The Willamette Valley Symphony has been invited to perform at the OMEA Conference (http://www.oregonmusic.org/). The performance will take place in the Soreng Theater in the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 14, 2012, and will feature AARON COPLAND's "Our Town" and TIMOTHY SCOTT MISNER's "Freedom Overture". This event is FREE, so come out and support the WVS!

The Willamette Valley Symphony (WVS) is inviting students, faculty, and staff from Oregon State University’s School of Arts & Communication (departments of Art, Music, New Media Communications, Speech Communication, and Theatre), Linn-Benton Community College, and Chemeketa Community College to submit materials from their particular media specialties for performance with the Willamette Valley Symphony during its 2012-2013 Season.

The WVS will be performing Mikhail Tushmalov’s orchestration of Modeste Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition during its March 2013 concert set Images and is looking for collaborators to create new, striking, original media works to be performed or exhibited simultaneously with these performances. Media can include digital photography, paintings, films, dance, or other non-aural/-oral creative endeavors.

Mikhail Tushmalov (1861-1896) was the first to prepare an orchestral version of Modest Mussorgsky's 1874 piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition. Tushmalov's version set an abridged version of the piece which omits 'Gnomus', 'Tuileries' and 'Bydlo' together with all but one 'Promenade'. Tushmalov's score is often described as dark and restrained in color, and, thus, more authentically 'Russian' in its approach to the score than the later orchestration by Maurice Ravel.

The Tushmalov-Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition consists of the following 8 sections:

                Promenade                                                            The Old Castle

                Ballet of the Chicks                                               Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle

                The Marketplace at Limoges                              Catacombs

                Baba Gaga                                                            The Great Gate of Kiev

A recording of this version of the Mussorgsky was released by Marc Andreae and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra for Acanta Records in 1974 (DC 22128 S). Applicants are encouraged to obtain a copy of this (or a similar) recording and to carefully research Mussorgsky’s inspiration for Pictures at an Exhibition. A significant criterion in determining the successful applications will be the blend of the visual media with that of the orchestral composition.

The WVS wishes to highlight the work of 8 individuals whose works were created specifically to accompany the Tushmalov version of the Mussorgsky but would certainly consider multiple works from a single applicant. Applicants may be at any stage of their careers and need not be pursuing their particular media in order to be considered. For full consideration, application materials need to be submitted to the WVS no later than Monday, July 9, 2012. A decision will be made by Monday, August 6, 2012 as to which works will be performed.

In order to be considered, applicants need to provide the following materials:

·         Full contact information (including e-mail addresses and websites)

·         Curriculum vitae or Résumé

·         Biographical sketch

·         Description of your submission (inspiration, execution, vision, interpretation, etc.)

·         Original media (jpeg, mpeg, or similar formats) 

Applications can be sent electronically to willamettevalleysymphony@gmail.com or by hardcopy to the Willamette Valley Symphony; P.O. Box 433; Albany, Oregon 97321-0124.

Keeping Score! March 2011
Bravissimo! The English language really doesn’t contain enough words to truly thank each and every one of you for your efforts on our Winter 2011 Concert Set! I am continually amazed at the level to which we rise . . . for every concert I choose more difficult music and for every concert you prepare & present it more accurately & beautifully than the last concert set. WOW! . . . and Thank You! Here are a few thoughts about our last concert . . . Berlioz – BOMBASTIC! Cress – EXUBERANT! Oswald – EBULLIENT! Chausson – GORGEOUS! Tchaikovsky – STUNNING! Now it is time for forge ahead with Misner, Haydn, and Mahler! The Mahler, in particular, poses some interesting challenges for us. Technically and emotionally, we will need to build up our stamina for a nearly 1 hour long symphony! Physically, we will need to figure out how to fit an enlarged orchestra onto the stages at our two performance venues. I think that Kim Collar, our concertmaster, has beautifully expressed how I, too, feel about the Mahler, the rehearsal & performances process, and the joy of discovery that we will get to share as we tackle this masterpiece. I can hardly wait! See you next week! Sean
A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT MAHLER Submitted by Kim Collar, concertmaster What a thrill to be able to play Mahler's First Symphony! Mahler is one of "those" composers . . . the intimidating reputation precedes him. As a player, I do find his music very physical. You can't play Mahler halfway. It's music with grand gestures, immense sound, and a song and dance in its heart. After a Mahler concert, I always feel like I accomplished something. And the wonderful melodies will stick with you long after the concert is done.
SPRING 2011 MUSIC  By now, most of you should have picked up your music from our Orchestra Manager/Librarian, Lisa Taylor. If you would like to pick them up prior to our first rehearsal (AN EXCELLENT IDEA!!!), please contact Lisa asap at 541.926.0882, 541.974.0027 or Lisa.K.Taylor@comcast.net.

