Hubbell Chamber Music Series

“Vienna 1812”

“Aural magic and technical virtuosity...”

Artists bios

Sarah McElravy, violinCanadian violinist, Sarah McElravy received her Bachelor and Masters of Music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), studying with Stephen Rose and Paul Kantor (Eleanor H. Biggs Memorial Distinguished Professor of Violin). A recipient of the Dorothy Richards Starling Founda-tion Scholarship from CIM, Sarah is a winner of numerous awards and scholarships. Sarah won CIM’s concerto competition and performed with the CIM orchestra in the fall of 2009. Sarah is also a laureate of the 2008 International Stepping Stone Competition and she has won the Silver Medal Award from the Royal Conservatory of Music, first prize at the Ontario Provincial Finals on numerous occasions, and second prize at the Canadian Music Competition National Finals. Sarah has also performed as soloist with the Pulawy Festival Orchestra (Poland), the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra (Canada), and the Lexington Bach Festival Orchestra (USA).

Ms. McElravy has collaborated with pianists Peter Frankl and Gary Graffman, violist Roberto Diaz, guitarist Jason Vieaux, and the Tokyo String Quartet. As a member of the Linden String Quartet, she has spent summers in residence at the Norfolk and Emilia-Romagna Music Festivals, the Amelia Island Chamber Festival, the Banff Centre, and served as faculty at the Music at Port Milford Chamber Music Festival in Ontario, Canada. Sarah currently plays on a Pietrus Guarnerius of 1682 on loan to her from Dr. Paul Morgan.

Catherine Cosbey, violinCatherine Cosbey, a native of Regina, Saskatchewan, received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Glenn Gould School in Toronto and subsequently earned a Master of Music degree from the Cleve-land Institute of Music. Teachers and mentors have included Paul Kantor, Eduard Minevich, and Erika Raum. Ms. Cosbey has been a participant in the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Banff Chamber and Summer Music Sessions, the St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar, the Domaine Forget Chamber Music Program, and the Centre D’Arts Orford. Ms. Cosbey began her professional career at the age of fourteen when she joined the Regina Sym-phony Orchestra. Later that year, she was also accepted into the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. She continues her orchestral contribution as a member of CityMusic Cleveland and the Canton Symphony. An avid chamber musician, Ms. Cosbey has performed across Canada and Iceland, most

notably with Quartetto Constanze and the Flaming Leafs. She has collaborated with such artists as Edward Arron, Kai Gleusteen, Kyung-Sun Lee, Geoff Nuttall, Erika Raum, and Barry Shiffman. Ms. Cosbey plays on a Dalphin violin and a Voirin bow generously on loan by the Banff Centre.

Artists bios

Eric Wong, violaOriginally from Lafayette, LA, Eric Wong received both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), studying violin with Paul Kantor. While at CIM, he also studied viola with Kirsten Docter and Lynne Ramsey. As a chamber musician, Mr. Wong has played in numerous ensembles around the country. He has performed in chamber music recitals sponsored by the Aspen Institute, SWR Radio (Germany), WVIZ (Cleveland’s public broadcasting station), the Cleveland Chamber Music Society, and the Cleveland Chamber Music Guild. He has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, with Donald Weilerstein, Peter Salaff, and Paul Katz of the Cleveland Quartet, with Kirsten Docter and Merry Peckham of the Cavani Quartet, as well as with former Secretary of State and pianist Condoleezza Rice. Coaches and mentors include Peter Salaff and the Cavani and Miró Quartets.

Mr. Wong won first prize in the 48th Annual Lima Symphony Young Artists’ Competition, the 2007 Ohio Viola Society competition, and the 2006 Louisiana String Teachers’ Association solo competition. He was also third-prize winner of 2008 Darius Milhaud Competition and won CIM’s concerto competition with Bartók’s Second Violin Concerto in 2007. As guest solo artist, he has performed with the CIM Orchestra and the Acadiana and Eastern Connecticut Symphony Or-chestras.

Felix Umansky, celloFelix Umansky, hailing from Carmel, Indiana, began his cello studies at the age of seven. He re-ceived a Bachelor of Music degree in 2008 from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), having studied with Richard Aaron, and a Master of Music degree in 2009, also from CIM, as a student of Cleveland Orchestra principal Desmond Hoebig. Other teachers over the years have included Polina Umansky, Yehuda Hanani, Janos Starker, Michael Mermagen, and Eleanor Schoenfeld.

