2025 Fall Series Concerts

"Express Your Voice"
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.

Speaking up can be at once thrilling, empowering, and terrifying. Whether it’s raising your voice in support of what’s right or using your voice to communicate and collaborate with others, there’s beauty, vulnerability, and power in expressing yourself.

On today’s program, we dig into the myriad of emotions that come with speaking your truth, knowing your worth, and rallying with your community.

Prelude String
Debut
Junior
Symphonette
Youth

Prelude String Orchestra

Bob Mathews – Small Overture

Classical music doesn’t always have to be so complicated! We’re starting small with an overture from Bob Mathews that channels the warmth and directness of folk music.

Melodies are bartered and traded across the orchestra, allowing each section the chance to dance with a new partner as we swirl, sway, and daydream our way across this lively folk gathering. The perfect way to set the stage for an afternoon of community music making!

Aram Khachaturian (arr. Robert Longfield) – “Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia” from Spartacus

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 this tender moment shared with his wife, Phrygia, after their daring escape from the Roman consul. Robert Longfield dials up the romance in this lush arrangement, with sweet strings that soar ever-upward just like butterflies in your stomach when you first fall in love!

Astor Piazzolla (arr. James Kazik) – Libertango

From the bordellos of Buenos Aires to cafes and nightclubs the world over, the tango is one of those beautiful dance forms that would not exist without people from different cultures dancing with one another. African rhythms, Spanish flamenco, and threads of French and Italian classical music mixed with the Indigenous folk music of Argentina and Uruguay to create the sultry and intoxicating cocktail that is tango.

The Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla spent his life and career tracing the history and evolution of tango into new places and spaces far beyond the underground bars of Buenos Aires. In Libertango, he envisioned the liberation of tango from the bonds of tradition. In James Kazik’s soulful arrangement, we hear Libertango as a crystallization of Piazzolla’s vision for what he called “nuevo tango”: a colorful, free, and always-evolving expression of the soul of Argentina.

Debut Symphony Orchestra

Sergei Prokofiev (arr. Merle J. Isaac) – Romeo & Juliet Suite

A tale of two star-crossed lovers! Ever since Shakespeare penned the tale of Romeo and Juliet, their love story has been immortalized in every artistic medium: literature, theatre, art, TV, and especially music!

But Sergei Prokofiev was perhaps the only artist bold enough to try to rewrite Shakespeare’s tragic ending. In Prokofiev’s original ballet, Romeo rescues Juliet before her suicide and the two lovers live happily ever after! His reasoning was purely choreographic: as Prokofiev explained, “living people can dance, the dying cannot.” Can’t argue with him there!

Still, the powers that be insisted Prokofiev stick to Shakespeare’s original script—and despite a number of bumps in the road on its way to the world’s stage, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet has become one of his most timeless and best-loved works. It’s got all the drama and passion of Shakespeare—without any of the words!

The ballerina Galina Ulanova played Juliet at the ballet’s 1940 premiere at the Kirov Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In her toast to the composer after the show, she joked:

“For never was a story of more woe
Than Prokofiev’s music for Romeo…”

Franz Liszt (arr. Vernon Leidig) – Les Préludes

“What is life, if not a series of preludes to that unknown song?”

So begins the title page of Franz Liszt’s Les Préludes, a musical exploration of the seasons of life. The music begins with that very question, and each section captures a different chapter (or prelude) in the journey of life, from starry-eyed youth to deep and profound love, stormy waters and shipwrecks to calm and placid seas.

Of course there is no life, no human experience without conflict, tension, and struggle. In true Romantic fashion, Liszt’s symphonic poem ends with the battles and victories that define who we are—the triumph of a life lived with drama, dignity, and grace.

Antonín Dvořák (arr. Merle J. Isaac) – Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”, Movement I

One New York City evening in 1892, while working late at the National Conservatory of Music, the school’s music director Antonín Dvořák heard something that caught his ear: a deep, rich baritone voice echoing down the halls of the conservatory. It was singing songs of deep and profound yearning, melodies that bent and blurred the rules of music. It was unlike anything he had ever heard before; the voice stopped Dvořák in his tracks.

The voice belonged to a young man named Harry Burleigh, an African American student who had received a scholarship to study at the prestigious conservatory. The songs he was singing were spirituals, passed down to him by his grandfather who was formerly enslaved.

In the evenings, Burleigh worked as a handyman and janitor at the conservatory to support himself through school, singing as he worked. Dvořák was deeply moved not only by the music but by the history and community of voices that shaped it. He said that in these African American spirituals, he heard “all that is needed for a great and noble school of music.”

These spirituals would go on to shape Dvořák’s New World Symphony, in melody and in spirit. You’ll hear an echo of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” in the first movement, its lyricism balanced against the energy and excitement of Dvořák’s adventure unfolding in the New World.

