Notes from the Middle East April 20 Concert Program

Notes From the Middle EastMoses and Susan Libitzky present

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013 • 8:00 PM • PARAMOUNT THEATRE, OAKLAND

Conductors: Michael Morgan and Daniel Alfred Wachs

2 Oakland East Bay Symphony

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Message from the ChairI am very pleased to welcome you to tonight’s performance in a series in which we proudly feature musicians and composers from around the world. We focus this evening on works with roots in Egypt, Israel and Palestine. Our artistic director Michael Morgan has once again brought together remarkable musical talent - composers Nader Abbassi, Avner Dorman and John Bisharat as well as the extraordinary guest artists who will perform their works. We hope you enjoy tonight’s program and we thank you for your on-going support of both our performances and our music education programs for children in our community.

– Bette B. Epstein, Chair, East Bay Performing Arts


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Message from the MaestroOur “Notes from” series continues tonight with a stop in the Middle East, an area with political challenges that have lasted for centuries as well as many vibrant musical traditions. While we only cover a few of the many types of music from that region, our goal is the same as in any of our concerts: to show the commonalities between the various countries’ arts and the similarities between peoples.

We welcome several outstanding guest artists to our stage including composer John Bisharat and the conductor who led me to him, Daniel Wachs. Musicians have always found ways to work across artificial boundaries with the hope that others would follow suit. We are greatly helped in this effort by the James Irvine Foundation and their support which has allowed us to commission the world premiere you will hear tonight. We are very grateful to them and to you for joining us for another adventure.

– Michael Morgan, Music Director, Oakland East Bay Symphony

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Moses and Susan Libitzky are proud to sponsor Notes from the Middle East and to support

Michael Morgan’s vision and commitment to music as a path for intercultural dialogue.

When outstanding musicians of diverse backgrounds come together and share

beautiful music from their vibrant traditions, we take another

step towards peace and understanding.

Oakland East Bay Symphony Building Community Through MusicMusic transforms lives, and Oakland East Bay Symphony has provided high-quality music education and enrichment activities to Oakland and beyond for over 20 years.

The Symphony is a leader in music education for young people, making classical music accessible, particularly to those in the community who might otherwise never experience live symphonic music.

Our Music for Excellence (MUSE) program is a multi-component music education and enrichment initiative that serves young people at public schools and community sites throughout Oakland. By providing these programs free to participants, the Symphony ensures that each year, over 18,000 young people have access to a variety of music education and enrichment activities, regardless of their economic situation. One third of the Symphony’s budget is dedicated to MUSE.

The ongoing and generous support of our donors has been integral to our work and the fulfillment of our mission. Contributions to the MUSE program are used to support: the In-School Mentor and After-School Programs, free annual Young Peoples’ Concerts, Young Artist Competition, Ensemble Visits to the Schools, School Visits by Maestro Morgan, and more.

For more information about how to get involved and support our education programs, please contact us at (510) 444-0801.


Notes from the Middle EastSATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2013 • 8:00 PM • PARAMOUNT THEATRE, OAKLAND

Conductors: Michael Morgan and Daniel Alfred Wachs

Moses and Susan LibitzkyPRESENT

Program Nader Abbassi (b. 1963) The Nile Bride

Daniel Alfred Wachs, Conductor

Edvard Grieg (1843 – 1907) Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16I. Allegro molto moderatoII. AdagioIII. Allegro moderato molto e marcato

Eliran Avni, Piano

Michael Morgan, Conductor

Intermission Avner Dorman (b. 1975) Astrolatry

Daniel Alfred Wachs, Conductor

John Bisharat (b. 1964) Ya Way Li (World Premiere) New Visions/New Vistas Commissioning Project. Commissioned by the Oakland

East Bay Symphony with support from The James Irvine Foundation.

Ahmed El-Asmer, vocals & percussion John Bilezikjian, oud

Pedro Eustache, woodwinds Susu Pampanin, Fatima Z. Lahlou & John Villa, percussion

Michael Morgan, Conductor

Media Sponsors: Oakland Magazine, Bay Area News Group, East Bay Express, KDFC, J. WeeklySeason Guest Artist Accommodation provided by: The Hills Bed & Breakfast

The 2012-2013 season is supported by grants from the California Arts Council, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the City of Oakland’s Cultural Funding Program.


Oakland East Bay SymphonyFounded in 1988, Oakland East Bay Symphony is a critically acclaimed and community-focused leading regional orchestra dedicated to serving the diverse population of the East Bay. It has gained regional and national recognition for its unique convergence of artistic excellence, community service and education programs.

Under the artistic leadership of Maestro Michael Morgan, OEBS reaches over 60,000 people annually, with more than one-third of its operating budget dedicated to education and outreach programs. On the concert stage, OEBS has become an important positive force in bringing together the talents and resources of diverse artists, performing arts organizations and audiences from throughout the Bay Area. (Information about these programs can be found at www.oebs.org.)

OEBS has fostered collaborations with local arts organizations from children’s choruses to jazz ensembles to dance and opera. The Symphony showcases new American works in performance and encourages young artists. In its efforts to support new music, OEBS formed a multi-year partnership with The James Irvine Foundation to initiate various commissioning projects including the New Visions/New Vistas initiatives. In June of 2010, OEBS forged a closer partnership with Oakland Youth Orchestra and Oakland Symphony Chorus in a merger that resulted in the formation of East Bay Performing Arts.

Michael Morgan, Music DirectorMichael Morgan was born in Washington, DC, where he attended public schools and began conducting at the age of 12. While a student at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, he spent a summer at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, studying with Gunther Schuller and Seiji Ozawa. He first worked with Leonard Bernstein during that same summer.

His operatic debut was in 1982 at the Vienna State Opera conducting Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio. In 1986, Sir Georg Solti chose him to become the Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for seven years under both Solti and Daniel Barenboim. In 1986 he was invited by Leonard Bernstein to make his debut with the New York Philharmonic. As a guest conductor he has appeared with most of America’s major orchestras, as well as the New York City Opera, St. Louis Opera Theater and Washington National Opera.

In addition to his duties with OEBS, Maestro Morgan serves as Artistic Director of Oakland Youth Orchestra, Music Director of Sacramento Philharmonic and Artistic Director of Festival Opera in Walnut Creek. He also teaches the graduate conducting course at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

He makes many appearances in the nation’s schools each year, particularly in the East Bay, and is highly regarded as a champion of arts education and minority access to the arts. Michael received an Honorary Doctorate from Holy Names University. He makes his home in Oakland with his mother and sister.

