2026 Spring Series Concerts

"Fantasy and Fantasia"
Notes on the Program

SYSO’s program notes are written by Maggie Molloy, a radio host and music journalist based in Seattle. Maggie hosts the Midday Show on Classical KING FM 98.1 and is also the curator and host of Second Inversion, a weekly radio show dedicated to contemporary and experimental music.

If you’re going to be an artist, you’ve got to have an imagination! There’s no shortage of that on today’s program. From psychedelic symphonies to pagan spring rituals, gladiator ballets, and Hollywood concertos, today’s program bursts through the boring seams of reality and sweeps us into a world of colorful, beautiful, mind-bending fantasy.

Prelude
Symphonette
Debut
Junior
Youth
Cadenza
MYSE

Prelude String Orchestra

Variations on a Well-Known Sea Chantey (arr. Richard Stephan)

If you’ve ever woken up at a sleepover to find your friends had drawn a moustache on your sleeping face, then you’ll be familiar with the premise of this well-known sea chantey.

“What shall we do with the drunken sailor early in the morning?” is the chipper refrain of the famous “Drunken Sailor,” a tune with its roots on board a ship heading out of early 19th-century Connecticut. The infectious tune quickly found its way aboard many other ships across the sea and around the world.

Of course, if you’re singing the same tune over and over while completing your daily tasks aboard the ship, you’re bound to want to switch things up a bit! In this clever arrangement from Richard Stephan, we set sail with the familiar “Drunken Sailor” melody spun out into as many mischievous variations as any crusty crew of sailors could dream up. All aboard!

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (arr. Elliot Del Borgo) – Serenade for Strings

We’ve all got our morning routines! At 9:00 am, rain or shine, you would have found Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky seated at the piano. And in his words, “the Muses have learned to be on time for that rendezvous.”

This beloved Serenade for Strings is a taste of the music they dreamt up together. Radiant strings sparkle and sweep across the stage, transporting us straight to the elegant ballrooms of late 19th-century Russia. Brimming with drama and emotion, this heart-rending fantasy twirls, spins, and transforms into a tender elegy before bursting forth into a colorful finale that draws on the Russian folk music of Tchaikovsky’s childhood.

Unlike some of his louder and flashier commissions, this was music that came straight from the heart (with a little help from the Muses). In fact, Tchaikovsky himself regarded it as one of his greatest compositions, writing to his publisher, “I am violently in love with this work and cannot wait for it to be played.” We are, of course, happy to oblige!

Igor Stravinsky (arr. Jamin Hoffman) – “Finale” from Firebird

It’s the stuff of fairy tales! A handsome prince, a beautiful princess (or 13), an evil king, and a magical Firebird who swoops in to save the day. Drawn from Russian fairy tales, the story of the ballet Firebird goes like this:

While hunting in the enchanted garden of the magical tyrant Koschei, Prince Ivan captures the majestic and elusive Firebird. She begs him to release her, granting him one of her magic feathers as an act of goodwill. No sooner has the Firebird flown away than Prince Ivan sees 13 princesses frolicking around the garden, powerless captives of the evil Koschei. He falls in love with the youngest of them, and the gears begin turning for how to plot an escape.

Prince Ivan uses the magic feather to summon the Firebird, who enchants Koschei and his soldiers, forcing them to dance themselves to exhaustion so that Prince Ivan can rescue the princesses and marry his one true love. In this glorious and exuberant “Finale,” dawn breaks on a new day as good triumphs over evil and love conquers all. Of course, there’s only one way to celebrate: through dance!

Symphonette Orchestra

Hector Berlioz (arr. Richard Meyer) – “March to the Scaffold” from Symphonie Fantastique

Love makes you do crazy things—sometimes, it can even drive you to the brink of madness. That’s the story of Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. It’s the tale of an artist driven mad by an unrequited love. The young man is so distraught with passion that he poisons himself with opium and plunges headfirst into the depths of obsession, haunted into insanity by his beloved’s melody.