Junior Symphony Orchestra

Yuankai Bao – “Dabang Festival” from Symphony No. 2 “Sketches of Taiwan”

Taiwan is known for many things—bustling night markets, delicious street food, beautiful temples, and a rich tradition of folk music, to name just a few.

These vibrant community spaces are at the heart of the Chinese composer Yuankai Bao’s Symphony No. 2, evocatively titled “Sketches of Taiwan.” Across this set of musical snapshots, he captures the spirit of this special place—from a majestic sunrise on Jade Mountain to starry-eyed love songs and shimmering temple bells.

In “Dabang Festival,” he reflects on an ear-opening experience he had at a traditional festival of the Dabang Tribe, one of the Indigenous communities of Taiwan. He was inspired by a group of Red Warriors singing ritual songs around a tree with reverence, “their solemn hymns resounding from Dabang to the mountains and reaching the earth and the heavens.”

As the night drew on and he sang and danced with friends and strangers around the campfire, he said he felt free from the squeeze, the conflicts, and the tedious trivialities of everyday life. He transports us to that campfire and that state of mind in this musical sketch, evoking “this rare joy and passion without reservation in the wild sound of the orchestra.”

Jessie Montgomery – Soul Force

Music is rooted in change: chord change, tempo change, dynamic change. But music can also ignite change.

That’s what Jessie Montgomery’s Soul Force is all about: a community of voices coming together to create meaningful change. The music takes on the form of a march, beginning with just a single voice that grows and expands across the entire orchestra as it rises into triumph.

Drawing on the myriad contributions of fellow African American artists, the piece brings together elements of jazz, funk, hip-hop, and R&B to pay homage to the many diverse voices who have joined together across history to fight back against oppression and injustice. As for the title, Soul Force echoes a directive from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech:

“We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Movement IV: Finale

Do you have one of those friends who you can tell anything to? Someone who supports you and is there for you when things get tough?

For Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, that friend was his patron Nadezhda von Meck, an important source of financial and emotional support in his life, especially as he privately struggled to come to terms with his homosexuality. Though the two never met in person, in his letters he opened up to her more than any other person. He told her all about his life and his creative process, his dreams and his struggles.

Tchaikovsky composed his Symphony No. 4 shortly after she came into his life. Privately, he dedicated the symphony to her, calling her “my best friend.” In their correspondence, he referred to it as “our symphony.”

When she asked him what it was about, he told her it was about Fate, represented by a powerful melody in the horns. He described Fate as an invincible obstacle to peace and happiness. We hear that battle play out in the exquisite drama of this finale: a celebration of color and life caught in the oppressive shadow of Fate.

Perhaps we may all be subject to the whims of destiny—but in the meantime, we give ourselves over to the hope, the pleasures, the music of life.

“Joy is a simple but powerful force,” Tchaikovsky wrote to von Meck. “Rejoice in the rejoicing of others. To live is still possible.”

Symphonette Orchestra

Soon Hee Newbold – Gravitas

“Gravitas” is one of those ten-dollar words reserved only for those most accomplished and respected individuals. Someone who has gravitas brings maturity, weight, and charisma to their work—whether they are a performer, a speaker, a thinker, or a leader.

Dr. Robert Gillespie is all of these things. He’s an award-winning educator, author, and pedagogue who started the Columbus Symphony Chamber Strings in 1984, creating meaningful musical opportunities for young string players in his community. Soon Hee Newbold composed Gravitas to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this special ensemble, and to honor the educator whose vision, grit, and gravitas continue to inspire a new generation of musicians today.

Ludwig van Beethoven (arr. Richard Meyer) – Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Movement III

“There are and there will be thousands of princes—but there is only one Beethoven!”

This famous quote from Ludwig van Beethoven himself would come to define the way he’s remembered in the classical music history books: as the first composer to consider himself a capital-A “Artist.” At a time when musicians were largely considered craftsmen, Beethoven believed in the power of his singular voice and vision; like a prophet who sees and hears what others cannot, and who reveals these higher truths to the world through his art.

Beethoven had a vision to revolutionize classical music. He did so with music like his Symphony No. 5, the opening of which has become immortalized as the four most famous notes in all of classical music (“Bum, bum, bum, BUMMMM!”).

That famous four-note figure is echoed throughout the entire symphony, including the tempestuous third movement. Richard Meyer’s arrangement retains all the drama and heroic drive of the original, bringing the stormy Beethoven we know and love to new ears with each performance!

Brian Balmages – A Festive Fanfare

Holiday spice and everything nice! We’re decking the halls with this Festive Fanfare by Brian Balmages. A delectable assortment of Christmas carols swirling together into a candy cane of musical cheer—what more could you ask for in your Christmas stocking?

Strung together like a festive popcorn garland on the Christmas tree, you’ll catch snippets of your favorite holiday carols ranging from O Come, All Ye Faithful to Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Deck the Halls, Good King Wenceslas, Jingle Bells, and Joy to the World. Milk and cookies, anyone?

