Holland Symphony Orchestra

FREE Chamber Concert: Celebrating Black History Month
2025-02-09 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Saugatuck-Douglas Library, 174 Center Street, Douglas, MI, 49406, United States
Sunday, February 9, 2025, at 2 PM
Saugatuck Douglas Library – Admission is FREE
174 Center St, Douglas, MI 49406
Holland Symphony Orchestra String Quartet
Amanda Dykhouse, violin
Katie Bast, violin
Lauren Garza, viola
Lee Copenhaver, cello
“A Celebration of Black History Month”
Program
SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Fantasy Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 5
GEORGE WALKER Lyric for Strings George Walker
ANTONIN DVORÁK String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, “American”

ARTISTS
Amanda Walvoord Dykhouse began to study the violin at age five with Ellen Rizner. She went on to graduate from Interlochen Arts Academy and attend Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. She graduated with highest honors from Rice University in Houston, Texas, with degrees in music and religious studies. She pursued further training at the Meadowmount School of Music and Music Academy of the West. Her primary teacher was Kathleen Winkler. She subsequently pursued a Master of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary in Holland.
Amanda is currently the concertmaster of the Holland Symphony Orchestra and the principal second violin of the West Michigan Symphony in Muskegon. She performs frequently throughout the area, including several appearances as a soloist with the Holland Symphony Orchestra. She also plays regularly on the Free@3 recital series and the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck. She maintains a violin studio in Holland. Her students have won numerous local awards, including the Holland Symphony Orchestra’s concerto competition, have appeared on the NPR program, “From the Top,” and have been admitted into highly competitive undergraduate music programs. In addition to her musical activities, Amanda has served as a pastor (RCA) at two churches in Holland, Michigan.
Holland resident Katie Bast received her Bachelor’s of Music in Violin Performance from Southern Methodist University and her Master’s of Music in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy from the University of Minnesota. She is an Assistant Concertmaster of the Holland Symphony, a member of the West Michigan Symphony and the Holland Bach Society. Katie has published articles in the American Suzuki Journal, been awarded the Suzuki Association of the Americas “Certificate of Achievement” for teaching excellence and teaches in her home studio as well as at workshops around the country including the Blue Lake Suzuki Family Camp.
Lauren Garza is a Holland native and principal violist of the Holland Symphony. While she enjoys playing with her talented colleagues, her true joy is teaching. She maintains a private studio and facilitates experiential music programs with community partners through her Harmony Scholars Mobile Studio. She is the lead teaching artist and program manager for Tune Up, in Muskegon, MI. Lauren is also an artist in residence with the West Ottawa public schools orchestras. She is a graduate of Michigan State University (DMA and MM) and Hope College (BM).
Lee Copenhaver taught music theory/analysis, ear-training, counterpoint, and orchestration courses at Grand Valley State University. He has presented sessions on hymnody at Westminster Presbyterian Church and has conducted many small ensembles. He earned a BS and an MM (music education) and then an MA (cello) and a PhD (music theory) from the University of Iowa

Family Event: Musical Adventures of Ferdinand the Bull
2025-02-08 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Herrick North Branch Library Holland, 155 Riley Street, Holland, MI, 49424, United States
Free Kids Concert: The Musical Adventures of Ferdinand the Bull
Saturday, February 8, 2025
11 AM – 12 PM
Herrick North Branch Library, Holland
Community Room
Ideal for families with kids who love music and story time.
Back by popular demand! Join Herrick and a string quartet from your Holland Symphony Orchestra to enjoy a free performance of the beloved classic The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf accented with beautiful and dramatic music from the opera Carmen!
Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, Michigan Arts and Culture Council, and the Holland Symphony Orchestra Annual Fund.

HSO 2025 Norbert Mueller Memorial Young Artist Competition
2025-01-11 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College, 221 Columbia Ave., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
HSO 2025 Norbert Mueller Memorial Young Artist Competition
Saturday, January 11, 2025, at 1 PM
Jack H. Miller Center for Music Arts – Recital Hall
Admission is Free. No RSVP is required.
Experience passionate performances by rising stars as talented young musicians from West Michigan compete for the grand prize. A panel of hand-picked judges and a live audience will enjoy approximately 10 minutes of musical performance from each applicant. The winner will be announced at the conclusion of the concert. Featured instrumentalists included two violins, cello, clarinet, French horn , and bassoon.
Generously sponsored by the Mueller Fund.

Home for the Holidays (7:30pm)
2024-12-14 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Dimnent Chapel, 277 College Ave., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
Concert Sponsor:
Pat & Camy Thompson

Tickets

Program
Information
Artist bio

Program
Saturday, December 14, 2024, 7:30 p.m.Dimnent Chapel, Hope College
Johannes Müller Stosch, Music Director and ConductorJennie Judd Reyes, Soprano
Suite from Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66aPeter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Apotheosis Panorama Valse
O Holy NightAdolph Adam, arr. David T. Clydesdale
Dusk WaltzCecil Armstrong Gibbs
“Alleluia” From Exsultate jubilateWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Overture to Hansel and GretelEngelbert Humperdinck
Still, Still, StillTrad. German, arr. Robert Sterling
See Amid the Winter’s SnowEdward Caswall & John Goss, arr. Dan Forrest
Places Far AwayDaniel Fisher
Christmas SingalongJohn Finnegan
I’ll Be Home for ChristmasWalter Kent, arr. Marty Gold
“My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music
Richard Rodgers, Robert Russell Bennett
Breath of HeavenChris Eaton & Amy Grant, arr. Lloyd Larson
Sleigh RideLeroy Anderson
Concert Suite from The Polar ExpressAlan Silvestri, arr. Jerry Brubaker

Holland Symphony Orchestra presents a concert of tradiitonal holiday classics as we celebrate the season. Local favorite Jennie Reyes will join HSO to share her gifts with us.
Tickets are $29 for adults and $10 for students through college.
Learn more about the music…
We will be hosting not only the Classical Chat series at Freedom Village, but also Pre-Concert Talks! Details below:
Classical Chats at Freedom Village: These informative and fun talks are led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and take place at 3:00pm on the Thursday before each Classics concert. (Freedom Village, 6th Floor Auditorium, 145 Columbia Ave.)
Pre-Concert Talks: These talks, led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and Amanda Dykhouse, are online under the “Pre-Concert Talk” Tab.
New to the Symphony? Check out the Frequently Asked Question page…
Parking Map at the Miller Center
Holland Symphony Orchestra will reserve and monitor Lot 40 for handicapped parking. The faculty parking lots are available for parking after 5pm

Soprano, Jennie Judd Reyes is recognized for her vocal versatility and stage artistry, singing repertoire that spans from the baroque to the present as a soloist, chamber musician, and stage performer. Upcoming performances include Frasquita in Carmen; a collaboration with Deos Contemorary Ballet in their Ember series; Baroque Meditations, featuring works by Telemann, Bach, and Couperin; Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater; and Free at Three Concert Series in Holland, Michigan.
Recent engagements as a featured soloist include Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben BWV147 (VoxGR); Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 61 (Holland Bach Society); Considering Matthew Shepard (Fountain Street Church); Handel’s Messiah (Zeeland Civic Chorus); Broadway Holiday (Williamsport Symphony Orchestra); and Showtime: A Tribute to Marvin Hamlisch (Illinois Valley Symphony).
Judd is equally at home performing both operatic and musical theatre works. Recent stage credits include Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Opera Grand Rapids), Mabel in Pirates of Penzance (Opera Grand Rapids 2022; Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Chicago 2020), Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel (West Michigan Opera Project), Maria in The Sound of Music (Shadblow Theatre), Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide, Proserpine in Charpentier’s La descente d’Orphée aux enfers (UM Opera), Susanna (cover) and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro (Janiec Opera Company), and ensemble in NOAH and Miracle of Christmas (Sight & Sound Theatres).
Judd is a proud alumna of the University of Michigan (M.M.) where she peformed with the Contemporary Directions Ensemble, premiering new works such as George Lewis’, P. Multitudinis with members of the International Contemporary Ensemble, Steve Reich’s, “Tehilim,” and she sang the US premiere of Oliver Knussen’s, “O Hototogisu!” Judd worked closely with composer, Shuying Li performing the title role of Older Sister in “Who Married Star Husbands.”
Judd graduated from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music (B.M.) and spent two summers with the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center, where she received the Linda Candler Award for Outstanding Opera Student in 2016.
In addition to performing, Judd is the Operations Manager for the Holland Chorale and is an Adjunct Professor of Voice at Hope College.

Home for the Holidays (3:30pm)
2024-12-14 15:30 - 17:00 UTC | Dimnent Chapel, 277 College Ave., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
Concert Sponsor:
Pat & Camy Thompson

Tickets

Program
Information
Artist bio

Program
Saturday, December 14, 2024, 3:30 p.m.Dimnent Chapel, Hope College
Johannes Müller Stosch, Music Director and ConductorJennie Judd Reyes, Soprano
Suite from Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66aPeter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Apotheosis Panorama Valse
O Holy NightAdolph Adam, arr. David T. Clydesdale
Dusk WaltzCecil Armstrong Gibbs
“Alleluia” From Exsultate jubilateWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Overture to Hansel and GretelEngelbert Humperdinck
Still, Still, StillTrad. German, arr. Robert Sterling
See Amid the Winter’s SnowEdward Caswall & John Goss, arr. Dan Forrest
Places Far AwayDaniel Fisher
Christmas SingalongJohn Finnegan
I’ll Be Home for ChristmasWalter Kent, arr. Marty Gold
“My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music
Richard Rodgers, Robert Russell Bennett
Breath of HeavenChris Eaton & Amy Grant, arr. Lloyd Larson
Sleigh RideLeroy Anderson
Concert Suite from The Polar ExpressAlan Silvestri, arr. Jerry Brubaker

Holland Symphony Orchestra presents a concert of tradiitonal holiday classics as we celebrate the season. Local favorite Jennie Reyes will join HSO to share her gifts with us.
Tickets are $29 for adults and $10 for students through college.
Learn more about the music…
We will be hosting not only the Classical Chat series at Freedom Village, but also Pre-Concert Talks! Details below:
Classical Chats at Freedom Village: These informative and fun talks are led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and take place at 3:00pm on the Thursday before each Classics concert. (Freedom Village, 6th Floor Auditorium, 145 Columbia Ave.)
Pre-Concert Talks: These talks, led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and Amanda Dykhouse, are online under the “Pre-Concert Talk” Tab.
New to the Symphony? Check out the Frequently Asked Question page…
Parking Map at the Miller Center
Holland Symphony Orchestra will reserve and monitor Lot 40 for handicapped parking. The faculty parking lots are available for parking after 5pm

Soprano, Jennie Judd Reyes is recognized for her vocal versatility and stage artistry, singing repertoire that spans from the baroque to the present as a soloist, chamber musician, and stage performer. Upcoming performances include Frasquita in Carmen; a collaboration with Deos Contemorary Ballet in their Ember series; Baroque Meditations, featuring works by Telemann, Bach, and Couperin; Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater; and Free at Three Concert Series in Holland, Michigan.
Recent engagements as a featured soloist include Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben BWV147 (VoxGR); Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 61 (Holland Bach Society); Considering Matthew Shepard (Fountain Street Church); Handel’s Messiah (Zeeland Civic Chorus); Broadway Holiday (Williamsport Symphony Orchestra); and Showtime: A Tribute to Marvin Hamlisch (Illinois Valley Symphony).
Judd is equally at home performing both operatic and musical theatre works. Recent stage credits include Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Opera Grand Rapids), Mabel in Pirates of Penzance (Opera Grand Rapids 2022; Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Chicago 2020), Dew Fairy in Hansel and Gretel (West Michigan Opera Project), Maria in The Sound of Music (Shadblow Theatre), Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide, Proserpine in Charpentier’s La descente d’Orphée aux enfers (UM Opera), Susanna (cover) and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro (Janiec Opera Company), and ensemble in NOAH and Miracle of Christmas (Sight & Sound Theatres).
Judd is a proud alumna of the University of Michigan (M.M.) where she peformed with the Contemporary Directions Ensemble, premiering new works such as George Lewis’, P. Multitudinis with members of the International Contemporary Ensemble, Steve Reich’s, “Tehilim,” and she sang the US premiere of Oliver Knussen’s, “O Hototogisu!” Judd worked closely with composer, Shuying Li performing the title role of Older Sister in “Who Married Star Husbands.”
Judd graduated from Wheaton College Conservatory of Music (B.M.) and spent two summers with the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center, where she received the Linda Candler Award for Outstanding Opera Student in 2016.
In addition to performing, Judd is the Operations Manager for the Holland Chorale and is an Adjunct Professor of Voice at Hope College.

HSYO Fall Concert
2024-11-17 15:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | West Ottawa Harbor Lights Middle School, 1024 136th Ave, Holland, MI, 49424, United States
Concert Sponsors:

Holland Symphony Youth Orchestras
Fall ConcertSunday, November 17, 2024, 3:00pmWest Ottawa Performing Arts Center
Harbor Lights Middle School
Tickets are $10 at the door
Program
Holland Area Concert StringsKyle Nester, Music Director/Conductor
HANDEL Entrance of the Queen of Sheba (arr. H. B. Fisher)TCHAIKOVSKY Swan Lake, Act II, No. 10 (arr. Michael Hopkins)R. MEYER Idylls of PegasusB. RIDEOUT Scottish Mist (Arr. Bob Phillips)
Holland Area Youth OrchestraJosh Zallar, Music Director/Conductor
Selections from Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7
https://youtu.be/Kj6Wxz6Gpcs

Sounds of the Sea
2024-11-02 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College, 221 Columbia Ave., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
Concert Sponsors:
Ann & John Query andRuth & David Crouch
Sheet music sponsored by a generous gift from the Franklin Kraai Trust.

