|
_____________________
A Message from
the Maestro
 | |
Thomas Wilkins |
Dear friends of the symphony, Summer is in full swing! Those joyous, carefree days are characterized by the sounds that make an indelible mark in our memories: children laughing, waves lapping, hot dogs sizzling on the grill... While our musicians scatter to the four winds to pursue other musical endeavors over the next several months, the Omaha Symphony staff is busy planning to make the 2012/13 season one full of exciting programs and unforgettable performances. With the beautiful Olivia Newton-John as our Pops series opener and the incredibly gifted Joshua Bell playing Tchaikovsky with our own talented orchestra, next season promises to be spectacular indeed. We hope to see you in the audience, soaking up the sounds of the beautiful music. Have a happy and safe summer! Best, Thomas |
|
_____________________
 | | Click the rainbow to see the 2012/13 season brochure! |
2012/13 season tickets on sale
The 2012/13 concert season promises to be one of the Omaha Symphony's best ever! With great guest artists like Olivia Newton-John opening up the Pops series on Sept. 29, violin virtuoso Joshua Bell playing the music of Tchaikovsky and the symphony playing the thrilling score to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl while the audience screens the movie, there is something for everyone! Season tickets are now on sale for each series, including MasterWorks, Pops, Rocks, Movie Music, Family and a brand-new series, Symphony Joslyn, replacing the Chamber series. Season tickets guarantee the same seats every time you attend the symphony, as well as a chance to enjoy each concert in your preferred series. Call our box office today at 402.342.3560 to order! Click on the rainbow above to view our 2012/13 season brochure! |
|
_____________________
Wanted: Receptionist/ Box Office Assistant
The Omaha Symphony is looking for an energetic, flexible, and reliable individual who enjoys public contact in an exciting, fast-paced, and dynamic team environment. You should be personable and have the ability to work daytime business hours, plus some nights and weekends during the symphony concert season.
The Receptionist / Box Office Assistant provides a welcoming and professional first impression to Omaha Symphony patrons and guests on the phone and in person as well as high-quality ticket-related services. This position also performs various general office, accounting, human resources, and marketing functions as assigned.
For a complete job description, visit our Web site or CareerLink.com , or send a resume to Teresa Ancona at tancona@omahasymphony.org |
|
_____________________
Capriccio
A quick, improvisational, spirited piece of music.
Example: Capriccio Italien, Op. 45, by Tchaikovsky, a fantasy for orchestra.
Glissando Sliding between two notes Example: The clarinet gesture that opens Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue is described as a glissando.
Septet
A set of seven musicians who perform a composition written for seven parts.
Example: One of the most famous classical septets is Beethoven's Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20, which features parts for clarinet, bassoon, French horn, violin, viola, cello and double bass. |
|
______________________
Quick Links
|
|
|
|
|
 Marketing:
Special offer to first-timers drives strong subscription sales
A fresh marketing offer to new Omaha Symphony subscribers has resulted in more subscribers to each subscription series than the orchestra has seen in the past two seasons.
New for the 2012/13 season, first-time subscribers to the Omaha Symphony receive a 50 percent discount subscription on any season series, including subscriptions to the MasterWorks, Pops or Rocks series. The Movie Music series has more than doubled its number of subscribers.
"I'm thrilled with the enthusiastic response," said Box Office Manager Howard Coffin. "We've already sold out certain sections before single tickets go on sale."
New subscribers can still take advantage of this deal until single concert tickets go on sale at the end of August. For more information, call the box office at 402.342.3560 or click here to buy your season tickets.
|
 | | Resident Conductor Ernest Richardson conducts a 2011/12 Music Mentors class. |
Development:
Symphony receives $65,000 NEA grant for education programs
The Omaha Symphony was one of 788 not-for-profit national, regional, state and local organizations to receive an Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) this spring. The $65,000 grant will go to support 2012/13 education programs and a community engagement tour in Nebraska.
The Omaha Symphony provides multi-disciplinary education programming to more than 30,000 students each year through music education programs. This NEA Art Works grant will support three of these programs: Carnegie Hall Link Up, Music Mentors and Choral Collaborative, which provide opportunities for fourth through twelfth grade students to experience live orchestral music, apply learned knowledge and participate in the act of creating. A tour of Nebraska in the 2012/13 season will also provide educational activities and concerts for communities beyond Omaha.
"Ensuring broad access to the arts is at the heart of the Omaha Symphony's mission," said symphony CEO James Johnson. "These three education programs make students active participants in the creation of music, and with the tour, the Omaha Symphony will increase arts accessibility in communities across Nebraska."
|
 | | Joslyn's Witherspoon Concert Hall |
Concert spotlight:
Symphony Joslyn is a new approach to the concert experience
Spend your Sunday afternoons immersed in beautiful music and priceless art at Joslyn Art Museum with the Omaha Symphony's newest series, Symphony Joslyn. This concert series draws connections between the orchestra's music and specific works of art at Joslyn.
The concerts, held Sundays at 2 p.m. in the Witherspoon Concert Hall, feature music from beloved composers such as Beethoven, Hadyn, Bach and Schubert.
