Pops Concert “SOST Goes to the Movies”

Inside this issue:

Maestro’s

Notes

2

On the

Town

3

Meet the

Musicians

4

Board Mem-

ber Profile

5

Did You

Know?

6

Mark your

Calendar!

6

February 2015 VOLUME 28, NUMBER 4

Saturday, February 21 · 7:30 p.m.

Julie Rogers Theatre

On February 21, we

invite you to join us on a

magical trip to the movies

with favorite film music at

our Symphony Pops Con-

cert.

“This will be a wonder-

ful trip down

memory lane for

guests as they

hear melodies

from those mov-

ies they love,”

said SOST Music

Director Chelsea

Tipton, II. “This

is a rare oppor-

tunity to hear

those themes per-

formed by a live

orchestra, as well.”

This epic concert will

feature many award-

winning movie themes that

people are familiar with,

but also introduce some

new ones.

The orchestra will per-

form classics such as

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s,”

“Star Trek,” “Titanic,”

“Theme from Rocky,” and

more. Beloved favorites by

the great film score com-

posers Henry Mancini and

John Williams will revive

the silver screen memories

of the most amazing stories

ever told. Guests are also

sure to enjoy the more re-

cent film favorites of

“Harry’s Wondrous

World,” “Pirates of the

Caribbean,” “Spider Man”

and more.

A visual multimedia

presentation will also ac-

company the musical rendi-

tion of these big

screen hits.

To purchase

tickets or get more

information, go to

www.sost.org or

contact the Sym-

phony office at

(409) 892-2257.

Ticket prices range

from $17 to $41;

senior, student and

group discounts are

available.

The Symphony Pops

Concert is sponsored by

Capital One Bank; visual

multimedia made possible

in part by Mason Con-

struction, Ltd.

2

Maestro’s

Notes

“Musical ‘Tails’ Remixed” was a howling good time!

Michael Boudewyns even stayed

a few extra days to share “Peter and

the Wolf” with over 5,000 students at

our Youth Education Concerts on Jan.

27 and 28. Schools from all across

Southeast Texas made the journey to

the Julie Rogers Theatre, including

several homeschool groups. Students,

ranging in age from Pre-K to 12th

grade, all loved the unique presenta-

tion of the timeless classic. These

concerts often represent many chil-

dren’s first opportunity to attend a live

performance by a symphony orches-

tra.

Thank you to Baptist Hospitals of

Southeast Texas for making Michael

Boudewyns’ appearance possible. The

Youth Education Concerts were made

possible by the generous support of

the following sponsors: The Sympho-

ny League of Beaumont, Jan Allred

and family, In loving memory of Car-

ol Tyrrell Kyle by Dr. & Mrs. Bran-

don Chenault, Foundation of South-

east Texas, The Wilton & Effie Mae

Herbert Foundation, Katheryn Mapes

Fund, McDonald’s - Brian & Cathie

Ellis, Raymond James Financial Ser-

vices, Inc. - Ron Legnion, and South-

east Texas Arts Council.

Boudewyns’ also shared “Peter and the Wolf” with over 5,000 students

The audience loved the

vaudeville-inspired perfor-

mance of Prokofiev’s

“Peter and the Wolf” at our

Classics Series Concert on

Jan. 24. Michael

Boudewyns brought the

beloved characters to life

like never before and the

orchestra portrayed each

one with perfection.

I have always had a passion for

pops music, especially movie music. It

adds so much to the stories and images

on screen.

We have an amazing program to

share with our community on February

21 in our Pops Concert this year. Not

only will there be great music from the

most memorable classic and block-

buster movies, but there will also be

images to accompany the music.

Think about some of your favorite

movies, many times there are melodies

and tunes associated with the film. The

first film score composer that I fell in

love with was John Williams. His mu-

sic just captured my imagination and

still does. We have some John Williams

compositions on this concert with mu-

sic from Harry Potter and the movie

“1941.” Other wonderful selections in-

clude “The Pink Panther,” “Rocky,”

“Moon River” and so many more.

This is a great concert for families

to come out, enjoy and take ride with us

down memory lane through movies.

Our very own Maestro Chelsea

Tipton, II and Board President Virginia

Bean have recently received a great

honor in our community. They were

both nominated to the Art Museum of

Southeast Texas’ Great Wall of Fame,

which honors African Americans who

have made a positive impact on the

lives of Southeast Texans.

“It’s not every day when distin-

guished members of our organization

are recognized for their leadership and

impact on our community,” said SOST

Executive Director Doug Fair. “We are

very pleased that Virginia and Chelsea

have been recognized for their dedica-

tion to music and education through

their work with the SOST.”

The Great Wall of Fame is part of

the Art Museum’s current exhibition

“Harvey Johnson: A Triple Middle

Passage,” which celebrates the art of

Port Arthur native Harvey Johnson and

includes the extraordinary paintings

and drawings that portray his view of

the continuous journey in life of Afri-

can Americans.

The Great Wall of Fame will be on

view through April 12.

Congratulations to Great Wall of Fame honorees

3

Save the Date for something new!

Thursday, May 7

Get to know your SOST at this intimate concert!

Details coming soon… www.sost.org

Meet the Musicians

Conrad Cornelison, Bassoon

4

Xiaodi Liu, Oboe Q: What instrument(s) do you play? A: Oboe,Piano Q: When and how did you get started in music? A: I started playing piano when I was five years old in China. My father is a

musician (bassoonist and oboist) and was my piano and oboe teacher. When did you begin playing with the SOST? A: 2014-15 season Educational background? A: Early studies at the Beijing Con-servatory; BM and AD from the Royal Northern College of Music in Man-chester, England; AD from Oberlin Conservatory (Oberlin, OH); and MM from Rice University (Houston, TX). Q: Who has been your greatest influ-ence in music? A: My greatest influence in music has been my father. He introduced music to me, and has always been very en-couraging and supportive of me. I grew up listening to him play music, and we always listened to recordings

of world-class orchestras together since I was an infant. Q: What is your “day job?” A: When I am not performing with the SOST, I am a freelance oboist and private lesson instructor in the Hou-ston area. Much of my time is devoted to small “woodworking projects,” such as handcrafting reeds for my in-strument. Q: Hobbies or activities outside of SOST? A: I enjoy spending my free time tak-ing my dog to the dog park, and I also really enjoy cooking and kickboxing. Q: Favorite music? A: Besides classical music, my favor-ite music would have to be 1970’s-era popular music, such as the Bee Gees, Chicago, and Michael Jackson.

Q: What instrument(s) do you play? A: Bassoon & Contrabassoon Q: When and how did you get started in music? A: I started music in 6th grade band after being attracted to the sound of the bassoon, which was first intro-duced to me during Elementary School in my general music class. I was first told that the bassoon was known as the “clown of the orchestra,” a role which I felt suited me best! Q: When did you begin playing with the SOST? A: I joined the Symphony of South-east Texas as Principal Bassoonist dur-ing the 2013-14 season. Q: Educational background? A: I hold a Master of Music degree from Rice University (Houston, TX), a

Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School (New York, NY), and I graduated high school from the Inter-lochen Arts Academy (Interlochen, MI). Q: Who has been your greatest influ-ence in music? A: My greatest musical influences have been my private bassoon instruc-tors, who have not only educated me on how to play the instrument, but have also been great role models to me in many aspects of life. Namely, Ben-jamin Kamins, Patricia Rogers, Eric Stomberg, Matthew Schuler and Dan Duncan. Q: What is your “day job?” A: When I am not performing in Beaumont, I am a freelance bassoonist and private lesson teacher in the Hou-ston area.

Q: Hobbies or activities outside of SOST? A: Amateur Photography, Hiking, Mountaineering, and my favorite: spending time with my dog, Toby. Q: Favorite music? A: Orchestral Masterpieces, Bluegrass Music, and the Grateful Dead.

Q: What instrument(s) do you play? A: Viola Q: When and how did you get started in music? A: I started playing the violin in the public school orchestra in 6th grade and switched to viola just before my Master’s degree. Q: When did you begin playing with the SOST? A: 2013 Q: Educational background? A: I have a Bachelor of Music in violin performance, from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Master of Music in vio-la performance from the University of Maryland, Postgraduate Diploma from the Escola Superior de Música de Catalu-nya in Barcelona, Spain, and very soon will have a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in viola from the University of Hou-ston. Q: Who has been your greatest influence in music? A: My teachers, especially the Arianna String Quartet in St. Louis, Cuarteto Casals in Barcelona, and Wayne Brooks of the Houston Symphony. Q: What is your “day job?” A: Music is my day job. In addition to playing with the SOST I play with various groups in Houston and also with the Brazos Valley Symphony in College Station. I also teach many talented young violists after school in Houston, at sum-mer camp in Michigan, and at Lone Star College in Tomball. Q: Hobbies or activities outside of SOST? A: Walking, hiking, biking, tennis, and reading. Q: Favorite music? A: Mostly music from the 19th and early 20th century, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Brahms, Wagner, Rachmaninoff, and York Bowen (my dissertation topic!).