Program
Information
Program Notes
Artist bio
Pre-Concert Talk

Program
Saturday, November 2, 2024, 7:30 p.m.Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, Hope College
Johannes Müller Stosch, Music Director and ConductorAndrew Le, Piano
Angels of Fire and Ice Ana Lara (b. 1959)
Angel of DarknessAngel of the DawnAngel of LightAngel of the Sunset
Piano Concerto in G MajorMaurice Ravel (1875-1937)
AllegrettoAndante con moto: Commencer très calmamentRondeau a La Française: Presto giocoso
Restless OceansAnna Clyne (b. 1980)
La Mer (The Sea)Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
From Dawn to Noon on the Sea: très lent – animez peu à peuPlay of the Waves: Allegro (dans un rythme très souple) – animéDialogue of the Wind and the Sea: Animé et tumultueux – cédez très légèrement

The concert on Saturday, November 2, 2024, 7:30 p.m. at the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, Hope College will feature the return to Holland of one of our favorite artists, Andrew Le, pianist. He will perform Francis Poulenc’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra with Johannes Müller Stosch, Music Director and Conductor, conducting. The concert will open with Ana Lara’s striking Fire and Ice. Anne Clyne’s Restless Oceans will lead the way to Claude Debussy’s epic masterpiece, La Mer.
Tickets are $29 for adults and $10 for students through college.
Learn more about the music…
We will be hosting not only the Classical Chat series at Freedom Village, but also Pre-Concert Talks! Details below:
Classical Chats at Freedom Village: These informative and fun talks are led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and take place at 3:00pm on the Thursday before each Classics concert. (Freedom Village, 6th Floor Auditorium, 145 Columbia Ave.)
Pre-Concert Talks: These talks, led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and Amanda Dykhouse, are online under the “Pre-Concert Talk” Tab.
New to the Symphony? Check out the Frequently Asked Question page…
Parking Map at the Miller Center
Holland Symphony Orchestra will reserve and monitor Lot 40 for handicapped parking. The faculty parking lots are available for parking after 5pm

Angels of Fire and Ice (Ángeles del llama y hielo)Ana Lara
Born: November 30, 1959Written: 1994Premiered: September 2, 1994, Mexico City, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de MéxicoApproximate Duration: 20 minutesInstrumentation: 2 flutes, piccolo, alto flute, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, tam-tam, thunder sheet, tom-toms, triangle, tubular bells, vibraphone, wind machine), 2 harps, celeste, and strings
Ana Lara is one of the most respected composers in Mexico today. She studied piano and composition in Mexico City, Warsaw, and Baltimore. She has been composer in residence with the Mexico National Symphony Orchestra. She composes in a variety of genres, ranging from chamber music to musical theater to choreographed dance works. Lara says that the composers who influenced her most are Arvo Pärt and Henryk Górecki. She likes to explore the use of continuous sound in her work, as well as exploring microtonality and heterophony. Lara describes her music as “international and abstract, but deeply Mexican in its soul.”
Lara composed Angels of Fire and Ice in 1994. It is a spiritual reflection on time, with four angels representing stages in human life: darkness, dawn, light, and sunset. She uses huge sounds to represent the inexorable, ongoing cycle of life, and she uses quiet sounds to evoke awe, elemental powers, and deep silence. The piece starts with very quiet low notes, describing a quiet beginning. Energy begins to gather with swooping string gestures, bird-like woodwinds, booming percussion, and interjections from the brass instruments. This finally subsides back into silence. She based the piece on poetry by Mexican poet Francisco Serrano. Lara said, “Francisco Serrano’s poems speak of four angels, four cardinal points, four states of being, four moments of the day, and this gave me the idea to approach the orchestra in four different forms. It was never my intention to compose songs from the poems, but to take from them the basis for an orchestral work in four parts that alludes to the spirit of each poem and, in a way, to the structure of the poems: sonnet form. I tried to stay very true to the texts during the composition process and I had many conversations with the poet in which we discussed our respective interpretations. This work emerged, whose parts have a very close relationship between the literary origins and my musical version.”
Angels of Fire and Ice was premiered on September 2, 1994 by the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico in Mexico City. Lara dedicated it to their music director, Arturo Diemecke, who later became the Music Director of Long Beach Symphony in California from 2001-2014. The two orchestras jointly commissioned another piece by Lara in 2004.
To listen to a recording of Angels of Fire and Ice, click here.
Angels of Flame and Ice Francisco Serrano
To Ana Lara
Angel of Darkness
Imperious, glacial, like a bare blade of cold steel He suddenly appears, dark in the place of shadows, On the edge of silence, unrelenting, unvanquished, Terrible messenger of an existence that has not been reached.
He is a wind born of the void to gnaw at the body (Body itself) to leave it in an instant, intact. Prisoner perhaps of an excessive bliss,There is no passion in the angel: He is the stranger.
An acrid air precedes him, a limitless fog, A being without limits, coalesced shadow, breath of the breath. Being of silence, angel so sad, do you grieve for us?
Do you take for yourself what you need, or get back what is yours? Will this flesh be of use when death Finally breathes under your incomprehensible light?
Angel of Dawn
Is there no place for the angels to spread their wings? In the loose breeze of the first light He sparkles, indelible, a face Kneaded from water and fire and air and salt.
He hovers over time, like a flowing sky, Wing and skin undulating at the edge of bright water. With very gentle hands, a sketch of gold in each finger, He reaches towards light that fulfills its promise.
Angel, sacred vessel of being, incandescent condensation of the cosmos, Prescient space, in your grace everything is about to be born. Would you accept a prayer addressed to you?
The world is like rain that does not sustain you. The angel has no roots: he moves among us Detached from the earthly heart, like a hostage.
Angel of Light
Angels, birds of the abyss, are they so different from us? A breath of crystals coming from afar, A superior command, shining and hidden, Pure love unlimited within the boundaries of the spirit?
Maybe your diaphanous nature is not inaccessible to us. In the exact center of the heart, Beyond pleasure and grief, You exist alongside of anguish, like an act of love.
And if we shouted, would you hear us? If you descended upon us, could we keep silent? We can only guess at your strength, at your pitiless mediation.
The song of the earth is the trace of his passing; The white light of noon, his shadow. He is stillness. He does not last.
Angel of Dusk
Like a window opened on an untended garden, Like a wasteland beneath the open sky, They are beings that see with their eyes closed, Shadows of a body in search of its form.
They wander among us, sleepwalkers, Extravagant, like the blind without a face, Fire greedy for light, impenetrable fire surrounded by water. Where they alight, dancing ceases.
Angels of dusk, messengers Of who knows what vacant and higher kingdom, They turn into night with each one of us.
In the boundaries of time, in the crack between life and death, They stalk in the crevices of consciousness, formless, While a dove flutters in a frightfully severed sky…
Piano Concerto in GMaurice Ravel
Born: March 7, 1875, Ciboure, FranceDied: December 28, 1937, Paris, FranceWritten: 1931
Premiered: January 14, 1932, Paris, Lamoureux Orchestra, Ravel conducting, soloist Marguerite Long Approximate Duration: 23 minutesInstrumentation: solo piano, piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, E-flat clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, trumpets, trombone, timpani, percussion (bass drum, snare drum, suspended cymbal, tam-tam, triangle, whip, woodblock), harp, strings
Maurice Ravel was born on the French side of the border with Spain when his father, an engineer and inventor, was working on railroad construction projects. Shortly thereafter, his family returned to Paris, but Ravel always felt strongly connected to the Basque area on the Spanish border. He began his musical studies at age seven and started composing when he was eighteen, publishing his first works at age twenty.
Ravel thought about writing a piano concerto for a long time, but didn’t start until he was in his fifties. He toured the United States in 1928, receiving a lot of acclaim for Boléro. When he got home he started writing his concerto and planned on performing it on a grand tour that would include not only the United States but also South America, East Asia, and Europe. Right after he started this piece he received a commission from Paul Wittgenstein, an Austrian pianist who had lost his right arm in World War I, asking Ravel to compose a concerto for the left hand. After he completed his commission Ravel returned to his G Major concerto. He shut himself off from the rest of the world, working long hours each day to finish it. It ended up being his last orchestral composition. Later in 1932 he developed a neurological disease that no longer allowed him to play piano, speak, compose, or conduct.
Ravel had strong feelings about concertos. He wrote in the summer of 1931, as he was finishing this concerto, that his piece was a “concerto in the strict sense, written in the spirit of Mozart and Saint-Saëns,” and that “the music of a concerto should, in my opinion, be lighthearted and brilliant, and not aim at profundity or at dramatic effects. It has been said of certain classics that their concertos were written not ‘for’ but ‘against’ the piano. I heartily agree. I had intended to title this concerto ‘Divertissement.’ Then it occurred to me that there was no need to do so because the title ‘Concerto’ should be sufficiently clear.” With this statement he was criticizing weighty pieces like Brahms’ second concerto. He was much more in favor of writing in the style of Mozart and Saint-Saëns, who wrote to showcase the virtuosity of the soloist. Ravel definitely wrote a piece that embraces flash and spectacle, and was in fact so difficult that he did not feel he would do it justice as its soloist. Marguerite Long premiered the piece on January 14, 1932, and Ravel conducted.
The concerto opens with the crack of a whip followed by the opening theme in the piccolo and trumpet. Soon the English horn changes the mood to a slower, Spanish-sounding theme, accompanied by a strumming piano figure that imitates Spanish guitars. Then the clarinet introduces a jazz and blues melody, inspired by American jazz as reflected by George Gershwin. Ravel and Gershwin greatly admired each other. This concerto by Ravel borrows so much from Gershwin that some have called it the sequel to Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and Gershwin’s Concerto in F (1925).
Ravel claimed that the slow movement of this concerto was one of the most difficult things he ever wrote, and he was only able to compose one or two measures at a time. He lamented, “that flowing phrase! How I worked over it bar by bar! It nearly killed me!” The result was one of his most expressive and beautifully crafted melodies, inspired by Mozart’s clarinet quintet. The piano begins alone, playing a stately sarabande in the right hand and a leisurely waltz in the left hand. The orchestra enters in a mournful dialogue with the piano.
The final movement is a short whirlwind. It begins with a drum roll and a fanfare, and then proceeds like a circus race, lasting only about four minutes. Like the first movement, it has many elements of jazz, including clarinet riffs, trombone slides, and brass fanfares. A sharp percussion crack recalls the opening, leading the music to an exciting and abrupt end.
To watch a video of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, click here.
Restless OceansAnna Clyne
Born: March 9, 1980, LondonWritten: 2018Premiered: January 22, 2019, World Economic Forum, Davos SwitzerlandApproximate Duration: 4 minutesInstrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 French horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, percussion (bass drum and snare drum), strings
British composer Anna Clyne is one of the most frequently performed contemporary composers today. She is known for collaborating with artists from a variety of disciplines–visual art, dance, film, and poetry–to compose a variety of creative musical works. She studied at University of Edinburgh and Manhattan School of Music. She was nominated for a GRAMMY award in 2015. She has been a composer-in-residence for the Chicago, Baltimore, Berkeley, BBC, and Helsinki symphonies. For a long time she has been interested in using symphony instruments to portray sounds from nature. She even recorded a piece written for cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a forest. She noted in a 2021 interview, “I think orchestration is like painting—you combine different instruments to create your own orchestral colours.”
She composed Restless Oceans In 2018, drawing on a variety of traditions of “pastoral” music. The piece includes a gentle flute melody over bubbling woodwing parts. Borrowing from a very different tradition of nature-inspired music, exemplified in Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, she also includes heavily accented notes and unpredictable rhythms. She asks performers to sing as well as play their instruments, adding stomps and sharper syllables for punctuation of dramatic moments.
She writes about the piece: “I composed Restless Oceans for Marin Alsop and the Taki Concordia Orchestra for performance at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. The piece received its world premiere at the opening ceremony in 2019 where Marin Alsop was presented with the Forum’s prestigious Crystal Award in recognition of her championship of diversity in music. This work draws inspiration and its title from A Woman Speaks – a poem by Audre Lorde and was composed with this particular all-women orchestra in mind. In addition to playing their instruments, the musicians are also called to use their voices in song and strong vocalizations, and their feet to stomp and to bring them to stand united at the end. My intention was to write a defiant piece that embraces the power of women. Restless Oceans is dedicated with thanks to Marin Alsop.”
Clyne takes her title for this piece from a line in the poem and includes the full poem in the printed conductor’s score for this piece. She doesn’t intend for her piece to portray the poem in any precise way, but hopes her audiences will read the poem to give hearers another way to connect to the auditory experience of the piece.
To watch a performance of Restless Oceans by Johannes’s university orchestra, click here.
A Woman Speaks Audre Lorde
Moon marked and touched by sunmy magic is unwrittenbut when the sea turns backit will leave my shape behind.I seek no favoruntouched by bloodunrelenting as the curse of lovepermanent as my errorsor my prideI do not mixlove with pitynor hate with scornand if you would know melook into the entrails of Uranuswhere the restless oceans pound.
I do not dwellwithin my birth nor my divinitieswho am ageless and half-grownand still seekingmy sisterswitches in Dahomeywear me inside their coiled clothsas our mother didmourning.
I have been womanfor a long timebeware my smileI am treacherous with old magicand the noon’s new furywith all your wide futurespromisedI amwomanand not white.
La Mer (The Sea)Claude Debussy
Born: August 22, 1862, Saint Germain-en-Laye, Départment of Seine-et-Oise, FranceDied: March 25, 1918, ParisWritten: 1903-05Premiered: October 15, 1905, Paris, Lamoureux Orchestra, conductor Camille ChevillardApproximate Duration: 24 minutesInstrumentation: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 cornets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, glockenspiel, tam-tam, and triangle), 2 harps, and strings
Claude Debussy loved the sea. He grew up listening to his father, a sailor, tell dramatic stories of his life on the water. He spent some of his holidays at the seaside, in Cannes and Arcachon and at the Villa Medici near Rome. He had one frightening voyage in a small boat near Brittany. He visited London a few times, crossing via the English Channel. On these trips he spent a lot of time with paintings by J. M. W. Turner, whose work he admired and studied. These and other paintings, especially by French Impressionist artists, added to his romantic fascination with the sea. Debussy wrote to his publisher, “I have loved the ocean and listened to it passionately…. The sea is always endless and beautiful. It is really the thing in nature which best puts you in your place…. The sea has been very good to me. She has shown me all her moods. You do not know perhaps that I was intended for the fine career of a sailor and only the chances of life led me away from it.… I have an endless store of memories…. Music is a free art, boundless as the elements, the wind, the sky, and the sea.”
Debussy began working on La Mer in 1903. He subtitled it, “Symphonic Sketches.” This musical triptych gives listeners three “portraits” of the sea. His first movement, “From Dawn to Noon on the Sea,” depicts the movement of the sun from below the horizon to directly overhead the listeners. The cellos usher in the dawn with a quiet, rising two note motive. Muted brass instruments add a small theme that also appears in the last movement. The ocean is quiet in this movement, but the power is present beneath the calm surface, as motion emerges as dawn emerges. Eventually flutes and clarinets suggest splashing waves, momentum builds, and then cellos sing a lyrical tune that rises and falls with the waves. As the morning progresses the water becomes livelier, with quickly appearing melodic phrases. A brass chorale ushers in the bright light of noon.
The second movement, “The Play of the Waves,” also begins quietly, but soon this music gets faster and more energetic. This music functions as a scherzo or intermezzo, with lighter textures than the weight and density found in the outer movements. The waves and the rhythms are irregular and full of quick melodies. Woodwinds are featured. The sea’s force is tangible under light woodwind textures. The sea becomes silent at the end.
In the third section, “Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea,” the low strings open with an ominous and foreboding mood, as if promising that a storm will appear soon. An exquisite melody arises out of the musical forces, possibly suggesting a mermaid’s song. Various woodwind instruments continue the dialogue until the horns usher in a climax of surging water and waves, recalling the first movement in the form of a stormy dialogue.
To watch a video of La Mer, click here.

