OAKVILLE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA2018 SEASON

Artistic Director Charles Demuynck

TALENT ABLAZE JAN 19

SHADES OF LOVEMAR 3 & 4

YCC GRAND PRIZE WINNERS’ SHOWCASEMAY 5 & 6

www.oakvillechamber.orgmail@oakvillechamber.org

905-483-OPUS (6787)

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It takes a calamity like a fire

to bring people together and

bring out the best.

The dramatic and memorable

events of November 26, 2017

will go down in OCO’s history

as a moment when a disaster morphed into a challenge that

transformed into a triumph. Through the courageous leadership

of our Board, and the steadfast support of our sponsors and

supporters, we’ve moved the stricken concert to our first full-

length performance at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts.

The public support and attention has been overwhelming, and it’s

a joy to turn adversity into a bigger opportunity for our extremely

talented young soloists and musicians. We hope you also will

enjoy our remaining concerts this season, The Shades of Love and

Concerto Competition Grand Prizewinners which we take great

pride and joy in presenting.

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Message from the MaestroCharles Demuynck

For some 34 years now, the Oakville Chamber Orchestra (OCO) has made ensemble music featuring favourite classics, contemporary music, and rare gems more accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. We aim to enrich Oakville’s cultural landscape by sharing our passion for chamber music, helping local amateur musicians develop their artistry, and by promoting Canadian soloists. As well as concerts, we enjoy performing at charity, private and corporate events.

Originally founded as a group of amateur string players, the OCO has steadily grown in size and quality to become the well-loved community orchestra it is today. Audiences and critics agree that our musical quality has never been better.

Our progress stems largely from the establishment in 1997 of a volunteer Board of Directors under then President, Chuck Havill, who has been a supporter of the Oakville arts scene for many years. More recently, the generosity of Gerry Wilson has been instrumental to our continuance.

Many others have contributed their time and energy, in addition to business, organizational, and creative skills to the OCO. Many more still do. We are grateful to each and every one of you.

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About the OCO

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Hello to all our old friends and a special welcome to all of you for whom this is your maiden voyage with the OCO. This is our second concert of the season! We are enjoying another year of beautiful music, including several performances by this Year’s Concerto Competition Winners.

The Oakville Chamber Orchestra has been very busy this year - first up was our Autumn Serenade fundraiser. It featured several past Concerto Competition winners, great food and a very popular silent auction. What better way to spend a sunny, Sunday Fall afternoon? Our Mozart Concert in October, with special guest artist Linda Ruan, was also a great success.

This year our latest winners are performing with us on Jan. 19th, with our Grand Prize Winners taking their turn on Saturday May 5th and Sunday May 6th. Our Shades of Love Concert on Saturday March 3rd and Sunday March 4th is a romantic’s dream and not to be missed.

This year our Youth initiatives are expanding beyond the Concerto Competition into further collaborations with Art House and with the Oakville Community Foundation. As part of that effort our very fine String Quartet will have some competition too, as our new Woodwind Quintet is well underway!

If you would like to receive our quarterly newsletter please register your email address on our website oakvillechamber.org.

Thank you so much for joining us today, enjoy the concert!

Julie PalmerPresident, Oakville Chamber Orchestra

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Welcome!

The Oakville Chamber OrchestraProudly Presents

TALENT ABLAZE Youth Concerto Competition Prizewinners in Concert

January 19, 2018 at 8:00pm Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts

J.J. Bui, PianoPIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 IN F MINOR, OP. 21

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

INTERMISSION

POR UNA CABEZACarlos Gardel (1890-1935)

EL AMOR BRUJO: RITUAL FIRE DANCE Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)

Nicole Stocks, Mezzo-SopranoHABANERA, CARMEN

George Bizet (1838 – 1874)

COMPOSER’S ARIA, ARIADNE AUF NAXOSRichard Strauss (1864 – 1949)

NON PIÙ MESTA, LA CENERENTOLAGiochino Rossini (1792 – 1868)

Duncan McDougall, ViolinVIOLIN CONCERTO IN C MAJOR, OP. 48

Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904 – 1987)

Prizewinners Awards Presentation

Please mute all electronic devices.Recording and use of flash and autofocus cameras are not permitted.

Please feel free to take photos on your phone, without flash, and share on social media.

