Suite from Panambí, Op. 1a

Alberto Ginastera

• Born: April 11, 1916 in Buenos Aires.
• Died: June 25, 1983 in Geneva.
• Work Composed: 1937
• Premiere: November 27, 1937 by the Teatro Colón Orchestra in Buenos Aires, conducted by Juan José Castro; complete ballet premiered on July 12, 1940 at the Colón, also conducted by Mr. Castro.
• Instrumentation: treble voice chorus, 4 flutes (incl. 2 piccolos), 4 oboes, English horn, 4 clarinets (incl. E-flat clarinet and bass clarinet), 4 bassoons (incl. contrabassoon), 4 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, claves, cymbals, maracas, small bass drum, small drum, snare drum, suspended cymbals, tam tam, tambour de basque, tenor drum, triangle, xylophone, celeste, piano, strings
• May Festival Notable Performances: This is the first May Festival performance of the work.
• Duration: approx. 15 minutes

Alberto Ginastera, Argentina’s most famous and widely performed composer, was the outstanding creative figure in South American music following the death of Villa-Lobos in 1959. Ginastera’s career was divided between composition and education, and in the latter capacity he held posts at leading conservatories and universities in Argentina and at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. His musical works, many written on American commissions, include three operas, two ballets, six concertos, eleven film scores, eight orchestral works, various vocal and choral compositions, and much music for chamber ensembles and piano. Ginastera traveled extensively to oversee the presentation of his scores and to adjudicate major musical competitions, and for his contributions to music he was honored with many awards, including memberships in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Ginastera divided his works into two stylistic categories. The first (“Nationalism”) includes his music before the mid-1950s, which displays overt influences of Argentine musical traits and themes. He modeled the rhythms and melodies of these works on the folksongs and dances known as musica criolla, though he seldom used literal quotations. This nationalistic music is imbued with the symbolism of the indigenous peoples, the pampas and the “gauchesco” tradition, for which he became the leading musical spokesperson. Ginastera’s second style (“Neo-Expressionism”) began around 1958 and encompassed most of his later compositions, works characterized by such modernist devices as polytonality, serial writing, quarter-tones and other micro intervals, and an extension of instrumental resources. All of this technical jargon might sound rather imposing, but these techniques lend the music a power of expression reinforced by expert craftsmanship that is always tantalizing to the ear and cogent in expression. Ginastera’s later works bear a strong affinity with the expressionism of Schoenberg and Berg, which was itself an extension of the great European Classical-Romantic tradition. Ginastera’s compositions mark him as one of the most important members of the international community of composers and demonstrate the manner in which he was able to combine the melodic and rhythmic resources of the folk music of his native Argentina with the compositional idioms of the great modern masters.

Ginastera, of Catalan and Italian descent, showed musical talent early and began studying formally when he was seven. Five years later he was admitted to the music school established in Buenos Aires in 1893 by the pioneering Paris Conservatoire-trained Argentinian composer Alberto Williams (1862-1952), among the first to incorporate indigenous influences in his works; Ginastera graduated in 1935 with a Gold Medal in composition. He composed prolifically after entering the National Conservatory of Music the following year, and got his big break on November 27, 1937, while he was still a student, when Juan José Castro, principal conductor of the Teatro Colón, performed a suite from the ballet based on Argentinean legend he had just completed—Panambí. The young composer became a musical celebrity in Argentina when Castro led the premiere of the complete ballet at the Colón on July 12, 1940, and he gained international notice when Lincoln Kirstein, director of the American Ballet Caravan of New York, became familiar with Panambí during the company’s South American tour the following year and commissioned him to write his next ballet, Estancia, with a scenario depicting Argentinean country life. Aaron Copland, who accompanied Ballet Caravan on its tour, met Ginastera and predicted, “He will, no doubt, someday be an outstanding figure in Argentine music.” They became friends, and after World War II Copland arranged a fellowship for Ginastera to spend eighteen months in the United States and study with him at Tanglewood.