To watch the pre-concert video, click here.

Tickets

An American in Paris
2024-09-14 19:30 UTC | Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College, 221 Columbia Ave., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
Concert Sponsor:
In memory of Floyd Farmer

Tickets

Program
Information
Program Notes
Artist bio
Pre-Concert Talk

Program
Saturday, September 14, 2024, 7:30 p.m.Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, Hope College
Johannes Müller Stosch, Music Director and Conductor
Christopher Houlihan, organ
Idylle (US Premiere)Joseph Marx (1882-1964)
Toccata Festiva for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 36Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Christopher Houlihan, Organ
Dances in the CanebrakesFlorence Price (1887-1953)
Nimble FeetTropical NoonSilk Hat and Walking Cane
An American in ParisGeorge Gershwin (1898-1937)

“An American in Paris,” the opening concert of the 24-25 season, will be held Saturday, September 14, 2024, 7:30 p.m. Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, Hope College, Johannes Müller Stosch, Music Director. Organ virtuoso Christopher Houlihan makes his HSO debut performing Samuel Barber’s magnificent Toccata Festiva for Organ and Orchestra. The concert will also feature Florence Price’s delightful Dances in the Canebrakes and Josef Marx’s Idylle. The evening will conclude with George Gershwin’s well-loved An American in Paris.
Tickets are $29 for adults and $10 for students through college.
Learn more about the music…
We will be hosting not only the Classical Chat series at Freedom Village, but also Pre-Concert Talks! Details below:
Classical Chats at Freedom Village: These informative and fun talks are led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and take place at 3:00pm on the Thursday before each Classics concert. (Freedom Village, 6th Floor Auditorium, 145 Columbia Ave.)
Pre-Concert Talks: These talks, led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and Amanda Dykhouse, are online under the “Pre-Concert Talk” Tab.
New to the Symphony? Check out the Frequently Asked Question page…
Parking Map at the Miller Center
Holland Symphony Orchestra will reserve and monitor Lot 40 for handicapped parking. The faculty parking lots are available for parking after 5pm

Click here for Printable Program Notes
Idylle: Concertino on the Pastoral FourthJoseph Marx
Born: May 11, 1882, GrazDied: September 3, 1964, GrazWritten: 1926Premiered: March 4, 1926, ViennaApproximate Duration: 15 minutesInstrumentation: 3 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 3 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, percussion (tambourine, triangle, xylophone), 2 harps, celeste, strings
Joseph Marx was born in Graz, Austria. His mother taught him piano at an early age, and he taught himself how to play violin and cello. He went to Graz University. His father wanted him to study law, but Marx initially focused on philosophy, earning a Ph.D. in that field. When he turned more fully to musical studies it led to a break with his family, who forbade him to go into music as a career. He was a key figure in the emerging musical languages of the early twentieth century. He wrote an important scholarly study of tonality in which he coined the term “atonal.”
Marx began composing as his primary occupation in 1908, ultimately writing over 150 songs. He focused on orchestral pieces in the 1920s and 1930s, followed by a time devoted to chamber music. He assumed a faculty position at the Vienna Music Academy in 1914 and eventually became the director. He had a lot of influence on many musicians and composers, teaching over 1300 students from around the world. He was also one of the most prominent music critics in Vienna, particularly in the 1930s, and published influential books on music theory. When the Nazis came to power he had to resign his posts, instead speaking on cultural topics, but found various ways to secretly help Jewish families.
As a composer Marx was concerned about upholding the Viennese classical tradition, both in the forms he used, such as waltzes, and the use of Austrian folk music. He also included Impressionist, Slavonic, and Italian elements. Following World War II he thought of himself as a “father figure” for conservative, tonal music. He was well known in his lifetime but much of his music fell out of notice due to cultural and political upheaval.
Marx wrote Idylle–Concertino on the Pastoral Fourth during a time in his life when he focused on impressionistic orchestral music. This piece is the middle part of his Nature Trilogy, which opens with Symphonic Night Music, written in 1922, and closes with Spring Music, composed in 1925. This trilogy is a blend of romantic lyricism and impressionism all trying to depict Marx’s homeland. Marx uses more restraint in Idylle than in the other two movements, writing for a traditional-sized orchestra and using a sensitive style. His subtitle, “Concertino on the Pastoral Fourth,” refers to the “perfect fourth,” a musical interval spanning a four note range. With his gentle impressionistic tenderness, he creates a pastoral fantasy in F Major (the same key as Beethoven’s sixth “pastoral” symphony) based on that interval. The piece is inspired by Debussy’s “Afternoon of a Faun” and has been called its “Austrian counterpart. Marx transports his listeners into dreamy atmospheres and southern landscapes, all at a hazy distance. The piece is framed by a solo clarinet, which sets the feel and character of the work, in an adaptation of the solo flute part in Debussy’s work.
Click here to listen to Idylle.
Toccata Festiva for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 36Samuel Barber
Born: March 9, 1910, Westchester, PADied: January 23, 1981, New York CityWritten: 1960Approximate Duration: 14 minutesInstrumentation: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, triangle, tam-tam, xylophone), strings
In 1906 the Philadelphia Academy of Music installed a new pipe organ. Mary Curtis Zimbalist, who had founded the Curtis Institute of Music in the 1920s, funded the organ. She told Eugene Ormandy, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the time, “I’m giving you that pipe organ you’ve been longing for,” assuring him that cost was no obstacle. The result was a massive Aeolian-Skinner organ which was said to be the largest movable pipe organ in the world. It had three manuals and 4102 pipes, and could be moved on stage for a performance and stored away afterward. It cost $150,000 at the time.
Samuel Barber was a natural choice to write a piece for the inauguration of this new instrument. He was a son of Philadelphia and one of the first students at the Curtis Institute of Music, soon becoming one of its most famous alumni. Zimbalist offered Barber $2000 for the commission, but Barber wanted to donate the piece to the orchestra and to the Curtis Institute. He wrote it in the spring of 1960 at his summer home in Mt. Kisco, New York. It was premiered on September 30, 1960, with Paul Callaway, the organist and choir director at the National Cathedral, as the soloist.
Barber composed a single movement festive toccata for the occasion. The term toccata is derived from the Italian word for touch. As a musical form, it is a loosely defined term for a piece written for a solo instrument, usually a keyboard instrument, that was full of fast passages, chords, and other virtuoso techniques intended to show off the performer’s “touch.” Toccatas date back to the renaissance but found their peak in the time of Johann Sebastian Bach, who wrote several difficult and groundbreaking toccatas. Barber included many virtuosic elements, including a cadenza just for the pedals, along with his characteristic lyricism. The organ and orchestra work together; a theme in the organ’s reed pipes is repeated by the English horn, and the trumpets and trumpet stops echo each other’s melodies. It has a celebratory quality and derives much of its energy from a motif in 5/8 time. It was received with excitement and acclaim, and has remained an important milestone in organists’ repertoire since its inception.
Click here to watch a video of Toccata Festiva.
Dances in the CanebrakesFlorence Price
Born: Little Rock, Arkansas, April 9, 1887Died: Chicago, Illinois, June 3, 1953Written: 1953 (solo piano version)Orchestrated: William Grant StillApproximate duration: 9 minutesInstrumentation: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, alto saxophone, 3 French horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, timpani and percussion (castanets, claves, glockenspiel, snare drum, suspended cymbal, triangle, vibraphone), harp, and strings
Florence Price was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her mother was a music teacher and her father was the only African-American dentist in the city. Even though Little Rock had lots of racial issues, the family was well-respected. Florence’s mother guided her early musical studies. At age four she performed for the first time on the piano, and published her first composition at age eleven. After graduating high school as valedictorian at age fourteen, she attended New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, majoring in organ and piano teaching. She also studied composition.
Upon her graduation in 1906, Price taught at Clark Atlanta University, becoming head of the music department. She eventually got married and moved back to Little Rock, where she raised two daughters. She had trouble finding work in that segregated town. After a series of racial incidents, including a lynching in 1927, the Price family moved to Chicago. Price met a lot of other musicians there and began her composition career. She also worked for a time as an organist for silent film showings. She studied with many of the city’s leading teachers, spending time at Chicago Musical College, University of Chicago, and American Conservatory of Music, and became part of the Chicago Black Renaissance. Ultimately she composed over 300 works. In 1932 she became the first African American woman to have a work played by a major orchestra when the Chicago Symphony played her first symphony. Chicago honored her in 1964 by naming an elementary school after her.
After she died, much of Price’s work fell out of favor as new styles emerged. A lot of her music was lost until the discovery of over 200 pieces in an abandoned house in 2009 outside St. Anne, Illinois, that Price used as a summer home late in her life. In recent years many of her works have been re-published or published for the first time. Orchestras, in an effort to recognize underrepresented composers, have helped audiences discover and enjoy her delightful music.
Price’s music draws heavily on the American musical sounds that surrounded her. She was a devoted Christian and used a lot of spirituals–both their melodic sounds and rhythms–in her symphonic pieces. Many of her works focused on the experience, folk songs, and dances of Black Americans. This is true of Dances in the Canebrakes, a collection of three piano pieces. Canebrakes are dense clusters or fields of tall cane plants that grow in marshy areas. They resemble thick bamboo patches. They are common in the south, and often had to be cleared before cultivating land for cotton crops.
These three pieces are based on stage and ballroom dances that were common in the early 1900s, when Scott Joplin’s music was popular. The first movement, “Nimble Feet,” is a rag with a cheerful melody. The second dance, “Tropical Noon,” is a “slow drag” with a dream-like melody, contrasted by a more assertive middle section. The last movement, “Silk Hat and Walking Cane,” is based on the “cakewalk,” full of the excitement and whirling energy of a crowded Harlem ballroom. These dances were orchestrated by William Grant Still shortly after Price’s death.
Click here to listen to Dances in the Canebrakes.
An American in ParisGeorge Gershwin
Born: September 26, 1898, Brooklyn, NYDied: July 11, 1937, Hollywood, CAWritten: March – June 1928, while Gershwin and his siblings were vacationing in ParisPremiered: December 13, 1928, New York PhilharmonicApproximate Duration: 17 minutesInstrumentation: 3 flutes, one doubling piccolo, 2 oboes, English Horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpet, 3 trombones, tuba, 3 saxophones (alto, tenor, baritone) timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, glockenspiel, 4 taxi horns, 2 tom-toms, triangle, wood block, xylophone), celeste, strings
George Gershwin, born Jacob Gershwine, is one of America’s most beloved composers, known for incorporating popular music and jazz into classical music. He began his musical career as a pianist and “song plugger,” usually a singer or pianist employed by a department store, music store or song publisher to promote and sell new sheet music, which is how publishers advertised before recordings were readily available. Gershwin also wrote Broadway songs along with his brother Ira. During this time, from 1915 to 1921, he took “classical” harmony and counterpoint lessons to improve his compositional skills.
Gershwin, looking to advance his compositional career, moved to Paris, hoping to study with Nadia Boulanger or Maurice Ravel. Boulanger refused him, saying that too much “classical” training would ruin his jazz-influenced style. Ravel had recently been impressed by Gershwin’s compositional abilities and his skill as a pianist during a performance of Rhapsody in Blue in Ravel’s honor. Ravel also turned down Gershwin’s request for composition lessons, telling Gershwin that he should be “a first rate Gershwin rather than a second-rate Ravel.” Ravel also complimented Gershwin by writing his Piano Concerto in G in the style of Gershwin the following year.
An American in Paris was an important compositional milestone for Gershwin. He wrote Rhapsody in Blue a few years earlier, but Ferde Grofé orchestrated the piece, for which Gershwin was criticized. With An American in Paris, the first piece that Gershwin composed and orchestrated, he quieted the skeptics who doubted his abilities, demonstrating his skill at using the diverse palate of orchestral colors. The premiere by the New York Philharmonic was a big success. Some critics doubted the piece’s longevity. A writer for the New York Evening Post’s suggested that while An American in Paris might be popular in 1928, “to conceive of a symphony audience listening to it with any degree of pleasure or patience twenty years from now, when whoopee is no longer even a word, is another matter.” Those critics have been proven wrong by almost a century of ongoing performances and recordings. As Gershwin said, “It’s not a Beethoven symphony, you know. If it pleases symphony audiences as a light, jolly piece, a series of impressions musically expressed, it succeeds.”
An American in Paris doesn’t have a formal structure, but instead follows an “episodic” path. Gershwin said, “My purpose here is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris, as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere…. As in my other orchestral compositions, I’ve not endeavored to represent any definite scenes in this music. The rhapsody is programmatic only in a general impressionistic way, so that the individual listener can read into the music such as his imagination pictures for him.” It is structured in three large sections with a concluding coda, interspersed with a lot of themes meant to portray walking. The opening section is based on the maxixe, a Brazilian dance, evoking the busyness of Paris with many short rhythmic cells, including those produced by taxi-horns, and a big variety of pitched percussion instruments. Of this first section, Gershwin noted: “it will be developed in typical French style, in the manner of Debussy and the Six [Les Six], though all the themes are original.” A violin cadenza leads into “a rich blues… Our American friend, perhaps after strolling into a cafe and having a couple of drinks, has succumbed to a spasm of homesickness.” This is portrayed by a bluesy trumpet solo. This “American” section concludes with a Charleston played by a couple of trumpets. The concluding section is an energetic finale meant to portray all the excitement and glitter of nightfall in the City of Light.
Click here to watch a video of An American in Paris.
Christopher Houlihan
The organist Christopher Houlihan has established an international reputation as an “intelligently virtuoso musician” (Gramophone), hailed for his “glowing, miraculously life-affirming performances” (Los Angeles Times). Houlihan has concertized at major venues throughout the United States, including the Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), the Kimmel Center (Philadelphia), Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco), and Walt Disney Concert Hall, where he performed with the principal Brass of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Los Angeles Times raved about his Disney Hall debut, proclaiming, “Houlihan is the next big organ talent.”
Houlihan’s performances in 2024 include a return invitation to the Aspen Music Festival (Colorado) and orchestral performances with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra (Carolyn Kuan, conductor). Performances in recent seasons included solo recitals presented by the Madison Symphony Orchestra (Wisconsin), the Pacific Symphony (Costa Mesa, CA), and the Celebrity Recital Series at St. Paul’s Cathedral (London).
Noted for his compelling performances of Louis Vierne’s organ works, Houlihan’s “Vierne 2012” tour attracted international attention and critical acclaim for marathon recitals of Vierne’s six organ symphonies in six major North American cities. The Los Angeles Times called his performance there “a major surprise of the summer, a true revelation.” Building on this excitement and acclaim, Houlihan’s latest recording on Azica Records (released in 2023) features Vierne’s Symphony No. 6 and César Franck’s Grande Piece Symphonique. The recording was praised by The American Organist, which remarked, “as for Houlihan himself, he just keeps getting better.”
Christopher Houlihan’s orchestral performances in past seasons include Joseph Jongen’s Symphonie Concertante (Carolyn Kuan, conductor) and Barber’s Toccata Festiva (Edward Cumming, conductor) with the Hartford Symphony, Poulenc’s Organ Concerto with the Waterbury (CT) and Columbus (GA) Symphonies, and the Organ Concerto by Robert Edward Smith with the Boston Chamber Orchestra (David Feltner, conductor). He has been presented in recital at numerous conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society. In 2017 he was the featured performer at the closing concert of the AGO Southeast Regional Convention at Jacoby Symphony Hall in Jacksonville, where he presented the world premiere of Han Lash’s Ludus (written specifically for Houlihan). In 2014, he performed in a prime-time slot of WQXR’s All-Day Bach Organ Marathon in New York City which was webcast live and seen by thousands.
In 2017, Houlihan released Christopher Houlihan plays Bach (Azica). Recorded at Trinity College, the album was praised as “playful, celebratory and sparkling with color” (The Whole Note), and American Record Guide stated, “there’s no denying Houlihan’s extraordinary achievement.” Houlihan’s other recordings include music by Maurice Duruflé and Jehan Alain, and Organ Symphony No. 2 by Louis Vierne, both on Towerhill Records.
Christopher Houlihan is the John Rose Distinguished College Organist and Director of Chapel Music, and Artist-in-Residence at Trinity College, Hartford, where he succeeds his former teacher, John Rose. Since 2022, he also serves as Artistic Director of the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival Hartford which presents one of the premier North American organ performance competitions for young organists.
In addition to his studies at Trinity College, Houlihan studied with Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs at The Juilliard School and with Jean-Baptiste Robin at the French National Regional Conservatory in Versailles. In 2015 he was selected for The Diapason’s “20 Under 30,” a distinguished list of young leaders in the organ world. More information is at ChristopherHoulihan.com.
To listen to the pre-concert talk, click here.