Program Notes

Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 21Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 21 was written in 1829 and premiered at the Warsaw National Theatre on March 17, 1830 with the composer as the soloist. In the early 19th century, it was traditional for soloists to compose their own virtuoso showpieces — works that would best display their mastery of the instrument. As Frédéric Chopin began preparing for his move to Paris from his native Poland, he knew that he needed such pieces at the ready if he was to be taken seriously. The two resulting piano concerti — opus 21 in F minor and opus 11 in E minor — would be the only pieces Chopin ever composed for orchestra.

Chopin’s affinity for the piano and disinterest in the orchestra is evident right from the beginning of this piece.

J.J. Bui began to take piano lessons at the age of 5. He is currently a full scholarship student at the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for the Young Student Program at The Royal Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Mr. Li Wang. He was awarded the Grand Prize in the Canadian Music Competitions in 2014 and 2015; CBC’s top 30 classical musicians under 30 in 2016, and first prize in the Junior Category in the 2016 Midwest International Piano Competition and many others.

J.J. Bui

The first movement is introduced by the orchestra, but it is only with the entrance of the piano soloist that the music really comes alive. Music and themes that earlier sounded almost by-the-numbers now become passionate and inventive. You will find little of the ensemble-soloist dialogue so central to the Mozart-Beethoven concerto model. Throughout the work, the piano is unashamedly the star, and the orchestra serves only to introduce the audience to its brilliance.

The concerto concludes with a quick-paced rondo in which Chopin proudly declares his Polish heritage. The mazurka dance rhythms of his native land are here transformed into a dazzling display of pianistic skill which brings the piece to a fittingly exciting finale.

Notes by Chris Myers (edited) 8

Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904–1987)

Kabalevsky studied at the Scriabin School of Music in Moscow and at the Moscow Conservatory where he graduated with honors in 1930.

In 1932 Kabalevsky was appointed composition instructor at the Moscow Conservatory and later became a full professor of composition. Kabalevsky’s compositional work and party loyalty reaped honors and awards throughout his lifetime; he deeply believed the aesthetic theory that art works should reflect the political and social ideology of the State. As a result, his original work generally utilized conventional classical forms, traditional harmonies (with a smattering of dissonance), broadly lyrical melodies, and energetic, predictable rhythmic patterns.

The USSR reported his death in February 1987 at age 84, before the final collapse

Duncan McDougall started violin lessons 11 years ago at age 4. He now studies with Kelly Parkins-Lindstrom in the Taylor Performance Academy at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where he has performed in master classes for Jonathan Crow, Ilya Kaler, Jeff Nuttall and Erica Raum. Duncan has won numerous competitions in the GTA and was the grand prize winner at the 2017 Chinese Cultural Centre Piano and Violin Competition. He has performed with the Greater Toronto Philharmonic and the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra.

Duncan McDougall

of the Soviet regime, whose ideals he had served so faithfully.

Heavily infused with the spirit and characteristics of Russian music, as required by its current political establishment, the First Movement of Kabalevsky’s Violin Concerto is brief and without a cadenza. It is composed of snappy rhythms and one particular theme that features a popular Ukrainian folk tune.

Composed in 1948, form and content could musically pass for work written a half-century earlier. It is as romantic and tuneful as Tchaikovsky’s work and would please the same audience for years to come. This violin concerto was composed with young virtuosi in mind, and requires technical brilliance by the soloist.

Notes by Steven Errante (edited)

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Habanera from Bizet’s CarmenGeorge Bizet (1838 – 1874)

Composer’s Aria from Ariadne auf NaxosRichard Strauss (1864 – 1949)

Carmen is about a Spanish gypsy named Carmen, who is one of the girls working in a cigarette factory. She seduces a soldier, Don José, then dumps him for a Matador, Escamillo. This angers José and leads to the eventual death of Carmen.

The opera was premiered on March 3, 1875 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris with poor reviews. In fact, the theatre had to give away tickets to boost their attendance. Due to Bizet’s early death, he never knew how successful Carmen had become. It was not until October of 1875 in Vienna that Carmen finally achieved the recognition it deserved.

This aria is taken from Act I of the opera and is written for mezzo-soprano. Habanera is a very popular Cuban dance form and was a song that Carmen sang while she flirted with the young men loitering outside the cigarette factory where she worked.

Nicole Stocks is a passionate performer and a graduate of Western University’s Masters of Music (Voice Performance and Literature) program, studying with Jackalyn Short. A lover of many genres, Nicole eventually settled on the post secondary study of opera after many years of performing music theatre and performing with pop/rock cover bands throughout high school. Equally important to Nicole’s music development was her long study of piano and holds her Grade 10 certificate with the Royal Conservatory of Music. Nicole’s luxurious voice places her at the beginning of an extremely promising career.

