and it is always met with sincere gratitude.

We are thankful for our sponsors and donors who make our season possible. We are thankful for our board members who help plan and implement our mission. We are thankful to the teachers working with music students in our community to engage future generations of artists and patrons. And we are thankful for you, who attend each concert and show your support with applause year after year as we work toward our 50^th Anniversary.

Thank you,

Jamie LaFreniere, Chief Operating Officer 

Local arts groups collaborate to bring masterwork to the PAC

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana has become a classic for musicians and audiences because of its percussive music, hypnotic melodies, lilting passages and all-out, robust orchestration. On Saturday, May 3, more than 200 regional musicians will collaborate to present this classical masterwork in live performance at the Fox Cities PAC.

The rowdy subject matter is set to some of the most beautiful melodies in classical musical literature. The Carmina were songs of medieval traveling students and ex-monks who left universities and monasteries to pursue a roaring life of gambling, drinking and making love. The texts of the songs were discovered in a Bavarian monastery near Munich in the early 20th-century and are a mixture of 13th-century Latin and “low” German. The songs in the Carmina cover a range of topics, as familiar then as they are today: the fickleness of fortune and wealth, the ephemeral nature of life, the joy of the return of Spring, and the pleasures and perils of drinking, gluttony, gambling and lust.

The performance culminates the Fox Valley Symphony’s 47th season and is a favorite of Music Director Brian Groner. “There is something wonderfully primal about the text and the music of Carmina Burana,” Groner said. “When it speaks of power it is bold and over the top aggressive; when it talks of love it is either bawdy or exquisitely tender.”

According to newVoices Artistic Director, Phillip Swan, the masterwork is a welcome collaboration with the symphony. “Choral/orchestral collaborations provide a cross-pollination of musical interests,” Swan said. “Consequently, it’s good for the community to have arts organizations working together to put on quality productions.”

For singers & instrumentalists alike, Carmina Burana is a musical challenge because of the range of emotions needed to interpret the composer’s music. One movement requires repetitive, full-voiced singing and playing while the next movement requires a gentle, lyrical approach.

“It takes an unusual amount of concentration to maintain the rhythmic intensity Orff demands in the score, and because it is repetitive it can be physically challenging,” Groner said. “It’s a big sing,” Swan said. “The melodies are present an extreme of emotional singing requiring consistent vocal technique as well as artistic interpretation.”

Singers in the Lawrence Academy of Music Capriccio Girl Choir in grades 5-7 are excited for the opportunity to sing with a full orchestra, professional soloists (one of whom is a girl choir alumna), and an adult choir. “The girls are learning to listen to how their part fits into the other vocal and symphonic parts,” said Director of the Lawrence Academy of Music, Karen Bruno. “Singing with an orchestra allows them the opportunity to hear different timbres with their ‘accompaniment.’ The girls are used to hearing only the piano, with occasionally one other string or wind instrument, while they sing.” 

A FAMILY AFFAIR

For the Hodges family, the performance will be a reunion. Father Mike Hodges is a founding member of newVoices where he sings with his son, Jeremy. Daughter Jennifer Hodges Bryan is an oboist with the symphony and brother Jonathan is a cellist. The family shares a long history of music and fostering musical development.

“We gave our kids outlets for enjoying music,” Mike Hodges said. “They all started in violin and in time gravitated toward their own choice of instrument,” he said. His wife, Donna, drove the kids to lessons at the Lawrence Academy of Music and checked their practice progress.

Jeremy Hodges says the opportunity to perform together is a normal part of a musical family.

“But in the end it does have a special personal meaning: the people I care most about are with me and sharing the fun,” he said.

His father agrees. “I get such enjoyment from performing and to be able to have them on stage with me doubles the enjoyment. There is a sense of pride in watching their accomplishments,” Mike Hodges said.

Jonathan Hodges says the different roles family members play allows for unique perspectives. “I am more toward the front of the stage, Jennifer is in the middle, my father and Jeremy are toward the back and my mother is out in the audience. Every spot does sound quite different and can expose different aspects of the performance,” he said.

Family members are continuing the tradition as Jennifer Hodges Bryan has her three daughters enrolled in music lessons. “Having them learn an instrument and involved in music is something that I really wanted for them because I think there are several benefits to a child's development when they are involved in music,” she said.

HEAR IT LIVE

Both conductors urge area residents to experience the work live, rather than listening to recordings. “You can’t reproduce the sound of 200 musicians live by putting it in a little speaker and expect it to sound the same. Hearing this music live is worth unplugging,” Swan said.

“Some of the greatest pieces of western civilization's art music combine the forces of chorus and orchestra,” Groner said. “There is a power in them that is greater than each standing alone.”

Concert information is:

CARMINA BURANA

MAY 3, 7:30 p.m., Fox Cities Performing Arts Center

Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra

newVoices choir

Lawrence Academy of Music Capriccio Girl Choir

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana is an enduring audience favorite, and one of the most recognizable pieces of music ever written for orchestra, chorus and soloists.