FIRST VIOLIN Dawn Harms,

Concertmaster Vivian Warkentin, Asst. Concertmaster Jeremy Preston,

Assoc. Concertmaster Patrice MayEllen GronningenDeborah SpanglerEmanuela NikiforovaLina BouzeAaron RequiroJoseph MaileStephanie BibboAntoine Van Dongen SECOND VIOLIN Liana Berube, PrincipalSharon Calonico, Asst. PrincipalCandace SandersonSergi Goldman-HullRobert DonehewAlison MillerJory FankuchenJosepha FathMaxine NemerovskiNicola Gruen

VIOLA Margaret Titchener,

PrincipalDarcy Rindt, Asst. PrincipalJanice Negherbon Betsy LondonDavid GilbertPatricia WhaleyStephanie RailsbackKaty Juneau CELLO Daniel Reiter, PrincipalJoseph Hébert, Asst. PrincipalMichelle KwonElizabeth VandervennetJeff ParishPaul RhodesJan VolkertElizabeth Struble STRING BASS Patrick McCarthy,

PrincipalCarl Stanley, Asst. PrincipalRandall KeithAndy ButlerAbraham GumroyanAndy McCorkle

FLUTE Alice Lenaghan,

Principal Rena Urso-Trapani

PICCOLO Rena Urso-Trapani OBOE Andrea Plesnarski,

Principal Denis Harper

ENGLISH HORNDenis Harper CLARINET Bill Kalinkos, Principal Diane Maltester BASS CLARINET Diane Maltester BASSOONDeborah Kramer,

Principal David Granger CONTRABASSOONDavid Granger

FRENCH HORN Meredith Brown,

PrincipalAlicia TelfordStuart Gronningen Ross GershensonEric Achen

TRUMPETWilliam Harvey,

Principal Leonard Ott John Freeman TROMBONE Bruce Chrisp, PrincipalThomas Hornig

BASS TROMBONE Steven Trapani TUBAScott Choate, Principal HARPNatalie Cox, Principal ORGAN/PIANOEllen Wassermann,

Principal

TIMPANIIto Kumiko, Principal

PERCUSSIONWard Spangler,

Principal Timothy DentStan MuncyLoren Mach

PERSONNEL MANAGERCarl Stanley LIBRARIAN Candace Sanderson TECHNICAL DIRECTORSeth Ducey RECORDING ENGINEERTom Johnson,

Johnson Digital

Oakland East Bay Symphony Orchestra


Daniel Alfred Wachs, ConductorConductor Daniel Alfred Wachs emerged on the international scene following his debut with the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg, leading a world première by Toshio Hosokawa at the Grosses Festspielhaus. The Austrian press praised “Engaging, rhythmically inspired, precise in its execution, the “Mambo” was equal to a performance by Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra!” Wachs has been entrusted with preparing orchestras from Valery Gergiev to Vladimir Spivakov, and has served as Assistant Conductor to Osmo Vänskä at the Minnesota Orchestra and at the National Orchestra of France under Kurt Masur. He has served as cover conductor for the Houston Symphony and the Rotterdam Philharmonic. Wachs has guest-conducted Orange County’s Pacific Symphony, the Auckland Philharmonia, the National Orchestra (as part of the National Conducting Institute), the Sarasota Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, the Monterey Symphony, the Spartanburg Philharmonic, and is a frequent guest conductor at New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center. Wachs has also served as assistant conductor at the Cincinnati Opera and for the French première of Bernstein’s Candide at the Théâtre du Châtelet,

A pianist as well as a conductor (“Wachs proved a revelation, delivering a technically impeccable, emotionally powerful performance of two Mozart piano concertos and a pair of solo works…” – St. Paul Pioneer Press) Wachs was auditioned by Zubin Mehta at the age of eight and was a student of the late Enrique Barenboim. He subsequently pursued studies at the Zürich Academy as well as The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School. He has participated at such festivals at Aspen, Tanglewood and Verbier

Nader Abbassi, ComposerIn his conducting career, Nader Abbassi benefits from his exceptionally wide professional experience as a singer, bassoonist and composer.

Nader Abbassi was awarded the Citation of Excellence and Outstanding Music Award in 1980 and 1982 (USA). He won several 1st prizes from the Egyptian Ministry of Culture for bassoon and composition in 1986, 1995 and 1996. He is the winner of the Mozart Chamber Music Competition in Geneva, 1992. Among others, the Geneva Ballet Company, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, Swiss Romande Orchestra, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and the Swiss Clarinet Players commissioned him new compositions. From 2002 until 2011, he held the position of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Cairo Opera Orchestra. He is also the Artistic Director of the “Orchestre pour la Paix” in Paris. From 2009 to 2011 he was the first Musical Director & Principal Conductor for the newly formed “Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra” (QPO). He continues his regular collaboration with the QPO as a Guest Conductor. In July 2011, Nader Abbassi was appointed Artistic and Musical Director of KATARA Culture Foundation, Doha - Qatar.

Nader Abbassi has conducted various international orchestras, such as Sinfonieorchester Basel, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Philharmonisches Orchester Heidelberg, Orchester des Richard Strauss Konservatoriums München (Germany), Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille, Orchestre National Pays de la Loire, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine (France), and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Switzerland).

Avner Dorman, ComposerAvner Dorman has quickly risen to become one of the leading composers of his generation. Dorman’s unique approach to rhythm and timbre has attracted some of the world’s most notable conductors, including Zubin Mehta, Christoph Eschenbach, Riccardo Chailly, David Robertson, Andris Nelsons, Marin Alsop, and Justin Brown, to bring his music to audiences of the New York Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Symphony, the Musikverein, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the NHK Symphony, Salzburg Festival, Lucerne Festival, Cabrillo Music Festival, and others. Dorman’s music achieves a rare combination of rigorous compositional construction while preserving the sense of excitement and spontaneity usually associated with Jazz, Rock, or Ethnic Music. Dorman’s percussion concerti, Spices, Perfumes, Toxins! and Frozen in Time, are quickly becoming staples of the repertoire. They are performed and studied around the world.

Avner Dorman holds a Doctorate in Music Composition from the Juilliard School where he studied as a C.V. Starr fellow with John Corigliano. He completed his Master’s degree at Tel Aviv University (where he majored in music, musicology, and physics) studying with former Soviet composer Josef Bardanashvili.

John Bisharat, ComposerPalestinian-American composer John Bisharat has been active professionally in the commercial music business as a composer, arranger, orchestrator, producer and conductor for 25 years.

Bisharat was selected as a finalist from over 400 international applicants to attend American Music Center’s “Synergy,” an international symposium for composers and conductors led by Esa-Pekka Salonen and the LA Philharmonic in 2002. In 2000, he was selected from over a thousand composers to compose a work that would celebrate the culture and heritage of the city of St. Joseph, MO. This was a partnership of the NEA, American Composer’s Forum and the White House Millennium Council.

Bisharat has conducted live performances at such prominent venues as Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, Los Angeles’ Greek Theater and Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheater. He has composed the Internet logo for Microsoft Network and the national advertising campaigns of Guess Jeans and Coca-Cola. Film credits include writing for One Night with the King (2006) starring Omar Sharif and Peter O’Toole; Magdalena (2006); the Jesus movie (2013) and Rivka series (2012) as well as several Disney and MGM productions.


Eliran Avni, PianoHailed as “The new hope of Israeli music” by Ma’ariv and described as possessing both “ironclad technique” and “ample suppleness” by the New York Times, Eliran Avni is an emerging force in the contemporary classical music scene. Having made his debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Zubin Mehta at age seventeen, Mr. Avni has appeared as a soloist and chamber collaborator throughout Europe and North and South America, as well as in his native Israel, and has made numerous recordings for the Naxos label and the Israeli and German broadcasting systems. A preeminent interpreter of the music of Israeli composer Avner Dorman, Mr. Avni has recorded two CDs of Dorman’s music. The first, The Piano Works of Avner Dorman, was recorded at Tanglewood’s Ozawa Hall in 2006, was produced by Grammy winner David Frost and was released on the Naxos label. The second CD, of Dorman’s Chamber Concerti with the Metropolis Ensemble and Maestro Andrew Cyr, was released in 2010, also on Naxos. Mr. Avni is also the Creative Director of SHUFFLE Concert, an original performance concept which allows the audience to select the music performed in a concert. Since its inception in February 2010, the ensemble has been in high demand, and has performed at the Rose Studio at Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and has toured the West Coast and Israel. Mr. Avni received his BM, MM and Doctorate from The Juilliard School.

Ahmed El-Asmer, Vocals and PercussionAhmed El-Asmer: Extraordinary vocalist specializing in motion picture industry and other studio recordings. Ahmed specializes in soundtrack recordings for feature films and documentaries including: Passion of the Christ, The Matrix- Reloaded, West Bank Story, The Crow- City of Angels, The Siege, The Shakel, Showtime TV Series Sleeper Cell, and PBS TV Series American Family. Solo spots at the Hollywood Bowl and the Greek Theater are among just a few of his accomplishments. He has performed live concerts throughout the United States and the world, including Broadway shows. Ahmed sings a wide variety of languages, including Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic, and English. Ahmed has conducted workshops for belly dancers, teaching rhythms, entrances and finales (percussion w/live music) for many years.

John Bilezikjian, OudJohn Bilezikjian is “America’s Oud Virtuoso.” The Oud is an ancient Persian stringed instrument dating back some 2,500 years, having 11 strings and no frets. It is played with an eagle’s feather quill. John is the foremost Oudist of this era and has been acclaimed as having a flawless technique. His renditions of Middle-Eastern Classical repertoire are considered the finest in this genre and set the standard for other players to follow.

He has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Mandolin Orchestra, and Pacific Palisades Symphony. He has also performed with the Boston Pops, marking the first time that the Oud was featured on the east coast as a solo instrument with an Orchestra. John has written and recorded background music for some 81 film and television shows and has his own record company, Dantz Records located in Laguna Hills, CA. He has over 30 recordings available on his web site: www.dantzrecords.com.

Pedro Eustache, WoodwindsAn award winning Venezuelan-born multidirectional multi-winds soloist/composer, Pedro graduated as a flute soloist from two European conservatories in Western classical and avant-garde disciplines, has more than seven years of orchestral symphonic experience, and an MFA in Jazz from the California Institute of the Arts. He studies various World music disciplines, including the legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar, & Pdt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Armenian duduk with maestro Djivan Gasparian, and Arabic ney with Dr. Nabil Abdmouleh. As a composer-soloist he premiered his Suite Concertante for World WWs and Orchestra, conducted by maestro Gustavo Dudamel in 2009. He is the first call world-winds specialist for many top composers and producers in the L.A. film-music recording studios. He soloed in two CD tracks of the ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and has toured, recorded and/or performed with various international artists. He has around 600 world-music instruments, many of which were designed, modified and/or built by himself.

Susu Pampanin, PercussionOne of a very few female Middle Eastern percussionists, Susu started her studies at the age of 12 and has grown to become a respected musician in the genre of Arabic music. Her first album, Susu and the Cairo Cats, Live at the Giza Club was released in 1990 and was followed by her solo album, Susu Pampanin, Hands of Time in 2001. She has recently returned form a trip to Egypt where she recorded with an all Egyptian ensemble and is excited to soon be releasing this new album. Susu has played with many artists and groups, including Wild Mango, Keith Terry and Crosspulse, Stellamara, Jazayer, BlueNile, Vince Delgado Quintet, and Holly Near. Currently she is teaching and performing in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is a member of the Arabic musical and singing ensemble, ASWAT.


Program NotesThe Nile BrideNader Abbassi (b. 1963)

This story took place thousands of years ago in the city of Thebes, at a time when people had clear beliefs about life and death. They believed that life was only a passage to arrive at a more worthy existence after death. It was a means for immortality.

For them, a happy eternity could be reached through their good deeds in life and the sacrifices they made to their Gods. One of the Gods feared and worshipped by the ancient Egyptians was that of the Nile. The Nile symbolized life, death and eternity. It was valued for its ability to turn barren land into green pastures and to provide the people with many other riches essential for sustaining human existence. The Nile was also feared, as once every year it would erupt with anger to flood and destroy any village that would dare to stand in its way. The never ending flow of the Nile resembled eternal movement and has inspired many musicians and poets past and present.

Indeed, the Nile was so feared and valued that, once every year, a ceremony was held in its honor, during which a beautiful young virgin woman was offered to it as a sacrifice to express gratitude and to humbly ask for its mercy during the flooding season. It was around this time that lived a beautiful young woman who was not frightened by the Nile; rather she was deeply in love with him in a special way. She was attracted by the Nile’s overwhelming generosity, his gentle movement that would occasionally caress her body, and with his eternal power. Even his moments of rage were seen by her as a mere show of strength to impress her alone.

To express her love, she would go to the river bank and dance every day, especially for her lover, and in her moments of intimacy she would take off her clothes and would enter the water, where she would continue to dance for hours. Indeed, the beautiful young woman became increasingly obsessed with the Nile and was convinced that the time to join her lover for eternity was approaching.

Meanwhile, a young man from a village nearby had been watching her for many days and fell in love with her. One day, he came out and told her of his feelings. He explained how he had been bewitched by her and how he would like to marry her. They continued to meet many more times by the river. She grew fond of her admirer and began to imagine how wonderful life could be raising a family with this kind man. The beautiful young woman became very confused as she realized that she had to decide and choose between the Nile and the young man.

It was around the beginning of the flooding season, as the water levels started to rise with anger and jealousy, that our heroine made up her mind. One night she approached the river bank with a calm and confident stride, for she had already chosen eternity over life. As soon as her feet touched the water she was swept by the violent currents into the depths of the Nile. Her last human thought was that of reassurance that her love with the Nile was mutual. That year, the people of Thebes did not need to sacrifice a virgin to the Nile in their traditional celebrations, as the following morning the Nile was calm again and the flooding season was the shortest one ever.

– Nader Abbassi

Program notes continued on page 12 >

Fatima Z. Lahlou, PercussionFatima Zohra Lahlou grew up in the musical traditions of Moroccan music. At 15 years of age she began her musical career under the guidance of Haj Mohammed Bennis, the leading Sufi singer in Morocco. She also studied at the Fes Conservatory of Music, focusing on Arab-Andalusian vocals, percussion and piano. She went on to become a choral singer for the leading singers of Morocco. In 2008, she directed and performed in a musical theater performance in celebration of the 1200 Year Anniversary of the city of Fes. The event started her international career and she became the soloist for the Ensemble Rhoum al-Bakkali and performed in festivals in France, Spain, Switzerland, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. She recently immigrated to the USA and hopes to continue to use her musical talents for cultural ambassadorship.

John Villa, PercussionJohn Villa holds a BFA in World Music Performance from the California Institute of the Arts and a Masters in Music from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in the University of London, where he studied percussion and the music of North Africa and the Middle East. Since 1998, John has traveled to Morocco five times, engaging in musical research and studying with master drummers from the Sufi and Arab Andalusian music traditions. He recently completed a year of music studies focusing on the ney and percussion at the Rabat Conservatory of Music in Morocco. John has performed in festivals and concerts in the USA, Morocco, and the UK. He has given lectures and concerts and taught music in universities and schools and continues to practice, study and teach in the fulfillment of his love of music.


Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)Grieg’s only piano concerto was written during the summer of 1868, while on vacation with his wife, Nina Hagerup, and their newborn daughter. The couple had wed only a year before.

The first performance took place in Copenhagen on April 3, 1869. The soloist was Grieg’s friend, Edmund Neupert. “On Saturday your divine concerto resounded in the great hall of the Casino,” he reported to the composer. “The triumph I achieved was tremendous. Even as early as the cadenza in the first part the public broke into a real storm. The three dangerous critics, Gade, Rubinstein and Hartmann, sat in the stalls and applauded with all their might… I was recalled twice and to finish up was accorded musical honors by the orchestra.”

When Grieg visited Franz Liszt in Rome that year, he found the great pianist surrounded by admirers. According to Grieg, they included ladies “who would like to eat Liszt, skin, hair and all, and whose adulation is simply comical.”

Liszt played through Grieg’s concerto at sight, and then told the

younger man: “You carry on, my friend; you have the real stuff in you. And don’t ever let them frighten you!”

Grieg himself was the soloist in an 1879 performance with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. One review praised the work for “its great color, Nordic flashes, original details, and charming mixture of major and minor.”

In the next hundred years after its introduction, the Grieg Concerto has been threatened with over-exposure. Biographer John Horton writes: “Its success is due to a fortunate combination of factors: the composer at one of his rare high peaks of inventiveness, his willingness to follow Schumann’s concept of the Romantic concerto without being completely subservient to it, a bold admixture of Lisztian bravura in the writing for solo part, and a happy blending of his own inborn harmonic originality with the national coloring he had, during the past few years, been assimilating to his style.”

– Charley Samson, © 2013

Astrolatry (the worship of the stars)Avner Dorman (b. 1975)Dedicated to Justin Brown and the Alabama Symphony OrchestraWhile I was writing Astrolatry, I spent more time outside of large cities than ever before in my life. More than anything else, I found myself in awe of nature in a way I never felt before. Lightning, rain, winds, and the night sky were so much larger and more impressive than they are in the city; and for the first time in my life, I could truly understand why ancient peoples worshiped the stars.

Astrolatry is written in two sections played without pause: 1. Celestial Revelations; 2. The Worship of the Stars. The piece begins with the sky, as it appears when one first looks up at night: complete darkness. Then, one by one, stars begin to reveal themselves, and as the pupils of the eye widen, more and more stars and constellations appear, and we notice colors, interactions, and motion.

The first section of the composition is a dance of the revelations of the stars. Some are isolated; some come in groups; some are pretty and naïve; and some are filled with motion and conflict. Towards the

end of the section, the southern star appears, calming the celestial objects with a soft tango and leading the section to its culmination in a peaceful and full-lit sky.

A swift falling gesture figuratively drops us back to earth where the worship of the stars is about to take place. A steady quarter note beat played by low drums propels the ritual. (Though the narrative deals with prehistory, musically the ritual takes its beat from genres of electronica such as techno.) The steady beat builds up the ecstasy of the ritual, only halted by the entrance of the tribe’s leader (in the Marimba). The leader, through the repetition of a simple melody in 5/8s over the 4/4 beat, brings the worshipers to catharsis.

Just before the piece ends, we all stop for a moment and take one last look at the cosmos, admiring its beauty and mystery.

– Avner Dorman

Ya Way Li (World Premiere)John Bisharat (b. 1964)New Visions/New Vistas Commissioning Project. Commissioned by the Oakland East Bay Symphony with support from The James Irvine Foundation

Ya Way Li (“Woe, Oh Woe Is Me”) receives its world premiere this evening. Written for symphonic forces, Ya Way Li is a single-movement work, which draws extensively on specialty Middle Eastern vocal, woodwind and percussion elements.

Bisharat is particularly interested in exploring micro-tonality and visually-based programmatic music. On first listening, this piece is an unusual combination of Middle Eastern and traditional Western orchestration.

The use of non even-tempered Arabic maqamat (Arabic quarter-tone scales) is exploited throughout the work through the use of the specialty instruments, as well as the Western orchestral instruments. Several passages capitalize on the use of double-stops in the strings which employ the open strings, echoing the Middle Eastern oud (great-grand-father of the acoustic guitar and itself a featured instrument

tonight). This brings an almost ancient quality to the sound that is heightened further by the addition of Arab vocals.

The composition reveals a personal diary of John Bisharat’s family history - the fear and desperation at the 1948 expulsion from Papa’s Villa Harun ar-Rashid (the beloved family home in Jerusalem), and the subsequent loss of identity as John’s father ultimately sought to make a new life in the United States.

The original poetry that inspired this work was penned in 2005 by John’s late uncle, Emile Bisharat. The poem laments the loss of one’s homeland and the first verse closes with the phrase….“whittles me down until I have become a ghost with no shadow.”

The lamenting quality of this poetry manifests itself musically in the spacious, ethereal backdrop that supports the sparse, wailing solo vocals.

– John Bisharat


Program NotesMusic for the Royal FireworksGeorge Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

On October 7, 1748, a peace treaty was signed, ending the War of Austrian Succession. England’s King George II decreed a day of national celebration, including a massive display of fireworks. Handel was commissioned to write the accompanying music. The fireworks display took place in London’s Green Park on April 27, from six until about eleven in the evening. The program promised “after a large-scale overture for military instruments composed by Mr. Handel, a signal was given, whereupon the fireworks began with a 101-gun salute to the King.”

The King originally wanted only “warlike instruments,” an odd request for a celebration of peace. Indeed, the original score calls for 9 trumpets, 9 horns, 24 oboes, 12 bassoons, one contrabassoon, 3 pairs of kettledrums and one or more side drums. Handel added strings for a benefit concert at the Foundling Hospital on May 27, 1749.

Four Sea Interludes, Op. 33a from Peter GrimesBenjamin Britten (1913-1976)

During the summer of 1941, Britten was in California, dreaming of his native Suffolk. He was reading an article by E.M. Forster about the Suffolk poet George Crabbe (1755-1832). Then he read Crabbe’s The Borough, a long narrative poem about Aldeburgh and the villainous Peter Grimes. Britten knew the area well. While still a teenager, he had purchased an abandoned mill at Snape, near Aldeburgh, later the site of the annual Aldeburgh Music Festival.

Later, in Boston, Serge Koussevitzky commissioned Britten to write a full-scale opera on the Crabbe poem. The first performance of Peter Grimes took place at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London on June 7, 1945. The New York Times critic called the opera “a milestone in the history of British music.” Within a week of the opera’s première, Britten conducted the Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Sea Interludes function as orchestral introductions to various parts of the opera.

“Dawn” is the prelude to the first act, and follows the prologue, in which Peter Grimes is tried and acquitted of responsibility for the death of his apprentice. The prelude to the second act, “Sunday Morning,” depicts a scene near the village church. The third act prelude, “Moonlight,” hints at Grimes’ disturbed state of mind. “Storm,” separating the two scenes of the first act, contrasts the tranquility of the Boar Inn with the tempest outside.

Requiem, Op. 48Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

Fauré began the Requiem after the death of his father. He finished it early in 1888; by then, his mother had died. The first performance took place at the church of La Madeleine in Paris on January 16, 1888. Scored for small orchestra, this initial version included “Introït et Kyrie,” “Sanctus,” “Pie Jesu,” “Agnus Dei,” and “In Paradisum.” Fauré added the “Offertoire” and “Libera me” for a performance at La Madelaine on January 21, 1893. This version retained the boy soprano from the first version and added a baritone soloist, as well as horns, trumpets and trombones.

The third and final version appeared on July 12, 1900, when Paul Taffanel conducted the Lamoureux Orchestra in a performance at the Trocadéro in Paris. This time, Fauré retained the baritone, but dropped the boy soprano in favor of an adult soprano. He also added woodwinds.

Fauré’s text is a combination of the Mass for the Dead and the Order of Burial. In it, he sought to de-emphasize the tone of fear and terror found in most requiems. Some critics were outraged, one accusing him of “voluptuous paganism.”

Fauré explained: “It has been said that my Requiem does not express the fear of death and someone has called it a lullaby of death. But it is thus that I see death: as a happy deliverance, an aspiration towards happiness above, rather than as a painful experience…. Is it not necessary to accept the artist’s nature? As to my Requiem, perhaps I have also instinctively sought to escape from what is thought right and proper, after all the years of accompanying burial services on the organ! I know it all

by heart. I wanted to write something different.”

According to Fauré’s pupil Nadia Boulanger, who conducted the first English performances of the Requiem, “no external effect detracts from its sober and somewhat severe expression of grief: no disquiet or agitation disturbs its profound meditation, no doubt tarnishes its unassailable faith, its quiet confidence, its tender and peaceful expectation… Everything is usual; but with an alteration, a passing note, some special inflection of which he has the secret, Gabriel Fauré gives a new and inimitable character to all that he touches…. If anything could truly mitigate for us the thought of death, it would be the image of hope, of serenity, which he has made for us.”

– Notes by Charley Samson, © 2013


John Kendall Bailey is Principal Conductor of Oakland Youth Orchestra; Music Director, Principal Conductor and Chorus Master of Trinity Lyric Opera; Music Director and Conductor of Mesopotamia Symphony Orchestra, and Associate Conductor of San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra.

In 1994, Mr. Bailey founded the Berkeley Lyric Opera and served as its Music Director and Conductor until 2001. Since then he has been a guest conductor with the Oakland East Bay Symphony, American Philharmonic-Sonoma County, Diablo Symphony Orchestra, Oakland Ballet, Festival Opera, West Bay Opera, North Bay Opera, Pocket Opera, Mission City Opera, the Crowden School, Dominican University, and numerous others. He has taught conducting at the University of California at Davis and Notre Dame de Namur University.

As a choral director, Mr. Bailey has been Music Director of Voices of Musica Sacra, Chorus Master of Festival Opera of Walnut Creek and Opera San Jose, and has been guest conductor for the University of California-Berkeley Chamber Chorus, the University of California-Davis Chorus, Chamber Singers, and Alumni Chorus, and the Berkeley Broadway Singers.

Mr. Bailey is also a composer, and his works have been performed and commissioned in the Bay Area and abroad. In 2010, Carlos Santana and Oakland East Bay Symphony performed two of his arrangements. As a performer – baritone, oboist, and pianist – he has performed with the San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Oakland East Bay, Berkeley, Redding, Napa, and Sacramento symphonies, among others. He has been a pre-concert lecturer for other organizations including San Francisco Opera and American Bach Soloists.

John Kendall Bailey, Pre-Concert Speaker

THE RICHMOND CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAUwishes Michael Morgan and the Oakland East Bay Symphony

continued success while looking forward to another stellar season of

wonderful performances and service to the community

Bryan Nies, Assistant ConductorBryan Nies is the Principal Conductor of Festival Opera, Assistant Conductor of Oakland East Bay Symphony, and former Principal Conductor of Oakland Youth Orchestra, which he led on international tours, including to Australia and New Zealand during the orchestra’s 40th season.

With “superb musical direction,” Bryan conducted sold-out performances of Puccini’s Turandot, Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella, and Bizet’s Carmen at Festival Opera to rave reviews that stated, “Nies is undeniably a talent to watch.” In addition, he has been a cover conductor for the St. Louis Symphony, and conducted performances with Opera Idaho (Cosi fan Tutte and Barber of Seville) and the Oakland Chamber Ensemble.

With Eugene Onegin, Bryan Nies made his Opera San Jose debut as Principal Conductor, after serving as Assistant Conductor for nine company productions between 2003 and 2010: Don Pasquale, Die Zauberflote, The Crucible, Un Ballo in Maschera, Manon, La Rondine, Werther, Barber of Seville, and the west coast premiere of Anna Karenina, becoming the second conductor to perform the work

Pursuing an avid interest in all musical genres, Mr. Nies served as Associate Music Director with American Musical Theater of San Jose and Theatreworks in Palo Alto. He is on the faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.


16 Oakland East Bay Symphony16 Oakland East Bay Symphony

One Concert Remaining in 2012-2013 Season

Friday, May 3, 8pm

SEASON FINALE:

Saints & SinnersBach Magnificat, Beethoven Emperor Concerto and more.

NEW: Faster, Easier Online Ticketing!

oebs.org • (510) 444-0801


ArtisticMichael Morgan, Music Director & ConductorBryan Nies, Assistant Conductor

EAST BAY PERFORMING ARTSBOARD OF DIRECTORSOfficers & Committee ChairsBette B. Epstein, ChairMonique Stevenson, PresidentDian J. Harrison, MSW, Vice President & Chair,

Governance CommitteeLawrence Lohr, Vice President & Chair,

Development CommitteeSteve DeVetter, Treasurer & Chair,

Finance Committee Linda Lipner, SecretaryJames A. Hasler, Chair, Marketing

Committee & Programs CommitteeDonna M. Williams, Chair, Investment CommitteeKline A. Wilson, Jr., Chair, Education CommitteeJames F. Bell, At LargeSteve Nicholls, At Large

Board MembersMichael CartmellMargery F. ErikssonJoseph C. Frank, Sr.Margaret HeggCarol HenriHarry HoweKaren E. IvyConway B. Jones, Jr.Jean-Luc LamirandeAmy Likar, Players CommitteeDebrenia F. Madison, Esq. Robert Marshak, MBA, CFA Ralph McDonaldKarl L. Mettinger, MD, Ph.D.Mary OramKatie PickardAndrea Plesnarski, Players CommitteeLinda Martin PurkissDaniel C. Quintero, Esq.James SchultzTom SchunnDeborah Spangler, Players CommitteeLoni WilliamsDebbra Wood-Schwartz

ADMINISTRATIONDonna M. Williams, Interim Executive DirectorAndrea Bell, Director of DevelopmentDebbi Hersh, Marketing DirectorPatrice Hidu, Administrative Assisstant & IT ManagerScott Horton, Communications ConsultantBirgit Hottenrott, Annual Giving ManagerClaude Kientz, Development & Subscriber Services AssociateAnn Moen, Development Associate & Special Events CoordinatorMaya Rath, Finance Director & Concert ManagerCandace Sanderson, LibrarianCarl Stanley, Orchestra Personnel ManagerElizabeth Vandervennet, Education ManagerIngeborg Wells, Office Volunteer

Annual Fund DonorsOakland East Bay Symphony gratefully acknowledges these generous donors whose annual support enables us to build community through our artistic and educational programs. The following list reflects gifts recorded between 10/1/2011 – 3/25/2013.

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE$1,000 - $2,499William Auer and David BerlantDr. Max H. Bazerman and Dr. Marla Felcher, Ph. D. Andrea Haas BellRobert and Marion BergesMichael CartmellCharles Crane and Wendy BreuerGary V. Depp and Lyn C. AndersenDavid Durand and Gwen BuchholzPatrick and Shirley CampbellJennifer Duston and Evan MapolesErik and Florence ErikssonJoseph C. Frank, Sr.Lewis and Christiane FredericksonPaul E. GarrisonRonald and Lorraine GazzanoPaul and Eleanor GertmenianAndrew and Teresa GuntherSusan and Richard HansenDian J. HarrisonStanley P. and Mary Lou HébertMargaret HeggMaxine HeiligerDebbi HershDarleane and Marvin HoffmanJudit JackovicsMark JacobsSally Anne JohnsonAnn L. JohnsonLeslie and Conway JonesTerry KulkaGary T. LafayetteJean-Luc and Lina LamirandePhilip LeighRosanna LermaKara LevineThomas and Holly LoveEugene and Geralyn LynchDebrenia MadisonB. Joyce McCullumDorothy M. McIntoshAlison MillerElder Jim Mitulski and Edward CervantesAnn MoenKaren NelsonSharon NoteboomRon and Mary OlowinMichael and Elisabeth O’MalleySterling and Barbara ParksAaron and Eva PaulKeiko Pederson and Sabrina DupontAngela PerryAndrea Plesnarski and Tom NugentMarianne RobisonJim and Pamela RobsonKay Vinson RuhlandMelinda and Roy SamuelsonJames SchultzWesley and Jill SmithB. Monique StevensonAma TorranceSharon VonderauTed and Donna WeisReinald A. and Ingeborg R. WellsKline A. Wilson, Jr.Eugene J. Zahas

BATON SOCIETYIMPRESARIO’S CIRCLE$20,000 and AboveJim and Bonnie BellJohn LeeRichmon Family FoundationDr. and Mrs. Philip D. SchildAnonymous

PRESENTER’S CIRCLE$10,000 - $19,999Jack KlingelhoferMoses and Susan LibitzkyCornell C. MaierJames and Beryl PotterOwen and Erma SmithThe Eugene and Nancy Sweetland Charitable FundDonna M. WilliamsAnonymous

DIAMOND BATON CIRCLE$7,500 - $9,999Bette and Bob EpsteinJames A. HaslerKarl and Miki Mettinger

GOLD BATON CIRCLE$5,000 - $7,499Lance A. and Katherine M. GyorfiLawrence and Emily LohrSteve and Karen NichollsJ.R. Orton, Jr. Charitable Lead Annuity TrustBerniece and Pat PattersonRobert Schwartz Donor Advised Fund at the

East Bay Community FoundationSusan and Paul SugarmanFrank and Mary Ann TataseoPaul and Jennifer Vetter

SILVER BATON CIRCLE$2,500 - $4,999Erin Berkenkotter and Jim RatliffJoanne F. CaseyGiles “Bud” CropseySteve and Wendy DeVetterDavid and Melodie GraberRandy and Beverly HawksFred and Robbin KrogerKaren P. LongRobert Marshak and Judy KellyMike MoyePeter MyersGenevieve PowerEvan and Linda PurkissDaniel C. and Mary QuinteroMargaret and Richard RoismanBernard E. and Alba Witkin Charitable

FoundationAnonymous


CONDUCTOR’S CLUB$500 - $999Mary AbinanteKenneth and Marvell AllenRobert Archibald and

Mary Ellen NavasBennie BanksBarry and Susan BaskinAllen and Naja BoydRoberta BrokawWayne and Camille BrotzeStephen and Linda BrownEdmund and Sandra BusseySusie Butler-BerkleyDavid and Paula ByrensHelene Byrne and John VallergaBarbara and Lawrence CahnPatrick and Shirley CampbellSusan ChanGregg Cook and Victor RosarioDonald and Lillian CunninghamChristopher and Kathryn DannDenise and Steven DepperWilliam and Kathy DeWolfDavid DurantMargery Eriksson and

James NelsonRobert EvansCharmaine FerreraDavid and Ellen FinemanNatalie Forrest and

Douglas SpragueSusan ForsytheDave and Katherine FoulkesHarold and Sheldon Furst

Endowment Fund at East Bay Community Foundation

Patricia M. GannonHal and Rose GinGrace GlatzeJudith and Lawrence GlendinningJoseph Gold, Debbie Dare and

Dorothy S. GoldMiriam GoodleyReyla GraberMargaret GroverEarl and Bonnie HamlinMargot HarrisonConnie and Jon HartungBob Burch and

Vonne Ann HeningerJames Van HenryRobert and Carolyn HeywoodPatricia Jeanne HowzeChenming and Margaret HuRichard E. HutsonRuss IrwinOgden and Jean JonesMichael A. and Susan T. JordanAntoinette KonskiEllen and Barry LevineLouise T. LinfordDoug LoveEdward LovePamela Magnuson-PeddleBennett MarkelOtis McGee and Valerie LewisMerrilee H. MitchellBarbara K. Moran and

Charlie HaasMabel MorganJulie Nachtwey

Ann M. O’Connor and Edward Cullen

Elizabeth OrozcoJim PayneJacqueline N. PhillipsMargaret PillsburyHonorable Jean Quan and

Dr. Floyd HuenFrances and John RaesideMaya Rath and Jonathan RingLaura and Chris RichardsonKennedy and Kathleen RichardsonAnne Fay and Tom SchunnLori Schweitzer and

Steven CaccamoRoss Scroggs III and Karen ScroggsPeter and Helen SheaffRuth ShererRobert and Wendy ShukenTom Schunn and Anne FayMichael and Katherine SlemmerMiriam Steinbock and

Dennis K. RothhaarAnn C. SteppanMichèle Stone and Harry HoweMarsha SutherlandKenneth L. and Marian C.

Thompson FundJohn Torpey and Ana RauchPatricia TroxelJohn Tuttle and

Douglas DrummondJohn and Nobuko VicarsJerry and Ruth VurekCarole M. WatsonSteve and Laura WolffCharles W. and Nancy B. WolframAnonymous (2)

SUPPORTER$250 ‐ 499Ted Allen and Carla MooreRichard and Carlene AndersonEugene and Patricia AngellJohn and Pat AnneeDion and David AronerCarol and Claude BenedixPeter Benvenutti and Lisa PearlmanGary and Judith BlankDavid and Cynthia BlumgartMarie BossWilliam D. and Evangeline C. BuellMary CaningTom ChavezAmy ChungTerrance Carroll and

Linda DardarianGail ConeyKathleen CourtsJoseph and Susan DalyRobert and Michele DavenportJohn Henry DouglasJoanne Drabek and Thor StartSara and Emerson DuboisSally A. Keane and Joel FranciocaMark Freitas and Susan GallardoNancy Friedman and Terry HillPhyllis GainesGerhart Family TrustDr. and Mrs. James Lowell Gibbs, Jr.Franco GiuntaMichael GreenSheldon and Judy GreeneDonald and Beverly GreenbergSharon and Stuart Gronningen

Jerry and Patricia HamiltonJames HebertDiane A. HillFaye and Lou HinzeSally HoustonWilliam B. Hull and

Janet HashimotoAnne Bennett JeffersonJudith D. JenningsA. David and Barbara JohnsonLinda Davis JonesPaul Gordon and Pat KernighanBruce and Candis KernsKatherine Kiehn and Heinz LankfordAlan and Carol KochJacqueline KolmDavid Koury and Chris

PappamichelAnnis and Nicholas KukulanSarah KulbergJack LapidosAmy Likar and Jack PaulusMitzi LikarPeter M. LundbergRobert and Jeanette MacDonaldHugh MacDonald and Dale GoldenJean E. MangelsRoger and Joan MannDaniel and Kathleen McKinneyCatherine McLaneLarana and Jim McVayJerene Meissert and Michael RobeyRobert MiddletonBeverly N. MooreAndrew and Mary MoyceHelen NicholasScipio PorterJoyce PutnamWallace and Gayle RansomMaxine ReynoldsAnn and Mike RichterKathryn RiddellDavis Riemer and M. Louise

Rothman-RiemerValda SandersRobert G. Schock and Barbara

Schaaf SchockEdgar J. and Fritzi SchoenContee and Margaret SeelyRobert SinuheIan D. Smith and Sheri JenningsJanet SpencerMark and Lori SpiegelRomer and John StevensonMary B. StraussEllen SwitkesDenise K. Top and

Mary Elizabeth ThamKimberly UrbanoBrett Turner and David WordenKathy and Steve WallcavePeter and Mary WeinsteinDonna R. WestonAnn L. WilliamsonDavid Lee Woods and

Phyllis D. ChambersEva Mae YoungbergTom and Anne Van HaganArthur WeilEsteban ZapiainAnonymous (1)

FRIEND$100 ‐ 249Leorah Abouav-ZilbermanMaureen Alano and George ZolinskyBobbie Altman and Jurgen Weber

Ross ArmstrongDiane ArneyAimee Arrieta and Simon PearceJoyce BakerMartha V. BakerWilliam M. and Deborah A. BaldwinMichael Banister and Nora PriviteraNancy Barber and Carol HuffineWilliam Barlow, Jr.Kathy Barrows and Jack ElliottCathlene BennetLisa BentonEileen BenwayToby C. BergerHerb and Dorie BehrstockPeter BerkenkotterCyrus and Judith BerlowitzRichard S. BertelsenPatricia BiascaClarence BinningerClifford and Gladys BlockEileen Blood-GoldenBonnie BogueLindy BoyesMarion BrackettMarilyn BraigerWilliam BrancaLisa BrinnerSamuel and Judith BroudeHoward and June BrowneRichard Mercouris and Erika BruceGaylord BurkeMelody BurnsRoss J. and Lillian CadenassoHelen M. CakeSharon and Bob CalonicoHelene and Norman CaviorFrances CarstensenWade CartwrightMichael Cating and Theresa RoederTony and Louise CavigliaMalca ChallRobert and Shelly ChamberlinBing ChanAlfred and Shirley ClancyElizabeth ClarkTricia ClarkWilletta ClarkMonica ClydeGeorge E. and Shirley A. CoastonIra Mark Cohen and Susan Isabel BoydDwight and Zipporah CollinsDouglas and Rosemary CorbinPatricia CoutureCarol CopelandAfton CrooksDuane Cropsey and Ann CropseyJean CunninghamPaul DannhauserHarold and Roberta DavisJanet DavisRonald DavisKaren De ValoisKatherine DelucchiMick DiedeMario and Kathleen DiGiovanniRon DionChristine B. DiskonDinah DittmanPaul and Barbara DriesSusan DriscollDaniel DruckermanSusie ElkindHenry ElsonRichard EspinozaSarah EverettRichard FairlyPat and Mike FastVeronica Fauntleroy


Judy and Richard FinchDenise FleigJohn and Barbara FloresLawrence R. FosterPeter FowlerNancy H. FrancisEdnah B FriedmanRichard FriedmanLorraine GaskinSteven and Phyllis GeeElaine and Pete GeffenLinnea and Irving GershenbergRalph and Alice GillibertCandace GoldmanStewart GoodermanJoyce Goodlatte and Don RussellJoseph P. and Martha E. GoralkaTeri GormanOuti and Warren GouldMarian and Roger GrayAaron and Frances GreenbergHerbert and Leonore GriffinDuane GrummerRandolph HallMelanie HamburgerAnthony HareJohn HargravesNancy HarringtonWilliam L. HartrickFrederic and Marietta HarveyHoward and Pamela HatayamaRichard L. HawkinsJoan Gabriella HeinsheimerCarol HenriJefferson HilliardRose and Fred HoffmanRobert B. HofmannKenneth HolfordKeith Hollon and Gayle ReynoldsDon and Barbara HolmgrenWill HooverGregory Horn and Karen PetitjeanSteven HornCarol Ann HudsonCampbell and Nancy HunterPatrick and Catherine HurleySally and Ian HusseyMichael and Saralinda A. JacksonJonathan and Joy M. JacobsNaima Jahi-ColemanKatherine JarrettKen and Ladonna JensenOdell and Virginia JohnsonNancy JohnsonRose Marie JohnsonAnnie Lou KaneStephen and Ruth KassRobert Kattenburg and

Jill McFaddenSteven KatzNicholas KeefeKathleen KellyAnna KeimArmand and Tamar KilijianLucy Carolyn KinchenHoward KirschE. Myrtis and Roderick KlughTanya KnoopSarah Miller and Jonathan KonrathJames KormierDeborah KramerPaul and Didi KubicekRoger Lambert and Linda MehrenJane Ann LamphDoris LarsenAlmon E. Larsh, Jr.Joan LarsonJoyce LashofJason and Susan LaurenPierre and Judith Le Bris

Amelia LemmonAlice LenaghanGeorge and Maureen LenahanWilliam A. Lester, Jr., Ph.D.Jean LevinElizabeth and Charles LewisBetsy and Karl LivengoodKathie LongNancy LowenthalDennis and Sally LumBob and Ruby MacDonaldLesli MacNeilCarol MacNultyKim MalcolmJohn and Margaret MaloneyJohn and Diane MaltesterJacquelyn MarieJerri Mariott and Michael SilpaJack K. MarksToni MartinDavid Matson and Susan GersonJohn McCall-TaylorJean McCarterBonnie McKeanMarilyn Chilcote and Robert McKenzieBrenda M. McKinleyMarilyn McPhersonJune MelchiorK. and S. MikaelianLes and Martha MillerKatherine MooreRoger and Paula MooreJill MoranJames MorrisM. Gwaltney MountfordNorma MurphyRoderick MurrayAlice MyerhoffMary Yvonne NapoleonLeonard NathanEli and Lauren NaorRussell NelsonJim and Kitty NemecheckPamala NoliDavid and Ellen NollerMark and Carol NorbergStuart and Judith OfferLinda Okahara and Balaram PuligandlaPatrick O’ReillyPatricia OvershinerBrandy PachecoMaurizia PalmieriPaul and Roselyn PerazzoAndrea PearlsteinMargaret PetersonMargaret PinterPatricia PishnyDavid and Naomi PockellJim PuskarCharlie QuaidMary Beth and Greg ReadSonjia Parker RedmondDavid and Lois ReedHarry Reppert and Sheri StockKimberly RidgeGail and James RigelhauptEdward and Maureen RinneArlene RobertonMary M. RobertsJ. Michael RobertsonJames C. RobinsonAgnes RogacsiMichael and Marcie RooseveltDoug RoseWarren and Marta RoseFred RosenblumSeth and Molly RosenMarcia and Willard Ross

Nancy RowenthalLisa RuhlandCarol SaidianMiyo SaikiRalph SamuelBarbara SayreNancy and Gregg SchluntzRosalee SchubertAnn-Catrin SchultzPatricia SchwartzElida ScolaMary SeastrandGordon SeligsonMarie B. ShahoianBrenda ShankJude SharpDick SharpnackGabriel ShinLinda SkaarMel and Janice SilvermanMary Sloan-OlivaCurtis B. and Barbara A. SmithVirginia SmylyMagen SolomonJanet SovinChris StappMary StevensSandy and Jack SummerfieldJon and Barbara SylvesterBarbara Szudy and Graham BirdRichard TaftVincent TamarizGloria TaylorJim Taylor, IIIJohn B. TaylorNaomi TeplowCharlotte M. ThompsonDolores and Jim ThomJames Tiemstra and Eliza Greene

Marta TobeySylvia TobiasRalph and Johanna TondreElena and Christopher TooheyEvelyn TregoningLeslie TrutnerLaurie UmehLinda UnderwoodPhilip C. and Shantha N. UrsellDiana ValleColleen Vermillion and Nancy HeastingsChaz WalkerJack WalkerWinifred WaltersBetty L. WatsonDavid Watt and Rachel MedanicElizabeth WierzbianskaRichard WestPat and Phil WilliamsThelma WilliamsJoye WilsonOlly W. and Elouise WilsonPeter and Gertrude WilsonForrest WinslowH. Leabah WinterBeverly B. SoloCarolyn YaleJan Young and Pearl McCarthyEmily ZellRon and Sally ZenoIrving and Ellen ZuckerAnonymous (3)

ARE YOU OPEN FOR BUSINESS? The Symphony’s Business in the Arts Networking Circle helps fund youth music education in Oakland.