Panambí is based on a legend of the Guaraní people, the indigenous culture of the region where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet; the Guaraní language and Spanish are the two official languages of Paraguay. Ginastera captured the setting, the romance, the violence and the supernatural elements of the timeless tale in his music (in Guaraní, Panambí means “butterfly,” thought by them to be the reincarnated spirits of certain individuals), which is outlined in the score: “According to the legend, Panambí was the beautiful daughter of the chieftain of an Indian tribe on the banks of the Paraná River. She was betrothed to Guirahú, the most valiant warrior of the tribe, who, shortly before the wedding day, is kidnapped by the maiden spirits of the river. The tribe sorcerer, who is also in love with Panambí but has been rejected by her, tries to take advantage of the situation by claiming that the almighty spirits decreed that she should descend into the river in quest of her lover. Panambí is ready to carry out the supposedly divine orders when Tupá, the good god, appears from above and stops her. Tupá punishes the sorcerer by turning him into a strange black bird and restores Guirahú, who rises from the waters of the river to throw himself into the arms of his loved one.” The suite includes six evocative movements extracted from the complete score, the last three played without pause: Moonlight on the Paraná, Invocation to the Spirits of Power, Lament of the Maidens, Native Festival, Round Dance of the Maidens and Warriors’ Dance.

©2022 Dr. Richard E. Rodda

Chôros No. 10 for Chorus and Orchestra

Heitor Villa-Lobos

• Born: March 5, 1887 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Died: November 17, 1959 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Work Composed: 1926
• Premiere: November 15, 1926 at the Teatro Lirico in Rio de Janeiro, conducted by the composer.
• Instrumentation: mixed chorus, piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, alto saxophone, 3 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, timpani, bass drums, chocalho, field drum, friction drum, gong, reco-reco, snare drum, tam tam, tenor drum, tom tom, wood drum, harp, piano, strings
• May Festival Notable Performances: This is the first May Festival performance of the work.
• Duration: approx. 20 minutes

Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazil’s foremost composer, had little formal training. He learned the cello from his father and earned a living as a young man playing with popular bands, from which he derived much of his musical background. From his earliest years, Villa-Lobos was enthralled with the indigenous songs and dances of his native land, and he made several trips into the Brazilian interior to study the native music and ceremonies. Beginning with his earliest works, around 1910, his music shows the influence of the melodies, rhythms and sonorities that he discovered. He began to compose prolifically, and, though often ridiculed for his daring new style by other Brazilian musicians, he attracted the attention of the pianist Artur Rubinstein, who helped him receive a Brazilian government grant in 1923 that enabled him to spend several years in Paris, where his international reputation was established. Upon his permanent return to Rio de Janeiro in 1930, Villa-Lobos became an important figure in public musical education, urging the cultivation of Brazilian songs and dances in the schools. He made his first visit to the United States in 1944, and spent the remaining years of his life traveling in America and Europe to conduct and promote his own works and those of other Brazilian composers. Villa-Lobos summarized his creative philosophy in an interview with New York Times critic Olin Downes by saying that he did not think of music as “culture, or education, or even as a device for quieting the nerves, but as something more potent, mystical and profound in its effect. Music has the power to communicate, to heal, to ennoble, when it is made part of man’s life and consciousness.”

The Chôros No. 10 is from a series of 16 works by Villa-Lobos bearing that title and  scored for a varied instrumentation ranging from solo guitar to full orchestra combined with mixed chorus. The term derived from the popular bands of Rio de Janeiro that originated in the mid-19th century that freely mixed winds, guitars and simple percussion instruments. Their repertory at first comprised polkas, waltzes and other European imports, but later came to be associated with such characteristic Brazilian dances as the maxixe, tango brasileiro and samba. Villa-Lobos believed that these bands epitomized Brazilian native music, and he attempted to capture their essence in his series of Chôros, as he explained in a note in the score: “The Chôros represents a new form of musical composition in which are synthesized the different modalities of Brazilian, Indian and popular music, having for principal elements Rhythm, and any typical Melody of popular character.”

