Symphony’s 4/25 Concert Features Works by Two Pulitzer Prize-winning Women
Santa Rosa Symphony (SRS) presents a virtual concert experience with works by two women who have not only won a Pulitzer Prize, but have broken Pulitzer records. Caroline Shaw was the youngest recipient in music at age 30, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, the Symphony’s Artistic Partner, was the first woman to win the honor for music. The program opens with Shaw’s Entr’acte for String Orchesta, followed by Zwilich’s Romance for Violin and Orchestra, featuring SRS Concertmaster Joseph Edelberg. The program, conducted by SRS Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong, continues with Arturo Márquez’ Danzón No. 4 for Chamber Orchestra and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade in C major for String Orchestra. This free YouTube concert is preceded by a live pre-concert talk with Lecce-Chong and Zwilich, and a post-concert Q&A with Francesco and special guests.
Lecce-Chong says, "I can't wait to fill the stage of the Green Music Center with our largest string section this season for the rich, gorgeous sounds of Tchaikovsky's beloved Serenade. I am also thrilled to showcase our concertmaster, Joe Edelberg, on Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Romance. As audiences have experienced all season long, Joe's artistry and leadership have been more essential than ever in facing the challenges of safely performing as an orchestra during a pandemic."
Appeal for those new to classical music concerts
The first two pieces on the program are well suited for people new to classical music. Entr’acte’s rich, vibrant themes, appeal to players and audiences. Shaw quipped that people have called it a “gateway drug for new music.” With Romance, Zwilich focused on the theme, or “tune,” over a complex progression, making it a good candidate for a classical music novice, while still enjoyable for the initiates, and especially so for fans of Edelberg.
Edelberg has performed for many years with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and American Bach Soloists. Guest leader appearances include Berkeley, Marin and California symphonies, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Magnificat Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists and San Francisco Opera Merola Grand Finals Orchestra. He has also appeared at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming, as concertmaster at the Summer Festival Orchestras of Mendocino and San Louis Obispo, and as guest principal second violin of the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra. His solo appearances include the symphonies of Oakland, Berkeley and Santa Rosa. He has recorded with the aforementioned baroque orchestras, the Berkeley Symphony, Chanticleer and Earplay. Read full bio.
Márquez, the son of a mariachi, incorporates his Mexican culture into his Cuban dance pieces, or danzóns. Danzón No. 4 exudes melancholy and nostalgia and is dedicated to two of his siblings.
Tchaikovsky wrote Serenade for Strings as a tribute to Mozart, his idol. At its premiere in 1881, the St. Petersburg audience called for an encore of the second movement. The waltz in the second movement, arranged for soprano and full orchestra, was performed as From the Heart of a Lonely Poet by Kathryn Grayson and the MGM studio orchestra for the 1945 film Anchors Aweigh. It was also used, in the ‘80s, as the startup theme for a British television station.
Recorded on April 10, 2021, in Green Music Center's Weill Hall, the concert premieres April 25 at 3 PM, preceded by a live pre-concert talk with Lecce-Chong and Zwilich at 2 PM and followed by a live post-concert Q&A with Lecce-Chong—all on YouTube. All three elements of this event are free, though donations to support the ongoing music and outreach programs of the Symphony are gratefully accepted during the event.
Santa Rosa Symphony concert SRS @ Home Apr 25
Sunday, April 25, 2021 at 3:00 PM, Pre-concert Talk 2:00 PM-2:30 PM
Santa Rosa Symphony’s YouTube Channel (also accessible from the event page)
Free, with donations gratefully accepted