Join and support these local companies who are part of the circle:

Bell Investment Advisors, Jim and Bonnie Bell Caldecott Properties, Andrew Read Donahue Gallagher Woods LLP, Mary Rudser La Salle Financial, John Glynn Mueller Nicholls Builders, Steve Nicholls Presidio Bank, Vern Padgett

Vessel Gallery, Lonnie Lee & Ken Ehrhardt

BANC member listing as of December 31, 2012

For more information on this exciting collaboration of business and the arts, contact the Symphony at 510‐444‐0801.


LIFETIME LEADERSHIP CIRCLEJim and Bonnie BellGiles “Bud” CropseyLon and Mary Israel

THE PAULINE WILKINSON MACAULAY MEMORIAL FUNDIn support of the Symphony’s education and outreach programsAnonymous

DAVID PAUL STEVENSON MEMORIAL FUNDB. Monique Stevenson

THE EDWIN AND NANCY RICHARD FUNDIn support of the Symphony’s education and outreach programsPaul and Susan Sugarman

NATHAN RUBIN MEMORIAL FUNDConway and Leslie JonesMarilyn LangloisRalph Samuel

JAY T. LEVINE MEMORIAL FUNDIn support of Music for ExcellenceThe Estate of Jay T. Levine

The Estate of Doris B. HolermanThe Estate of Herbert ChittendenDavid and Melodie GraberAndrew and Teresa GuntherThe Estate of Anne MacphersonThe Estate of John E. and Helen A. ManningThe Estate of Thomas M. PriceEleanor SwentArthur WeilReinald A. and Ingeborg R. WellsThe Estate of Elvera Wollitz Smith

CALVIN SIMMONS LEGACY SOCIETY We are grateful to those who have remembered Oakland East Bay Symphony with bequests. These gifts will help establish and grow the Symphony’s endowment, providing support for future generations of students and music-lovers. For more information contact our Development Department at (510) 444-0801.Marie BossGregg Cook and

Victor RosarioGiles “Bud” CropseyMark Jacobs and

John B. Hancock †Terry KulkaHarold Lawrence †

Edward LoveSamuel R. Miller and

Maude H. PervereIrving and Muriel SchnayerEdgar J. and Fritzi SchoenB. Monique StevensonKatherine Van HaganAlbert J. Vizinho

Arthur WeilDonna M. WilliamsJoye Wilson

† deceased

ENDOWMENT FUNDIndividuals who support the Endowment Fund help to ensure the long-term future of Oakland East Bay Symphony’s music, education and outreach programs. The donors listed below have made outright gifts, estate gifts, or irrevocable planned gifts through a charitable remainder trust. For more information contact our Development Department at (510) 444-0801.

CORPORATE AND INSTITUTIONAL GIFTS$50,000 and AboveThe William and Flora Hewlett FoundationThe James Irvine FoundationTarget

$20,000 - $49,999Bell Investment Advisors, Inc.*Sidney E. Frank FoundationAnn and Gordon Getty FoundationWalter & Elise Haas FundNational Endowment for the ArtsCity of OaklandThe Bernard Osher FoundationWells Fargo

$10,000 - $19,999ChevronThe Clorox Company FoundationThe Aaron Copland Fund for MusicThe Thomas J. Long FoundationMueller Nicholls Builders*City of RichmondThe San Francisco Foundation

$5,000- $9,999California Arts CouncilThe Grubb Co.Mechanics BankMusic Performance Fund

$1,000 - $4,999Caldecott Properties*Donahue Gallagher Woods LLP*The Friendship FundLa Salle Financial Services*Presidio Bank*Richmond Convention and Visitors BureauRuth Stroup Insurance Agency*Union Bank* Business in the Arts Networking Circle Partners

CORPORATE MATCHING GIFTSChevronThe Clorox CompanyGoogleThe William and Flora Hewlett FoundationIBM

Johnson & JohnsonUnion Bank

OAKLAND EAST BAY SYMPHONYA Program of East Bay Performing Arts

2201 Broadway, Suite 300, Oakland, CA 94612

T (510) 444-0801 • F (510) 444-0863

[email protected] • www.oebs.org

TRIBUTE FUNDIn honor of Alison Miller Les and Martha MillerIn honor of Bette Epstein Lori Schweitzer and Steven CaccamoIn honor of Jennifer Duston Peter and Helen ScheaffIn honor of Jim and Bonnie Bell Deborah Medvick Jerene Meissert and Michael RobeyIn honor of Michael J. Borgerding Margaret PetersonIn honor of Edwin Richard Paul and Susan SugarmanIn honor of Michèle Stone Susan McKinnon Paul and Susan Sugarman

In honor of Richard Sharpnack Sylvia PerezIn memory of Phil Abinante da Silva-Cullinan FamilyIn honor of Gregg Cook Peter CookIn memory of Frank and Frances Likar Mitzi LikarIn memory of Fred Haworth Laura HaworthIn memory of Joel Kelly Carol Bacig, Charles and Dena Brock Kristine and Alan JohannsIn memory of Mike Sanford Steve and Kris KozinchikIn memory of Shirley Green Michael A. and Susan T. Jordan



Marie AleidaLyn C. AndersenAlex BaileyDottie BakerJudith BerlowitzGinny BlumbergTerry Boggs-MouraLinda BrownSteve BrownJudith BerlowitzSusie Butler BerkleyBarbara CahnLarry CahnSybil CarpenterWendy CilmanSamm CollinsGregg CookTerry CullinaneSusan DriscollJanett EdringtonSteven EdringtonGail EdwardsTariq El-AminBette EpsteinBob EpsteinMargery ErikssonRuth FabrosBarbara FloresJohn FloresEllen GiersonMargot HarrisonJim HaslerLaura HaworthMargaret Hegg

Tom HornigHarry HoweSandra InnesRuss IrwinKatie JohnsonRose Marie JohnsonVirginia JohnsonConway JonesLeslie JonesLucy KimRoxanne KingVera KirichenkoJeanne KornMark LampkinTraci LenoShirley LindleyZahra MahloudjiKatie McLaneJerene MeissertKarl MettingerLinda MrnakSteve MurrayBill NeelySteve NichollsToni NovakHeather OgdenPaul OgdenTheresa O’GuinnBarbara ParksBud ParksAaron PaulEva PaulJacqueline PhillipsMoriah Pierce

Linda PurkissMike RichmondJim RobsonPam RobsonVictor RosarioKay Vinson RuhlandSandra SchnabelCarrie SealineGordon SeligsonJan SmileyDebbie SpanglerWard SpanglerJohn StevensonRomer StevensonMichèle StoneLuis ThompsonAma TorranceJohn TuttleMartha UheyArt UngarDiana ValleKatherine Van HaganBeverlee WallaceRosalie WallaceCynthia Webb- BeckfordInge WellsRay WellsB. Mardiyya WilliamsDonna M. WilliamsLoni WilliamsAnn L. WilliamsonBu WirthKline Wilson

A Special Thank You to our 2012-2013 Season Volunteers

FIRE NOTICE• There are sufficient exits in this

building to accommodate the entire audience.

• The exit indicated by the lighted exit sign nearest your seat is the shortest route to the street.

• In case of fire, please don’t run — walk through that exit.

• Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the theatre.

• Refreshments served in the theatre are permitted in the foyers only.

• No cameras or tape recorders are permitted in the Paramount.

• For lost and found information inquire at the main floor aisle 3, or call the box office at (510) 465-6400.


www.mnbuild.com

Since 1981


Documents

Notes from the Middle East April 20 Concert Program