The Chôros No. 10 of 1926 is in four sections, the first three of which are for orchestra alone. The opening section depicts the groves and Brazilian forests, with mock birdcalls piercing the insistent rhythmic motion. The second portion, slower in tempo, explores the coloristic possibilities of solo winds set against string glissandos in the highest register. The brief third section, in changing meters, climaxes in a giant wave of sound led by the brass. A solo bassoon establishes the rhythmic ostinato that permeates the concluding section. Soon, the entire orchestra, reinforced by a large variety of percussion instruments, joins in with overlapping patterns that generate a primal energy reminiscent of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. The chorus enters singing an untranslatable text derived from the Indian ceremonial chants that Villa-Lobos collected on his journeys into Brazil’s forests. This text is used for the sonority of its words rather than for their meaning, a compositional device that lends the work much of its incantatory power. As the chanting continues, a wordless song moving evenly and majestically rises from the chorus. This melody is known in Brazil as Rasga o coração (“Tear Open Your Heart”) after the poem in Portuguese by Catulo Cearense which it uses as its text. This theme stands in sharp relief to the visceral rhythmic background of aboriginal vocalization as an almost desperate cry for lost innocence.

©2022 Dr. Richard E. Rodda

Cantata Criolla: Florentino, el cantó con el Diablo (“Creole Cantata: Florentino, The One Who Sang with the Devil”) for Tenor and Bass Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra

Antonio Estévez

• Born: January 3, 1916 in Calabozo, Venezuela
• Died: November 26, 1988 in Caracas, Venezuela
• Work Composed: 1954
• Premiere: July 25, 1954 at the Vicente Emilio Sojo Competition in Caracas’ Municipal Theater, conducted by the composer with soloists Teo Capriles and Antonio Lauro
• Instrumentation: tenor, baritone, mixed chorus, piccolo, 2 flutes, 3 oboes (incl. English horn), 3 clarinets (incl. bass clarinet), 3 bassoons (incl. contrabassoon), 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, glockenspiel, maracas, military drum, snare drum, suspend cymbals, tam tam, temple blocks, triangles, whip, xylophone, piano, strings
• May Festival Notable Performances: This is the first May Festival performance of the work.
• Duration: approx. 40 minutes

Composer and conductor Antonio Estévez was one of Venezuela’s leading musicians. Born in Calabozo on January 3, 1916, Estévez began studying music at age ten as a clarinetist in the Guárico state band. In 1934, he entered the Music Conservatory in Caracas to study composition (with Vicente Emilio Sojo) and oboe, completing his performance studies in 1942 and receiving his master’s degree in composition two years later. His study in Europe and the United States from 1944 to 1948 on a scholarship from the Venezuelan government was highlighted by a course in orchestral conducting at Tanglewood directed by Aaron Copland and Sergei Koussevitzky. Estévez came to prominence after returning to his homeland, serving as an oboist with the Caracas Symphony Orchestra, teaching at the Caracas Conservatory, helping to found Orfeón University, directing the National Radio Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, and appearing as guest conductor with the Belgian Radio-Television Orchestra, Paris Opéra, French Radio Orchestra, Municipal Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro and other leading ensembles. His creative output includes songs, sonatas, incidental music, orchestral works, choral compositions and piano pieces; among his awards were the Venezuelan National Music Prize, Vicente Emilio Sojo Prize and Ministry of Education Prize.

The Cantata Criolla: Florentino, el que cantó con el Diablo (“Creole Cantata: Florentino, The One Who Sang with the Devil”), premiered in July 1954 in Caracas, won First Prize in the Vicente Emilio Sojo Competition and received praise from Heitor Villa-Lobos, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson and other important musical figures when it was heard at a festival of Latin-American music later that year. The Cantata is a setting of a poem by the Venezuelan writer, educator and statesman Alberto Arvelo Torrealba based on the legend of a singing contest between a Plainsman and the Devil. Estévez chose tenor and bass soloists to represent the characters, with a chorus setting the scenes and commenting on the unfolding drama. Though cast in a modern idiom, with daring harmonic and orchestral effects, the Cantata Criolla incorporates two ancient Gregorian chants: the Marian hymn Ave maris stella (“Hail, Star of the Sea”) is identified with Florentino, the Plainsman; the venerable Sequence from the Requiem Mass, Dies Irae (“Day of Wrath”), also used by Berlioz, Liszt, Saint-Saëns, Rachmaninoff and others, is associated with the Devil. In his Cantata Criolla, Antonio Estévez created a significant work of nationalistic art that fuses elements of popular and cultivated music into an authentic and elegant Venezuelan atmosphere.

