Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025 • 7:30 p.m.
Weigel Auditorium
Columbus, OH
Symphony Orchestra Concerto Concert
Conductor
Miriam Burns
Graduate Associate Conductor
Shawn Davern, doctoral student in Wind Conducting
Composer-in-Residence
Anthony Frankowski
Soloists
Davis Aho, euphonium
Leah Buczek, soprano
Sofia Geelhood, flute
Skye Johnson, soprano
Braden Stewart, flute
Program
Concerto No. 1 in G major, K. 313
I. Allegro maestoso
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Sofia Geelhood, flute
Sofia Geelhood, a fourth-year flute performance student from Beavercreek, Ohio, studies with Katherine Borst Jones. She enjoys performance opportunities with the Ohio State Wind Symphony, the Ohio State Symphony Orchestra, the P4 Flute Quartet, and the Kaleidoscope Winds. She is currently the co-vice president of the Central Ohio Flute Association. In her free time, Sofia likes to cook, read, and spend time with friends.
1916 for Orchestra
World premiere
Anthony Frankowski, composer-in-residence
Anthony Frankowski is a fourth-year undergraduate music composition major, studying with Vera Stanojevic. He writes:
I have been an avid enthusiast of history, especially military history, for a good portion of my life. Within the past several years, my main interests have shifted towards the early 1900s and the Great War. This war sparked in my mind an interesting thought about what soldiers might experience during their time serving, especially the anxiety and inhumanity of this new kind of warfare. The first movement, “Deployment,” is intended to be the inner thoughts of soldiers marching to the front, not knowing what to expect. I utilized two melodic motifs from a German soldier song, the first being heard in the bassoon and the second in tuba and double basses. These motifs are originally paired with the lyrics “Wo alle straßen enden” and “Wir sind verloren,” translating to “Where all streets end” and “We are doomed” respectively. The second movement, “Front Line,” follows the soldiers into battle alongside one of the new technologies of the war: tanks. I chose the title 1916 for this work because of its placement in the middle of the war as well as the fact that tanks were first used in the same year during the Battle of the Somme. I would like to thank Professor Miriam Burns and the musicians of The Ohio State University Symphony Orchestra for premiering this work, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with them.
“Il Dolci Suono”
from Lucia di Lammermoor
Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848)
Skye Johnson, soprano
Skye Marie Johnson is pursuing a master's degree in music performance, studying with Laura Portune. She received her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University and has since been teaching and singing internationally. Praised for “Running a huge emotional gamut from elation to despair" (South Florida Classical Review), Skye has performed the roles of Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata, and Cendrillon in Massenet's Cendrillon. As an Ohio native, Skye has also performed locally with Opera Columbus, Opera Project Columbus, and Dayton Opera.
Euphonium Concerto
Karl Jenkins (b. 1944)
II. Romanza
III. “It takes two…”
Davis Aho, euphonium
Davis Aho is an undergraduate euphonist completing a dual bachelor's degree in music education and performance. He is the first euphonist to be a winner of Ohio State's undergraduate/master's concerto competition in at least 30 years. He studies with renowned tubist, James Akins, as a member of the tuba/euphonium studio. Additionally, Davis receives instruction from euphonium pedagogues Paul Droste and Eric Aho. He has also enjoyed years of jazz trombone instruction from James Masters and Chris Anderson. Thrilled for his first performance with the Ohio State Symphony Orchestra, Davis is a versatile musician. He currently serves as principal euphonist of both the Ohio State Wind Symphony and OCAS Brass Band. For the past year he has played both tenor and bass trombone with the Ohio State Jazz Ensemble, and was a 4-year member of TBDBITL. In his free time, Davis enjoys new food experiences, teaching private lessons, and coaching young musicians within the All-Star Brass Bands 501(c)3 organization.
Shawn Davern, conductor
“Marietta’s Lied”
from Die Tote Stadt
Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
Leah Buczek, soprano
Leah Buczek is a second-year master's student in voice performance; she studies with Laura Portune. She received her undergraduate degree in voice performance from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. She sings with the Cathedral Professional Schola at St. Joseph Cathedral, and teaches classes at Columbus Children’s Theatre. She looks forward to singing the role of “The Governess” in the Ohio State Opera Theatre’s production of “The Turn of the Screw” next month.
Carmen Fantasy
François Borne (1840–1920)
Braden Stewart, flute
Braden Stewart is a fourth-year undergraduate student from Tipp City, Ohio; he studies with Katherine Borst Jones. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Music in flute performance and a Bachelor of Science in math (theoretical track). He performs in a range of ensembles and is the director of the Buckeye Philharmonic Orchestra. Outside of conducting or fluting, Braden enjoys playing games with his friends, ice skating, and watering his plants.
Personnel
Flute
Jonathan Mitchell, principal
Allie Gerckens
Katelyn Cheng
Oboe
Laura Pitner
Briele Vollmuth
Maddie Wittman
Clarinet
Samuel Langer
Joseph Zishka
Quinn Jensen, bass clarinet
Bassoon
Laila Elhamri, principal
Bobby Schwartz
Contrabassoon
Bobby Schwartz
Horn
Andrew Waite
Theresa Deevers
Cheng Peng
Nora Lemmon
Trumpet
Luke Bingham
Bobby Petty
Nick Schnitzspahn
Zach Heffner
Will Fisher
Jude Abuzeide
Trombone
Charlotte Stefani, principal
Alex Myers
Nick Henderson, bass trombone
Timpani
Stephen Alexander
Percussion
Josh Green
Kye Pyeatt
Wesley Giles
Peter Kindt
Violin I
Nathan Jeoung, concertmaster
Yiyi Suo
Mara Seppala
Zoe Wolfe
Sidd Figurov
Melanie Owen
Martin Fihe
D.
Violin II
Kelsey Chen, principal
Adam Whitman
Owen Waller
Hana Mazak
Lydia Belcher
Declan Alford
Viola
Aaron Pearson, principal
Nicolo Moulthrop
Erica Lopez
Lee Davis
Brandon Waite
Avery Temple
Cello
Lucy Reed, principal
Anne Bartos
Jacob Schwengler
Aidan Dever
Aidan Sullivan
Jake Eyink
Anyu Gu
Jacob Myers
Owen Summers
Jaeda Wood-Binkley
Double Bass
Saoirse Hurley, principal
Owen Lutz
Carson Wolf
Jojo Schweitzer
Jordan Evans
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