“Visions of Northern Europe”

Sunday, April 16^th, 3:30

Lincoln High School 

Performing Arts Center

Program

• Finlandia …………. Jean Sibelius
• Brass Quintet No. 1 in B Minor …………. Victor Ewald
  • Moderato
  • Adagio non troppo lento
  • Allegro Moderato
    • Dan Wagner, trumpet
    • Joshua Cohen, trumpet
    • Jeffrey Ash, horn
    • Stephen Randall, trombone
    • Chris Jackson, tuba
• Viola Concerto in G Major …………. Georg Philipp Telemann
  • Largo
  • Allegro
  • Andante
  • Presto
    • Alexander Mishnaevski, viola
• Romance from “The Gadfly” …………. Dmitri Shostakovich …………. Arr. Sebastian Bachmeier
  • Alexander Mishnaevski, viola

Intermission

• Symphony No. 2 in D Major …………. Jean Sibelius
  • Allegretto
  • Tempo andante, ma rubato
  • Vivacissimo
  • Finale: Allegro moderato

Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra

Finlandia

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)

Finlandia is among the most enduring and recognizable works by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, who was deeply influential as a composer of symphonies and tone poems. Sibelius was also closely associated with nationalism in his music. His Finlandia, in particular, became an anthem to the Finnish resistance movement upon its premier in 1899, a time marked by censorship and oppression in Finland by Tsarist Russia. The work opens with ominous brass and percussion before moving into a chorale hymn and energetic martial tunes, ultimately closing with a victorious fanfare. 

Symphony No. 2 in D Major

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)

Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2 premiered in Helsinki on March 8,1902, just a few years after the triumph of the patriotic Finlandia. While Sibelius denied that the symphony had similar political undertones or programmatic aspects, the work was nevertheless often associated with Sibelius’s Finland and its fight for autonomy. The four-movement work is organic in nature, with the rising, three-note motif that opens the symphony woven throughout as the work gradually evolves into an optimistic finale.

Brass Quintet No. 1 in B Minor

Victor Ewald (1860-1935)

Russian-born Victor Ewald was a civil engineer as well as an avid musician and composer. Ewald formally studied cello at the St Petersburg Conservatory; however, he primarily composed for brass instruments, and in fact composed some of the earliest original pieces written specifically for the modern brass quintet. His first quintet is among the most widely performed in the brass repertoire.

Viola Concerto in G Major

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

Georg Philipp Telemann’s Viola Concerto in G major, composed c. 1712, is among the first known concerti for viola. The work contains four movements in typical Baroque form, alternating between orchestral and solo sections. Among the most prolific of composers, Telemann’s concerto is exceptional in its solo composition and use of varied colors and rhythmic drive.

Romance

Dmitri Shostakovich, arr. Sebastian Bachmeier (1906-1975)Romance for viola is a lyrical and much beloved piece drawn from Shostakovich’s own film score to the popular 1955 Soviet film, The Gadfly. The sweet and sentimental love theme, inspired by Jules Massenet’s famous “Meditation” from Thaïs, is one of Shostakovich’s most charming and popular works.

Program notes by Julie Morrison

Alexander Mishnaevski, Viola

“Star-caliber musicianship…soulful…virtually flawless playing…intensity, accuracy and a warm, sweet tone…uncanny rapport…technical bravura and virtuosic deftness.” These are just a few of the comments made by critics about the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Violist Alexander Mishnaevski.

Born in Moscow, Alexander began studying the violin at the age of six, ultimately graduating from renowned Central Music School of Moscow. Teachers included M.S. Glezarova and Z.G. Gilels. After graduating, his family emigrated to the United States in 1972. 

Once in the US, he was accepted on full scholarship and graduated from the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, studying with the legendary Dorothy Delay. While at Juilliard, Alexander changed from violin to viola at the suggestion of Isaac Stern, but graduated in both violin and viola.

Alexander became an American Citizen in 1985, and won the position in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as Principal Violist in 1986. Prior, he held positions as Principal Violist for the New York Chamber Orchestra, the New York Pro Arte Ensemble, Montreal’s McGill Chamber Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Chamber Orchestra (1979-85), and Orquestra Simfonica de Jalapa in Mexico (1982-84). Alexander has performed in solo, chamber music concerts and in recitals throughout the world. He has collaborated on solo and chamber music projects with eminent players including Isaac Stern, Shlomo Mintz, Joseph Silverstein, Shmuel Ashkenazy, Franz Helmerson, Elmar Oliveira, Mark Peskanov, Alexander Peskanov, Robert DeMaine, Joseph Swenson, just to name a few.

