Greenville Symphony

Grand Finale - Rhapsody inBlueMay 22 - 23, 2021

Program Title Page

RHAPSODY IN BLUE

Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.Sunday, May 23, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.Peace Concert Hall

Edvard Tchivzhel, conductorAsiya Korepanova, piano

F. Liszt(1811-1886) Piano Concerto No. 1

G. Gershwin(1898-1937) Rhapsody in Blue

D. Shostakovich(1906-1975)

Symphony No. 9

This General Operating Support Grant program is funded inpartby the Metropolitan Arts Council with grants received fromthe City of Greenville, the South Carolina Arts Commissionwhichreceives support from the National Endowment for theArts and private donations.

This organization is funded in part by theSouth Carolina Arts Commissionwhich receives supportfrom the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Greenville Symphony

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Biographies

Edvard Tchivzhel

Conductor

Long before he was our Maestro (or one atall) — and long before a month-long musicaltour with the U.S.S.R. State SymphonyOrchestra brought him to Greenville (whichthanks to the help of a local ballerina,resulted in his family’s defection from theSoviet Union) — Edvard Tchivzhel got hisfirst exposure to the American music scene:

a recording of Duke Ellington’s “Take the A Train” on the U.S.government-funded radio broadcast “Voice of America.”

Edvard Tchivzhel (pronounced CHIV-gel) was 10-years old at thetime he heard American jazz music. He was “doomed to be amusician” as the son of a professional organist mother and violinistfather, who were both employed at the historic Mariinsky Theatre,where renowned composers such as Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, andRimsky-Korsakov premiered many of their masterpieces in the19th century. As a child of the orchestra, he was privileged to manyfree performances there; he listened to his parents’ continualpractice at home as well, and his sister was a violinist.

At age 5, Tchivzhel was enrolled at a prestigious, highly competitivemusic school in St. Petersburg, where he majored in piano for 11years until continuing those studies at the Leningrad Conservatoire.“My father wanted me to conduct eventually,” he says. “BeforeWorld War II, my father started conducting, but then the war broke.”

A child born in Soviet Russia at the onset of the Cold War, of coursehe was technically forbidden from outside-the-wall media such as“Voice of America” — which along with the sounds of Duke Ellington,Ella Fitzgerald, and the “absolutely fantastic” Louis Armstrong,brought news and highlights of the world. His father would comehome from performing at the theatre, and the two who “didn’t sleepas well” would listen to the radio together.

The Russian-language broadcast began at 11 pm and would last until2 am. “We would start on one frequency, and in five minutes, Russiawould overwhelm it – liberty, freedom or anything outside of thewall.” So they would jump frequencies ahead of Russian policing,often to no avail; but “Sometimes you could hear it all night!

“Everyone was curious of course — despite fears of your apartmentneighbors, who could report on you. So it was kind of a verydangerous game, but many people wanted to get away from thisRussian brainwashing with the Soviet Union. ‘Voice of America’ wasvery helpful. That was a major source of information.”

Though jazz is still a most beloved genre for Maestro Tchivzhel, heconsiders symphonic music “the highest form of music-making” –partly because it embraces nearly all instruments, and involves up to

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hundreds of musicians playing together. But he was fascinated bythe unrestrained, liberated openness of jazz improvisation.

For classical legends such as Handel and Bach, improvisation used tobe a part of the composition process; but according to Tchivzhel,these days “very few classical musicians can still do it. But jazzplayers, they improvise. They are very interesting! Some of themdon’t know how to read notes. It’s simply by ear. Their skill isamazing. They might write it later, after they improvise it from theirmind and soul. It is very special.”

For the Maestro, the magic of creating music in its most sublimeform is not reliant on education, training or technique. There are “athousand composers” who might be prolific or have impeccableresumes, but they aren’t Tchaikovsky or Bach. “That type of music –they receive it. They get it and they let us know about it. It’ssupposed to come to you. You cannot wing it. Of course everybodycan learn how to do something if you are, more or less, musicallyinclined. Technique alone is not enough.” Instead, the value of musicis found in pure emotional expression — “a combination of colorsand power.”