Symphony Joslyn season tickets include free admission to the museum, free parking, pre-concert talks with Joslyn staff at 1:00 & 1:25 p.m., and a 10 percent discount at the museum gift shop on concert days. Patrons may also enjoy lunch or refreshments at Cafe Durham from noon to 2 p.m. |
 | | Omaha Symphony CEO James Johnson |
Omaha Symphony News:
CEO James Johnson marks
one-year anniversary
On Friday, June 1, 2012, Omaha Symphony CEO James Johnson marked his one-year anniversary with the organization. Johnson, who had previously been CEO of the New York Pops for more than 10 years, oversees the Omaha Symphony's administration, artistic planning, fund raising, marketing, public relations, operations, orchestra relations, and finances.
In partnership with the Board of Directors, he leads the organization's strategic planning, audience development, and community engagement initiatives, continuing to enhance the Symphony's financial and artistic vitality in Omaha's world-class Holland Performing Arts Center.
"I have been consistantly amazed by the virtuosity and versatility of our orchestra and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know this vibrant community. We are lucky to have such a thriving arts scene and active patrons who continue to support it and help it grow," he said.
|
|
 | | Anne Thorne Weaver |
Patron Spotlight:
Anne Thorne Weaver receives Helena Bell award
Longtime Omaha Symphony patron Anne Thorne Weaver was honored June 8 with the prestigious Helena Bell Outstanding Volunteer Award, an award given annually by the Omaha Symphony musicians to a volunteer who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment, dedication and service to the orchestra. Weaver was given the award on the Holland Performing Arts Center stage prior to the "Concerto for Orchestra" MasterWorks concert. She was nominated by violinist Marcia Hinkle.
Weaver has served as one of the Omaha Symphony's Governing Members since the inception of that group, and was a longtime member of the Board of Directors prior to that. She is also an active member of the Omaha Symphony Guild and a faithful annual donor to the orchestra.
As a true music lover, Weaver regularly subscribes to the MasterWorks, Symphony Pops, Symphony Rocks and Family series, as well as attending other concerts and special events. She has graciously opened her home to many Omaha Symphony artists and guests over the years. She provided housing for most of the symphony's concertmaster candidates during their audition weeks, and has housed three Orchestra Management Fellows from the League of American Orchestras during their three-month fellowships with the Omaha Symphony.
Weaver is also a volunteer and board member with many other Omaha organizations, including the Salvation Army, the Museum of Nebraska Art, Opera Omaha, the Omaha Community Playhouse and the Nebraska Methodist Hospital Foundation.
|
|
 | | Maestro Thomas Wilkins conducts Les Chants de Moldoror by Natalie Williams at KANEKO. Photo by Aaron Zavitz Photography. |
Education:
New Music Symposium capped by innovative concert at KANEKO
The Omaha Symphony's New Music Symposium, sponsored by the Omaha Symphony Guild and held May 30-June 1, provided vital enrichment experiences for four talented young composers: the rare opportunity to test their skills in a real-life laboratory setting and the privilege of working directly with established music mentors and teams of musicians from the Omaha Symphony.
At the 2012 New Music Symposium, master composer William Bolcom mentored Joshua Hey, Adam Vidiksis, Natalie Williams and Roger Zare, who were chosen to participate based upon a national call for scores. Over the three days of the symposium, the composers worked with Bolcom, Omaha Symphony Music Director Thomas Wilkins, Resident Conductor Ernest Richardson, Librarian Jessica Slais, and members of the Omaha Symphony to further refine and develop their work.
The composers' works premiered in a public performance on June 1, 2012, at the innovative art space KANEKO. The concert also featured a performance by Bolcom and his wife, mezzo soprano Joan Morris, performing selections of Bolcom's own Cabaret Songs and Minicabs. Special thanks to Upstream Brewing Co. for providing food and drinks during the concert, as well as to several other individuals who provided support for this program.
|
|
Musician Spotlight:
What does a symphony musician do during summer 'vacation'?
The symphony season is over, but that doesn't mean our musicians are taking it easy! Here's what some of them are doing this summer:
Concertmaster Susanna Perry Gilmore: Susanna will be returning to the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan for the sixth consecutive summer as the Valade Violin Fellow. She coaches the first violin section of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra as well as the Advanced String Quartet Program. Violinist Anne Nagosky: Anne will be traveling all summer to visit friends and family in Hong Kong, Florida, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Chicago, and Bloomington, Ind. She is also keeping her 60 violin students inspired to practice with sticker charts and prizes. Cellist Margaret Lim: Margaret is teaching at the Omaha Conservatory of Music and performs with the Midlands String Quartet. Assistant Principal Bass Bill Ritchie and Cellist Patty Ritchie: Bill and Patty spent five days at a cottage on Lake Michigan visiting family in June. Later this summer, Patty will spend two weeks in Russia on a mission trip, while Bill will head to Jackson Hole, Wy., to perform in the Grand Teton Music Festival. Basoonist Karen Sandene: As Secretary of the Regional Orchestra Players Association (ROPA), a national organization representing over 6,000 musicians in 85 orchestras, Karen will be organizing ROPA's annual conference, held in Minneapolis the first week of August. Principal Trumpet Scott Quackenbush: Scott will be touring with Third Coast Brass, a Chicago-based brass quintet, as a part of the Pine Mountain Music Festival in July. Violinist Melissa Pruss: Melissa will travel to San Francisco for 11 days, and will continue to teach violin and viola at St. Wenceslaus, the Cathedral, College of St. Mary and her home. |
|
|