Soprano soloist Alisa Jordheim ; tenor soloist Steven Paul Spears ; baritone soloist Chad Sloan

For ticket information, please visit www.foxvalleysymphony.com

- Written by Mary Schmidt of newVoices

January Reveiw: 2014 Off to a Great Start!

Soloist and Principal Flute, Linda Nielsen Korducki

We had a great first concert of 2014!
Here is our review from James Chaudoir of University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

"Cold weather didn’t keep devotees of the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra away from their subscription concert, “Celebrating Women Composers,” on Saturday night. The music selected formed a rather eclectic program, spanning a wide range of musical history and varying styles.

The concert opened with a rendering of a 2008 composition by the American conductor/composer Diane Wittry, titled “Mists.” Scored for full orchestra, the piece featured numerous contrasting colors and emotions, from its dark opening, to its brass-laden climax. While there were occasional moments of musical interest, in all, I found the piece to be rather lackluster, and deficient in continuity.

The orchestra’s principal flutist, Linda Nielsen Korducki, was featured soloist for the Concertino for Flute and Orchestra in D major, by Cécile Chaminade.

From its familiar opening melody, and through the technically advanced passages, Korducki demonstrated her complete understanding of the music. She possesses a lovely tone, with great strength in the low register, and balance throughout the flute’s entire range. Her articulation was precise as were the rapid scales featured in the concertino’s middle section.

A rich fullness was present in the orchestral accompaniment; a nice balance, supporting, but never overriding the prominent role of the flute. It was an absolute joy to hear this time-honored work so beautifully played by an accomplished professional.

The crowning glory of the evening, however, had to be the performance of the “Gaelic Symphony” by Amy Beach. This 40-plus minute composition in four movements can truly be recognized as one of the great symphonies in American musical history.

The orchestra played at its best while closely adhering to conductor Brian Groner’s expert direction. The color, harmony, thematic elements and sheer genius of orchestration technique put this work in a class by itself.

The opening movement, Allegro con fuoco, was filled with grand and heroic musical gestures. From the beginning, Beach was able to show her familiarity with orchestration and color, while reducing the full orchestra to many clearly defined solo passages. In the case of the first movement, these were primarily found in the principal horn and clarinet parts, expertly played by Bruce Atwell, principal horn, and Christopher Zello, principal clarinet.

This idea of “featured” solos continues into the second movement, Alla Siciliana; Allegro vivace, in three part form, alternating from the lilt of the siciliano which emphasized the winds, to a sprightly middle section calling attention to the strings.

The third movement, Lento con molto espressione, with the emphasis on expressive. The highlight of this movement was an extended violin solo played beautifully by concertmaster Yuliya Smead. This solo concludes while being joined in duet with the principal cello, again, well played by Laura Kenney Henckel. I can’t help but feel that the word “gorgeous” best describes this movement.

The finale, Allegro di molto, was filled with motion and rhythmic energy. It is in this movement where Groner’s direction came to the fore. His tempos were exhilarating, and his attention to detail brought out the very best that the score had to offer.

It was evident that the orchestra was feeling the excitement of playing this glorious symphony."

Celebrating Women Composers - January 25, 2014

Linda Nielsen Korducki

This Saturday, January 25, we start our performance year by celebrating women composers. You will hear pieces from Diane Wittry, Cecile Chaminade and Amy Beach.

Music history, in much the same way as history in general, has tended to neglect the contributions of women.   Think for a moment about Mozart's elder sister "Nannerl", who was often thought of as having an even greater gift than her brother.  When she reached what was thought of as a "marriageable age" she was no longer allowed to perform.  

Another example would be that of Fanny Mendelssohn, the sister of Felix Mendelssohn.  Their music teacher Carl Zelter found Fanny to be the more gifted of the two but today when we say the name Mendelssohn in musical circles we make the assumption that we are referring to the younger Felix.

And so, we are presenting a concert of music written by women to raise awareness of the fact that talent is not based on gender.

The Chaminade is a staple of the flute literature.  It is that wonderful combination of demanding for the performer, and wonderfully attractive for the listener. Our own principal flute, Linda Nielsen Korducki will be our soloist for the piece!

The Gaelic Symphony of the American composer Amy Beach (Mrs. H.H.A. Beach) is beautifully written, quite late German Romantic in style and is a testament to her intellect and persistence.  Her story is an interesting one.  She was a true child prodigy, singing and composing before the age at which most children can speak.  She had a career as a concert pianist, but was not "allowed" to continue performing when she married but was "allowed" one concert of her own compositions per year.  She is known as the first American female composer of large scale compositions. 

We will see you tomorrow!

- Brian Groner, FVSO Music Director

The concert is at 7:30pm at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Join us for a pre-concert talk at 6:40pm and a post-concert party in the lobby!