HSO Brass at Cappon House
2024-08-15 17:30 - 20:00 UTC | Cappon House, 228 W. 9th Street, Holland, MI, 49423, United States
Sounds of Summer: HSO Brass at Cappon House
Thursday, August 15, 2024
Cappon House Lawn – 228 W. 9th St., Holland, MI
5:30-6:45 PM – Celebrate 150 years of Cappon House legacy by taking a tour during the open house!
7 PM – Bring your chairs and lawn blankets and enjoy the sounds of summer with the HSO Brass Ensemble in works by Sousa, Cohan, Gershwin, Copland, Neil Diamond, and John William’s iconic Star Wars theme.
Bruce Formsma (trumpet), Gregory Alley (trumpet), Greg Bassett (horn), Adam Graham (trombone), and Brendan Bohnhorst (tuba).
Tickets: $7 adults, $5 seniors, $3 students. Museum members and children 5 and under are FREE. Click here to register.
Rain date: Friday, August 16 from 5:30-8 PM
Hosted by Holland Museum. Sponsors: Michigan Arts & Culture Council and the National Endowment of the Arts.

Books and Blooms with HSO Brass
2024-08-12 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Windmill Island Gardens, 1 Lincoln Avenue, Holland, MI, 49423, United States
Join Books and Bloom and the Holland Symphony Brass Quintet at Windmill Island Gardens for children’s story times, accompanied by live music, and fun activities. Our friends at the Herrick District Library will present “Casey at the Bat” with live brass music as part of Windmill Island’s new summer storytime series.
Monday, August 10, 2024, from 10 AM to 12 PM at Windmill Island Gardens, Holland, Michigan
Children can create their own Living Necklace with help from the MSU Extension! Learn about plant germination and take your plant home to care for, watch grow, and… wear!
FREE for Holland Residents
Non-Residents: Adults $12, Children (3-15) $6
More information on FaceBook and at Books and Blooms.

Community Concert: Music Unites Us - Brazil!
2024-08-10 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | Kollen Park Henry VanderLinde Bandshell, 240 Kollen Park Dr., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
Concert Sponsors:

Program
Information
Artist bios

Community Concert: Music Unites Us – Brazil!
Saturday, August 10, 2024, 7:00 p.m. Henry P. VanderLinde Bandshell, Kollen Park
Choro das 3, guest artists
Christopher Fashun, guest conductor

Tico-Tico no FubaZequinha de Abreu/arr. Marty Gold
Boca de GoiabaChoro das 3/arr. Christopher Fashun
Festa na LagoaChoro das 3/arr. Christopher Fashun
ViagantesChoro das 3/arr. Christopher Fashun
Pé de FrangoChoro das 3/arr. Josh Trentadue
MourãoCesar Guerra-Peixe
AlforriaElisa Meyer Ferreira/arr. Corina Meyer Ferreira/perc. arr. Christopher Fashun
TucunareChoro das 3/arr. Josh Trentadue
Forró BarrocoLeroy Amêndola/arr. Corina Meyer Ferreira/Christopher Fashun
Rock da SilvaWaldir Azevedo/arr. Corina Meyer Ferreira/Christopher Fashun
Additional pieces announced from the stage.
The Music Unites Us concert will bring together Brazilian musical group Choro das 3 and the Holland Symphony Orchestra in a celebration of music at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 10 in Kollen Park. This free community concert aims to showcase cultures that make up West Michigan.
Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and arrive early to scope out your spot for this one-of-a-kind concert experience.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase from:Dolce Mini CakesMac Shack (free ice cream)Mezkla Taqeria & FruiteriaPac PizzeriaRobinson’s Popcorn
Music Unites Us is a collaborative musical effort between the Holland Symphony Orchestra and Holland community to celebrate diversity and showcase the musical gifts of frequently underrepresented groups of people. This year the concert will showcase from Brazil.
This free community concert is made possible thanks to our concert sponsors: Brooks Family Foundation, Corewell Health, Gentex Corporation, Macatawa Area Coordinating Council, Macatawa Bank and the snack wagon. The concert is partially sponsored by Michigan Arts & Culture Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Choro das 3 is a family based trio formed by the sisters: Corina (flute), Lia (7 string guitar) and Elisa (mandolin, clarinet, banjo, accordion and piano). Tragically, Eduardo, the father of the three sisters, lost his life to Covid early in the pandemic, before vaccines were available in Brazil. Eduardo was the band’s percussionist from its founding. He played pandeiro (Brazilian tambourine). The trio’s mother, Cristina, stepped in to play a stronger role in band management. Bravely, the sisters resolved to continue as Choro das 3, but they play every song in their father’s memory.
They have released 11 albums and have been touring in North America, Europe and Brazil for the past 21 years.
The trio plays Brazilian instrumental music based on choro, an instrumental music genre that emerged in Brazil in the 19th century to become the foundation for all Brazilian music. Choro das 3 is in the midst of its eighth tour of the USA.
For more information, visit their website: https://www.chorodas3.com.br/english
Listen their music on their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Y3mnm0S1vH5BRqx58cUkg

Music Unites Us: Brazil! Finale at Kollen Park
2024-08-10 16:00 - 20:30 UTC | Kollen Park Henry VanderLinde Bandshell, 240 Kollen Park Dr., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
This Kollen Park event is the finale of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us, a weeklong festival from August 6-10, 2024, featuring 10 free events blending live music, movement, dancing, family-friendly activities, and more!
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and the whole family! Food will be available for purchase starting at 4 PM from Mezkla, Robinson’s Popcorn, Mac Shack, 3 Gatos Brewery, and Dolce Mini Cakes.
4-5 p.m. – Capoeira Dance Demonstration and Lesson. Discover the magic of the dancelike martial art form of Brazilian Capoeira in this lesson led by Leandro Leemos and sponsored by Lighthouse Immigrant Advocates.
5-6 p.m. – Holland Samba School Performance. Feel the rhythm of Brazil and enjoy the sizzle of Samba with a lively performance led by percussionist Christopher Fashun and his students.
7 p.m. – Music Unites Us: Holland Symphony Orchestra (HSO) with Choro das 3. Enjoy an unforgettable performance by this talented Brazilian folk music trio of sisters, accompanied by your Holland Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Christopher Fashun.
Read more about the festival and finale in this Lakeshore West Michigan article.
This is a free event. No registration is necessary. Special thanks go to all our event sponsors and festival coordinators Shandra Martinez, Jane Vander Meer, Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra, and Patricia Strachan with Smooth Running Event Planning.
The 7 PM HSO concert is made possible through the support of Corewell Health, Macatawa Area Coordinating Council, Gentex, MillerKnoll Foundation, and the Brooks Family Foundation.

Music Moves Us: Sensory Art & Concert at Holland Museum
2024-08-10 10:00 - 11:00 UTC | Holland Museum, 31 W. 10 Street, Holland, MI, 49423, United States
MMU Kids Sensory Event Video
This event is part of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us, a weeklong festival from August 6-10, 2024! We’re hosting 10 free events that blend music and movement leading up to our grand finale concert Music Unites Us – Brazil!
Saturday, August 10, 2024
10-11 a.m. – Kids’ Sensory Art and Music Experience at Holland Museum. A sensory-friendly event sponsored by Disability Network Lakeshore filled with art, music, and fun for children with sensory needs. Led by Black River Arts teacher Liz Donoghue and featuring Maddit Dykehouse on the cello, activities will include play dough sculpting, spin-wheel creation, sponge stamping, and live music segments.
Space is limited for this free event so please register early via email to Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra at zylstraketzi@gmail.com (Subject: Music Moves Us).
This is a free event. Special thanks go to our lead event sponsor the Disability Network Lakeshore, and supporters such as CultureWorks, the City of Holland, and event coordinator Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra.

Music Moves Us: Lakeshore Big Band Concert
2024-08-09 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | Kollen Park Henry VanderLinde Bandshell, 240 Kollen Park Dr., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
The Summer Concerts at Kollen Park are one of the most popular spots to be on Friday evenings in the summer in Holland. From 6:30 – 8:30 PM, the park comes alive with music and dancing. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and a picnic basket and enjoy the sounds of summer at the Kollen Park Bandshell. Concerts are kid-friendly and FREE! Please have pets on a leash. Alcohol is prohibited at Kollen Park. One food truck each week from 5:30 – 8:30 PM.
This event is also part of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us, a weeklong festival from August 6-10, 2024! We’re hosting 10 free events that blend music and movement leading up to our grand finale concert Music Unites Us – Brazil! at Kollen Park on August 10, 2024.
Special thanks go to the City of Holland and festival coordinators Shandra Martinez, Jane Vander Meer, Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra, and Patricia Strachan with Smooth Running Event Planning.

Music Moves Us: Swing Dance Lesson at Kollen Park
2024-08-09 17:30 - 18:30 UTC | Kollen Park Henry VanderLinde Bandshell, 240 Kollen Park Dr., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
This event is part of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us, a weeklong festival from August 6-10, 2024! We’re hosting 10 free events that blend music and movement leading up to our grand finale concert Music Unites Us – Brazil! at Kollen Park on August 10, 2024. All events are free so join us for live music, dancing, family-friendly activities, and more!
Friday, August 9, 2024
5:30-6 p.m. – Dance Lesson before Big Band Concert at Kollen Park. Warm up with a big band dance lesson from Walker Wilson, of Wilson Dance Studio, then show off your new moves during the Big Band Lakeshore concert from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Learn more about Walker Wilson’s history and approach to dance in this inspiring Lakeshore article.
This is a free event. No registration is necessary. Special thanks go to the event sponsors Wilson Dance Group, the City of Holland, and festival coordinators Shandra Martinez, Jane Vander Meer, Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra, and Patricia Strachan with Smooth Running Event Planning.