©2022 Dr. Richard E. Rodda

Juanjo Mena, Principal Conductor

Juanjo Mena began his conducting career in his native Spain as Artistic Director of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra in 1999. His uncommon talent was soon recognized internationally with appointments as Principal Guest Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic and Chief Guest Conductor of the Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa. In 2011 he was named Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic which he led for seven seasons, taking the orchestra on tours of Europe and Asia and conducting annual televised concerts at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms. His BBC tenure featured, notably, “thrilling” (The Guardian) performances of Bruckner symphonies, a cycle of Schubert symphonies, and set new standards for the interpretation of Spanish and South American repertoire. He currently serves as Principal Conductor of the Cincinnati May Festival, the longest running choral festival in North America, where he has been expanding the scope of the legendary institution with new commissions and community engagement.

A sought-after guest conductor, Juanjo Mena has led Europe’s top ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, London Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the Dresden Philharmonic, among others. He appears regularly with all the major orchestras in his native Spain.

Following his North American debut with the Baltimore Symphony in 2004, he has conducted most of the continent’s leading orchestras. They include the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Montreal Symphony and Toronto Symphony orchestras. In Asia, he is a regular guest conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo.

In the 2021–22 season, Juanjo Mena returns to conduct the Pittsburgh Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., Montreal Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic and the Bergen Philharmonic, and he debuts with the Atlanta Symphony, Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne and the Japan Philharmonic. In the 2020–21 season, heavily affected by the pandemic, he returned to conduct the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and the NHK Symphony, among others. In June 2022 at Madrid’s Teatro Real, Mena will lead performances of the new production of Arthur Honegger’s Joan of Arc at the Stake paired with Debussy’s La damoiselle élue.

His operatic work includes Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman; Richard Strauss’ Salome, Elektra and Ariadne auf Naxos; Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle; and Schoenberg’s Erwartung; as well as productions of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin in Genoa; Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in Lausanne; and Beethoven’s Fidelio and Britten’s Billy Budd in Bilbao.

Juanjo Mena’s latest recording is Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6 with the BBC Philharmonic released by Chandos. The Classical Review praised it as “intensely musical,” “impressive” and with a spectacular sound. Mena’s rich discography with the BBC Philharmonic on Chandos also includes an acclaimed Gabriel Pierné release selected as a Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Weber symphonies, Ginastera’s orchestral works to mark the composer’s centenary, and new reference recordings of largely overlooked Spanish repertoire, including Arriaga’s orchestral pieces, works by Albéniz, Montsalvatge and Turina, as well as three discs of works by Manuel de Falla featuring his opera La vida breve. In 2012, Juanjo Mena recorded Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony with the Bergen Philharmonic for the Hyperion label, a disc said to “utterly redefine the terms under which past/current/future Turangalîlas need to be judged” (Gramophone).

Juanjo Mena studied conducting with Sergiu Celibidache following his musical education at the Madrid Royal Conservatory, where he was mentored by Carmelo Bernaola and Enrique García Asensio. In 2016, he was awarded the Spanish National Music Award. He lives with his family in his native Basque Country.

Santiago Ballerini, tenor

Santiago Ballerini is recognized in the Americas as one of the leading tenors of the Bel Canto repertoire and is a celebrated performer in opera houses around the world. In 2022 Ballerini sings the role of Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto with San Antonio Opera and Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance with Atlanta Opera.

In January of 2020, Ballerini debuted with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto singing Il barbiere di Siviglia. In late 2019, he was the tenor soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Gianandrea Noseda singing Carmina Burana at The Kennedy Center.

In November 2017, Ballerini made his European debut with the Bordeaux National Opera singing the role of Gualtiero from Bellini’s Il Pirata, the same role he sang at the Caramoor Festival in New York some months earlier. Other notable recent roles in Europe include his Italian debut at the Teatro Regio di Torino as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, which he also sang at Opera Toulon and at Teatro Solís in Uruguay. Other performances included Ernesto in Don Pasquale with Roberto Abbado at the ABAO; Lindoro in L’italiana in Algeri at the San Sebastian Festival, and Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Teatro La Zarzuela.

