September 20-21
HERE TO STAY
Saturday | 9.21.19 | 8:00 PM
The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, 450 West 37th Street
The Chelsea Symphony opens its fourteenth season RISE UP with the September 20-21 concert series, “Here to Stay,” featuring pieces from the American canon: Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, the three-movement Prelude, Fugue and Riffs by Leonard Bernstein featuring clarinet soloist Alicia Bennett, and George Gershwin’s An American in Paris.
The first half of the concert presents the NYC premiere of Jeremy Crosmer’s Masks: A Heroine’s Tale with Mitsuru Kubo on viola (Friday), the Nautilus Brass Quintet performing Eric Ewazen’s Shadowcatcher (Saturday), and with both concerts in the series opened by a world premiere piece by TCS composer Mike Boyman.
TCS’ season, RISE UP, reflects on music that inspires and uplifts. The upbeat Bernstein big band and clarinet feature was written as a way to bridge the gap between classical music and jazz. It was written in 1949 for clarinetist Woody Hermann but not performed until 1955 on Bernstein’s television program, Omnibus, which served as one of the vehicles for Bernstein’s lifelong exploration of “what is American music.”
Gershwin’s An American in Paris was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic in 1928 as a “rhapsodic ballet” (and later expanded into the 1951 film starring Gene Kelly). As the composer said of his work, "my purpose here is to portray the impressions of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city, listens to the various street noises, and absorbs the French atmosphere." Though based on a musical snippet known as “Very Parisienne,” the work has become fully engrained as part of the American idiom.
Fanfare for the Common Man has its roots in WWII but has since become an anthemic call to our sense of humanity, dignity, and the noble cause of a common purpose. Of Copland’s fanfare, composer and world-renowned jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard said, "Whenever I hear it, it stops me in my tracks and makes me reflect on the goodness of man.”
Concert run time: 85-95 minutes including a 15-minute intermission
Tickets available via Eventbrite for $25 seating in premium areas or for a $20 suggested donation at the door.
Know before you go
Leonard Bernstein, Prelude, Fugue and Riffs
Aaron Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man, original manuscript from the Library of Congress
Program
Sonata for String Orchestra
(World Premiere)
Masks: A Heroine's Tale
(NYC premiere, Friday only)
Shadowcatcher for Brass Quintet and Orchestra
(Saturday only)
Fanfare for the Common Man
Prelude, Fugue and Riffs
An American in Paris
Featured Artists
Mitsuru Kubo is a homegrown, dynamic musician. You could say she began studying music in the womb, while her mother studied piano performance in college. A native of Seattle, Mitsuru grew up in a home that revolved around music; she even lived with her first piano teacher - her mother! She rebelled against convention at the age of 7 by choosing the viola as her primary instrument. The highlight of her early musical life was as a devoted member of …
Clarinetist Alicia Bennett is active as a performer and teacher in the New York City area. She is on faculty at the 92Y, Bloomingdale School of Music, and Turtle Bay Music School; additionally, Alicia is a teaching artist for the 92Y's Discover Music program. Alicia specializes in playing chamber and orchestral music, and loves playing opera and new music whenever she has the chance. In March of 2018, Alicia was a featured soloist with The Chelsea Symphony playing Aaron Copland's …
Nautilus Brass Quintet
Brass quintet
Saturday, 9.21
Eric Ewazen: Shadowcatcher for Brass Quintet and Orchestra
Firmly committed to the creation and performance of new works for brass instruments, the Nautilus Brass Quintet (NBQ) has established itself as a premier new music ensemble. Since its founding in 2010, the NBQ has premiered over 23 works through collaborations with commissioning partners such as New York City’s “Vox Novus” and the Women Composers Festival of Hartford, as well as maintaining an open call for scores from composers around the world.
NBQ strives to proliferate accessibility to cultivated brass …
Composer and violist Michael Boyman is always searching for the perfect balance of form and expression. An alumnus of the New York Youth Symphony, Michael served as principal violist of the orchestra and was a member of Making Score, the organization's composition program. Michael is a graduate of New York University, where he studied political science and music composition, studying with Justin Dello Joio. He received his Master's Degree in Composition from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied …
Conductor
A leader in the 21st century orchestral landscape, Dr. Matthew Aubin is constantly reaching new audiences through innovative performance formats and creative initiatives both on and off the podium.
The 2022-23 season kicks off Dr. Aubin’s inaugural year as Music Director of the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he is Music Director of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra and serves as Artistic Director of The Chelsea Symphony. In his role at TCS, he has led highly visible collaborations with partners such …
Active as a conductor, violinist, violist, pianist, and educator, Nell Flanders brings her dynamic musicality to performances in a wide variety of genres, from orchestral classics to contemporary music, tango, blues, and period instrument baroque. Ms. Flanders is currently the Director of Orchestral Activities at Idaho State University, where she leads the Idaho State-Civic Symphony and the ISU University Chamber Orchestra. From 2018-2021 she held the position of Georg and Joyce Albers-Schonberg Assistant Conductor with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, conducting …