Music Moves Us: Zumba Gold at Evergreen Commons
2024-08-09 10:15 - 11:00 UTC | Evergreen Commons, 480 State St, Holland, Holland, MI, 49423, United States
This event is part of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us, a weeklong festival from August 6-10, 2024! We’re hosting 10 free events that blend music and movement leading up to our grand finale concert Music Unites Us – Brazil! at Kollen Park on August 10, 2024. All events are free so join us for live music, dancing, family-friendly activities, and more!
Friday, August 9, 2024
10:15-11 a.m. – Zumba Gold Class at Evergreen Commons. Shake up your morning with Zumba Gold led by Amy Vande Poel. Wear your comfiest clothes and sneakers, and be ready to move to the beat!
This is a free event. No registration is necessary. Special thanks go to event sponsor Evergreen Commons and festival coordinators Shandra Martinez, Jane Vander Meer, Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra, and Patricia Strachan with Smooth Running Event Planning.

Music Moves Us: Hip Hop Lesson & Dancing at GDK Park
2024-08-08 18:30 - 20:30 UTC | GDK Park, 5 West 8th Street, Holland, MI, 49423, United States
This event is part of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us, a weeklong festival from August 6-10, 2024! We’re hosting 10 free events that blend music and movement leading up to our grand finale concert Music Unites Us – Brazil! at Kollen Park on August 10, 2024. All events are free so join us for live music, dancing, family-friendly activities, and more!
Thursday, August 8, 2024
6:30-8:30 p.m. – Hip Hop Lesson and Dancing at GDK Park/Downtown Holland Street Performers. Learn hip-hop moves with Lauren Beck and the I AM Academy dance team. Learn more about I AM Academy and uniting communities through the hip-hop dance art form here. This event is open to all ages, so bring your crew and get down!
This is a free event. No registration is necessary. Special thanks go to event sponsor I AM Academy and festival coordinators Shandra Martinez, Jane Vander Meer, Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra, and Patricia Strachan with Smooth Running Event Planning.

Music Moves Us: Dutch Dance at Centennial Park
2024-08-08 10:00 - 10:45 UTC | Centennial Park, 250 Central Ave, Holland, MI, 49423, United States
This event is part of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us, a weeklong festival from August 6-10, 2024! We’re hosting 10 free events that blend music and movement leading up to our grand finale concert Music Unites Us – Brazil! at Kollen Park on August 10, 2024. All events are free so join us for live music, dancing, family-friendly activities, and more!
Thursday, August 8, 2024
10-10:45 a.m. – Dutch Dance Lesson at Centennial Park. Celebrate 90 years of Tulip Time’s Dutch Dance with a fun lesson from Jenn Ryckbost. Grab your wooden shoes or some funky footwear and join the fun!
This is a free event. No registration is necessary. Special thanks go to event sponsor Tulip Time and festival coordinators Shandra Martinez, Jane Vander Meer, Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra, and Patricia Strachan with Smooth Running Event Planning.

Music Moves Us: Salsa Dancing & Lesson at Holland State Park
2024-08-07 19:00 - 20:00 UTC | Holland State Park, 2215 Ottawa Beach Rd, Holland, 49424, United States
This event is part of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us, a weeklong festival from August 6-10, 2024! We’re hosting 10 free events that blend music and movement leading up to our grand finale concert Music Unites Us – Brazil! at Kollen Park on August 10, 2024. All events are free so join us for live music, dancing, family-friendly activities, and more!
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
7-8 p.m. – Salsa Dancing and Lesson at Holland State Park. Spice up your evening with a sizzling salsa session! Join Juan and Julie Mascorro from The Latin Americans United for Progress (LAUP) Salserines for a fun-filled salsa dance lesson on the beach. Read more about Juan and Julie’s dance legacy!
This is a free event. No registration is necessary. Special thanks go to event sponsor LAUP and festival coordinators Shandra Martinez, Jane Vander Meer, Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra, and Patricia Strachan with Smooth Running Event Planning.

Music Moves Us: Kids Polynesian Story & Dance at the Farmers Market
2024-08-07 09:30 - 10:30 UTC | Holland Farmers Market, 150 W 8th Street, Holland, 49423, United States
This event is part of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us, a weeklong festival from August 6-10, 2024! We’re hosting 10 free events that blend music and movement leading up to our grand finale concert Music Unites Us – Brazil! at Kollen Park on August 10, 2024. All events are free so join us for live music, dancing, family-friendly activities, and more!
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
9:30-10:30 a.m. – Kids’ Polynesian Story and Dance at Holland Farmers Market. Minnie Morey and the Pacific Island Dancers will whisk young minds away to the exotic islands with music, dance, and captivating stories. Mahalo!
Photo by Minnie Morey. This is a free event. No registration is necessary. Special thanks go to event sponsor West Michigan Asian American Association , food partner Community Action House, and festival coordinators Shandra Martinez, Jane Vander Meer, Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra, and Patricia Strachan with Smooth Running Event Planning.

Music Moves Us: Adults Groove Dance at Centennial Park
2024-08-06 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Centennial Park, 250 Central Ave, Holland, MI, 49423, United States
This event has been canceled due to inclement weather. We encourage you to join us for the Music Moves Us family-friendly events scheduled for this Wednesday through Saturday.

This event is part of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us, a weeklong festival from August 6-10, 2024! We’re hosting 10 free events that blend music and movement leading up to our grand finale concert Music Unites Us – Brazil! at Kollen Park on August 10, 2024. All events are free so join us for live music, dancing, family-friendly activities, and more!
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
1-2 p.m. – Adults’ GROOVE Dancing at Centennial Park. This is for the grown-ups to get their groove on with Heather Winia, a master trainer from The World GROOVE Movement. Dress comfy and dance away under the shade of the beautiful Centennial Park trees.
This is a free event. No registration is necessary. Special thanks go to event sponsors Herrick District Library, the City of Holland, and festival coordinators Shandra Martinez, Jane Vander Meer, Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra, and Patricia Strachan with Smooth Running Event Planning.

Music Moves Us: Kids' Groove Dancing at Centennial Park
2024-08-06 12:00 - 12:45 UTC | Centennial Park, 250 Central Ave, Holland, MI, 49423, United States
This event has been canceled due to inclement weather. We encourage you to join us for the Music Moves Us family-friendly events scheduled for this Wednesday through Saturday.

This event is part of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us festival from August 6-10, 2024! We’re hosting 10 free events that blend music and movement, leading up to our grand finale concert Music Unites Us – Brazil! at Kollen Park on August 10, 2024.
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
12-12:45 p.m. – Kids’ GROOVE Dancing at Centennial Park. Donna Lowry will get children grooving with dance and storytime from Herrick District Library. Fun and movement all in one!
This is a free event. No registration is necessary. Special thanks go to event sponsors Herrick District Library, the City of Holland, and festival coordinators Shandra Martinez, Jane Vander Meer, Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra, and Patricia Strachan with Smooth Running Event Planning.

Music Moves Us: Sound Bath + Yoga at Tunnel Park
2024-08-06 10:00 - 11:00 UTC | Tunnel Park, 192 North Lakeshore Drive, Holland, 49424, United States
This event has been canceled due to inclement weather. We encourage you to join us for the Music Moves Us family-friendly events scheduled for this Wednesday through Saturday.

This event is part of Holland Symphony Orchestra’s Music Moves Us weeklong festival from August 6-10, 2024!
We’re hosting 10 free events that blend music and movement, leading up to our grand finale concert Music Unites Us – Brazil! at Kollen Park on August 10, 2024.
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
10-11 a.m. – Sound Bath + Yoga at Tunnel Park. Experience a blissful sound bath by Rebecca Wierks and a serene yoga session led by Jasmine Jelsema. Read more about Rebecca’s unique training and practice in this Lakeshore Article. Bring your yoga mat or towel.
Free event. No registration is necessary. A special thank you to this event sponsor Women of Color and festival coordinators Shandra Martinez, Jane Vander Meer, Ketzi Chacon-Zylstra, and Patricia Strachan with Smooth Running Event Planning.

Pops at the Pier: Broadway Our Way
2024-06-20 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Eldean’s Boat Shed, 2150 S. Shore Drive, Holland, 49423, United States
Concert Sponsor:

Tickets

Program
Information
Artist bio

Program
Thursday, June 20, 2024Eldean Boat Shed #3
Lisa Vroman & Doug LaBrecque, soloists
6:00 p.m.Holland Concert Jazz Orchestra
Program announced from the stage
7:00 p.m.Holland Symphony Orchestra
ACT ONE
Broadway Fantasy Overture
Wunderbar
Trolley Song/I Could Have Danced All Night
I Want to Go Back to Michigan
76 Trombones
Till There Was You
S’Wonderful
I Got Rhythm
ACT TWO
West Side Story Overture
Begin the Beguine
In The Still of The Night
Jesus Christ Superstar Overture
Art is Calling Me
All I Ask of You
Thursday, June 20, 2024 Eldean Boatshed #3, Macatawa
Online ticket sales for Pops at the Pier: Back to Broadway have ended. We have plenty of tickets available for sale at the door, starting at 5:30 p.m.
Click below to see a video from last year’s Pops at the Pier concert!
https://hollandsymphony.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Pops-on-the-Pier-1-2.mp4
6:00pm Holland Concert Jazz Orchestra7:00pm Holland Symphony Orchestra with Lisa Vroman and Doug LaBrecque
Pops at the Pier on Thursday, June 20, rain or shine! Two Broadway favorites join your symphony in an extraordinary evening revisiting classic songs from Broadway’s Golden Age and beyond. The most popular tunes from Porter, Gershwin, Berlin, Hamlisch, Lloyd Webber and more are sung by Phantom of the Opera stars Lisa Vroman and Doug LaBrecque. With unforgettable melodies and beautiful lyrics, their incredible vocal talents make this an elegant and memorable evening of beloved songs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I park?Parking is first come, first served.
What can I eat?
Food trucks from Da Kidd Bar-B-Que, Kitchen 55, and Mezkla will open at 5:30. Beer, wine, and other beverages will also be available for sale.
What time does everything happen?
5:30: Doors open! Food will be ready!
6:00: Holland Jazz Orchestra performs
7:00: Holland Symphony Orchestra begins, joined by Broadway Stars Lisa Vroman and Doug LaBrecque
Do I need to bring a chair?
We encourage you to bring a chair. Many people like to bring their own chairs, so they can sit close to the action, on the sides, or sit in the back of the shed or by the open windows to catch the breeze. We have 700 chairs available on a first come, first served basis.
What happens if it rains?
Everything at this concert is inside the boat shed except the food trucks. The concert will happen rain or shine. Bring an umbrella to get your food.
What about the heat?
HSO will have all possible doors and windows open to encourage airflow. Keep hydrated and dress lightly! Beverages will be available. Bring a chair so you can sit somewhere with the most breeze!
Where are my tickets?
If you selected “Will Call” tickets when you placed your order, your tickets will be available to pick up at the “Will Call” table in the lobby. All your tickets for the whole season will be stapled together. Keep your tickets for future concerts. HSO will not print your tickets again unless you request it.
If you selected “Print at Home” tickets when you placed your order, click on the blue box that says “Print Tickets.” Bring these tickets to the concert.
If you selected “Mobile Tickets” when you placed your order, click on the blue box that says “View Mobile Tickets.” Take ascreen shot of each of your tickets.
If you know you bought tickets but don’t have them, email adykhouse@hollandsymphony.org or call the office (616-796-6780) and we will take care of you.
If you have any questions regarding your order, please contact the HSO office at hso@hollandsymphony.org or 616-796-6780.
Some patrons are sensitive to perfumes, colognes, and other scented products. Please consider minimizing your use of these products.
Thank you for your continued support of HSO!
This concert is sponsored by University of Michigan Health – West. Special thanks for the in-kind support of Eldean Shipyard, Waterfront Film Festival and Anchorage Marina Yacht Club.
Doug LaBrecque thrilled theatre audiences as The Phantom and Raoul in the Harold Prince production of The Phantom of the Opera. In addition, Mr. LaBrecque has starred on Broadway as Ravenal in the Hal Prince revival of ShowBoat, a role he also performed in Toronto and Chicago. He was featured in Oscar Hammerstein’s 100th Birthday Celebration Something Wonderful on Broadway at The Gershwin Theatre, and toured nationally with Les Miserables. Regionally, Mr. LaBrecque has performed leading roles in Candide, A Chorus Line, and Man of LaMancha among many others. A graduate of University of Michigan he was also featured in the world premiere of A Wonderful Life, written by Sheldon Harnick and Joe Raposo, and starred in the premiere revival of Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner’s Love Life.
One of the most prolific concert performers of his generation, Mr. LaBrecque has been a soloist with some of the world’s finest symphony orchestras including The National Symphony, The Israel Philharmonic (Tel Aviv), The Cleveland Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony, The Detroit Symphony among many others. In the last few years, Mr. LaBrecque’s U.S. appearances have included The Fort Worth Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Houston Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Dallas Symphony, and numerous engagements with The Minnesota Orchestra.
A frequent guest artist with Marvin Hamlisch, he appeared with Hamlisch at the Ravinia Festival with The Chicago Symphony and with the symphonies of Pittsburgh, San Diego, Baltimore, and numerous others.
In a tribute to Richard Rodgers, Mr. LaBrecque made his Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist with the New York Pops and during that same season he debuted with The Boston Pops. Alongside frequent collaborator Jeff Tyzik, he appeared with both the St. Louis and Seattle Symphony for their Holiday Celebrations as well as numerous performances with the Oregon Symphony, Toronto Symphony and Rochester Philharmonic. Other special engagements have included starring in Cole Porter’s Ambassador Revue with the Opera de Rennes in France, singing with Carole Bayer-Sager at Feinsteins’s in Manhattan and the Cinegrill in Los Angeles, performing alongside Broadway legend Jerry Herman with the Naples Philharmonic, and appearing onstage with Senators Ted Kennedy and Orrin Hatch (singing together!) at Hickory Hill, the legendary home of Ethel Kennedy.
International engagements have included The Korean National Symphony in Seoul, Korea, The Shanghai Radio Orchestra in China, The Hong Kong Philharmonic, The Brazilian Symphony Orchestra in Rio De Janeiro, The Jerusalem Symphony, The Moscow Philharmonic, The Malaysian Philharmonic, The Reutlingen Symphony in Germany and numerous return engagements with the Israel Philharmonic and the International Music Festival in The Czech Republic. In 2011 he appeared alongside piano sensation Lang Lang in a concert with The Beijing Symphony broadcast on Chinese Television. In 2017 he sang with the BBC orchestra in Sunday Night is Music Night recorded live on the BBC and featuring the music of George Gershwin.
He has appeared in Alba, Italy as a guest soloist in a tribute to Leonard Bernstein. Mr. LaBrecque has sung the role of Tony in West Side Story(Grant Park Music Festival), Candide (West Virginia Symphony) and Maximillian in Candide (Michigan Opera Theatre and Dayton Opera) and appeared with Osmo Vanska and the Minnesota orchestra in a tribute to Mr. Bernstein.
Doug’s numerous recordings include Holiday at Peace, a live recording alongside Russian conductor Edvard Tchivzhel and The Greenville Symphony, Broadway Showstoppers, a live recording with Peter Nero and The Philly Pops, Play it Again, Marvin live with The Kalamazoo Symphony and Opening Doors a solo studio recording with The National Symphony of London on Jay Records. He appears on numerous Jay Record albums: I Believe My Heart, My Personal Property, Simply Musicals, A Little Bit in Love, and Showstoppers from Broadway.
As the Director of Broadway Pops Programming for Greenberg Artists, Doug maintains a busy schedule creating and co-producing original symphonic programs and directing numerous musicals in concert. Mr. LaBrecque is also the Artistic Director of the Oconee Performing Arts Society(OPAS), 80 miles east of Atlanta in Greensboro, GA.
For upcoming engagements or additional CD information log onto www.DougLaBrecque.com
From Broadway to Classics, on stage and in concert, Lisa Vroman has established herself as one of America’s most versatile voices. She has been regarded as a “musical and theatrical marvel” by the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as “one of American Musical Theater’s most beautiful voices” by acclaimed Broadway producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh.
Lisa starred for over eight years on Broadway, in San Francisco and in Los Angeles as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. Ms. Vroman starred as Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella, making her New York City Opera debut with Paul Sorvino playing the title role. She starred as Lili Vanessi in Kiss Me Kate with Glimmerglass Opera and the MUNY Theater of St. Louis, Anna Leonowens in The King and I with Lyric Opera of Virginia, and played Marian Paroo in The Music Man with Shirley Jones (Mrs. Paroo) and Patrick Cassidy (Harold Hill) at The Bushnell Theatre in Hartford CT. Lisa sang the role of Birdie in Regina with Utah Opera, conducted by Keith Lockhart, made her New Jersey Opera debut as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus (directed by Ira Siff), and premiered and recorded two Comic Operas by composers John Musto (Bastianello)and William Bolcom (Lucrezia) with the New York Festival of Song.
Her many performances have included a multi-city concert tour in China, concerts of Cole Porter’s 1928 La Revue des Ambassadeurs with L’Opera de Rennes in France, and playing the role of Maria Callas in Terence McNally’s award winning play, Master Class.
Lisa’s Broadway debut was in Aspects of Love. She was the first to play both Fantine and Cosette in Les Miserables. For PBS she was featured with Colm Wilkinson and Michael Ball in Cameron Mackintosh’s Hey, Mr. Producer! at a Royal Gala at the Lyceum Theatre in London. She sang the role of Johanna in the San Francisco Symphony’s Emmy Award winning PBS production of Sweeney Todd in Concert, with Patti Lupone and George Hearn. Both are available on DVD. Lisa starred as Laurey in Oklahoma, filmed live in concert for the BBC Proms Festival at Royal Albert Hall in London, played Mary Turner in Gershwin’s Of Thee I Sing/Let ’em Eat Cake in concert with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus, and played Lucy Brown in Threepenny Opera at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco with Bebe Neuwirth, Nancy Dussault, and Anika Noni Rose. Other roles have included Laurie in The Tender Land, Maria in The Sound of Music, Josephine in HMS Pinafore, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, and Anna 1 in The Seven Deadly Sins. She has sung Maria in West Side Story, Guenevere in Camelot, Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and Amalia Balash in She Loves Me, as well as many other well-known musical roles.
Lisa is a George London Competition Grant recipient and a 1999 Minerva Award recipient from the State University of New York at Potsdam. She received an Undergraduate degree in Music Education from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, a Masters degree in Fine Arts, Opera Performance from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music from SUNY Potsdam. Ms. Vroman has become an active mentor and sought-after clinician with many colleges and universities across the country and around the world. She has acted as a judge in both the Lotte Lenya Competition for the Kurt Weill Foundation and UCLA’s Walter Jurmann Competition. In the fall of 2019 Lisa joined the voice faculty of AMDA Los Angeles as part their Bachelor of Fine Arts program.
With a repertoire that ranges from Stravinsky to Weill to Broadway, Lisa is a frequent guest soloist with theater and opera companies, and orchestras including San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, the National, Malaysia, Seattle, Hong Kong, Cleveland, Nashville, Pacific, Utah, Dallas, the Boston Pops with Keith Lockhart, the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, and the Philly Pops with Peter Nero. She made her debut at The Hollywood Bowl in Disney’s 75th celebration, singing and dancing with legend Dick Van Dyke in a medley from Mary Poppins. Lisa has sung in concert with composer Stephen Schwartz, organist David Higgs, and the Empire Brass Quintet. Her solo CD, Broadway Classic, features Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and 47 of San Francisco’s finest orchestral players. Lisa had the honor of singing at the Profiles in Courage Award dinner in Boston at the JFK Library, as a guest of the Kennedy family. She has also sung on separate occasions for Queen Elizabeth, former presidents Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, and the Library of Congress.
Lisa is part of an ongoing multimedia symphony project produced by Music Unwound and the Kurt Weill Foundation which features the work of Kurt Weill, Berthold Brecht and Marc Blitzstein. Upcoming engagements include celebrations of Broadway and the music of George Gershwin.
Lisa lives in Pasadena, CA with husband Patrick O’Neil and their beautiful dog Barber.

HSO thanks these business partners for their support of this concert!

Night at the Opera
2024-04-27 19:30 - 21:30 UTC | Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College, 221 Columbia Ave., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
Concert Sponsor:

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Program
Information
Program Notes
Artist bio
Pre-Concert Talk

Program
Saturday, April 27, 2024, 7:30 p.m.Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, Hope College
Johannes Müller Stosch, Music Director and Conductor
Marina Harris, soprano
Prelude to Die MeistersingerRichard Wagner (1813-1883)
Four Last SongsRichard Strauss (1864-1949)
Frühling (Spring)SeptemberBeim Schlafengehen (At Bedtime)Im Abendroth (At Sunset)
Marina Harris, soprano
Intermission
Suite No. 1 from CarmenGeorges Bizet (1838-1875)PreludeAragonnaiseLes Toréadors
Air for StringsArthur Foote (1853-1937)
Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

Experience the epitome of Romantic music with colorful and expressive pieces from great operas. Marina Harris, a California-based soprano, will join HSO for Strauss’s masterpiece song cycle.

Tickets are $28 for adults and $5 for students through college.
Learn more about the music…
We will be hosting not only the Classical Chat series at Freedom Village, but also Pre-Concert Talks! Details below:
Classical Chats at Freedom Village: These informative and fun talks are led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and take place at 3:00pm on the Thursday before each Classics concert. (Freedom Village, 6th Floor Auditorium, 145 Columbia Ave.)
Pre-Concert Talks: These talks, led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and Amanda Dykhouse, are online under the “Pre-Concert Talk” Tab.
New to the Symphony? Check out the Frequently Asked Question page…
Parking Map at the Miller Center
Holland Symphony Orchestra will reserve and monitor Lot 40 for handicapped parking. The faculty parking lots are available for parking after 5pm

Prelude to Die Meistersinger von NürnbergRichard WagnerBorn: May 22, 1813, LeipzigDied: February 13, 1883, VeniceComposed: 1861-1862Approximate Duration: 9 minutesInstrumentation: 3 flutes (one doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (cymbals, triangle), harp, strings
Most of Richard Wagner’s operas are based on mythological themes, but he departed from this material in his opera, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, his only mature comedic opera. In this work, written in 1861-62, he delves into the guild system of 16th century Nuremberg. The Meistersingers were a guild of amateur poets and musicians who uphold traditional rules for composing and performing songs. They organize a singing competition in which the winner wins the hand of Eva, the daughter of a Meistersinger, in marriage. Eva loves the young knight Walther von Stolzing, who is not a Meistersinger but wants to participate in the contest to win her hand. Despite lacking formal training in the Meistersingers’ rules, Walther is talented and passionate about music. Hans Sachs, a guild member, mentors Walter and helps him prepare for the competition. Walter faces ridicule and attempts at sabotage by the established Meistersingers, but he perseveres and ultimately wins the prize. The opera concludes with a celebration of art, love, and the enduring traditions of the Meistersingers.
The opera’s overture, composed in 1862, introduces the spirit and themes of the opera. It opens with a majestic brass fanfare, depicting the regal and proud traditions of the Meistersingers. This theme is juxtaposed with lighter, more playful motifs, representing the youthful energy and creativity of the apprentice singer, Walther von Stolzing. This contrast highlights the opera’s central conflict between innovation and tradition. The middle section of the Prelude features a lyrical and expressive theme, introducing the love story between Walther and Eva. This tender melody, carried by strings and woodwinds, captures the romance and emotional depth of their relationship. Towards the end, the music builds to a powerful climax, with all the thematic elements converging in a triumphant and exultant finale.
To watch a video of this piece, click here.
Four Last Songs, Op. posth.Richard StraussBorn: June 11, 1864, Munich Died: September 8, 1949, Garmisch-PartenkirchenComposed: 1948Approximate Duration: 24 minutesInstrumentation: 4 flutes (two doubling piccolo), 3 oboes (one doubling English horn), 3 clarinets (one doubling bass clarinet), 3 bassoons (one doubling contrabassoon), 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, timpani, harp, celeste, strings.
Strauss composed his Four Last Songs in 1948, using poetry by Hermann Hesse and Joseph von Eichendorff. He probably had the voice of his wife, soprano Pauline de Anha, in mind when he wrote these emotional and nostalgic pieces. He often accompanied her on piano. Strauss didn’t know that these would be his “last songs.” His publisher attached the title to the song cycle after Strauss’s death, about a year after the songs were completed.
Famed soprano Renée Fleming described Strauss’s Four Last Songs as “an allegory of the passages of life.” The music is deeply personal and universally resonant, offering a profound meditation on the beauty of life, the inevitability of its passing, and the transition to whatever mystery lies beyond death. Strauss is well known as one of the most brilliant masters of orchestral color. In this work he uses a massive orchestra–one that, in the hands of a lesser composer, could easily overwhelm a singer–to create a remarkable sense of intimacy. He is especially skilled at “word painting,” using musical colors and themes to depict the words in the text. In this work Strauss shows his remarkable ability to capture the complexities of human emotion in music.
The cycle opens with “Frühling” (Spring), an introspective and tender meditation on the arrival of spring and the renewal of life. The music is filled with a sense of wonder and awe, as Strauss’s rich harmonies and soaring melodies paint a vivid picture of nature’s awakening. The soprano’s voice goes higher as she dreams of the sky and trees. The flute imitates bird calls. Strauss also adds a solo trumpet in this song and “Im Abendrot” to provide a countermelody to the soprano’s voice.
“September” follows, capturing the melancholy beauty of autumn, evoking themes of farewell and acceptance. The text reflects on the passage of time and the inevitability of change, while Strauss’s music evokes the wistful mood of the season with its poignant harmonies and delicate orchestration. The use of muted brass creates a sense of distance and nostalgia, enhancing the autumnal mood of the song.
“Beim Schlafengehen” (“Going to Sleep”) is a profound reflection on the end of the day and the approach of night, with its shimmering orchestration and ethereal vocal lines conveying a sense of calm resignation. The soprano’s soaring lines are supported by lush orchestral textures, creating a sense of calm and serenity as the day comes to a close. The sparkling celesta evokes a starry sky as the soprano yearns to forget all thoughts in slumber.
The cycle concludes with “Im Abendrot” (At Sunset), a setting of Joseph von Eichendorff’s text that portrays an elderly couple reflecting on their lives together as they face the end of their days. Strauss’s music is achingly beautiful, capturing both the sadness of farewell and the peaceful acceptance of life’s end. Two trilling flutes represent the poem’s pair of larks ascending into the sky (a metaphor for the souls of the old couple). The use of cymbals and tam-tam adds a shimmering quality to the orchestration, heightening the sense of mystery and awe in the music. The light fades as the song unfolds, until the soprano asks, “Ist dies etwa der Tod?” (“Is this perhaps death?”). The orchestra whispers the wistful “transfiguration” theme from Strauss’s Death and Transfiguration, written sixty years earlier.
To watch a video of this piece, click here.
“Prélude & Aragonaise” and “Les Toréadors” from CarmenGeorges BizetBorn: October 25, 1838, ParisDied: June 3, 1875, near ParisComposed: 1873-1874Premiered: March 3, 1875, Opéra-Comique in ParisApproximate Duration: 5 minutesInstrumentation: 2 flutes (one doubling piccolo), 2 oboes (one doubling English horn), 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, percussion (bass drum, castanets, cymbals, snare drum, tambourine, triangle), harp, strings
When French people went to the comic opera in the nineteenth century, they were used to fairy tale stories with “happily ever after” endings. It is understandable, then, that most of them were shocked and appalled at Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen, based on the play by Merimée. In this opera, Don José, a young soldier, is betrothed to Micaëla, his childhood sweetheart. She is good and faithful, refusing the advances of other young men. Don José starts out as a “good” character. He initially ignores the fiery Gypsy girl, Carmen, who works at the cigarette factory in Seville, but Carmen is not used to being ignored and soon seduces him. As Micaëla tries to rescue him, Don José loses his ability to act rationally and becomes obsessed with Carmen. Once Carmen wins Don José, she quickly tires of him and pursues the vain and swaggering matador Escamillo. Don José cannot give up his consuming love for Carmen, but she cannot become tied down to him and give up her freedom. Don José, in a fit of jealous rage, stabs her, and she and the curtain fall.
Initially, Carmen met with mixed reviews. Many at the time considered it a failure. Actually, although the opera received some adverse criticism for the “indelicacy” of its subject, it met with fair success at the box office, being performed thirty-three times in the two-month period between its premiére and the death of Bizet from a ruptured artery. Eventually an orchestral suite was extracted from themes throughout the opera. Most of the movements come from orchestral interludes meant to entertain the audience while the scenery was changed. The Prélude sets an ominous tone for the opera and introduces the “Fate” theme. The “Aragonaise” is rhythmic and percussive, and is the introduction to the final act of the opera. The “Toréadors” movement contains two melodies from the opera. Its opening theme comes from the prelude of the opera, and it also reappears in the final scene outside the bullring in Seville. This melody is charged with excitement. The contrasting melody is from the suave “Toréador Song,” an aria that Escamillo sings as he tries to interest Carmen. In this aria, Escamillo sings of the similarity of matadors to soldiers and sings prophetically of danger.
To watch a video of this piece, click here.