Ballerini made his United States debut in 2015 at the Caramoor Festival as Fernand in Donizetti’s La favorite. As reported in The New York Times, “Ballerini brought a firm, slightly reedy tenor to the role of Fernand. There was a generous dose of plangent inflections to his hotheaded exchanges, but also instances of lovely messa di voce in expressions of tenderness.” Other recent roles in the U.S. include Tonio in La fille du régiment and Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola, both with Atlanta Opera, and also Argirio in Rossini’s Tancredi at Teatro Nuovo.

Ballerini is also an acclaimed and sought-after recitalist. In 2018, he sang two recitals for the 50th Anniversary of the Newport Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, and gave a recital with accompanist Howard Watkins at the Savannah Music Festival. He also sang at the Grand Opening night at the new Auburn University Performing Arts Center.

Ballerini, a dual citizen of Argentina and Italy, is well recognized in Latinoamérica where he started his opera career. In previous seasons he has been invited to sing lead roles at the prestigious Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires to include junge Graf in Zimmermann’s Die Soldaten; Tenor Italiano in Der Rosenkavalier, Mozart’s Requiem under the baton of Evelino Pidò, Lindoro in Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri and Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. In recent years, Ballerini has also sung the role of Conte Libenskof in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims at the prestigious Teatro Bellas Artes in Mexico City and debuted at the Teatro Municipal in Chile singing Conte Almaviva in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia.

In 2014, Ballerini was awarded “Upcoming Opera Singer” in Argentina by the Congress of Argentina and the Argentine Association of Critics. He was also a featured soloist at the “50th Met Anniversary Gala” honoring acclaimed baritone Sherrill Milnes and was a scholarship recipient to study with Mr. Milnes. Before his singing career, Ballerini was a pianist for nine years and a certified music therapist.

santiagoballerini.com

Gustavo Castillo, baritone

Born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Gustavo Castillo started his studies at “El Sistema,” a revolutionary music education program in his home country, under the guidance of the tenor Ídwer Álvarez.

After his debut at the age of 25 with the role of Schaunard in La bohème, he has appeared as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Sacristan in Tosca and Belcore in L’elisir d’amore. Other roles include Valentin in Diana Danielle’s Ópera Fausto, and Dandini in La Cenerentola for Children, an adaptation by Alexander Krampe of Rossini’s work.

His extensive international concert work includes the Requiems of Mozart, Faist, Duruflé and Fauré; Mozart’s Coronation Mass; Bach’s Magnificat; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; Orff’s Carmina Burana; and Antonio Estévez’s Cantata Criolla, among others.

Since 2016, he has been a member of the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where he has recently appeared as Peter in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia for children.

MAY FESTIVAL CHORUS

ROBERT PORCO, Director of Choruses
Matthew Swanson, Associate Director
of Choruses
Heather MacPhail, Accompanist
Matthew Swope, Conducting Fellow
Kathryn Zajac Albertson,
Chorus Manager
Bryce Newcomer, Chorus Librarian

The May Festival Chorus has earned acclaim locally, nationally and internationally for its musicality, vast range of repertoire and sheer power of sound. The Chorus of 125 professionally trained singers is the core artistic element of the Cincinnati May Festival as well as the official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops. Throughout a typical season the chorus members collectively devote more than 40,000 hours in rehearsals and performances.
Founded in 1873, the annual May Festival is the oldest, and one of the most prestigious, choral festivals in the Western Hemisphere. The annual Festival, now under the artistic leadership of Principal Conductor Juanjo Mena, boasts the May Festival Chorus—with choral preparation by Robert Porco—and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as anchors, hosts an international array of guest artists and presents two spectacular weekends of dynamic programming. James Conlon, who in 2016 brought to a close an unprecedented 37-year tenure as May Festival Music Director, was named Music Director Laureate upon his retirement. Many important choral works have received their World and American premieres at the May Festival, including Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat, Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana, Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Death of the Bishop of Brindisi and Robert Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses.

