2025 Spring Series Concerts

Additional 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.

Music is a lot like water. It can be calm and serene or choppy and chaotic. It can lift, carry, or bury you—it can immerse you in its waves.

Water moves to its own rhythm; it finds new colors in the sunlight. In this Spring Series of SYSO concerts, we hear students diving into the many shape-shifting qualities of water: the way it flows, rains, echoes, swells, and splashes. In this music we explore water not only as a source of beauty and nourishment, but also as a source of danger, excitement, and adventure.

Prelude String
MY Southeast
Symphonette
Debut
Junior
Junior & Youth
Youth

Prelude String Orchestra

Carl Strommen – Cloudburst

Like a gathering storm, the winds swirl and spin in this musical cyclone! We’re swept up into the driving rhythms of the strings, the momentum building with each gust of wind until the rainstorm finally bursts free from the clouds. The pitter-patter of raindrops gradually softens the landscape into a beautiful blend of watercolors, a sweet reprieve before the next storm cycle sweeps in to dial back up the drama.

Hwaen Ch’uqi – Rainbow at Machu Picchu
World premiere: Commissioned by Rob Sokol, SYSO Board President, in dedication to Donna Sokol

Notes by composer Hwaen Ch’uqi:
It is nigh impossible to convey the anguish that flooded my soul upon being removed as a child from my beloved Perú. That anguish of separation quickly became a flame of yearning and determination, directing as it were my every step until I should at last return to my homeland. That return took place in 2017, and among the myriad joys that I came to know was visiting Machu Picchu, that architectural jewel of my people. While there, a thunderstorm rocked the slopes and deluged the landscape. When it was over, a rainbow—even the rainbow pictured here—appeared. Rainbows symbolize many things to many people, but in that moment, it stood for me as a confirmation that I had returned to my land at just the right time; it served as a comfort, assuring me that the countless tears of longing shed over decades were not in vain; and it spoke to the breathless beauty of that natural world and of all its inhabitants – including its long-lost resident, me! This little piece attempts to catch some of those emotions that I experienced as that rainbow appeared. Untold gratitude to Catherine Foulkrod, one of my dearest friends who accompanied me on this journey and who shot this photo of that very rainbow.

Brian Balmages – To Tame the Raging Rapids

Adventure beckons in this rollicking river plunge by Brian Balmages! He was inspired by the magnificent power of nature to thrill, tempt, and humble us. The music draws on his experiences rock climbing in Great Falls, just outside of Washington, D.C. There, a friend of his once fell into the water and could have lost his life, were it not for a kayaker nearby who rescued him.

As the piece begins, we’re transfixed by the bucolic beauty of the landscape, but the glassy surface of the water slowly begins to rumble from beneath. We plunge in, adrenaline pumping as we tumble across the waves and test our strength against the raging rapids. It’s an exhilarating adventure through the great outdoors—and a powerful reminder that nature cannot be tamed.

MY Southeast

Henry Purcell (arr. Vaclav Nelhybel) – Chaconne

“The Land Without Music!” That’s how one German music critic described England in the early 20th century—and unfortunately that nickname stuck. But of course, it’s not entirely fair. There are plenty of great composers who came from England: Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, the Rolling Stones, to name just a few.

But it’s true, the deeper you go in the music history books, the fewer English names you’ll probably recognize. Henry Purcell is one notable exception; his music has stood the test of time! Since Baroque-era England his melodies have continued to inspire many of the great English composers who followed (including Benjamin Britten and even The Who). Purcell sends us this charming little postcard from the so-called “Land Without Music,” his stately melodies transporting us back in time to the ornate abbeys of 17th century London.

Soon Hee Newbold – Warrior Legacy

You’re in the director’s seat for this cinematic, swashbuckling adventure! Inspired by the heroes of myth and legend, this music propels us straight into the thrill of the action. We march along to the drums of war and ride along the restless, splashing waves of the sea in pursuit of victory. The unfolding drama slows down just long enough for us to catch a glimpse of the hero’s tender daydream before we return triumphantly to the battle at hand.