In the “March to the Scaffold,” we hear the artist fall into a deep, drug-induced sleep filled with strange visions. He dreams that he’s killed his beloved, that he’s condemned, that he’s led to the scaffold to witness his own execution. A military band marches him to his grim fate, a crowd of strings cheerfully egging on the drama. The artist dreams once more of his love’s melody—this time, cut short by the blade of the guillotine.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (arr. Richard Meyer) – Symphony No. 6 in B minor, “Pathétique”
II. Allegro con grazia

Music may transcend language, but sometimes the titles of pieces can get lost in translation. Such was the case for Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor. The original Russian title meant “The Passionate Symphony,” but it was mistranslated into French as Pathétique—and unfortunately, the nickname stuck.

Yet what we hear in this second movement is not impassioned suffering, but a gently lilting sweetness and charm. It’s easy to imagine ourselves slipping into an elegant ballroom just at twilight, chandeliers twinkling above a crowd of waltzing couples, the women’s delicate gowns sweeping like clouds across the sky with each wistful step.

Amilcare Ponchielli (arr. Richard Meyer) – “Dance of the Hours” from La Gioconda

Hippos and elephants might not be the obvious first choice if you were casting a ballet full of animals—but fortunately for us, Disney has a sense of imagination!

If you grew up watching Walt Disney’s Fantasia, you’ll recognize this piece: a whole cast of ostriches, hippos, elephants, and alligators dancing daintily along to the ballet music of Amilcare Ponchielli.

The “Dance of the Hours” from his opera La Gioconda depicts the passage of time from morning to night, from the chipper sounds of sunrise to the joyous, playful melodies of daybreak, and the darker harmonies of twilight as they melt ever so briefly into the mystery of night. The eternal struggle between light and dark, good and evil, is a key theme of the opera—but these deeper philosophical musings are quickly cast aside as the music ramps up into an ecstatic climax celebrating another spin around the wheel of time, the cycle of the day, and the “Dance of the Hours.”

Debut Symphony Orchestra

Carl Maria von Weber – Overture to Oberon

Any healthy, loving relationship is built on trust. It’s built on shared values of openness, honesty, and communication. Generally speaking, meddling in the love lives of other couples is not on the list.

But that’s exactly what the fairy king Oberon and his wife Titania do in the opera Oberon by Carl Maria von Weber. Arguing over who is less faithful in marriage, men or women, the fairy king and queen decide to put their theories to the test. With the help of their trusty court jester Puck, they find a pair of human lovers and throw everything they can at them to see if they can remain faithful. To their surprise, the two lovers prevail above all perils and temptations—and in the end, let’s just say that it’s the humans who teach Oberon and Titania a thing or two about love.

The curtain rises in grand style in Weber’s “Overture” to this fantastical love story. The stage is set for a fairy tale with glittering, ethereal melodies calling to mind the fairy world of Oberon and Titania, while the sweeping lyricism of Weber’s orchestration draws on the heroism and drama of the human lovers’ winding road to true love.

Georges Bizet – Carmen Suites No. 1 and 2
1. Toreadors
2. Prelude
3. Argonnaise
4. Habanera
5. Danse Bohéme

It’s the operatic equivalent of a blockbuster movie! Georges Bizet’s Carmen has got all the same guilty pleasures that draw us to sensational movies or TV shows: love, drama, desperation, betrayal. There’s also a beautiful femme fatale at the heart of the story—a woman fully in power of her beauty and sensuality.

The fiery Carmen is a cigarette factory worker who captivates the soldier Don José, luring him away from both his duty to the Spanish army and to his former love, Micaëla. But José’s passion quickly turns into obsession as he abandons his former life for the free-spirited and fiercely independent Carmen, who refuses to dim her light or settle down.

Like any great blockbuster, Carmen scandalized the audiences of 19th-century Europe. So naturally, they flocked to the opera house in droves! But of course, no operatic blockbuster is complete without the music—and Carmen has got more hit tunes than perhaps any other opera ever composed.

We’ll hear several of the highlights from Bizet’s Carmen Suites No. 1 and 2. Ripe with anticipation, the sinister strings of Bizet’s “Prélude” set the stage for the drama yet to unfold, while the “Aragonaise” thrusts us right into the action, swept up in the intoxicating rhythm and flair of Spanish dance. Adrenaline pulses through our veins as we step into the bullring with “Les Toréadors,” Bizet’s colorful orchestration capturing both the grandeur and theatrical flair of this raucous celebration, where a swaggering bullfighter sets his sights on Carmen.