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Louis Langrée Music Director

With a legacy dating back 127 years, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is considered one of America’s finest and most versatile ensembles. Led by Louis Langrée since 2013, the CSO’s distinguished roster of past music directors includes Leopold Stokowski, Eugène Ysaÿe, Fritz Reiner, Max Rudolf, Jesús López Cobos and Paavo Järvi. Matthias Pintscher is the Orchestra’s Creative Partner, and previous artistic partners have included Lang Lang, Philip Glass, Branford Marsalis and Jennifer Higdon. The Orchestra also performs as the Cincinnati Pops, founded by Erich Kunzel in 1977 and currently led by John Morris Russell with Damon Gupton serving as Principal Guest Conductor. The CSO further elevates the city’s vibrant arts scene by serving as the official orchestra for the Cincinnati May Festival, Cincinnati Opera and Cincinnati Ballet.

The CSO has long championed the composers and music of its time and has given historic American premieres by Claude Debussy, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Maurice Ravel, Béla Bartók, William Grant Still and other prominent composers. It has also commissioned many works that ultimately became mainstays of the classical repertoire, including Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. The Orchestra continues to actively commission new work, amplifying new voices from a diverse array of backgrounds, most recently with the Fanfare Project, a series of solo instrument works written for CSO musicians to mark a moment in time during the Covid pandemic.
Deeply committed to inclusion, relevance, and enhancing and expanding opportunities for the children of Greater Cincinnati, the Orchestra works to bring music education, in its many different forms, to as broad a public as possible. In 2020, the CSO was one of the first American orchestras to create a Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer position to ensure the absorption of best DE&I practices into every facet of the organization. The CSO/CCM Diversity Fellowship, a nationally recognized program in partnership with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, provides a graduate degree-level education with performance and professional development opportunities for extraordinary young string players from populations historically underrepresented in American orchestras. The CSO is also an incubator for and partner to NIMAN, a consortium of American orchestras, professional musicians and educators established to address the lack of racial equity in the classical music field by aligning resources and collaborating to strengthen the trajectory of classical instrumentalists of color at all stages of their pre-careers.

The May Festival Chorus is endowed by the Betsy & Alex C. Young Chair

Soprano

Natalie Badinghaus, 1
Tracy Bailey, 21
Karen Bastress, 23
A. Maris Bernard, 18
Laurel Boisclair Ellsworth, 17
Dawn Bruestle, 17
Renee Cifuentes, 5
Ally Clifton, 1
Kathy Dietrich, 8
Jennifer Dobson, 5
Rachel Dummermuth, 3
Sarah Evans, 7
Anita Marie Greer, 33
Melissa Haas, 4
Gaynelle Hardwick, 6
Dana Harms, 14
Mary Wynn Haupt, 20
Lauren Steiger Hess, 26
Carolyn Hill, 11
Sara Hook, 1
Hyejung Jun, 4
Alexandra Kesman, 7
Lisa Koressel, 22
Judith C. LaChance, 44
Hilary Landwehr, 33
Julia Lawrence, 2
Julia Marchese, 1
Audrey Markovich, 1
Alison Peeno, 3
Zohar Perla, 3
Lauren Peter, 18
Kristi C. Reed, 11
Beth Roberts, 16
Justine Samuel, 4
Julia H. Schieve, 27
Yvon F. Shore, 10
Sam Walker, 1
Patricia Wilkens, 1
Rosie Wilkinson, 1
Samantha Zeiger, 1

Alto

Alaina Diane Arwood, 3
Robin Bierschenk, 11
Erika Emody, 15
Kathy Falcon, 18
Sarah Fall, 1
Amanda Gast, 1
Jean Graves, 12
Sally Vickery Harper, 51
Beth Huntley, 3
Spence B. Ingerson, 32
Karolyn L. Johnsen, 50
Jenifer Klostermeier, 3
Sue Kozlowski, 1
Julie Laskey, 18
Megan Lawson, 7
Tiffany Lin, 1
Katherine Loomis, 2
Elaine P. Lustig, 12
Kathy Mank, 17
Teri McKibben, 14
Ashlinn Meechan, 1
Jennifer Moak, 8
Amy M. Perry, 10
Amanda Schwarz
Rosenzweig, 1
Karen Scott-Vosseberg, 5
Sarah Stoutamire, 5
Megan Weaver, 9