OPENINGS???
Please let us know if you will not be returning for the Spring Concert set! At present, we have vacancies in the viola and violin II sections. So if you know anyone, please spread the word!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, INTERVIEWS OR PHOTOGRAPHS, CONTACT:

Sean Paul Mills, DMA
Music Director & Conductor, Willamette Valley Symphony
541.829.3932 cell / willamettevalleysymphony@gmail.com

AN “AHA!” MOMENT FOR THE AUDIENCE

A musical potpourri of premieres, incredible soloists, and timeless masterpieces.

Works to be performed include:

• Rebecca Oswald’s Finding the Murray River (premiere)
• Jason Cress’ Theme (premiere)
• Hector Berlioz’s Hungarian March
• Ernest Chausson Poeme for violin and orchestra
• Soloist: Matthew Fuller, violin
• Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in b-flat minor
• Soloist: Crystal Zimmerman, piano

4000 Lancaster Dr. NE, Building 6: Auditorium

Sunday, March 13 - 4:00 p.m. Ashbrook Independent School in Corvallis

4045 Research Way

Gracewinds Music in Corvallis

Sid Stevens Jewelers in Albany

online at www.willamettevalleysymphony.org

from WVS players

at the door 1 hour prior to performances

Effective December 10, 2010, the Willamette Valley Symphony is a qualifying cultural organization with the Oregon Cultural Trust. 

The Willamette Valley Symphony is proud to announce our first named chair: Helene L. Knapp Principal French Horn!!! Our principal horn player, Cindy Knapp Lefton, will be proudly occupying this new chair.

Chair Sponsorships are now available. Please see Support the WVS for more information.

WINTER REVERIES

MUSIC OF REFLECTION, PASSION, AND CONVICTION

In difficult economic times many performing arts organizations restrict their programming to familiar works that have proven results at the box office rather than introduce their audiences to new works and composers. In contrast, the Willamette Valley Symphony (WVS) has made it one of its missions to present new orchestral music to its patrons during the 2010 - 2011 Season. Following a national call for compositions, a specially formed committee of players from the WVS selected four new compositions to be performed by the ensemble during its 2010 - 2011 Season "Something Old, Something New". Over a dozen composers from throughout the Pacific Northwest and as far away as Kansas and Tennessee submitted works for consideration. At the end of the process, works by JOHN DAVID LAMB of Seattle, Washington; REBECCA OSWALD of Eugene, Oregon; TIMOTHY SCOTT MISNER of Corvallis, Oregon; and JASON CRESS of Lawrence, Kansas were chosen for performance.

Mr. Lamb's Nightscape will be premiered alongside Ralph Vaughan Williams' Concerto for Oboe & Strings in a minor and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1 in g minor "Winter Reveries" on the WVS' performances in November, while Ms. Oswald's Finding the Murray River and Mr. Kress' Theme will be premiered in March 2011 along with Ernest Chausson's Poème for violin and orchestra and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor. The season finale will feature Mr. Misner's Freedom Overture alongside Franz Josef Haydn's Concerto for Trumpet in E-flat Major and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D Major "Titan".

For its theme of Something Old, Something New, the Willamette Valley Symphony has purposefully coupled a new work(s) with compositions by well-known composers. Each of the premieres, like their older compatriots, truly reflects the individual voices of their composers. In this day and age, it is easy to forget that at one time the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Haydn, Brahms, and Mahler were new and untested. By premiering new works for orchestra, the WVS is continuing a centuries-old tradition of supporting the efforts of living composers in presenting their music to the public and to keeping orchestral music fresh and relevant.

