IN THE NEWS

Carol Wright (NHSO Board Member), and husband Fred Wright  dancing the night away.

Those who braved the elements (clad in furs, warm hats and snow shoes, with dancing shoes in hand), enjoyed an evening of good company and exciting dancing to the sounds of the Bales-Gitlin Band.  NHSO Board Member and Director of Bands at Yale University, Thomas C. Duffy gave us a flashback to Glenn Miller era with a re-enactment of one of Miller's radio shows and a slide show on Miller's New Haven days. We even added roaring fires to help thaw the valiant supporters. A great time was had by all.  Maybe we’ll see you there next year?

Challenge Gift raises the bar for philanthropy

In early February, the symphony announced an anonymous $50,000 challenge gift.  The gift, donated by a longtime NHSO benefactor, encourages gifts from new donors and increased giving from current donors by matching every dollar raised in the last four months of this fiscal year, or up to May 31. All of the funds will be used to support annual operating costs during the current season.  We are excited about this challenge and the dedication of our anonymous donor.

Board President James T. Morley said, “By making this challenge gift to us, our generous friend is sending a message that exceptional institutions require exceptional support from the community.”

If you are interested in making a gift or would like more information, please contact Jim Wright, Director of Development at (203) 865-0831, ext. 25 or jwright@newhavensymphony.org.

Soloist Min Xiao Fin playing the Pipa (Chinese lute).

Asia’s Silk Road Concert: A Virtual Tour of Asia

‘Asia’s Silk Road’ is more than a concert,” said Jung-Ho Pak excitedly about the NHSO concert on Saturday, March 24.  “It's truly an audio tour around Asia: from the Koto, the traditional Japanese string instrument of the mysterious Geisha, to the exotic Chinese lute, the Pipa, to the dramatic Korean Barrel Drums ... And we're presenting Western perspectives on Asia. . . See why I think this will be the most interesting and dramatic concert of the year.”     

Monk Dance follows, with soloist Jin Hi Kim playing Korean Barrel Drums to elicit both Buddhist monks’ quest for enlightenment and popular dance forms.

American composer Anthony De Ritis' Ping Pong Concerto, originally composed solely for Chinese instruments, was re-scored for Chinese lute (the Pipa) and Western orchestra. Min Xiao-Fen, for whom the concerto was composed, will be our soloist.
    
Toru Takemitsu, a composer of orchestral and chamber music, also wrote music for films, two of which are featured on this program. Tadao Sawai, a composer and performer who has greatly expanded the range of the Japanese koto, highlights that instrument in Tori no Yoni (“Flying Like a Bird”) with Masayo Ishigure, a student of Sawai’s, as soloist.                    

Closing the program will be selections from Giacomo Puccini’s hauntingly beautiful and poignant opera, Madame Butterfly, which had its first performance almost 100 years after Weber’s opera Turandot.       
          

Virginia Wilkinson, NHSO Board Member

GALA 2007 

When:  Tuesday, May 8th, 5:00 p.m.

Where:  Lanman Center at Yale University

What to expect:   An evening full of surprises, great food, spectacular entertainment, and a live auction that includes an ultimate Porsche Driving Experience, Seven Days trolling through Italy’s greatest treasures and much more. 

   For more information, contact the NHSO offce at (203) 865-0831, ext. 12. 

Korean Barrel drummer and composer Jin-Hi Kim at work.

On March 24, New Haven audiences will be treated to the premiere of Jin-Hi Kim’s Monk Dance.

Monk Dance, in its joining together of Western orchestral music and Asian ideals, expresses one of the major themes of Jin Hi Kim’s career. Ms. Kim was born in Incheon after the Korean War at a time when Western culture—music and art—was ascendant, and Korea was in danger of losing its traditional arts. Like many other young Korean children she studied a Western instrument, the piano.
 But in 1973, the government founded a national high school for Korean traditional music to revitalize native performing arts. She was one of 60 students accepted.  There she learned singing, drumming, bamboo flutes, and the komungo, a large fretted zither traditionally played by men. 
 
Later as she studied both Korean and Western music, Ms. Kim felt that her native traditions were denigrated.  This pushed her to come to the United States in 1980, and to compose music that balanced the two cultures. Her work represents the evolution of 1500-year-old Korean music into the 21st century and a coming together of Eastern and Western traditions.

Carol Wright, NHSO Board Member

Student playing the timpani at the 2006 Young People's Concert in Milford.

One of a Kind- Connecticut Youth Orchestra Festival

The first Connecticut Youth Orchestra Festival will take place on Saturday, March 24, 2007. This celebration of young musicians will begin at 1:00 PM and will continue throughout the day in various venues around New Haven, culminating in the NHSO Asia’s Silk Road concert that evening at 8:00 PM in Woolsey Hall. Seven youth orchestras from around the state will perform for one another, attend workshops led by guest artists and NHSO musicians, and participate in combined “workshop performances” in an effort to promote music and community among young people. All festival events are open to the public.

For sample music and more info, click here.

The Power of Percussion:  Young People’s Concerts 2007

The NHSO and Associate Conductor Gerald Steichen are pleased to announce the 75th Anniversary performances of its Young People's concert series, The Power of Percussion. The performances will take place:

Monday, April 2, 2007, 9:30 and 11:30am at Woolsey Hall, New Haven;
Tuesday, April 3, 2007, 9:30 and 11:30am at Shelton Intermediate School, Shelton;
Wednesday, April 4, 2006, 10:15am and 12:00pm at Hyde Cultural Center, Woodstock; and
Thursday, April 5, 2007, 9:30 and 11:30am at Seymour Middle School.

Each 50-minute concert is designed for students in grades 2-8 and is supported by a curriculum guide and recording of the powerful percussion pieces to be played. The program includes classic orchestral repertoire and features a percussion quintet as guest soloists. Approximately 7,000 students are expected to participate in this season’s concerts.

Juliane Givonni, Education Intern

For more information on our music education programs, please contact Steve Collins, Director of Education, at (203) 865-0831, x. 13 or email scollins@newhavensymphony.org