And finally, the curtain closes with Carmen’s infamous “Habanera”: the anthem of a gorgeous, headstrong woman than many men have lusted after, but none have been able to hold onto. Flirting and teasing a crowd of soldiers as she dances sensually across the stage, she tosses a flower to Don José, singing, “Love is a rebellious bird that none can tame.”

Junior Symphony Orchestra

Lowell Liebermann – Flute Concerto
I. Moderato

Some music tells a specific story—it paints a precise portrait or captures a specific landscape. And some music is a little more abstract.

Lowell Liebermann’s Flute Concerto falls into the latter category. It’s music that revels in the unique colors, gestures, and expressions of the flute, and leaves interpretation up to the audience.

With a little imagination, in this first movement, we hear the flute’s winding melodies soaring high above a pastoral backdrop or darting like a bird through leafy spring trees. We hear its melodies running free, twirling ever upward, fluttering like a breathless butterfly against a glorious orange and pink sunset. Each gesture of the flute is a brushstroke against the orchestral canvas, bold and bright and imaginative. The flute, with its clever shapeshifting melodies, brings new meaning to each listener. See what images come alive for you!

Aram Khachaturian – Spartacus Suite No. 2

A gladiator ballet? Yes, you read that correctly. A stage full of dancers with swords and spears, what could possibly go wrong?

Aram Khachaturian’s ballet Spartacus follows the exploits of the legendary gladiator who led the slave uprising against the ancient Romans. But somewhere deep beneath that chest of armor, Spartacus has a softer side—as we hear in the tender “Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia” that begins this suite, a moment of love shared with his wife after their daring escape from the Roman consul. Khachaturian dials up the romance with sweet strings that soar ever-upward just like butterflies in your stomach when you first fall in love!

But there are many more characters who grace the stage in this Spartacus Suite No. 2. Lively merchants call to mind the rhythmic bustle of ancient Rome; their unfettered decadence contrasted against the heroic pain of the enslaved gladiators. The winding, sinuous melodies of a courtesan seduce the heads of Roman high society, and swashbuckling pirates make an appearance, too, rounding out this colorful cast of characters that give shape to ancient Rome.

Youth Symphony Orchestra

Erich Wolfgang Korngold – Violin Concerto in D
I. Moderato nobile

From silver screen to concert stage! It’s a concerto straight out of Hollywood’s Golden Age. It was in 1930s Austria that the serious, “capital-C” composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold began dabbling in film scoring. What originally started out as a side gig wound up saving his life. The rise of the Nazis in neighboring Germany posed a major threat to Korngold and his family, who were Jewish.

With World War II on the horizon, it was ultimately Korngold’s gigs as a film composer that gave him the means to escape to the U.S. Perhaps diving into the imaginative world of film music provided an emotional escape from the war as well. His film scores came to define the sound we associate with the Golden Age of Hollywood—lush, romantic, cinematic music that begs to be heard on the big screen.

When the war ended, Korngold returned to the concert hall, and this Violin Concerto in D was his first piece back. Drawing on melodies from many of his most beloved film scores, it was quickly dubbed a “Hollywood Concerto.” In this first movement alone, we hear why: it’s music brimming with drama, romance, and sweeping melodies that shimmer just like the silver screen. Lights, camera, action!

Igor Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring
Part I: Adoration of the Earth
1. Introduction
2. Augurs of Spring (Dance of the Young Girls)
3. Ritual of Abduction
4. Spring Rounds
5. Ritual of the Rival Tribes
6. Procession of the Sage: The Sage
7. Dance of the Earth

Yelling, screaming, and fist-fighting are not your typical fare for classical music concerts—but that’s precisely what happened at the premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring in Paris in 1913. The audience was so shocked by what they saw that they incited a riot.

The Rite of Spring depicts a pagan ritual celebrating the advent of spring. A young girl, chosen by Fate, is offered as a sacrifice, dancing herself to death to usher in the spring.

Suffice to say, the early 20th-century audience was appalled. The music sounded wild—the choreography and costumes were even wilder still! The harmonic dissonance, the frenzied and uneven rhythms, the savage costumes, the strange and contorted choreography, the un-pointed toes!