As a soloist, Alexander has appeared with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, New York City Symphony, Manhattan Symphony Orchestra, the Oklahoma Symphony, Queens Symphony Orchestra (New York), the New Jersey State Symphony, Orquestra Simfonica de Jalapa, Taipei National Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Hong Kong and Korea. Locally, Alexander performs with the Symphony Orchestras of Detroit, Windsor, Southfield, Grosse Pointe and Dearborn. Also, Alexander has taught master classes and workshops in the US, Canada, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong and Mexico. For the past few years Alexander is very interested in the art of conducting, and has conducted Detroit area orchestras in Gross Pointe, Southfield, Dearborn, and Wayne State. Conducting teachers include: Neeme Jarvi, Leonid Grin, and Leonard Slatkin.

Edwin Olson, Concertmaster

Edwin Olson joined the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra in 2011 and has served as concertmaster since 2013. Prior to that, he was concertmaster of the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra in Massachusetts and played with the MIT Symphony Orchestra. In addition to orchestral work, he can occasionally be seen performing chamber music. Mr. Olson began playing at age five and has played continuously ever since. He plays a violin by Ann Arbor maker Joseph Curtin.

Mr. Olson earned a PhD in computer science and electrical engineering from MIT in 2008 for his work on building large maps using robots. He joined the computer science department at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2008 and is a member of UM’s robotics department. With his students, his lab has studied and published in many areas of robotics, including mapping, planning, machine perception, and human interfaces. He has worked extensively on autonomous cars, first at MIT during the DARPA Urban Challenge, followed by U-M, Ford, and Toyota Research Institute.

In 2017, Mr. Olson founded May Mobility, an Ann Arbor self-driving car startup where he serves as the chief executive officer. May Mobility’s vision is to make cities more beautiful, accessible, and equitable by creating new transit options that reduce the need for personal car ownership.

Mr. Olson lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, son, and daughter– all violinists.

Harris Andersen, Assistant Conductor

Harris Andersen currently serves as the Assistant Conductor of the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. He held the position of Assistant Conductor and Repetiteur for the inaugural installation of the 2022 Ithaca College Opera Studio, leading productions of scenes from Mozart’s Così fan tutte and Die Zauberflöte. 

A recent graduate of the Ithaca College School of Music, Harris studied piano with Charis Dimaras, violin with Calvin Wiersma, and conducting with Grant Cooper. While in Ithaca, Harris maintained a busy schedule accompanying colleagues in lessons, recitals, and masterclass throughout the string, wind, and voice areas on campus and across the hill at Cornell University. He has been hailed for his collaborative sensitivity and musical spirit whether directing early baroque ensembles from the harpsichord or working on brand-new contemporary scores. Harris won the 2022 Mary Hayes North Competition for senior piano majors and the 2020 Ithaca College Concerto Competition with the finale from Rachmaninov’s celebrated Second Piano Concerto. 

This past summer, Harris was featured as an International Baroque Soloist at the 25th Bach and Beyond Festival at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House under Maestro Grant Cooper. He was also named a 2022 Conducting Fellow at the Eastern Music Festival where he studied closely with Maestro Gerard Schwarz. At the festival, he led the Eastern Festival Orchestra in a performance of Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, played auxiliary keyboard parts for the student orchestras, navigated major symphonies from the piano for the lab orchestra reading sessions, and performed at the harpsichord on an all-Bach program consisting of the Brandenburg Concerti and other instrumental concerti. 

As an instrumentalist and conductor, Harris has been invited to participate in well-renowned music festivals such as the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Bowdoin International Music Festival, the International Keyboard Institute and Festival, and the Conductor’s Institute of South Carolina and has worked with famous artists including Sergei Babayan, Peter Serkin, and Jeremy Denk. His orchestra credits include playing keyboard with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra in performances of the Nutcracker, as rotating concertmaster of the Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Second of the Opera Orchestra. He is a proud alum of the Greater New Haven Youth Orchestra and Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra. 

Throughout the off-stage months of the pandemic, Harris took initiative in finding new ways of performing, for example hosting pop-up lawn concerts for his neighborhood recording and editing a video performance of the complete Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with a virtual orchestra of friends.

Adam C. Riccinto, Founder and Music Director

Adam C. Riccinto is the founding music director of the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra and is an active conductor, performer, and clinician throughout southeastern Michigan.  As an arts coach, Mr. Riccinto works with musicians and performers of all ages and disciplines to help them to advance their craft.  

Alongside the YSO, Mr. Riccinto also serves as the Director of Worship Arts at St. Michael Lutheran Church of Canton, MI where among other duties he conducts the Adult Choir, Bell Choir, and leads the contemporary worship band.  He also served as Director of Choral Activities and Arts Advisor at Ypsilanti Community Schools from 2014 – 2016.  Other teaching credits include strings and general music at Fortis Academy in Ypsilanti, Michigan from 2004 – 2008 and Elementary vocal music for the Taylor School District.   He is also a frequent guest clinician with regional High School and Middle School choirs and orchestras.

Prior to founding the YSO, Mr. Riccinto served as music director of the Tecumseh Pops Orchestra from 1996-1999. He has also held posts as Director of Music at Orchard United Methodist Church in Farmington Hills, MI, Interim Worship Pastor at First Baptist Church in Ypsilanti, Director of Music at Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church in Livonia, Michigan from 2000-2001 and the First United Methodist Church in Howell, Michigan from 1998-2000. Musical theater credits include vocal direction for the Ann Arbor Civic Theater, and musical direction for the Chelsea Area Players.

As a guest conductor, Mr. Riccinto has appeared with Spectrum Orchestra, the Royal Oak Symphony Orchestra, Chelsea Symphony of Manhattan, the Adrian Symphony Orchestra, the Warren Symphony Orchestra, Measure for Measure: A Men’s Choral Society, and Eastern Michigan University’s Collegium Musicum and Chamber Choir and other regional and school ensembles.

As a performer, Mr. Riccinto appears professionally throughout Metro Detroit as a pianist, vocalist, cellist, and guest conductor.   Outside of music, Adam is an entrepreneur and sales/organizational development coach.   He resides in Ypsilanti with his wife of twenty-four years, two sons, and labrador retriever, “Maestro.”

our supporters

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Note from the Director

Dear Friends,

Welcome back to the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra!  Over the past two decades we’ve grown closer as artists and as a community of musicians and listeners. After a fantastic return last season, we’re so grateful and excited to be back making music with you. We’re counting our blessings, grateful for health, and more energetic than ever to fulfill our mission of bringing great music to our audience and community. 

This year, we’re excited to have Assistant Conductor, Harris Andersen, join us on the artistic team. He is a fine conductor, pianist, and violinist, and has added a breadth of technical experience to the organization as well.

Over the years we’ve had the joy of performing with countless incredible soloists and guest ensembles.  We’ve worked with incredible partners like Lincoln Consolidated Schools, Washtenaw Community College, Eastern Michigan University, the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, The Sphinx Organization, The Henry Ford, Measure for Measure, the Boychoir of Ann Arbor, the Detroit Handbell Ensemble, Fortis Academy, the Ypsilanti District Library, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Opera on Tap, the Ypsi Community Choir, and countless others.  We’re incredibly grateful.

In December, February, and April, we’ll be right here at the Lincoln Performing Arts Center with special guests and a variety of programming from traditional music to holiday pops, to music from your favorite films and more. In May, we’ll return to Riverside Park for our annual Pops in the Park, a Memorial Day weekend tradition for over a decade!  Please join us online at www.ypsilantisymphony.org and follow us on Facebook to stay connected, get news, and learn about our musicians or inquire about playing in the orchestra.

It takes a village to keep the arts alive and flourishing.  We could never do it alone.  We need every one of our artistic collaborators, donors, advertisers, volunteers, musicians and of course, YOU, our loyal audience members to continue making music.  I urge and ask you to consider a tax-deductible financial gift to the YSO so we can continue to bring you great programming.   If you can squeeze out a few hours a month, we are in constant need of volunteers.  But mostly, I thank you for being with us today to hear us play. Without you, our joy of playing orchestral music would go unshared.   Thank you for coming. Thank you for your patience.  Thank you for supporting the arts. Welcome back, and welcome home.

Adam C. Riccinto, Founder and Music Director