The Willamette Valley Symphony (WVS) is pleased to announce its upcoming performances of "Winter Reveries" featuring JOHN DAVID LAMB's Nightscape, RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS' Concerto for Oboe & Strings in a minor with WVS Principal Oboe Jaclyn LaRue as soloist, and PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY's Symphony No. 1 in g minor "Winter Reveries".

Winter Reveries may very well conjure up images of trudging across a bleak, frozen tundra or moments spent in introspection, regret, or isolation. However, many cultures look upon Winter as a time of birth or re-birth when the Sun rises again to fade away the darkness of the long night. In our case, the reveries of Winter are those moments spent in the warmth of one's home, absentmindedly daydreaming of love, passion, and hope. Whether it is the first symphonic effort of the young Tchaikovsky or the later-in-life concerto by Ralph Vaughan Williams, each of the composers represented on this program reflect these same qualities in their compositions.

The featured soloist, WVS Principal Oboe Jaclyn LaRue, has been a member of the Spokane Symphony, the Connoisseur Concerts Chamber Music Society, the Dungeness Trio, the PASO Five Quintet, and, for 23 years, was principal oboe of the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra and the Port Angeles Chamber Orchestra. A former instructor of chamber music and soloist at the Festa Music Pro in Assisi, Italy, Ms. LaRue has numerous recital, chamber music, and concerto credits in sixteen countries in Asia, Europe, and South America as well as throughout the Pacific Northwest. She is currently the Marketing and Development Director of Eugene Ballet Company and performs locally with the No Strings Attached woodwind trio and quintet, the Riverside Chamber Symphony, and the Willamette Valley Symphony. The Vaughan Williams Concerto for Oboe and Strings has always been one of Ms. LaRue’s favorites because of the beautiful lyrical lines and rich underlying texture of the strings.

Composer John David Lamb was born and raised in Yakima, Washington. He began to compose when he was six years old, having discovered staff‑lined pages in the exercise book where his piano teacher wrote his scales and finger exercises. Since then he has composed in many forms, including works for solo instruments, small ensembles, dramatic works, and band and orchestra. Lamb earned academic degrees in music composition and conducting from the University of Washington, but among his most important influences have been independent study with the Latvian nationalist composer Volfgangs Darzins and traditional Swedish folk music and dance. His works have been performed by the Portland Junior Symphony, the Northwest Chamber Orchestra, the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, the Kronos Quartet, and Brass Band Northwest.

As with all Willamette Valley Symphony performances, families are encouraged to attend. The WVS, conducted by Music Director & Conductor Sean Paul Mills, is a non-profit, community-based orchestra comprised of instrumentalists from throughout the Willamette Valley. Winter Reveries will be presented on Saturday, November 13 at 4:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem (5090 Center Street; Salem) and Sunday, November 14 at 4:00 p.m. in the Ashbrook Independent School Auditorium (4045 Research Way; Corvallis). There will be a free pre-concert discussion beginning 30 minutes prior to each performance. Tickets are available at Gracewinds Music (Corvallis), Sid Stevens Jewelers (Albany), from Willamette Valley Symphony players, and at the door (beginning 1 hour prior to performances).

For further information, please contact the WVS at willamettevalleysymphony@gmail.com or 541.829.3932, or visit us on the web at www.willamettevalleysymphony.org.

With our move to a new rehearsal space this fall, the WVS found itself in need of its own set of timpani. After a lengthy search, a reconditioned set of four symphony-quality timpani was located. Through the generous and remarkably responsive support of both players and longtime supporters, nearly all the funds for purchasing the timpani were secured through donations. The instruments arrived just in time for our summer concert. Marcille Hall, our principal timpanist, says of the new timps, "I'm very pleased with the purchase. Timpani are in like-new condition, with excellent tonal range and quality."



To ensure that our new instruments can be safely transported and stored, Dr. Mills made custom boxes for each of them. If you'd like to hear our new timpani, come to a concert!