Neither does the Maestro believe that technique alone is sufficientfor a great orchestral conductor. As the leader of a large group ofpeople, it’s much more about understanding and influencing them –one has to understand the nature of the instruments, but also theorchestra playing them. He even refers to the various sounds of theinstruments as “voices.”

“You have to hear all the musicians themselves. They are all people,human beings. So when you are working with them, it’s not likeplucking strings. It’s feelings, emotional influence on other people.You have to give them that. Everyone can show someone how toplay, but it doesn’t mean you can conduct. You have to make sureyou do not destroy the orchestra.”

In addition to piano, Maestro Tchivzhel gained experiencethroughout the years in playing orchestral cello and the French horn.At age 18 and in his first year in the Leningrad Conservatoire, he wasto be drafted into service like everyone else. But a couple years inadvance, he received “smart advice” to start the French horn. Hecould earn an invitation into the Meter Band of St. Petersburg, whichusually played on special occasions for the government, in parades,and at “funerals of generals and big guys.”

So that is what he did.

“I was lucky. There is no such occasion for a piano player in theband, because it’s only woodwinds, brass and percussion. They saidthat if I played some brass instrument they would take me, and infree time I could play piano concerto. I just blew my French hornfrom 10 until 2 in the afternoon, and then they let me go. I continuedto study in the conservatory, which was very important, and also, Ihad nice practice.”

Though he had mastered several instruments, in order to conduct hecompleted three more years of postgraduate study at theConservatoire’s Higher Academy of Music in the prestigiousconducting classes of Arvid Jansons. The transition to conducting was

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not easy, he says, because conductors don’t touch the instrumentsthemselves. Besides working with people, much of the job isinterpretation, and bringing that to life with many others.

Says principal oboist Virginia Metzger, who has played with theMaestro since he joined the GSO in 1999 (prior to his official move toGreenville, he served as Music Director for the Fort Wayne [Indiana]Philharmonic from 1993-2008): “During the season, you’re more orless bringing to life a conductor’s vision. You’re in an orchestra with80 people, and its basically creating energy, and the way thatenergy flows out and reaches other people. You’re just part of thisbig event.”

Maestro Tchivzhel says, “You have to know details, and to know howto build some sort of vision — what you want to say as a symphony.The main goal is to deliver what the composer wanted to do.Conductors are supposed to be able to extract sound he likes.

“You have to feel the majority of players. As a teacher, you aresupposed to know more than the musicians. They know what to do,but the conductor is supposed to bring something new. You have toinspire them to do something that otherwise, they don’t do, and youhave to know and feel what that is.

“Musicians practice weeks in advance for a first rehearsal, but forconductors, it takes months or even years to study orchestral scores.They are supposed to study to build imagination and final results. Inother words, it is thousands of details. Many details you have todecide yourself. You are not just conducting empty air. It takes timeto figure out what to do at the podium to get results.”

Maestro Tchivzhel is well known for the passion and charisma hebrings to the podium; his energy level is no less than astounding.

“You can say this for the musicians and the audience – he has thischarisma, and I don’t know any audience member who does not lovehim and fallen under his spell. He expects to get the best from thestaff and the musicians, and he will give the best. You don’t give99% — you give 100%, and he will do the same,” says GSOMarketing Director Todd Weir.

As far as the Maestro’s impeccable attention to the “thousands” ofdetails he must conduct, principal timpanist Daniel Kirkpatrick says,“Edvard is sharp as a tack. I love that about him. He has the mind ofa steel trap. If you make a mistake, he will tell you about it in twodays. I think he is what makes all this work. People like his story.They like his style. The guy listens. A good conductor can make asymphony great. He is the reason this symphony is where it is rightnow.”

The Maestro believes that in all rehearsals, a conductor serves as “ateacher and a psychologist“ due to the many personalities he mustaddress: “You have to bring the best of players, but you have tomake sure you don’t scare them or make them nervous.”

Says co-principal trumpet Phil Elkins: “He’s definitely got a charisma.Not only to the public but to the players themselves. He can be veryintimidating on the podium. He knows exactly what he wants. He isreceptive to people’s suggestions, too, at the same time. They have

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to be presented in the way and at the right time. He has probablytaken the orchestra up a couple different levels. There’s a dynamic,a musicality, an enthusiasm that is just not found, especially inregional orchestra.”