The entire production went against everything that was expected of a ballet. Legend has it, the audience created such a racket that the ballet’s choreographer, Vaslav Nijinsky, had to hop on top of a chair and scream step numbers to the dancers, as they were unable to hear the music.

Paul Dukas – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

It’s happened to the best of us! You follow the recipe instructions perfectly and yet somehow the dish does not turn out perfectly as planned.

Swap the cookbook for a spellbook, and that’s the very premise of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: a magic recipe gone wrong! Paul Dukas composed the music, based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem of the same name. The magical tale was swept swiftly into the mainstream in Walt Disney’s Fantasia—even the title alone is enough to conjure up images of Mickey Mouse in a red robe, his pointy blue sorcerer’s hat spotted with a silver crescent moon and stars. The story goes like this:

Mickey Mouse is the sorcerer’s young apprentice, a little overzealous with the spellbook. Left alone at the sorcerer’s workshop with a long list of chores to get through, he merrily dons the sorcerer’s hat and bewitches a broomstick to help him fetch water by pail.

At first, everything’s going swimmingly—until Mickey Mouse realizes, just a little too late: he doesn’t know how to get the broomstick to stop! The hocus pocus is on full display in Dukas’ whimsical orchestral showpiece, from the sparkling strings of the sorcerer’s workshop to the jaunty bassoon melody of the enchanted broomstick. Hold onto your sorcerer’s hat!

Cadenza

Selections from Essential Elements

If you’re going to be a musician, there are a few things that are essential: practice, patience, open ears, and an open heart. Through Essential Elements, students cultivate the foundational skills that connect them not only to their instrument, but to their ensemble. As these young musicians embark on their artistic journeys we hear the thrill of new musical discoveries, the joy of creation, and the power of community music-making center stage.

Victor Lopez – Fiesta Time!

You can’t have a party without a little music! The fiesta is in full swing with fresh-squeezed melodies and infectious Latin rhythms that call to mind rows of colorful towels dotting the turquoise beaches of the Caribbean. Kick off your shoes and dance along in the sand—this music is sun, spice, and everything nice!

MY Southeast

Carold Nunez – Little Symphony

There’s beauty in simplicity! A single singing melody was worth its weight in gold in late 18th and early 19th century Vienna. Lightness, elegance, and charm were the major musical hallmarks of what we now call “the Classical era.” And the symphonies of composers like Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart would come to define it. This was music that was rooted in symmetry and balance—and melody was paramount.

Carold Nunez transports us back in time to the grand concert halls of Classical-era Vienna, chandeliers sparkling overhead as we sip champagne to the graceful, singing melodies of this Little Symphony.

Jeremy Woolstenhulme – The Eye of Jupiter

Three, two, one—blast off! We’re soaring to the furthest reaches of outer space in this adventurous concert piece named after the biggest storm in our solar system: Jupiter’s centuries-old Great Red Spot. Like a red-hot cyclone spinning across Jupiter’s surface, this music is bursting with energy and heat. An infectious pulse swirls across the strings of the orchestra, gaining momentum with each wild gust of wind. It’s music that is out of this world!

Listen closely, and you might recognize the opening fanfare from Richard Strauss’s tone poem Thus Spoke Zarathustra (famously referenced in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey). Composer Jeremy Woolstenhulme cleverly references this melody throughout the musical storm—a nod to cosmic beginnings and the thrill of exploring a world that’s far beyond our own.

Two South American Songs (arr. Merle J. Isaac)
Osmán Pérez Freire – Ay, Ay, Ay!
Gerardo Matos Rodríguez – La Cumparsita

From moonlit serenades to dimly lit dance halls, these two timeless melodies offer a thrilling glimpse into the heart of Latin American music.

Osmán Pérez Freire’s “Ay, Ay, Ay!” has all the warmth and lilting nostalgia of a lover’s quiet confession, a tender melody sung late at night under the Chilean stars. Gerard Matos Rodríguez’s “La Cumparsita,” on the other hand, transports us to the colorful carnivals of Uruguay, a sultry tango brimming with heartbreak and desire.

Paired together, these two melodies revel in the beautiful twists and turns, the distinctive colors, rhythms, and passions of finding love in Latin America.