Nicole Stocks

Even if you have never heard of the composer Richard Strauss, you will probably recognize the music to the Stanley Kubrick’s movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kubrick borrowed the music of Strauss’tone poem Also Sprach Zarathustra and used it in the opening scene of the movie. It has since become one of the most recognized movie themes of all time.

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Non Più Mesta from La Cenerentola Giochino Rossini (1792 – 1868)

Nacqui all’affanno e al pianto is an aria from Giochino Rossini’s opera La Cenerentola, ossia La bontaintrionfo, a drama giocoso (drama with jokes), with libretto written by Jacopo Ferretti. Rossini completed it in just three weeks.

The story is based on the fairy tale of Charles Perrault’s Cinderella and was first performed in Rome’s Teatro Valle on January 25, 1817. This aria is sung by Angelina in Act II of the opera.

The plot of the opera is similar to the classic Cinderella story except in this story, the main character is an evil stepfather and instead of looking for the girl who fits the shoe, the Prince’s (Ramiro) task is to find the girl (Cenerentola) who has the matching bracelet to his own.

Richard Georg Strauss was born into a wealthy family in Munich, Bavaria on June 11th, 1864. His father, Franz Strauss, was an accomplished French horn player who played in the Munich Symphony Orchestra and his mother, Josephine, was an heiress of the famous German beer (Pschorr) dynasty. Strauss began taking piano lessons from colleagues of his father’s when he was four, wrote his first composition when he was six and gave piano recitals in his teenage years.

As a composer, Strauss championed in two musical genres: Opera and the Tone Poem. His famous operas include Salome (1905) and Electra (1909); major tone poems include Don Juan (1889), Till Eulenspiegel (1895), Also Sprach Zarathustra (1896), Ein Heldenleben (1898), Der Rosenkavalier (1911). He also wrote two French horn concertos, numerous chamber works for piano, string quartets and German lieder. His final work is the Four Last Songs written in 1948.

The opera-and-play version of Ariadne auf Naxos was first premiered in Zurich on December 5, 1912 with performances in Prague and Munich soon after. The setting of this aria is the backstage before an operatic performance inside a wealthy Viennese house in Vienna, Austria back in the 18th century. Unfortunately, the opera was not very well received due to the fact that Strauss has added incidental music to the play. By doing so, the entire performance takes up to six hours long to complete.

Notes by Eric Fahn

English Translation of lyrics Sung by Nicole Stocks

Habanera

Love is a rebellious birdthat nobody can tame,and you call him quite in vainif it suits him not to come.

Nothing helps, neither threat nor prayer.One man talks well, the other’s mum;it’s the other one that I prefer.He’s silent but I like his looks.

Love! Love! Love! Love!Love is a gypsy’s child,it has never, ever, known a law;love me not, then I love you;if I love you, you’d best beware!

The bird you thought you had caughtbeat its wings and flew away ...love stays away, you wait and wait;when least expected, there it is!

All around you, swift, so swift,it comes, it goes, and then returns ...you think you hold it fast, it fleesyou think you’re free, it holds you fast.

Love! Love! Love! Love!Love is a gypsy’s child,it has never, ever, known a law;love me not, then I love you;if I love you, you’d best beware!

Composer’s Aria

Let’s be good again.I see everything with new eyes!The depths of existence are immense!My dear friend!There are things in the world,That cannot be said.The inferior poet is indeed quite good with words,But courage is in me, courage friend!The world is lovelyBut not terribly brave.What is music?Music gathers sacred artsOf all kinds, courage as Cherubim,For a radiant throne,And that is why it is sacred below the artsThe sacred music!

Non Più Mesta

I was born into worry and weeping,To suffer with a silent heart;But by a sweet spellIn the prime of age,Like in a lightning flash,My destiny was changed.

No, no, no, no, dry your tears:Why do you tremble, why?Fly to this bosom,Daughter, sister, friend –All are to be found in me.

No longer sad by the fireWill I stay warbling, no!It was a flash, a dream, a game,My life’s throbbing.

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Manuel de Falla (1876 – 1946) Manuel de Falla is regarded as the greatest Spanish composer of the twentieth century. Although Falla was influenced by the French Impressionism his music remained firmly rooted in Spanish arts, both folk and classical. Moreover, the majority of his most important scores are music for the theater — zarzuelas, ballets, operas, incidental music.