Maestro Tchivzhel has conducted all over the world; aside fromRussia and several orchestras he has conducted in the U.S., he hasappeared in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Finland,England, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan,China, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Venezuela and more.

But Greenville – his first stop on that fateful 1991 tour with theU.S.S.R. State Symphony Orchestra (which also happened to be thefirst performance in the Peace Center) – is now his beloved home.And after defecting, he along with his son Arvid and his wife Lubabecame U.S. citizens in 1999.

“We have a very nice atmosphere here. It’s friendly. Really it’s ateam that tries to achieve the best results, and they are talented,they are ready to give their best. They have no easy life, I can tellyou. We – our listeners and myself – expect perfect playing withoutany excuses. It’s a very enthusiastic atmosphere. Most importantly,we have people who like to make music. Sometimes in big orchestra,people are playing, but they are not having fun.”

Learn more about Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel here.

Asiya Korepanova

Piano

The only pianist currently performing Liszt's24 Etudes as a single program and one offew to tout a concerto list that features over60 works, Asiya Korepanova is a pianistic

powerhouse and rapidly rising star. A result of her uncompromisingdedication to the arts, Ms. Korepanova is recognized not only for herachievements as a pianist, but also for her work as a transcriber,composer, visual artist, and poet.

Asiya’s contributions to the solo piano literature —including herhistoric solo piano transcription of Richard Strauss’ “EinHeldenleben” and that of Rachmaninoff 's Cello Sonata—have givenher a place among today’s formidable transcribers.

A number of her transcriptions have been recorded through herYouTube vlog project, 'Midnight Pieces'. Launched in September,2017, Asiya shares 53 performances of short works. Among theseare well-known works, Russian compositions, obscure works, andoriginal transcriptions.

Uninhibited in her artistic expression, Asiya's communicative desireshave culminated in several projects featuring original poetry andvisual art that serve as an interpretive commentary to a particularcycle of works for the piano. These cycles include Liszt’sTranscendental Etudes, Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Tchaikovsky’s18 Morceaux, Op. 72 and, most recently, Mussorgsky's Pictures at anexhibition. Asiya's live performances of these compositions have

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astounded audiences and organizers alike.

In 2017 Asiya founded ‘Festival Baltimore’, a two-week chambermusic series and summer academy dedicated to the performanceand study of complete cycles. Rapidly growing in reputation, festivalhas already solidified its reputation as a highly original musicalseries and academy.

Furthering this effort, Ms. Korepanova founded 'Music for Minds', anon-profit organization that serves to promote classicalperformances in classrooms as well as to found and support musicfestivals featuring unique programming.

Asiya was born in Izhevsk, Russia, to a musical family. She began tolearn piano when she was 4 years old from her mother, her firstpiano teacher. She was taught to read music in orchestral clefs byher father, an exemplary composer, at the age of 6, and startedcomposing her own music. At 9, she made her orchestral debut,playing Mozart's Concerto No.8 with her own cadenza, andperformed her first philharmonic recital.

Her love for new music has come effortlessly as a result of her earlybond with composition. She was invited to premiere 3 pianoconcertos by Vladislav Kazenin and Shamil Timerbulatov, with theSvetlanov Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Petersburg CapellaSymphony Orchestra, the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra and theTatarstan National Symphony Orchestra.

Additionally, she has presented the premiere performance of variousworks by Matthew Evan Taylor, Michael Daugherty, Thomas Sleeperand Orlando Garcia.

Throughout her formative years in Russia, Ms. Korepanova receivedvarious awards for her prodigious abilities. These include the RussianFederation’s President Award for “Exceptional Achievement in theArts”. the National Award from the Republic of Udmurtia (2002),Germany’s Berliner Salon Award (2003), and Russia’s Youth TriumphAward (2005), the title of 'Honored Artist of Udmurtia' (2009), andearned her right as the Moscow Philharmonic Society's artist.