Leonard Bernstein (arr. Robert Longfield) – “Danzón” from Fancy Free

You can learn a lot about a person from their dance moves—which is why dance is a crucial part of any courtship!

The stakes are high in Leonard Bernstein’s ballet Fancy Free. Set in New York City in 1944, the ballet tells the story of three sailors on 24-hour shore leave in the city—and they’re on the prowl for some girls to spend it with. They find one, then two beautiful girls before realizing their predicament: three men, but only two ladies to dance with!

The obvious solution is a dance-off. Each sailor struts his stuff, hoping to win over a young woman’s affection. This Danzón represents the third and final sailor, light on his feet and fluid in his hips as he moves and grooves to the Latin rhythms that light up the stage!

ABBA (arr. Ted Ricketts) – The Best of ABBA

Friday night and the lights are low!

You’ll be feeling the beat of the tambourine as we dance the night away to the intoxicating melodies of ABBA. From the curtain-raising “Overture” to the sun and splash of “Mamma Mia,” love is bubbling over in this effervescent ABBA medley. We slip into the honey-sweet lullaby of “I Have a Dream” before hitting the dance floor beneath the glittering disco ball of “Dancing Queen.”

Whether you dance, boogie, groove, or jive, this is music that transcends generations. And just when you think the fun is over: Mamma Mia, here we go again!

Felix Mendelssohn (arr. Robert D. McCashin) – Fingal’s Cave (The Hebrides Overture)

If you’re prone to seasickness, you have that in common with Felix Mendelssohn! The Hebrides Overture was inspired by an extraordinary (if queasy!) boat ride out to the Hebrides Islands off the northwest coast of Scotland.

Suffice to say, Mendelssohn got along with the sea as an artist much better than he did as a human being with a stomach—but hey, a little seasickness is a small price to pay for the beautiful music that resulted!

The Hebrides Islands are a place rich with history, legends, and wildlife. Mendelssohn draws especially on the magic of the great Fingal’s Cave, with its amazing acoustics that trap the sound of water and waves inside it to create a huge rumbling sound. We’re thrust right out into the swirling sea in this mesmerizing arrangement from Robert D. McCashin. No Dramamine required!

Aram Khachaturian (arr. Lynne Latham) – “Waltz” from Masquerade Suite

“How beautiful the new waltz is! Something between sorrow and joy gripped my heart.”

This line from a character in Mikhail Lermontov’s 1941 play Masquerade actually preceded the music itself—and it’s what guided the waltz that Aram Khachaturian delivered. As the musical carousel churns to life, we find ourselves spinning around what feels more like a haunted circus than a Viennese ballroom. A blur of vibrant colors whizzes around us, each guest’s true identity hidden behind a lavish mask. In a room full of opulent disguises, who can you trust?

Dark, haunting undertones foreshadow the spectacle yet to unfold—when one innocent guest is mistaken for another, it sets off an exquisite drama that ends in insanity and murder.

Hans Zimmer (arr. Paul Lavender) – “Zoosters Breakout” from Madagascar

Take a walk on the wild side! We’re heading out to the ferocious streets of New York City with the lovable motley crew of wild animals that make up the Central Park Zoo.

A charismatic lion, a sassy hippo, and a nervous giraffe are among our squad of unlikely heroes in the 2005 DreamWorks animated film Madagascar. Together, they head fearlessly out into the streets and subways of NYC to track down their friend, an adventurous zebra who dreams of returning to the wild. Of course, they’ve got to sneak out of the zoo first!

This tip-toeing travel music provides the perfect backdrop for their ill-advised adventure. Paws and hooves sneak, creep, and click-clack their way across the orchestra in this stealthy, top-secret mission.

"Fantasy and Fantasia"
Notes on the Program

Prelude String Orchestra

Symphonette Orchestra

Debut Symphony Orchestra

Junior Symphony Orchestra

Youth Symphony Orchestra

Cadenza

MY Southeast

Contact Us

SYSO in Photos

"Fantasy and Fantasia" Notes on the Program

Prelude String Orchestra

Symphonette Orchestra

Debut Symphony Orchestra

Junior Symphony Orchestra

Youth Symphony Orchestra

Cadenza

MY Southeast

Contact Us

SYSO in Photos

"Fantasy and Fantasia"
Notes on the Program