Saturday, July 27 • 8:15 p.m.
Chautauqua Amphitheater
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Renée Fleming, soprano
Program
Libby Larsen (b. 1950): Deep Summer Music (1982) [8']
Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene (National Geographic Film) [34']
Hazel Dickens: “Pretty bird”
George Frideric Handel: “Care Selve” from Atalanta
Nico Muhly: “Endless Space”
Joseph Canteloube: “Bailero” from Songs of the Auvergne
Maria Schneider: “Our Finch Feeder” from Winter Morning Walks
Bjork: “All is Full of Love”
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Floresta do Amazonas “Finale”
Howard Shore: “Twilight and Shadow” from Lord of the Rings
Kevin Puts: “Evening”
Curtis Green: “Red Mountains Sometimes Cry”
Burt Bacharach/Hal David: “What the World Needs Now”
- Intermission [15'] -
Entr’acte
Jackson Browne “Before the Deluge” (recording)
Arrangement: Caroline Shaw, with Rhiannon Giddens, Alison Krauss, Renée Fleming, & Yannick Nézet-Séguin, piano
Johann Strauss Jr. (1825 - 1899): Voices of Spring, op. 410 (1882) [6']
Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924): O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi (1918) [4']
Meredith Willson (1902 - 1984): 'Til There Was You from The Music Man (1957) [3']
Andrew Lippa (b. 1964): The Diva (2018) [4']
Renée Fleming appears by arrangement with IMG Artists, www.imgartists.com
Ms. Fleming is an exclusive recording artist for Decca and Mercury Records (UK).
Ms. Fleming's jewelry is by Ann Ziff for Tamsen Z.
This program is made possible by Week Six Presenting Sponsors AHN Westfield and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.
When I was 14, the film Soylent Green was released, a sci-fi thriller about a dystopian future of worldwide pollution, dying oceans, depleted resources, and rampant starvation. The story was set in the year 2022.
The movie has faded from memory, but one scene left a profound impression. An aged researcher, unable to go on, has chosen assisted suicide at a government clinic. To ease his last moments of life, he is shown videos of a world that no longer exists: flowers and savannahs, flocks and herds, unpolluted skies and waters, all set to a soundtrack of classical music by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Grieg.
This scene captured my imagination in a terrifying way. The impact increased when I later learned that the actor playing the researcher, Edward G. Robinson, was terminally ill at the time it was filmed.
Fast forward to the pandemic. After more than two decades of constant touring, usually to urban cultural centers, performances abruptly ceased, and I suddenly found myself at home. I sought comfort in long walks outside near my house. I needed this time outdoors to maintain my emotional equilibrium, and I was reminded that nature would always be my touchstone. At the same time, the news about climate change grew more alarming: the extinction of animals we took for granted when we were children, the knowledge that white rhinos had disappeared from the wild, and daily reports of heat, fires, and flooding. I realized that the crisis we had been warned of for so long had arrived.
I thought of the great legacy of song literature that I love, when Romantic-era poets and composers reveled in imagery of nature, finding reflections of human experience in the environment. I decided to record some of this music, and to juxtapose these classics with the voices of living composers, addressing our current, troubled relationship with the natural world.
The result, in collaboration with my friend Yannick Nézet-Séguin, was the album Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene. When it received the 2023 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album, I was thrilled, and I had the idea to tour music addressing this theme of nature as both our inspiration and our victim.
I was incredibly fortunate to connect with the imaginative, dedicated leadership at the National Geographic Society, the global non-profit committed to exploring, illuminating, and protecting the wonder of our world. It has been so exciting to work with this universally respected, landmark institution. I am deeply grateful for the help of President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Ulica, Chief Executive Officer Jill Tiefenthaler, and Producer/Editor Sam Deleon, whose expertise and vision have been instrumental in creating the video you will see in tonight’s program.
Thankfully, the stunning natural world depicted in this film still exists, unlike that movie scene so upsetting to my younger self. In blending these beautiful images with music, my hope is, in some small way, to rekindle your appreciation of nature, and encourage any efforts you can make to protect the planet we share.