Mr. Umansky is currently a member of CityMusic Cleveland, a small chamber orchestra that per-forms regularly throughout Northeast Ohio. Prior to forming the Linden String Quartet, he was the cellist of the Vesuvius Quartet. With Vesuvius, Mr. Umansky performed concerts in Indiana, Ohio,Pennsylvania, New York,and Germany while receiving coachings from members of the Ca-vani, Cleveland, Takacs, Artemis, Tokyo,Miro, and Borromeo String Quartets, as well as the Beaux

Arts Trio. The quartet was selected by the Cleveland Chamber Music Society (CCMS) to be the inaugural fellows for a new school outreach program. They worked closely with the CCMS and Annie Fullard of the Cavani String Quartet to bring music to hundreds of 3rd and 4th graders.

Antonio Tanase, clarinetAntonio Tanase currently serves as Principal Clarinetist of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra. An active performer, Mr. Tanase has traveled extensively throughout Europe and United States as chamber musician, orchestra musician, and soloist. He has worked with notable conductors Christoph Eshenbach , Eiji Oue, Christoph von Dohnanyi. His past solo appearances include performing the Mozart and Weber clarinet concertos with the Romanian Chamber Orchestra. Before joining the Acadiana symphony, he served as principal clarinetist of the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale. During this time he was also a member of the West Texas Winds Quintet.

A native of Bucharest, Romania, Mr. Tanase was awarded a Bachelor of Music Degree in Clarinet performance from Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover, Germany and a Master of Music Degree in clarinet performance from Louisiana State University. His teachers include Greg Raden, Johannes Peitz, and Hans Deinzer. He currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at the University of New Orleans.

ACADIANA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAMariusz Smolij, Music Director and Conductor

presents

“Vienna 1812: Great Classics”Saturday, October 6, 2012

7:30 pmAcadiana Center for the Arts

Lafayette, LAString Quartet in C-minor, Op. 18, No. 3 L. van Beethoven Allegro (1770-1827) Andante con moto Allegro Presto

Snapshot: Circa 1909 “Black November Turkey” John Corigliano (b. 1938)

Three Rags for String Quartet William Bolcom Poltergeist (b. 1938) The Graceful Ghost Rag Incineratorag

INTERMISSION

Clarinet Quintet in A major, K. 581 W.A. Mozart Allegro (1756-1791) Larghetto Menuetto Allegro con variazioni

Sarah McElravy, violinCatherine Cosbey, violin

Eric Wong, violaFelix Umansky, cello

Antonio Tanase, clarinet

Program page

Linden String Quartet

Quarter notes

Sting Quartet No. 3 in D major, Opus 18 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)The six quartets of Opus 18 were composed in 1800 and dedicated to Prince Lobkowitz, a devout music lover, skilled musician (violin and cello) and patron of both Haydn and Beethoven. Although stirrings of the innovative, revolutionary Beethoven-to-come can be heard, the Opus 18 quar-tets were still strongly influenced by the classicism of Haydn and Mozart. This is most apparent in the Quartet No. 3; its adherence to the influence of these classical masters has led some critics to believe that the work was actually the first of the six to have been composed.

Snapshot: Circa 1909 “Black Turkey November” John Corigliano (b. 1938)An American composer, Corigliano studied at Columbia University followed by work in radio, television and film. He stems from a musical family, his violinist father the long-time concertmaster of the New York Philhar-monic Orchestra. Corigliano’s best known works are a Clarinet Concerto (1977) and an Eighteenth Century-style opera, A Figaro for Antonio (1985), commissioned by and performed at the Metropolitan Opera under the direction of James Levine. With his talent and connections, the musical world might have expected more from Corigliano, but he is reported to have said that he really did not enjoy composing, that it was too difficult and took too much time.

Three Rags for String Quartet William Bolcom (b. 1938)Named 2007 “Composer of the Year” by Musical America, and honored with multiple Grammy Awards for his ground-breaking setting of Blake’s Song of Innocence and of Experience, William Bolcom is a composer of cabaret songs, concertos, sonatas, operas, symphonies and much more. He was awarded the 1988 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his Twelve New Etudes for piano. The Rag for String Quartet represents the composer’s unique talent of bridg-ing the traditional musical forms with more contemporary styles. Written by Mariusz Smolij Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A major, K581 W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)Mozart was the first great composer to prominently feature the clarinet in his symphonies, concerti, operas, chamber music and in solo compositions. Haydn used the instrument sparingly, and Bach and Handel scarcely touched it. After all, in the 18th century, the clarinet was just being developed, and the early primitive ones would not be recognized as clarinets today. But Mozart recognized its potential early on, giving it generous display and writing for it with amazing idiomatic accuracy while revealing the instrument’s expressive qualities and versatility. Mozart’s major works for solo clarinet: the Quintet and the Clarinet Concerto, K622. Both are icons of clarinet literature. Their technical requirements are relatively modest and could be met by a moderately advanced student. At the same time, today’s professional clarinetist takes the assignment seriously and prepares conscien-tiously when preparing these works for performance.

