Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026  •  7:30 p.m.

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Miriam Burns, conductor
Uiliami Fihaki, guest conductor.

Program

Program notes are written by students from the European Musical Traditions class at the School of Music.

Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)

II.  Andante

Uiliami Fihaki, guest conductor

Johannes Brahms is widely considered to be one of the most influential Germanic composers of the second half of the 19th century. In an era of music dominated by programmatic and descriptive works, Brahms strove to be different. Using his knowledge and studies of Renaissance and Baroque music, Brahms brought life back into the orchestra, writing music for music’s sake. Being very critical of his own works, Brahms left very little of his masterpieces behind, but what was left has remained central to Romantic and orchestral repertoire. His third symphony is an example of this.

Written in the summer of 1883, Brahms’ Third symphony represents what he endeavored for Romantic compositions to be. The second movement opens with a woodwind chorale and slowly adds more colors, like an orchestral crescendo. Brahms is known to have included an F-A-F motif throughout many pieces to represent his motto “frei aber froh” (“free but happy”); however, in his third symphony, this is changed to be F-Ab-F, which brings in a sense of uncertainty. This motif is woven into the clarinet melodies in the second movement, recalling the “free but happy?” notion stated in the first movement. When it was first performed, this piece was well received. Composer Antonín Dvořák declared “this work surpasses his first two symphonies,” and music critic Eduard Hanslick claimed it was "artistically the most nearly perfect." This specific movement is considered the “piece de resistance” of this symphony.

Rhapsody in Blue (1924)

George Gershwin (1898–1937)

Jiarui Mai, piano soloist

Winner, 2025 DMA Concerto Competition

Jiarui Mai is a pianist and piano educator who holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance from The Ohio State University, studying with Prof. Steven Glaser. She earned her Master of Music in piano performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and her Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the Xinghai Conservatory of Music.

She has received multiple prizes in international piano competitions, including awards in Romantic and Contemporary divisions, as well as distinctions for expressive excellence at the Charleston International Piano Competition, among others.

In addition to her performance career, Jiarui Mai has served as an artistic coach in international festivals, working as a collaborative pianist and masterclass assistant, including at the China International Low Brass Elite Seminar.

Through both performance and teaching, she strives to bring sincerity, nuance, and emotional depth to the concert stage.

Rhapsody in Blue, composed by American pianist and composer George Gershwin (1898-1937), is a concerto for solo piano and orchestra that debuted in 1924. It was commissioned by American jazz band leader and composer Paul Whiteman and was set to be performed at Aeolian Hall as part of a concert called ”An Experiment in Modern Music.” The piece was certainly experimental for its time, combining elements of classical and jazz music among other popular genres, and also reflected Gershwin’s experience as a Broadway composer.

It took Gershwin a few short weeks leading up to its premiere to write the piece, after Whiteman convinced him to accept the job. In Gershwin’s own words, Rhapsody in Blue was “a musical kaleidoscope of America–of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness.” The audience will experience an engaging dialogue between the piano and orchestra that portrays this kaleidoscope. The piece unfolds with various central themes, first introduced by the clarinet and then expanded and unraveled across the orchestra. Gershwin’s musical textures call to mind images of a bustling city, a chugging train, and a wondrous view atop grand skyscrapers. These textures are stitched together by a soulful piano that acts as a narrator, depicting the story of a wholly American music: blending in perfect harmony the classical symphonic idiom with the blues and jazz tradition.

Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 ("Pathétique")

Peter I. Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)

I.  Adagio — Allegro non troppo
II. Allegro con grazia
III. Allegro molto vivace 
IV. Adagio lamentoso 

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian Romantic-era composer, born in 1840 as the son of two musicians. Though initially seeking a degree in law, he opted to pursue musical studies at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Tchaikovsky used his formal education to compose more than 600 individual works in the short 53 years of his life, including many famous works like the 1812 Overture, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and his six symphonies. He became one of Russia’s most acclaimed composers.

Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony was his final completed work, premiered just nine days before his death in 1893. The subtitle, “The Pathétique,” translates not to “pathetic,” but “solemn” or “emotive,” which is reflected in the passionate nature of the symphony. It is said the title was suggested by Tchaikovsky’s brother, and the piece was dedicated to his nephew, Vladimir “Bob” Davydov. The first movement leads listeners through contrasts of intensity and tenderness with dark undertones opening us to Tchaikovsky’s emotional depth with grand, expressive force. The second movement offers a graceful, floaty, elegant and nostalgic feeling with warm undertones. In contrast, the third movement builds playful energy into a driving, almost frantic momentum that could remind one of fluttering birds and buzzing bees. The final movement serves as a profound farewell, beginning in somber reflection and fading into a quiet struggle, as if depicting the slow fading of a life.
 

Symphony Orchestra Personnel

Miriam Burns, conductor

Flute
Jonathan Mitchell
Kayleigh Rummel
Katie Sharp, piccolo

Oboe
Briele Vollmuth
Ben Newman
Laura Pitner

Clarinet
Almudena Curros Varela
Samuel Langer
Christopher Larsen, bass clarinet

Bassoon
Brandon Golpe
Bitania Petros
Laila Elhamri, contrabassoon

Saxophone
Hudson Müller
Sean Bauman
Ziheng Huang

Horn
Kaylee Skaris
Paul Bissler
Andrew Waite
Nora Lemmon
Olivia Boden

Trumpet
Brandon Ising
Jude Abuzeide
Bobby Petty
Will Fisher
Ava Diederich

Trombone
Gavin Abrams
Luke Brown 
DJ Austin

Tuba
Zane Tekaucic

Banjo
Isaac McCarthy

Timpani
Stephen Alexander  

Percussion
Nathan Smith
Brody Fogle

Violin I
Nathan Jeoung, concertmaster
Sidd Figurov
Felipe Mathias Romagnoli
David Zhu
Miah Shaffer
Martin Fihe 
Kelsey Chen

Violin II
Mara Seppala, principal
Isabelle Tardivon
Amina Janybek
Declan Alford
Chuyang Deng
Raquel Burden
Nina Graber-Nofziger
D.

Viola
Aiden Yi-Hung Jeng, principal
Nicolo Moulthrop
Brandon Waite 
Erica Lopez 
Avery Temple
Luke Wittrock
Benjamin Windover Noble
Logan Bartlett

Cello
Anyu Gu, principal
Jake Eyink
Kate Sahr
Owen Summers
Margaret Leung
Jacob Schwengler
Aidan Dever
Jacob Myers
Jaeda Wood-Binkley
Audra Incledon
Darrell Zhang

Double Bass
Saoirse Hurley, principal
Owen Lutz
Carson Wolfe
Jett Maslouski
Luca Brusco
Jeremy Frolo
JoJo Schweitzer