Sincerely,
Renée Fleming
First Violin
*Eliot Heaton, 6/25-7/20
*Sharon Roffman, 7/22-8/17
Guest Concertmasters
Mischakoff Taylor Concertmaster Chair
Vahn Armstrong, Associate–31
Adrienne Finet–8
Amanda Gates–23
Ming Gao–30
David Hult–45
Olga D. Kaler–30
Lenelle Morse–32
Erica Robinson–36
Anton Shelepov–8
Kyoko Kashiwagi*
Aurelian Oprea*
Second Violin
Diane Bruce, Principal–44
Simon Lapointe, Assistant–14
Liana K. Kirvan–6
Karen Lord-Powell–14
Jonathan Richards–8
Lara Sipols–22
Marian Tanau–31
Leslie Anderegg*
Lindi Wang*
Viola
Christopher Fischer, Principal–9
Karl Pedersen, Assistant–8
Cynthia Frank–28
Javier Otalora–2
Jennifer Stahl–28
Eva Stern–23
Carrie Fischer–3
Cello
Jolyon Pegis, Principal–31
Lars Kirvan, Assistant–8
Peter Anderegg–7
Igor Gefter–7
Daryl Goldberg–38
Daniel Kaler–0
Maximillian Oppeltz–0
Samuel Pierce-Ruhland–0
Bass
Owen Lee, Principal–12
Kieran Hanlon, Assistant–5
Caitlyn Kamminga–28
David Rosi–30
Caleb Edwards*
Jack Henning*
Flute
Richard Sherman, Principal–35
Rita and Dunbar VanDerveer Symphony Principal Chair for Flute
Luke Fitzpatrick–1
Kathryn Levy (piccolo)–48
Oboe
Jaren Atherholt, Principal–0
Noah Kay–0
Adam Dinitz (English Horn)–1
Clarinet
Olivia Hamilton–0
Daniel Spitzer (bass)–9
Bassoon
Jeffrey Robinson, Principal–20
Laura Koepke 6/25-7/22
Elise Wagner, 7/23-8/17
Benjamin Atherholt–8
Horn
Roger Kaza, Principal–22
William Bernatis, Assistant–26
Donna Dolson–40
Daniel Kerdelewicz–0
Mark Robbins–40
Trumpet
Micah Wilkinson, Principal–1
Peter Lindblom, Assistant–32
Leslie Linn–26
Trombone
Christopher Wolf, Acting Principal–9
Eric Lindblom (bass)–18
Tuba
*Brett Stemple, Principal 6/25-7/22
*Dennis Nulty, Principal 7/25-8/17
Percussion
Brian Kushmaul, Principal–30
Thomas Blanchard, Assistant–27
Pedro Fernandez–6
Timpani
*Simón Gomez Gallego, Principal, 6/25-7/09
*Matthew Strauss, Principal, 7/11-7/27
*Jeremy Levine, Principal, 7/30-8/17
Harp
Beth Robinson, Principal–51
Fellows
Violins
Jordan Curry
Diego Diaz
Maalik Glover
Gabrielle Monachino
Violas
Camila Berg
Pedro Mendez
Cello
Keeon Guzman
Bass
Wendell Rosa
Members on Leave
P.J. Cinque
Substitute and Extra Musicians
The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra would like to acknowledge and thank its many substitute and extra musicians for their service.
Manager
Amanda Gates, Personnel Manager
Librarians
Lara Sipols, Principal
Adrienne Finet, Associate Principal
Margaret Cooper, assistant
Leslie Frey Anderegg, assistant
Javier Otalora, assistant
Fontine Pedersen, assistant
Administration
Kimberly Schuette, Managing Director
Matt Hart, Operations Manager
Notes
Numbers after names indicate years as members of the CSO prior to 2024.
*Indicates guest musician for 2024
These permanent endowment funds held by the Chautauqua Foundation are used in support of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra ensuring the continuation of classical music at Chautauqua.
Clement and Karen Arrison Endowment for Classical Violin
Maggie Bella Symphony Orchestra Endowment Fund
The Boyle Family Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
The Boyle Family Fund for the Performing Arts
The Carnahan-Jackson Dance Endowment
The Mary Peterson Chalfant Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra Endowment Fund
The Carl and Lee Chaverin Fund
Emily McKnight Corry Endowment
The Barbara Baldwin Defrees Fund for the Performing Arts
Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Endowment Fund for Adult Programming
Shirley A. and Arthur R. Duffy Endowment for Classical Guitar
The Edith B. and Arthur E. Earley Fund for the Performing Arts
Geller Family Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony
Craig and Cathrine Greene Family Fund
Heitzenrater Family Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra Fund
Institution Symphony Orchestra Fund
The William M. Kinley Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
William D. Kuhns Fund for General Music Purposes of Chautauqua Institution
Robert and Susan Laubach Endowment
The Jim and Lynn Levinson Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
The Jim and Lynn Gasche Levinson Fund for Chautauqua
Kathryn A. and David B. Levy Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Helen T. Logan Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
The Loynd Family Fund
Linda and Saul Ludwig Endowment
The Helen Cooper Mercer Fund for Performing Arts
The Lewis Miller Memorial Fund
Mr. & Mrs. Sam A. Miller and Mr. & Mrs. Edward S. Babcox Memorial Fund
The Mischakoff/Taylor Concertmaster Chair Fund
Music School Festival Orchestra Fund
Frances and George Newman Endowment for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Margaret Miller Newman Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
The David B. and Barbara Barrett Orr Music Fund
Av and Janet Posner Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
The Miriam S. Reading/Richard H. Miller Fund
The Reinberger Fund for the Performing Arts
The Rittman Family Fund for Performing Arts
The Helen H. and Paul L. Sample Fund
The Donald Chace Shaw Fund
The Gertrude Aldredge Shelburne Fund
Dan and Linda Silverberg Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra Endowment
The Dr. James and Mary Anne Evans Singleton Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Patron Endowment Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
The Trustees' Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Rita and Dunbar VanDerveer Symphony Principal Chair for Flute
Katherine Baldridge Warman and Guy L. Warman Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra Fund
Mary E. Whitaker Symphony Endowment Fund
The Wilder Family Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Nora J. Williams Symphony Fund
Dent and Joan Williamson Fund for the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
Additional support for the 2024 Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra season is provided by:
Northwest Bank