El Amor BrujoThe ballet El Amor Brujo (Love, the Magician is how the work is usually translated into English, but brujo can be an adjective as well as a noun, and Love Bewitched might be a closer idea) had its premiere at the Teatro Lara in Madrid in April 1915. The piece is based on an old Andalusian legend.

The tale concerns Candelas, a young widowed gypsy haunted by the ghost of her jealous husband. To free her from his unwanted attention, Candelas and Carmelo, her new lover, must exchange a kiss of perfect love. In a series of dances the ghost first frightens the couple (Dance of Terror), Candelas tries to exorcise it (Ritual Fire Dance), and then her friend Lucia seduces it. While the ghost is distracted by Lucia, Candelas and Carmelo kiss, and then mock the ghost in the final dance (Dance of the Game of Love).

Notes by John Henken (edited)

Carlos Gardel (1890 – 1935)

Carlos Gardel is a French Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. Gardel recorded his first tango, Mi Noche Triste (My Sad Night) in 1917. Until then, tango had been an almost entirely instrumental form of music. Gardel’s music revolutionized the genre by bringing tango from underground dance salons to upper class and international popularity. His name continues to serve as a synonym for tango, and his songs live on as classics of the modern era. Together with lyricist and long-time collaborator Alfredo Le Pera, Gardel wrote several classic tangos.

Por Una CabezaPor Una Cabeza (By a Head) is a tango song with music and lyrics written in 1935 by Carlos Gardel and Alfredo Le Pera.Perhaps this is most famous tango which tells the story of a horse-track gambler who is addicted to excitement and romance.

Notes by Nicole Battaglia (edited)

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OCO Musicians

First ViolinNatalie DyckAleksandar Gajic, principalStephanie ScholmanBozena SzubertBettina von Kampen

Second ViolinAlain Bouvier, principalBrigitte CormierEsme DaviesJohn GoochHarvi KarathaGlenn Welbourn

ViolaCarolyn Farnand, proncipalChristine MurphyBarry Seligman

CelloBettie BaerBeata Csuka, principalJim Douketis

BassDavid Gustilov, principalTim Fitzgerald

PianoAlexander Cann

FluteJulie PalmerElizabeth Rutter

OboeBhavani KothaHeather Ryan

ClarinetSamantha BenjaminGreg James

BassoonBill ElcombeDavid Klausner

HornMichael HindrichsKelly Kaddatz

TrumpetRon MckeeNora Nolan

TromboneGlenn Beard

PercussionAlexander CannSilke LambertBill Elcombe

Conductor: Charles Demuynck

SHADES OF LOVE CONCERTMarch 3rd & 4th

The perfect way to say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day...

Two tickets to the Shades of Love!

The OCO is very proud of its well regarded, annual Youth ConcertoCompetition. The extraordinary talent of our winners speaks for itself. In this concert season, we off er two concerts featuring them. This concert features J.J. Bui on piano, Duncan McDougall on violin, and Nicole Stocks singing favourite Mezzo arias, including the Habanera from Carmen.

Our fi nal concerts of the season, the Grand Prize Winners’ Showcase concerts in May feature Dale Jeong playing Saint-Saëns’ exciting Cello Concerto, and Lynn Sue-A-Quan playing works for viola by Bruch, and Hindemith. Popular pieces by Mendelssohn, Fauré, and Brahms complete the program.

Coming Up in 2018

Keeping the ides of March at bay, this spring we will celebrate love in its various forms. The ancient Greeks had a word for every diff erent kind of love, such as ‘philautia’ (self-love), ‘philia’ (friendship, or brotherly love), and ‘agape’ (pure, charitable love, or love of God). We’ve found beautiful pieces of music that express the shades of love, including the World Premiere of an arrangement of Schumann’s wonderful song cycle, A Woman’s Love and Life, for Mezzo-Soprano and String Orchestra.

Get your tickets now – before they are sold out!

SHADES OF LOVE CONCERT

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A fire at St. Simon’s Church on November 26th shut down the OCO’s

concert at the eight minute mark, pushing everyone out into the

parking lot. No one was

even marginally hurt

— and for that we are

thankful. We are so glad

the fire alarms worked.

Valiant firefighters took

over an hour to extinguish

the flames.

The fire made us realize that we were thankful on so many levels.

We are thankful to everyone in Oakville for supporting us since 1983.

We are thankful to our sponsors and donors who have sustained

us to the threshold of our 35th year. And we are thankful to our

Maestro and musicians for achieving the excellence for which we are

celebrated today.

Holding a FREE concert for the classical music lovers in Oakville was

one way to say thank you and to bring our music to even more of

Oakville’s denizens. It has been a very rewarding exercise. We hope

you feel the same way!

The Anatomy of a FREE Concert

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Donations of $30 and up will receive a tax receipt.

Donate online at oakvillechamber.orgOR

Cheque or money order to Oakville Chamber Orchestra

P.O. Box 760361500 Upper Middle Rd West

Oakville, ON L6M 3H5

As a not-for-profit charitable organization, generous donations

from YOU enable us to continue to develop and deliver exciting

programs for Oakville youth, and new partnerships with community

organizations, such as the Oakville Community Foundation and

Oakville Arts Council.

Gifts of any amount are welcome! However you choose to give, your

gift will have a powerful impact. It will allow us to meet and exceed

our goals to entertain you with excellent classical music.

OCO IS A REGISTERED, NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION # 88967 4222 RR0001

PLEASE DONATE TODAY

We are gratefully accepting donations to help defray the expense of putting on this concert.

oakvillechamber.org mail@oakvillechamber.org

905-483-6787

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The Oakville Chamber OrchestraProudly Presents

THE SHADES OF LOVEMarch 3, 2018 • 7:30pm

St. John’s United Church, 262 Randall Street, Oakville

March 4, 2018 • 3:00pmSt. Simons Anglican Church, 1450 Litchfield Road, Oakville

The Ancient Greeks had at least seven words to describe the many varieties love. This concert will explore the best of them!

Highlights include Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben, and the Waltz From Tchaikovsky’s String Serenade.

SOLOISTS:

Sara SchabasSoprano

Tiffany YeungViolin

Cassandra WarnerMezzo-Soprano

Tickets are available online and at the door$20 Students$25 Seniors $30 Adults

Children under 12 FREE

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Give the Gift of Beautiful Music!

By purchasing an OCO Gift Certifi cate, not only will you be giving a gift of beautiful music, but you also will be

helping support the Oakville Chamber Orchestra.

Gift Certifi cates can be used towards the purchase of season subscriptions or of individual tickets. You can also add a brief personalized note for that special someone.

Please contact the OCO fordetails.

mail@oakvillechamber.org905.483.OPUS (6787)

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A special note of thanks to...

Gerry Wilson

Lisa Helsdon

Chuck Havill

Georgina Langs

Dave Clark

Lottie Grant

Jim Douketis

Margaret Nowaczyk

Dave Gittings

Glenn Beard

Bob Wong

Wanda Ivic

Brigitte Cormier

John Gooch

Richard Birkett

Glenn Beard

Liz Lant

Elaine Moroney

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Laura Yang

Bill Elcombe

Herbert & Joan Williams

Caroline Archer

Maureen Rudzik

Richard & Barbara Birkett

Michael Hindrich Douglas & Joan Kerr

Donald Marshall

Dion Church

Kelly Kaddatz

Heather Ryan

John Hammill & Elisabeth Evans

Wendell & Magdalene Poon

Frank Morewood

Arthur Gooch

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Bringing out the best in youth, in our communities and in ourselves.

The purpose of the Optimist Club of Oakville is to develop “Optimism” as a philosophy of life and to aid

and encourage the youth of our community.

Come join us!We’d love to meet you as our guest at one of our

Dinner Meetings, held monthly (except July and August).

Optimist Club of Oakville Meetings2nd Monday @ 7:00 pm

Optimist Hall/Halton Police Safety Village1151 Bronte Road, Oakville

A major Sponsor of the Oakville Chamber Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition

Optimist Club of OakvilleSINCE 1948

81 Florence Drive, Oakville905-510-0509

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Our pastries are handmade, using the old world authentic recipes, and only the purest, freshest ingredients.

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Choose from our vast display of European hand-tied bouquets and themed arrangements for all occasions, with a great selection of exotic tropicals.

81 Florence Drive, Oakville905-844-1452 olivofresco.com

504 Iroquois Shore Road #8, Oakville 905-257-9463thevillagewinemaker.ca

Where the Music Begins

3180 Mainway Dr. (905) 319-3330

BURLINGTON

2444 Barton St. E (905) 538-0247

HAMILTON

900 Rathburn Rd. W (905) 273-3939

MISSISSAUGA

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