Program notes by Dr. James Burke

In the spotlightTribute to

Betty Brownsberger Palmintier (1927 - 2006)

When friends and family recall Betty Brownsberger Palmintier, stylish creativity quickly comes to mind. So do memo-ries of tasty symphony suppers and exquisite Viennese balls. Simply stated, she loved Lafayette and the artistry of Vienna! Vienna held a special place in Betty’s heart, right next to family and community. With her uniformed husband on one arm, and an infant son in the other, young Betty first visited there while living in Austria after World War II. It was precisely the type of artistically energized city she savored, fostering the artistic inspirations of her New Orleans child-hood combined with her German heritage. Fortunately for Acadiana, the young Palmintier family settled in Lafayette in 1953, where Betty generously shared her creative inspirations for the next five decades. As a former ballet dancer and pianist, Betty ensured that performing arts were an integral part of family life for her husband, Dr. Dominic Palmintier, and their six children. As a business leader, she was recognized with a “Women in Business” award for her interior design work. Through community Board service, she teamed with other visionaries to affirm vital cultural institutions, like Vermilionville and ASO. “Mom was also an incredible cook!” says eldest son, Skip Palmintier. Among the specialties that he enthusiastically remembers is oysters Rockefeller stew, a dish Betty learned from her grandmother. His sister, Patricia Pritchard, con-curs that she elevated cultural standards through her discriminatingly good taste.In many ways, she was a trailblazer in advancing the cultural connections between quality food, music and art in Lafay-ette. She was also an avid gardener and designer, making the Palmintier home a popular choice for intimate fundraising events, like themed symphony suppers to aid the young organization. Meals and decorations were typically produced by Betty and her ASO colleagues. But the black-tie formal Viennese balls were among her most famed ASO endeavors in the 1990s, complete with orchestral performances, decorations and Austrian cuisine. Through such creative fundraising events, Palmintier facilitated other professional orchestra visits to Lafayette before the region had its own symphony. With help from her broad civic network, she was instrumental in recruiting and retaining former ASO Maestro, Xiao-lu Li, who served here for nearly a decade. In recent years, Palmintier’s daughter Patricia, a professional pianist, and her husband Mark Pritchard, ASO principal cellist, have carried on the tradition of symphony suppers that Betty inspired. But the characteristic that the Palmintier siblings describe among their mother’s most outstanding qualities was her love of her children. Their continued admiration for her is evident through this tribute performance. Nestled between the 200th anniversary of Louisiana and the 20th anniversaries of Viennese extravaganzas she facilitated for ASO, this Fall Chamber performance is lovingly offered in memory of Betty Palmintier. Her legacy of arts appreciation helps us to continue enjoying classic Austrian culture in Acadiana.

Story by Jeanne Solis

Supporting Members of the Hubbell Chamber Music Series

Friends of the Symphony$1-$999Don and Helen AaronArden AndersonBendel Medical ResearchDr. Neil BernardJeanne Billeaud Ed and Carolyn BlaiseWeber and Elaine BorrellSarah BrabantSissy BreauxDr. James BurkeC.Y. and Tania ChanDr. Bradley ChastantDaisy ChewRichard ChewEd and Sandy ChungDouglas Cochrane Jr.John and Patricia ColemanDrs. Ron Daigle and Patricia CranWalter and Ann DobieBill and Kathryn DouglasElanor DukeDr. Carolyn French and Mike HuberBill and Bette GrubbAlice HePat and Ann HerringtonMadelyn HoytWard and Melanie LaFleurDr. and Mrs. Alphonse LandryDon and Louis MillsWill and Sandra MillsCaroline MorainNancy MounceTravis and Delores OwenGeorge and June PangRoland and Judi PautzKyle and Missy PolozolaBurton and Elizabeth Raffel

Mike and Marla RinbergerBob and Gail RomeroDr. John and Amelie StormentBruce and Madelyn TribleMr. and Mrs. Robert WangJessica WelchJim and Becky Welch

Key Sponsor$1,000-$2,499Oliver and Ramona CarmichaelDr. Jeffrey and Ann ChenSylvia Lee

Sustaining Sponsor$2,500 - $4,999Carol Wong

Supporting Sponsor$5,000-$9,999Dr. Gerald & Mrs. Geraldine Hubbell

Thank youfor your

generous supportof the

HubbellChamber

Music Series.

Conservatory students pose with Spencer Myer, guest pianist for 2011-2012 chamber

music series.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”