Symphonette Orchestra

George Frideric Handel (arr. Richard Meyer) – Hornpipe (from Water Music)

Here in Seattle, we love a good boat party in the summer—and back in 18th century London, they did too! So it was in the summer of 1717, King George I was throwing the boat party of the century along River Thames—and he knew just the guy to handle the music.

George Frideric Handel would be the DJ! Handel composed three suites of Water Music for the occasion and gathered together a whole barge full of musicians to float alongside the king’s boat playing their summer soundtrack. Londoners flocked along the riverbank to catch pieces of the concert. The king was so pleased, he had the orchestra repeat the music at least three times.

This stately Hornpipe captures the pomp and circumstance of such an event. We find ourselves in excellent company, rubbing elbows with the king’s royal entourage as we ride, champagne in hand, all the way up and down the River Thames.

Yukiko Nishimura – Water Reflections

Like an image mirrored across the softly rippling surface of the water, this music is full of moments of reflection. Melodies are echoed and traded among the instruments, the colors shifting and transforming with each new swell. Our pastoral daydream is broken only by a playful splash in the middle of the piece, like a pair of birds or butterflies fluttering across the surface—but as they fly away the water settles slowly back to a sparkling and pristine calm, our reflection once again emerging at the surface.

Felix Mendelssohn (arr. Jerry Brubaker) – A Dance of Clowns (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

“The course of true love never did run smooth,” as William Shakespeare wrote in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And it was the delightful twists and turns of that classic play that inspired a young Felix Mendelssohn to compose some music for the tale.

The midnight mischief sparkles to life in this boisterous Dance of the Clowns, the donkey-headed Bottom and his troupe of amateur actors providing the entertainment for the triple-wedding that ends the play. Fairies flit around joyously above the wedding festivities—and you’ll hear Bottom’s braying donkey head echoed in the “hee-hawing” rhythms!

Debut Symphony Orchestra

Ernesto Lecuona (arr. Ferde Grofé) – Malagueña (from the Andalucia Suite)

A taste of Spain—by way of Cuba! Sometimes called the “Cuban Gershwin,” Ernesto Lecuona brought the vibrant music of Cuba to stages across the globe in the first half of the 20th century, similar to how George Gershwin brought jazz and Broadway tunes into the concert halls.

The roots of Cuban music lie in the infectious rhythms of Spain and West Africa, which are on full display in this colorful Malagueña. Lecuona was inspired by the lively fandangos of Málaga in the Andalusia region of southern Spain.

Though his Andalucia Suite was originally composed for solo piano, the intoxicating melodies of the Malagueña have since been reimagined by orchestras, marching bands, and jazz ensembles the world over. You can hear the bustling energy from the very beginning as we’re swept up into the romance of this irresistible fandango—and just wait until the castanets kick in!

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov – Scheherazade, I. The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship

It happens to the best of us: you think you’re just going to watch one more episode of your favorite TV show, but then BAM! They hit you with a cliffhanger.

The medium may have changed, but storytellers have been keeping us on the edge of our seats for centuries. And that’s precisely the idea behind the collection of Middle Eastern folktales known as One Thousand and One Nights (or The Arabian Nights).

The story goes like this: a sultan is convinced all women are faithless, so he kills each of his wives after their wedding night. But one wife outsmarts him: her name is Scheherazade. She tells the sultan a story, but she doesn’t tell him the ending. And he is so consumed with curiosity that he postpones her execution by one day. But the next night, she’s got another story. And on and on, for a thousand and one nights she dazzles the sultan with tales of magic and mystery until eventually, he decides to spare her life.

That’s the legend that inspired Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, the winding melody of the violin representing Scheherazade herself and the stories she weaves. In this first tale from the collection, we’re thrust out onto the open ocean with Sinbad, the mythic sailor whose seven sea-tossed voyages lead to strange and thrilling encounters with monsters of both land and sea.

Junior Symphony Orchestra

Dmitri Kabalevsky – Overture to Colas Breugnon

Like any great opera, Dmitri Kabalevsky’s Colas Breugnon is brimming with love triangles and complicated revenge schemes. Fortunately for us, Kabalevsky had a sense of humor.

Based on the 1919 novel of the same name by Romain Rolland, Colas Breugnon tells the cheeky and irreverent story of a sculptor who is looking back on his life and the people who meddled in it! Hoping to exact his revenge on a villainous Duke, our sculptor Colas promises to craft a grand sculpture of the Duke in full armor. As the town gathers in front of the castle for the big reveal, Colas unveils a statue of the Duke looking as majestic as ever—sitting backwards on a donkey.

The shenanigans jump right off the stage in this raucous Overture. With a brilliant flourish we launch into a whirling, swirling dance, the anticipation bubbling over in the busy rhythms. We manage to slow down just long enough to put the finishing touches on our mischievous plan before we wind back up to make a fool of the Duke—as Colas intended!

When Kabalevsky first asked for permission to reimagine Rolland’s novel as an opera, the author had just one stipulation: “Don’t make Colas too serious. Colas without laughter won’t be Colas. For the rest—carte blanche. Fly with your own wings.”

Maurice Ravel – A Ship on the Ocean (from Miroirs, or “Mirrors”)

Most of us would gladly hop aboard a friend’s yacht if given the chance—and if we had any friends who owned yachts. Maurice Ravel was one of the lucky ones! So it was in 1905, a couple of friends invited Ravel to set sail with them for a seven-week canal cruise aboard their yacht. Who was he to turn down the invitation?

He sends us this musical postcard from his travels, painting an idyllic portrait of the ocean through rippling arpeggios and sweeping melodies that imitate the flow of the currents. The rhythms ebb and flow, building in intensity as a storm rolls past us, the sky alive in vibrant washes of color.

Low brass adds depth and dimension to the sound painting, with sparkling new shades and textures coming to the surface along each cresting wave. As the storm calms, we sail on toward the horizon, a sherbet-colored sunset reflecting across the smooth, glassy surface of the water, the day already evaporating into evening.

Paul Chihara – The Tempest Suite

If you were stranded on a deserted island, how would you occupy your time? Finding food, building shelter, searching for help from the shoreline? For Prospero, the answer is simple. He passes the time by learning magic and plotting an elaborate revenge scheme against his brother Antonio, the one who staged the coup that landed him on the island in the first place.

So begins William Shakespeare’s stormy drama The Tempest: a tale of magic, betrayal, revenge, and, ultimately, forgiveness. When a ship carrying the treacherous Antonio passes by the island, Prospero conjures up a storm that shipwrecks the entire boat, tormenting its passengers before ultimately forgiving his brother and returning everyone safely home on calmer waters.

Paul Chihara captures the turbulent twists and turns in this suite of music from his ballet on the tale. Magical encounters, tender love songs, drunken shenanigans, epic storms—it’s all the drama of Shakespeare, without any of the words!

Junior & Youth Symphony Orchestra

Benjamin Britten – Four Sea Interludes, II. Sunday Morning and IV. The Storm

In an opera overflowing with as much drama as Peter Grimes, even the scene changes are elaborate! Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes serve to set the stage (literally and figuratively) for each chapter of this tumultuous small-town saga.

Set in a close-knit village on the East Coast of England—not unlike the one Britten himself grew up in—Peter Grimes tells the story of a prickly fisherman who becomes a social outcast following the mysterious (though accidental) deaths of two of his apprentices. Rumors and hearsay grow into suspicion and accusation, the mob mentality taking over the entire town until Grimes is finally exiled to the sea.

The allegory of the misunderstood outsider being thrust out by an intolerant society was partially inspired by Britten’s own experiences as gay man living in the mid-20th century. In fact, his partner, tenor Peter Pears, performed the role of Grimes at the opera’s premiere in 1945.

The drama bubbles to the surface in “Sunday Morning.” Britten sets the scene for a sunny day at church, bells ringing overhead, birds chirping in the distance—but an unsettling dissonance lingers just below the surface. As the townspeople file into church, we hear a gentle, sweeping violin melody that hints at the song of Grimes’ love interest as she greets the morning.

The sweetness of “Sunday Morning” swiftly evaporates as the wrath of the sea is unleashed in “The Storm.” The townspeople take refuge at the local pub as the wind and water crash against the shore. Pounding melodies swirl and spiral out of control, the ruthlessness of the sea threatening to overtake us at every turn.

But for Grimes, there is no escape. As the storm slowly recedes, we’re haunted by his final melody as he sinks below the crushing waves of the sea: “What harbor shelters peace, away from tidal waves, away from storms? What harbor can embrace terrors and tragedies?”

Youth Symphony Orchestra

Giovanni Bottesini – Double Bass Concerto No. 2, I. Allegro
Featuring 2023 Concerto Competition Winner Anderson Widjaja

“How did you choose your instrument?” is a question we often ask musicians—but in the case of Giovanni Bottesini, it was the double bass that chose him!

He began as a violinist, but as a teenager preparing to audition for the prestigious Milan Conservatory, it became clear to his parents that he would need to land a scholarship for the family to be able to afford it. As luck would have it, only two positions were available: the double bass or the bassoon.

Bottesini prepared a double bass audition in a matter of weeks—and the rest is history! His time at the conservatory jumpstarted his globe-trotting career as “the Paganini of the Double Bass.”

In his Double Bass Concerto No. 2, he shows us what the bass can do, bringing it from the back of the orchestra to center stage. Inspired by the lush, soaring arias of opera, we hear the bass glide through lyrical bel canto melodies that span the full range of the instrument, hanging on each note as the action builds through thrilling leaps and a virtuosic cadenza. All the drama and pageantry of a night at the opera—without any of the prima donnas!

Paul Chihara – Yulan “Song of praise”
World premiere

We hope you enjoy the world premiere of this new work by Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra alumnus, Paul Chihara!

Bedřich Smetana – The Moldau (from My Country)

There’s no place like home! And Bedřich Smetana found no shortage of music amid the sights and sounds of his native Bohemia—especially after returning home from a few years working in Sweden.

It’s what inspired him to compose My Country, a set of six pieces inspired by the beauty and spirit of his homeland. Each piece depicts one aspect of the countryside, history, or legends of Bohemia. For The Moldau, he took his inspiration from the river that flows from two springs in the mountains down through the woods, meadows, and farmlands of his beloved Bohemia.

As we trace the river’s course through these varied landscapes, we pass by a lively folk dance: a farmer’s wedding in the countryside. We travel onward to find mermaids splashing in the sparkle of moonlight. A little further still and we see the river flanked on either side by majestic castles and medieval ruins. We can hear the river as it swirls, widens, and flows toward the city of Prague, gaining momentum before it finally vanishes into the horizon.

Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor, V. Rondo – Finale
Program notes cover the entire symphony, though Youth will only perform the final movement.

In today’s social media era, we all get a front row seat to our friends’ elaborate wedding proposals and relationship milestones. But the grand romantic gesture is nothing new, it’s just more widely publicized these days.

Gustav Mahler got in on the trend early. In 1902 he expressed his love for his future wife Alma on a grand stage: the concert stage! He wrote her a love letter of symphonic proportions—specifically, the heart-soaring Adagietto from his Symphony No. 5. Instead of writing his feelings for her down in a letter, he sent her the musical manuscript not long after their first meeting

The Adagietto forms the fourth movement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, but the entire symphony’s trajectory from darkness to light can be heard as a reflection of this newfound love in his life. After all, Mahler first met Alma shortly after a terrifying brush with death: earlier that year he suffered a hemorrhage that put him within an hour of bleeding out completely. (Fortunately, love heals all wounds.)

The symphony unfolds in five movements, grouped in three parts. The first two movements form Part I: a funeral march followed by a frenzy of swirling storm winds, just a glimmer of sunlight visible through the clouds.

Part II lightens things up, with a lively scherzo that draws on both the folk dances of the Austrian countryside as well as the waltzing grandeur of the Viennese ballroom.

Part III opens with Mahler’s love letter to Alma, an airy daydream floating across luscious harp and string melodies, like a sigh of love breathing across the orchestra. This rapturous slow movement gives way to the revelry of the final movement, a kaleidoscope of color as we surrender our hearts to the transformative power of love.