In 2012, Asiya moved to the United States at the invitation ofrenowned pianist, Santiago Rodriguez. Later that year, she wasawarded the Gold Medal at the Nina Wideman International PianoCompetition – an accolade which proved invaluable in theestablishment of her concertizing career in the U.S.

She has since continued to garner national attention withperformances at the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, theBargemusic Series, the Phillips Collection, the Dame Myra HessMemorial Series, the International Miami Piano Festival, andcountless others. Ms. Korepanova has been featured on CNN, NPRstations, WFMT, and WETA.

In addition to her busy schedule concertizing as a soloist andchamber musician, Asiya eagerly anticipates the release of herhistoric Rachmaninoff record—which includes his piano sonatasalong with her transcription of his cello sonata—and the release of aDVD—which features her performance at Tchaikovsky’sbirthplace—issued by the Russian government.

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Greenville Symphony

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Roster

VIOLIN

Mary Lee Taylor Kinosian,

Concertmaster Leila Cunningham Roe Endowed Chair

Xiaoli Saliny,

Assistant Concertmaster Uwe Diestel Endowed Chair

James R. Johnston

Carol Roosevelt

Robin Hague Els

Inez Hullinger Redman

Catherine Hazan

VIOLIN

Joanna Mulfinger,

Principal

Shr-Han Wu,

Assistant Principal

Catherine H. Crowe

Elizabeth Fee

Brandon Ironside

Sarah Land

Kathleen S. Robinson

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VIOLA

Arthur Ross III,Principal Erika and Chuck Riddiford Endowed Chair

John Young Shik Concklin,Assistant Principal

Alvoy Bryan, Jr.

Kara Poorbaugh

CELLO

Ryan Knott,Principal Guild of the Greenville Symphony Endowed Chair

Dusan Vukailovic,Assistant Principal

David Saliny

Miro Gomez

DOUBLE BASS

Tim Easter,Principal Anonymous Endowed Chair

Ian Bracchitta,Assistant Principal

Maurice Bell

FLUTE

Caroline Ulrich,Principal Alice and Jerry Lenz Endowed Chair

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Esther Waite

Carla Copeland-Burns

OBOE

Virginia Zeblisky Metzger,Principal Guild of the Greenville Symphony Endowed Chair

Kelly Mozeik

CLARINET

Anthony Marotta,Principal Harriet and Jerry Dempsey Endowed Chair

Taylor Massey

Kyra Krenitsky Zhang

BASSOON

Lauren Piccirillo Waid,Principal Anonymous Endowed Chair

Patrick Herring

SAXOPHONE

Clifford Leaman,Principal

Matt Olson

Jack Murray

HORN

Anneka Zuehlke-King,Principal Charles W. Wofford and Nancy B. Thomas Endowed Chair

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Elizabeth Regas

Bill L. Tyler

Christina Cornell

TRUMPET

Kevin Lyons,Co-Principal Beverley and Jim Whitten Endowed Chair

Gary J. Malvern,Assistant Principal

Craig King

TROMBONE

Stephen Wilson,Co-Principal

Michael Hosford,Co-Principal

Richard deBondt

TUBA

Don Strand,Principal

TIMPANI

Daniel Kirkpatrick,Principal Nancy B. Stanton Endowed Chair

PERCUSSION

Edward C. Nagel,

Greenville Symphony

Principal

Gary Robinson

John Beckford

BANJO

Matthew Dingledine,

Principal

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Laura Auvil

PRINCIPAL LIBRARIAN

John Wickey

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Greenville Symphony

2021-22 Season

The Greenville Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Edvard Tchivzhelhave announced details of the 2021-22 concert season. Renewalpackets for current subscribers are in the mail. Patrons who did notsubscribe to the 2020-21 season, but would like to join us next yearmay call the Peace Center Box office at (864) 467-3000 open 9:30am- 5:30pm weekdays.

Highlights include music of Mozart, Beethoven's mighty "Eroica"Symphony, the thundering "Organ" Symphony of Saint-Saens, plusappearances by local favorites Laura Colgate, David Gross, ZacharyHughes, and International Ballet. A complete list of programs isavailable here:

GSO 21-22 Season

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