Danzas del ballet “Estancia” is a bold, rhythmic orchestral work based on the ballet “Estancia” and is the first of two pieces composed by the great Alberto Ginastera that the Michigan Philharmonic will be performing this concert season. To help familiarize you with this Alberto Ginastera, before our season opens, here are eight things you may not have known about him:

1. During his later years, Ginastera preferred to pronounce his name with a soft ‘G’ sound rather than the Spanish ‘J’ sound that he had preferred earlier in life. 
2. The fourth movement of Ginastera’s first piano concerto was adapted by English rock group Emerson, Lake & Palmer. They released the song titled “Toccata” on their album Brain Salad Surgery. Ginastera was a big fan of the adaptation. 
3. The incorporation of Argentinian folk themes was important and often straightforward in Ginastera’s early compositions, but became more and more abstract as his career progressed.
4. Ginastera’s music also saw him experiment with serial technique (an innovation by Schoenberg) later in his career. 
5. The first planned performance of Ginastera’s opera Bomarzo (1967) was cancelled by the Argentinian government because of the opera’s “alleged immoral nature”. The opera was banned by Argentina until 1972. 
6. Deeming several works as immature—regardless of how well received they had been—Ginastera had them withdrawn from publication. This included his first and second symphonies. 
7. As a young professor, Ginastera traveled to the U.S. on a Guggenheim fellowship. It was then that he studied with famous American composer Aaron Copland. 
8. Estancia, the ballet source material for Danzas del ballet “Estancia” was originally commissioned by New York’s Ballet Caravan who unfortunately disbanded before the premiere of the ballet. Ginastera pulled from and converted the work into this orchestral piece as to save the music from being lost to time. 

The “Estancia” ballet itself was eventually premiered in 1952, and 67 years later we are happy to bring Danzas del ballet “Estancia” to you. Be sure to see the Michigan Philharmonic perform Ginastera’s Danzas del ballet “Estancia” during our season opener “A Bit of Beethoven and Blue Jeans” Saturday, September 30^th at the Cherry Hill Village Theater in Canton. Pre-concert talk with our music director and conductor, Nan Washburn and the great American composer, Mary Watkins at 6:45 pm. Don't miss it!

September 30th, 7:30 pm

Cherry Hill Village Theater

www.michiganphil.org

Tickets: http://sa1.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/EventSearch?presenter=VTCH&event=Blue&testingCookie=true

72nd Michigan Philharmonic Season 2017 - 2018

2016: Women take Strides!

While the Michigan Philharmonic embraced women composers in their 2016/2017 concert and lecture series, the Los Angeles Times critic Mark Swed deemed 2016 to be classical music’s “year of the woman.”  Du Yun became the seventh woman to win a music Pulitzer Prize for her operatic composition Angel’s Bone this year and history was made as all three music Pulitzer Prize finalists were women. Congratulations to all women working towards breaking the universal glass ceiling!

This season the Michigan Philharmonic continue its support for Women Composers as they will be preforming works by Mary Watkins, Alice Gomez, Peggy Glanville-Hicks and Gloria Estefan this upcoming season!

2017/2018 Season:

Last season, the Michigan Philharmonic focused on the promoting Women composers through lectures series and their concert series in the 2016/2017 season. This year, the Michigan Philharmonic is excited to broaden their focus as they plan to host speakers and composers that embody diversity. Look out for our upcoming lectures featuring speakers who’ll discuss Art Advocacy as the Michigan Philharmonic embraces art education, local artists, and diverse cultures and audiences.

Community/ Local Artists

The Michigan Philharmonic has a long-standing tradition of embracing the Plymouth-Canton-Livonia community as well as featuring composers form around the world at their concerts throughout each season. As they maintain their tradition embracing world class talent and local artists, this year the two of the three guest composers, Zhou Tian and Ricardo Lorenz, will be from the Lansing area. Look out for these groups and local composer/musicians in these upcoming concerts:

·       Hail to the Veterans (November 10^th, 2017) featuring:

–       The Detroit Children’s Choir

–       Main Street Opera Theatre

–       Plymouth Counselors Youth Chorale

–       MPYO Sinfonia in the concert

·       Miniature Masterpieces (January 2017) featuring:

–       Dennis Carter, Michigan Philharmonic’s own flutist and prominent musician in the metro-Detroit area

·       Tchaikovsky Spectacular (Sunday March 18th, 2018) featuring:

–       Zhou Tian and this composition,  A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

·       Danzones y Tangos: A Cabaret Café (April 14^th, 2018)

–       Ricardo Lorenzo and his composition, Habanera Science

Phil-Palooza

Saturday April 1^st, the Michigan Philharmonic will conclude its 71^st season in celebration with the concert, Phil-Palooza. Community enrichment has been an unfailing goal of Michigan Philharmonic since the symphony began. Phil-Palooza will honor the importance of community engagement as well as the platform music gives to foster collaboration and unite people from all age groups, and backgrounds. To demonstrate the inclusivity of music, Phil-Palooza will feature music both kids and adults will enjoy, including Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev, narrated by Randy Bhirdo and a Star Wars Medley, compositions by John Williams. The Michigan Philharmonic Youth Orchestra will also appear in a side-by-side performance of the symphony Finlandia, Op, 26 composed by Jean Sibelius.