Tenor

Lawrence Adams, 1
Avery Bargasse, 4
David Bower, 1
Douglas Easterling, 7
David Gillespie, 1
Robert Henderson, 3
Tyler Johnson, 4
Fansheng Kong, 1
Kevin Leahy, 4
Robert Lomax, 4
Andrew Miller, 1
Jason Ramler, 20
Larry Reiring, 13
Adam Shoaff, 9
Jeffrey Stivers, 12
Matthew Swanson, 10
Matthew Swope, 1
Stephen West, 1
Barry Zaslow, 38

Bass

Mark Barnes, 5
Jim Baxter, 31
Nathan Bettenhausen, 1
Andrew L. Bowers, 6
Scott Brody, 7
Douglas J. Bruestle, 13
Darren Bryant, 1
Christopher Canarie, 28
Lawrence Coleman, 20
Steven L. Dauterman, 40
Steve France, 17
Mark Hockenberry, 1
Takuya Konishi, 1
Jim Laskey, 12
DeRon McDaniel, 1
John McKibben, 4
Daniel Parsley, 5
Justin Peter, 18
James V. Racster, 40
Mitch Radakovich, 1
Brian Reilly, 1
Joseph Taff, 3
Joshua Wallace, 15
Mark Weaver, 16
Paul Wessendarp, 2
Tommy Wessendarp, 1

Numbers behind chorus members’ names signify their years of service. Those celebrating anniversaries of five-year increments are honored with lapel pins they proudly wear with their May Festival uniforms.

The May Festival Chorus is endowed by the Betsy & Alex C. Young Chair

LOUIS LANGRÉE, CSO Music Director
- Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL, Pops Conductor
- Louise Dieterle Nippert & Louis Nippert Chair

Matthias Pintscher, CSO Creative Partner

Damon Gupton, Pops Principal Guest Conductor

François López-Ferrer, CSO Associate Conductor
- Ashley and Barbara Ford Chair for Associate Conductor

Wilbur Lin, Pops Assistant Conductor
- Ashley and Barbara Ford Chair for Assistant Conductor