Board Member Profile

James Black

5

How long have you been a board mem-ber of the SOST? I have been on the board for about 3 years. How did you become a board member? I was asked to join the board after we moved to Beaumont from Port Arthur. I had long been the legal advisor for the Port Arthur Community Concert Association prior to our move, and had become familiar with SOST through an education grant to the Symphony from the Hebert Foundation. What do you enjoy about serving on the board? I’m impressed by the organization of the board and the staff. The meetings are organized and business is conduct-ed in a timely and professional manner. What has been your favorite SOST concert? One of my favorite concerts was the Bach “Brandenburg Concerto” when the symphony began the piece all

standing. When our nine-year-old grandson visited last year, we took him to the Beatles concert which he, my wife and I really enjoyed. Do you or did you ever play a musical instrument?

I played the oboe for a short time in junior high school. I have great re-spect for oboists. I know from experi-ence that it’s a difficult instrument to play! What is your profession? Lawyer Other community involvement? Past President of the Jefferson County Bar Association; member and former Senior Warden of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church; currently serve as a Lay Read-er and Eucharistic Minister; President of the Wilton and Effie Hebert Foun-dation, a charitable foundation which makes grants to charitable institutions in Southeast Texas; Past Chairman of the Christus Health Foundation of Southeast Texas; and Past President of Lamar University Friends of the Arts. Hobbies? I don’t know if it’s considered a hob-by, but I enjoy exercising regularly at the Wellness Center.

Dr. Russ Schultz awarded

Joseph B. Carlucci Award

for Outstanding Service

At the Classics Series Con-

cert on Jan. 24, Dr. Russ Schultz

was awarded the Joseph B. Car-

lucci Award for Outstanding

Service to the Symphony of

Southeast Texas.

The award was created in

1993 to honor and express ap-

preciation to those individuals

who have given of themselves

“beyond the call” to support the

Symphony. Schultz has served

on the Board of Directors since

2001, served on several special

committees and helped continue

an incredible relationship be-

tween the SOST and Lamar Uni-

versity. He will retire from serv-

ing as dean of Lamar’s College

of Fine Arts and Communica-

tions in May.

Past recipients of the Carluc-

ci award include Joseph B. Car-

lucci (1993), Edna Brooks

(1994), Carol Tyrrell Kyle

(1997), Diane M. Wittry (2000),

Susan & Robert Campbell

(2001), Becky Mason (2005),

Floyd McSpadden, Jr. (2011)

and Rosine McFaddin Wilson

(2012).

Dr. Henry Venta presents the Carlucci Award to Dr. Russ Schultz before the concert on Jan. 24.

If your schedule prevents you from attending a concert, PLEASE consider releasing

your tickets prior to the day of the concert by calling the Symphony office at

(409) 892-2257.

Date, time Event Location

Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m. Pops Concert

“SOST Goes to the Movies”

Julie Rogers Theatre

April 11, 6:30 p.m. Pre-Concert Talk Julie Rogers Theatre

April 11, 7:30 p.m. Classics Series Concert

“Rach’ On”

Julie Rogers Theatre

May 6, 6:30 p.m. Annual Meeting Julie Rogers Theatre Stage

May 7, 6 p.m. “SOST On the Town” Edison Plaza Lobby

Upcoming Events

The Symphony of Southeast Texas 4345 Phelan Blvd, Suite 105 • Beaumont, TX 77707

(409) 892-2257 • www.sost.org • sost@sost.org

www.facebook.com/TheSOST

@TheSOST

6

Every work performed requires a different sized orchestra with varied instrumentation.

The core SOST orchestra consists of around 55 members. These are members that have auditioned for the Maestro and SOST audition commit-tee, and have been awarded a position. Additionally, there are up to 90 musi-cians that play with the Symphony on a regular basis. These extra players are considered “substitutes;” however, many of these players have played

with the Sym-phony for many years and take their commitment to SOST very seri-ously. “Principal” is a title given to the “first chair” player in each section. That person is the leader of the section, and is the one to address the Maestro in rehearsal if there are any questions. The “Assistant Principal” is the “second chair” player, and is capable of being Principal in that person’s ab-sence. Musicians rehearse for 12

hours, or four rehearsals, before every Classics Series concert. For Pops and Education Concerts, there is usually only one three-hour rehearsal. Musi-cians are paid “per service.”

While many of the SOST musi-cians call Southeast Texas home, we have players that come from as far west as Houston and as far east as Lake Charles on a regular basis.

fun facts about concert production