Air for StringsArthur FooteBorn: March 5, 1853, Salem, MassachusettsDied: April 8, 1937, BostonComposed: 1891, BostonApproximate Duration: 5 minutesInstrumentation: strings
Arthur Foote was born in Salem, Massachusetts. He showed musical talent at a young age and began studying piano and composition. He graduated from Harvard and is the first significant American composer who was trained in the US. As a composer he was a member of the “Second New England School” of composers and the “Boston Six,” which also included George Whitefield Chadwick, Amy Beach, Edward MacDowell, John Knowles Paine, and Horatio Parker. This group of composers sought to create a distinct American musical identity by blending European Romantic traditions with American folk and indigenous music. Foote was an organist at First Church in Boston for 32 years and one of the founders of the American Guild of Organists. He was also a respected teacher, serving on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music for many years. His influence extended to many younger American composers, including Charles Ives, who admired Foote’s music and considered him a mentor.
Foote frequently programmed the music of the Romantic composers, such as Brahms and Wagner, who were influences on his own compositional style. Foote’s music is characterized by its lyrical melodies, rich harmonies, and meticulous craftsmanship. The “Air” for string orchestra showcases his gifts. It has a lyrical and flowing melody, which is passed between the different sections of the orchestra. The gentle and contemplative mood of the “Air” creates a sense of serenity and introspection, drawing the listener into its melodic beauty.
To listen to this piece, click here.
Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59Richard StraussBorn: June 11, 1864, Munich Died: September 8, 1949, Garmisch-PartenkirchenComposed: 1909-1910Premiered: Suite in 1945Approximate Duration: 22 minutesInstrumentation: 3 flutes (one doubling piccolo), 3 oboes (one doubling English horn), 3 clarinets (one doubling e-flat clarinet), bass clarinet, 3 bassoons (one doubling contrabassoon), 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, timpani, percussion (bass drum, cymbals, glockenspiel, ratchet, snare drum, tambourine, triangle), 2 harps, celeste, strings.
Richard Strauss composed his opera, Der Rosenkavalier, between 1909 and 1910. The romantic comedy is set in 18th century Vienna, based on a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The plot revolves around a love triangle between three characters: the noblewoman Marschallin, her young lover Octavian, and Sophie, who is in the process of getting engaged to Baron Ochs. Octavian is tasked to present the engagement rose to Sophie at a formal party, but at this ceremony, the Baron flirts with a chambermaid, who is actually Octavian in disguise. Sophie also meets Octavian there, while undisguised, and they fall in love. The action continues with a series of misunderstandings and comedic situations. At the end, the disguised Octavian conspires with the noblewoman Marschallin to expose the Baron’s unfaithfulness. Sophie learns about Octavian’s dual identity and confronts him. They eventually reconcile, and their union is gracefully honored by the Marchallin.
The suite from Der Rosenkavalier is a collection of musical highlights from the opera. Strauss himself arranged this work in the early 1940s, capturing the essence of the opera’s rich orchestration, lush harmonies, and captivating melodies. The music begins with the strings, which are soon joined by the full orchestra. It features a rich, romantic melody that is passed between the different sections of the orchestra, building in intensity and grandeur as it progresses. The next section, “Presentation of the Rose,” features a beautiful duet between the young lovers Octavian and Sophie. The music is tender and lyrical, with lush harmonies and delicate textures, reflecting the blossoming romance between the two characters.
The waltz has long been associated with Viennese elegance and sophistication, and the lively and energetic “Waltz Sequence” captures that spirit perfectly. The graceful melodies, swirling rhythms, and elegant orchestration evoke the glamor and charm of a Viennese ball. This movement is a showcase for Strauss’s skill as an orchestrator, with its intricate textures and shimmering colors.
The final section, from the final trio of the opera, is a poignant and emotional conclusion to the suite. The voices sing a heartfelt farewell, accompanied by lush orchestral textures. The music is tender and poignant, with a bittersweet quality that reflects the characters’ conflicting emotions. The orchestration is rich and expressive, with lush harmonies and soaring melodies that tug at the heartstrings. The trio builds to a dramatic climax before resolving in a peaceful and serene conclusion, bringing the suite to a satisfying close.
To watch a video of this piece, click here.

Marina Harris, soprano
Heralded by the San Francisco Chronicle for her “knockout combination of vocal power and expressive eloquence,” soprano Marina Harris is quickly establishing herself as a talent to watch. An alumna of the prestigious Adler Fellowship program at the San Francisco Opera, Ms. Harris’ appearances with the company included four world premiere operas; Nolan Gasser’s The Secret Garden (in the role of Susan Sowerby), Mark Adamo’s The Gosepel of Mary Magdalene (Tamar/Girl/Seeker), Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne (Maid), Jack Perla’s Love/Hate (Samantha), and covering numerous leading roles, most notably the role of Elsa in Lohengrin. In September 2013, she garnered national attention as a last-minute replacement for Patricia Racette in the role of Elena (Helen of Troy) in San Francisco Opera’s season-opening production of Boito’s Mefistofele.
Marina has also joined the roster of the Los Angeles Opera to cover the verismo roles of Nedda in Pagliacci and the title role in Madama Butterfly. She has made leading role debuts with Opera Idaho (Tatiana in Eugene Onegin), Pacific Opera Project (title role in Ariadne auf Naxos) and the Southern Illinois Music Festival (Mathilde in Guillaume Tell). Ms. Harris’ international credits include the Festival der jugend Stimmen in Switzerland as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser and as a guest performer with the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in Chengdu, China. 2021-22 saw performances with The Infinite Stage in her hometown of Long Beach, a return to Southern Illinois in the role of Fiordiligi (Felicia) in Così fan tutte (aka Covid fan tutte), a company debut with GLOW Lyric Theater in their 2021 Festival, Berta in The Barber of Seville with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, Colette in the world premiere of Laura Schwendiger’s Cabaret of Shadows with Musiqa Houston, the Marquise of Berkenfield in La Fille du Regiment with the Opera Buffs at the Colburn School of Music, and performances at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City with composer and pianist Felix Jarrar. In 2023, Marina sang with the Sun Valley Opera in recital with crossover star Ashley Faatoalia, the soprano solos in Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 (Lobgesang) with the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra, and released a debut EP with her band Bones & Teeth.
From the baroque period to contemporary, Marina has been featured as a soprano soloist in a diverse range of repertoire, including Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection), Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor, Verdi’s Requiem, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, and J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Additionally, she has performed in the West Coast premieres of Charles Stanford’s Stabat Mater and Cecelia MacDowall’s Magnificat with the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra. She originated the role of Angelina (wife of famous Portuguese diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who helped at least 10,000 Jews escape Nazi Germany during WWII) in Bruce Neely’s oratorio, Circular 14. Ms. Harris has been a guest soloist with the Marin Symphony, the California Symphony, the West Los Angeles Symphony, and the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, among many others. In recital, Marina has appeared with Carnegie Hall’s Neighborhood Concert Series, with the Brava! Opera Theater, as part of The Song Continues with Marilyn Horne and the Weill Institute of Music, and with San Francisco Performances. She has also been featured on WQRX, New York’s leading classical radio station, along with baritone Norman Garrett and Ken Noda of the Metropolitan Opera.
In 2015, Ms. Harris was awarded the Dorothea-Glatt-Förderpreis in the triennial International Wagnerstimmen Competition, securing her place as one of the top singers of Wagnerian repertoire worldwide. Marina has won numerous other awards for her performances of the Wagnerian repertoire, including the 2015 George London Vienna Prize and the George London-Leonie Rysanek Award in 2014, and the Gerda Lissner Foundation’s Vocal Competition in both 2015 and 2017. She has received additional grants and awards from the Wagner Society of Northern California, the Merola Opera Program, the Palm Springs Opera Guild, and the Loren L. Zachary International Vocal Competition.
Ms. Harris resides in Long Beach, California
To watch the pre-concert talk, click here.

HSYO Spring Concert
2024-03-24 15:00 - 17:00 UTC | DeWitt Auditorium, Zeeland East High School, 3333 96th Ave., Zeeland, 49464, United States
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Sunday, March 24 at 3:00pm
Zeeland East High School

HOLLAND AREA JUNIOR STRINGS
Kyle Nester, Music Director and ConductorTori Zokoe, General ManagerJaclyn Klinger, ManagerKatie Rae Hayduk, Rehearsal Manager
Salisbury Overture by Terry McQuilkin
Pastoral Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven/arr. Christina Hans
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, 1st movement by Johann Sebastian Bach/arr. Merle J. Isaac

HOLLAND AREA CONCERT STRINGS
Kyle Nester, Music Director and ConductorTori Zokoe, General ManagerJaclyn Klinger, ManagerKatie Rae Hayduk, Rehearsal Manager
Ancient Wonders Suite by Todd Parrish
I. Temple of Artemis at EphesusII. The Great Lighthouse at AlexandriaIII. The Great Pyramid at GizaIV. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Lullaby by William Hofeldt
Jupiter from The Planets by Gustav Holst/arr. Deborah Baker Monday
COMBINED STRINGS
Fantasia Española by Soon Hee Newbold
HOLLAND AREA YOUTH ORCHESTRA
Christopher Fashun, Music Director and ConductorTori Zokoe, General ManagerJaclyn Klinger, ManagerKatie Rae Hayduk, Rehearsal Manager
Symphony No. 8 in G Major, by Antonín DvořákAllegro con brio AdagioAllegro ma non troppo
Libertango, by Astor Piazzolla/arr. Lito Valle
Tickets will be available for purchase at dress rehearsal and at the door – $10 for adults and $5 for students ages 6-college. Children under 6 are free.
Kyle Nester
Kyle Nester graduated from Alma College in 2004 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree. While in college, he participated in orchestra, marching band, jazz band, percussion ensemble, and choir. Mr. Nester spent a term in Vienna, Austria and studied violin with Maeve Auer from the Universitat fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst. After college, he was a soloist in the Baroque on Beaver Music Festival and performed with Josh Groban a few times. After a long-term substitute teacher position in Fremont, Michigan, he taught 5th – 12th grade orchestra at Chippewa Hills School District for seven years. After his wife Andrea finished her law degree at Michigan State University, the couple moved to West Michigan. He started teaching at Holland Christian in 2012 and Andrea was employed in a law firm in downtown Grand Rapids. Recently, Mr. Nester has been interested in fiddling and started the Michigan Academy of Folk Music with Nate Roberts from Hope College.
Mr. Nester enjoys running races, enjoying nature, playing music, and traveling. They have three “interesting” cats and a planted freshwater fish tank.
Christopher H. Fashun
Christopher H. Fashun is an incredibly diverse and versatile conductor, performer, and educator. He brings over two decades of experience as a music educator leading middle school, high school and collegiate band and orchestra programs in addition to directing jazz and percussion ensembles.
A 2018 recipient of a U.S. Postdoctoral Fulbright Award in All Disciplines, Dr. Fashun will be living and researching Afro-Brazilian music in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil during the summer of 2019. His project will focus on the dissemination of Afro-Brazilian music and culture in the city of Salvador.
An accomplished percussionist and violist, he has several years of orchestral and chamber music experience and has enjoyed success in both areas as a soloist by winning three concerto competitions, one on viola and two on marimba.
Dr. Fashun is an active guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and percussionist. He is a frequent presenter at music education conferences and is a highly sought after clinician and conductor. Notable engagements include the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra, Holland Symphony Orchestra, Elkhart Symphony Orchestra, St. Ambrose University Community Symphony Orchestra, the University of Iowa Philharmonia and All-University Orchestras. Dr. Fashun has conducted the Symphony String Orchestra at the Iowa IMEA Conference for the All-State Iowa Junior Honors String Orchestra Festival Concert and the Midwest Mennonite Festival Orchestra and Concert Band. He has served on the music faculties at St. Ambrose University, Goshen College, and Hope College.
His research in conducting combines developing musicianship from the podium and health and wellness for music educators.
When he’s not making music, he is either cycling, paddle boarding, or practicing Pilates and enjoying the fabulous beaches in Holland (in the summer, of course) with his wife and daughter.

Link Up - The Orchestra Moves
2024-03-11 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College, 221 Columbia Ave., Holland, MI, 49423, United States

Surprise Symphony
2024-03-09 19:30 - 21:30 UTC | Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College, 221 Columbia Ave., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
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Saturday, March 9, 20234, 7:30 p.m.Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, Hope College
Johannes Müller Stosch, Music Director and Conductor
Sarah Southard, Oboe
Two Pieces for Small OrchestraFrederick Delius (1862-1934)
On Hearing the First Cuckoo in SpringSummer Night on the River
Danzas de PanamaWilliam Grant Still (1895-1978)
Tamborito: ModeratoMejorana y Socavón: Allegro moderatoPunto: Allegretto con graziaCumbia y Congo: Allegro con moto
Oboe Concerto, Op. 45Eugene Goosens (1897-1988)
Sarah Southard, oboe
Intermission
Symphony No. 94 in G Major, “Surprise”Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Adagio; Vivace assaiAndanteMenuetto: Allegro moltoAllegro di molto

Enjoy the relaxing quality of Delius’s pieces, the delightful Latin rhythms of William Grant Still’s set of dances, and the musicality of HSO principal oboist Sarah Southard in the first half of this concert. The second half will delight you with Haydn’s playful and well-known “Surprise Symphony.”
Tickets are $28 for adults and $5 for students through college.
Learn more about the music…
We will be hosting not only the Classical Chat series at Freedom Village, but also Pre-Concert Talks! Details below:
Classical Chats at Freedom Village: These informative and fun talks are led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and take place at 3:00pm on the Thursday before each Classics concert. (Freedom Village, 6th Floor Auditorium, 145 Columbia Ave.)
Pre-Concert Talks: These talks, led by Johannes Müller-Stosch and Amanda Dykhouse, are online under the “Pre-Concert Talk” Tab.
New to the Symphony? Check out the Frequently Asked Question page…
Parking Map at the Miller Center
Holland Symphony Orchestra will reserve and monitor Lot 40 for handicapped parking. The faculty parking lots are available for parking after 5pm

Two Pieces for Small OrchestraFrederick Delius
Born: January 29, 1862 in Bradford, EnglandDied: June 10, 1934 in Grez-sur-Loing, FranceComposed: 1912Premiered: October 23, 1913, in LeipzigApproximate Duration: 7 minutesInstrumentation: 2 flutes, 1 oboe, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 French horns, strings
English composer Frederick Delius tried his hand at a lot of things in his young adulthood. He failed in an attempt to run an orange grove in Florida. He taught music in Virginia, and spent some time as an organist in New York. He also pursued a musical apprenticeship at the Leipzig Conservatory, where he befriended Edvard Grieg and met his wife, a German painter. After receiving an inheritance from his father, a wealthy German wool merchant who found a lot of success in Manchester, England, he moved to France and bought a villa in Grez-sur-Loing. He and his wife lived in relative isolation there, supported largely by inheritances that they both received. He composed pieces that were well-received in parts of continental Europe and Scandinavia, but he had more trouble gaining a foothold in his native England. Two friends gave him similar advice. Peter Warlock said, “Write some short pieces for small orchestra, and English orchestras will devour them.” Percy Grainger advised him, “I do wish you had in print some piece for not too big orchestra & not too wildly hard … that could be performed with an hour’s rehearsal & then form part of the general repertory.”
Delius wrote these orchestral miniatures–two short tone poems–in 1912. “On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring” is one of Delius’s most played and beloved works. It combines a French Impressionist language with English lyricism. It has a bittersweet mood, reflecting the inevitable passing of seasons and time. Composers often assign cuckoo calls to the clarinet, and Delius is no exception. After this beginning the violins then introduce a Norwegian folk song, “In Ola Valley,” which Percy Grainger had introduced to Delius. This piece is a dialogue between strings and woodwinds, between the cuckoo call, played sixteen times by the clarinet, and the folk tune. “Summer Night on the River” depicts the Loing River near the French village of Grez where Delius lived. His gardens bloomed along the edge of the river. This piece is particularly Impressionistic, portraying mist over the river and the gentle rocking of boats. A peaceful cello solo depicts the quiet river on a warm summer evening.
To watch video of “On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring,” click here.
To listen to “Summer Night on the River,” click here.
Danzas de PanamáWilliam Grant Still
Born: May 11, 1895, Woodville, MississippiDied: December 3, 1978, Los AngelesComposed: 1948Approximate Duration: 15 minutesInstrumentation: strings
William Grant Still, Jr. was born in a small Mississippi town. His parents were teachers and musicians. HIs father, William Grant Still, Sr., died when he was three months old. His mother moved to Little Rock, Arkansas and continued teaching high school English. She eventually remarried in 1904, and Still’s stepfather nurtured his interest in music, buying him records and taking him to concerts and operettas. Still began violin lessons at age fifteen and also taught himself to play clarinet, saxophone, oboe, viola, cello, and bass.
Following his mother’s wishes, Still pursued pre-medical training at Wilberforce University, a historically black college in Ohio. While there he conducted the band, started composing and orchestrating music, and learned several more instruments. He left Wilberforce before graduating and pursued musical studies at Oberlin College, funded by a small inheritance from his father. That money didn’t last long, and he had to work a lot to pay for his education. Eventually some faculty, who were impressed with his musical abilities, noticed his challenges and created a scholarship just for him. Still subsequently studied composition with the modern French composer Edgard Varése and American composer George Whitefield Chadwick.
Early in Still’s career he spent a lot of time in New York City. He worked for W. C. Handy’s band and performed with many notable pit orchestras. He arranged a lot of music for the popular NBC radio broadcasts Deep River Hour and Old Gold Show. He was prominent in the Harlem Renaissance movement and is known as the “Dean of African-American composers.” He eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he continued performing and composing and arranged music for films including Pennies from Heaven and Lost Horizon.
During a time in the United States when Jim Crow laws were common, William Grant Still attained a level of musical prominence that would have seemed impossible for almost any other person of color. He claims many “firsts” for African-American composers.

He was the first black man to conduct a major American orchestra, leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl in 1936.
He was the first black composer to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra. The Rochester Philharmonic, conducted by Howard Hanson, performed Still’s Afro-American Symphony in 1931.
He was the first black man to conduct an orchestra in the deep south, leading the New Orleans Philharmonic in 1955.
He was the first to have an opera performed by a major company (Troubled Island, 1949, in NYC), and the first to have an opera performed on national television (Bayou Legend in 1981).

As a composer, Still is known for blending European art music and African-American melodies like those in spirituals and scales and harmonies from jazz and blues. This is evident in his Danzas de Panamá, a suite of dances based on Panamanian dance themes originally collected by Elizabeth Waldo. The first movement, “Tamborito,” is based on an African theme probably brought to Panama by enslaved peoples. This traditional Panamanian dance uses a familiar habañera rhythm (3+2) and is performed with voice or strings and percussion. Still includes a percussive statement at the beginning and end of the movement. This music alternates between two dances, one thoughtful and chromatic and one rhythmic and fast. “Mejorana y Socavón” reflects two types of Panamanian guitars. The melody is innocent and relaxed, with an improvisatory style. The middle section is rhythmically aggressive. The third movement, “Punto,” is a graceful dance characterized by Zapateo (shoe-tapping) and Paseo (Promenade), which also occur in the Mejorana. It has the feel of courtship enacted by two dancers. The last movement also has African origins and is the most sensual of all the dances. Still uses non-traditional percussive ways of playing string instruments to add additional colors and effects to his music. These two folk dances, cumbia and congo, feature a driving tempo that suggests pounding feet and swirling colorful dresses, leading to a fast and exciting conclusion.
To listen to Danzas de Panamá, click here.
Concerto in One Movement for Oboe & Orchestra, Op. 45Eugene Goossens
Born: May 26, 1893, LondonDied: June 13, 1962, Hillingdon, Middlesex, EnglandComposed: 1927Approximate Duration: 11 minutesInstrumentation: 2 flutes (one doubling piccolo), 2 clarinets (one doubling bass clarinet), 1 bassoon, 2 French horns, 1 trumpet, harp, celeste, bass drum, cymbals, glockenspiel, tam tam, xylophone, strings
Following World War I, Sir Eugene Goosens emerged as one of the most prominent young British Composers. He was part of an influential musical family. His father and grandfather, Eugene I and Eugene II, were conductors. His brother Leon was an oboist–one of the most distinguished of the twentieth century–and his sisters, Marie and Sidonie, were harpists. His brother Adolph, a horn player, was killed in World War I.
Eugene (the composer) was sent to boarding school at age eight in Bruge. He returned to England in 1906, where he studied at Liverpool College of Music and then earned a scholarship to attend the Royal College of Music in London in 1907, where he studied violin, piano, theory, and composition. He spent his early career as an orchestral and opera violinist, and then gained a strong reputation as a conductor. He spent some time in the US as the first conductor of the Rochester Symphony Orchestra from 1923-1931 and taught at the Eastman School of Music, and then became music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra until 1946, before moving to Australia to direct a conservatory in New South Wales and became the chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. There he worked diligently for a performing arts center that ultimately led to the Sydney Opera House. He was knighted in 1955 and lived in London for the remainder of his life.
As a composer Goossens experimented with “modern” music early in his career, but spent most of his time thoroughly grounded in the language of romantic composers. He wrote two symphonies, two operas, and many other works for orchestra, soloists, and chamber music ensembles. He wrote his oboe concerto for his brother Leon in 1927.
To listen to the Goossens concerto, click here.
Franz Joseph HaydnSymphony No. 94 in G Major, Hob. I:94, “Surprise” or “With the Drum Strike”
Born: March 31, 1732, Rohrau, Lower Austria Died: May 31, 1809, ViennaComposed: 1791Approximate Duration: 23 minutesInstrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings
Music donated by Stuart and Lynette Fall
Franz Joseph Haydn spent much of his career (1761-1790) working for the Esterházy family–initially, for Paul Anton and then for his brother Prince Nicolaus. The family loved music and was very supportive of Haydn. Haydn enjoyed the freedom to compose, the financial security to experiment, and strong musicians who could play what he wrote well. The Esterházy estate, described by a traveler as “having no place but Versailles to compare with for magnificence,” became known as a major center for music. While on this estate he developed the four-movement structure that composers have used ever since. Over the decades on the Esterházy estate the size of his orchestra grew and the complexity of Haydn’s music.
Toward the end of Haydn’s employment with the Esterházy family, he became increasingly isolated. In a letter to a friend Haydn wrote, “Well, here I sit in my wilderness – forsaken – like a poor waif – almost without any human society – melancholy – full of the memories of past glorious days.… ” When Prince Nicolaus died, Haydn was freed from his obligations to the family. In 1790 he decided to leave Austria and settle in London. He spent the next two years there.
In London Haydn composed his last twelve symphonies. The concerts at which these symphonies were performed could go on for hours, and even though Haydn was the star attraction, the length of the evenings often took its toll on audience members. After the premiere of Haydn’s Symphony No. 94, a newspaper described the second movement, a theme with four variations, in this way: “The second movement was the happiest of this great Master’s conceptions. The surprise might not be unaptly likened to the situation of a beautiful shepherdess, who, lulled to slumber by the murmur of a distant waterfall, starts alarmed by the unexpected firing of a fowling-piece. The flute obligato was delicious.” Haydn denied the rumor that he wrote this movement to wake up audience members who fell asleep at his concerts. The famous chord wasn’t even in the earliest versions of this symphony. Allegedly, Haydn claimed that he wanted to make a grand statement to outshine other composers, but no one really knows why he added the gratuitous chord. “No, rather it was my wish to surprise the public with something new, and to make a debut in a brilliant manner so as not to be outdone by my pupil Pleyel [Pleyel was giving concerts in London at the same time as Haydn] … the enthusiasm reached its highest point in the Andante with the kettledrum beat. ‘Encore, Encore’ sounded from every throat, and even Pleyel complimented me on my idea.”
The symphony opens with a slow introduction, like all but one of Haydn’s London symphonies. Alternating wind and string chorales give way to a brisk, joyful movement in A-B-A form. The second movement is a theme and variations on the famous theme, a tune that is marked by its simplicity. The third movement, Menuet and Trio, is really an Austrian ländler, a peasant dance in triple meter. The finale is fast and exciting–a rondo that alternates between the opening theme and other tunes, ending with an energetic conclusion.
To watch a video of the “Surprise Symphony,” click here.
Sarah Hustad Southard joined the Hope College Music Department faculty as instructor of oboe in fall 2007. She has taught as temporary instructor of oboe at Central Michigan University and as adjunct professor at the University of Michigan-Flint and Northern Kentucky University. Along with her collegiate teaching, Sarah keeps an active studio of area oboists and has enjoyed working with many youth programs like the Interlochen Center for the Arts All-State Orchestra and All-State Band, the Holland Area Youth Orchestra Chamber Music Program, the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble and the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras.
Besides teaching, Sarah is an active performer, playing regularly with the Midland and Holland symphony orchestras. She has also had the pleasure of performing with other groups such as the Lansing Symphony in Lansing, Michigan; the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami, Florida; the Cincinnati Symphony Opera Orchestra in Cincinnati, Ohio; and the Madison Symphony and Chamber Orchestras in Madison, Wisconsin. As well as her orchestral playing, Sarah has performed in chamber groups at Hope College, the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck and the Free at Three Concert Series (formerly the Herrick Library series in Holland, which she also took part in) and has soloed nationally and internationally at locations including Italy, England and Scotland.
Sarah received her Doctorate of Musical Arts from Michigan State University with oboist Jan Eberle, her Master’s of Music at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with Mark Ostoich, and her Bachelor of Music from the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying with Marc Fink.
To watch the pre-concert video, click here.

Young Artists Competition Public Recital
2024-01-27 13:00 - 15:00 UTC | Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts at Hope College, 221 Columbia Ave., Holland, MI, 49423, United States

Celebrate the Season
2023-12-09 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Dimnent Chapel, 277 College Ave., Holland, MI, 49423, United States
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