FIRST VIOLINS

Stefani Matsuo
Concertmaster
—Anna Sinton Taft Chair

Charles Morey
Acting Associate Concertmaster
—Tom & Dee Stegman Chair

Philip Marten
First Assistant Concertmaster
—James M. Ewell Chair++

Eric Bates
Second Assistant Concertmaster
—Serge Shababian Chair

Kathryn Woolley
—Nicholas Tsimaras–Peter G. Courlas Chair++

Anna Reider
—Dianne & J. David Rosenberg Chair

Mauricio Aguiar§

Minyoung Baik

James Braid
—Marc Bohlke Chair given by Katrin & Manfred Bohlke

Michelle Edgar Dugan

Rebecca Kruger Fryxell
Clifford J. Goosmann and Andrea M. Wilson Chair

Gerald Itzkoff
—Jean Ten Have Chair

Lois Reid Johnson
—Anne G. & Robert W. Dorsey Chair++

Sylvia Mitchell
—Jo Ann & Paul Ward Chair

Luo-Jia Wu

SECOND VIOLINS

Gabriel Pegis
Principal
—Al Levinson Chair

Yang Liu*
—Harold B. & Betty Justice Chair

Scott Mozlin**
—Henry Meyer Chair

Kun Dong

Cheryl Benedict

Evin Blomberg§

Rachel Charbel
—Ida Ringling North Chair

Elizabeth Furuta†

Chika Kinderman

Hyesun Park

Paul Patterson
—Charles Gausmann Chair++

Stacey Woolley
—Brenda & Ralph Taylor Chair++

VIOLAS

Christian Colberg
Principal
—Louise D. & Louis Nippert Chair

Paul Frankenfeld*
—Grace M. Allen Chair

Julian Wilkison**

Rebecca Barnes§

Christopher Fischer

Stephen Fryxell
—Melinda & Irwin Simon Chair

Caterina Longhi

Denisse Rodriguez-Rivera

Joanne Wojtowicz

CELLOS

Ilya Finkelshteyn
Principal
—Irene & John J. Emery Chair

Daniel Culnan*
—Ona Hixson Dater Chair

Norman Johns**
—Karl & Roberta Schlachter Family Chair

Matthew Lad§
—Marvin Kolodzik Chair

Susan Marshall-Petersen
—Laura Kimble McLellan Chair++

Hiro Matsuo

Theodore Nelson
—Peter G. Courlas–Nicholas Tsimaras Chair++

Alan Rafferty
—Ruth F. Rosevear Chair

BASSES

Owen Lee
Principal
—Mary Alice Heekin Burke Chair++

James Lambert*
—Thomas Vanden Eynden Chair

Matthew Zory, Jr.**+
—Trish & Rick Bryan Chair

Boris Astafiev§

Ronald Bozicevich
—Donald & Margaret Robinson Chair

Rick Vizachero

HARP

Gillian Benet Sella
Principal
—Cynthia & Frank Stewart Chair

FLUTES

Randolph Bowman
Principal
—Charles Frederic Goss Chair

Henrik Heide*†

Haley Bangs
—Jane & David Ellis Chair

PICCOLO

[OPEN]
—Patricia Gross Linnemann Chair

OBOES

Dwight Parry
Principal
—Josephine I. & David J. Joseph, Jr. Chair

Lon Bussell*
—Stephen P. McKean Chair

Emily Beare

ENGLISH HORN

Christopher Philpotts
Principal
—Alberta & Dr. Maurice Marsh Chair+

CLARINETS

Christopher Pell
Principal
—Emma Margaret & Irving D. Goldman Chair

Joseph Morris*
Associate Principal and Eb Clarinet
—Robert E. & Fay Boeh Chair++

Ixi Chen
Vicky & Rick Reynolds Chair in Honor of William A. Friedlander

BASS CLARINET

Ronald Aufmann

BASSOONS

Christopher Sales
Principal
—Emalee Schavel Chair++

Martin Garcia*

Hugh Michie

CONTRABASSOON

Jennifer Monroe

FRENCH HORNS

Elizabeth Freimuth
Principal
—Mary M. & Charles F. Yeiser Chair

[OPEN]*
—Ellen A. & Richard C. Berghamer Chair

Molly Norcross**
Acting Associate Principal
—Sweeney Family Chair in memory of Donald C. Sweeney

Lisa Conway
—Susanne & Philip O. Geier, Jr. Chair

Duane Dugger
—Mary & Joseph S. Stern, Jr. Chair

Charles Bell

TRUMPETS

Robert Sullivan
Principal
—Rawson Chair

Douglas Lindsay*
—Jackie & Roy Sweeney Family Chair

Steven Pride
—Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Chair++

Christopher Kiradjieff

TROMBONES

Cristian Ganicenco
Principal
—Dorothy & John Hermanies Chair

Joseph Rodriguez**
Second/Assistant Principal Trombone

BASS TROMBONE

Peter Norton

TUBA

Christopher Olka
Principal
—Ashley & Barbara Ford Chair

TIMPANI

Patrick Schleker
Principal
—Matthew & Peg Woodside Chair

Michael Culligan
Acting Associate Principal

[OPEN]*
—Morleen & Jack Rouse Chair

PERCUSSION

David Fishlock
Principal
—Susan S. & William A. Friedlander Chair

Michael Culligan*

[OPEN]*
—Morleen & Jack Rouse Chair

Marc Wolfley+

KEYBOARDS

Michael Chertock
—James P. Thornton Chair

Julie Spangler+
—James P. Thornton Chair

CSO/CCM DIVERSITY FELLOWS

Maalik Glover, violin

Mwakudua waNgure, violin

Tyler McKisson, viola

Javier Otalora, viola

Max Oppeltz-Carroz, cello

Luis Parra, cello

Samantha Powell, cello

Luis Celis Avila, bass

Amy Nickler, bass

LIBRARIANS

Christina Eaton
Acting Principal Librarian
—Lois Klein Jolson Chair

Elizabeth Dunning
Acting Associate Principal Librarian

Adam Paxson
Interim Assistant Librarian

STAGE MANAGERS

Brian P. Schott

Phillip T. Sheridan

Daniel Schultz

Andrew Sheridan

§ Begins the alphabetical listing of players who participate in a system of rotated seating within the string section.

*  Associate Principal

**  Assistant Principal

† One-year appointment

‡ Leave of absence

+ Cincinnati Pops rhythm section

++ CSO endowment only

~ Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation