FVSO Announces Dr. Luis Fernandez to Conduct Youth Orchestra

We are excited to announce that Dr. Luis Fernandez has been selected to lead the Youth Orchestra!

Maestro Fernandez comes to YO with an outstanding background as an educator, performer, and conductor. We have been fortunate to have him with us as our 1st violin coach in past seasons, a role that Maestro Fernandez plans to continue in addition to conducting.

We are excited to have his voice on our team and look forward to how YO will thrive under his leadership!

Luis Fernandez was born in Caracas, Venezuela, where he began violin and orchestra studies through the El Sistema music program.

After immigrating to the United States, he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in instrumental performance and conducting at the University of Miami.

Dr. Fernandez has performed with many orchestras such as Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho Symphony Orchestra, Miami Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, Naples Philharmonic, Amarillo Symphony, and Lubbock Symphony (as associate concertmaster). Currently, he performs with Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra, and is concertmaster of the Weidner Philharmonic Orchestra.

Active as a teacher as well as a performer, Dr. Fernandez has been on the faculty of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Michigan) since 2008 and has been invited to implement the teaching techniques of Venezuela’s renowned El Sistema in Bolivia, Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico. He was previously director of the violin program at St. Philip’s School (Coral Gables, FL), and served on the faculty of the Community Arts Program and of Greater Miami Youth Symphony. In 2013 he served as Assistant Professor of Violin at the University of Florida. He has taught general music at Valencia Elementary (Portales, NM), where he instituted an after-school strings program, and general music and strings at Badger Elementary School (Appleton, WI). He was also previously on the faculty at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music (Milwaukee, WI). 

Dr. Fernandez presently holds the Robert and Joan Bauer Endowed Professorship in Strings and Music Education at University of Wisconsin Green Bay.

FVSO's Free Family Concert is on track for July 15

 

GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra is ready for their seventh Brats, Beer, and Beethoven event at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  This free event will be held on Saturday, July 15 at 7:30pm, and is presented by Community First Credit Union and Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.

“This is our gift back to the community. We want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable. It is a free event where your whole family can come and enjoy the concert, grab your favorite Timber Rattlers snacks, let the kids play and run around, and enjoy a huge fireworks display at the end of the night,” said Jamie LaFreniere, Executive Director of the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra.  “Absolutely everyone belongs here, and it is designed to bring us all together.”

The musical selections this year will range from Beethoven and Sousa to Queen, The Moody Blues, and Journey.  Fox Valleyaires Men’s Barbershop Chorus and MacDowell Male Chorus will perform this year, too.

Brats, Beer, and Beethoven is a free event with no charge for parking or admission to the stadium.  The parking lot opens at 5:00pm.  The gates to the stadium open at 6:00pm with the show beginning at 7:30pm.  All seating for the event is based on first-come, first-serve availability.  There will be food and beverages available for purchase from the concessions stands with fireworks scheduled at the end of the night.

“FVSO is also happy to bring back their open rehearsal hours during the daytime hours for a more sensory-friendly experience,” said LaFreniere. “For those with special needs who have a hard time with large crowds and don’t want the noise of fireworks, we love having them join us earlier so they can still get to enjoy a free concert.”

Please contact FVSO at info@foxvalleysymphony.com to make special accommodations for the daytime rehearsal.

Change to March 11, 2023 Program: Announcing Eunghee Cho

Sadly, there has been a change to our program for this weekend. Due to illness, Benedict Klöckner is no longer able to perform. We're delighted and grateful that world-class cellist Eunghee Cho from Houston has agreed to step in last minute.We’re also very excited that composer José Elizondo will be with us.

Eunghee Cho, biography

Born in Davis, California, Korean-American cellist Eunghee Cho was awarded Second Prize and the special award for Outstanding Chinese New Piece Performance at the Alice & Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition (China). He has also earned top prizes in the Gustav Mahler Prize Cello Competition (Czech Republic), AEMC International Chamber Music Competition (Italy), Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, USC Solo Bach Competition, the Borromeo String Quartet Guest Artist Award, MTNA National Chamber Music String Competition, New England Conservatory’s Honors Ensemble Competition, and Sacramento Philharmonic League Concerto Competition.

A committed teacher, Eunghee currently serves on the cello and chamber music faculty of University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, where he also directs the Moores Cello Ensemble and CelloFest Houston. He has been invited to present masterclasses for Towson University, La Jolla Music Society, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, Artis Naples, Royal Conservatory of Music, and Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, and is the Artistic Director of Mellon Music Festival in Davis, CA as well as the Houston Chapter of Music for Food. Eunghee has also been invited to serve on the summer teaching faculties of Texas Music Festival, Montecito International Music Festival, Heifetz International Music Institute, and Festival Internacional de Música Naolinco.

He has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras around the country including the Sacramento Philharmonic, Cape Symphony, Atlantic Symphony, Symphony by the Sea, Davis Symphony, and Sacramento State Symphony Orchestras. He held the Joyce & Donald Steele Chair as Principal Cello of the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra as well as Principal Cello of Boston Festival Orchestra, and has performed as Principal Cello with Dallas Chamber Symphony, Cape Symphony, Unitas Ensemble, and Symphony by the Sea. Eunghee has actively participated in classes at the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival and Académie Musicale de Villecroze in France, and has worked closely with distinguished musicians such as Ralph Kirshbaum, Kim Kashkashian, Steven Doane, Colin Carr, Myung-Wha Chung, Jean-Guihen Queyras, and members of the Guarneri, Emerson, Tokyo, Orion, Brentano, Borromeo, and Shanghai Quartets.

As an avid chamber musician, Eunghee has collaborated in performances with artists such as Midori Goto, Inon Barnatan, David Shifrin, Maeve Gilchrist, Elton John, Keith Murphy, Alec Benjamin, François Salque, and with members of the Borromeo String Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Calder String Quartet, Silk Road Ensemble, A Far Cry, and Aaron Diehl Trio. He has also performed as a guest artist with A Far Cry, Da Camera Society, and the Chamber Music Society of Sacramento. Previous festival engagements include La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Taos School of Music, Keuka Lake Music Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Festival International d’Echternach, and Rencontres Franco Américaines de Musique Chambre in Missillac, France.

As a passionate adventurer of contemporary music, he has collaborated directly with composers in performances of their works including with Frank Ticheli, José Elizondo, Andrew Norman, David Froom, Michael Gandolfi, and Gabriela Lena Frank. Eunghee’s own arrangements have been commissioned and premiered by Sphinx Organization, New England Conservatory’s Cello Choir, Holes in the Floor, Rasa String Quartet, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Mellon Music Festival, Moores Cello Ensemble, and Music for Food.

Eunghee graduated magna cum laude and as a Steven & Kathryn Sample Renaissance Scholar from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance and a Minor in Biology. He completed both Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at New England Conservatory under the tutelage of distinguished pedagogues Laurence Lesser and Paul Katz. His previous instructors include Andrew Shulman, Andrew Luchansky, Richard Andaya, and Julie Hochman. Away from the cello, Eunghee enjoys neighborhood pick-up soccer, everything about dogs, and dawdling in local coffee shops.

Youth Orchestra Student Nolan Henckel Wins Competition

This weekend is a big deal for a lot of our student musicians as they tackle solo and ensemble. But one of our students has decided to skip S&E this year for a very good reason.

Horn player Nolan Henckel participated in a competition for high school and college students sponsored by the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble. Though competition was strong, Nolan took home first place with a cash prize and an opportunity to solo with the ensemble. 

His performance is Saturday, March 4th and he will perform Morceau de Concert by Camille Saint-Saens.  

Band director Mike Arendt founded the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble, and Mike was a student of Nolan's grandpa, Richard (Dick) Henckel. Mike has a daughter who plays cello, and Laura Kenney Henckel, Nolan's mother, taught her in her teens. Yet another layer of connection is that Laura is also teaching her two daughters!

The connections don't end there. Mike Arendt taught Jeremiah Eis (band director at Xavier Middle School) who taught Nolan in middle school. Jeremiah is now the conductor of the Lakeshore Wind Ensemble and will be up on stage with Nolan for his concerto debut.

It is hard to believe there can be so many connections, but we are truly blessed to have such an amazing and collaborative music community here in the Fox Cities. 

Best wishes this weekend, Nolan. We know you will be amazing!

Nolan's Biography:

Nolan Henckel, age 17, is a Junior at Xavier High School in Appleton, Wisconsin. He began playing the horn in 3rd grade, and he quickly advanced, despite his young age. He briefly studied with Don Krause (Neenah) before moving on to study with Andy Parks (DePere). Nolan began studying with Dr. Bruce Atwell, professor of horn at the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, in January 2019 and continues to study in his studio.

Nolan has participated in the Wisconsin State Music Association’s (WSMA) Middle Level State Honors program (6^th through 9^th grade) and High School State Honors program (10^th and 11^th grade). He has also participated in the WSMA District Solo and Ensemble Festival, qualifying for State Solo and Ensemble Festival competition each year since 6^th grade.

Nolan has been an active band member at Xavier as well as being a member of the Fox Valley Youth Orchestra and the Lawrence Community Wind Ensemble. He has spent the last two summers at Lutheran Summer Music (LSM) Academy, the nation’s premier faith-based music academy for high school students, in Valparaiso, Indiana. LSM is a four-week program providing advanced musical instruction and numerous performance opportunities. In addition to studying horn, Nolan has explored composition and conducting.

Nolan comes from a very musical family. His parents, Laura (cello) and Michael (trumpet), are both very active musically, as are his siblings, Kayla (violin) and Dylan (vocal tenor). The previous generation also includes Laura’s mother, Carol Leybourn Janssen (piano), and Michael’s father, C. Richard Henckel (horn).  One of the horns Nolan uses today was his grandfather’s.

In addition to playing the horn, Nolan enjoys video games, watching football (the Denver Broncos, not the Packers), cheeseburgers, and spending time with his two cats, Arlong and Snickers.

Fox Valley Symphony Youth Orchestra Welcomes Rachel Richards

Fox Valley Symphony Youth Orchestras (FVSYO) is delighted to announce Rachel Richards will be joining their team as Youth Orchestras Executive Director. Effective immediately, Richards will help lead three groups in the Youth program of Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra: Philharmonia, Concert, and Youth Orchestra. Their season is set to begin in September, and they are looking forward to another season of increasing education opportunities for music students in the Fox Valley region.

“I have witnessed the importance of creating memorable music experiences that promote lifelong learning and music-making,” says Richards, who has been a music educator in the Appleton Area School District since 2005. “The Fox Valley Youth Orchestra program serves as a powerful resource for the young musicians that currently participate and the generations that will follow.”

Richards is also a well-established fan of FVSO. “The Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra has remained near and dear to my heart since my youngest years,” says Richards. “Attending concerts served as my first exposure to live orchestral music and demonstrated what could be accomplished when a community comes together with a shared purpose.”

For more information on Youth Orchestra auditions, visit www.foxvalleysymphony.com.

About Rachel Richards:

Rachel Richards has a Bachelor of Music from St. Norbert College and a Master of Arts in Education from Marian University. She is currently the Orchestra teacher in Appleton Area School District and teaches at Wilson Middle School, Highlands Elementary, and Odyssey/Magellan Magnet School. 

Her conducting experience also includes New Horizons Music Fox Valley Orchestra and Oshkosh Youth Symphony’s Philharmonia program. Richards is the volunteer coordinator for All City Strings Festival, an annual event in Appleton.

Richards is a bass and bassoon player and performs regularly with Green Bay Civic Symphony and the Appleton City Band. She has also performed with the Weidner Philharmonic, Sheboygan Symphony, Kimberly Theatre Program, UW Fox Valley Theater Program, St. Norbert College Community Band, VENTO Winds, Wisconsin Symphonic Winds, and UW Fox Valley Band.

Richards’ awards include a Marshall Moss Endowed Scholarship and a Tony Winters Instrumental Music Award from St. Norbert College.

About the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra: 

The Symphony's mission is to build bridges of accessibility to orchestra music and to make a positive impact on the lives of everyone in our community. Founded in 1966, the non-profit provides the community with orchestra concerts, community outreach programming, and three Youth Orchestra programs. Music Director Dr. Kevin Sütterlin leads the adult orchestra, with Dr. Mark Dupere conducting Youth Orchestra, Greg Austin conducting Concert Orchestra, and Adam Brown conducting Philharmonia. Youth Orchestras serve students from middle school through high school and accept students from all regions of the Fox Valley. There are full scholarships available for all three youth groups.

"Fòs Nou" by Christopher Ducasse and the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra

 

We are excited to share this performance with you from our April 2022 concert at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. Music Director Dr. Kevin Suetterlin leads the full Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra in their season finale, which started with this amazing piece.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!

"Fòs Nou" is a Haitian Creole title that translates to "Our Strength". This composition by Christopher Ducasse for the Full orchestra was commissioned by Dr. Kevin Suetterlin and April Ann Brock as a gift to the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, in honor of Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma.

Fòs Nou is a mixture of western European classical music and Haitian Folk Rhythm. The core rhythm of Fòs nou is the "Yanvalou". Yanvalou, a Rhythm, and Dance of Haiti get its name after its associated movements. It is one of the most important rhythms in Haitian folklore, it is sometimes linked to "Knowledge", "Patience", "Healing" and "Strength".

With a combination of epic sound and Yanvalou, Fòs Nou expresses the strength and power that we can demonstrate when we work together. All the good we can bring to the world, and all the greatness that we can achieve. Inspired by the National Mantra of The Republic of Haiti which says "L'union fait la force" (Unity is Strength).

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER DUCASSE:

A native of Port-au-Prince Haiti, Christopher attended Holy Trinity Music School where he learned voice, violin, and piano. Christopher became a member of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Holy Trinity in 2007 and conducted their main choir "Les Petits Chanteurs" for three years beginning in 2011. He was a BLUME HAITI Scholar in the Haitian student exchange program at Lawrence University in 2015, and in 2017 he joined Silver Lake College of the Holy Family to get a Bachelor in Choral in Music Education. Christopher is currently getting a master’s in music in Choral Conducting at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Christopher was the Winner of the WCDA Conducting Competition in 2018. He has also composed vocal and instrumental pieces that have been performed by various groups, most notably Petits Chanteurs and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Holy Trinity Music School, the Lawrence University Cello Ensemble, and the Silver Lake College of the Holy Family Chorale. Christopher sings baritone, in addition, to play piano and violin, and does some photography as a hobby.

Learn more at his website: https://www.christopherducasse.com/home

FVSO Set for Summer Auditions!

The Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Dr. Kevin Sütterlin will audition for the following positions for the 2022-23 season.

Section Violin 

Assistant Principal Horn

Auditions will be held on Sunday, July 17, 2022, at Lawrence University’s Music/Drama Building, Shattuck #46 in Appleton, WI. The times will be between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. Please contact the Fox Valley Symphony Personnel Manager (info below) for additional audition information.

Resumes must be sent by July 10, 2022.

General Audition Information

All resumes will be considered. Following receipt of your materials, we will email you detailed information regarding the audition process. An excerpt list will be provided. Audition times will be assigned after your registration is received.

To reserve a time slot for an audition, please provide the following information.

• Single page resume

• Contact information including address, phone, and email

Send all materials to:

Fox Valley Symphony Personnel Manager

Carrie@foxvalleysymphony.com

The Fox Valley Symphony performs 5-8 subscription concerts and other daytime and evening services. Our performance venue is the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, Wisconsin.