To wrap up the concert, Phil-Palooza will debut the world premiere of 112 Degrees, written by Alice Gomez whose music embodies solidarity, as she embraces her heritage and the utilization of multicultural compositional techniques. And to end this successful concert series, the Plymouth Community Band, and the Michigan Philharmonic will perform together for the first time. This is a concert you, your family and friends won’t want to miss. 

Michigan Philharmonic – Behind the Scenes

In this series we will be portraying our musicians who are the core foundation of our organization. Our orchestra has been able to retain some of the most qualified musicians in our region. We believe that excellence in programming and great professional relationship helps to grow a more dynamic organization.  

Playing music together has been a mankind needs for thousands of years. During the renaissance groups of friends gathered to play together, which whatever instrument, they had in hand. There were no “composed” parts for determined instruments, more like a free for all type of music. The orchestra in the modern sense came to life in the 17^th century when Monteverdi composed one of the first opera’s Orfeo (1607). He composed the music for determined groups of instruments and demanded a lot of instruments. But, why a musician wants to become one? What drives a person to follow a passion and convert it into a lifestyle? Why playing together?

Joseph Deller, Concertmaster

“I saw a violinist play on TV when I was five years old and I said: ‘I want to do that.’“ says concertmaster, Joseph Deller about what encouraged him to take music. Joe is a native from Dearborn, MI. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Violin Performance from Hope College in 2003. Joe has been playing with the Orchestra for many years. As many musicians parents, Joe’s parents encouraged him to take music when he was a child; his parents gave him a piano “to see if he would stick with something”.

It is definitely very important to develop a musical ability. Music enables the creative process of an artist and of any person; music reaches within someone’s soul and reflects the inward world of people. Joe affirms, “Music is a comfort, an escape, a challenge and above all an expression of emotion.” Playing with the Michigan Philharmonic has had some challenges; Joe says that “the most enjoyable performances are the ones that are the most challenging. Some pieces that stick out in my mind are Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 and Saint-Saëns’ organ Symphony.”

Playing together enables a sense of companionship beyond judgment and an opportunity to learn from others. Joe enjoys running and reading literature, but furthermost he enjoys hanging out with his newborn baby girl.

Lisa Raschiatore, Principal Clarinet

For Lisa Raschiatore, Pricnipal Clarinet, music started in her 4th grade band class. According to Lisa,  “Mr. Ferris demonstrated all the band instruments for us, and I really liked the clarinet because it had the most shiny buttons!  Seriously...I was ten, so what did I know?!” Even a simple impression such as the shiny buttons or the many strings an instrument has, can make a difference in one’s life. When the Michigan Philharmonic musicians go to workshops with the 3rd. graders at different schools in our region, the children engage in so many ways with the musicians and their instruments. It is a reminder that simplicity captivates children’s mind and help build interest in music. Lisa is one of the musicians who visit children and show them the “shiny buttons” of her clarinet in hope of one day, a kid like her, will take on music as a profession.

For Lisa her band teachers played a very important role: “I particularly remember my high school band director, Mr. McQuilkin, as someone who really pushed me musically in my youth, so make sure you support your band directors.  They make a BIG difference in the lives of countless children.  I certainly wouldn't be where I am today without mine.” Music is powerful; it moves people from different cultures and enables them to cross bridges triggering a profound rewarding experience. There are scientific proofs of how music benefits children and adults alike.

Lisa continues: “What does music mean to me?  The world.  I'd be a very different person today if I hadn't started playing the clarinet when I was ten!  I do remember a fun story about how I started:  after our first band class, I was SO excited to learn that I could make a honking duck noise on my clarinet mouthpiece that I showed my mom the ENTIRE way home in the car. It drove her nuts!  She's been such a great supporter of all that I do, as have the rest of my family and my partner Scott. I'm a very lucky girl.” 

Music also has challenges and for Lisa the most difficult and enjoyable performance with Michigan Philharmonic has been playing the Clarinet Concerto by Aaron Copland.  In Lisa’s words: “It was exhilarating to perform such a virtuosic work, but it kicked my butt too! It was an incredible experience to be surrounded by such great musicians playing the Copland. I won't forget it.” Playing music together has been an experience where musicians can learn from each other, as Lisa has experienced. 

Lisa enjoys music as a fundamental part of her life, but she also likes to walk in nature, especially in our Great Lakes region. She loves to recharge her batteries along a nice campfire, but ultimately, she gardens: “I feel passionately about fresh, homegrown vegetables...and I love to cook and eat them too!  I also have a big crush on beautiful flowers, specifically dahlias, and spending the afternoon in a botanical garden sounds perfect to me.” 

Music is “The world”, a universal language.

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Up Next:

This Saturday October 24 at 7:30 pm, Steppingstone School in Farmington Hills

"PHRIGHT NIGHT", #Halloween Spooktacular Concert. For tickets, www.michiganphil.org or call 734.451.2112.