Youth Symphony Orchestra

Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No. 5 in D minor

Any work of art has infinite interpretations—and Dmitri Shostakovich was sure to use those ambiguities to his advantage in his Symphony No. 5.

Composed in 1937, the symphony premiered during one of the most terrifying periods in Soviet history, what would come to be known as the Great Purge. At the time, the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was “disappearing” hundreds of thousands of prominent political and cultural figures for “corrupting” the so-called Soviet spirit.

Shostakovich was already on Stalin’s bad side, thanks to the racy plotline and dissonant music of his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. The night after Stalin attended a performance, an unsigned editorial appeared in a Soviet paper. The title said it all: “Muddle Instead of Music.” (“Coarse, primitive, and vulgar” and “a wilderness of musical chaos” were among the other vivid descriptions included in the article.)

The opera was “disappeared” overnight. Shostakovich lived in such fear that he began sleeping in the stairwell outside his apartment so that if he were to be arrested, his family wouldn’t have to watch him be taken away.

The following year, Shostakovich framed his Symphony No. 5 as “a Soviet artist’s response to just criticism.” But if you listen with a careful ear, you’ll hear Shostakovich threading the needle in this symphony, maintaining his artistic integrity while flying under the radar of Stalin’s totalitarian censorship.

Soviet folk melodies are altered to take on a darker shade, militaristic rhythms drive the music forward, and a heart-wrenching requiem pays tribute to those who died in Stalin’s forced labor camps. The symphony ends in a triumph so over-the-top that many audiences heard it as a hidden message of dissent, it’s blaring brass and rattling drums loud enough to mask the silent screams of an oppressed people.

Stalin, of course, heard it as an affirmation of Soviet power. Shostakovich’s musical career was saved—for now.

Angelique Poteat – Symphonik Dances
Written by composer Angelique Poteat

One of the most memorable pieces that I performed as a high school student was Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. The music was challenging, fun to play, catchy, and I appreciated how it was an historical reflection on Bernstein’s own time. Given the opportunity to compose a work for the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, I was immediately drawn toward crafting my own set of symphonic dances, inspired by modern American culture. Thinking about teenagers today and what checks the boxes of challenging, fun, and catchy, the first thing that came to mind was TikTok dances. The dances, often presented as challenges, are fun, short, and catchy, designed to allow each user to apply their own creative spin and connect with other users in a larger “community”. With this in mind, my Symphonik Dances are loosely designed as a sort of TikTok scrolling session.

Broken into five short sections, or dances, each section has some rhythmic influence by popular TikTok dances. The dances introduce an idea that is then traded off to different soloists or sections of the orchestra to express in their own way, usually allowing for a short number of repetitions before moving onto the next dance. Different than typical TikTok scrolling, however, the melodic materials for each section are connected and developed over the course of the piece. After an energetic start on open strings, the first dance introduces two main ideas, first in the trumpet, then in the strings. But before the materials have much time for exploration, the piece impatiently drifts on to the second dance, which introduces the third and fourth main melodic ideas in the low winds and cellos and in a soli between the English horn and French horn. These ideas are passed around the ensemble before the low winds and strings elaborate on the third motive to transition into the third dance. The bassline for the third dance is a syncopated play on the open strings from the beginning of the piece, while the first theme returns inverted in the flute and oboe. But as more instruments layer into the bassline, and as the melody in the violins and woodwinds begins to resemble the bassline at double speed, the dance takes on a frantic quality and seems to lose control. There is then a sort of reset and interlude, with a much calmer texture and more sporadic dotting of the previous bassline. The first melody loosely returns in the flute and violins, often changing directions, and eventually fixating on the original ascending stepwise gesture. The texture and volume of the ensemble builds until releasing into an open string tremolo reminiscent of the opening of the piece.

The fourth dance then emerges tranquilly from the piano. A melody played by the flute and clarinet drifts over the top, a combination of the first two motives. The second part of the dance, notable for the addition of a tuba bassline and steady pulse in the percussion, brings back some of the fourth motive in the trombone and horn. The two parts are repeated, with the final statement of the fourth motive layered over the first motive, now back in the trumpet solo. This builds to the fifth and final dance, which is characterized by gripping asymmetrically rhythmic bookend sections that contrast a middle section with a driving rock beat. The middle section layers all four of the motives in varying fragments, both as melodies and countermelodies, while the finally section pushes toward a rearticulate finish on the open string pitches from the start of the piece.

"Express Your Voice"
Notes on the Program

Prelude String Orchestra

Debut Symphony Orchestra

Junior Symphony Orchestra

Symphonette Orchestra

Youth Symphony Orchestra

Contact Us

SYSO in Photos

"Express Your Voice" Notes on the Program

Prelude String Orchestra

Debut Symphony Orchestra

Junior Symphony Orchestra

Symphonette Orchestra

Youth Symphony Orchestra

Contact Us

SYSO in Photos

"Express Your Voice"
Notes on the Program